Anna

I didn't plan to spend my life in the space between people.

I trained as a scientist. Neuroscience. Psychology. Sociology. Nutrition. The fascinating, complicated architecture of how human beings actually work.

And then in 2012, I joined a small Australian startup as employee number ten to get back into work after having children - the plan was 12 months.

What was meant to last one year turned into a decade, and the most formative professional experience of my life. By the time we reached over 100 people across 6 countries we had navigated almost everything humans can face. Political unrest, a racial reckoning, a pandemic, terror attacks, natural disasters….and alongside those: relationship breakups, mental health crises, chronic illness, pregnancy loss, family and friend loss, conflict, bullying, financial downturns and every shade of human difficulty in between.

I didn't have a playbook for any of it. Nobody did.

So I did what researchers are taught to do. I went back to the research. I read everything. Harriet Lerner, Sheila Heen, Adam Grant, Brené Brown, Carol Dweck, Kim Scott, Marc Brackett and so many more. I brought my learnings into rooms with people who were frightened and grieving and furious and lost. I tried things. I got things wrong. I learned what actually made a difference to improve communication between two people and in the process, strengthened the culture a little more every time.

That's what Say This Next is built on.

I help people navigate the conversations that change careers, teams, identities and ultimately cultures.