Description

Joan Westenberg is an award winning Australian PR director, contemporary writer, and creative. She is the founder of PR and communications firm Studio Self. Her approach to messaging, communication and semiotics has built her reputation as a writer, and she has been named as one of the leading startup voices in Australia by SmartCompany.

Her writing has appeared in The SF Chronicle, Wired, The AFR, The Observer, ABC, Junkee, SBS, Crikey and over 40+ publications. Her regular work can be found on Pizza Party, a blog about creativity, culture and technology.

Joan is the creator of Transgenderinclusion.com, an open-source workplace inclusion hack, and the author of the book #DIY, a manifesto for indie creativity.

A few points in the chit-chat:

1. Newfound awareness of the distractions in everyday life
2. Observing mainstreaming in the technology ecosystem
3. Finding different outlets with your voice
4. Receiving criticism in the extreme
5. Creating a Self-care community and space for it in your life
6. How to/ When to/ Why to start an idea
7. The evolution of projects
8. Scaling at the expense of beauty
9. Give yourself permission to go ahead and make what you want to make
10. Diversity and inclusion priorities for people and companies
11. Reflecting on a year of sobriety
12. Creating a pathway for outsiders in tech to be able to enter the ecosystem
13. The value placed on creatives

Notes and Links:

• Joanwestenberg.com
• Studio Self
• #DIY
• ALT Arcade
• Joan Westenberg Medium
• Joan Westenberg podcast
• TinySpells
• Transgender inclusion policy
• ‘Get in the Van’ by Henry Rollins
• AFR
• Alto’s Odyssey
• Coudal Partners
• Doxxing
• Duet
• Field Notes
• Firewatch
• Flare HQ
• Fuck You, Pay Me content
• Fuckup Nights
• Fugazi
• Gary Vaynerchuk
• Goterra
• Journey
• Mike Nichols Main Sequence Ventures
• New York Observer
• Pizza Party
• Saturday Paper
• SBS
• Smart Company
• Stefan Sagmeister
• The Gardens Between

Follow @joanwestenberg on Instagram and Twitter

Music by Gareth Leach Music by way of Bateman

Twitter: @ALTSProjects

Instagram: @altsprojects_

Hosted by Gaz Williams @gwilliamsALTS