As part of the Morning Lazziness series highlighting empowering women who are making a remarkable impact with their ideas, I had the pleasure of interviewing Kirsty Nancarrow.
Kirsty Nancarrow is an award-winning journalist, business owner, and author based in Cairns, Queensland. She grew up in Sydney and began her journalism career in community newspapers. The Master of Journalism graduate completed internships in radio and television before moving to outback Australia in 1999 to take up a posting with the Australian Broadcasting Corporation in Alice Springs. This is where Kirsty met her husband and started her first business as a salsa dance teacher.
After a two-year stint in London managing media relations for the UK nursing and midwifery regulator, Kirsty returned to Alice Springs. In 2010, she moved to Cairns to become the Lead News Reporter and Chief of Staff at the ABC’s Far North Queensland bureau.
Kirsty developed post-traumatic stress disorder, and after volunteering as a teacher in Batase, Nepal, during a leave of absence from the ABC, Kirsty decided she wanted to become a trainer and author. Himalayan Dreams: The Story of Som Tamang – How a child slave moved mountains to save a generation in Nepal was published on International Women’s Day in 2024. The #1 Amazon bestseller has sold in more than a dozen countries.
In 2017, Kirsty founded Regional Media Training, delivering workshops Australia-wide. Until recently, she was also the Co-Director of the award-winning company, eMotion Video Training & Production. Kirsty is a professional speaker and MC. She is the founder of Women in Media Far North Queensland and proudly mentors regional journalists and business owners.
In this interview, she reflects on the pivotal moments, hard-earned lessons, and defining wins from her journey in building thriving online ventures.
What inspired you to start your business, and what problem were you passionate about solving?
Throughout my 30-year career in media and communications, I have seen a disconnect between journalists and organisations. Reporters are under greater pressure than ever to meet deadlines across a 24-hour news cycle, and people are often reluctant to engage with the media, fearing how they may be represented. I established Regional Media Training in 2017 with the aim of bridging that gap. Helping organisations and individuals deliver what journalists need and giving them the tools to present their message with clarity and confidence enables them to harness the enormous power of the media to create awareness, influence change and highlight achievements. As a senior ABC journalist, I had always enjoyed mentoring young reporters, so moving into a training business was a natural progression.
How has your business evolved since its launch, and what key decisions have helped drive that growth?
My business started as a side-hustle in 2017, and I continued to work in a senior communications role in government until deciding to jump into full-time self-employment and write a book in mid-2020. I developed a client base and began building my reputation as a trusted media trainer. In late 2019, I moved into a collaboration with a friend and former media colleague, and I have been the Director of eMotion Video Training and Production for the past six years. We initially delivered smartphone video workshops in Cairns to micro and small business owners. During the pandemic, we began receiving requests for video production and as a former video journalist and television editor/camerawoman, we evolved our business to respond to this need. During my six years as a Director, I delivered dozens of video, media, and presentation skills workshops all over Australia. We won the 2023 Cairns Business Women’s Club Collaboration of the Year Award and were finalists in many other awards. I have now returned to Regional Media Training as a sole trader to allow more time for family, travel and speaking engagements.
In your view, what truly sets your brand apart in today’s competitive market?
The ‘Regional’ in Regional Media Training sets my business apart. Most media trainers are based in capital cities and bring that lens to their training. Having worked as a journalist and communications professional in Alice Springs and Cairns for most of my career, I understand the regional context better than most, and my training reflects this. My approach is very supportive, helping clients understand how the media works so they can have effective interactions with journalists, and building confidence, working with individual strengths and sharing tools to ensure people are feeling calm and focused when they give a presentation or media interview. I love working with organisations in remote areas and will travel to even the smallest corner of the country to deliver training on site for clients.
What has been your most effective marketing strategy to date, and why do you think it worked so well?
Without a doubt, networking has been my most effective marketing strategy. Being active in the community and having face to face conversations with people brings connection, trust, and invaluable brand awareness. It has led to many referrals. You never know when someone will need what you have to offer and being out there as the face of your business is impactful.
How do you stay connected to your ideal audience and understand their needs or behaviors?
LinkedIn Sales Navigator has been a great resource for finding organisations I’d like to work with and connecting with key decision-makers. I use pre-training consultation sessions to ensure the training meets the needs of the participants and their organisation. I also have anonymous feedback forms after each workshop to help with continuous improvement.
What’s one branding move or campaign that helped elevate your business to the next level?
Taking unpaid opportunities to deliver shorter skills workshops or talks sharing tips and training, has helped to elevate brand awareness and connect to new audiences, which has, in many case,s led to future paid business.
What does success look like for you, not just in numbers, but in purpose or impact?
I believe everyone has a story to tell. As a journalist and author, I have had the privilege of illuminating many stories and creating awareness about issues such as gender equality, mental wellbeing, and women’s health. By empowering people to share their own stories through skills development, I hope to encourage more people to share their own great stories, creating a ripple effect.
How do you personally define success, beyond revenue and growth metrics?
For me, success is taking someone from a position of fear about speaking to the media or in public and seeing them embrace these opportunities to share their important message. Personally, it is about having a balance between work, family, leisure and community. Having my work valued by testimonials, referrals and awards is a bonus.
Can you share a challenge or setback that ultimately became a turning point for your brand?
The pandemic meant in-person workshops, the initial premise of eMotion Video, could not happen very early into our business journey. Being able to pivot to online delivery and video production showed we could be nimble and respond quickly to changing dynamics and client needs.
What daily habits or rituals keep you focused, creative, and grounded as a leader?
Having experienced insomnia, depression, and PTSD, sleep hygiene is very important, so I try to maintain a consistent bedtime and utilise breathwork, meditation and reading to create a calm environment. I wake around 5:30 am each day and start most days with a rainforest hike with other people. The conversations foster connection, creativity, problem-solving, and ideas and I start my working day happy, energised, and invigorated. I have trusted mentors and offset the potential isolation of working at home by attending networking events or scheduling coffee meetings.
How do you approach innovation and risk in your business strategy?
Innovation is driven by changing trends such as the media landscape and how people are consuming social media or accessing information. I am also influenced by the conversations we have during the training, monitoring changes and adapting accordingly. From a risk point of view, I have minimal overheads, insurance, and I continue to develop new workshops and services to diversify my income and remain relevant and responsive to client needs.
What advice would you give to someone starting a business in today’s fast-changing digital world?
By all means, stay tuned to changing trends, but remember you are your point of difference, so don’t lose yourself in your pursuit of trying to keep up with a fast-changing digital world. Outsource or use apps to do what you are not good at, and don’t be afraid to market yourself. It feels uncomfortable at first, but if you reframe your thinking to “I am helping someone and solving a problem”, it becomes much easier to sell what you have to offer.
Where can our audience connect with you and learn more about your work or offerings?
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