TIME - Travel Industry Mentor Experience
TIME - Travel Industry Mentor Experience
Anchoring Success: The Voyage of a Mentor-Mentee Partnership
Ever wonder what it's like to sail into the heart of uncharted territories? Cruise along with us as we embark on an insightful voyage with Christine Gardiner, the Manager of Expedition Sales APAC at Silver Sea Cruisers, exploring the exploding trend of expedition cruising. Christine anchors the first part of our chat, shedding light on how expedition travel has morphed into a sought-after experience,.
Our journey doesn't stop there. Christine and her menotr, Timo, set sail into the uncharted waters of their mentor-mentee relationship, sharing the candid truths of their successful collaboration. Their tale, navigated through a blend of virtual and in-person meetings, showcases the essence of mutual respect, personal growth, and the undeniable power of mentorship in reaching shores far beyond initial expectations.
Finally, we drop anchor and immerse ourselves in Timo's personal voyage under Christine's journey. As he charts the course of his learnings, we come to understand the weight of inner motivation. We also unmask Christine's cheeky "dark secret" - a ferocious sweet tooth and her unique journey to conquer it! So, pack your bags and join us as we explore mentorship's transformative power, the thrill of personal growth, and the ultimate joy of overcoming a sweet tooth!
Hello everyone and welcome back to the Time Podcast. I'm joined today with my different, timo, and our guest, bonjour, and our guest today is Christine Gardner. She is the manager of Expedition Sales APAC at Silver Sea Cruisers. Welcome, christine, how are you doing?
Speaker 2:Hi and thank you so much for having me. I feel very privileged to be on a podcast with. I think it's the best podcast. Is that right Number one podcast in all podcasts with yourself, timo and Anno. So, yes, now I feel very privileged to be here, thank you.
Speaker 3:You're absolutely right. It is actually the number one podcast and on the latest time I liked it by all other podcast aspiring podcast hosts. Just kidding.
Speaker 1:Yes, yes, I think today it's actually a really, really interesting podcast, because this is the very first time that we've had a mentor and a mentee, you know, coming together, and I think that it's going to be really interesting to explore it a bit. About that relationship, you know that we talk about when people want to join the program. My first question, christine, though, is did I say your title right or did I butcher it like I usually do?
Speaker 2:No, all good, it's a new title, so you can. You got it right. I don't remember titles, so the hard work that goes behind the title.
Speaker 1:And you know, like kind of a bit of a tradition on the podcast when we have new guests is to talk a little bit about the industry that they're in. So obviously you're in like the cruising, and we usually ask about, you know, I guess, to talk about trends in the industry that they would have observed recently. So that gives a bit of an insight to all the listeners to know what's coming and what's happening in your field.
Speaker 2:So the field that I specialise in at Silver Sea is actually the expedition arena. So in general, the expedition space is becoming extremely popular, with both companies wanting to explore this area and also from clients and trade partners who are finding more and more opportunity to talk about expeditions. So when I joined the expedition arena I actually fell into it, which is another podcast fell into it some time ago. It was a bit of a you know, a hand holding exercise, I guess. So from those years of hand holding, talking about expedition what is expedition? Who would travel expedition, you know from a cruising perspective To now where you just say expedition, everyone's eyes light up and want to know more. So I think it really has, over just a very short amount of years, has become, you know, the new trend, positive trend for the cruise industry.
Speaker 1:Yeah, you can really see that like exactly what you described. When you talk about expedition to anyone, whether they are like potential guests on board or trade partners, they really come quite alive, because I think there's something quite exciting about that new kind of like you know, new frontier of cruising. Really, that's really good.
Speaker 2:Yeah, it is good, and I think we've been going to these regions like Antarctica and what have you for the evening. I think when you've got that the experience behind it, we can talk about it quite proudly. So, when you and then when you actually travel there yourself and it's even 10 times better than you had anticipated, I you know what a way to go out and talk to everyone about something that you've experienced, you love, and I take them on a journey, your journey with you. So, yeah, I think it's a really, it's a really lovely space to be in.
Speaker 1:Yeah, and definitely your company has been like one of the pioneers in that field, so it's I think it's probably also a lot more rewarding, you know, to talk about what's been done in that field In the last few years. Well, thank you for sharing that. Timo, did you want to ask us some questions in that sense, or should we In industry news? Industry news yes, what's happening in your field?
Speaker 3:The two of you. The two of you, obviously, in the cruise paper. So that's not my expertise as such, and even throughout the time when we worked together as part of the program, we didn't really talk too much about industry detail, so definitely don't have too much insights there. Hotel trend wise, what has changed most recently? It's not very surprising, but we do see now internationals really come back. Like last year was very, very predominantly domestically driven. This year, especially in the last, let's say, three to four weeks, we really start seeing all those international coming back in and telling us about their stories, and so that's that's definitely very rewarding and exciting from from hotel point of view, because we're back to what we wanted to do be connected with the world.
Speaker 1:Yes, well, that's good. Well, we're back.
Speaker 3:Sometimes I even have people from France coming over for lunch.
Speaker 1:Wow, you must be having a really nice restaurant in your hotel. Potentially not sure, and just wonder what the quality of the quasi is there?
Speaker 3:Well, you might have to come over for breakfast and do your full and have a. Sorry, I have to throw it in story quickly.
Speaker 3:And so, christine, when when, I know it's not eating a croissant, it is the celebration of slaughtering a pastry. So first of all he asked for croissant with a knife not a normal knife, like a proper knife and then the thing is cut in half, then he presses it down to see how quickly it expands again, then, like a dog, sniffles all around it to see you know if, if it is properly baked. And then obviously he does the tasting. Wine tasting is already, as you know, a bit more than normal consuming, but I know, and eating a croissant is next level. He makes points and notes and everything, and then he has a friend that is doing that with him. We also call him as weirdo friend. And then croissants nonstop. It's not me, that's not me, the friend, the weirdo friend.
Speaker 1:I do, I do eat them. But you know like if you want to find what is the best croissant in Sydney, for example, you need to have criteria right to taste it. So that's what we do.
Speaker 3:Let's talk about time criteria.
Speaker 1:Let's talk about time and let's not talk about me. So I was saying at the beginning of today's episode I found that it was really interesting that for the first time on the podcast, mentor and mentee and I wanted to talk a little bit about that relationship and how you build over time. So I'll probably start with you, christine, because that's quite interesting to have you know, maybe, the perspective of the mentee. When you found out that you were being paired with T-Mode, what was your reaction?
Speaker 2:Well, I hadn't actually met T-Mode before because my, so that was probably a good thing. I say that in the nicest possible way.
Speaker 1:Yes.
Speaker 2:Because it's fresh, right, you're meeting someone for the first time and it's just, let's just see where we've got some commonality and where this is going to take us. And I guess my reason for actually joining the time program initially was I was very fortunate that Silver Seed did sponsor me there Because I had, in my very first expedition role, I had experienced a non-official mentor, and it was about the communication. You just felt like you were. I guess the management style just was encouraging, it was problem solving, it was pushing you to do things that you may be hesitant to do, and so that was quite late in my career and I hadn't actually experienced that before. But then when that actually was finished, I really missed it. I missed not having.
Speaker 2:I guess that it was just something inside me that just made me want to do better and made me wanted to do more.
Speaker 2:And so when I joined the time program and Penny said to me, with Match, do with Timo. And she did say you know, you're okay with that, and I said that's fine, because I hadn't actually met Timo he said no, that's fine. And then when we met for the first time I remember coming along to when we were all introduced and I met Timo and he was just a breath of fresh air and I thought, wow and I'm not saying this because you're on the podcast, timo, but I was really. He was light, he was happy, he was excited, he was well respected within the room. I could tell because everyone was coming and saying hello and just I thought, yeah, this is going to be fun. You know, it just takes you to somewhere where you thought I need to have some fun in my life and I think this is where it's going to come. Plus, there's going to be some learnings as well. So that's how it came about.
Speaker 1:Yeah, I mean Timo is very well known to be a CFO, so a chief fund officer, so I'm not surprised that you had that feeling. Really, it's interesting that you're talking about the fact that you were already part of the mentorship program prior to time, so, and that's encouraging.
Speaker 2:Not officially, but this happened to meet someone as my manager later in my career that I thought, hang on a minute, this is kind of an unofficial mentor. And then that's when I learned that I can't get a bit more.
Speaker 1:Okay, yeah, fair enough. How about you, timo? Because obviously you know, like this, this is probably a very different experience from your side, knowing that you are the fund, the life of the party all the time.
Speaker 3:So you would be surprised how serious my life actually is, not surprised. I was obviously also excited to be matched and obviously, as a mentor you also think about you know, what can I actually deliver for that person? I mentioned already before we come from very different industries that function very differently in very different stages of our career and very different fields actually within the functionality of a company as such as well. And those who know me a bit closer now I love to work on the deeper stuff because I believe that was actually transferring into you know your outcome and also into your career. And I was deeply impressed at Christine Let her guards down pretty much in the first meeting. She was so open and honest straight away what her concerns are and what she wants to work on, also from a personality point of view, anu. That really sets a very good base for us to be able to achieve something. Because again, this is a general statement now if a mentee does not have that ability to be vulnerable in those meetings, you don't get out what you need. And as a mentor, I can be as brilliant or as wise or as experienced as whoever in the world, I can't help if there's not that vulnerability there and I think that defines, from my point of view at least the whole six months, that she always showed up and brought that vulnerability to the table, being honest with myself and also with herself, and sometimes to look in the mirror at stuff, and sometimes it's very insightful, and I think we combined that quite well. So from my point of view, that first meeting was very encouraging just because Anu, she would bring that to the table, and she did from the first minute.
Speaker 3:And now we were sitting in the lobby. I remember it was Sophie Teller went with and we were on level two or three, wherever the functional rooms are. We were sitting in the lobby. So it's kind of a busy area. People constantly walk by. They knew me, they knew her, so we didn't have like a private chat where you can just let the guards down. It was kind of public, but she still did. So that was very, very encouraging. Well done, christine.
Speaker 1:Well done, christine. You've impressed him. That's pretty hard. I know just to work with my one, you know. Yeah, it doesn't happen to me. You know he doesn't get impressed very easily in my books, but anyway, how often did you meet? Was it like a weekly meeting? Was it a bi-weekly meeting? How did you work it out between yourselves?
Speaker 2:You know I'm very regularly. I was very German about that.
Speaker 1:Very German, so every week between 10.30 and 11.45. Pretty much Now every second week we met.
Speaker 3:It was always a Friday and I think our standard time was two o'clock. Every now and then we pushed it back to three.
Speaker 1:Ok, well, that's quite good, but did you OK? So you know, we talked about a few events, about that kind of hybrid model of people meeting virtually and people meeting face to face. Like, what did you decide to do when it comes to meeting? How did that work for you? We met face to face and then Tim was really amazing at the end, towards the end.
Speaker 2:He was like let's do some more just to make sure that we finish off. You know, we went back to our notes of where we started and then we went back to the meeting. We went on a different path, but it was a much more advanced path, I think, for me, in that some of the things that you thought I wanted to do, I was doing and I guess, until someone told you, well, you're already doing that, so let's move forward, and the accountability that went with that. So at the end of the actual six months, timo just said let's meet for a couple more meetings and we just organically made some time and we did that online and that I thought was just as amazing as meeting in person.
Speaker 2:But it was always nice to have you know coffee together and I think that made it a little bit more. Yeah, it did make it a little bit. It was a Friday afternoon and we would have you know coffee in a chat and it became a little bit more. I guess it was more relaxing, I think.
Speaker 1:Yeah, okay, there'll be more conversation, I suppose, and not necessarily to. Yeah, okay, to Steve and not to Rude within the end. I understand.
Speaker 3:You wouldn't be able to envision myself being too formal, would you?
Speaker 1:Never, it's interesting. It is quite surprising, I think, that we're discovering a side of you today, Timo, which is, like Christian just said that you were fun from the first time you met her, which I find that really hard to believe. And, yeah, now you said that you relaxed, so like. But we have a very different approach. Like this has been transformative for you, Timo, hasn't it?
Speaker 3:Look in Germany, we always knew that people from France have the ability to walk through life without looking left, right and sender. Hence the joy often, you know, doesn't affect them as much as those who have open eyes. I'll leave the rest to you, arnaud.
Speaker 2:I'll leave you two to it.
Speaker 1:Yeah, I want to go back to some of the things that you said, christian, because you talked about, you know, obviously, your kind of roadmap that you had at the beginning when you entered the program, and then you realized, you know, like you know, that you went above and beyond what you had expected. How did that come about? Did you find actually, yes, that you achieved a lot more than what you had expected in the first place?
Speaker 2:I think so because I initially I was thinking, okay, now what do I want to get out of this program? And that was something that was well. Obviously I had to have a bit of guidance for Timo so he could hone in on his expertise around that. But a lot of it was about, you know, the building self-confidence as well around things. Now, you know, I'm quite confident in, I seem quite confident, but then you know that self-doubt, and then sometimes Timo would just say you know, these are the five things we need to do. No procrastination, just get going with it. I would do it, and then those sort of walls would just fall away, and so then we'd be able to shoot off to another path and say, okay, what's the next thing we need to be doing.
Speaker 2:And so that's how it progressed, further than what initially the gates were set around the perimeter and we just sort of dropped the gates and off we went. So and I still use the notes that I took. Sometimes I would come in and say, look, let's scrap everything we talked about, because I really I think I overthought that and really this is really the path I need to go. So and then so, like as Timo said in the beginning, it was about looking in the mirror and saying you know, is that really, is that really relevant, or is that really the path you want to go down for? So you know, there was a lot of that personal, yeah, knowing what you knowing, knowing you, I guess, and letting go of a lot of stuff. So, yeah, I think that probably one of the things that I would say to someone who's wanting to do the time program just start it may not, you may not have your.
Speaker 2:I've been to a lot of the when people are graduating and they've gone with a list of a hundred things and they've ticked off those hundred things plus another hundred and they're just excelling in their career, their own business, those sorts of things, and that, I think, is definitely one side of it. But there's another side where you just start and it will evolve. What you need to get out of it will come and it will be guided. Hopefully, if you have someone that's got some insight, like Timo, he can guide you to look, this is how I see it. And then you're like, wow, that's what I was looking for. You kind of have a bit of a bold moment throughout, so I think it's just a matter of just starting no hesitation.
Speaker 1:Yeah, that's really a good point, because I think that sometimes you have a lot of people that are potentially interested in the time program, but the thing that they probably think that they need to have kind of a vision as to what they need to achieve there, and that probably is the reason why they're getting put off by joining, just because they don't necessarily have a clear vision as to what they're trying to achieve. What about you, timo? Because I think that we never really had that kind of insight from the mentor as to what they tried to, what they took in from that experience.
Speaker 3:You mean as the benefits for the mentor.
Speaker 1:The benefits for the mentor.
Speaker 3:Yeah, actually quite a few which before.
Speaker 3:Obviously, this was the first time I had a mentee matched with myself, so I wasn't really sure what to expect for myself, and Friday afternoon is very often a difficult time to actually free up your calendar, and sometimes it was really tremendous effort, but then my German schedule kicked in and was just like no, this has to be done.
Speaker 3:And, honestly, every time we met and when I left, I just felt so balanced and so in line, because it's hard to describe but taking two hours out of your schedule and fully focus on someone else is such a rewarding and energizing process for oneself, and often I went out and thought, ah, the things I was worried about three hours ago were actually so tiny and so unnecessary, so it really brought me also back on the page where I wanted to be.
Speaker 3:So there's a lot of reflective work also happening for the mentor through your mentee and what I in general love to do if someone has an idea and that might be in a mentee context or in a staff context what they wanna do with their life, okay, let's take it serious for an hour and really talk it through and remove all the hurdles that are potentially there and I don't have money through this, or I don't have this or whatever it is.
Speaker 3:Let's just assume that's not there and really make that idea alive, and then you very often see what's the true motivation behind it, because often the idea is just a reflection of something else. That's the actual place, and while you listen to that stories and those ideas being deconstructed, I'm going back to the actual parts. That's also happening a lot for you as a mentor, at least for me, and that was for me. I kind of had a feeling, yes, I'm mentoring something, but also I'm growing myself in the same time and learning so much from Christine, because with her being vulnerable and giving all that information and energy to me, there's huge learnings for me as well.
Speaker 1:How does that make you clear, Christine?
Speaker 2:Yeah, I had a little tear there for me, I was like well yeah.
Speaker 1:It sounds like a therapist's life.
Speaker 3:How do you feel about that?
Speaker 1:Exactly when she said that I worked in talk shows of my life.
Speaker 2:Actually, it was quite funny when we had our first introduction at the time meeting and I remember Penny saying that to everyone and just remember, they're not your therapist. Keep that beard, hairdresser. I'm saying that actually in the back of my mind, but I think sometimes, like Tim and I said, you have to be vulnerable. If he doesn't know who I am, then how is he going to understand the why? And that was probably the biggest thing was what is the why behind that? And I think you might have said that quite a few times to him and I was like, oh okay, yeah, maybe you're right, let's scrap that and move on.
Speaker 2:So, yeah, there was a lot of I remember, actually in my graduation and I had a bit of a theme around it because I felt that I was one of those people that just you do the right thing, you stay in a role, and did you really think about what that meant for you? Was that growth for the next role, things like that? And so I likened myself to a blue wiggle, unlike the yellow wiggle that's on today.
Speaker 1:I do love my yellow. I love that part.
Speaker 2:The theme of the yellow, so that wiggle theme, because it was like the negative connotation I had towards being a blue wiggle, which was the always the last one standing, last one to the lead, last one to do, and you just kind of. But then by the end of it the whole thing had shifted because the blue wiggle actually is there as a guide, as a mentor himself, because of all the new people that are coming in. So it was a complete mind shift and that's kind of what the only way I could really explain it, I guess, was to put it into that sort of analogy. So yeah, it was definitely a mind shift.
Speaker 1:It's a shame that I do a graduation, so from the wiggles I was expecting that a little bit. But hey, you know, like this.
Speaker 2:There you go.
Speaker 1:Oh, here we go, there we go. Thank you, christine, you're the real part for me.
Speaker 2:I'll just I guess that, yeah, having a theme was an easier way to put it together, but and we had a bit of a, I didn't really tell and look, I did. The other side of it I just wanted to add, which I should have said in the beginning was, you know, I said to that Timo is a really fun guy and he's very light and whatever, but you know, it's so motivating because the motivation, the internal motivation that Timo has is just like no other. I've not. You know, he's not only with his team at his job as GM of the hotel and he had some team members there that couldn't speak highly enough of Timo as a manager.
Speaker 2:He also the tennis, professional tennis that you do, you're acting on all of those things, and it was just like here's me trying to fit in and, like you said, timo, you gave up that two hours. Here's me trying to fit in two hours and then you kind of go, wow, you know. So my commitment to knowing what he was giving up or what he was doing as well as really did yeah, really did make it, you know, make me want to commit even more. So, you know, I think it was all round. I just think it was a really positive experience.
Speaker 1:And before, are you committing that you're going to go and hear him out at the Australian Open next year in January when he's going to play the tournament?
Speaker 3:I think he hasn't announced yet that I'm playing. Oh, yes, I am playing again. Yes.
Speaker 2:Oh, congratulations, thank you, thank you.
Speaker 1:So where is this relationship at now? Like, so, obviously, you graduated when, like at the beginning of 2023, or like early 2023, like February maybe. And since what's what's been, what's yeah, where is this relationship at Like? Do you catch up? Still, the two of you, how regular are regular is it, and what do you talk about?
Speaker 2:We don't catch up on a regular basis, but when we go to the time functions, we're the first to have a take I guess, and say yeah.
Speaker 3:Now I think for my point of view it's we see each other rarely now, obviously, because we're both busy, and I think it's also part of the relationship after a while to let go and send the kids to walk their own ways, but whenever we see each other, it's like no time has passed. I'm always there. Last time we spoke about a couple of things that were happening that were just, you know, on the daily news for your life, and there's just no, there's no start, slow down period or something. It's just straight into it. We can talk, we know each other, we know whatever has been discussed, these is kept very confidential. I would never, ever talk to someone about oh, I had this mentee, like, even if outside of the industry or something you know, it's just in a private place and that's why it stays and it just helps. You know it just helps and yeah, that's. I think that goes both ways, right, christine?
Speaker 2:Yeah, it's been.
Speaker 3:There's one of the tricky touch points on what you said, with, you know, finding yourself as the blue wiggly. I think the big point there was finding purpose in the setup that before you probably didn't see as much purpose. To just break it down to into one sentence and a usually powerful experience, I would say then in hindsight and we didn't know that's where it goes, Obviously in the beginning it's not like you sit there as a mentor on session two and you know, okay, now the next session, this is going to happen and this will he or she will be at the end of the program. So that was very unsure. It could have gone either way and obviously you will need to keep it open to stay open as well, keep an open mind to wherever it goes and support. But I was so happy with that progress and process for yourself.
Speaker 3:And I know whenever I see the other mentors sitting when their mentee is graduating and they do the speech, and you sit there or you see them sitting there and think like oh yeah, okay, whatever, Don't be so emotional. But I mean I was sitting there, I was on the same slide. Oh yes, I'm so happy. It's a very it's so hard to describe. It's a very special moment for the mentor to see you guys up there Then and and just share those three minutes and obviously it's just a very, very small spotlight off of everything, but, yeah, it makes you incredibly proud, not of yourself, but for the other person. Yeah, it's good.
Speaker 2:You should be proud of yourself, though, because, like I said, you know, not only did you commit the time, but you also were vulnerable as well, you know. So, yeah, it was. It was a very equal you know match, I think. When it came to, when it came to that. So, yeah, yeah. And look, I did say to to Timo that I would love to do this again, but I kind of, I kind of would I love being involved in the time, like whether it be on the panel or I did I think I mc'd one time, so, but I just I don't next time. I guess, now that I've got what I've got out of the first time, I'd love to sort of have a particular goal. And the other things that I really liked was Tim, you did a workshop. You did one of the workshops on social media, I think as well, didn't you?
Speaker 3:So those.
Speaker 2:I just feel like they're just spending that extra hour before the actual time function is invaluable as well. I mean, you know you can do that sort of stuff. You can do online, of course. How many of those LinkedIn learnings you know do you sign up for? And then I start and then I, you know, press pause and then it's still reduced probably a week later, and then I'm like, oh business going to get there. So I think sometimes going and doing those face to face is actually good thing. And Timo in that as well I wasn't just standing up the front talking goes. Okay, this is called a workshop, you have to actually work. So he made everyone start doing their first. Well, I think there was one lady there, timo, who had her own business and she did her very first post that day, and so it's like, once you've done one off, you go.
Speaker 1:So, yeah, so there's a lot of benefits.
Speaker 2:I think as well that keep everyone going.
Speaker 1:That was a really good workshop. Actually, I've got to say I think in the next time event there's also going to be another workshop on LinkedIn. So that's actually quite good, because it's a good way for us to promote our businesses, what we do, but also promote ourselves in our line of work, and so I think it's a yeah, yeah, you get a good one. You did really well.
Speaker 2:It gets you started. You just got a start.
Speaker 1:Yes, just got Correct, yes.
Speaker 2:And I like a lot of. I always like your posts on LinkedIn and I don't make many comments, but on both of you I always try and yeah, let you know I'm thinking of you, I know it's always very, very proactive in ensuring it's company news, whatever, which, yeah, that's a great example, because obviously I follow you on LinkedIn and a lot I learn actually just from you.
Speaker 3:Sharing it just shows you know it is a very effective tool. And back to the workshops you know some small things like that, hearing that from other people. Oh, yes, I know this and this and this is about your company because someone else has shared it A lot of times. Those people who post the content are not aware that it actually has so much impact and people do remember it as well. And then, obviously, if you're more strategic with it and you use it for your personal branding and you use it for how you want to be perceived in the industry, that message is definitely spread, even if you don't get 5000 likes, if you don't get 30 likes. You might get 5 likes, but 30 people do remember. Okay, I know what's posting about. I don't know the new business class seat. We talked about that 50,000 times.
Speaker 1:Oh my God yes, that business class seat. When I worked at Finnair, like you know, I'd say that half of the industry had no idea what was going on. But you know, half of the industry saw that post, so they knew what the you know the Finnair business class seat looked like. And now that Finnair is operating some flights on behalf of Qantas at the end of this month, a lot of people are very familiar with this product because they saw it like, because I used to post like 10 times a day, I didn't care, I was like I'm going to broadcast it. Also because I was a one-man band, you know, I didn't have the sales force to go on the road and then promote the company and, you know, showcase all the products and all that sort of stuff. So for me, linkedin was a good way to you know, like to reach out to all these people that I couldn't have reached, you know, in a traditional kind of you know way. So it really served the purpose and it was a great tour.
Speaker 3:But just for the records, I wouldn't recommend posting 10 times a day, every day, I know.
Speaker 1:but I thought, oh, if I, if I, if I schedule all year like I didn't, I, yeah, I couldn't be bothered, so I just posted as much as I could.
Speaker 2:I actually like that. As to be asked a name for a podcast, Ah no, I know. Loving it, here we go, you can have that one.
Speaker 1:Thank you. Yeah, I give credit to you when I, when I make a very successful podcast. You know title ideas. You will get full credit on this.
Speaker 3:You didn't work that wrong when you make another very successful podcast.
Speaker 1:Yes, another Words do matter sometimes.
Speaker 3:Oh, I must have come to question from you. Sky After after all your experience now with obviously with me, with the time community, the networking, the workshops, so you have a very good overview. You've graduated a while ago, so you see what happens after graduation. Who do you think are the right candidates to potentially consider a mentorship there?
Speaker 2:I think anyone. Honestly, I think that everyone in their stage of career, whether they've, you know, wanting to change roles, they're filling stale in what they're doing. A lot of people that I think were in my program were someone after COVID. They'd been promoted and they really needed to have that guidance to get them through that new role, because often the you know the managers and what have you that they've had to have left or what have you. So, but honestly, I think anyone I mean, like I said, I'm later in my career and so for me to do it, to do it nothing, even if you, even if you just need some motivation or if you need, I think anyone should do it. But I would definitely run to sign up for time.
Speaker 2:If you are early in your career and you really want some guidance to who's really you should be mapping out you know five years in advance where I want to be, that sort of thing.
Speaker 2:So if you want someone and it's something you look at your weak point. If it's, I just don't have the confidence to ask the question of where I need to go next. Then find someone that will help you with that, you know. Find someone that's maybe got a you know a HR background, if it's someone that can help you with social media, because you've got your own business now and you want to actually do like I know you want to actually you know, one man ban, you want to be able to promote him all the time, then just do it so it really is opened up to everyone. I think so I wouldn't, I wouldn't say that it's not suitable for a particular person, and I think you know that's a good idea what you said before. Just have a look in the mirror and see, you know if you really are in need of some sort of guidance or would like to have some sort of guidance, you know.
Speaker 2:so I would run, I wouldn't walk, I would run and sign up.
Speaker 3:Nice, and I'm talking about sorry talking about the thing. It became a habit on the show, introduced by on the French part of the show.
Speaker 1:Yes.
Speaker 3:To share, as the French part says, a dark secret about yourself. So now it's a great opportunity to share with the world something that is definitely not on your CV and pretty much no one knows about you.
Speaker 2:Okay, well, I'll just tell you I have a very sweet tooth. I love chocolate, I love and I, yeah, I just love anything sweet. So I'm trying really hard to bring pull back on sugar and I used to do things like I'll tell you this really funny thing to try and stop myself from sugar. It used to be just anything. I don't have sugar and tea, coffee, it's lollies, chocolate. I've got it down to a fine art of just chocolate now.
Speaker 2:So how I did that was I would be out on the road, I'd be craving to have some sort of you know lolly or something. So I go in and buy a packet of sort of like jubes I'd go into. Maybe if I was in a shopping center, I'd go into Woolies or Coles, whatever. I find the cheapest, nastiest juby lollies that you could find. It would be a dollar, you know, for a packet of the really yucky lollies. And then I would go outside and as I was walking around I'd just be eating them Once I take a handful out and then I get to the bin and I throw them out and then I'd eat that handful and that made me feel so sick that I wouldn't go back for more. So oh yeah, I've got a terrible addiction to sugar, but I've cut the sugar and it's more about chocolate now, so that's probably as dark as it gets, I'm sorry.
Speaker 3:I love the conditioning part, though that is very intense, but it's a very effective word.
Speaker 1:I'm very German. I thought that you know like, yeah, I'm saying that because I've flown with a German airline very recently and it's exactly how I got treated. So yeah. That's how you treat it.
Speaker 2:I only get to the hands all the time. That's all you got.
Speaker 1:Oh, they were actually really good, but you know it is. I mean, now that I understand that you have a sweet tooth, I understand why you liked him so much, because you felt that he was really sweet. Why?
Speaker 2:Oh, thank you.
Speaker 3:Thank you, I know it was cheesy, but I take it.
Speaker 1:Making compliments, oh boy.
Speaker 3:All right. Well, we're already at 40 minutes. Thank you so much for your time, christine, and thank you, arno, for taking over this podcast, because obviously I couldn't ask too many questions being involved myself, but I really enjoyed having that chat and I hope you inspire everyone out there to join the community as well, to join us on a networking event to have the first experience, potentially, and to get to know us. Yeah thank you everyone Wonderful.
Speaker 2:Thank you, guys again Are you doing a great job bringing this to you. Thank you so much.
Speaker 1:Appreciate that. Thank you.
Speaker 3:All right, happy days, everyone Happy weekend, happy weekend.
Speaker 1:Bye, so now.
