Human on the Inside with Natalie MacDonald
Human on the Inside. We’re big believers in the power of human skills. But don’t just take our word for it - the evidence for excellence powered by human (‘soft’) skills is everywhere! In this engaging, ever-enlightening series, we speak with industry leaders, innovators and game-changers to learn a little about their personal career journeys, and how human-led strategies, philosophies and cultures are proving a force for good in their working worlds …
Maxme: Welcome Natalie, and thanks for stepping into the #SuccessIsHuman Spotlight!
You’re the Founder of Working @ It, a consultancy empowering brands and professionals through storytelling with heart. You work with leading brands, executives and teams to unlock their voice and deliver messages that truly resonate in order to have impact at scale.
In 1 sentence (ok, we’ll give you 3), what does your role entail?
Natalie MacDonald: At its core, my role is about helping people show up as themselves, on purpose. I equip leaders, teams and brands with the tools to build clarity, confidence and visibility — using LinkedIn and editorial strategy to position them as leaders, employers and brand partners of choice. On any given day, that might look like designing a new client program, facilitating a team workshop, or diving into the detail in a one-on-one coaching session to help someone make sense of what they want to say and how best to say it.
M: Whilst you founded Working @ It this year, your career is of course much deeper than this. You started out as a Broadcast Journalist reporting on the financial markets first with Capital Index and the Financial News Network before moving to Dukascopy TV. From here you cut your teeth as a Producer with Sky News, eventually becoming Anchor/Reporter for Sky News Business. Most recently you spent 7 years at LinkedIn - in roles from Editor to Special Projects Lead, APAC to Senior New Editor.
How does all this work speak to your personal purpose and what drives you as an individual?
NMD: I’m a creative person with a business brain — possibly thanks to the front row seat I had as a child watching my parents grow my Dad’s photography business out of nothing.
I have a real love for taking complexity — ideas, data, news events, strategy, emotions, team dynamics — and distilling it into clarity people can act on through storytelling.
Connecting people with knowledge is what drew me to journalism to begin with, helped me deliver global editorial campaigns to millions of professionals at LinkedIn, and now allows me to support leaders who are deep in the day-to-day step back, reconnect with their message and focus on where they can have the greatest impact.
I’m also deeply motivated by the pursuit of equitable outcomes in the workplace and society at large. I grew up being told I could be anything I wanted as long as I worked hard enough. A beautiful idea, but one I’ve learned doesn’t always hold true. Structural barriers, bias, gender norms and access all shape opportunity in ways we don’t always acknowledge.
That awareness has shaped how I lead and the work I choose to do — from interviewing social change-makers like Olympian Ian Thorpe and commentator Maria Thattil, to growing a newsletter exploring DEI in the workplace to more than 115,000 subscribers; producing content on breastfeeding and pregnancy loss that reached millions; launching LinkedIn’s first International Women’s Day campaign featuring Jacinda Ardern, Princess Beatrice and Melinda Gates; and building an internal program to increase inclusivity and accessibility across global News coverage.
Whether through journalism, platform leadership or now Working @ It, my purpose has remained the same: to use storytelling and strategy to surface voices, challenge assumptions and help create systems where more people have the tools, confidence and support to succeed.
M: Tell us a little about your personal education pathway/s - what led you to where you are now? How closely do your formal qualifications match your current career?
NMD: My formal education opened the door to a career in journalism. I studied a BA in English & History at the University of Leicester, followed by a Master’s in Journalism (Broadcast) at the University of Westminster — without which, I wouldn’t have secured my first role as a business reporter in Europe.
But my most valuable learning has always come from raising my hand and actively seeking out experience, dating right back to university when I would get in trouble for swapping lectures for internships! I took on work experience, wriggled my way into flagship newsrooms, sent cold emails and spent two years as Head of Programming and Scheduling at my university radio station. When I arrived at my Master’s interview, I was told I already had more experience than many station managers.
As my career has progressed, learning has continued well beyond the classroom — through deadlines, newsroom pressure, leadership moments, career pivots and lived experience. Becoming a mother, and experiencing loss, in particular reshaped how I think about work, ambition and success, and reinforced the value of empathy, flexibility and perspective in leadership.
M: If you could share one piece of career advice to your 21 year old self it would be ...
NMD: Continue to raise your hand, be proactive and place yourself in rooms and conversations you know you belong in.
Work ethic can’t be taught, so commit to being someone people can rely on and trust your voice and ideas. You’ll come to learn that, as a woman, hard work won’t always be enough — but it’s still a powerful place to begin.
Don’t give away your superpowers, even when things feel like they’re spinning out of your control. Your career will often be shaped by others, and they won’t always be gentle — but that says far more about them than it does about you. Be generous with your time and share your learnings with colleagues, connections and in community and you will reap the rewards.
Send the damn email. (See Q7)
And honestly? This is advice I’d happily give my 35-year-old self, too.
M: Maximising the potential of individuals, communities and businesses through the power of human skills is the reason Maxme exists. Can you tell us a little about the role and / or value of human skills in your workplace right now?
NMD: Having built a career in creative industries, it’s impossible not to feel the looming shadow of AI. But I was buoyed by forecasts at SXSW Sydney suggesting that the organisations we’ll want to work for will move away from a ‘do more with less’ mindset and instead focus on how to do more with more.
AI can take an idea from mediocre to good, but that’s where the ceiling is. Human skills are the work: listening deeply, asking better questions, reading the room — and hearing what’s often not being said — and building psychological safety.
As we look to the year ahead, delivering your message to the people that matter and building a platform as an industry leader, employer and brand partner of choice is going to force professionals to move beyond generic content and campaigns, produced on autopilot, and deliver expertise and knowledge that only they can.
The companies, leaders and professionals that invest in those human skills won’t just communicate better; they’ll build stronger cultures and earn deeper trust. And they’re starting to catch on to this. It’s why the percentage of US job listings including the term “storyteller” on LinkedIn doubled in the 12 months to end-of-November.
That’s where I focus my work — helping leaders and teams uncover, articulate and amplify what makes them human.
M: Self Awareness sets the critical foundation for all Maxme learning experiences. With that said … what’s your strongest trait / personal super power?
NMD: I’m essentially a professional dot-connector between people, ideas and opportunities. I see content, community and cut through — and most importantly, a clear pathway to get there — where others can’t always.
I’m rarely more energised than when a vision for a project clicks into place — complete with distribution levers, community activation and a meaningful narrative — and I can slip into full strategy mode at the drop of a hat. That might look like chatting through a friend’s podcast idea in the pyjama aisle at Big W, or helping a leadership team reframe their story for impact.
But this work doesn’t happen in silos. I truly believe we do our best work together and am deeply motivated by a sense of community and supporting others — whether that’s nurturing emerging talent, mentoring people through moments of uncertainty or building frameworks that help teams grow. When one person succeeds, it lifts everyone.
It’s something I loved most about working with globally diverse teams at LinkedIn to bring projects like Big Ideas or Top Voices to life — aligning people around shared goals, building buy-in, and ensuring everyone felt part of the journey. It’s the same approach I now bring to my Working @ It clients.
M: And on the flip side, what’s one human / ‘soft’ skill you’ve had to really work on improving over the course of your career?
NMD: Managing my perfectionism — which tends to show up as overthinking or procrastination (a little like this Q&A!) — has been a career-long juggle. I often count myself down before hitting send on a big email. In those moments I lean into the advice that I give clients: The best content is published content, not something gathering dust in your drafts. And when a big dose of self-doubt creeps in, I return to the words of Jewish scholar Hillel the Elder: "If not you, who? If not now, when?"
M: If you could share one piece of career advice with recent Uni graduates or candidates keen to work in media and/or tech, what would it be?
NMD: It’s never been more possible to become a specialist and to build a platform around that specialism. Leverage online resources, attend events and workshops, learn from trusted voices and those further along their journey, and actively build your own expertise.
But don’t stop there. Share what you’re learning. Start a Substack, post on LinkedIn and start building the foundations of a personal brand and a professional network.
It shows potential employers that you are attuned to the changing landscape you’re graduating into; that you’re curious, proactive and comfortable learning in public while contributing real value.
And that network you’re building? It may just become one of your most valuable career assets when you’re applying for roles or exploring what’s next.
M: You’ve been granted approval to add one University graduate to your team, but have 100 applicants, all with outstanding academic results. How do you find your perfect candidate - what are you looking for?
NMD: Skills can be taught but mindset is harder to shape. I’m always drawn to candidates who demonstrate a genuine values fit — someone who shows real curiosity about the role and the people around them. Do they ask thoughtful questions, share ideas and show initiative? And I pay close attention to how they respond to feedback. That willingness to learn and adapt is usually the strongest signal of future impact.
M: In the words of John Dewey, “education is not preparation for life, education is life itself.”
What’s next on your #learning agenda?
NMD: With Working @ It still in its infancy, every day is a learning opportunity — particularly in the world of small business! My ‘summer project’ is building a thoughtful content strategy across Instagram, TikTok and Substack to broaden reach and offer learnings more openly. Looking ahead, I’m exploring a formal certification in career and leadership coaching in 2026 to deepen my practice and impact.
Natalie MacDonald
Founder of Working @ It
Natalie MacDonald is the Founder of Working @ It, a consultancy helping leaders, teams and brands become industry leaders of choice through executive brand-building workshops, LinkedIn strategy and creative editorial thinking. A former broadcast journalist and senior editorial leader at LinkedIn, Natalie brings deep expertise in storytelling, strategy and human-centred communication. She works with executives and organisations navigating growth, change and visibility — helping them lead and communicate in ways that are both authentic and effective.
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