Lucy Lin on Leadership, Curiosity, and Building a Non-Linear Career in Technology

Lucy Lin didn’t follow a straight line. She followed her curiosity.

In this episode of Leadership Odysseys, Lucy Lin, award-winning innovation leader, founder of Forestlyn, and host of the Emerging Tech Unpacked podcast, shares her leadership odyssey across technology, STEM, and education. Her path spans startups, corporates, universities, and national tech bodies, shaped by curiosity, clarity, and a deep commitment to ethical leadership.

This is a leadership conversation about navigating fear, building trust, and learning to translate complexity without losing humanity. Lucy reflects on the highs and the quieter lows of building a portfolio career, the mindset shifts required to step beyond corporate structures, and the responsibility that comes with visibility and influence in tech.

At its core, this episode explores what leadership looks like over time. Not just in moments of recognition. But in the choices made when the path is unclear.

• Leadership through curiosity, not conformity Lucy shares how following curiosity became her leadership compass, shaping a non-linear career across five countries and multiple industries in technology and STEM.
• Translation as a leadership skill Why the ability to make complex technology human is one of the most under-valued leadership capabilities in today’s organisations.
• From corporate leadership to a portfolio career An honest look at the mindset, pace, and identity shifts required when transitioning from corporate roles to a portfolio-based leadership path.
• Fear, isolation, and the unseen weight of leadership Lucy speaks openly about the emotional realities behind visible success, naming fear, self-doubt, and isolation, and how she learned to keep moving forward.
• Building platforms that create access From Forestlyn to Emerging Tech Unpacked, Lucy explains why leadership means creating space for others, particularly women and diverse voices in STEM.

Lucy’s leadership odyssey reminds us that meaningful careers are built through courage, reflection, and sustained contribution. Leadership is not about mastering every technical detail. It is about clarity, trust, and staying human as complexity grows.

This episode will resonate with anyone navigating leadership, career transition, emerging technology, STEM pathways, or a portfolio career built on purpose rather than titles.

Connect with Lucy Lin: LinkedIn | Instagram | Website

Emerging Tech Unpacked: Instagram | You Tube | Website

This episode is brought to you by: Naturally Glutenfree

Connect with Kirsty Gee: LinkedIn | Instagram | Website

Western Sydney University Launch Pad: Website

This episode contains discussions of suicide, mental health crises, and related topics. If you or someone you know is struggling, support is available. You can contact [Lifeline: 13 11 14] or your local helpline for help

Burnout does not arrive with a warning. It arrives quietly, after years of carrying pressure, expectation, and identity without pause. In this episode, Kirsty sits down with Mark Jones, author of The Story Code for Leaders, to explore the moment his body said “enough” and how that breaking point became the beginning of a new story.

From a panic attack in a Bunnings aisle to rebuilding his life, work, and identity, Mark shares a deeply human conversation about burnout, anxiety, fear, and the stories leaders tell themselves to survive. This is not a conversation about fixing yourself. It is about remembering who you are, separating your identity from your struggle, and learning how to take the pen back.

This episode goes beneath the title, beyond success, and into the messy middle where real leadership is formed.

Mark recounts his “Bunnings moment” – a panic attack that stopped him in his tracks and forced him to confront the cost of years of unrelenting pressure. It is a powerful reminder that burnout often appears after long periods of silent endurance, not visible failure.

This conversation reframes burnout as an identity issue, not a productivity issue. When work becomes who you are, exhaustion does not just drain energy – it erodes self-worth. Mark explains why losing a sense of self is often more devastating than losing a job.

Alongside sleep, movement, and nutrition, Mark introduces the fourth pillar most leaders ignore: self-talk. Through narrative therapy, he learned to identify the inner critic, separate the problem from the person, and replace a story of doom with one of possibility.

“The problem is the problem. You are not the problem.”

Fear and anxiety are present in many leaders, even when life looks successful from the outside. Mark speaks openly about how anxiety shapes internal narratives, why men in particular struggle to name it, and why prevention begins with asking the second question: Are you really okay?

Rewriting your story requires stepping into uncertainty. Mark shares the concept of “willingly entering a crisis of faith” – the moment where leaders must choose between staying comfortable or becoming honest. Growth begins when we lean in, not back away.

Mark breaks down the four steps he now uses to help leaders rewrite their internal narrative:

• Challenge – Identify the inner critic and limiting beliefs.
• Overwrite – Define a new, preferred story and personal archetype.
• Decide – Commit to aligned choices that support well-being and identity.
• Encode – Build small, repeatable habits that make the new story real.

This is not about overnight change. It is about steady alignment between who you are and how you live.

True leadership begins when your internal story and external life come back into alignment. As Mark shares, success is not certainty. It is peace. It is living in a way that feels honest, sustainable, and human.

If you are feeling tired, disconnected, or quietly questioning the story you are living, this episode offers something rare: permission to pause, reflect, and rewrite.

You are not broken. You are not behind. You are allowed to choose a different story.

Connect with Mark Jones: LinkedIn | Website

This episode is brought to you by: Naturally Glutenfree

Connect with Kirsty Gee: LinkedIn | Instagram | Website

Dean Salakas has built his career around decisions most people avoid, and the discipline to stand by them.

From turning down public opportunities to letting go of a legacy family business at the right moment, Dean’s leadership has been shaped by judgment, not noise. He grew up inside retail, questioned how things were done, and learned early that progress comes from clear thinking, not applause.

In this episode, Dean reflects on the decisions that defined his path, the discipline behind his success, and how clarity, not hype, has guided every reinvention.

1. Learning leadership from the ground up Dean started working in his family’s party shop as a child, doing the unglamorous work that taught him how businesses really operate. That early exposure shaped his leadership style and his respect for the work behind the scenes.
2. Innovation driven by usefulness, not trends From early ecommerce to click-and-collect and Google Ads before the industry caught up, Dean explains why he only backed ideas that genuinely improved the customer experience.
3. Choosing profit and discipline over fast growth Rather than chasing scale, Dean focused on building a profitable, sustainable business. Growth came from cash flow, clarity, and discipline, not external pressure or validation.
4. Courage as a decision-making muscle Dean shares the thinking behind turning down a Shark Tank deal, selling parts of the business at the right time, and ultimately exiting the family company. For him, courage shows up quietly, long before the outcome is obvious.
5. Why community matters more than ever After exiting, Dean co-founded a fast-growing retail community built on connection and shared learning. His belief is simple: leadership is harder in isolation, and progress accelerates when people learn together.

Dean’s story is not about retail alone. It is about how leaders make decisions when the stakes are real and the answers are not obvious.

This conversation is a reminder that reinvention rarely comes from bold announcements. It comes from small, consistent decisions made with clarity and intent. When leaders stay grounded in what matters, the next chapter tends to reveal itself.

If you are building, leading, or standing at a crossroads, this episode will resonate.

Connect with Dean Salakas: LinkedIn

Connect with the Retail Doctor: LinkedIn | Website

Whatsapp Retail Community: LinkedIn | Whatsapp Community

This episode is brought to you by: Naturally Glutenfree

Connect with Kirsty Gee: LinkedIn | Instagram | Website