Lucy Bingle is a LinkedIn Strategist & CEO of LucyBingle.com, Australia’s leading LinkedIn agency, working with CEOs, Directors, and industry leaders.
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1) To kick things off, could you tell us a little about your career background and current role?
I am the CEO of Australia’s leading LinkedIn Agency LucyBingle.com. Our team helps achieve success for their clients using the power of LinkedIn.
My early career was spent in the UK where I was a Marketer within Financial services sector. When I returned to Australia I was Marketing Manager for Australia’s largest boutique search firm, where I was responsible for the corporate brand strategy.
I also worked with Consultants daily building their professional personal brands on LinkedIn and using the platform to find top talent. In 2015 I had the ‘light bulb’ moment that LinkedIn would become a business critical sales and marketing tool and set up Lucy Bingle.com.
2) What does a day in your life look like for you? Can you take us through a recent workday?
As a CEO my days are varied and wonderful. I try to be systematic around emails, client calls and meetings. The more organised I am, the more I can achieve.
I communicate daily with my team (we all work remotely) so much time is spent on the phone and Zoom getting updates on clients and hearing about new initiatives. My team is super capable so I have complete confidence in their delivery.
My best days are when I “top and tail” them with exercise. I like to start the day with either KAAIAA (a workout across four pillars – breathwork, bodywork, meditation and integration) or outdoor fitness training. In the late afternoons I go for a 40 minute power walk to clear the head and close out the work day.
I am the mother of two, so COVID has presented me with some new challenges, the most obvious being home learning. Juggling home learning and running a business has been tricky, it has pushed and pulled me in many ways. The girls and I are counting down to when schools reopen. I think it would be fair to say, I am not a natural teacher (but I do try).
3) Does your current role allow for flexible or remote working? If so, how does that fit into your life and routine?
Our business has always worked remotely, from day dot. This allows for great flexibility and is one of the benefits of the business we all enjoy. I am a big believer in giving your team freedom to run their day.
If you hire right and are clear around deliverables your people will make the right choices and manage their time properly. Everyone wins, staff are happy and clients are well looked after.
The benefits of remote working for me personally are enormous. My commute time is reduced and therefore I have more time in my day to dedicate to the family including Teddy (our lovely Groodle). He is my constant work buddy and inspires me to get up and take a break even if it is just a walk around the block.
4) What does work-life balance mean to you and how do you work to achieve that goal?
I don’t really like the term work-life balance as it inadvertently puts a lot of pressure on me. I work hard and often for too long. I do, however, try to stay out of the office on weekends.
I find by Friday evening I am pretty exhausted. The juggle of COVID has made work-life balance tricky as often it all blurs into one. I am hoping I will be better at achieving this elusive goal in 2022 when our new normal is more settled.
5) In the past 12 months, have you started or stopped any routines or habits to change your life?
I have been incorporating more breathwork and meditation into my daily life and this makes a magical difference to how I feel. I now realise how often I was ‘holding my breath’ and therefore I was quite stuck. Who knew that noticing “breathing” and staying with it, could be so enlightening. I am loving this journey.
6) Do you have any favourite books, podcasts or newsletters that you’d like to recommend?
I am a big reader and I’ve always thought there should be a podcast called “What’s on your bedside table?” You can learn so much about someone when you hear about what is sitting there!
First fiction: books for me are pure escapism. Some of my favourites are The Light Between Oceans by M.L. Stedman; The Secret River by Kate Grenville; The Good People by Hannah Kent; Where the Crawdads Sing by Delia Owens.
Podcasts: I really enjoy listening to Unlocking Us with Brene Brown and I love Masters of Scale with Reid Hoffman (such a good one for business owners and entrepreneurs).
A great newsletter that I have subscribed to for 10 years is Under The Radar – independent research on ASX Small Caps.
7) Are there any products, gadgets or apps that you can’t live without?
Spotify – I listen to music ALL the time. Here’s a secret; when I was a teenager I used to dream about being the host of Top of The Pops (I was gutted when it didn’t become a reality).
8) Do you have any last thoughts on work, life or balance that you’d like to share with our readers?
I am so thankful for what I have. I love my business and my team – we do great work and make a real difference.
As I get older I am realising that your “balance” journey is your own. It is interesting to listen and learn from others but don’t beat yourself up if it feels like you are not getting it right. Time passes and sometimes you have to pedal really hard and other times you can take it easy.
I believe the biggest challenge is remembering to pause, listen, feel and check in with yourself. Learning the practice of gratitude really helps with noticing and valuing your work, life and balance. Taking just five minutes to look around you and seeing what’s there is enough to recalibrate and make you feel thankful.
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