When she was very young, Robyn Foyster’s grandfather told her he believed she had the power to do anything she put her mind to.
“It was an empowering thing to say,” Robyn recalls. “It had big impact on me.
“He had belief in me and that definitely shaped me. I remember thinking ‘I think I can really do anything! I just have to head in that direction.”
Robyn’s grandfather may have instilled in her a super-power; her accolades and titles include award-winning journalist, CEO of two companies – Foyster Media (which owns this platform you’re on right now along with The Carousel) and the thought leadership agency InProfile, as well as 2023 Champions of Change finalist and one of B&Ts 30 most powerful women in media.
And these are if we only look to her most recent achievements.
Robyn shared insights on her growth mindset, expansive career, and her predictions for tech with renowned leadership coach Julie Hyde for Hyde’s podcast, Leading You, which interviews modern leaders with impact.
During the interview, Robyn shares how she and her husband approached raising a family alongside their careers, gives a nod to the many strong female role-models throughout her life, and voices both her hopes for the growing AI landscape and her concerns.
“Every good business has tech as its fundamental core,” says Robyn, who is also been a judge of the Telstra Business Awards for almost ten years.
“The companies doing well are the companies that know how to utilise good technology.”
On her decision to leave her high profile editorships with global publishing houses for the world of tech and her own digital media platforms, Foyster says:
“I could see that the digital world where was where it was trending in terms of media, and I certainly didn’t want to become a dinosaur in my own industry.”
She has since lent her expertise to several tech ventures including an ASX-listed augmented reality company involved in a previous years’ Vivid festival roll-out, and an award-winning geo-location shopping app.
“Innovation is the thing that excites me,” she says. “Why wouldn’t you want to be in technology when that’s where it’s all happening.”
Robyn uses cases studies to demonstrate her points, such as My Cupcake Addiction founder Elise Strachan who seemingly grew her YouTube channel to 10 million subscribers overnight (she now has over 3 million) after leaving an air hostess job to indulge in a love of sweet treats.
“Some people are just natural storytellers,” says Robyn who recently announced she is a speaker at the upcoming SXSW Sydney. “Media has become a lot more open to the public. Anyone who can be a storyteller and can share their stories, and the good ones become really popular.”
You can also listen to Robyn’s podcast, Game Changers
