On Becoming

In this conversation, Vicki shares her journey from growing up on an organic farm in Australia to becoming a mechanical engineer at Apple and co-founding Lume Health, a company building wearable technology to measure hormones. The discussion explores the influence of cultural background, the importance of teamwork, the impact of personal experiences on career choices, and the intricate relationship between cortisol and daily life.

They also cover the impact of hormonal rhythms on productivity, the importance of consistency in daily routines, and how cortisol management can benefit individuals, particularly those with ADHD. Other topics include the future of wearables, the role of AI in personal health, and the evolving landscape for women in engineering and technology.

Vicki also discusses female entrepreneurship and the importance of data in understanding health and wellness. The conversation weighs data-driven insights against the complexities of human consciousness, emphasising the need for a deeper understanding of individual differences.

Takeaways

• Cultural influences shape work ethic
• Emotional experiences drive career changes
• Hormonal rhythms impact productivity
• Access to information is crucial
• Support for female entrepreneurs
• Importance of data in health

Chapters

• 00:00 Vicki's Journey and Background
• 02:05 Cultural Influences on Work Ethic
• 04:17 Lessons from Manufacturing at Scale
• 09:40 Teamwork and Performance in Sports
• 12:17 Creativity Under Constraints
• 16:08 The Impact of Personal Loss
• 25:05 The Role of Cortisol in Daily Life
• 29:43 Understanding Hormonal Rhythms
• 30:57 The Importance of Consistency
• 32:43 Navigating Sleep and Productivity
• 35:18 Cortisol Management and ADHD
• 38:05 The Role of Continuous Measurement
• 40:50 Balancing Optimization and Authenticity
• 51:20 The Future of Wearables and AI
• 52:43 Women in Engineering and Tech
• 57:03 Empowering Female Entrepreneurs
• 59:13 Understanding Hormonal Differences
• 01:00:12 The Role of Data in Health
• 01:03:06 Balancing Data and Consciousness
• 01:07:54 Exploring Human Complexity
• 01:11:23 Influential Figures and Their Impact

I𝗯𝘀𝗲𝗻 𝘀𝘁𝗶𝗹𝗹 𝗺𝗮𝘁𝘁𝗲𝗿𝘀 𝗯𝗲𝗰𝗮𝘂𝘀𝗲 𝗵𝗲 𝗱𝗼𝗲𝘀 𝗻𝗼𝘁 𝗵𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝘂𝘀 𝗮𝗻𝘀𝘄𝗲𝗿𝘀. 𝗛𝗲 𝗮𝘀𝗸𝘀 𝗯𝗲𝘁𝘁𝗲𝗿 𝗾𝘂𝗲𝘀𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻𝘀.

That was one of the central ideas from my conversation with Tenaya Jorgensen, PhD on the ON Becoming podcast. Tenaya is a co-founder of OsloEnglishPlayers, which brings Henrik Ibsen’s work to English-speaking audiences in Norway.

Despite Ibsen’s international importance, his plays are not performed regularly in Oslo—even in Norwegian. For visitors who travel to Norway wanting to encounter his work, that leaves a real gap.

Oslo English Players is working to fill it.

Tenaya’s own journey—from literature and archaeology to green technology, mapping and theatre—gave our conversation an unusual perspective.

The common thread is context. Archaeology looks into the past. Technology often looks towards the future. Both require you to see the wider system while paying attention to the details. We explored why Ibsen’s questions remain so immediate:

𝗗𝗼 𝘄𝗼𝗺𝗲𝗻 𝘁𝗿𝘂𝗹𝘆 𝗵𝗮𝘃𝗲 𝗮𝘂𝘁𝗼𝗻𝗼𝗺𝘆?

𝗔𝗿𝗲 𝗼𝘂𝗿 𝗰𝗵𝗼𝗶𝗰𝗲𝘀 𝗳𝗿𝗲𝗲 𝘄𝗵𝗲𝗻 𝘁𝗵𝗲𝘆 𝗮𝗿𝗲 𝗳𝗿𝗮𝗺𝗲𝗱 𝗯𝘆 𝗼𝘁𝗵𝗲𝗿𝘀?

𝗛𝗼𝘄 𝗺𝘂𝗰𝗵 𝗼𝗳 𝘀𝗼𝗰𝗶𝗲𝘁𝘆 𝘀𝘁𝗶𝗹𝗹 𝗽𝘂𝘁𝘀 𝗽𝗲𝗼𝗽𝗹𝗲 𝗶𝗻𝘁𝗼 𝗯𝗼𝘅𝗲𝘀 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝗲𝘅𝗽𝗲𝗰𝘁𝘀 𝘁𝗵𝗲𝗺 𝘁𝗼 𝗿𝗲𝗺𝗮𝗶𝗻 𝘁𝗵𝗲𝗿𝗲?

One line from our conversation stayed with me:

“𝗜 𝗱𝗼𝗻’𝘁 𝗼𝗳𝗳𝗲𝗿 𝗮𝗻𝘀𝘄𝗲𝗿𝘀. 𝗜 𝗼𝗻𝗹𝘆 𝗮𝘀𝗸 𝗾𝘂𝗲𝘀𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻𝘀.”

There is something important in that.

Solutions can quickly become controlling. Good questions give people room to think, interpret and participate.

We also discussed finding humour in darkness. Ibsen’s plays can be psychologically heavy, but Oslo English Players sometimes performs against the text—allowing a character to laugh off something devastating, as people often do in real life.

The contrast makes the serious moments land harder while giving the audience room to breathe.And audiences have responded.

With very little marketing, their outdoor performances sold out through word of mouth, people watching the stage being built and a simple QR code. Some visitors even planned their trips around seeing Ibsen performed in Oslo.

Imagine Ibsen being performed regularly in English, in the historic and scenic surroundings of the city where he lived and worked.𝗡𝗼𝘁 𝗵𝗶𝘀𝘁𝗼𝗿𝘆 𝗳𝗿𝗼𝘇𝗲𝗻 𝗶𝗻 𝗮 𝗺𝘂𝘀𝗲𝘂𝗺. Old stories allowed to breathe, evolve and speak to new audiences. That is what Oslo English Players is beginning to build through Ibsen on the Fjord.

Emma shares her journey from engineering to the fashion industry, her fascination with trash, and the importance of longevity in sustainability. She discusses the circular economy, resale, and the impact of consumer demand on the fashion industry. The conversation covers a wide range of topics, including AI, pronunciation, home refurbishment, fashion, sustainability, technology, and business strategy. The guest shares insights on consumer behavior, secondhand fashion, and the challenges and opportunities in the fashion industry. The conversation also delves into the CEO's perspective, market expansion, technology, and competition in the resale industry.

Takeaways

• Fashion Industry Transition
• Sustainability and Longevity
• Resale and Consumer Demand AI application in fashion
• Consumer behavior in fashion
• Challenges and opportunities in the fashion industry
• CEO's perspective on business strategy and market expansion
• Technology and competition in the resale industry

Chapters

• 00:00 Circular Economy and Resale in Fashion Industry
• 56:17 Competition and Value Creation in Resale Industry

A founding CMO is not just a CMO who joins earlier. It's a different operating system.

A CMO joins when the company is found. There's a brand, a team, a budget, a playbook. Channels that work. A story the market already believes. Their job is to scale what's there.

A founding CMO joins before any of that exists — and that's exactly where Victoria Allers Wismer enters the picture.

A founder's vision. A half-formed story. No team beneath them. No playbook to inherit. A market that doesn't know it needs you. Their job is to make it real — from nothing, under pressure, with incomplete information.

One is a founder. The other is an operator. Victoria is the former.

What a pleasure sitting down with Ida Tin — the woman who literally coined the term Femtech.

She grew up on motorcycles. One year old, sitting in front of her mother, crossing South America, Africa, the former Soviet Union. By the time she was an adult she was leading tours through Mongolia, Cuba, and Vietnam — and writing a book about the inner and outer journey.

Then she built Clue. 10 million active users. 190 countries. Over $60M raised.

What struck me most wasn't any of that. It was her humility.

Ida has this uncanny ability to walk into a room — a boardroom, a market, an entire industry — and hold the frame. To make the simplest question feel urgent enough to invest millions into: why are you not seeing the value in this underappreciated demographic? Not through force. Through bridge-building — finding the connection between what you already believe matters and what you've been overlooking.

No anger. No lecture. Just clarity.

And honestly? As a man, sitting with that question changed something for me. Taking the time to genuinely appreciate difference — not as a moral exercise, but as a strategic one — might just be the best bet you ever make.

She's also written a guide for men who want to invest in female founders building Femtech. Worth reading — and worth sharing.

New reel dropping this week. Stay tuned for On Becoming.

If you have a story worth telling — about what you're becoming, or what your business is becoming — reach out.

Leadership is about understanding that you don’t have to know it all — but you do have to be willing to learn and grow.

In this episode of On Becoming film, I sit down with Manuela Hjelseth to explore her journey from Italy to Sweden and then Norway. We discuss how curiosity and courage have shaped her leadership style and personal growth.

Manuela shares insights on embracing unfamiliar cultures and how authentic communication builds trust in any environment. Her perspective on leadership is about showing up curious, humble, and eager to understand, not just to be understood.

She also delves into the unique challenges and opportunities of leadership within the hospitality industry, highlighting the importance of fast-paced, authentic communication.

Chapters

• 00:00 Journey from Italy to Norway
• 05:48 Curiosity and Leadership
• 13:10 Breaking Down Cultural Barriers
• 19:55 Leadership Development and Self-Reflection
• 26:50 Influence and Change
• 57:08 Leadership and Decision-Making
• 01:03:28 Building Confidence and Learning from Mistakes
• 01:09:23 Importance of Training and Communication Skills
• 01:14:47 Training and Problem-Solving

This conversation goes beneath the pitch — the trust, the silence, the unwritten rules — and into the real texture of building a life in Norway as an outsider. We explore what immigration reveals about identity, what Norwegian society asks of you before it lets you in, and why the gap between the promise and the reality is where the most honest stories live. Plus: what entrepreneurship looks like when the culture runs on consensus, and why the capacity to connect might be the most underrated skill you bring with you.

Chapters

• 00:00 A Normal Wednesday
• 05:20 Transition to Norway
• 14:02 Moving to Norway
• 19:32 Challenges of Moving to Norway
• 25:22 Norwegian Society and Values
• 34:30 Trust and Corruption
• 59:55 Entrepreneurship and Society
• 01:15:15 Adapting to a New Environment
• 01:21:22 Identity and Assimilation
• 01:26:40 Embracing Change and Opportunity
• 01:32:30 Assimilation and Cultural Values
• 01:38:00 Cultural Diversity and Representation
• 01:43:02 Cultural Influence and Innovation
• 01:48:23 Resonance and Connection
• 01:59:59 Universal Framework for Connection