Originally published by Balance the Grind.
To kick things off, could you tell us a little about your background and career?
I’m from regional Victoria and am the youngest of 9 children. I studied economics and marketing at Swinburne University and my first professional role was with ANZ bank in their call centre. I’ve been in marketing and media for 23 years now, and most recently I was the Global CRO at TRIBE responsible for the sales and growth divisions.
Prior to TRIBE, I was the Commercial Director at podcast startup, Whooshkaa, where I oversaw the rapid growth of the platform’s sales and branded content.
Earlier in my career, I was in charge of the sales operation of Macquarie Media when Macquarie Radio Network and Fairfax merged their radio assets in 2015.
I was also at Southern Cross Austereo for 14 years leading the sales teams in Melbourne, Brisbane, Sydney and eventually for the group. I am right now the Co-founder of podcast content company Ranieri & Co. and a Westpac Business of Tomorrow Mentor.
What is your current role and what does it entail on a day to day basis?
Ranieri & Co. is a podcast creation and sales representation company. We exclusively represent the world’s largest independent podcast publisher: Wondery, and we also make custom branded podcasts.
Myself and the other Co-founder – Rob Ranieri, started this business in September so our days are filled with a broad array of activity that literally includes everything!
On any given day we could be working through a response for an original podcast series, delivering a market presentation on the power of podcasts, iterating our website or trying to work out our new accounting software (which I suck at).
What does a typical day in the life look like for you? Can you take us through a recent workday?
I am a very early riser so my day starts at 4am for reading, journaling and meditation before hitting the gym at 5. I check emails from 6 – 7am as Wondery’s HQ is in LA and their international division operates out of the UK.
I’m in the office by 8:30 and the first thing Rob and I do is run a daily huddle checking in on our OKR’s before we prioritise the day ahead.
As I mentioned earlier, this usually includes preparation for a client presentation, outbound sales calls, reviewing the treatment for a new podcast series, responding to a sales brief, and communicating with our teams responsible for an original series.
We have a ritual where Rob and I eat lunch together everyday which we’ve found really valuable for our working relationship. I’m home by 6 and I’m usually in bed by 8:30 or 9 at the latest.
Do you have any tips, tricks or shortcuts to help you prioritise your workload?
Absolutely. The OKR framework is critical especially in a rapid context switching environment. That way you will always make the important thing the important thing!
In between your job, life and all your other responsibilities, how do you ensure you find some sort of balance in your life?
I have to admit this is still a real work in progress for me. I’m understanding balance better, and I try not to beat myself up too much about this which I’ve been guilty of. So, I’ve become a real stickler for planning my week ahead. This often means saying no to a lot of social activity and prioritising family time above everything.
What are some of the things you do to take time out and recharge?
Time with my wife and kids and being 100% present when I’m with them. I’m always in such a more productive state come Monday when I’ve had a weekend participating in their sport, cooking together and sharing a meal, or walking the dog to our favourite coffee shop. I also have my daily rituals of meditation, writing in my journal and exercise.
What’s the biggest industry-wide challenge you’d like to see tackled?
I believe as an industry we’re slow to adapt: some of the biggest chunks of advertising revenue still go to mediums with the lowest measurement/analytics/attribution simply because they’ve been around for ages and that’s how budgets have always been spent. There’s a lot of that rinse-wash-repeat mentality that we need to move past.
What do you think are some of the best habits you’ve developed over the years to help you strive for success and balance?
Great question! For me it all starts with health and wellness. I can honestly say that from the moment I prioritised my health I was able to achieve so much more.
But really it comes down to some fairly mundane basics – rise early, train hard, eat well, make time for reflection, set big goals, be maniacal on the planning/execution of the goals, surround yourself with great people and constantly be in ‘student’ mode. And have fun doing it.
Are there any books you’ve read that have helped you with work-life balance?
I’m a voracious reader and podcast consumer.
There are so many amazing books that have helped me at various stages in my life, but the one book I continue to go back to that helps me with balance is Meditations of Marcus Aurelius. Marcus was a Roman Emperor from 161 – 180 and a profound philosopher whose work has never been more relevant at unpacking what really matters.
Recently I read The 5am Club: Own Your Morning. Elevate Your Life by Robin Sharma, that I encourage everyone to read on getting the ‘balance’ right between hyper productivity and deeply refuelling your creativity and energy.
What is the number one thing you do to make sure you get the most out of your day?
Rise early.