Lisa Wilkinson: Behind The Career You Think You Know
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What is the main topic discussed in this episode?
This is an R Media podcast. Marie-Claire presents You're Gonna Want to Hear This. I'd first walked through the door as one of those eager beavers hoping just to be good enough to be the receptionist. And now I was their boss. Our kids are out of home now. Pete and I are empty nesters. What's that like? Oh, it's fabulous. It's one of my favourite interviews. At the time, he was known for falling asleep in Parliament and I pointed that out to him. He was not happy. And she said, so you won't be editor of Clio anymore? And I said, no. And she said, but you know that once you don't have that job anymore, you won't get invitations to first nights and they won't be sending you free product anymore.
What challenges did Lisa Wilkinson face in her early career?
And I remember thinking, oh my God. you need to get out of this building much more than I do.
Hello, and welcome back to You're Gonna Wanna Hear This, the Marie Claire podcast where smart conversations are always in style. I'm Georgie McCourt, editor of Marie Claire, and I'm really so happy that you're tuning in because this is a conversation I know you're gonna love. There really are few women, I think, in Australian media who have shaped the national conversation quite like Lisa Wilkinson. And today, guess what? You are gonna meet her. I think what's always struck me about Lisa is this. For someone whose career looks, at least from the outside, so assured and so seamless, she has never pretended that it came easily. Because behind the success is a very different story, one shaped by self-doubt, by not quite fitting in at school, and by taking decades to find her voice, and also by navigating a very challenging industry.
Today, we're going to talk a lot about her exciting new chapter. Because Lisa has turned her attention to something entirely different. Her new book, which is out now, a work of historical non-fiction that tells the remarkable story of Evelyn Marston. If you've never heard of her, you're not alone, neither had I. But it turns out she was the only Australian survivor of the Titanic and her story has never been fully told until Lisa found it. It took her two years to bring it to life. And having read her book, I can tell you it is worth the wait. This is Lisa Wilkinson. Lisa, what is it like? We're sitting at 54 Park Street, which is quite an iconic address in terms of the world of magazines, which you started in very early.
You were the youngest editor of Dolly magazine, which was, it was my dream to work for Dolly.
Mine too, actually, as a teenager. I was the girl in the playground with all of her girlfriends reading Dolly religiously. It was our teenage Bible growing up. So to get to work there in my first job at the age of 19 as the receptionist and then become the editor at 21, it was just like, this is going so fast, I can't even take it in. But because I'd done all of that market research during geography class at school instead of doing my homework, it meant I was absolutely in the right place at the right time and with the right people leaving and jobs becoming available that meant, you know, I quickly got into that role. And, you know, to this day, it's really right up there in the list of things that I've done that I treasure.
I mean, what a dream. Like people, when they're celebrating their 21st birthday, you became the editor of Dolly, which was so cool back then.
I know.
How did Lisa's decision to step away from her role impact her career?
What were these people thinking? But I had a fantastic team around me. And Dolly was part of the Fairfax media group at that stage. And I was prepared to say to everyone, because most of those people had been in those same jobs when I'd first walked through the door as one of those eager beavers hoping just to be good enough to be the receptionist. And now I was their boss. So it was absolutely crucial that I made it clear to them that I want to go on this journey with you and I want to listen to everything that you've got to say. I'm still learning, so let's do this together. And I just got a team around me who... As people left, you know, I got my own people as well and tripled the circulation in four years.
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Chapters
7 chapters
1
What is the main topic discussed in this episode?
0:04–0:54
2
What challenges did Lisa Wilkinson face in her early career?
0:54–3:44
3
How did Lisa's decision to step away from her role impact her career?
3:44–8:39
4
What insights does Lisa share about motherhood and ambition?
8:39–9:29
5
What is the significance of Evelyn Marsden's story in Lisa's new book?
9:29–18:37
6
How does Lisa define resilience in her career journey?
18:37–36:29
7
What lessons did Lisa learn about leadership and teamwork?
36:29–39:38
Speakers
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