Career Stories

About Career Stories

The podcast that shares other people's career stories, to help you with yours. Career Stories is a podcast for people who want a better working life. Hosted by Dr Luella Forbes - consultant, researcher and founder of The Career Library. Each episode features an honest conversation with a leader, entrepreneur or expert about the real story behind their career: the transitions, the setbacks, the decisions that didn't go to plan, and the lessons that shaped where they ended up. Every month, Luella is joined by Associate Professor Michelle Gander (Murdoch Business School), an experienced leader and specialist in career development and organisational careers, to unpack the themes from that month's episodes and offer practical, evidence-based advice. Whether you're navigating a career crossroads, leading through change, or simply trying to build a working life that fits — Career Stories gives you the real picture, from people who've been there. Topics include: leadership, organisational change, career development, women at work, management, workplace culture, career transitions, and what it really takes to build a meaningful career.

Publisher

The Career Library

Category

business · business

Language

en

Explicit

No

First episode

2 Feb 2026

Latest episode

6 Oct 2026

Latest episodes

37 episodes in the feed.

1. 

   6 Oct 2026

   The Career Nobody Grows Up Wanting - Glen Moloney

   "You make your luck, take some risks, have a go." Did you know what you wanted to be when you left school? Most of us didn't, and plenty of the most interesting careers are ones nobody ever told us existed. Procurement is one of them. It's the work behind the poles, wires and contracts that keep the lights on, yet almost nobody grows up dreaming of doing it. In this episode, Dr Luella Forbes reconnects with Glen Moloney, General Manager of Procurement and Supply at one of Queensland's largest energy providers, who she met during their MBA. Glen unpacks what procurement actually involves, from sourcing and negotiating contracts to managing the supply of everything a big energy network needs, and why commercial acumen and storytelling are so important in the role. He shares a career built by saying yes: a TNT scholarship that took him to the UK, a visa mix-up in Amsterdam he calls "a comedy of errors", helping set up the procurement arm for the Ford Mazda joint venture in Nanjing, China, and building a centralised procurement function at Virgin Australia before running Virgin Cargo. Along the way he reflects on transferable skills, why the right environment changes everything, leading people through change, and the values that have guided every big decision. In this episode: 00:00:40 - What a general manager of procurement and supply actually does 00:03:57 - Supplying infrastructure across a state the size of Queensland, from poles and wires to vegetation clearing 00:08:23 - The skills procurement needs: commercial acumen, contract know-how and storytelling 00:16:47 - How AI is reshaping procurement and where humans stay in the loop 00:19:12 - "Nobody grows up wanting to be a chief procurement officer" and how Glen picked his degree 00:21:37 - A TNT scholarship and six months studying in the UK 00:26:07 - Moving to Amsterdam and an unexpected visa story 00:28:02 - Helping set up procurement for the Ford Mazda joint venture in Nanjing, China, and what it taught him about culture 00:33:44 - Moving to Brisbane and taking transferable skills into financial services at Suncorp 00:37:15 - Joining Virgin Australia to build a centralised procurement function 00:41:15 - Same skills, different environment: why support and mandate change everything 00:43:04 - Leading people through change with honesty and time to decide 00:47:09 - Airport negotiations and running Virgin Cargo, a full-circle moment 00:49:12 - COVID, stepping away and knowing when you've given all you can 00:50:28 - Looking after himself: the gym, Pilates and learning to meditate 00:57:39 - The best career advice Glen ever received 00:58:35 - What Glen is proudest of, and why it isn't about his career Resources mentioned: Melbourne Meditation Centre - https://melbournemeditationcentre.com.au/ Connect with Glen on LinkedIn - https://www.linkedin.com/in/glen-moloney-bb95a89/?isSelfProfile=false New episodes on a Wednesday, with interviews with leaders or experts every week and a monthly discussion episode at the end of the month. We would love to hear from you. Share your thoughts on recent episodes or questions you would like Luella and Michelle to answer to stories@the-career-library.com. Support this podcast by becoming a member and get access to bonus episodes containing work related advice from Luella, Michelle and expert guests as well as a monthly newsletter with access to tools and guidance from this week's advice episode. Join here (http://www.the-career-library.com/join) Connect & Subscribe Subscribe to Career Stories wherever you get your podcasts. (https://pod.link/1873863711/episode/MzNhYTVhMGUtZmZkOS00N2Q2LTljMWYtZDY0OTc3YzE2OWY3?view=apps&sort=popularity) Follow Career Stories on Instagram (https://www.instagram.com/careerstoriespodcast/), YouTube, and LinkedIn. (https://www.linkedin.com/showcase/111863112) Career Stories is brought to you by The Career Library.

2. 

   29 Sept 2026

   Pigeonholed at Work? How to Get Work Famous - Leanne Hughes

   "It's about being famous for your ideas and for your contribution." Ever felt like you're doing great work but nobody's noticing? Or that people only see you as "the IT person" or "the change person" when you know you can do so much more? You're not alone, and the good news is you don't have to wait for someone to tap you on the shoulder. In this bonus episode, Luella sits down with Leanne Hughes to get practical about her new book, Work Fame. Forget paparazzi and red carpets. This is about building a reputation that attracts the good stuff: cool projects, great people, promotions and more money, all without the ego or the cringe of self-promotion. In this episode Following on from Leanne's main episode, this conversation is all about the how. Leanne shares her three spotlights for getting work famous, why a CV is really a list of things you don't want to do anymore, and how to break out of being typecast. Luella and Leanne dig into why times of change are the best moment to step up, how to stay visible when you work remotely, how leaders can help their teams shine, and the simple "walk of fame" practice you can try tomorrow. Timestamps 00:39 What work fame really means (and what it doesn't) 01:47 Deciding what you want to be famous for 03:47 Breaking out of being pigeonholed 07:03 Why no one cares about your career as much as you do 08:19 Seeing a gap and filling it: tell people, then do it 10:21 Why change is the best time to step up 17:16 The three spotlights: contribution, conversations and coverage 18:54 Talking about your wins without feeling boastful 22:13 When the most dependable people get loaded up with more work 25:59 Building visibility when you work remotely 29:52 How leaders can help their team get work famous 31:29 One thing to try tomorrow: the walk of fame 36:04 The hierarchy in your own head 37:44 The story you tell yourself about who you want to be Resources Work Fame by Leanne Hughes, out now wherever you get your books here (https://books.google.com.vn/books/about/Work_Fame.html?id=dsDyEQAAQBAJ&source=kp_book_description&redir_esc=y) Connect with Leanne on LinkedIn here (https://www.linkedin.com/in/leannehughes/) New episodes on a Wednesday, with interviews with leaders or experts every week and a monthly discussion episode at the end of the month. We would love to hear from you. Share your thoughts on recent episodes or questions you would like Luella and Michelle to answer to stories@the-career-library.com. Support this podcast by becoming a member and get access to bonus episodes containing work related advice from Luella, Michelle and expert guests as well as a monthly newsletter with access to tools and guidance from this week's advice episode. Join here (http://www.the-career-library.com/join) Connect & Subscribe Subscribe to Career Stories wherever you get your podcasts. (https://pod.link/1873863711/episode/MzNhYTVhMGUtZmZkOS00N2Q2LTljMWYtZDY0OTc3YzE2OWY3?view=apps&sort=popularity) Follow Career Stories on Instagram (https://www.instagram.com/careerstoriespodcast/), YouTube, and LinkedIn. (https://www.linkedin.com/showcase/111863112) Career Stories is brought to you by The Career Library.

3. 

   22 Sept 2026

   Privilege, Networks & Opportunity at Work

   "You actually can't compare yourself either way, right? Because you actually have no idea about where people have started from." - Michelle Gander Ever scroll past someone who seems miles ahead of you and wonder what you're doing wrong? This month, Luella and Michelle unpack why the answer is often about starting points, not effort. In this September Career Advice episode, they get into what privilege really looks like at work (networks, money, time and access), why it's so hard to talk about, and what you can do with it whether you have a lot of it or a little. Episode highlights: 01:30 - What Luella and Michelle have been up to, from a career workshop at Flinders University to a Brisbane trip 06:09 - Luella's storytelling for change talk and how you can join 07:34 - Recapping Angela Bliss, Sally Richardson and Leanne Hughes 10:17 - Why privilege? What sparked the topic 11:21 - What privilege means, from nepotism to meritocracy 13:20 - Networks, money and time: the hidden advantages in careers 16:34 - Class, schooling and the idea of "inheritocracy" 20:26 - The equity picture: why the right help looks different for everyone 22:01 - Layers of privilege and intersectionality 24:25 - Why representation matters and "you can't be what you can't see" 27:32 - Looking at inputs as well as outputs, and the privilege walk exercise 32:08 - Networking in smaller cities and what it means for new graduates 33:53 - Working with what you've got, and borrowing influence 36:29 - Building inclusive workplaces and giving everyone the same chance to plan for change 41:25 - Comparison and starting points: why it's not worth measuring yourself against others 43:44 - Finding a role model instead 44:31 - Book of the month: Work Fame by Leanne Hughes Resources and links The Narratologist: thenarratologist.org (http://thenarratologist.org) New episodes on a Wednesday, with interviews with leaders or experts every week and a monthly discussion episode at the end of the month. We would love to hear from you. Share your thoughts on recent episodes or questions you would like Luella and Michelle to answer to stories@the-career-library.com. Support this podcast by becoming a member and get access to bonus episodes containing work related advice from Luella, Michelle and expert guests as well as a monthly newsletter with access to tools and guidance from this week's advice episode. Join here (http://www.the-career-library.com/join) Connect & Subscribe Subscribe to Career Stories wherever you get your podcasts. (https://pod.link/1873863711/episode/MzNhYTVhMGUtZmZkOS00N2Q2LTljMWYtZDY0OTc3YzE2OWY3?view=apps&sort=popularity) Follow Career Stories on Instagram (https://www.instagram.com/careerstoriespodcast/), YouTube, and LinkedIn. (https://www.linkedin.com/showcase/111863112) Career Stories is brought to you by The Career Library.

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Spotify

5.0 / 5

8 ratings

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Books guests

Based on episode analysis; this does not confirm that the show is currently accepting guests.