Rochelle Ritchie is the Head of Marketing at Particular Audience, a company that helps retailers create a more intuitive and personalized shopping experience.
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1) To kick things off, could you tell us a little about your career background and current role?
With 10 years experience in digital marketing and content, my experience spans PR, social media, content and digital marketing both agency and client side. Most recently at Afterpay travel startup, Play Travel as Marketing Lead. Prior to that, I led the Content and then Digital unit at tech consultancy, Hotwire.
2) What does a day in your life look like for you? Can you take us through a recent workday?
I’m one month into my job at Particular Audience (PA)! So, I’m still finding my feet. We’re currently in the process of building up a division and consolidating strategy for our key regions (AU, US and UK), so every day looks a little different.
At the moment, it involves waking up around 6:30am, sitting down for a coffee, then walking to work. Our office is located in Surry Hills.
Mornings involve a huddle with design, content and marketing. Then days at a Series A startup can involve everything from building strategy, manning a podcast interview with our founder, James (and content extraordinaire, Caitlin), editing blog content to building social ads.
With the wider team spanning 5 countries, we get together each week to focus on progress against fortnightly sprints, then meet weekly during an all hands to ensure we’re focused on the bigger picture.
As a new starter, I’ve been focused on trying to meet with the product, sales and BD team around the world. To ensure that the marketing framework and tone of voice is consistent with how we talk with consumers externally. As well as matching our founder, James’ vision, and where we want to go as an organisation.
3) Does your current role allow for flexible or remote working? If so, how does that fit into your life and routine?
Flexibility is really important to me. I feel like when a business offers flexibility they’re really saying they trust you to work from anywhere. When you need to be in, you will. And when you need a day to stay in activewear and write, you’ll do that too.
With our recent funding and expanding team, we’ve recently moved into an office space at Surry Hills. At the moment, we encourage people to work from where they feel comfortable.
While I find my feet at Particular Audience, this looks like 3 to 4 days in the office and working from home 1 to 2 days a week. Pending priorities and what works for the team.
I’m a massive advocate for working from home, but do enjoy coming in for Single Origin coffee and creative brainstorms.
4) What does work-life balance mean to you and how do you work to achieve that goal?
Whenever I read about work life balance I think about ikigai, which is what I constantly revisit to ensure I’m making the right decisions.
When I saw a career coach recently, the session started with a wheel of life rating. Honestly, I find taking stock and rating different areas of my life the best way to see how I’m feeling about work life balance (or, more importantly, how I’m feeling generally).
For me, this means finding a balance between work (learning, growing and implementing), feeling creative (doing things with friends), feeling fulfilled/giving back (through mentoring at Startmate and chatting to a mentor from The Trenches) and feeling grounded (with solo time, seeing family and getting out of Sydney).
5) In the past 12 months, have you started or stopped any routines or habits to change your life?
I love routine.
From morning coffees, daily walks to my regular green smoothie and Fishbowl for dinner; like most people, I find routine extremely calming. Which helps as I navigate a new job and new team.
I consume on average 6+ hours of podcasts a day, so most of my time outside of work is consumed with that. Whether that’s walking home or going for an extra light jog.
I’ve stopped meditating (which I’d love to pick up again) and I try to do around 3 reformer classes a week at One Hot Yoga.
From all the ‘Optimise your life’ content I read, it’s no surprise that consistency is key.
I always operate (and feel) better if I can manage things over weeks/months, versus trying to do a 30 day (or worse, 70 day) challenge.
6) Do you have any favourite books, podcasts or newsletters that you’d like to recommend?
Podcasts:
Personally, I love listening to Talking Sopranos, The Daily Stoic and the Ezra Klein Show. As well as getting my US news fix from The Daily, The Journal, Pod Save America and the Global News Podcast from BBC.
When I’m in a lighter mood, I enjoy Love Letters, Desert Island Discs and On Being with Krista Tippet, Song Exploder and How to Fail with Elizabeth Day.
Books:
Professionally, I loved reading Ask Your Developer, and I’m really enjoying High Output Management. For any other SaaS marketers, I’d also recommend The Cold Start Problem.
Personally, I’d have to say Ego Is the Enemy and Call Me By Your Name would have to be in my top two.
7) Are there any products, gadgets or apps that you can’t live without?
As a marketer, SEMrush, Keyword Surfer, Google Insights and Google Analytics would be hard to live without. I also love SimilarInc.com to help me find the cheapest version of whatever I’m looking for online.
8) If you could read an interview about work-life balance by anyone, who would that be?
Jamie Foxx. I loved his Tim Ferriss episode and think he would be a great, not to mention wise, guest.
9) Do you have any last thoughts on work, life or balance that you’d like to share with our readers?
Honestly, I feel like work life balance (or work life integration) can be quite toxic to focus on. In a way I sometimes feel like, as a woman, discussing work life balance can be a little triggering.
When I think about satisfaction overall, including in and out of work, I try to focus on the big picture. I think focusing more on Ikigai and a wheel of life rating, than comparisons fuelled by what people are projecting online.
It’s almost impossible to do, but I’m trying!
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