How I Got Here: Philippa Moss
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Admit it, we’ve all been there—deep dive stalking social media and LinkedIn profiles, trying desperately to figure out how the hell someone got their dream job.
It seems impossible and yet there they are, living out your career fantasy (minus the itchy business suit). It might seem hard to believe, but once upon a time, they were also fantasising about their future career, and with some hard work, they made it.
Welcome to How I Got Here, HerCanberra’s series that reveals everything you wanted to know about the secrets of career success.
Philippa Moss moves from bureaucracy to advocacy and finds her purpose.
Existential crisis time: Who are you and what do you do?
On my LinkedIn profile I call myself a D-List entrepreneur, professional feminist, occasional writer and regular critic, CEO and JP. It sounds a bit…well you know, but I actually think it describes me well.
My day job is as CEO of Meridian—formerly AIDS Action Council. I’ve led the organisation for almost 10 years. I have managed huge growth in demand and a healthy increase in the resources, but there is never enough. The organisation is now thriving as a peer-based, community-controlled organisation, providing evidence-informed programs and services to support LGBTIQA+ community, people impacted by HIV, sex workers and people who use drugs. The one common thread for all these communities is the impact of stigma, discrimination and minority stress—this is what binds us as a community.
When I am not at Meridian, I write for a few publications including HerCanberra. I love to critique public policy, especially when it comes to urban development and place-making. This is a passion of mine.
Those who know me would not be surprised to hear that I have a ‘side hustle’ as a brand ambassador for a facial rejuvenation business. I’m convinced that we are all a little fascinated with facial rejuvenation and there is no shame in doing it.
I’m also a mother to two adult children who live in Melbourne. They are curious, healthy, happy and gentle people and my heart just bursts with love for them. I am so very proud of who they have become. I believe that it takes a village and they have been part of a village with a tribe of wonderful people and I am truly grateful.
Let’s go back to when you were a kid; have you always dreamed of working in this industry?
As a child I didn’t have any aspirations to do anything at all really. I was a rebel without a cause and spent a lot of my time getting in trouble. I was expelled from two Catholic schools and didn’t finish high school.
I had a privileged upbringing on the north shore of Sydney. My parents were older than the average and my siblings (two brothers) were adults when I was born. At one stage during my resisting years, my parents took me to the UK and left me in London to fend for myself. I had to get my act together and I did. When I came home, after 12 months away, I went to uni and got a ‘real’ job. This was the start of my aspirations for leadership and forging a value-driven career.
Tell us about when you were first starting out, what set a fire in your belly to get here and how did you do it?
My first ‘real’ job was in the disability sector. I worked shift work supporting people living in group homes. We followed a model called SRV or social role valorisation. This is a dynamic set of ideas useful for making positive change in the lives of disadvantaged people. The basic tenet is the notion that the good things any society has to offer are more easily accessible to people who have valued social roles. Conversely, people who have devalued social roles, or very few or marginally valued ones, have a much harder time obtaining the good things of life available to those with valued social status. Some simple examples of valued social roles include son/daughter/sibling/nibling, teacher, volunteer, student, mother, father and so on.
Recall a time when you wanted to chuck it all in; what did you tell yourself when it got too hard?
There was a time when I was working in local government and I had a major values clash with my manager: the values of compassion for all people, of humility, respect, ingenuity and quality but, most importantly, the desire to work with community for community–the very notion of ‘nothing about us without us’–empowering people to be heard, to be present and have control in their own lives.
I loved my job, but when this new general manager was employed, I just couldn’t work for someone who didn’t understand the need for community empowerment. So, in the absence of core values in my workplace, I chucked it all in.
What was your biggest break?
Landing the role I have now is absolutely my biggest break. I was working for the government, writing policy and briefs and pushing paper around and I couldn’t see the impact of the work I was doing. I saw a role at the AIDS Action Council (now Meridian) advertised and I jumped. I took a huge leap of faith and a big pay cut to go from government to the community sector, and I have no regrets about that. I see the impact of my work every day. I have so much variety in my role, from strategy and big picture to meaningful interactions with community members and clients of the service. I said I wanted a job with a heartbeat: I landed a job with a soul.
What’s the best piece of advice you’ve ever received?
Over the years, so many people have tried to give me advice. As a young person, if you told me to do something, I would do the opposite. And if you told me I couldn’t do something, I would do it out of spite.
Now, as a more mature person, I have a mentor. I really recommend the benefits of receiving mentoring to gain support and encourage growth and development. Over the years I have had several mentors at different stages and for different opportunities. My mentor gives me great advice every time we meet and really helps boost my confidence and sense of fulfilment.
What is it about your industry that you love and what makes you want to pull your hair out?
I love the communities I work with. The people with all their diversity, curiosity, colour, movement, life and living. People are fascinating, ultimately flawed but also beautiful and fun. I have honestly met some really amazing people with incredible stories.
One such story is represented in a recent Meridian project–a video series interviewing older people in the community, designed as a training tool for our aged care training. This is the trailer–https://youtu.be/CKii_IOr6xo
These are wonderful stories and I just love this work.
With all respect to my government colleagues, what makes me pull my hair out is working with the bureaucrats and bureaucratic processes. They just hinder the real work from happening with unnecessary, inflexible and administrative burden.
Tell us how you ‘stay in the know’, what media do you consume?
Good question–the world is moving faster than ever, and it’s hard to keep up. My questions are–how do you spot the next big idea and make the best judgements? How do you distinguish usable information from distracting noise? And how do you maintain focus on what’s critical?
What I do is network–network with people from both within my sector and outside too. This allows me to open my circles and let opportunities in. Networks happen face to face and digitally–I am a member of several interest groups on LinkedIn, for example.
We live in a world filled with social media distractions. I wonder if sometimes people get desensitised to all the chaos. So I vow to never get comfortable or complacent. Many people do what they do all day and every day without the thought to change themselves or work on themselves. I don’t want to be that person.
Where do you see yourself in five years?
I’m 55 years old so in five years I’ll be 60. I probably should say I want to be retired but the truth is that I am not the retiring type–I would go stir-crazy. Saying that, I would like to work less than I am currently working, and I would like to not have so much pressure and stress in my life.
I think my current role as CEO of Meridian is my last ‘big job’. And my next venture or adventures will be less impactful on my personal life. I’d like to do engage in more entrepreneurial endeavours like supporting a social impact start-up or more work in brand ambassadorship. I will never lose the love of minimalist design and would love to renovate a house or a room, or even work in a designer furniture store.
Why should people follow in your footsteps?
As the saying goes–‘Don’t follow in my footsteps, I run into walls.’ In all seriousness, I’ve led a tangled, twisted and unhinged life. I’m incredibly fortunate to be where I am at, and it has everything to do with luck, opportunity and hard work.
What advice would you give your past self?
Be present. Consciously observe your thoughts and activities. Stop and take notice of what you’re doing. Breathe and relax.
And…
Stop stressing about things you can’t control. In reality, there are many things in life you have zero control over. You can’t force someone to change, you can’t prevent a storm from happening, and you can’t control how other people feel. Breathe and relax.
