Ambition & Life

Karis Dorrigan
  • 5.0 (4)
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Real stories. Brave leadership. Bold change. We have an opportunity not just to optimise work but to redesign it. Hosted by Karis Dorrigan, a product and innovation leader turned systems-change advocate and coach. Ambition & Life is where ambition meets humanity. Each episode explores how we can build systems that reflect real lives. Where success isn’t measured by hours or titles, but by impact, connection, and integrity. Through honest conversations with founders, leaders, and solo parents reshaping the future of work, you’ll hear stories of courage, practical tools for balance, and ideas that challenge the old rules of leadership and create new ones. We all deserve the opportunity to thrive at work and in life.

  1. 3 days ago

    We Send Flowers And Expect You Back By Monday: Redesigning Work For Grief. With Ashleigh Conwell

    Work treats grief as an event that closes. It is a process that keeps going, and almost no workplace is designed for that. This week Karis sits down with Ashleigh Conwell, founder and executive director of Yellow Falcon, the practical side of grief support: the admin, the logistics and the daily realities of showing up after a loss. Ashleigh grew up with what she calls a fairy tale life. Ballet, a career she loved, a marriage she adored. Then, at 29 and 17 weeks pregnant with triplets, she lost her husband. There was plenty of emotional support and plenty of professionals, but no one for the practical side. So she built the spreadsheet she needed to survive it, racing to reach 24 weeks. A friend told her to share it. Yellow Falcon grew from there. This is a conversation about grief. It is also a conversation about ambition, and what actually happens to it after a life event. In this episode: 00:00 Welcome and why Yellow Falcon exists 00:48 Ashleigh's story: a fairy tale, then the unthinkable 03:27 Courage, or the fear of not doing it 07:24 How ambition sharpened, not shrank 10:17 Glass balls, rubber balls, and every yes being a no 13:45 The leadership shift: head and heart 15:46 Self-leadership, values and the full circle audit 17:32 Carer's leave, guilt and what mothers are expected to be 20:44 Grief and work: what workplaces get wrong 24:30 What real support actually looks like 28:14 Rethinking bereavement policy 31:33 The hidden cost, and the human case 34:06 Rapid fire: grief ready, not scrambling 36:03 Where to find Ashleigh Key takeaways: Ashleigh's ambition sharpened rather than shrank. She could not go back to the career she had mapped out, and what she got instead was clarity about what ambition was for. She learned to hold work as a piece of the puzzle rather than her whole identity, and rebuilt her leadership around head and heart together. Self-leadership, in her definition, is not knowing your values. It is auditing whether your behaviour matches them. On grief at work, she cites research that one in four people are actively grieving at work at any given time, and that a bereaved employee loses around 30 days of productivity, roughly $21,000 on a median salary. Serious mental health injury claims in Australia are up 161% in a decade, and grief is part of mental health. Grief is not an event, it is a process. Bereavement leave covers the funeral, but anniversaries, birthdays and ordinary days that turn hard keep coming for years. So stop sending flowers, ask before you assume, build flexibility into policy, and train leaders before they need it. Be grief ready, not scrambling. Connect with Ashleigh Conwell yellowfalcon.com.au instagram.com/ashleigh.conwell/ Connect with Karis Dorrigan ambitionandlife.com linkedin.com/in/kdorrigan/ Karis Dorrigan is Head of Product in InsurTech, coach, podcast host and solo parent. She has led product across billion-dollar enterprises and scaled companies to their first million in revenue. Today she coaches mid-career women in product and tech to step into senior leadership roles, on their terms. If this episode speaks to you as a solo parent, caregiver or leader, follow Ambition & Life with Karis Dorrigan, share it with a colleague, and join the movement to build systems where ambition and care can thrive side by side. Track: Brother Brother | Artist: BENSON | Licensed by Soundstripe, Inc. | License #22026995 | License ID: ZCQVE0RUQJPWL06T | Worldwide, in perpetuity, across web, podcast and social platforms. © BENSON / Soundstripe, Inc. All rights reserved. Used with permission under a perpetual licence. © Ambition & Life with Karis Dorrigan. All rights reserved. Intentionality · Courage · Balance · Advocacy

  2. 17 Aug

    Stop Waiting Until You Feel Ready: How to Reinvent Your Career on Your Own Terms. With Lynnette Edmonds

    What if the thing standing between you and your next move is not readiness at all, but permission? This week Karis sits down with Lynnette Edmonds, certified executive coach and founder of People Are Everything. Lynnette has held GM and VP roles across recruitment and people and culture, and led a global PR agency's people function. Lynnette left a job of eight and a half years because she wanted to be brave and bold. The next role was not right, and she left that one with no plan. Rather than prove herself all over again at an age where she could already feel ageism waiting, she backed herself and built her own business. She has been a solo parent twice, first when her children were five and two, with no family support and none of the leave provisions that exist now, and again when her twins were fifteen and their father died. The life experience she worried would count against her is the exact thing she took to market. In her words, her superpower. Karis and Lynnette cover why waiting to feel ready is the wrong test, how to redesign a role around outcomes, and the exact way to build the case and show them why. In this episode: 00:00 Welcome and Lynnette's why01:39 Leaving with no plan02:56 Your own worst enemy03:16 The courage to back yourself04:53 The ageism women feel coming05:11 Life experience as the superpower06:58 Solo parenting, twice10:03 Outcomes over hours on the clock16:12 Why part-time leadership is a unicorn17:21 The four-day trap19:46 Redesigning the role and job share22:02 Take a solution, not a problem24:18 Networking, mentors and cross-selecting30:47 Visibility, the skit and the rap song34:25 Courageous leadership and the Cs42:10 Show them why, and keep a dossier Key takeaways: Readiness is not the test. Lynnette did not feel ready and went anyway, and the line she gave herself is the one to borrow: it's time, back yourself, you've got everything you need. When you make the ask, take a creative solution to the table rather than a problem, and bring the data. On flexibility, her sharpest point is the maths. A four-day week almost always becomes a full-time job paid for four, because no one is hired to cover the fifth day, so the work does not shrink, only your pay does. Real part-time has to be three days, because three forces a genuine redesign around outcomes and KPIs. Karis notes only around one percent of technology roles in her own search were advertised part-time. And keep a running dossier of your wins, so when you go for the next thing you can show them why. Connect with Lynnette Edmonds peopleareeverything.com.au linkedin.com/in/lynnetteedmonds/ Connect with Karis Dorrigan ambitionandlife.com linkedin.com/in/kdorrigan/ Karis Dorrigan is Head of Product in InsurTech, coach, podcast host and solo parent. She has led product across billion-dollar enterprises and scaled companies to their first million in revenue. Today she coaches mid-career women in product and tech to step into senior leadership roles, on their terms. If this episode speaks to you as a solo parent, caregiver or leader, follow Ambition & Life with Karis Dorrigan, share it with a colleague, and join the movement to build systems where ambition and care can thrive side by side. Track: Brother Brother | Artist: BENSON | Licensed by Soundstripe, Inc. | License #22026995 | License ID: ZCQVE0RUQJPWL06T | Worldwide, in perpetuity, across web, podcast and social platforms. © BENSON / Soundstripe, Inc. All rights reserved. Used with permission under a perpetual licence. © Ambition & Life with Karis Dorrigan. All rights reserved. Intentionality · Courage · Balance · Advocacy

  3. 2 Aug

    Stop Trading Your Salary for Flexibility: Why You Deserve Both, with CEO Gemma Lloyd WORK180

    What if flexibility never cost you a cent of your salary, and fairness at work was the smartest business decision a leader could make? This week Karis sits down with Gemma Lloyd, co-founder and CEO of WORK180, the platform helping women find workplaces with fair pay, real flex and genuine support as standard, not the exception. Gemma spent about a decade in the tech sector before she started WORK180, and the incidents stacked up early. In her first corporate role leader sat her in his personal assistant's seat and sent her for his coffee and his mail instead of the induction she was promised. Years later, a client looked at her and said does her company just hires pretty young blondes. When she raised it, her manager told her to do nothing, because it might ruin the relationship. That was the straw that broke the camel's back. In 2015, in her mid-twenties, she rang her best friend Valeria and built WORK180 on an audacious idea: employers could not just pay to advertise, they had to prove they were a good place to work. Ten years on, the platform has driven more than 4,000 improvements to company benefits. Together, Karis and Gemma cover a lot of ground, from why so many inclusion initiatives fall flat when they are handed to one under-funded person, to how to actually read a careers page, why part-time still barely exists at senior levels, how to negotiate flex as a low-risk trial, and why you should never trade your salary for it as women’s economic empowerment is more important than ever. They finish on the change Gemma is most fired up about now: protecting young people and women from being the first cut in the AI era. Gemma is a trailblazer and this conversation is a must listen. In this episode: 00:00 Introduction to Gemma Lloyd and WORK18000:51 The Client Comment That Sparked It All02:11 Co-Founding WORK18009:51 How to Read a Careers Page11:22 Why Part-Time Isn't Normal at Senior Levels17:06 Negotiating Flex as a Trial19:08 Don't Trade Your Salary for Flexibility25:27 Green and Red Flags When Job Hunting27:03 AI and the Entry-Level Cliff34:38 Rapid Fire: Every Role Flexible by Default37:47 Where to Find Gemma and WORK180 Key takeaways: Senior part-time roles stay rare because of legacy and the stigma that part-timers are less committed, even though WORK180's research finds many work well beyond their paid hours. For job seekers, flex offered case by case usually means no, while flex available to everyone signals culture. To negotiate it, propose a six-week trial. The line in the sand: flexibility is not a reason to be paid less, because a woman's economic independence is a matter of safety, not ego. On AI, Gemma cites World Economic Forum estimates that around 40% of entry-level roles could be displaced, and argues for every role flexible by default. Connect with Gemma Lloyd work180.com linkedin.com/in/gemllo/ Early Careers Pledge: onemillionpathways.com Connect with Karis Dorrigan ambitionandlife.com linkedin.com/in/kdorrigan/ Karis Dorrigan is Head of Product in InsurTech, coach, podcast host and solo parent. She has led product across billion-dollar enterprises and scaled companies to their first million in revenue. Today she coaches mid-career women in product and tech to step into senior leadership roles, on their terms. If this episode speaks to you as a solo parent, caregiver or leader, follow Ambition & Life with Karis Dorrigan, share it with a colleague, and join the movement to build systems where ambition and care can thrive side by side. Track: Brother Brother | Artist: BENSON | Licensed by Soundstripe, Inc. | License #22026995 | License ID: ZCQVE0RUQJPWL06T | Worldwide, in perpetuity, across web, podcast and social platforms. © BENSON / Soundstripe, Inc. All rights reserved. Used with permission under a perpetual licence. © Ambition & Life with Karis Dorrigan. All rights reserved. Intentionality · Courage · Balance · Advocacy

  4. 19 July

    We Keep Fixing The Women . The Job Is Designed Wrong

    This week Karis sits down with Emma McLean, founder of Works for Everyone and creator of the New Zealand Part-Time Power List. Emma spent more than two decades in corporate strategy, marketing, advertising and customer experience, including eight years in London on the fast track. She came home to Aotearoa New Zealand to start a family, and slowly began to notice that mums and dads experience the labour market very differently. Seven years ago she pivoted, retrained as an executive coach, and built Works for Everyone, a care wrap around parents at the hardest points of their careers. She is candid that it was not an overnight success. She has done the work for about six years and only made good, sustaining money for around three. Together, Karis and Emma get into why the middle years of a career, the sleep-deprived, identity-shifting, quietly overwhelmed years of holding a career and a small child at once, are exactly when the support disappears and people take their foot off the pedal. They talk about why good work should make good money, and why so many women build businesses that quietly ask not to be paid. They dig into the invisible mental load, why equity at home is so tightly linked to equity at work, and what genuinely changes when dads get their own sole-charge lived experience. And they take on the design problem head on: why senior part-time and job-share roles barely exist, and what it would take to change that. In this episode: 00:00 Introduction to Emma McLean and Her Mission03:32 The Journey to Becoming a Care Wrap for Parents06:11 The Catalyst for Change: Personal Experiences and COVID08:57 The Importance of Talking About Money and Value11:39 Transitioning from Corporate to Entrepreneurship14:28 Creating Supportive Environments for Returning Parents17:06 The Role of Managers in Supporting Parents20:02 Navigating the Challenges of Solo Parenting28:30 Finding Time for Yourself30:46 The Importance of Part-Time Roles31:35 Innovating Job Design for Senior Roles33:53 Closing the Pay Gap through Part-Time Opportunities36:35 Changing the Narrative Around Work Flexibility37:47 Advice for Businesses to Embrace Part-Time Roles45:01 Empowering Working Parents48:26 Conversations that Matter Key Takeaways Her diagnosis of why senior part-time roles do not exist is direct: laziness, and no innovation in job design. "It is 2026 and we are still writing JDs for nine to fives." She wants roles proactively designed, accurately scoped and externally advertised, not quietly negotiated by whoever is grateful enough to ask. Her one instruction to a CEO tomorrow: provide paid parental leave for all dads and make it compulsory to take, up to sixteen weeks, because that sole-charge time is where the lived experience, and the real shift, happens. Her message to any parent who has been told they are not suitable for a part-time role: "It's not you, it's the system." Focus on what you can control, what you say, what you do and what you think, build your brand, and raise flexibility at the end of an interview, once they already want you. Connect with Emma McLean worksforeveryone.co.nz linkedin.com/in/emma-mclean-9176217/ Connect with Karis Dorrigan ambitionandlife.com linkedin.com/in/kdorrigan/ Karis Dorrigan is Head of Product, coach, podcast host and solo parent. She has led product across billion-dollar enterprises and scaled companies to their first million in revenue. Today she coaches women in product and tech to step into senior leadership roles, on their terms.. Track: Brother Brother | Artist: BENSON | Licensed by Soundstripe, Inc. | License #22026995 | License ID: ZCQVE0RUQJPWL06T | Worldwide, in perpetuity, across web, podcast and social platforms. © BENSON / Soundstripe, Inc. All rights reserved. Used with permission under a perpetual licence. Ambition & Life with Karis Dorrigan.

  5. 10 May

    Shout It From the Rooftops: How Women Win at Visibility, Equity and Career Growth with Karen Katz

    What does it really take to build workplaces where women don't just enter — they stay, grow and lead? This week Karis sits down with Karen Katz, Director at KK Consulting and co-founder and co-managing director of Her Tech Circle. A community on a mission to create an equitable, inclusive and diverse tech industry across Australia. Karen's journey is one of the most honest on the podcast yet. She grew up navigating real adversity, and built a career defined by the values that shaped her: trust, care and integrity. After resigning from a role that eroded her confidence with nowhere to go a friend whiteboarded a business plan on the spot. Eight years later, KK Consulting is thriving. That's the power of community. Together, Karis and Karen cover a lot of ground, from the systemic reasons women leave tech by their mid-thirties, to the small experiments any organisation can run today to start shifting the dial. In this episode: 00:00 Introduction to Karen Katz and her mission 02:04 Karen's personal story and core values 03:21 Barriers faced in her career journey 04:25 Lessons from workplace challenges 07:22 Advice to her younger self 09:20 State of DEI in Australia and tech 11:07 Creating supportive and inclusive workplaces 16:22 Building equitable business systems 18:55 Owning mistakes and transparency 19:39 Small experiments for change 21:39 Career advancement tips for women 24:29 Shifts needed for career growth 25:51 Future-proofing careers with AI 28:09 Actionable strategies for equity and inclusion 31:19 Connecting with Karen and upcoming events Key takeaways: Only 26% of Australia's tech workforce is female and we lose half of them between their third and fourth year. Karen explains why inclusion is a harder problem than hiring, why DEI programs are being scaled back at exactly the wrong moment, and what bold leaders do instead. Plus: why the next career move isn't about working harder i t's about being seen operating at the next level. Connect with Karen Katz hertechcircle.org kkconsulting.co linkedin.com/in/katzkaren/ Connect with Karis Dorrigan  ambitionandlife.com linkedin.com/in/kdorrigan/ Karis Dorrigan is Head of Product in InsurTech, coach, podcast host and solo parent. She has led product across billion-dollar enterprises and scaled companies to their first million in revenue. Today she coaches mid-career women in product and tech to step into senior leadership roles — on their terms. If this episode speaks to you as a solo parent, caregiver or leader, follow Ambition & Life with Karis Dorrigan, share it with a colleague, and join the movement to build systems where ambition and care can thrive side by side. Track: Brother Brother | Artist: BENSON | Licensed by Soundstripe, Inc. | License #22026995 | License ID: ZCQVE0RUQJPWL06T | Worldwide, in perpetuity, across web, podcast and social platforms. © BENSON / Soundstripe, Inc. All rights reserved. Used with permission under a perpetual licence. © Ambition & Life with Karis Dorrigan. All rights reserved. Intentionality · Courage · Balance · Advocacy

  6. 26 Apr

    Stop Waiting to Feel Ready: How Women Can Lead the AI Era

    What does it take to pivot from a completely different industry, build multiple businesses, and still have the courage to go again in the middle of an AI revolution? In this episode, Karis sits down with Georgie Hubbard. Career strategist, recruiter, founder, and author of The Bold Move for a frank, energising conversation about what it really takes to future-proof your career right now. From her own journey arriving in Australia with a rucksack and no plan, to building CH Solutions, co-founding the Sisterhood Club, and launching Pivotr (an AI-powered career mentor), Georgie is on a mission to make sure women don't get left behind in the AI era. This one is packed with practical frameworks, honest reflections, and the kind of advice that makes you want to open your laptop and take action. In this episode, we cover: Courage and career evolution: Georgie's driving force isn't fearlessness, it's the fear of regret. She shares her three-part decision-making framework: worst case, best case, and the likely case and why that middle ground is where calm, confident action lives. AI optimist or pessimist? Georgie gives both sides. The opportunity is enormous for those ready to act. But the risk is real for those who aren't paying attention especially women, whose jobs are statistically more exposed to AI disruption. Navigating career opportunities right now: A step-by-step coaching exercise: how to audit your resume for patterns, identify your transferable strengths, cross-reference with what the market actually wants, and position yourself for what's next, not just what's behind you. Visibility and personal branding: Why showing up on LinkedIn isn't self-promotion, it's survival. How to flip the script from "why would anyone care?" to "what value can I bring?" And why vanilla doesn't get noticed. Prioritising yourself in the AI era: The permission many women need to hear: you cannot build a future-proof career on the scraps of energy left over after everyone else. One hour a week. That's the starting point. The glass balls framework: Concrete balls, bouncy balls, and glass balls. A powerful way to audit where your time and energy is actually going — and what you simply cannot afford to drop right now. What organisations need to do: A clear message for business leaders: be transparent about your AI roadmap, upskill your people, and stop making decisions behind closed doors. The companies doing this well right now are the ones attracting the best talent. Georgie's closing rally cry: Get in the driver's seat of your own career. The change is coming whether you choose it or not. Choose it. Resources and links mentioned: 📖 The Bold Move: How to Build Confidence and Reinvent Your Career in the Era of AI - available now 🔗 Connect with Georgie Hubbard: LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/georgiehubbardWebsite & Bold Move Career Accelerator: georgiehubbard.com/bold-movesConnect with Karis: Website: ambitionandlife.comLinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/kdorriganKaris Dorrigan is a Head of Product in InsurTech, coach, podcast host, and solo parent. She has helped scale companies to their first million dollars in revenue and led product across billion-dollar enterprises. Today, she coaches mid-career women in product and tech to step into senior leadership roles on their terms. Her mission: to help more women rise into leadership — because when more women lead, systems shift, customers win, and the economy grows stronger. If this episode speaks to your experience as a solo parent, caregiver, or leader — follow Ambition & Life with Karis Dorrigan, share this episode with a colleague, and join the movement to build systems where ambition and care can thrive side by side. 🎵 Music: "Brother Brother" by BENSON. Licensed by Soundstripe, Inc. License ID: #22026995. Worldwide, perpetual licence across web, podcast, and social platforms. © BENSON / Soundstripe, Inc. All rights reserved. Used with permission under a perpetual licence. Content ID: ZCQVE0RUQJPWL06T

  7. 12 Apr

    Why Georgie Dent Says Paid Leave, Childcare and Better Workplaces Are the Missing Bridges for Parents

    In this episode of Ambition & Life with Karis Dorrigan, Karis sits down with Georgie Dent, CEO of The Parenthood, to talk about what it would take to make Australia the best place in the world to be a parent. Georgie shares the personal and professional journey that led her to this work, from starting her career in law, to experiencing a significant breakdown early in her professional life, to moving into journalism and spending years writing about gender inequity, paid parental leave, childcare, and family-friendly workplaces. She reflects on her own experience of becoming a parent, including the difficulty of finding childcare in Sydney, the cost of care, and how quickly it became clear that the policies in place were putting men and women on very different paths after having children. Karis and Georgie also go inside the work of The Parenthood, including its three policy pillars: at least 12 months of paid parental leave that can be shared between parents and paid at a replacement wage rate universal access to high quality early childhood education and care delivered by a professionally paid and qualified workforce workplaces that value caregiving They discuss the progress that has been made, including the increase in paid parental leave from 18 weeks to 26 weeks with superannuation, the 15% wage increase for early childhood educators and teachers, the three-day guarantee, and the billion-dollar building fund for early education and care in areas of need. This conversation also explores the structural assumptions still built into Australian workplaces, the motherhood penalty, the role of policy in driving cultural change, the realities facing single parents, and why open conversations between employers and employees matter so much. Chapters 00:00 Introduction to Georgie Dent and Her Mission 06:24 Georgie's Journey to Parenthood Advocacy 12:42 The Parenthood's Strategic Focus 20:08 Challenges in Workplace Policies 24:30 The Importance of Shared Parental Leave 30:10 The Voices of Single Parents 35:19 Designing Inclusive Workplaces 39:47 Advice for Leaders and Parents Follow The Parenthood Website: theparenthood.org.auLinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/company/theparenthood/LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/in/georgiedent/ Website: https://www.ambitionandlife.com/LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/kdorrigan/Karis Dorrigan is a Head of Product in InsurTech, coach, podcast host and solo parent. She has helped scale companies to their first million dollars in revenue and led product across billion-dollar enterprises, shaping organisations to be more customer-first, product-led and outcome-driven. Today, she coaches mid-career women in product and tech to step into senior leadership roles on their terms. Her mission is simple: to help more women rise into leadership without sacrificing the life they want to build. Because when more women lead, systems shift, customers win, and the economy grows stronger. If this episode speaks to your experience as a solo parent, caregiver or leader, follow Ambition & Life with Karis Dorrigan, share this episode with a colleague, and join the movement to build systems where ambition and care can thrive side by side. Track: Brother BrotherArtist: BENSONLicensed by: Soundstripe, Inc.License Type: Master Recording & Synchronization LicenseLicense ID: #22026995Usage Rights: Worldwide, in perpetuity, across web, podcast, and social platforms© BENSON / Soundstripe, Inc. All rights reserved.Used with permission under a perpetual license.ZCQVE0RUQJPWL06T

  8. 29 Mar

    From Qantas to Culture Amp: What Paul Keen Learned About Equity You Can Actually Measure

    In this episode of Ambition & Life with Karis Dorrigan, Karis speaks with Paul Keen, VP of Engineering at Culture Amp, about leadership, culture, inclusion, and what he has seen across a career spanning Qantas, Airtasker, Tyro, and Culture Amp. Paul brings a perspective shaped by working inside organisations with very different experiences of gender equity, including companies that have struggled with gender gaps and others that have come much closer to pay equity. Together, Karis and Paul explore what leaders can learn from those environments, what actually helps people thrive at work, and why culture is shaped by everyday norms, not just formal policy. This is a grounded conversation about leadership in tech, the role culture plays in inclusion, and what it takes to build workplaces where people can do strong work and feel supported while doing it. Paul’s leadership journey across major Australian tech and corporate brands What has shaped his perspective as an executive leader The difference between working in organisations with gender gaps and those closer to pay equity Leadership, technology, culture and inclusion Why policy alone is not enough The role cultural norms play in shaping people’s day-to-day experience at work What leaders can do to create more inclusive and supportive workplaces Chapters 00:00 Introduction to Paul Keen's Journey 04:02 Exploring Gender Equity in Organizations 11:22 The Future of Work: Hybrid Models and Flexibility 15:22 Retention Challenges for Women in Tech 22:18 Attracting Diverse Talent to the Tech Sector 24:22 Balancing Career and Life: Key Advice 25:40 Creating Inclusive Environments in Leadership Connect with Paul LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/keenpaul/ Connect with Karis Website: https://www.ambitionandlife.com/ LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/kdorrigan/ Karis Dorrigan is a Head of Product in InsurTech, coach, podcast host and solo parent. She has helped scale companies to their first million dollars in revenue and led product across billion-dollar enterprises, shaping organisations to be more customer-first, product-led and outcome-driven. Today, she coaches mid-career women in product and tech to step into senior leadership roles on their terms. Her mission is simple: to help more women rise into leadership without sacrificing the life they want to build. Because when more women lead, systems shift, customers win, and the economy grows stronger. If this episode speaks to your experience as a solo parent, caregiver or leader, follow Ambition & Life with Karis Dorrigan, share this episode with a colleague, and join the movement to build systems where ambition and care can thrive side by side. Track: Brother BrotherArtist: BENSONLicensed by: Soundstripe, Inc.License Type: Master Recording & Synchronization LicenseLicense ID: #22026995Usage Rights: Worldwide, in perpetuity, across web, podcast, and social platforms© BENSON / Soundstripe, Inc. All rights reserved.Used with permission under a perpetual license.ZCQVE0RUQJPWL06T

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5
out of 5
4 Ratings

About

Real stories. Brave leadership. Bold change. We have an opportunity not just to optimise work but to redesign it. Hosted by Karis Dorrigan, a product and innovation leader turned systems-change advocate and coach. Ambition & Life is where ambition meets humanity. Each episode explores how we can build systems that reflect real lives. Where success isn’t measured by hours or titles, but by impact, connection, and integrity. Through honest conversations with founders, leaders, and solo parents reshaping the future of work, you’ll hear stories of courage, practical tools for balance, and ideas that challenge the old rules of leadership and create new ones. We all deserve the opportunity to thrive at work and in life.

Information

  • Creator
    Karis Dorrigan
  • Years Active
    2025 - 2026
  • Episodes
    14
  • Rating
    Explicit
  • Copyright
    © Karis Dorrigan
  • Show Website
    Ambition & Life

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