Making sense of work, life, and everything in between.

I'm Michelle Clennett, a writer, curious observer and someone who's spent more than two decades inside organisations, learning what makes people, workplaces and cultures tick.

I've led teams, navigated restructures, driven transformation and built culture. I've got things right, got things wrong and occasionally realised that what once felt right no longer does.

The longer I've worked, the more I've questioned what work asks of us, what we give to it and what we want in return.

When does ambition become too much? How do we make room for what matters? And what happens when the life we've built no longer fits the life we want?

I don't have all the answers. But I have plenty of questions.

My career began at global recruitment firm Aquent, where I helped turn a struggling Melbourne office into a highly profitable business. I later became HR Director at Hallmark Cards before working across FMCG, retail and manufacturing in HR, change, transformation and internal communication.

I'm a qualified HR practitioner, an accredited Prosci change manager and a communications graduate of Deakin College. I've seen what happens when organisations get people and culture right, and when they don't. That experience still shapes how I see the world, but there's more I want to explore.

These days, I'm questioning more than what happens inside organisations. I'm exploring work life balance, career breaks, travel, relationships, identity and the freedom that comes with realising you don't have to keep doing things the way you always have.

I live on Victoria's Mornington Peninsula with my husband, Ross, and our son, James. I'm also a proud stepmum to Guy and Nikki. I love travelling, discovering new things and having conversations that stay with me long after they've finished.

Writing helps me slow down, untangle my thoughts and make sense of the world. Sometimes, I write because something frustrates me. Sometimes, because an experience has challenged an assumption I've held for years. And sometimes, because I can't quite work out what I think until I put it into words.

It's grounding. It helps me connect the dots, find perspective, and occasionally change my mind. And if sharing those reflections helps someone else feel less alone or see things differently, even better.

WorkTalk is where I bring it all together. Honest reflections, personal stories and lessons from work and life. Sometimes I'll write about culture, change and communication. Other times, it'll be about travel, relationships, career breaks or figuring out what comes next.

I'm less interested in polished answers than asking better questions. Because work shapes us, but it isn't the whole story. And life is too interesting to stop questioning how we want to live it.

I'm working it out as I go. Join me.