Alison Rice
Founder & host — Offline, The Podcast
May we present a conversation with no one less than the host
extraordinaire herself, Alison Rice.
For those not familiar with the purveyor of all things self-growth, here’s the gist. Every Sunday we take our time off to religiously listen to new episodes of a podcast that’s very quickly turning into a cult favourite: Offline, The Podcast. Once we put our headphones on and tune in, Alison’s nonchalant, almost meditative voice takes us through the good, the bad and the ugly of what could be seen on social media as perfect lives, letting us take a brief respite from our own imperfect existence.
Being a strong, sure-footed woman she is, Rice isn’t afraid to ask heavy, intimate questions, understanding the power of vulnerability the same as we do. What we admire the most though, is that she puts her truest self in the limelight in spite of the possibility to be misjudged or misunderstood. Utterly proud, today we are here to celebrate Alison and everything she’s done for the community so far.
Can you tell us a little something about your overall career trajectory before offline?
I’m a traditionally trained journalist. I started my career at the Walkley Foundation for Excellence in Journalism. It is a not-for-profit that exists to benchmark the best in Australian journalism, and also educate our industry and the public about the importance of investing in journalism, the future of our industry, the importance of free speech, and much more. Following that role, I trained as a sub-editor to strengthen my writing, before moving into digital. At the Walkleys I worked closely on a project about the rise of digital media (this was in around 2009), so I always knew I’d be early to the space. In fact, I pretty much bypassed magazines altogether! I got a job as an associate editor at POPSUGAR in 2012, which is where I stayed until late 2018. I went in as an assistant working weekends from home, and left as the Group Publisher of POPSUGAR, Who What Wear, Byrdie and MyDomaine. Launching the Who What Wear Network into the Australian market will remain a career highlight for me.
That is quite a legacy. What are some of your proudest moments with offline?
It’s such an interesting time for you to ask this question, because I’ve been reflecting on “success” these past couple of weeks, and more specifically, my evolving definitions of it. What I’ve realised is I’m rarely proud of traditional success metrics – like audience numbers, securing high profile guests or getting publicity. As someone who used to live and breathe audience numbers, it’s new for me to be totally unfocused on them. It is doing well by Australian audience standards but that’s not what I’m most proud of. I’m most proud of the community Offline has attracted – the kind people who support and advocate for it daily. I get a lot of fulfilment from learning how listening to Offline has helped them overcome everything from losing a loved one or a baby, breakups, career changes, sickness and more.
My singular goal is to help people heal through exploring True Self, so I’m very proud my work is doing that.
What made you want to start a podcast? How do you tackle ads, etc?
I’ve been listening to Ira Glass and This American Life for nearly 15 years, so radio journalism has always been a passion. I’m interested in the way we can use audio and sound to tell stories and make people feel something. I got to thinking that perhaps I could use my editorial experience and my ability to shape a strong, digital brand, and apply those things to the audio space. I also felt deeply that this work had to exist, and that the Australian digital landscape had been pulverised. As a digital leader I was tasked with reach and increasing sales, and through that commercial lens I wasn’t able to produce the type of journalism I knew I was capable of, and that Australian women wanted and deserved.
I think creating something of my own was partly a rebellion to the current media model. I wanted to create something that existed for the audience, not the advertiser. When it came to monetisation, my experience told me the market wasn’t buying in a mature way. It was – and sadly still is – about reach and clicks. I knew I was developing a proposition that was nuanced, deeply personal and so authentic that it demanded more than size as a success metric. So basically I knew I was building something the market wasn’t buying! Sounds stupid when I write it down like that, but I’m proud I held out of pre-roll and host-read ads.
My integrity is everything to me and it has been worth it.
On the topic of mentoring, did you have any tips around it for people seeking one?
Honestly I think the best mentor / mentee relationships develop organically. I know that’s not overly helpful to young women who might think they don’t have the network around them yet, but I would challenge that and say we all have a network we can draw down on. Often what we need from a mentor is not that they know how to do the job we want, but instead how to operate in a workplace, how to lead, how to negotiate, how to think strategically. So my advice is think about the people in your life who might be able to offer you mentorship in perhaps unexpected ways.
My number one tip is to do the personal work to fully understand what it means to be an impeccable mentee. You have to be ready to listen, willing to shadow and observe, and when you’ve done those things, ask curious and thoughtful questions that give your mentor an entry point to communicate what they’ve learnt in a way that’s relevant to you.
Navigating through the industry as a start-up female entrepreneur can be a bit daunting sometimes. Is there one thing that no one talks about?
That everyday you’ll feel out of your depth and concerned it won’t work. We all feel that so if you’re reading this, know that you are not alone and we need you to keep going. We need you to hang in there because as female entrepreneurs, we are starting the conscious businesses that will change the world.
How do you organise your work, and create a routine that works for you?
I run my inboxes and my calendar like I work in the military. Being a perfectionist there allows me the freedom I need to do my big, creative work. I say no a lot, which is a privilege. I find it hard because I want to help, but I also know I have important work to do so I’m constantly refocusing my time and assessing where I’m putting my energy.
Establishing a coaching offering was the best thing I ever did. Every single Wednesday I dedicate the entire day to helping women on their way. If anyone reading is keen to learn more, all the information is on my website. For every other day of the week, I don’t book more than two things a day, and I either top and tail the day with meetings, or do them back to back in the morning. I also try really hard not to touch my phone before I’ve meditated, moved my body and enjoyed breakfast.
How do you approach your personal style?
As I’ve deepened my relationship with Self, I’ve become more grounded in my body and my personal style. I’m shopping a lot less, and paying more attention to my individual footprint. These days I’m about comfort and a more classic look. I’ve always been paired back, but now I’m really into the classics.
My perfect Spring outfit is a denim skirt, a ribbed black singlet, black leather sandals. I live in Bondi so I’m also wearing a lot of linen from brands like In Bed and Assembly the Label, and soft cotton button-ups from Bondi’s LMND Store worn in a really relaxed way with denim shorts.
You have beautiful skin. Can you give us some insider info on your beauty routine?
My makeup routine is pretty lo-fi. I’ve just gotten my skin back to a healthy place so I’m trying to keep the number of things I put on it to a minimum. I see Carina from Belamares for regular facials, and she’s gotten my skin to a point where I don’t need a lot of makeup.
For everyday I use First Aid’s Coconut Skin Smoothing Primer under It Cosmetics CC Cream. Just a tiny bit of the CC buffed into my skin really well. If I have an event or I’m hosting, I use Advanced Night Repair under the CC cream. Or if I need more coverage, I like Revlon’s Colorstay Foundation. The stick version is good for everyday as well. I use RMS concealer, I curl my lashes and use Chanel’s Le Volume Mascara and then finish with Chanel’s Baume Essentiel or Lanolips on my cheekbones, brows bone and eyelids. For cheeks, I use the RMS cream blush or right now I’m also loving Nude Stix’s Nudies Blush. For brows, I don’t really stray from Kevyn Aucoin’s Precision Brow Pencil.
Haircare routine
I generally let my hair air dry then use Oribe’s Dry Texture Spray or Evo’s Haze hair powder. Anthony Nader cuts my hair and I’m so grateful. He cuts it so well I don’t really need to use hot styling tools. If I do curl it, I use the GHD Curve wand.
Your secret DIY health weapon
Vedic Meditation.
Best advice told to you
Be who you want to be, not how you want to be perceived.
And how do you keep fit, physically?
I follow an Ayurvedic lifestyle. My dosha is Vata so my body responds best to slow and gentle exercise. I do a few soft sand walks a week and meditate twice a day.
I’m on and off with Pilates but when I’m on, I see Tori at Peaches Pilates. I also eat pretty well and avoid, coffee, gluten and dairy.
Your morning routine
Kissing my husband, meditating and drinking a big glass of warm water.
Your favourite tunes
I created the Offline Sounds playlist after some listeners asked for Offline’s music to listen to on its own. How beautiful.
Every fortnight I add new songs to the playlist that are meaningful to me. You can find tracks like Hans Zimmer’s You’re So Cool – which is the song I walked down the aisle to – Joss Stone, some French pop, James Blake, Nina Simone and some classical stuff as well.
