EPISODE 19!

I finally had the pleasure of sitting down with Dani Burns for our 19th episode of Holding Space for Unicorns.

Dani a product and business leader with a passion for building thoughtful products, high performing teams, and mentoring others.

During our chat, we touched on the following topics:

A career doesn't have to have a linear path to be great – From welding to product leadership, Dani’s journey has been all about following her curiosity.

Passion is a compass – Let what excites you guide your next step. For Dani, that meant pivoting from M&A to product strategy.

Mentorship matters – Be brave enough to ask. People are often more than willing to share their time and wisdom.

Unmask to lead – Dani shares how shedding corporate armour helped her lead with authenticity, empathy, and strength.

Redefining success – She doesn’t aim to be “special” — just real. Her philopsophy- If she can do it, others can too.

Dani is currently Head of Product at Uptick and you can connect with her on Linkedin here

About Alicia Payne

Alicia is a mother of two young children, and a Senior Account Manager at Nintex in Melbourne, Australia.

Her tech career spans 15 years across channel and direct sales, working for Australian and Global organisations where she has grown and thrived. Alicia loves working in high growth organisations in scaling teams, and helping customers solve their business challenges with best in class technologies.

Prior to working in technology sales, Alicia graduated with a Master of Music from Monash University, performed with Victorian Opera in their chorus and taught Vocal Studies at several independent schools in Melbourne.

Connection is one of her greatest values and her passion is empowering others to find their voice through the sharing of stories. When not working, mothering or interviewing inspiring women, Alicia loves to read, travel, walk along her local beach, and head to the theatre.

Connect with Alicia on ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠LinkedIn⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ and at ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠@holdingspaceforunicorns⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ on Instagram.

Today’s guest is no stranger to transformation and impact. With a career spanning over 18 years, Pamela Moodley is a seasoned data and information management consultant who’s helped some of the world’s biggest names — BHP, IBM, Deloitte — harness the power of data across industries.
Currently serving as Data Director at Slalom, Pam leads the Data Strategy & Intelligence capability, helping organizations turn vision into action, and data into clarity. Pam brings not just technical expertise, but also a talent for collaboration, change leadership, and a genuine passion for using data and AI to drive smarter decisions.
And when she’s not shaping data strategies, she’s just as dedicated at home — as a proud mother of two young boys and wife to Nimit.
I met Pam at a recent @Her Tech Circle event and I'm so thrilled she said yes to being a part of this! We hope you enjoy the chat.

Connect with Pam on LinkedIn

About Alicia Payne

Alicia is a mother of two young children, and a Senior Account Manager at Nintex in Melbourne, Australia.

Her tech career spans 15 years across channel and direct sales, working for Australian and Global organisations where she has grown and thrived. Alicia loves working in high growth organisations in scaling teams, and helping customers solve their business challenges with best in class technologies.

Prior to working in technology sales, Alicia graduated with a Master of Music from Monash University, performed with Victorian Opera in their chorus and taught Vocal Studies at several independent schools in Melbourne.

Connection is one of her greatest values and her passion is empowering others to find their voice through the sharing of stories. When not working, mothering or interviewing inspiring women, Alicia loves to read, travel, walk along her local beach, and head to the theatre.

Connect with Alicia on ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠LinkedIn⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ and at ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠@holdingspaceforunicorns⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ on Instagram.

It feels about the right time for another solo episode- but the right time to share about something that is very raw and close to my heart. I was diagnosed with ADHD at age 39. I prefer to call myself a Sparklebrain.. i know my brain is wired a bit differently to others, and have learned that this is so, so fine.

I wanted to share an honest account of my diagnosis, what I was like as a kid, and the a-ha moment that changed it all. And how I navigate working life and mum life.

I share this because I always wanted to and have always been encouraged to- and felt a sudden burst of energy this morning to record this short episode.

I share because I know there are people out there like me who have wondered sometimes why they are, the way they are. And how they can embark on a journey to be the best version of themselves. So if this is you- I'm sending you a big hug.

I would love to chat with anyone who has questions, or just wants to connect over their experiences!

About Alicia Payne

Alicia is a mother of two young children, and a Senior Account Manager at Nintex in Melbourne, Australia.

Her tech career spans 15 years across channel and direct sales, working for Australian and Global organisations where she has grown and thrived. Alicia loves working in high growth organisations in scaling teams, and helping customers solve their business challenges with best in class technologies.

Prior to working in technology sales, Alicia graduated with a Master of Music from Monash University, performed with Victorian Opera in their chorus and taught Vocal Studies at several independent schools in Melbourne.

Connection is one of her greatest values and her passion is empowering others to find their voice through the sharing of stories. When not working, mothering or interviewing inspiring women, Alicia loves to read, travel, walk along her local beach, and head to theatre.

Connect with Alicia on ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠LinkedIn⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ and at ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠@holdingspaceforunicorns⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ on Instagram.