Seize the Yay

• David McCloskey // From the CIA to The Rest is Classified...

  It has been an absolute delight to see how many of you share in my passion for espionage or intelligence stories and to hear that you enjoyed our last episode with a real-life Australian spy. One of the most common follow up questions from you has been my top recommendations for spy books, TV shows or podcasts and, funnily enough, my own current favourite podcast was also the one our ASIO Intelligence Officer mentioned as hers. Since its launch late last year, I have not only binged every episode of The Rest Is Classified but signed up to their paid Declassified Club to get early access to each full series covering everything from the Bin Laden operation, Edward Snowden, CIA mind control and even UFOs. Hosted by former CIA analyst turned best-selling espionage author, David McCloskey, and veteran British security correspondent, Gordon Corera, the show unravels the world of intelligence and covert operations enhanced by their intimate, expert perspectives along with incredible guests including the likes of the former head of the CIA and former head of MI5! You can, therefore, imagine my levels of excitement sending a casual DM to one David McCloskey asking if he’d consider joining our own humble show and getting an enthusiastic “yes”! Not only are we sharing today some of his insights on the intelligence world from INSIDE THE CIA including across field stations in the Middle East, but also on his life after The Agency - yes you can leave and live to tell the tale - and tell the tale in such a way that you become a Sunday Times best-selling author of three (soon-to-be four) incredible books. So, both in the realms of non-fiction and fiction, I have followed closely and thoroughly enjoyed David’s work and to have him on the show is such a treat. I hope you enjoy this one as much as I did! Follow David here.Learn more about him here. Listen to The Rest is Classified. LINKS + Announcements on Insta at @spoonful_of_sarah+ Join our Facebook community here+ Subscribe to not miss out on the next instalment of YAY!See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

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• [Redacted] // Life As An ASIO Intelligence Officer

  Over our seven years so far of seizing the yay, I’ve found myself repeatedly blown away by some of the rooms it has led me into and some of the incredible people I’ve been lucky to meet. Never in my wildest dreams did I imagine one of those rooms would be a SCIF at the headquarters of our national security service, ASIO, or that one of those people would be a real life spy. For the uninitiated, a SCIF is a Sensitive Compartmented Information Facility and if you’ve followed me for even the briefest of time it won’t surprise you that I’m already familiar with all the acronyms. ALL of the content I consume involves espionage or secret operations, so you will understand why I consider this week’s episode a career and life highlight and this week’s guest a very favourite. I am able to share that our guest is a current Senior Intelligence Officer and she has been permitted to shed some light on the incredible work she does... but her exact title, name and real voice remain obfuscated for reasons, and I can’t believe I get to say this, of national security. In fact, the identity of every individual who works at ASIO is a secret except for the Director General and the three Deputy Directors-General. As we discuss, the very definition of ASIO’s success is preventing anything for us to know about and revealing exactly how they do that to any of us would also reveal it to potential enemies (so if you get frustrated at what our guest can’t share, know it’s for extremely good reason). While you may have ideas about spycraft from Hollywood and agencies like the CIA or MI6, there still isn’t much out there about our homegrown spies, which makes it even more exciting to get this incredibly rare insight into what life is like on the inside. I’ll also add there are a few instances where our speech may seem chopped or edits may seem messy, but you’ll of course understand that you can never know why. I hope you enjoy this one as much as I did. Visit ASIO's website here LINKS + Announcements on Insta at @spoonful_of_sarah+ Join our Facebook community here+ Subscribe to not miss out on the next instalment of YAY!See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

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• Anita Sarkar // How To Sell Anything Online

  Welcome back lovely yayborhood, I hope the new financial year is treating you well. I’m so excited to share today’s episode not only because our guest is infinitely knowledgeable, but also because it ended up a little different to usual. Anaita Sarkar and I have been mutually fangirling for many years and one of the many things I love about her is her insatiable curiosity. Because of that, she not only preferred not to spend too much time on the parts of her origin story that have been exhaustively covered elsewhere but she also asked ME more questions than a guest has before, which made for a slightly chaotic, very tangential, surprisingly vulnerable but extremely enjoyable conversation that possibly reveals more about both of us than our normal structure ever could have.But her story is inspiring, interesting AND impressive so I’ll quickly give you a run down. Born in India as the daughter of a doctor, Anaita started off on a typical high-achieving pathway at KPMG before quickly realising her yay lay elsewhere. After multiple business experiments in make up, photography, and custom leather goods, she co-founded Hero Packaging from her dining table. Hero is now a global supplier of over 30 million compostable mailers, boxes, labels, and tissue paper and Seize the yay is one of her 73,000+ happy customers!!You may also know her as the brains behind Sell Anything Online - a bustling community, the banner for her two books and the ultimate playbook on the wild world of e-commerce. She has mastered the art of building brands, telling stories and continual reinvention and we are so lucky she shared so many practical tips in between our yapping today. Somehow, she is also a Mum of three AND building a brand new business at the moment, so if you’re after inspiration - she is it. I hope you enjoy this one as much as I did.See Anaita's website here.Get her book here. Find out about Hero Packaging here.LINKS+ Announcements on Insta at @spoonful_of_sarah+ Join our Facebook community here+ Subscribe to not miss out on the next instalment of YAY!See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

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• Grace Tame // On Survival, The Spectrum And Speaking Out

  We all know I rarely find myself struggling with words, but certain guests and their stories simply defy adequate description. I was lucky enough to interview Grace Tame at an event back in 2022 where her bravery and eloquence moved a room full of excitable adults to still, silent awe. Getting to chat with her again and share that with you all this week feels like such a great privilege and again found me quite lost for words. Grace, on the other hand, speaks with such clarity and composure even on her unfathomable experiences of trauma and pain. As a survivor of child sexual abuse both at the age of six and 15, she has become a powerful advocate for legal reform, reduction of stigma and primary prevention of sexual violence against children.Add some complex layers including anorexia, domestic violence, late diagnoses of autism spectrum disorder and having it all laid bare before the whole nation becoming Australian of the Year at just 26 while still processing it all in real time... and there you have a journey unimaginable to most of us. And yet, Grace’s capacity not only to continue her advocacy with the Grace Tame Foundation, but to find pockets of joy, hope and love is perhaps what blows me away the most.I won’t attempt to say more as it continues to feel inadequate, but I am grateful not only to help continue raising awareness of complex issues like grooming and consent but also to share some parts of Grace you don’t hear as much about elsewhere. You know that’s what I love most about this show and being a survivor of child sexual abuse is simply not the totality of Grace Tame. She is funny, quirky, reflective and hopeful - an ultramarathon runner, artist, author, bookworm and dedicated friend. Despite a pathway in which she was given no choice and where finding her yay could not be the main focus - unlike many of our guests - she somehow finds it anyway. I hope you enjoy as much as I did. Follow Grace here.Visit the Grace Tame Foundation here.If this conversation raises any emotional distress for you, please reach out to someone, or call Lifeline for 24 hour crisis support and suicide prevention services on 13 11 14.LINKS+ Announcements on Insta at @spoonful_of_sarah+ Join our Facebook community here+ Subscribe to not miss out on the next instalment of YAY!See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

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• Introducing BIZ: The 5-Second Trick That Kills Procrastination

  Welcome to BIZ — the podcast that's rewriting the rules of work for a new generation.Are you the queen of procrastination who'd rather deep clean your entire house than finish that urgent report? This week on BIZ Inbox, Em Vernem and Sarah Davidson tackle the art of actually getting work done with practical strategies – including the game-changing "eat the frog" method that might just save your productivity. Plus, we wade into the murky waters of workplace social media boundaries (spoiler: someone might get offended, and that's okay), and we share how to stand out as the new person at work. Welcome to BIZ Inbox, your go-to workplace advice podcast where awkward career questions get real-world solutions. If you want your work life issue solved, send us a voice note or email us at [email protected]. You can remain completely anonymous!Here is Em's article about 'eat the frog’. Get more Sarah Davidson in her sensational podcast Seize The Yay!Sign up to the BIZ newsletter here to get all our tips and tricks.THE END BITSSupport independent women's mediaFollow the Biz Instagram and Sarah's very own podcast: Seize The Yay Podcast. HOSTS: Sarah Davidson and Em VernemSENIOR PRODUCER: Sophie CampbellAUDIO PRODUCER: Leah Porges Mamamia's studios are furnished with thanks to Fenton & Fenton. For more head to their website here. Mamamia acknowledges the Traditional Owners of the Land we have recorded this podcast on, the Gadigal people of the Eora Nation. We pay our respects to their Elders past and present, and extend that respect to all Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander cultures.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

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