Not only are we focusing on change throughout our newsletter this month, we’re also changing the rules a little here: instead of interviewing one of our clients, we had a chat with someone who’s a bit of an expert in a different kind of change.
Enter Simone. She’s not exactly a Chatter client – at least not anymore – but she’s definitely one of our oldest friends. Simone recently started her own business called ‘Take a Pause’, which is an advice website and forum aimed at educating women who are going through the menopause, as well as educating and advising businesses that employ women who are suffering with interfering symptoms.
But while the rules have changed in terms of who we interviewed, we’ve stuck to the script when it comes to our questions… and we grabbed 5 minutes with Simone to get the lowdown on her career, from HR to entrepreneur. Here’s what she told us…
How did you get into starting up your own business?
From my own experience of how ill advised I was by a GP. I then couldn’t find anything to help me so I had to educate myself on menopause and then felt that if this was me, this was many women. And Take a Pause was born out of that.
What’s the best piece of advice you’ve received in your career?
I’m still waiting to hear it! Joking aside, I think it was: “be you Simone and carry on being you… the rest will catch up”. It was about being as disruptive as I wanted to change ways of working.
What advice would you give to someone starting out in the HR sector?
If you genuinely love people, show them. Blaze a trail and do it all differently than a standard policy box tick.
What’s the best thing about working with Chatter?
The extra mile you go, the support, the authentic delivery you have for each client and that most of you are young guns making your mark. It keeps me on my toes!
What are you reading, watching and listening to at the moment?
I’m in the middle of writing a blog, and I've just paused to chat to you. The music in the background is classical – it helps me be creative.
What’s your guilty pleasure?
Piers Morgan. Yes, yes, I know… but I love to hate him and I hate that I love him!
Three words to describe yourself?
Passionate, considerate, creative.
What fact would surprise people about you?
Unless I can see the whites of its eyes, I'm more than happy to pick up a spider and pop it outside. Even the furry ones.
