State of Mind

Erika Drolet is the Co-founder and CEO of the Salty Souls Experience / Salty Club. She describes her business as a travel agency for women, but as she discusses it on the show it quickly becomes obvious that what the Salty Souls Experience offers is so much more. To paint an accurate picture of what Erika aimed to achieve with the Salty Souls Experience, she first describes the experiences that led to her deciding to launch the company.

Before the Salty Souls Experience and its sister company, the Salty Club, Erika was already a successful entrepreneur with her jewellery design company, Jane & Rye. Even while attending some of the biggest fashion shows in the world, Erika felt out of place encouraging people to buy more stuff. She sought to create an environment that encouraged people to create more memories instead.

Erika shares more on how her experiences travelling helped shape the Salty Souls Experience and, later, the Salty Club. Some of these key experiences include:

• Running into her future business partner, Marie-Christine, multiple times in 6 months across the world.
• Discovering groups of young women like her who had always been doing “boy things”
• Using her experience as an avid traveler to support young women travelers exploring the world alone.

Check out Salty Souls Experience: https://saltysoulsexperience.com/

Follow the host Vera Siertsema for more updates and short snippets of the State of Mind episodes on:

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For more than 35 years, Cameron Hardiman protected the streets in his role as a police officer for the Victoria Police Force. Drawn into the career by an exciting advert that featured car chases and many other scenes that thrilled his young, 19-year old self, Cameron served as the frontline against crime while barely realizing he was following in his father’s footsteps, who was also a police officer.

Cameron shares some of the pivotal experiences that have shaped his career, tracing a remarkable story that goes from being a uniformed police officer to patrolling the skies as an air observer before finally serving his nation as a federal officer. From drunk drivers to drug smugglers and counterfeiters, Cameron has been face to face with all kinds of people and faced some of the most stressful, life-or-death situations imaginable. Cameron shares how his career only came to an end after his work had worn into him and he was diagnosed with post-traumatic stress disorder.

Cameron also opens up about some of the most traumatic experiences in his career. Somse of these events stretch back as far as 1985, but the one that really stands out is the tragic story of a lost sailor in the “Shipwreck Coast”, the notorious stretch of ocean between Victoria and Tasmania.

You can listen to the full episode for the full story, and also find out:

• How Cameron recognized his PTSD
• Some of the most prominent symptoms of PTSD that stuck out to him afterward
• Learning to accept his right to feel emotion.

Follow the host Vera Siertsema for more updates and short snippets of the State of Mind episodes on:

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#PTSD #posttraumaticstressdisorder #mentalhealth 

Soraya Scott is the Chief Operating Officer of Microsoft UK and the mother to one beautiful daughter. Originally from Australia, Soraya’s 20-year career in technology has placed her in some of the most exciting cities in the world, such as Paris. She joins us today to discuss how she has juggled the challenging prospect of a high-performing career with her own personal needs, such as starting a family, maintaining a healthy relationship with her partner, and “building a great life”.

One of the first challenges Soraya faced was fertility complications that required IVF to allow her to have a baby. What she expected to be a one-year process quickly transformed into a challenging, 6-year journey before she gave birth to her beautiful daughter. Along the way, Soraya remarks on how she also combated career fears, such as being looked over for advancement opportunities as she tried to have a baby and falling out of the loop when she took maternity leave. Thankfully, thanks to a fantastic team, wise leadership, and her own sense of initiative, these fears never came to pass, and Soraya has been able to climb to incredible heights in her career.

Soraya also discusses:

• How hormone therapy affected her emotions during IVF
• How she was able to progress so quickly into leadership roles in her career
• Her experience as a woman in tech over the past 20 years

Follow the host Vera Siertsema for more updates and short snippets of the State of Mind episodes on:

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#worklifebalance #mentalhealth #podcaster

(Trigger Warning: Please be aware that the content of this episode contains mentions of suicide.)

Laure de Panafieu is the Co-Chair of City Mental Health Alliance Singapore, but mental health has been a deeply influential theme in her life for a long time. Laure shares with us the story of her parents’ battles with mental illnesses.

Her mother was believed to suffer from depression for most of her life, and it was only recently that a healthcare professional has been able to correctly diagnose and treat her. Laure’s experiences grant her an intimate perspective into the role of mental health in a person’s life, and in the workplace. 

From this perspective, Laure shares some of the many ways that mental health awareness still needs to progress both in the workplace and at home, such as:

• How to de-stigmatize seeking professional mental health services
• Improving access to professional mental health services in the workplace
• Creating a culture of understanding and acceptance around mental health service.

Follow the host Vera Siertsema for more updates and short snippets of the State of Mind episodes on:

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#selfacceptance #mentalhealth #podcaster

This episode of State of Mind is all about diversity - listen to the amazing journey of Andee Chua; a model, dancer, community builder, public speaker and LGBTQ+ advocate.

Being an advocate for diversity and inclusivity, Andee devoted his life to spreading awareness about the challenges the LGBTQ+ community faces in Singapore.

Andee grew up in a traditional Singaporean family and it wasn’t easy for him to come out to his family and friends. Finding great support and strength in his partner, he went on to become one of the biggest voices for LGBTQ+ rights in this part of the world.

He speaks about 3 pillars of support that helped him on this journey, which are dance, friends, co-workers and of course, his fiancé.

Listen to Andee speaking more about:

- How dance helped him express himself

- What it was like coming out to traditional parents

- Embracing an inclusive workspace mentality.

Follow Andee on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/andeecys/

Follow the host Vera Siertsema for more updates and short snippets of the State of Mind episodes on:

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#selfacceptance #mentalhealth #podcaster

Contrary to popular belief, life can be long. There are many lessons and realizations that only come to us with age, time, and maturity. On this episode of State of Mind I'm joined by one of my personal favourite podcasters, Tracey Thomas, host of the amazing Talk with Trace podcast.

Tracey shares with us her rich life experience. As she nears the major milestone of age 40, Tracey has found herself reflecting on many of the lessons and values that were instilled in her during her lifetime. By sharing touching, relatable stories with us, Tracey draws a clear illustration of the challenges surrounding personal development and self-fulfilment in an ever-changing world.

One of the standout stories she shares relates to self-acceptance. In her 20s, Tracey found herself to be a bit of a people-pleaser. Her selfless, giving nature nearly ran her ragged, and it wasn’t until she learned to put herself first that things started to make more sense in her life.

We also discuss:

• Her transition from the corporate world to entrepreneurship
• The ups and downs of her business career
• Some of her personal favourite episodes of her podcast

Check out Talk with Trace podcast: https://podcasts.apple.com/au/podcast/talk-with-trace/id1418334318

Follow the host Vera Siertsema for more updates and short snippets of the State of Mind episodes on:

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#selfacceptance #mentalhealth #podcaster

Kim Hamrosi describes herself as having never had a masterplan, only a series of interesting ideas. Her early career reflects this belief clearly as she began working in the hospitality industry before moving to aviation, and then finally settling in the pharmaceutical industry.

Kim shares how despite having worked her way to become CEO of Corporate Mental Health Alliance Australia, she has at times struggled to find the right balance between her work and her mental health.

Working in a high-performance team, Kim found herself inundated with work. Overwhelmed and reluctant to disappoint her peers, Kim reflects on how her decision to leave that job was the best thing to do for her at that time. During our talk Kim shares many more details about how she’s seen mental health intersect with work, including:

• How working in aviation helped her understand people’s psychology practically
• The infamous “passion tax” that overly passionate people pay for not setting proper boundaries
• What communities can do to promote better mental health at workplaces.

Follow the host Vera Siertsema for more updates and short snippets of the State of Mind episodes on:

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#workplaceculture #mentalhealth

In this episode, I’m joined by the inspirational Vanessa Murray. In addition to being a phenomenal triathlete, Vanessa is also the 2021 AG Ironman Champion. She shares with us how she’s balanced a demanding physical fitness regime with a healthy mindset, allowing her to achieve phenomenal success.

Our conversation starts with a brief exploration of Vanessa’s history. She reveals how sports have always been a heavy fabric in her life, with running taking a special place in her heart. However, Vanessa truly found herself when she discovered triathlons. She was introduced to the sport via her husband, who also bought her her first road bicycle. She quickly found her groove within the sport, and soon she was registering for her first competitive triathlon. Battling fear, doubt, and uncertainty every step of the way, Vanessa managed to blaze an impressive trail over the next 12 years.

Throughout our chat, Vanessa shares how she never intended to become a world champion. Instead, she simply fell in love with the sport and it allowed the achievements to follow. Tune in to our latest episode to find out more about Vanessa’s fascinating journey, such as:

• Her training regime
• How she improved herself
• How she kept her mental health in check.
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Follow the host Vera Siertsema for more updates and short snippets of the State of Mind episodes on:

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#thriathlete #womenpower #mentalhealth

Through sweeping social reforms in the 1900s, the world has begun to accept that women play an essential economic role in society. Even so, the workplace is still a den of gender inequality for many women around the world. Jingjin Liu, founder and CEO of ZaZaZu, is taking strides to change that.

Our conversation with Jingjin begins with her personal history. She shares how being raised in China often left her feeling muted and restricted. As all teenagers do, she rebelled and chose to pursue an intensively male-dominated industry in the industrial hub of the world: Germany.

Alone in a foreign country with a foreign language, Jingjin quickly learned how to express herself in any way possible to integrate into society. Her experiences made her appreciate qualities she was previously criticized for, leading to a bloom in confidence and identity.

These experiences, and many others, shape ZaZaZu’s unique lens and helps her understand the nature of issues women are facing in modern society. In our discussion, we explore some of those, such as:

• How are expressive women perceived compared to reserved women?
• What are different reactions to sexism and microaggressions in the workplace?
• Why is it important to own your narrative?

Follow the host Vera Siertsema for more updates and short snippets of the State of Mind episodes on:

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#genderequality #womenpower #mentalhealth

Charles Wartemberg, Product Manager at Netflix and Public Speaker, joins us in this episode of State of Mind. Having worked with some of the biggest names in technology such as Microsoft, Charles has been around some of the brightest people in the world. You can imagine, then, his surprise when his manager quoted an article he had written on LinkedIn.

So began the meteoric rise of Charles’ consulting and coaching platform. He quickly discovered that an ideal work-life balance often means you have to take a step back from side hustles to focus on what he calls 'the most important job of all', being a husband and a father.

Join us to find out more about how Charles has leveraged technology to scale his platform and achieve an ideal balance in his life. We also cover many other topics, such as:

• The importance of giving back
• Avoiding or mitigating harmful effects of technology in children
• Challenges related to scaling your business

Follow the host Vera Siertsema for more updates and short snippets of the State of Mind episodes on:

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Obesity is a growing problem in developed and developing countries around the world. As more research on the subject comes to light, people are slowly beginning to recognize that what they do plays as pivotal a role in their weight as what they eat. Kevin Zahri, our guest today, is the founder of Bukan Soal Kurus, the largest weight-loss movement in Malaysia. He shares with us how he came to become a fitness influencer.

His journey begins with being the typical academic - pressured by his parents to study engineering, it wasn't long before he realized this wasn't for him. Since then, Kevin has carved out his own space, helping people around Malaysia develop weight-loss programs that integrate seamlessly with their lives and promote an active lifestyle.

Among many other topics, we discuss:

• The basics of 'body engineering'
• How Kevin has fused fitness and entrepreneurship
• The importance of following through with your decisions

Follow the host Vera Siertsema for more updates and short snippets of the State of Mind episodes on:

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Content is an indispensable tool in the modern marketer’s arsenal. Blog articles, videos, and any other forms of media are consumed enthusiastically by the global population. Naturally, brands and businesses have capitalized on this phenomenon by shifting their tactics to a content-for-profit model. It’s gotten so that you can hardly scroll across the internet without coming across some form of advertising beckoning you to buy or subscribe to something. It seems all content is designed to get us to pay something.

However, as my guest today, John Savill, points out, this was not always the nature of the internet. During his generation’s prime, the internet was a gathering space for nerds and enthusiasts who gathered around highly specialized, niche topics of interest. This created a rich ground for education. This ancient culture, of using the internet as a tool for mass-education as opposed to mass-marketing, is one that John carries with him today.

Join us in the first episode of Season 2 to find out how John has grown his LinkedIn following to over 100,000 without the intention to ask for a single cent from them. In our discussion, we explore topics such as:

• Achieving an ideal work-life balance
• Organically growing your audience through valuable content
• Identifying what creative niche works for you and what doesn’t anymore.

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In our final episode of the season, we feature a powerful, heart-touching story about beating the odds and the value of community and kindness. Our guest today is Sivasangaran Kumaran, Principal Customer Success Account Manager at Microsoft Kuala Lumpur.

A few years ago, Siva was sailing smoothly along the sea of life. His career was advancing impressively and he was in the perfect position to grow his family. He welcomed his daughter, Swati, into the world filled with love and joy. However, tragedy soon struck as Swati was diagnosed with a rare genetic disorder, known as Pompe Disease. So began endless trips to the hospital, searching for answers which nobody seemed to have. More devastating than the financial strain, however, was the pessimistic prognosis Siva received.

But, as Siva came to realise, the power of positive belief can yield truly miraculous results. Tune into today’s episode to learn more about Siva’s incredible story. We discuss:

• How Siva's family's lifestyle changed after the diagnosis
• Who helped his daughter get the medical help she needed
• The importance of spreading awareness of rare diseases.

State of Mind will return with all new episodes in August. Until then, enjoy episode 20 or re-listen to any of your favourite past episodes!

Everybody has ups and downs in life. It’s about how you deal with them that defines us.

Alex Loh had to end his professional career as a national water-polo player for Singapore because of a nasty injury. He tried himself in fitness and coaching before diving into business management.

Huge public backlash after an event got wrong hasn’t stopped him either.

Now, Alex is a Co-Founder and CEO of Actxa Wellness, a well-tech company from Singapore. He joined State of Mind podcast to discuss the doubts and fears he has faced after these life-changing moments and the positive mindset that has kept him going all these years.

Learn from Alex how to acknowledge your mistakes and enjoy your successes.

Join us to hear:

- What it was like going from 11 trainings a week to having nothing to do every day

- About backlash he has faced after a 15.000 people event went awry

- What is Actxa Wellness and Alex's newfound mission

TRIGGER WARNING: This episode contains references to suicidal thoughts.

Welcome to the brand new episode of the State of Mind podcast where we share stories about resilience and mental strength.

In this episode, my guest is Emily Tan, host of the Tackling Minds podcast and the founder of Mental Muscle, a business venture that is dedicated to unlocking emotional strength through physical, mindfulness & emotional education experiences.

Emily went through two marriages, a suicide attempt, and cancer, and she kindly shared her takeaways from these tough life experiences with me.

Join us and find out:

- How to recognize that you are in a toxic relationship?

- How do we break the taboo around sexual harassment?

- The importance of family when going through rough times

Listen to Emily’s podcast Tackling Minds to discover how people fight their battles and thrive with resilience: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/tackling-minds/id1510074302

In this episode of the State of Mind podcast, we are bringing you the story of Michelle Markham, Asia Director, Cloud Acquisition Digital Sales at Microsoft.

Her whole life, Michelle is dealing with a hearing disability, but that didn't stop her to be a great mum to 4 kids, build a successful leader, and be a growth mindset advocate.

In this episode, Michelle spoke about an accidental meeting with a psychologist whose words changed her life. Because of a hearing disability, she didn’t believe in herself and once she actually decided to have confidence in her own abilities, her life changed.

Get inspired by Michelle and listen to her talk about:

- Discovering a time for yourself

- The “domestic goddess” syndrome

- Not allowing negative self-talk to undermine your confidence.

In episode 16 of the State of Mind podcast, I spoke with Vajira Weerasekera, IoT Solutions Director for Microsoft Asia, who a couple of years ago completed a 500 km run to raise funds for Sri Lanka's first-ever palliative care hospital.

He reflected on his journey from not being able to do even a half-marathon to completing a 500km run and what learnings from this endeavour he finds applicable in the business world.

Join us and find out:

- How did Vajira develop a passion for running

- Importance of the team that is guiding you towards a goal

- Why positive energy is a crucial part of the path to success

Stepping up to the mic for Episode 15 of the State of Mind Podcast is Aaron Whittaker. Aaron's full-time job is as the Global Customer Success Account Manager at Microsoft, but in his spare time, he used to compete as a triathlete. He is a two-time Ironman All World Gold Athlete and has successfully completed 43 Ironman events.

In our conversation, we delved into Aaron's mindset, how he prepared for these challenging races, and how he drew on his inner resources to keep going when things got tough.

Keep listening to find out:

• Where Aaron found his passion for triathlons
• What his rigorous training schedule looks like
• What motivated him to compete in 24-hour triathlons
• Aaron's advice for keeping a positive and driven mindset

Last year I had a conversation with Gizem Lislas, a fellow podcaster and Hybrid Work Global Blackbelt for Microsoft Europe, Middle East and Africa. We spoke about the beginnings of her podcast “Inspire” and the inspirational stories that she is uncovering with these conversations internally for Microsoft.

As a true nature lover, Gizem told us about her numerous outdoor activities - cycling, hiking, running… which are giving her energy and nurturing her positive mindset.

She made a list of things that makes her happy and started prioritizing her life according to it. This “happy list” actually made her productive at work and vastly improved her quality of life.

Listen more from Gizem as she speaks about:

• Overcoming your fears.
• Her experiences from South Africa.
• Being passionate about things you love.

In 2016, Craig Box’s youngest daughter Violet has been diagnosed with neuroblastoma. Last year, when we recorded this podcast, she was still going through treatments. Sadly, Violet passed away not long after my conversation with Craig.

While still under a lockdown, I spoke with Craig about the challenges he and his family are going through while trying to be there for Violet in these hard times.

Craig spoke about the impact that communities at school and hospital are having in helping them reorganise their daily responsibilities in order to make this situation easier for Violet.

Listen to Craig as he speaks about:

· Why is it important to talk about what you’re feeling?

· How to support the parents of a child with cancer

· The need to focus on “The Right Now” instead of “The Future”

Last year I spoke with Kevin Chai. At the time of our conversation, Kevin's wife was undergoing chemotherapy treatment for breast cancer.

Kevin Chai is the Modern Workplace Cloud Sales Lead at Microsoft Singapore. We spoke about what was going through his mind when he find out about his wife’s cancer and the mental shift that he had to adopt in order to cope with such a challenging situation.

Kevin underlined the importance of a balance between personal and private life. He also unpacked the daily routines that he uses to clear his mind and get a clearer view of the issues ahead of him.

The episode covers:

- The value of having a “Personal Board of Directors”

- Kevin's newfound focus at work

- Meditation and jogging as a path to peace of mind

While a diverse career path can be rewarding and bring about a great deal of growth, it can also be a journey fraught with imposter syndrome, anxiety and unforeseen challenges. This episode of State of Mind digs into resilience's role in riding the rollercoaster of ups and downs in our professional lives.

Our guest, Lily Zheng, is the Partner of Business and Development Leads for the Greater China Region at Microsoft. In this conversation, Lily shares a few of the challenges she experienced throughout her successful and 20-year plus career at Microsoft, how she dealt with them and what she learned from overcoming these difficulties.

In this conversation, we spoke about:
- Lily's key learnings from having to prove herself and take on new challenges and opportunities
- The vital role of great mentors and managers in helping employees to grow and tackle new opportunities
- How we can all remain resilient when facing challenges with our career

TRIGGER WARNING: This episode contains references to suicidal thoughts.

For Mental Health Month 2022, State of Mind holds space for conversations that destigmatise mental health challenges and normalise conversations about mental health. In this episode, Daniel McManus steps up to the mic to share his story of navigating mental health struggles and recovering from burnout.

Dan is the Senior Security Program Manager at Microsoft. After undergoing prolonged stress, Dan experienced a nervous breakdown and severe burnout that made it impossible to function in his professional and personal life. As so many of us have, Dan struggled with the stigma around his mental health his entire life, and he shamed himself for not being able to cope with the symptoms he was experiencing.

After sharing his challenges with his colleagues, Dan was overwhelmed by the incredible support he received from his coworkers. The support from his corporate family kickstarted his recovery, and with time, Dan developed a powerful "care programme" that helped him manage his mental health more consciously.

We spoke about what it is like to live with major depressive disorder, PTSD and generalised anxiety. Dan also explained how developing a curiosity about his mental health proved to be his greatest ally in his journey to recovery.

In this episode, Dan shared:

- What it is like to experience a nervous breakdown and burnout

- How receiving support from his colleagues and company played an integral role in helping him to get better

- The practical rituals he added to his daily life which helped him recover from his burnout and manage his mental health

Every episode of State of Mind is a special experience, but this one is particularly close to my heart. Today I am joined by my dear friends Renkse Wolters and Alexander Brake. Renske is the Strategic Account Executive for Celonis, and Alex currently has the rewarding full-time job of raising their beautiful daughter Nora.

In October 2019, Renske and Alex embarked on the overland adventure, leaving their careers and houseboat in Amsterdam to travel in their epic 4x4 "Toto" with their Labradoodle Maysie. The original idea was to drive from Amsterdam to Cape Town, but when the pandemic hit in early 2020, Renske and Alex decided to make a temporary home in The Gambia for nine months.

During their life-changing stay in The Gambia, Renske and Alex spent most of their time working at a horse and donkey hospital, helping out as "professional animal cuddlers" and handymen. They got involved in efforts to conserve the red colobus monkey and were instrumental in starting a sea turtle rehabilitation centre.

From getting engaged in the magnificent deserts of Morocco to deciding to start a family in the middle of this once-of-a-lifetime adventure, join us for Renske and Alex's wild ride.

In this episode, we chatted about:

- The spirit of adventure and upbeat attitude that called Renske and Alex to venture out into the unknown

- How they used their education and professional background to get involved in initiatives that are making a difference

- How approaching new things with a mindset of adventure and optimism can open you up to rewarding experiences

In this episode of 'State of Mind', I am thrilled to welcome Microsoft's own Steven Worrall to the conversation. Steven is the Managing Director for Microsoft Australia and New Zealand and the Chair of the Corporate Mental Health Alliance Australia (CMHAA).

Steven found himself in a difficult situation just over five years ago. Not only had he just been appointed to his current role at Microsoft, but his parents were rapidly ageing. As so many loving and dutiful children do, Steven took full responsibility for his mom and dad's growing healthcare needs as they faced Alzheimer's and cancer. However, Steven underestimated the toll that this commitment would take on his mental health and found himself without the tools he needed to practice self-care and stay connected during this challenging period of his life.

Looking back now, Steven realises he did not have the vital communication skills he needed to be able to reach out and allow others to support him. This revelation about the power of sharing, openness and storytelling is one of the key reasons he became involved with Corporate Mental Health Alliance Australia and the work the CMHAA does to normalise daily conversations about mental health.

In Episode 08, Steven and I discuss:

- The events that triggered Steven to start opening up and sharing his mental health story with his community

- How we can all ensure that mental health will stay on the agenda of every conversation, even as we emerge from the pandemic

- The tools Steven now uses in his everyday life to practice self-care and tend to his mental health

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This week on 'State of Mind', I am joined by Agnes Panosian, the Data and AI Sales Director for Microsoft in Australia.

Agnes is a descendant of the survivors of the Armenian genocide in 1915 and grew up in a close-knit Armenian community in Iran until her family fled to Australia as refugees following the fallout from the Iranian revolution in 1978-79.

Agnes courageously shared her remarkable story, from representing her family at the UN tribunal to advocate for their permanent residency in Australia to becoming the first person in her family to complete tertiary education. She also fought cancer twice, drawing on the resiliency forged from her lived experience to face this challenging time.

In this episode, Agnes opens up about:

• How her extraordinary journey built the courage and strength that guides how she faces life's greatest challenges
• The power in being vulnerable, sharing your story and giving people the opportunity to support you when you're struggling
• How her background and familial support network ignited her passion for education and supporting women in pursuing their dreams

Joining me in conversation on the State of Mind Podcast is Lynn Dang. 

When Lynn was only a child, she and her family fled war-torn Vietnam on a boat in the middle of the night to seek refuge from the persecution they experienced under the ruling regime. Today, Lynn is the HR Leader for Microsoft Singapore & Vietnam, and she also operates as a Non-Executive Board Director for the UN Refugee Agency (UNHCR) for Australia. 

In this episode, she shares her powerful story of growing up as a refugee in Australia and how it shaped her into becoming the optimistic, big-thinking and inclusive person she is now. 

Lynn and I spoke about:

• The vital need for greater representation and inclusion, and how we can use our privilege to accomplish this 
• The experiences that led her into a career where she can focus on empowering everyone to reach their fullest potential, regardless of the circumstances they were born into 
• How practising self-care and kindness towards yourself can help you and others through times of great uncertainty 
• The power to be found in pushing ourselves outside of our comfort zone, especially when we feel great fear about doing so.

The real star of this episode of the State of Mind podcast is Ethan.

Ethan is a baby that was born after only 29 weeks and weighed only 1.43kg at the time of birth. Recently he celebrated his first birthday so I invited his mother, Casandra Seng, Business Group Lead for Modern Workplace at Microsoft, to tell us a bit more about Ethan and the challenges she went through during her pregnancy.

Casandra spoke about the helplessness she felt while her baby was in the incubator and she couldn’t do much more but wait and hope. She also pointed out the importance of the supportive network of family and friends, but also the support she found among the couples who were going through similar circumstances.

This week on the State of Mind Podcast, we welcome bold adventurer Neil Carter to the show for an inspiring conversation about rising to the occasion and facing our inner critic.

Neil courageously took two years off from work to sail from Seattle to Australia with his wife. In their 22 months at sea beginning in September 2014, Neil found himself confronting his imposter syndrome and feelings of inadequacy as he faced the daily challenges of spending up to a fortnight on the ocean at a time with only his knowledge and skillset to rely on.

In this episode, we dive into Neil’s learnings from this adventure, including:

- How leaving comfort to fearless pursue your dreams can change your life

- Differentiating between the difficulties and challenges you can control and those you can’t

- How slaying your emotional “demons” can build empowering self-confidence that overflows into all areas of your life.

This episode of the State of Mind podcast brings you the inspiring story of Christine Zmuda, Chief of Staff for Microsoft Consulting Services for Americas. 

During one casual conversation with her girlfriends, she got an idea to, as part of her birthday celebration, develop the list of experiences that she wants to expose herself to and give herself time until the next birthday to achieve it.

Some of these experiences included organising roller derby to raise money for the charity, playing ukulele and guitar and getting involved in abstract painting that has led to public exhibitions across the USA.

Hear Christine speak about:

- Empowering female artists.

- Being silly and learning about life.

- What is the next thing on her list?

The COVID-19 Pandemic has had an impact on both our mental and physical health. During this time we all tried to find different ways to cope with the challenges that have been preventing us from living normal lives.

In March 2020, Greg Kelaart-Courtney (KC), MCS Architect at Microsoft at that time, came to Australia for 3-days of meetings to kick off one of the largest MCS campaigns and ended up staying there in isolation for more than 200 days. When we recorded this interview, at the beginning of 2021, he had been separated from his family that was on the other continent, for 228 days.

As an ex-military, he developed a structure that helped him maintain his mental and physical health and enabled him to focus on his work.

In this episode of the State of Mind podcast, find out more about:

- How to assess the situation and create small tasks that allow you to solve the big problem.

- How Greg's structured life helped him lose almost 30 kilos during isolation.

- The impact that pandemic has on the way the business is run.

Welcome to the State of Mind podcast, a podcast where we share the stories about resilience, well-being and mental health.

In this conversation that took place in 2021, I spoke with Steven Miller, at that time Marketing and Operation lead at Microsoft Australia, whose wife Bettina passed away in May 2016.

As a father of 2 little girls, Steven has guided us through his whole journey; from the day his wife got diagnosed with cancer and hope that has helped him move forward, to the present days, where he as a single dad still keeps embracing the values that he and his wife shared.

Tune in to listen more about:

- The positive mindset that has kept him going.

- Steven’s passion for new experiences and career development.

- Staying true to your core values.

Welcome to ‘State of Mind’, a podcast in which Vera Siertsema talks to people about their stories of strength and well-being. Powered by Microsoft, with the main goal to normalize mental health conversations.
Because we all have a story, and every story matters.