Digitally Diverse
Welcome to Digitally Diverse! This podcast takes a deep dive into the journeys of the movers and shakers in the design and tech industry with the help of host Ellen Bennett. Join us as we sit down with industry leaders, innovators, and creative minds to explore their unique career paths, the lessons they've learned, and the fascinating stories they have to share. Whether you're a seasoned professional, a budding designer, or simply curious about the digital landscape, our episodes offer insights, inspiration, and a behind-the-scenes look at what it takes to thrive in these dynamic fields. Tune in for engaging conversations that will inform, inspire, and ignite your passion for digital and design. Digitally Diverse is proudly brought to you by NTP, a community-first tech recruitment agency.
Episodes
Hugo Welke, a lead designer at Canva, shares his journey from Brazil to Ireland and eventually Australia, where he's been with Canva for five years. He discusses his transition from product design to design operations, emphasising the importance of creating a positive employee experience. Hugo highlights Canva's commitment to inclusivity, both in the workplace and in their product design. He reflects on the challenges of m...
In this episode of Digitally Diverse, we sit down with Gareth Rydon, co-founder of Friyay, Australia's first generative AI studio. Gareth shares his unique career journey, transitioning from accounting to human-centered design and eventually to the cutting-edge world of AI. He discusses the challenges and rewards of starting a value-driven AI company, emphasising the importance of augmenting human capabilities rather than ...
This episode of the Digitally Diverse podcast features a conversation with Rebecca Preston, a Senior Product Designer at Zipline. Rebecca discusses her career journey, the importance of user research and design collaboration, and the challenges and rewards of working in a remote-first environment. She also offers valuable advice for aspiring designers and emphasizes the power of networking, self-improvement, and the willin...
Join us as we chat with Jitesh Ramesh, Lead UX Designer at Rate My Agent. Jitesh shares his journey from mechanical engineering to industrial design and eventually to digital product design. He discusses the complexities and challenges of bridging the gap between tangible and digital products, reflecting on his experiences working on projects ranging from motorcycle design to construction and fintech software. Jitesh empha...
Join us as we follow Sarah's journey from industrial design student to senior product designer at a bank. We'll hear how she leveraged work experience to land her first packaging design role and then made a big move to the UK. After struggling to find work abroad, Sarah returned to Australia, pivoted to commercial flooring, and discovered user experience design. She then honed her skills at a cloud platform startup before ...
Kathryn Sadler joins us to discuss her winding career path through linguistics, UX design, and conversation design. After studying languages at university, Kathryn worked in business consultancy and tech startups in Australia. She then transitioned into voice user interface design and UX before returning to her passion for conversation design. Kathryn gives us the inside scoop on her day-to-day work crafting conversational...
Lara Summers joins us to discuss her multifaceted career journey, from finance and government to education, and her current role as manager of the Service Experience team at the University of Newcastle. We explore the university environment, Lara's collaborative team culture, and how she balances work, family, and personal interests. Lara opens up about how taking time off to care for her children impacted her path, as wel...
Join us as we follow Jane's journey from a small town in Australia to leading design at a fintech startup. Growing up near Port Macquarie, Jane found her passion for design while studying graphic design in Newcastle. After some globe-trotting adventures and a career change, she discovered user experience design and honed her skills in Sydney. Jane built her experience at agencies before realizing fintech was her true calli...
In this episode, Ellen interviews designer Fran Mether about her career journey and founding the service design consultancy Arteri. Fran discusses growing up in a creative household in Canberra and studying industrial design. After working for major retailers in Melbourne, Fran became inspired by human-centered design approaches that create impact. She relocated to Canberra to work on strategic projects for clients like th...
On this episode of Digitally Diverse, Ellen talks to Joseph Hallahan, Head of Design at StarRez. Joseph recounts his 15 year career journey from agency work to becoming a part owner and eventually launching his own startups. He shares insights from his current role as Head of Design at Starres, a global student housing platform, and the differences between agency and in-house work. Joseph discusses how he helps maximize va...
Join us as we speak with Paul Kelly, Head of Experience Design at Mudbath, about his journey from studying visual arts to leading design at a digital agency. Paul discusses pivoting to study design in university and getting his start at Bicycling Australia magazine. He then did freelance work before moving to Glasgow and learning coding. After returning to Sydney, Paul spent 8 years at a digital agency before joining the g...
This episode of Digitally Diverse features Nusa de Melo, a Product Designer at Atticus. Nusa opens up about her journey from studying math at UC Berkeley to becoming a product designer at a legal tech startup in Australia. She talks about pivoting from sales to design, taking online courses, and landing her first product design role. Nusa discusses life as the only designer at Atticus, working on software that verifies leg...
This week's episode of Digitally Diverse features James Kwong, Chief Product Officer at Unleash Live. James discusses his career journey in the Australian design industry, from studying industrial design in university to starting his own agency to working in strategic design consulting. He then transitioned into product management roles before joining Unleash Live, a video analytics startup using computer vision and AI. Ja...
Join us as we chat with Chelsea Wilkinson about her lifelong passion for building and creating. She studied user experience design in university and landed internships that allowed her to combine her interests in tech and design. Chelsea shares her experiences working at major companies like ANZ and Coles Group, the challenges of juggling music and career, and her recent ADHD diagnosis. She talks about how she used the pan...
In this episode, Luisa Lombardo shares her career journey from print designer to product design manager. After studying graphic design in college, she worked at agencies and companies as a visual and UI designer. Seeing the field change, Luisa took a UX course and found her passion in digital product design. She's since progressed to lead and manager roles on product teams for B2B and B2C companies. Luisa gives an inside l...
This episode features Christian, the global design and quality practice lead at Telstra Health. Originally from Venezuela, Christian has lived in Australia for over a decade. Beginning his career as a graphic designer, he transitioned to UI design across various industries. Driven by curiosity about user experiences, Christian has focused on UX for the past 8 years while maintaining a full-scope view. With experience in ec...
Benaz Irani joins us to discuss her career journey from discovering user experience design during a study abroad program to leading product teams at Open Table today. She shares lessons learned from struggling with being a people pleaser early on and the importance of setting boundaries to grow in your career. Benaz opens up about the identity crisis she faced transitioning into management and not doing hands-on design wor...
On this episode of Digitally Diverse, host Ellen Bennett talks to Lisa Jacquiot, Product Design Manager at Airwallex. From the vibrant city lights of San Francisco to the serene waters of the Great Barrier Reef, Lisa's journey spans the globe in pursuit of her passions. Her interest in UX design took root at Glassdoor, prompting a mid-career shift. Venturing to Australia for new experiences, she polished her skills at a st...
In this episode we talk to Kelly Weiss, a Senior Product Designer at Salesforce. Kelly has spent half her career working in corporate and half in tech, mostly for startups. We discuss the differences between corporate and start-up work cultures, and Kelly highlights that the main skill you can develop in either is adaptability. We delve into a range of topics including advice on getting started with UX and UI, building cre...
Popular Podcasts
If you eat, sleep, and breathe true crime, TRUE CRIME TONIGHT is serving up your nightly fix. Five nights a week, KT STUDIOS & iHEART RADIO invite listeners to pull up a seat for an unfiltered look at the biggest cases making headlines, celebrity scandals, and the trials everyone is watching. With a mix of expert analysis, hot takes, and listener call-ins, TRUE CRIME TONIGHT goes beyond the headlines to uncover the twists, turns, and unanswered questions that keep us all obsessed—because, at TRUE CRIME TONIGHT, there’s a seat for everyone. Whether breaking down crime scene forensics, scrutinizing serial killers, or debating the most binge-worthy true crime docs, True Crime Tonight is the fresh, fast-paced, and slightly addictive home for true crime lovers.
Current and classic episodes, featuring compelling true-crime mysteries, powerful documentaries and in-depth investigations. Follow now to get the latest episodes of Dateline NBC completely free, or subscribe to Dateline Premium for ad-free listening and exclusive bonus content: DatelinePremium.com
If you've ever wanted to know about champagne, satanism, the Stonewall Uprising, chaos theory, LSD, El Nino, true crime and Rosa Parks, then look no further. Josh and Chuck have you covered.
The World's Most Dangerous Morning Show, The Breakfast Club, With DJ Envy And Charlamagne Tha God!
Listen to 'The Bobby Bones Show' by downloading the daily full replay.