In Episode 020 of Powering Your Career, David Smith sits down with Sally Torgoman, CEO of Ascera Energy, to unpack a career shaped by curiosity, courage and continuous learning.

From starting in electrical engineering to adding law, moving across corporate development and stepping into CEO leadership, Sally’s journey is a powerful example of backing yourself and evolving with the industry.

In this episode, we cover:

⚡ Why following what you enjoy is often the best career strategy
⚡ The value of curiosity and learning quickly across different roles
⚡ Why engineering and law together create a powerful leadership skillset
⚡ The importance of mentors and backing yourself, even when others disagree
⚡ Navigating imposter syndrome and stepping into executive leadership
⚡ How to build high-performing teams through collaboration, not hierarchy
⚡ The biggest challenges in the energy transition and where we need to improve productivity
⚡ Why communication is not just about speaking, but listening and understanding
⚡ Balancing career, leadership, family and personal wellbeing

Sally also shares her perspective on culture, leadership, and the responsibility leaders have to create environments where people can thrive.

This is a must-listen for anyone building a career in energy, leadership or navigating their next move.

🎧 Listen now and subscribe for more conversations with leaders shaping Australia’s energy transition.

#PoweringYourCareer #EnergyLeadership #CareersInEnergy #Leadership #EnergyTransition

In this episode of Powering Your Career, David Smith is joined by Mitch Wallis, founder of Heart On My Sleeve and one of Australia’s leading voices on mental health, psychology, and human performance.

This episode takes a different lens on leadership, focusing on the capability that will define the future of work, connection.

As the energy sector faces unprecedented pressure and transformation, the ability to lead people, not just projects, has never been more critical.

Mitch shares his personal journey from Microsoft to a global mental health movement, and the moment that changed everything.

In this conversation, we cover:

• The difference between mental health and mental illness
• Why regulation, not happiness, is the real goal
• The two core skills every human needs, resilience and connection
• Why most leaders get communication wrong
• The biggest mistakes people make in difficult conversations
• How to build genuine connection in teams, not surface-level check-ins
• Why technical experts often struggle when stepping into leadership
• The future of leadership in an AI-driven world
• The power of saying “I’m not okay”

This is a must-listen for leaders, managers, and professionals across energy, infrastructure, and high-performance environments.

If you want to build stronger teams, have better conversations, and lead with impact, this episode will challenge how you think about leadership.

Episode 018 | Rakhesh Martyn | Founder & CEO of Hachiko

In this episode of Powering Your Career, Dave sits down with Rakhesh Martyn, engineer, startup founder and former stand up comedian turned energy tech CEO.

Born in Sri Lanka and trained in the UK, Rakhesh shares his journey from chemical engineering into Australia’s energy sector, and the leap into building a venture backed startup from scratch.

This is a candid conversation about risk, rejection, reinvention and the mindset required to lead in the energy transition.

They cover:

⚡ The sliding door moment that changed his life at university
⚡ Moving from engineering into renewables and energy software
⚡ Spotting a market gap and founding Hachiko
⚡ Surviving more than 90 investor rejections before raising capital
⚡ Why most people should not start a business
⚡ What stand up comedy taught him about pitching and leadership
⚡ The fragmentation in Australia’s energy market
⚡ Burnout, therapy and building real self awareness as a founder

Honest, sharp and practical.

If you are navigating the energy industry or thinking about building something of your own, this episode is worth your time.