Holding Space for Unicorns

About Holding Space for Unicorns

Holding Space for Unicorns is a podcast designed to empower women in technology to find their voice so that they can realise their potential. We hold the space through sharing with you real and raw conversations about the unspoken, so that you don’t feel alone in your journey. If that sounds like something you could use a little more of, don’t hold back and let’s get started! About Alicia Payne Alicia is a mother of two young children and sales professional. She is passionate about the enablement and empowerment of young people in sales- especially women. This is her first podcast.

Publisher

Alicia Payne

Category

business

Language

en

Explicit

No

First episode

5 Jun 2023

Latest episode

8 Apr 2026

Latest episodes

22 episodes in the feed.

1. 

   8 Apr 2026

   22. On Expectations

   A solo reflection sparked by the Easter long weekend and the expectations we can hold around different chapters of life. In this episode, I share some thoughts on the mental load at home, the fulfilment of work, the support of family and friends, and the reminder that both things can be true. A conversation about holding a lot, letting go of how we thought life should look, and giving voice to what’s been sitting just beneath the surface. About Alicia Payne Alicia is a mother of two young children, and a Client Account Executive at Nitro Software in Melbourne, Australia. Her tech career spans 16 years across channel and direct sales, working for Australian and Global organisations where she has grown and thrived. Alicia loves working in high growth organisations in scaling teams, and helping customers solve their business challenges with best in class technologies. Prior to working in technology sales, Alicia graduated with a Master of Music from Monash University, performed with Victorian Opera in their chorus and taught Vocal Studies at several independent schools in Melbourne. Connection is one of her greatest values and her passion is empowering others to find their voice through the sharing of stories. When not working, mothering or interviewing inspiring women, Alicia loves to read, travel, run, sauna and cold dip, walk along her local beach, and head to the theatre. She is also a member of the Victorian Chorale, a 100 voice choir, who perform three major concerts a year. Connect with Alicia on ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠LinkedIn⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ (https://www.linkedin.com/in/aliciampayne/) and at ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠@holdingspaceforunicorns⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ (https://www.instagram.com/holdingspaceforunicorns/) on Instagram.

2. 

   8 Sept 2025

   21. Holding Space for Johanna Korhonen

   In this latest episode, I had the absolute joy of sitting down with Johanna “Jo” Korhonen. Jo’s one of those people who shows up exactly as she is — loud, funny, open-hearted — and that’s what makes this conversation so special. We talked about her winding path from wanting to be a history teacher, to falling (a little by accident) into telesales, and then building a career in global tech sales. Jo shares why she loves the rollercoaster of sales, the thrill of the chase, and that magic moment when you stop being “the pushy rep” and become a trusted partner. What I love most about Jo is her honesty — about the highs, the lows, and what it really means to be a woman leading in sales. She’s passionate about opening doors for more women to step into this world, and she leaves us with one of her favorite reminders: “you can always re-choose your choice.” We hope you enjoy the chat as much as we did! Johanna Korhonen is currently Chief Sales Officer at Dear Lucy (https://www.dearlucy.co/) On her awesome LinkedIn Profile, she says: Hi my name is Johanna but since you’re here, you might as well call me Jo 👋 As a stellar sales leader I’ve been turning "no" into "not yet" for ten years. I’ve been leading and scaling teams of international software sales professionals in Helsinki and Dublin. Data-driven growth is the name of my game and fine-tuning sales analytics my forte. In a nutshell: I eat numbers for lunch, brunch and dinner. When I’m not breaking records and making quotas, you’ll find me doing yoga, meditating, training my dog, scrolling memes, drinking gin, and taking care of my carefully curated collection of dresses. 👗 If any of the above is of interest to you, feel free to connect with me. Don’t be shy, I know I won’t be. You can connect with Jo on LinkedIn here (https://www.linkedin.com/in/johannakorhonen/) About Alicia Payne Alicia is a mother of two young children, and a Senior Account Manager at ⁠⁠Nintex⁠⁠ (https://www.nintex.com) in Melbourne, Australia. Her tech career spans 15 years across channel and direct sales, working for Australian and Global organisations where she has grown and thrived. Alicia loves working in high growth organisations in scaling teams, and helping customers solve their business challenges with best in class technologies. Prior to working in technology sales, Alicia graduated with a Master of Music from Monash University, performed with Victorian Opera in their chorus and taught Vocal Studies at several independent schools in Melbourne. Connection is one of her greatest values and her passion is empowering others to find their voice through the sharing of stories. When not working, mothering or interviewing inspiring women, Alicia loves to read, travel, run, sauna and cold dip, walk along her local beach, and head to the theatre. Connect with Alicia on ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠LinkedIn⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ (https://www.linkedin.com/in/aliciampayne/) and at ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠@holdingspaceforunicorns⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ (https://www.instagram.com/holdingspaceforunicorns/) on Instagram.

3. 

   23 Aug 2025

   20. Lucky Number 8

   Upon realising it's been 15 years since I started in the IT industry, I've done a lot of reflecting lately- and naturally, this led to an idea for a brief solo episode In this episode, I share the winding path that led me from music teaching into my first tech sales role. What began with countless interviews, rejection, and self-doubt became a story of resilience, opportunity, and alignment- one of my biggest life lessons to date. You’ll hear: How a background in music shaped my confidence and drive. The setbacks and lessons that came with early interview rejections. Why resilience and persistence are often the real differentiators in a career pivot. The moment clicked — it alland how “lucky number eight” changed my life. Why not being everyone’s cup of tea is more than okay. It's my hope that someone out there is going through a job search or career pivot journey, hears this and knows that there is light at the end of the tunnel. There certainly was for me. About Alicia Payne Alicia is a mother of two young children, and a Senior Account Manager at ⁠Nintex⁠ (https://www.nintex.com) in Melbourne, Australia. Her tech career spans 15 years across channel and direct sales, working for Australian and Global organisations where she has grown and thrived. Alicia loves working in high growth organisations in scaling teams, and helping customers solve their business challenges with best in class technologies. Prior to working in technology sales, Alicia graduated with a Master of Music from Monash University, performed with Victorian Opera in their chorus and taught Vocal Studies at several independent schools in Melbourne. Connection is one of her greatest values and her passion is empowering others to find their voice through the sharing of stories. When not working, mothering or interviewing inspiring women, Alicia loves to read, travel, walk along her local beach, and head to the theatre. Connect with Alicia on ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠LinkedIn⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ (https://www.linkedin.com/in/aliciampayne/) and at ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠@holdingspaceforunicorns⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ (https://www.instagram.com/holdingspaceforunicorns/) on Instagram.

Reach and audience

Public platform figures. Ratings count people who left a rating, not total listeners.

Spotify

5.0 / 5

5 ratings

Podcast Authority Score: 38 / 100

A composite of feed quality, social presence, YouTube performance and engagement. Read the methodology.

Quality

53

Social presence

0

YouTube

0

Engagement

60

Contact Holding Space for Unicorns

Guest appearances

Books guests

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