Balancing career growth with wellbeing

This year’s Mental Health Awareness Week theme is Top Up Together, a reminder to connect with others to support collective wellbeing. We spend a significant portion of our time at work, so how we navigate this time impacts how we feel.

At Catalyst, we put people first. We believe that when our people can thrive personally, they excel professionally, and that’s why we actively support career growth and wellbeing. In this post, we're sharing stories from our team about how they approach work-life balance.

Finding what works: Tish’s story

Pictured: Tish Kirkland.

Tish Kirkland is an eLearning Consultant at Catalyst, where she supports our clients with their learning management systems and creates intuitive learning paths. With decades of experience in education, Tish is currently studying for her Master's in Education, which she balances with working part-time and being a mother.

Some days are better than others, and Tish has learned that asking for help and accepting it makes a real difference.To support her work-life balance, she likes the physical separation of working in the office, so she chooses not to work from home. “That clear boundary between work and home helps”, and the daily office quiz and team catch-ups remind her that work is also about connection.

“I enjoy working at Catalyst because it aligns with my values,” Tish shares. She also feels supported to present her insights at eLearning events such as MoodleMoot Australia.

Setting up future you: Darian’s story

Pictured: Darian Culver next to Ocean Steer at the 2025 Careers Expo.

Darian Culver is an Intermediate Developer in our Internal Systems team, where he manages our internal staff tools. Joining as an intern four years ago, Darian has enjoyed his work as a developer and being able to grow in his role.

What’s been a game-changer for Darian is “thinking about how to set things up for my future self, whether that’s making sure to document something, or taking the time to slow down to think through a problem.

As an avid gardener, he makes sure he gets time outside and does not spend all day looking at a screen. He prioritises having lunch outside every day and enjoys working on his community garden. 

Biting off what you can chew: Laura’s story

Pictured: Noémie Ariste and Laura Simpson holding hot chocolates.

Laura Simpson is our People Experience Advisor in the HR and Reception Team at Catalyst. She’s been with us for 11 years, starting in reception and moving into the People Team. Alongside this, she works as a makeup artist and is a mother. She enjoys creating ways to best support our people and organising events to bring people together.

Balancing multiple roles as a solo parent means Laura has to be intentional about her wellbeing. She focuses on eating well, sleeping enough, and exercising. She’s also not afraid to ask for support when she needs it.

Laura shares that “I’ve had to learn over the last few years to only bite off what I can chew. Part of this is by setting realistic and achievable goals so you’re not setting yourself up to fail.” When balancing a lot, it can be easy to get overwhelmed. For Laura, “a great tool to manage the stress and high workload is to make sure you give time to things that make you happy and be grateful for the opportunities life throws at us.”

Celebrating the wins: Tatenda’s story

Pictured: Tatenda Kaitano dancing with other Catalyst people at Catathon.

Tatenda Kaitano is our Accounts Administrator in the Finance Team, where she looks after the accounts payable side. For her, “balancing career and wellbeing is essential for long-term success.”

She does this by taking the time to reflect, pause, and do the things she enjoys. One way she manages this is by “prioritising her tasks effectively, so work doesn’t feel overwhelming.” Rather than comparing herself to others, Tatenda focuses on her own goals and her own pace. She aims “to celebrate wins, big and small, to continue to be positive and self-motivated.”

Recently, at our company Catathon, where the entire New Zealand company comes together for a day of activities, learning, and sharing skills, Tatenda taught an Afro dance class. Dancing is something she enjoys, and she loves sharing that with others. She’s bringing back another dancing class for Mental Health Awareness Week to encourage people to have fun and get mobile.

Supporting our people

Pictured: James, Marni, and Sasha holding hot chocolates.

Thank you to those who shared their stories with us. What stands out is how different each approach is and how there’s no one-size-fits-all when it comes to balancing work and wellbeing.

At Catalyst, we value the whole person, not just the output. We don’t have all the answers, but we're committed to supporting our people as they figure out what works for them.