8 Years & 250 stories: A media portfolio that stirred the pot & inspired

After 8 committed years of writing and contributing to media I’m stepping back. It’s time to sunset the topics I’ve championed that shaped my business and defined my voice in so many media conversations. This time coincides with my recent decision to step away from marketing, career & job search consulting work.

But this is not a goodbye to writing as I will continue to blog and produce newsletters. I absolutely love writing and communicating and have been doing so since I was 10 years old (believe it or not).

But it’s a letting go of past topics to create room for what truly matters now to me.  I will be focussing on new themes, deeper personal reflections and ideas that speak personally from the heart.

I’ve used my media voice creatively and unapologetically. And I’ve never been paid a cent for a single article or media appearance.

Every column, opinion piece and interview was part of my PR strategy and an entwined deeper purpose: to raise awareness, educate, empower, challenge and stir the pot in conversations that most were hesitant to discuss.

A different blog here as  I don’t brag or wave flags but just own what I do without hesitation. But my work gave voice to issues others were afraid to name and to people who didn’t feel they had one. So it’s worth reflecting back as frankly I’m bloody proud.

So before I move on, I want to acknowledge the media footprint I’ve built, the ideas I’ve stirred, and the impact across 100s of articles, appearances and interviews. I’m deeply grateful to the many editors, journalists, and media outlets who supported, published, and promoted my views along the way, thank you. (See comments at the end for tagged list.)

SPEAKING UP & CHALLENGING THE STATUS QUO

With around 250 opinion piece articles, interviews, guest features and editorial contributions across most national and industry media, my body of work spans a very broad spectrum.

Stories and media covered careers & job searching, recruitment, personal branding, marketing communications, business ethics, ageism, stereotypes LinkedIn, mental health and workplace wellbeing.

It’s been my mission to challenge the status quo, nudge dialogue and yes, where necessary I was quite happy to ruffle feathers to wake people up.

I’ve always believed media should be used with purpose not just to promote yourself. It’s there to provoke thought, share difficult truths and advocate for better ways of working and connecting. I’ve never been one to play it safe or serve up PR fluff and BS.

STANDING UP AGAINST AGEISM, JOB SEARCH & HIRING NONSENSE

I’ve been a loud and consistent voice in the fight against workplace ageism, harmful stereotypes and flawed recruitment practices.

One of my proudest moments was appearing on TV’s Sunrise Weekend in 2019 on Workplace Ageism. When host Monique asked about the government’s retraining policy for older workers, I channelled Daryl Kerrigan from The Castle and said, “Tell Josh Frydenberg he’s dreaming.” The segment struck a nerve with audiences nationwide and prompted hundreds of thank-you messages.

My op-ed There is no correlation between age and value, but ageism is always a sign of stupidity in SmartCompany used the examples of Nick Cave and Missy Higgins to make the case for wisdom, nuance and relevance in age debates. LinkedIn Australia and International editors picked it up also which was terrific.

My piece in Mumbrella Boomers & lamb chops – don’t lump them all onto the same stereotyped BBQ plate was a powerful example of relevant news-jacking timing.  That article sparked wide conversations on and off LinkedIn and podcasts

In 2024, I launched See the Person, Not the Stereotype, a national awareness campaign to reframe age stereotype narratives. It gained good media coverage and was picked up by LinkedIn national editorial, Mumbrella, Women’s Agenda and others.

I also used calendar markers like R U OK? Day to spotlight less-talked-about issues, such as employers ghosting candidates and the emotional toll of prolonged job searching and poor behaviour had on candidate’s mental health

My media appearances have included A Current Affair, Sunrise TV, Sky News, ABC Radio, FiveAA, 2UE, Nova Radio Network and a host of podcasts where I’ve contributed with gusto. Exposing harmful recruitment and ageist behaviours and employer attitudes has been a passion that, few had the courage to do.

As a former recruiter myself, I had a unique vantage point. I shared those insights across platforms like, News Corporation, The Age, Financial Review, HR Leader, Lawyers Weekly, Human Resource Director and many others.

Reaching as many professional job seekers was important and I wrote numerous articles with unique advice including Career wakeup call: no one does exactly what you do in the exact same way you do it for Marketing Magazine and Don’t be a puppet on a string. Hold your career nerve for HR Leader.

See all ageism & stereotype media articles HERE

See all career, hiring & job search media articles HERE

LINKEDIN:  THE GOOD, BAD, DODGY & BRILLIANT

I was Australia’s first media voice to write about the murky unethical issues on LinkedIn. My piece in Smart Company All that glitters is not gold: The upsurge of paid followers and engagement exposed some dark uncomfortable truths.

I continued to write about engagement pods (eg LinkedIn engagement pods: Silver bullet or desperate ploy?) paid influencer unearned accolades and then as AI took hold I unpacked the issue of AI commenting bots in Mumbrella.

It’s fair to say that it didn’t exactly make me popular with many, even within the LinkedIn trainer community who preferred I kept the negative under covers. I was often vilified and undermined as I exposed the dark side of gaining  visibility and dodgy influence. Here I was a LinkedIn trainer myself sharing difficult truths!

I really was on a mission and I give a big thank you to SmartCompany and Inside Small Business in particular. I was very grateful for the many segments with Ahron Young on his Ticker TV network.  I will never forget the fast and fabulous interviews where Ahron and I unpacked car videos, influencer theatrics and the LinkedIn Underbelly where I raucously mentioned Chopper Read.

I also heartily championed the great benefits of LinkedIn, encouraged the media sector to embrace it away from Twitter in Mumbrella. My intent was always to balance critique with celebration. I had regular columns on LinkedIn News and updates in several niche publishers, eg in Inside Small Business, Marketing Magazine & Smart Company articles)

Writing about the good, bad, brilliant and dodgy was a focus which I’m most proud as I wanted to raise the bar. I also shone a light to encourage executives to use the platform with gravitas in pieces including Why leaders must lift their executive presence on LinkedIn in HR Leader.

And during the pandemic I wrote regularly on the positive engagement and support I observed members were sharing, eg How the LinkedIn community is shifting in the face of COVID-19 in SmartCompany.

See all LinkedIn media articles HERE

ETHICS, MANNERS & DECENCY

I’ve always believed that ethics and good manners are underrated professional tools. A compliment (World Compliments Day radio interview with the brilliant Brian Nankervis) , a sincere apology (thanks ABC radio for the Xmas interview), and genuine enthusiasm really matter. They uplift people. They restore respect.

I wrote extensively on these topics and the ripple effect across digital and real-world interactions. One really important article was my piece in government media The Mandarin Reputation damage to a Queensland university from their VP’s hateful social media post . That article triggered huge impact and far reaching conversations.  I still remember the butterflies (read trepidation) in my stomach when it was about to be published.

Whether writing for mainstream media or niche trade outlets, I’ve always tried to connect the dots between what we say, how we act, and the bigger picture across careers, culture and credibility.

FROM CAVALIER PUPS TO CAREER STRATEGY: HUMOUR, HEART & REALITY

While I’ve tackled heavy topics, I never lost the passion for humour. I’m a Monty Python and John Cleese tragic, so yes, wit and irreverence often snuck in to make tough points more palatable.

I had so much fun writing Lessons from a Cavalier Pup on Change and Innovation for Inside Small Business. It drew parallels between puppy-training chaos and business transformation. Truth is, there was a lot of piss-taking to be had, figuratively and literally.

DRIVING CHANGE NOT FAME

I’ve never chased fame for its own sake though I still get a huge thrill when I’m published with a by-line or major contribution. And picking up a newspaper with your face and words is a great buzz.  It’s amazing how many people (believe it or not) do read newspapers in print still.

My goal was always to use media to bring integrity, perspective, and sometimes uncomfortable truths into the spotlight. That meant exposing unethical recruitment practices, calling out fakery on professional platforms, and reminding people that decency and ethics still matter.

Thank you again to every editor, journalist, and platform who backed my boldness and supported me. As I step back from the last eight years, I feel lighter and energised to write from a new space with new purpose on things that I have held back from

Take a wander through my full portfolio covering all above topics and more below.