Episode 23 - The Workplace Expert
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Transcript
This transcription is automated, therefore it may not be 100% accurate. It is to be used as a guide only as the AI bots may have some things wrong.
0:00:00 - (Nicole): This episode of bring your kid to work is brought to you by Lioness Media.
0:00:04 - (Nicole): It's time to bring your kid to work.
0:00:07 - (Nicole): Hey everyone. It's time to bring your kid to work. It's the family podcast that explores the world of work through the eyes of parents and their kids. Each week we interview one parent and their child to chat about what they do for work, what they like, what they don't like, and how they got there in the first place. Let's find out who we're talking to today.
[TRANSCRIPT]
0:00:00 - (Nicole): This episode of bring your kid to.
0:00:01 - (B): Work is brought to you by Lioness Media.
0:00:04 - (Nicole): It's time to bring your kid to work. Hey everyone. It's time to bring your kid to work.
0:00:10 - (B): It's the family podcast that explores the world of work through the eyes of parents and their kids. Each week, we interview one parent and their child to chat about what they do for work, what they like, what they don't like, and how they got there in the first place. Let's find out who we're talking to today.
0:00:29 - (C): We have our youngest ever bring your kid to work guest on today's episode.
0:00:33 - (Nicole): And while it's been a little while.
0:00:35 - (C): Since I had a very small person around four, definitely it's a lot of fun. Our amazing guests are Lauren and her son, Franco. Lauren Adams is the national account manager for Amicus, a fitout company that likes to create incredible workspaces for organizations that want to have a great environment for their team to work in. Amicus comes up with the strategy designs and then constructs new and improved workspaces for businesses, schools, shops, and laboratories.
0:01:05 - (C): All of their work in designing fantastic office spaces has made Lauren a workplace expert, knowing all about the fitout industry and the evolution of office design. She's an interior designer who understands that the best work is done in the best of environments. Lauren's pint sized sidekick is Franco, her four year old son. Franco has very definite ideas about what he'd like to do when he grows up and is our youngest ever guest on bring your kid to work because four year olds are excellent at being four and therefore not so interested in talking to strange ladies they've just met through the computer.
0:01:44 - (C): Nor should they be. I completely forgot to do introductions when we started recording this episode. Gets straight into it, and I had a blast hearing what these two had to say. I know you will, too. So let's get on with the show.
0:02:05 - (Nicole): Hello.
0:02:07 - (Lauren): Hello. How are you?
0:02:10 - (E): Good.
0:02:10 - (Nicole): Lauren, how are you?
0:02:11 - (Franco): Good.
0:02:12 - (Lauren): I'm just getting Franco's chair set up.
0:02:15 - (Nicole): Hello, Franco.
0:02:19 - (Lauren): Say hi, Nicole.
0:02:20 - (Nicole): Are you a dinosaur?
0:02:22 - (Lauren): Yeah.
0:02:24 - (C): Sounds like a dinosaur.
0:02:26 - (Lauren): Or are you Franco? Jimmy. It's either going to go really well and be funny or it's going to be a disaster.
0:02:35 - (Nicole): Either way, we'll roll with it.
0:02:36 - (Lauren): Yeah.
0:02:37 - (Nicole): Hi, Franco. The crocodile. Snap.
0:02:39 - (Franco): Snap.
0:02:40 - (Nicole): It's good to see you.
0:02:41 - (B): Hey, Franco.
0:02:42 - (Nicole): How old are you?
0:02:44 - (Franco): I'm four years old.
0:02:46 - (Nicole): Four? Are you that big?
0:02:48 - (Franco): Yeah, I'm that big.
0:02:50 - (Nicole): Wow.
0:02:51 - (Franco): Atlas is strong. He's the one. Strong.
0:02:55 - (E): Yeah.
0:02:55 - (Lauren): Atlas, your best friend?
0:02:58 - (Franco): He's my best friend.
0:03:00 - (Lauren): Yeah.
0:03:02 - (Nicole): That sounds nice. He must be very kind and friendly.
0:03:05 - (Lauren): I thought I was your best friend.
0:03:10 - (Franco): You're beautiful.
0:03:12 - (Lauren): Thank you.
0:03:15 - (E): That's true.
0:03:16 - (Nicole): You're absolutely right, Franco. Yeah.
0:03:19 - (Lauren): Wow.
0:03:20 - (Nicole): Welcome, both of you, to bring your kid to work. This episode is called the workplace expert. And that's your mum, isn't it, Franco?
0:03:28 - (E): It's my mum, yeah.
0:03:31 - (Franco): Fletcher and dad are gone.
0:03:35 - (Lauren): Yeah. Daddy and Fletcher have gone, haven't they? So they've left us here to do some work. Oh, that's good.
0:03:40 - (Nicole): That sounds like a great idea. Are you doing work with Franco?
0:03:44 - (Franco): Yeah.
0:03:44 - (E): Yeah.
0:03:45 - (Nicole): What kind of work does mum do when you're doing work with.
0:03:50 - (Franco): Know.
0:03:51 - (Lauren): Don't know.
0:03:52 - (E): Yeah.
0:03:52 - (Nicole): Is mum on the phone a lot? Franco?
0:03:54 - (Franco): Make money out there. And so, you know what I had on the bar just now?
0:04:02 - (Nicole): No, what?
0:04:03 - (Franco): I mean.
0:04:05 - (Nicole): Yum. Was it vanilla ice cream or chocolate ice cream?
0:04:11 - (Franco): We got only three.
0:04:16 - (Nicole): Wow.
0:04:17 - (Franco): Not that many. Only that.
0:04:21 - (Nicole): Oh, okay. Sorry. I can only see a little bit of the screen, so I must have missed that bit.
0:04:26 - (E): Sorry.
0:04:26 - (Nicole): Hey, Franco. So your mum is a workplace expert, and she's on the phone a lot and she's on her computer. A. Yeah.
0:04:34 - (E): What?
0:04:35 - (Franco): No. What is she doing, then?
0:04:44 - (Nicole): Tricky tricker. And so, Franco, what do you want to do when you get big? Do you know what kind of job you want to do?
0:04:50 - (E): Chicken farmer.
0:04:52 - (Nicole): A chicken farmer?
0:04:54 - (Franco): Listen to me. I'm going to have so many chickens.
0:04:59 - (Nicole): Really?
0:05:00 - (Franco): So many chickens.
0:05:01 - (Nicole): Are they going to be in a barn, or are they going to be, like, wandering around the farm?
0:05:06 - (Franco): Nothing.
0:05:07 - (Lauren): They're going to lay lots of eggs.
0:05:09 - (E): Do you think?
0:05:10 - (Franco): And that will give me money. So many money. And they will be beautiful. That will be so good.
0:05:19 - (Nicole): That would be so good. And so, do you like chickens, or do you like eggs, or do you like both?
0:05:25 - (Franco): I like both.
0:05:28 - (Nicole): You do?
0:05:29 - (Lauren): Yeah.
0:05:30 - (Franco): Because I got this because it's my favorite.
0:05:35 - (Nicole): It's your favorite?
0:05:37 - (Franco): Yeah, I know.
0:05:39 - (Nicole): Nice. So, does a chicken farmer have to wake up really early to look after the chickens?
0:05:45 - (Franco): Yeah.
0:05:46 - (Nicole): Do you like waking up early in the morning?
0:05:49 - (Franco): Yeah.
0:05:50 - (Nicole): Oh, good.
0:05:52 - (E): What does the chicken say, bob?
0:05:55 - (Franco): Bob.
0:05:59 - (E): Do you think you're going to.
0:05:59 - (Nicole): Have some roosters, as well?
0:06:02 - (Franco): Yeah, roosters go up the top and they say they do.
0:06:08 - (Nicole): They're so loud. Maybe they'll help you wake up early in the morning to look after the chickens.
0:06:13 - (E): Yes.
0:06:15 - (Franco): We don't have cockadoos on our roof.
0:06:19 - (Nicole): No.
0:06:20 - (Franco): What a beautiful day.
0:06:23 - (Nicole): Yeah, we love a beautiful day. Hey, Franco, do you go to school?
0:06:27 - (Franco): Yeah, I just go to school right now.
0:06:31 - (Nicole): Do you?
0:06:33 - (Franco): When I get bigger, then I'll go.
0:06:37 - (Nicole): Oh, do you go to kindy?
0:06:40 - (Franco): When I do girls at special treat.
0:06:47 - (C): Special treats?
0:06:49 - (Franco): Yeah, I do deserve. We got treats at home.
0:06:55 - (C): We've got treats at my house, but they're for our dog.
0:06:58 - (Franco): Kelly has got feeder on him. He has 4ft.
0:07:03 - (E): Oh, do you have a dog too?
0:07:05 - (Franco): He's a wolf dog. He's a long dog.
0:07:10 - (C): Franco, you're four and you go to kindy. What do you like to do there?
0:07:15 - (Franco): I paint. I just painted. I want to paint eggs and I want to paint chickens and I want to paint money.
0:07:30 - (C): Painting eggs and chickens and money. Sounds fun.
0:07:34 - (E): What else do you do?
0:07:36 - (Franco): I go to mom's work.
0:07:38 - (C): And what does mummy do at work all day long?
0:07:41 - (Franco): Mommy goes to work and dad has lots of boats.
0:07:46 - (C): Oh, do you get to go on.
0:07:47 - (Franco): The, uh, yeah, I do have to pay off the boats.
0:07:53 - (Nicole): Franco, when you get the money from.
0:07:55 - (C): The chicken farm, what are you going to buy with the money?
0:07:58 - (Franco): I'm going to go to a new place. My go to farm.
0:08:09 - (C): Oh, you're going to buy a big farm for more animals?
0:08:12 - (Franco): I'm going to get one cow and I'm going to get so many chickens and then I'm going to get one wide horse and then now I'm going to get a goat and now I'm going to get a sheep.
0:08:31 - (C): Lots of animals. People will want to come and see them.
0:08:34 - (Franco): Yeah. So everyone will come to my farm.
0:08:40 - (C): That sounds wonderful. You've already worked out a job you'll like.
0:08:45 - (Franco): Yeah, I know I do.
0:08:48 - (C): Does your mum like her job as a workplace expert?
0:08:52 - (Franco): Mom is okay with her working.
0:08:57 - (C): Franco, thank you so much for telling me all about that. I'm going to keep talking to mum, if that's okay. That was an impressive attention span for someone who's four.
0:09:07 - (Nicole): Now, Lauren, your turn.
0:09:08 - (C): You're a workplace expert, someone who understands the spaces we work in better than most of us.
0:09:14 - (Nicole): What do you actually do?
0:09:16 - (Lauren): Yeah, great question. I guess we work with organizations and real estate professionals to provide great places for people to work. And what that's made up of is sometimes some strategy work. So we'll get in the bones of leadership and the cultural background to an organization which will then inform some great design decisions and then we'll build the space for them.
0:09:43 - (C): And what does that look like in a typical day then?
0:09:45 - (Lauren): My gosh, my day changes every day, every week. But I think that's what keeps the job so interesting. So I guess a usual day for me is lots of client meetings, lots of internal meetings, collaborating with our design team and our project managers to really come up with the best solution for what our clients are looking for. So each client has a different breeze, has a different requirement, and that's exciting. It keeps.
0:10:15 - (Lauren): The industry is always evolving and things are always changing and it's changed a lot in the last four years.
0:10:26 - (Nicole): What are the trends in this kind of office environment? And you were talking about that two days is your sweet spot and what different things are for other people.
0:10:37 - (Lauren): The ovens just started beeping. I'll be back. Okay, go.
0:10:44 - (Nicole): So you were saying your sweet spot is two days a week and other people are coming into the office sort of two, three days a week. And it has to be something that they're interested in doing these days, doesn't it?
0:10:56 - (Lauren): Yeah, well, I think it's about creating spaces that enable collaboration and create moments of serendipity and connection. People want large social spaces, kitchens where people, teams can congregate in person when we're in the office. And if you look back to offices in the desks adjacent to manager offices, where people, where managers were monitoring productivity and pokey little kitchens, so they weren't inspiring places to work.
0:11:29 - (Lauren): And it's amazing some offices are still like that. But I think if there's that piece around retaining and attracting great talent and there's some beautiful workplaces around the country now and, yeah, it's nice that we're creating some of them and have created some of them.
0:11:49 - (Nicole): Yeah, that's amazing. How did you get to be a workplace expert who helps this process of designing offices? Where did that come from for you?
0:11:58 - (Lauren): My background is in interior design and I actually knew from a very young age that I wanted to be in the interior space. I remember convincing mum and dad during high school that I didn't want to do school anymore and just put me into a design college and let me go for it. And I don't know why they listened to me, but, yeah, I dropped out of school in year ten and went and studied full time at the commercial arts training college in Brisbane. And gosh, my first job was at Ikea, where I was an interior designer doing all of the little rooms that are set up around the showroom and worked in that, worked with them for a couple of years. And actually, no, that wasn't my first job. My first job was during school and I did some part time work at Baker's delight.
0:12:45 - (Lauren): And even back then I knew that I wanted to be in a creative space. And unfortunately, Baker's delight just couldn't offer that to know slicing bread on either sandwich or toast was about as creative as that role got. So didn't last long there. But yes, I've always kind of been in the interiors world, spent a lot of time in the residential space and then went completely out of the industry for a good five years and came back and got into the commercial space and my roles just always evolved and I really enjoy being with clients and trying to solve their problems.
0:13:24 - (Lauren): And amicus is great where we have various teams of experts that can help identify solutions and I kind of like to be that person in the middle that can connect some of those. Yeah, it's really great.
0:13:38 - (Nicole): So you as an interior designer, someone with an interior designer brain, and then there would be in that commercial space, there would be architects that I'm assuming that you're working with as well.
0:13:48 - (Lauren): Yeah.
0:13:49 - (Nicole): And being able to put those two things together is what your role is mostly about.
0:13:56 - (Lauren): Yeah. So I work heavily with our interiors team along the journey and there's a few boxes that need to be ticked along the way and it's ensuring that we're meeting the clients expectations around productivity in the space and the physical design. It's really just working heavily with our interiors team making sure that we're putting forward the right solution.
0:14:20 - (Nicole): Yeah. And so what's the most fun thing that you get to do at work? What's the bit you like the most?
0:14:27 - (Lauren): I love pitching and it's such a funny one because going into a pitch you're so nervous and you get those butterflies in your stomach and been doing this for ten years now and I still get so nervous before a pitch. But, yeah, you feel so good after it and feel very confident with the team and confident in our solution. So yeah, I think I love the pitching part the most and obviously the handover. Oh, at the end that day one experience.
0:14:58 - (Nicole): Yeah.
0:14:59 - (Lauren): So you go through and it's sometimes a six month journey with a client where you're working with them in the upfront phase and then you get into the design development and then it's generally a ten to twelve week build on site. And that day one experience and seeing what you've achieved together and then to see how the staff are reacting in the space, it's special. It's really nice to see.
0:15:24 - (Nicole): Sounds like a nice buz to get when you get to see what was in your head and what was on paper, having people interact with it and seeing how they actually use the space.
0:15:33 - (Lauren): Yeah, for sure.
0:15:35 - (Nicole): Great for people who don't know about pitching in the interiors, architecture kind of built design space, what does it look like? What do you do in a pitch?
0:15:47 - (Lauren): It's always very graphic. So much about the work that we do is making sure we can put on paper a visualization for our clients to understand what the space is going to look like, but also how their team are going to interact and work in there. Another big part of that is technology. So it's something that we introduced in house a few years ago, and it's been integral to our success. And we really think about technology in the beginning phase of the design.
0:16:18 - (Lauren): We're building rooms now around technology. We're thinking about acoustics and lighting and furniture in the room to have a real immersive experience. So I think in that pitching, when you've got that hour or an hour and a half, you want to just convey all of those solutions that you're trying to achieve within the space. And generally you've got the designer in the room, you've got the tech expert in the room, you've got the project manager in the room, and it's an integrated solution. So everyone's working together and talking about how all these different parts of the project are going to fit in a puzzle, I guess. And it's generally interactive and you're getting good feedback and it's kind of that final phase. This is your last chance at conveying how you see the space coming together. So, yeah, it's exciting.
0:17:05 - (Lauren): I actually really enjoy it. I don't enjoy going into it, but once it's done, it's great.
0:17:11 - (Nicole): The nerves of having to stand up in front of everybody and put forward your baby. Your idea that you all came together.
0:17:18 - (Lauren): To put forward healthy pressure?
0:17:20 - (Nicole): Yes, absolutely. So what's your favorite thing about a design that you've done recently?
0:17:27 - (Lauren): Oh, gosh. We're working on a really exciting project at the moment for Great Barrier Reef foundation. There's the sustainability piece, which identifies with their brand. Our design team has worked really hard on creating a space that ticks those ESG boxes. They wanted to put a big focus on bifilia in the space, have a lot of natural materials, thinking about the waste of the space, and also materials that are going to last the length of their lease.
0:17:56 - (Lauren): And, yeah, it's stunning. It's going to look really beautiful. That's probably our most exciting one that we're working on at the moment. We've actually just commenced work on site this week, so by April we'll be done. That's amazing.
0:18:11 - (Nicole): When those pieces of paper and ideas in heads turn into actual workplaces.
0:18:16 - (Lauren): Yeah.
0:18:16 - (Nicole): Can't imagine how exciting that must be.
0:18:18 - (Lauren): It's a type of client where it's a great news story. We're going to be donating to the reef.
0:18:27 - (Nicole): Yeah.
0:18:27 - (Lauren): It's just the type of client that you feel like you're making a bit of an impact, which is great.
0:18:33 - (Nicole): Yeah, for sure. When you're designing your own space, do you use any of the ideas that you have for your clients in your own space, or is that residential and commercial? Completely separate.
0:18:46 - (Lauren): I'm a nightmare when it comes to my own space. I take forever to make a decision. We recently moved house about eight months ago, and I tried to go out with the old and in with the new on a few furniture pieces and. My gosh.
0:19:02 - (Nicole): Yeah.
0:19:02 - (Lauren): I make decisions for other people really quickly. For myself, it's just procrastination. I find it really hard. I don't know why I should just trust my gut instinct and go for it. But still here, still have a whole room that I need to furnish. So we'll get there one day.
0:19:20 - (Nicole): One day. And the thing is that gut instinct has clearly served you well. If you decided way back in grade ten that that's what you wanted to.
0:19:29 - (Lauren): Do, then go with it.
0:19:31 - (Nicole): I think your gut's pretty strong and pretty right.
0:19:34 - (Lauren): Yeah.
0:19:36 - (Nicole): And so you said before that you were in the residential design for the first part of your career and then you had five years and then you came into amicus. What was happening in the middle there? Were you trying something completely?
0:19:49 - (Lauren): So, yes, we moved overseas. My husband and I, we packed our lives up and put everything in a suitcase and overseas and worked on the super yachts for five years.
0:20:00 - (Nicole): Oh, wow. So that's what Franco was talking about boats for. Clearly that's something that.
0:20:04 - (Lauren): Well, yes, hubby's a. He's a boat builder. You could definitely link the two together.
0:20:10 - (Nicole): Yeah. That sounds like an extraordinary experience.
0:20:13 - (Lauren): It was, yeah. Like, I mean, I know my boss now. Andy's probably listening to this, but working on the OTS was definitely the best job I've ever had. Yeah. To travel around the world and be paid for, it was unbelievable. Once in a lifetime experience and spend six months of the year in the Mediterranean, and then we'd cross the Atlantic Ocean and then we'd spend six months of the year in the Caribbean. And it was a dream.
0:20:41 - (Lauren): We worked hard, we played hard, but it was an unbelievable experience.
0:20:46 - (Nicole): Yeah. We'll just tell Andy not to listen.
0:20:48 - (C): To this bit then.
0:20:49 - (Lauren): No, exactly.
0:20:52 - (Nicole): On your best day at work. How does the flow of a best day go.
0:20:58 - (Lauren): Great day at work, I guess. Well, a great day at work always starts when I drop the kids off. Some mornings it's a nightmare, but if I can get them dropped off without tears, I know it's going to be a good day.
0:21:11 - (Nicole): Big win.
0:21:12 - (Lauren): Yes, big win in the city, generally it's a couple of client meetings in the morning, a couple of coffees, checking in with the team, status of projects, live projects that we're working on, I guess some pictures that we're working on, generally internal meetings with various people across your organization at a national level. Bit of reporting to do. A big part of a great day for me is if I feel like you've achieved certain things and ticking off that list and just making sure you've connected with the people in your team and giving them the advice that they need to ultimately have a great day themselves.
0:21:49 - (Lauren): Yeah, that's kind of how I would see that day.
0:21:52 - (Nicole): Sounds like a pretty good day. I'm intrigued, though, in this world that we're all living in, where so many kids, there's pressure for them to go to university in particular. And not all kids are university kids, right. That your parents said, sure, you can quit school at grade ten and go to design college. Are they creative people themselves? What do your mum and dad do?
0:22:13 - (Lauren): No, they're not. Yeah, dad's been in the transport and logistics industry forever and mum's operations manager of Earth moving, so both kind of, I guess, a little bit in that construction space to a degree, but, yeah, they needed some serious convincing, but potentially they saw something that spark that maybe.
0:22:40 - (E): That was in me and I'm glad.
0:22:42 - (Lauren): Because it paid off. So fortunate to be working in an industry that I love and I think that's super important when you get up in the morning and to be excited about the day ahead and your work, it's a game changer. And I know as a mum with two little ones, I think if you don't have that, why of that? The corporate world is fast paced and it's a lot. It's kind of that hustle mentality. And I think if you're not in there and loving what you do, it can have a bit of a negative on flow effect on your life in general.
0:23:18 - (Nicole): Absolutely can.
0:23:19 - (Lauren): So, yeah, I feel really lucky in that sense, that I love what I do. That definitely affects my life at home as well, with family.
0:23:28 - (Nicole): This is a good job for you, clearly. What would be a bad job for you, Lauren? What would you not want to ever do?
0:23:36 - (Lauren): Oh, gosh. Look, as much as I love the design world and being a part of that process, a bad job for me would probably be a draftsman. So if I was to sit behind a desk all day in front of software, I would go crazy. So I think if I'm thinking about a different job in the similar industry, that would be it. I'm also not a numbers person. Got a great estimator in our team in Brisbane, and I don't know how she does it. If I was sitting there playing around with numbers all day, I'd lose my mind.
0:24:12 - (Nicole): It's so good that we're all different, isn't it? Everybody has different strengths and skills.
0:24:16 - (Lauren): Yes, for sure. You're only as good as the team around you.
0:24:20 - (Nicole): Yes, that is absolutely true. Between Baker's delight, Ikea, the super yachts, amicus, are there any other jobs that were in the middle? And what was your worst job?
0:24:32 - (Lauren): Oh, gosh, worst job. I did work for an organization in Sydney where the culture was quite horrible. And I think that, again, that's got to be such an important piece when people are thinking about their future. Workplace is really getting into the bones of the workplace culture. To have that passion to get out of bed and really be excited for your day and your week ahead, it's got to start with how you feel at work. And, yeah, I think if I think about my worst job, that company was probably it.
0:25:05 - (Nicole): It's funny how so many people that I've interviewed have talked about the worst job was always about culture. So it's not about the things that you're doing. It's always about the people and the mechanisms and the systems around the culture in that particular place. From your point of view, I'm guessing spaces can affect culture a little bit.
0:25:26 - (Lauren): Yeah, definitely. I think people now want the time together, their time together in the office to be purposeful, not just about coming in and sitting at a desk. It's more about intentional connection and doing activities that are best done in person. Yeah, I think it's about just creating spaces where people can connect and be social and got focus time. That's where you do that at work.
0:25:49 - (Nicole): Franco said he wants to be a chicken farmer. Do you think that's going to be his future, or do you think he's got something else in the wings? Pun intended.
0:25:59 - (Lauren): Look, he loves animals, and I would love to get a few chickens for him here, but we've got the space for them. But they attract snakes, and I don't need snakes in the yard. So unfortunately, he's not going to get any chickens here. Unfortunately, though, we grandparents who have chickens, so he can get his chicken fixed when he goes and stays with them. He's a big animal lover. We've got a farm just down the road and he loves going down there and playing with animals and just sits there and will hold a chicken for about 2 hours.
0:26:31 - (Lauren): Now, whether he does that when he's older, I don't know, but yeah, he's definitely fond of animals. I sometimes ask him, do you want to be a doctor for an animal, like a vet? And he says, no, I just want to play with the animals and hold them. So who knows? I'm kind of like, well, that's not going to make you much money, mate, but we'll see how you go.
0:26:54 - (Nicole): And he seems pretty focused on money, so that seems important to him.
0:26:58 - (E): Yes.
0:26:58 - (Lauren): No, I don't know where that's come from.
0:27:01 - (Nicole): They come out with things and you just have no idea where they've heard them. And it's fascinating that they're just so focused, honestly.
0:27:08 - (Lauren): Yeah. I've been dreading what he could have dropped today. On today's episode.
0:27:14 - (Nicole): I think my mum is beautiful was the high point.
0:27:16 - (Lauren): Oh, I know. He tells me that all the time. It's quite cute.
0:27:22 - (Nicole): That's gorgeous. In a whole other world, if you couldn't be a workplace expert, interiors were not your thing anymore, what would be something else that you would want to give a go?
0:27:34 - (Lauren): Look, I love the idea of being a full time stay at home mom. I think that's probably the hardest part about my current role, is leaving the kids every day. I honestly couldn't imagine myself in another. Just, I love what I do, so I'm lucky I found my passion.
0:27:54 - (Nicole): Yes. And you can feel it. You can actually feel it. Lauren, just talking to you.
0:27:59 - (Lauren): Yeah.
0:27:59 - (E): Thank you.
0:28:00 - (Nicole): If there were kids now that were thinking, I'm not for this school business, I've got an idea of what I want to do, and I just want to do it now. How do you think they should approach their parents about trying something different and going from school to something more in their realm? How did you do it with your parents?
0:28:18 - (Lauren): It's interesting because with Franco starting school next year, we're weighing up a couple of options, and it's really hard to make the best or what you think is the right education choice. And I think more than anything, I would highly recommend to any teenager growing up travel. Travel has to be a number one. There's so much out there in the world to see and to experience different cultures and having friends all around the world. Is just really changes the way I think you look at the world.
0:28:53 - (Lauren): Definitely, that would be priority number one. And in terms of leaving school early, oh, gosh, would I let Franco leave school early like my parents let me? Oh, I don't know. I might be a bit more strict in that department, but we'll see how he goes. Look, if he shows ability in an area where we think that's his happy place, for sure, just go for it. Life's too short. I think whatever makes you happy is the number one goal in.
0:29:24 - (E): Yeah.
0:29:25 - (Nicole): Yeah, that is absolutely what it is. Lauren, is there anything that people should know about being an interior designer that they would not have any clue about things in the job that they would think they would never have to worry about that you've picked up along the way?
0:29:42 - (Lauren): I think the residential space and the commercial space is very different. Residential space is you're interacting and you're working with clients that are emotionally invested in their projects. So your creative flair may not be as well received sometimes, because the clients generally, they've almost got in their mind what they want to a degree. In the commercial world, you're dealing with c suite, that some people may have emotional interest in the project, but it's generally more creative. So we find our designers can get very wild with some of their ideas, which can go both ways, can be well received or not. But the commercial space is just very different in a sense, where it moves quite quickly, decisions are made very fast, and if you have an out there idea, you just put it to them, and sometimes you can get that over the line. So two very different spaces. And I think that's what I love about the commercial world, is each project is so different, and you're thinking about an integrated solution with technology as well.
0:30:55 - (Lauren): That's a whole new phase that has become more prominent since COVID and it's almost as important as the office design, because almost everything we do now includes a technology element. Yeah, the commercial world, it does move quick, but the resi space, you get to work with clients hand in hand more.
0:31:17 - (Nicole): I'm going to let you get back to Franco, because I'm sure he's going to be coming in here and asking where his beautiful mum is very soon. But, Lauren, I just want to thank you so much for spending time with me and being on bring your kid to work and bringing Franco with you and his gorgeous energy. I appreciate that.
0:31:35 - (Lauren): Thanks for having us.
0:31:39 - (C): What a gorgeous twosome. I would love for my four year old to have told me I was Beautiful when he was four. That was so cute.
0:31:48 - (Nicole): I just love how Lauren's You can't see this. It's a podcast. But Lauren's entire face lights up when she talks about her work and how excited she is about it and how she loves creating these beautiful spaces for people to work in. And I just think that's brilliant because we go to the office and we don't really think about the environment that we're in, but the environment really affects the way that we get our work done. If we're in a space that feels uninspiring and dreary and sad, then it's really not going to inspire us to have a great day and do great work.
0:32:23 - (Nicole): So the things that Lauren does, not just picking the right floor plan that makes things work, but choosing furniture, designing furniture, designing spaces, making sure that things fit and making sure that there's a space for people to get together, but there's spaces for people to stay and do their own work. I mean, it's so important and we don't really think about it.
0:32:44 - (Nicole): So I thought that was really cool.To have a listen to what Lauren had to say about the work that she does. I also thought that it was very cool that she worked on super yachts and I wish I'd asked her more about that. So I apologize to you listeners. I should have done that. What an amazing Tuesday. Thank you very much for once again joining us on bring your kid to work. I love having you along for the ride. I love learning about all these jobs and having you as part of that. I apologise for this horrific voice because I have unfortunately come down with some kind of lurgy. This voice situation is very interesting, so apologies for that. Hopefully by next week we're all sorted again.
0:33:24 - (Nicole): So have a lovely week. I look forward to talking with you again next week and keep bringing those stories to me because I am loving hearing all about these fabulous jobs that people do. Talk to you soon.
0:35:59 - (Nicole): Bring your kid to work was recorded in mean on the lands of the Jaggera and Turrbal, people who've been sharing their stories for more than 60,000 years. Thanks for listening to another episode of bring your kid to work. If you haven't already, make sure you give us a review on your podcast player of choice. It helps other people find the show and follow bring your kid to work and subscribe wherever you're listening now and send your favourite episode to a friend.
0:36:28 - (Nicole): These stories are too good to keep to ourselves. And don't forget to follow us on Instagram and TikTok at bring your kid to work and on Facebook at bring your kid to work the podcast and did you know? You can join the conversation join bring your kid to work career conversations community on Facebook for great career tips and conversations about the journey of work, workplace culture, and parenting while working.
0:36:51 - (Nicole): We're always looking for inspiring guests to be a part of our show. If you have a fab idea for a guest, drop us a line at admin@bringyourkidowork.com.Au or dm us through the socials. We would love to hear from you. Thanks again for listening. Bring your kid to work is a lioness media production. This episode was produced and edited by me, Nicole Lessio. Our music is composed by Rukkuo with graphics and design by Anastasia Makkuhka.
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