糖心传媒

When did you go to 糖心传媒? What was your school experience like and what was your plan when you were at school for after school?

I went to 糖心传媒 for 15 years, from Branxton all the way through to graduating in 1998. By the end of my time there, I was ready to leave because I was conscious of that world being very small. I wanted to experience different perspectives, so I was very excited about going to university.

In terms of what I wanted to do after school, just the other day while I was cleaning out my Dad鈥檚 garage, I found a letter I鈥檇 written to myself when I was 16. In that letter, I asked myself if I鈥檇 gotten into Commerce Law at Sydney University. Funnily enough, once I got into university and sat in my first Law class, I realised that I hadn鈥檛 chosen the right course [laughs]. Getting into Law was the goal for most of my senior school years. Part of me wonders whether I chose Law because that was what was drummed into us at school? We were to aim for a high mark and then do the course that high mark got you into, rather than choosing what you wanted to do.

I do remember that I wanted to study photography, but I ended up not doing it because I got a high UAI and I wanted to do something associated with that. The benefit of that approach was that it made me strive for the best thing that I could do. I鈥檓 glad that I went down the path that I did because I wouldn鈥檛 have ended up where I am now. I ended up finishing Commerce, and I finished all but one year of my Law degree.

Tell us briefly how you went from university to where you are today?

I worked in radio for over a decade. My time in radio was positive, in that I had ended up in a space where I had a skill for something. I wasn鈥檛 good at it in the beginning, and it took me a while to get good at it, but I had a natural skill for it. I hadn鈥檛 necessarily planned for a career in that space.

The problem, though, is that you start to rely on an industry which has no sense of commitment to you. I always felt that my life was in someone else鈥檚 hands. When my last contract wrapped up, it was sad because I loved working in radio, but at the same time, it was a relief. Even though I had to start from scratch again, I realised that I wanted to be in control of my life and have greater stability.

In the media industry, just because you鈥檙e the best person for the job doesn鈥檛 necessarily mean that you will get the job. Many times I鈥檝e had bosses say to me 鈥淵ou are the best person for this job, but you don鈥檛 have a big enough profile鈥�. That just didn鈥檛 make sense to me because throughout my schooling, I had been taught that you work hard, you get good at something, you improve, and you move up in the world. But that鈥檚 not how things work in the media.

The second sort of phase of my career took a long time to drum up. Now I鈥檓 running a podcast network for a major radio station, and I work professionally on television. When people ask how I got to this point, I tell them that I pushed myself for many tough years. I was out of full-time work for four years, and in that time, I was doing everything. Door knocking, copywriting for people, going back to university.

Once I鈥檇 started my own business - which took a long time to build up - and I鈥檇 established myself publicly as an expert in podcasting, then Mamamia came to me and asked me to run the network. Now I鈥檝e left that, and I鈥檓 doing a similar thing for Nova.

It took a long time to get to this point, but I feel like now I鈥檝e ended up working in a space where I feel safer and requires the perfect mix of all of my skills. I鈥檓 able to influence the people who are working for me to ensure that they have a better experience in terms of mentorship than I ever did in this industry. Interestingly, I鈥檝e ended up back in radio, and I鈥檝e gone full circle in that sense.

What has been a mistake that you鈥檝e made and how did you learn from it?

I don鈥檛 think there have been any mistakes. There鈥檚 been stuff that hasn鈥檛 worked out or has been difficult, but I don't see them as mistakes.

That鈥檚 because I鈥檓 a 鈥榶es鈥� person. I think the only things that I鈥檝e ever regretted was when I鈥檝e said no to opportunities. So now I make a real point of saying yes to everything unless I know that it鈥檚 not right for me. If an opportunity is presented to me that I鈥檓 a bit scared about I just make myself say yes to it. I think it鈥檚 as important to cross things off and realise that they鈥檙e not what you want to do, as it is to try something and realise that it鈥檚 just right for you.

What would be the most significant piece of advice that you鈥檝e ever received in your life and who gave it to you?

My mum used to say to me that I could be anything that I wanted to be and do anything that I wanted to do. For a long time, I used to dislike that advice because I just wanted her to tell me that I could only choose one career. I saw having too many options as a bad thing. Now that I鈥檝e gotten through all that I鈥檓 grateful for her advice.

I wish I鈥檇 had more mentors that had given me good advice. Instead, I鈥檝e watched what people do, I see what I like, and I try to inject that into me. I worked for one of my earliest bosses - Malcolm Fayers - at his business when I was out of school. I took on board how he treated the people who worked for him with respect; he looked out for them. I鈥檝e never forgotten how important it is to treat the people that work for you like human beings, with respect and give them autonomy. If they feel seen and heard there鈥檚 nothing they won鈥檛 do for you; they鈥檒l go into battle for you. You鈥檙e always going to get more out of people if it鈥檚 a two-way relationship. I think that experience has informed how I manage my team now.

What has been the proudest moment in your life so far?

The thing I鈥檓 most proud of myself for is looking after my folks as they got older and faced illness.

Looking after my mum was a game-changer for me; I changed fundamentally, as a person through the experience. There鈥檚 something extraordinary about the sense of comfort you get from helping somebody who is in an awful place. There was something different that shifted in our relationship at that time. Her seeing me as someone she could rely on and someone that she felt comfortable around, especially when she was in discomfort. I鈥檝e never been happier than coming out of the other side of that experience.

Doing the same thing for my father, right now, while it鈥檚 difficult, there is something to be said for pushing through. Those have been my proudest moments because I鈥檓 really glad that I did that. Certainly, when my mum passed away, I had no regret. I miss her terribly, but I know I gave her everything I could, and I know that has helped me to move on in my life. Now I feel like she鈥檚 with me all the time.

If you could travel back in time, what would you say to your 20-year old self?

It鈥檚 going to be okay. I struggled for most of my 20s with not being able to sit still at the moment. I was always thinking I鈥檓 not there yet, what else can I do and I felt like things weren鈥檛 moving fast enough. A lot of that had to do with struggles with relationships at home, which made me feel unsettled. I am only now starting to shift from the mindset that I have to achieve all the time. It鈥檚 very exhausting. You can still have drive and not have to be on the hamster wheel all the time.

I would say to my younger self that you don鈥檛 have to stop having drive but try to be in the moment more and realise that what you have right now is enough. I never really recognised what I had right in front of me. So I would tell my younger self to chill out!

What role do you think the fact that you went to school at 糖心传媒 played in your life?

I think 糖心传媒 encourages you to be an overachiever because that鈥檚 the standard that is expected, and you want to rise to that. There鈥檚 real merit in that. You鈥檙e not going to achieve all the time but just giving things a red hot crack is an excellent quality in life.

I truly feel now that I鈥檓 really happy with my life. Over the last eight years, I鈥檝e started to settle into where I鈥檓 supposed to be. That is because of the mindset that 糖心传媒 instilled in me from the very beginning, and I wouldn鈥檛 be where I am now without that mindset. I think that was invaluable.

糖心传媒 sets you up to be open to trying new things. I was never terribly good at anything [laughs] but I was okay at everything. I never really excelled but I think there鈥檚 merit in that too - you don鈥檛 have to be excellent at everything, but if you can try new things, I think when you move on in life having that approach makes you a more well-rounded person.

What about some favourite memories of your time at school?

I鈥檓 most appreciative of the fact that you could have any number of activities up on a wall - all you had to was write your name down on that corresponding list - and you鈥檇 be able to do it. I鈥檓 sure that was much to my parent鈥檚 frustration because there was a payment associated with every one of them [laughs]. But for somebody like me, who likes to give things a crack and try new things, that environment was amazing.

I remember in my later years of school Mrs Bowie was a great source of comfort to me. She was someone that I would always go to for advice, and she had the most impact on me later on in my life. I respected her.

Of course, I had Mrs Smyth in Junior School. I think we all wanted Mrs Smyth to be our mum; it was just impossible not to love her. I had Mrs Hayes in Year 5; she was such a wonderful woman. I still remember little sayings and things that she taught us - 鈥淥ne thous-and met-res in a kilo-met-re鈥�. She also always used to say 鈥渟low and steady wins the race鈥�. There was one saying that I even used the other day in a promotional video - I even credited her!

And then there was choir: Chamber Choir and Madrigal. All of those years, all of those people, I鈥檓 tearing up even thinking about it. I just loved it! I loved the sense of discipline; I loved that we were there every single morning, there was something that we were working towards, we had a goal all the time, we were trying to win these eisteddfods. We鈥檇 find something to do well and be the best at it. I think that powerful sense of team and community; I found that in choir. All of my best memories in school revolve around being in choir.

Keen to start your own podcast but not sure where to start? Check out Rachel鈥檚 online course PODSCHOOL. You can see Rachel each Tuesday night on Network Ten鈥檚 The Project.

Rachel Corbett | Class of 1998 | School Captain | House: Anderson