Say hello to two of the driving forces behind MosaicLab - Bridget McDonald and Katie Fabel.
Bridget is MosaicLab’s Finance Officer and Katie is our Business Development Coordinator.
These two work hard behind-the-scenes exploring new opportunities, managing systems and processes, and ensuring everything balances, makes sense and adds up.
In addition, every MosaicLab team member is a facilitator and Katie and Bridget are no exception. While our “big F” facilitators are often the ones seen out and about delivering projects, other team members contribute as “little F” facilitators.
“Little F” facilitators support delivery of our engagement projects and processes from time-to-time, integrate facilitation skills into our internal meetings and processes and have a highly developed understanding of facilitation and community engagement principles and practice.
Plus, these two are fantastic, fascinating and funny humans!
It’s their moment in the spotlight … how did Bridget and Katie answer the Telling Top 10 probing questions? Let’s find out now...
Meet BRIDGET MCDONALD
“The big F’s teach me something I can use in my daily life every time we catch up.”
1. What is the most recent photo on your phone?
Just took this now. It's so cold!
2. What’s one thing you’re learning now, or you learned recently?
Painting with watercolour.
3. When driving, do you prefer silence, mid-volume music or carpool karaoke at the top of your lungs?
Carpool karaoke, or as I call it, “a concert for me by me”. However, some of my drives can be quite long and four hours can be a little too much, so I move to a podcast when I start to lose my voice.
4. How do you like to start and end your day?
In silence.
5. What is something you have learned as a "little f facilitator" that is great advice for others?
Non-violent communication. I'm not a violent person, but it was great to learn ways to come to a confronting conversation and not make it worse. The big F's teach me something I can use in my daily life every time we catch up.
6. What topic could you give a detailed presentation about with little or no preparation?
Eating chocolate.
7. What energises you at work?
Finding grains of sand in workflows and smoothing them over.
8. Aside from working at MosaicLab, what’s your dream job?
Artist or gardener.
9. Which three people would you love to have over for dinner?
Bob Marley, Frida Kahlo and Aimee, my nextdoor neighbour. She always makes me laugh and can get any party started.
10. Your favourite foods are on the menu – what are they? And are you cooking, or is this a job for Uber Eats?
Banh mi bao - pork and dumplings from my favourite pan Asian restaurant in town. I wish it was Uber Eats, but they don't travel this far. (Bridget lives in a very rural location near the snow!)
meet katie fabel
“I feel energised stepping into ‘the arena’, trying new things and understanding alternative perspectives.”
1. most recent photo on your phone?
Some of my attempted bowls from pottery class!
2. one thing you’re learning now, or you learned recently?
I’ve been listening to the Huberman Lab podcast. It has a lot of info about neuroscience and how to wire our brains for optimal cognitive functioning and performance.
3. When driving, do you prefer silence, mid-volume music or carpool karaoke at the top of your lungs?
100% carpool karaoke, especially on the way to basketball.
4. How do you like to start and end your day?
A walk and a podcast to my local café in the mornings! And I love ending the day with the Sydney Morning Herald quiz with my partner.
5. What is something you have learned as a "little f facilitator" that is great advice for others?
The amount of behind-the-scenes communication to make the experience seamless and as collaborative as possible blew my mind when I saw the team in action at the Women in Leadership summit last year.
My advice is to stay in tune with the room, don’t get attached to the plan – be prepared to pivot to help the group reach the intended outcomes. Everything takes double the amount of time than you think!
6. What topic could you give a detailed presentation about with little or no preparation?
Anyone keen for an update on our upcoming projects? A member of the team made me a personalised intro theme song for my presentations and everything! Otherwise, I could whip something up on listening channels (related to human-centred design philosophy) with little prep.
7. What energises you at work?
Getting to hear what’s challenging for our clients, and then bouncing ideas with the team to design a method to help solve what’s going on for them and the people they’re in service of. We usually get to do all of these things when writing proposals, which is great.
8. Aside from working at MosaicLab, what’s your dream job?
A New Yorker cartoon artist.
9. Which three people would you love to have over for dinner?
Such a tough question. Joni Mitchell, Frances McDormand and can I invite Heath Ledger? Otherwise Phil Stutz.
10. Your favourite foods are on the menu – what are they? And are you cooking, or is this a job for Uber Eats?
Lots of seafood dishes from Wabi Sabi Salon in Collingwood. Best scallops ever.
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