In this latest episode, I had the absolute joy of sitting down with Johanna “Jo” Korhonen. Jo’s one of those people who shows up exactly as she is — loud, funny, open-hearted — and that’s what makes this conversation so special.

We talked about her winding path from wanting to be a history teacher, to falling (a little by accident) into telesales, and then building a career in global tech sales. Jo shares why she loves the rollercoaster of sales, the thrill of the chase, and that magic moment when you stop being “the pushy rep” and become a trusted partner.

What I love most about Jo is her honesty — about the highs, the lows, and what it really means to be a woman leading in sales. She’s passionate about opening doors for more women to step into this world, and she leaves us with one of her favorite reminders: “you can always re-choose your choice.”

We hope you enjoy the chat as much as we did!

Johanna Korhonen is currently Chief Sales Officer at Dear Lucy On her awesome LinkedIn Profile, she says:

Hi my name is Johanna but since you’re here, you might as well call me Jo 👋
As a stellar sales leader I’ve been turning "no" into "not yet" for ten years.
I’ve been leading and scaling teams of international software sales professionals in Helsinki and Dublin. Data-driven growth is the name of my game and fine-tuning sales analytics my forte.
In a nutshell: I eat numbers for lunch, brunch and dinner.
When I’m not breaking records and making quotas, you’ll find me doing yoga, meditating, training my dog, scrolling memes, drinking gin, and taking care of my carefully curated collection of dresses. 👗
If any of the above is of interest to you, feel free to connect with me. Don’t be shy, I know I won’t be.

You can connect with Jo 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, run, sauna and cold dip, walk along her local beach, and head to the theatre.

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

Upon realising it's been 15 years since I started in the IT industry, I've done a lot of reflecting lately- and naturally, this led to an idea for a brief solo episode

In this episode, I share the winding path that led me from music teaching into my first tech sales role. What began with countless interviews, rejection, and self-doubt became a story of resilience, opportunity, and alignment- one of my biggest life lessons to date.

You’ll hear:

• How a background in music shaped my confidence and drive.

• The setbacks and lessons that came with early interview rejections.

• Why resilience and persistence are often the real differentiators in a career pivot.

• The moment clicked — it alland how “lucky number eight” changed my life.

• Why not being everyone’s cup of tea is more than okay.

It's my hope that someone out there is going through a job search or career pivot journey, hears this and knows that there is light at the end of the tunnel. There certainly was for me.

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.

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.

Our final guest for 2024, Caity Randall, is a voice that we must hear more of. There hasn't been a time that I've spoken with a guest on this podcast where I've had goosebumps from something powerful that they shared... but Caity brings many of these moments to the conversation.

During this special episode, we discuss:
Caity's experience in running her own business to challenge traditional practices and drive social impact
The challenges of a late ADHD diagnosis and turning it into a strength
The importance of promoting awareness on topics like online safety and sextortion
(Caity has written an amazing book for young people on this topic- link in Caity's bio!)
Challenging stereotypes and advocating for diversity and visibility.

I know I say this a lot- but this is a very special episode, and one I am incredibly proud of. We hope you enjoy and can take something away from listening to our chat.

Caity Randall is the founder of Sustainabil.IT and the charitable initiative 'Technology Taking Action'. As the senior fellow with the CSFI (Cyber Warfare Collaborator) for the ANZ region, she has built a reputation as a visionary in cybersecurity, IT consulting, and social procurement. With expertise in utilising a threat informed defence approach to cyber security strategies, she is heavily involved in the cyber threat intelligence world. 

Beyond her business achievements, Caity is passionate about leaving a positive legacy through community outreach and educational initiatives. She has authored The Shadow World, a bestselling children’s book on digital awareness and cyber security, underlining her dedication to education and outreach.

Driven by a strong belief in giving back to the community, Caity ensures her business practices incorporate social returns on investments, holding organisations accountable for their CSR commitments in ways that benefit all stakeholders.

You can connect with Caity here on Linkedin

You can learn more about Caity's book The Shadow World, 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 14 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, hence the creation of this podcast. When not working, mothering or interviewing inspiring women, Alicia loves to read, travel, write, sing, walk along her local bea, dance, and chat

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

Joining me for this episode is the magnificent Bree Barsanti.

Bree is an incredible human being. A mother, daughter, sister, friend and currently, a Senior Solutions Consultant at Nintex.

Bree has had a number of career transitions over the years, from being an opera singer (something very dear to my heart), to being a project manager, sales rep and business owner. Her interest lies in continuous improvement and helping organisations to succeed and be empowered.

During our chat, we discuss:

* How her determination to solve problems led her into tech, where she took on major responsibilities, like transforming a business with cloud solutions.

*The importance of continuous improvment in both work and personal life

*Her desire for the future of tech to improve work/life balance, reducing time managing data so people can spend more time doing things they love.

Bree brings so much passion and conviction to this conversation and I'm so excited for the world to hear her voice!

About Bree Barsanti

From Bree, "I love tech and the freedom it provides for real work life balance! I’m lucky to do what I do to make this achievable for businesses and the people behind them"

Bree is a continuous improvement and process expert, a leader and a change maker.

You can connect with Bree 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 14 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, hence the creation of this podcast. When not working, mothering or interviewing inspiring women, Alicia loves to read, travel, write, sing, walk along her local beach or participate in a silent disco there, and head to the theatre.

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

In this episode, I sit down with Payal Tiwari- a tech executive, board member and advocate for family violence initiatives. Payal is wise, generous and ambitious- and I know that her story will inspire others.

We discuss:

I was so honoured to have Payal as a guest on the podcast, and we hope you enjoy the conversation.

About Payal Tiwari

Payal has over 15 years of experience in management consulting, customer success, IT strategy, account management, and transformation, working with leading organisations (Wipro, Pegasystems, Deloitte, Citrix, EY and Accenture) across various sectors and geographies. Currently, she is at MUFG as their Client Technology Partner.
Payal also leverages her professional skills and passion for women and children-focused causes to advise various boards and agencies on family violence prevention and reforms. Currently serving as a Board Director at Refuge Victoria and a Strategic Advisor at other Family Violence Agencies, her role is to shape initiatives and strategies for combating family violence with a focus on multicultural communities. With over three and a half years dedicated to advocacy and reform in this sector, her expertise lies in delivering tailored support services and guiding Family Violence delivery models for Prevention, Crisis and recovery.
Her mission is to make an impact that matters and inspire others to do the same.

You can connect with Payal 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 14 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, hence the creation of this podcast. When not working, mothering or interviewing inspiring women, Alicia loves to read, travel, walk along her local beach or participate in a silent disco there, and head to the theatre.

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

This is short little episode where I get a little vulnerable- but I know this is where the magic is.

In this solo episode, I share a a few reflections on the benefits of a recent career break, and what I learned in my sales career about literally taking a pause.

It's been a little while since my last episode, but I'm back and can't wait to introduce some inspiring women to you.

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 14 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, hence the creation of this podcast. When not working, mothering or interviewing inspiring women, Alicia loves to read, travel, walk along her local beach or participate in a silent disco there, and head to the theatre.

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

Coming to you today with a different kind of episode, a collaboration with another kick arse woman in technology, Hannah Young- who also recently started her own podcast called POV: You’re in Tech

Starting out in the world of technology as a marketing coordinator, Hannah made the switch to sales when working for a small tech startup, despite saying she’d never work in sales! And she hasn’t looked back since. Starting out as an AE, before moving into an outbound BDR role at Aircall, she has spent time generating leads and pipeline, and then managing the sales cycle from beginning to end during her time at Liven.

Han is an ambassador for Earlywork, an Australian startup helping individuals prepare for jobs in the world of tech- and freelances helping organisations and individuals with powerful visual decks. 

So excited to get cracking with this latest episode- we hope you enjoy!

You can connect with Han on LinkedIn, and I've also included a link to her fabulous podcast in the notes above.

About Alicia Payne

Alicia is a mother of two young children and a sales professional, who is about to begin a new chapter in her sales career (all to be revealed after Easter!). Her tech career spans 13 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, hence the creation of this podcast. When not working, mothering or interviewing inspiring women, Alicia loves to read, travel, walk along her local beach or participate in a silent disco there, and head to the theatre.

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