Too Much: The Switch by Future Women

Hosted by Future Women

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Latest episode

Mar 2026

Language

EN-AU

About the show

Ask any woman and she'll tell you about a time when she was too something. At work, women are suffocated by stereotypes about who we should be and how we should behave. Join Helen McCabe as she speaks with high-achieving women who bucked trends, disrupted systems and refused to quit. Women who built careers by forging their own paths. Too Much is a podcast series proudly supported by Victoria Police, who are looking for more women to join their ranks. Explore a career with Victoria Police . Become an FW member to join the movement and fast-track your professional development. Keep up with @futurewomen on Instagram , Facebook , LinkedIn , Threads and X

Listen to episodes

32 recent

March 22, 202620 min

BONUS: Career pivot playbook – Taking the leap

In this season of Too Much: The Switch, we’ve met a cast of women who succeeded in the face of workplace stereotypes – and did so whilst making some major career pivots. Now, we’re turning our focus to YOUR next move. In our last bonus episode, FW founder Helen McCabe helped us figure out when it's time to make a career pivot. Today, she's talking with host Briana Blackett about the HOW. The actual steps you take when you're standing on the edge, ready to leap into something new. Too Much is a podcast series proudly supported by Victoria Police, who are looking for more women to join their ranks. Consider making the switch and explore a career with Victoria Police. Become an FW member to join the movement and fast-track your professional development. Keep up with @futurewomen on Instagram, Facebook, and LinkedIn. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

March 15, 202615 min

BONUS: Career pivot playbook: To jump or not to jump?

In this season of Too Much: The Switch, we’ve met a cast of women who succeeded in the face of workplace stereotypes – and did so whilst making some major career pivots. Now, we’re turning our focus to YOUR next move. In the first of two bonus episodes, host Briana Blackett gets advice from Helen McCabe, founder of FW and Jobs Academy, to help you figure out when to go, where to go, and how to know if you're ready to make the switch. Too Much is a podcast series proudly supported by Victoria Police, who are looking for more women to join their ranks. Consider making the switch and explore a career with Victoria Police. Become an FW member to join the movement and fast-track your professional development. Keep up with @futurewomen on Instagram, Facebook, and LinkedIn. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

March 8, 202632 min

8. Melanie Silva was "too excited": then Google made it her strength

For years, in every performance review, Melanie Silva was told she was “too excited”. Too passionate. Not serious enough. Then she joined Google and, suddenly, that enthusiasm was exactly what was wanted. In this episode, Briana Blackett speaks with Mel – now the Vice President and Managing Director of Google Australia and New Zealand – about taking pay cuts to chase opportunities and why she's grateful she didn't get her dream job the first time around. This is a conversation about pivoting sideways and, even, backward. Because sometimes the best way up is not straight ahead. Too Much is a podcast series proudly supported by Victoria Police, who are looking for more women to join their ranks. Consider making the switch and explore a career with Victoria Police. Become an FW member to join the movement and fast-track your professional development. Keep up with @futurewomen on Instagram, Facebook, and LinkedIn. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

March 1, 202627 min

7. Pamela Naidoo-Ameglio was "too quiet": listening powered her leadership from mines to nuclear

Over 25 years, Pamela Naidoo-Ameglio has moved from diamond mines in South Africa to copper operations in rural Australia, and then made a leap that she never saw coming: running a nuclear reactor, despite having zero nuclear experience. Along the way she’s been told she’s "too quiet", and not assertive enough. In this episode, Pamela shares with Briana Blackett why curiosity beats confidence, how to pivot when you have no idea what you're doing – and why quiet women might just be the leaders we need most. Too Much is a podcast series proudly supported by Victoria Police, who are looking for more women to join their ranks. Consider making the switch and explore a career with Victoria Police. Become an FW member to join the movement and fast-track your professional development. Keep up with @futurewomen on Instagram, Facebook, and LinkedIn. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

February 22, 202631 min

6. Jamila Rizvi was "too co-dependent": second place is where she wins

FW’s own deputy managing director Jamila Rizvi has spent her career as what she calls a “perennial number two” – from the Prime Minister’s office to media empires. She’s made bold pivots, survived life-altering health scares, and discovered that sometimes the bravest thing you can do is admit: I don’t want to do this alone. In this episode, Jamila chats with Briana Blackett about resignations feeling like break ups, fear masquerading as excitement, and how professional co-dependence has been key to her success. Too Much is a podcast series proudly supported by Victoria Police, who are looking for more women to join their ranks. Consider making the switch and explore a career with Victoria Police. Become an FW member to join the movement and fast-track your professional development. Keep up with @futurewomen on Instagram, Facebook, and LinkedIn. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

February 15, 202627 min

5. Giaan Rooney was “too invested”: Olympic champion turned macadamia farmer

She was winning Olympic gold and World Championships. But at 23, Giaan Rooney was burned out. She retired from swimming, became a television presenter, then pivoted again – to a career you’d never expect. Giaan tells Briana Blackett how, at each turn, being “too invested” has seen her succeed. And how putting aside ego has given her the courage to change lanes – and have a crack at something new.  Too Much is a podcast series proudly supported by Victoria Police, who are looking for more women to join their ranks. Consider making the switch and explore a career with Victoria Police. Become an FW member to join the movement and fast-track your professional development. Keep up with @futurewomen on Instagram, Facebook, and LinkedIn. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

February 8, 202633 min

4. Kate Reid was "too lucky": but luck doesn't make the world's best croissant

Kate Reid is the founder of the world-famous Lune Croissanterie. But before creating her own formula for the perfect buttery, flaky croissant, she was a Formula One aerodynamicist, working on some of the fastest cars on the planet. And though she’s been labelled "too lucky", in this episode, she reveals the grit behind every seemingly effortless pivot, the years of hard work, and how a battle with an eating disorder led her to the top of a pastry empire. Too Much is a podcast series proudly supported by Victoria Police, who are looking for more women to join their ranks. Consider making the switch and explore a career with Victoria Police. Become an FW member to join the movement and fast-track your professional development. Keep up with @futurewomen on Instagram, Facebook, and LinkedIn. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

February 1, 202621 min

3. Leemara Fairgrieve was "too accommodating": once a hairdresser, now a police detective

From styling hair to fighting crime, Detective Senior Sergeant Leemara Fairgrieve made quite the switch when she left hairdressing to join Victoria Police. These days, she’s busting major drug syndicates and rising through the ranks. But while she’s tough on crime, Leemara admits she can be tough on herself, and at times, ‘too accommodating’. In this episode, Leemara joins Briana Blackett to discuss how her softer side actually helped her build trust, discover her passion, and find success in her role as a police officer. Too Much is a podcast series proudly supported by Victoria Police, who are looking for more women to join their ranks. Consider making the switch and explore a career with Victoria Police. Become an FW member to join the movement and fast-track your professional development.  Keep up with @futurewomen on Instagram, Facebook, and LinkedIn.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

January 25, 202621 min

2. Lana Jones was "too strong": from prima ballerina to delivering babies

For almost two decades, Lana Jones was a principal dancer at the Australian Ballet, celebrated for lead roles in Swan Lake, Giselle, and The Sleeping Beauty. And still, she was told she was “too strong”. After an illustrious career, Jones stepped away from the spotlight to retrain as a midwife. In this episode, Lana joins Briana Blackett to discuss how being “too strong” has helped her soar – from the stage to the delivery room. Too Much is a podcast series proudly supported by Victoria Police, who are looking for more women to join their ranks. Consider making the switch and explore a career with Victoria Police. Become an FW member to join the movement and fast-track your professional development. Keep up with @futurewomen on Instagram, Facebook, and LinkedIn. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

January 18, 202622 min

1. Allegra Spender was "too nerdy": it took her to the top of fashion and politics

Carla Zampatti’s daughter, self-confessed nerd Allegra Spender, never saw herself as a natural fit to lead her late mother’s fashion empire. But that’s where she ended up, before a runway-worthy career-pivot which saw her ride the Teal wave into federal politics. In this episode, Allegra joins Briana Blackett to discuss how being “too nerdy” helped her break the mould in fashion, her switch from colour palettes to politics – and why playing to your strengths is the key to every professional pivot.  Too Much is a podcast series proudly supported by Victoria Police, who are looking for more women to join their ranks. Consider making the switch and explore a career with Victoria Police. Become an FW member to join the movement and fast-track your professional development. Keep up with @futurewomen on Instagram, Facebook, and LinkedIn. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.