Poppy Reid is the Editor In Chief of Australia’s largest youth publisher, The Brag Media, which includes Rolling Stone AU/NZ, Variety Australia, Tone Deaf, The Brag and The Music Network under its umbrella.

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To kick things off, could you tell us a little about your career background and current role?

I’m Poppy Reid, the Editor In Chief of Australia’s largest youth publisher, The Brag Media. Our portfolio includes Rolling Stone AU/NZ, Variety Australia, Tone Deaf, The Brag, and The Music Network. It’s a privilege to lead such a talented team and work with some of the most respected brands in the industry.

In 2022, I was honoured to be shortlisted for B&T’s Journalist/Producer Award. Additionally, I won the Music Journalist of the Year award at the Australian Women in Music Awards (AWMA). I’m so grateful for the opportunity to make a positive impact in the industry.

What does a day in your life look like for you? Can you take us through a recent workday?

Let’s go with today! I had an early interview for The Today Show about TikTok’s impact on the music industry, so spent the early hours refreshing my memory on all the artists who have benefitted from the platform in recent years, and also had a chat with Marion Briand of YouTube Music to get her take on the recent rights-holder discussions between TikTok and the label sector.

Following that chat I headed into The Brag Media HQ for a quick catch up with our CEO Luke Girgis before catching up on the messages and calls I missed while filming at The Today Show.

I then briefed a few writers for upcoming pieces across our sites like Tone Deaf, The Music Network and The Brag, and for our Rolling Stone AU/NZ print magazine. We’re on deadline for our March – May edition of the mag, so I checked over a few designs and literally got goosebumps looking how beautiful it’s looking — the team works so hard on each print issue and it’s something we’re all so proud of.

In the late morning I met with a photographer I’d love to work with one day, Jess Macc. She took my portrait last week for an exhibition and video series she’s working on and she’s truly an inspiration with how she steers all her creative projects and motherhood.

I finally got to my To Do list for the day and it’s almost 1pm… And between team meetings, leading interviews for new roles within the company and lending a hand wherever I can, I tick seven tasks off the list before 6pm – winning!

Tonight I’m headed to a gig in Marrickville to see Azure perform. She makes pop with attitude and she’s a force of personality — despite being an emerging act she’s also very comfortable onstage too; I highly recommend catching her live just to check out her between-song-banter.

What does work-life balance mean to you and how do you work to achieve that goal?

I used to ignore my mental health, work myself to literal burn-out and work from bed as I smashed vitamins and pumpkin soup in the hopes I’d get better. That was a short-sighted approach and I’m glad to say I now approach stress very differently. 

I see work-life balance as being able to enjoy my work and personal life concurrently. The Brag Media isn’t a clock in, clock out company. We’re an ambitious company and work exclusively with ambitious people.

That’s why I lean on Executive Coach Suzy Jacobs a lot. Over the past few years she has taught me how to best approach a busy lifestyle and tackle overwhelm in a way that has helped me take on more, without feeling overloaded.

The Brag Media also has a policy called Burnout Prevention Leave, where we encourage Braggers to proactively take scheduled time off each quarter. It’s been a game-changer for staff and ensures we proactively stay on top of our mental and physical health.

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In the past 12 months, have you started or stopped any routines or habits to change your life?

I started meditating first thing in the morning and Morning Pages. This helps me define feelings from facts, eases me into the day, and gives space to set an intention for how I’m going to approach my work day.

I stopped saying yes to every gig, every event, and every after-work invitation I got. I’m more selective with how I spend my time outside of the office, and who I spend it with.

Do you have any favourite books, podcasts or newsletters that you’d like to recommend?

Book: 

• Quiet: The Power of Introverts in a World That Can’t Stop Talking

Podcasts:

• I Weigh with Jameela Jamil
• Longform
• Fear At The Top (but I’m biassed because I host that with Luke Girgis)

Newsletters:

• Again, I’m biassed, but I get all the big entertainment news from The Brag Observer newsletters.

If you could read an interview about work-life balance by anyone, who would that be?

Probably my boss Luke Girgis. He has boundless energy and runs five businesses.

Do you have any last thoughts on work, life or balance that you’d like to share with our readers?

Language is everything, as is ownership. Replace “I want” and “I have to” with “I choose” — total game changer for me.

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