MULTIPLE HATS: STEM Careers | Reinvention | Entrepreneurship |Thought Leadership

Have you ever felt that your hard work should “speak for itself” — yet the right opportunities never seem to find you? 🔍 What You’ll Learn: As a STEM professional, you already sit on a wealth of insight. But without sharing your perspective, people won’t know how to connect with you or refer you to the projects that align with your passion. In this episode, you’ll learn: How thought leadership ca...

Does your career feel like a jumble of unrelated projects — and your to-do list like a slow-motion burnout plan? 🔍 This is a quick win episode where You’ll Learn: If you’re a STEM professional with more than one passion (and more than one income stream), you don’t have to choose between them. This quick win episode will help you tie it all together so your career feels cohesive — and sustainable....

Have you ever felt like the door to your academic career was closing — and wondered if it could actually be the opening to something bigger? 🔍 That's a quick win episode from the full interview where you will learn: If you’re a STEM professional feeling boxed in by your current role — or even pushed out of academia — this quick win episode will help you see why it’s not the end, but the beginning...

Do you ever feel your 9-to-5 can’t contain everything you’re capable of—and that putting all your energy into one income stream is a risky bet in today’s world? 🔍 What You’ll Learn If you’re a STEM professional feeling stuck, craving flexibility, or worried about job security, this episode is for you. Here’s what you’ll take away: ✅ Why one career path isn’t your only option —and how a portfolio...

Ever wonder why some people always seem to make progress—while others stay stuck Googling for answers? Here’s the truth: Success often starts with one simple, underrated skill—just asking. In this Quick Win episode, we unpack three powerful insights from ShanShan Wang , an industrial designer turned MedTech founder, to help you move forward today. These lessons apply whether you’re trying to switc...

Busting career-limiting beliefs and unlocking smart, strategic action for STEM professionals 💥 Are your beliefs about being “just a scientist” quietly holding you back from the impact-driven career you actually want? 🔍 What You’ll Learn: This episode is your wake-up call if you’re a STEMM-trained professional who feels stuck, unseen, or unsure how to translate your technical skills into a bigger...

What if you saw a path to a life saving device? Would you have the courage to turn it into a company—and convince others to come with you? 🔍 What You’ll Learn: If you’re wondering whether there are more impactful things you could be doing with your STEM skill set, this episode is your masterclass in spotting sizeable, solvable, yet overlooked problems—the perfect intersection for maximum impact....

❓ What if the real barrier to your next career move isn't your capabilities but your plan B?   🔍 What You’ll Learn: For every STEMM professional feeling stuck delivering someone else vision 9-5, This episode help you reframe your frustration into opportunities with one simple question.   You will learn from yet another PhD who turned around their academic career to live up to their own...

🎙️ Creating Your Own Path as a STEMM Professional with Dr. Anushi Rajapaksa   "If not me then who" - why you may actually be the one who should take the first step and how to get started.   What if your unique combination of STEMM degrees could solve a global health problem? Are you a STEMM professional ready to pivot your career or start something new?  In this episode, Dr. Anushi...

🎙️ From Uni to CEO: How Mechatronic Engineer Sophia Kurianski Took on Decades-Old Industry Norms with Jinolo Challenging outdated 3D design processes straight out of university, Sophia Kurianski turned frustration into a startup—and built Jinolo from the ground up 🔍 What You’ll Learn: How questioning outdated systems can spark breakthrough ideas How to validate a product idea before writing a lin...

The Femtech revolution with Ida Tin, founder of Clue Did Apple "forgot" to add a period tracker to the Apple Heath tracker at a time when Femtech was not a thing? Imagine you’re pioneering a product in a completely new sector, carving out an entirely new market category. That’s the journey of Ida Tin, the co-founder of Clue, one of the largest Femtech health apps serving 10+ million active users a...

🎙️ 2024 Wrap-Up: Dream, Surround Yourself Right, Embrace Your Patchwork, and Take the Leap Real-life examples and mindset shifts to help STEMM professionals take bold, imperfect action 🔍 What You’ll Learn: How to identify and act on the projects that resonate with your passion The importance of surrounding yourself with supportive individuals Strategies to embrace your unique combination of exper...

🎙️ From Fresh Grads to Founders: How Two Google Software Engineers Turned Chronic Illness into a Health Startup Annabel Zhou and Vivian Shen launched Toastie—an app to track and manage chronic illness—just after graduating with computer science degrees, all while working full-time at Google 🔍 What You’ll Learn: How to spot real opportunities : Why a messy spreadsheet turned into a startup idea—a...

🎙️ Series Trailer: Startup Sparks – Stories from the UNSW Founders Program Real stories from founders and program leaders inside one of Australia's most active startup communities Welcome to a special series of Multiple Hats , created in collaboration with the UNSW Founders Program —one of Australia's leading startup accelerators for students, researchers, and early-stage entrepreneurs. Whether yo...

🎙️ Forging Founders Early: How UNSW’s New Wave Program Helps Women in STEMM ( and others) Start Something New Victoria Rose Tucker on why it’s never too early to explore entrepreneurship—and how women can take the first step with support, structure, and community 🔍 What You’ll Learn: Why the startup world needs more women founders—and how programs like New Wave open doors How to test your entrepr...

🎙️ Episode Title: How a Biotech Student Project Brewing Beer Led to a Bioplastics Startup: Alinta Furnell on Spotting Unexpected Opportunities 💬 Subtitle: Armed with a biotech degree and a partner-in-crime, Alinta Furnell turned a student side project into Synbiote—a startup tackling sustainability with science 🔍 What You’ll Learn: Spark inspiration early: How a biotech degree and a chance lab v...

🎙️ From Ophthalmologist to Social Impact Innovator: Dr. Sarah Crowe’s Career Reinvention with OOXii Global With her kids grown and gone, Dr. Sarah Crowe stepped into entrepreneurship with a mission to make eye care accessible and affordable for underserved communities around the world 🔍 What You’ll Learn: Find your purpose and the unique piece you can deliver: How to use your existing expertise t...

🎙️ From Biomedical Engineer to Startup Ecosystem Builder: How Dina Titkova Scales Health Innovation at UNSW Founders With a global career spanning Russia, Sweden, and Australia, Dina Titkova now leads UNSW Founders' accelerator programs—empowering STEMM entrepreneurs to transform ideas into impactful startups through initiatives like Health 10x and the Peter Farrell Cup. 🔍 What You’ll Learn: The...

You want to make an impact but you're not up to shooting rocket to Mars? No worries. You can use your skills to make a difference without being born a billionaire, without having gone through a life traumatising event or having a genius idea. Tom Jacobs is an engineer from Australia and he did just that with Bokan Tseo, his corporate buddy, and local to Lesotho - better the lives of thousands of p...

🎙️ From Academic Research to Medtech Founder: Dr. Maryam Parviz’s Career Reinvention with SDIP Innovations From lab bench to global accelerators—Dr. Maryam Parviz shares what it’s really like to launch a medtech startup while raising a young child 🔍 What You’ll Learn: Take your IP with you to drive science commercialisation and real world impact: How a research breakthrough became the foundation...

🎙️ From Aerospace Engineer to Women-in-STEM Coach: Why Cassie Leonard Left Her Prestigious Role at Boeing After a high-paying corporate role at Boeing, Cassie Leonard walked away to build ELMM Coaching—helping women and working parents lead with clarity, courage, and boundaries 🔍 What You’ll Learn: When quitting can be your path to sucess: Why it’s okay to leave a prestigious, high-paying job if...

🎙️ Crystallographer Turned Neurodivergent Educator: How Dr. Lorien Parker Built SciencePlay Kids from Scratch After leaving academia and navigating life as an autistic ADHDer, Dr. Lorien Parker created SciencePlay Kids—an inclusive science education business making classrooms more accessible and joyful for all brains 🔍 What You’ll Learn: How academia can be your launchpad and leaving it is not qu...

That's a wrap up for Multiple Hats and 2023! What a great ride we had with our amazing founders sharing their journey and what it takes to be an entrepreneur, call it success and sometimes, call it quit! Thank you for lending me your ears and coming along with me on this journey of entrepreneurship! Let's make Multiple Hats a conversation and tell me what you think or what you want for next year.&...

🎙️ From Science and Finance to Healthtech Entrepreneur: How Alison Gartner Combined Degrees to Co-Found Evidentli and Rethink Impact Without a PhD Alison Gartner didn’t follow the traditional PhD path—instead, she blended molecular biology, economics, and investment experience to co-found Evidentli, a healthtech company helping clinicians unlock real-world data 🔍 What You’ll Learn: Why a PhD isn’...

🎙️ From Chemistry to Commercialisation: How Natalie Chapman Leveraged 10 Years of STEMM Experience to Build a Profitable Business from Day One After a decade working in science, marketing, and tech transfer, Natalie Chapman launched Gemaker—an award-winning commercialization agency helping researchers and innovators turn ideas into impact without chasing VC funding 🔍 What You’ll Learn: Why 10 yea...