How one email can take you from community to collaborator with Ash Khanna || Dribble #20
Plus Harry Styles & Zoe Kravitz, the eldest boy gets the Murdoch empire and outrage capitalism.
This week we spoke to Ash and chatted going from Ponnd community member to collaborator, managing a bazillion priorities and an arduino board???? (DW we are as confused as you are).
Bell’s currently on a boat in Sardinia rn, so we are mixing up the format and you’ll have our guest star Ash on hot takes & recs this week so enjoy!!
1. Tell us about your career journey so far and where you are currently at?
My career journey really starts when we went to a field trip to a bauxite mine (just WA tings…) in high school. Which led to me going to uni and studying geology - and somehow found myself in the ‘exploration team’ at a gold mine in the middle of nowhere. For context, this place was a 2 hour plane ride from Perth, and the nearest place that could broadly be classed as civilisation was around 800kms away.
My first day there as a ‘Graduate Geologist’ was one I’ll never forget. Firstly it was like 48 degrees and second after all the intros finished up my boss goes “here’s the car, now go and prove that this gold deposit exists”. That was it - I did that for the next 2 years with my team. This was a pivotal moment for me being trusted with that responsibility with basically no instruction and delivering on it. It shaped how I liked to work actually.
I then bounced around different projects, leading various mineral deposit exploration and development campaigns across WA. At the same time I’d started my MBA which allowed me to transition at the company I was working with.
I moved into a corporate strategy role at this company, which was fun and dare I say my #calling? I’m slowly realised though, I needed to grow the skills needed to be good at this kind of work. This led to a move into strategy consulting at one of the Big 4s, where I am right now. Honing these skills with other practitioners of it has been one of the best experiences ever.
2. What's something you're genuinely excited about right now - either professionally or personally?
So much, I have so much to be excited for, jeez.
Professionally -
I think I’ve finally found my ‘voice’ in a working environment this year, I am able to say what I mean and what I need. It’s really changing the way I work.
Working with a new government strategy team to build out a strategy for their team. Yes this is a strategy for a strategy team.
Working with the team at Ponnd and just sharing the vision that they have and building something great.
Personally-
My wedding in November, it’s been a madhouse getting it all together but I can’t wait.
Graduating from my MBA in October I just want it done.
Related to above but getting to what I feel is a proverbial finish line for the year once those two are ticked off.
3. What's a hobby or interest that has nothing to do with your work?
I am an avid cricket player, watcher, and consumer in general. I didn’t get to play last year, but I am going to be back playing this year.
To be honest though the last couple of years with work, and the MBA I have not had much time to have many hobbies.
However, I have been consuming hours of content on how to build your own gadgets etc. using a thing called an arduino board. I am aiming to make this my new hyperfixation once I have some free time.
4. What's one career decision you made that felt terrifying at the time but turned out to be exactly what you needed?
I think moving from the world of mining where I was an expert to pure strategy consulting which I’d never done before. I think it was my leap of faith.
While I was doing similar things before, this was a brand new world. It’s a cliche but it was a steep learning curve and I live and die by the saying “fake it till you make it”.
5. Tell us about a networking moment that completely surprised you?
Recency bias maybe - but I saw Ponnd on TikTok and I think I just emailed Bella outlining how much I relate to what they are doing and believe in the vision. I shared some of my ideas and it just connected. Now, I am helping the team to build on some of those ideas and see where it all goes.
6. What's something about your career path that people wouldn’t see by looking at your resume?
I feel as though I had a very linear and conventional career path on paper - most geologists start as a graduate in some mine in a remote location where they progress up the ladder with incremental growth every 3-5 years. This requires a lot of adherence to the status quo, respecting the hierarchy, and grunt work in testing conditions.
I think my resume really misses that I wasn’t a great geologist because controversial opinion - I didn’t really like looking at rocks or accepting the status quo. However, I was always a decent strategic thinker not because I am some genius but because… I am lazy. I was able to get more done in the same time as everyone else because I broke every task out into a systematic approach. This led to leaders in most organisations I worked in recognising that my skill wasn’t so much geology but broader problem solving.
I was able to do well (or what I consider well anyway) in my career because I took a leader's problem, broke it down into actionable goals and built a path for them to achieve it. That’s also an incomplete equation because the other half of that skill that took a lot of time to get better at was communicating the solution. My resume also misses that it took a full MBA to perfect effective communication of not only the problem but what the solution can be.
7. What’s a piece of culture (song, film, book, etc.) that’s shaped you?
Growing up for me it had to be the things my dad watched - he’s a massive movie buff. We’d watch a lot of old Indian films, spaghetti westerns etc. and that’s what informs my taste. I remember we watched this movie together called airplane, which I would say is one of my faves and informs my humour.
At the moment, after finishing a project a manager gifted me a book called ‘who moved my cheese?’ It's a book I’ve been thinking about a lot. It’s about dealing and responding to change and not being shy but to seek it. It’s a quick read and yeah it’s kind of that corny only a corporate environment can produce but I still recommend it.
8. Is there anything you're in search of at the moment? If anyone can help, where can they reach you?
I need someone to tell me how they manage having a BAZILLION competing priorities - because I am the point of wishing for a 25th hour in the day. How are y’all getting 8hrs of sleep, working on all the different things you want to achieve. I would love to hear how people manage time.
I am also a pen and paper kind of guy when it comes to this, so please no digital solutions haha.
You can connect with Ash via Ponnd or he’s a self confessed email mans: Aish.khanna@outlook.com.
Hot Takes
Harry Styles & Zoe Kravitz are dating?!
Remi: I’d be shocked if they are “officially” dating if you’re picking up what I’m putting down….but an iconic duo none the less. Zoe Kravitz’s ex line-up is unmatched (also love that I broke this news to Ash per below)
Ash: My algo must be really different because this is how I find out!? My hot take is that I love, love but I really can’t imagine either of them having anything to talk about… sorry do not rate this combo.
Apple has just dropped a heap of new products including the thinnest iPhone ever.
Remi: You know what I would actually like? Bringing back wired headphones with an iPhone purchase. The cycle of me forgetting to charge my AirPods is never ending.
Ash: I am into it, a lot actually - but my favourite iPhone has always been the original SE. It was the perfect size, and with iOS7, phew get out of here. I am of the belief however that Apple as a company died with Johnny Ive leaving - he’s my GOAT.
Meta is now allowing you to post up to 10K characters on threads
Remi: Threads doing the classic throw everything at the wall and see what sticks. My thoughts are with the uprise of Substack & newsletters we are going to see more of the big social media boys try and work out how they can take on that market.
Ash: Wait, people used threads past the day it dropped? Besides Meta/Facebook and traditional social media now being well and truly dead this is just funny. First, who has that much time to read 10k words and second, who has that much to say on a dead platform.
The Murdoch succession fight is over and the eldest boy won.
Remi: My hot take is basically the same as Ash’s (breaking forth wall he wrote his before mine), but I did want to add this amazing opening line for the Guardian:
Ash: I am Kendall sympathiser and he is truly my number one boy. In this case my take is that Lachlan Murdoch won control and the other three got a big pay out (like $1.5 billion USD) so everyone won in the end. I am calling it now this will be a James/Kerry Packer situation and we are about to see NewsCorp implode - I don’t think that Lachlan has the grit or leadership qualities to pull it off.
Reading List
reader notes: We’ve had alot of conversations lately with the return to niche sub cultures and closed group. This article from Kel articulates how these groups drove friendship in the 90’s and hope this makes a comeback.
reader notes: Great for anyone building something big (or that doesn’t exist yet) to help craft your best haters response.
reader notes: Ate this up! All about the economy that is rage-bait in todays social & commentary culture.
Recommendations
Remi
Listen: The Interview with Brene Brown. A big conversation about the label of self-help guru and why she doesn’t prescribe to this, plus she talks alot about her work in professional settings & leadership which I found super interesting.
Do: Earnest from me this week, but after a big personal couple of months I’m feeling v grateful for the support system I have around me so my do is TELL YOUR FRIENDS YOU LOVE EM’
Ash
Listen: I’ve been listening to Dangerous Summer by Yeat over the last few weeks. It might not be everyone’s cup of tea but as a day 1 listener it’s amazing to see how far he’s come with his experimental style - it’s almost perfect. PARTYOF2 is another band I have been going crazy over - start with their latest single, Just Dance 2 (the video for it is 10/10 too).
Do: Take Stock - that’s my ‘do’ for the week. We are already ⅓ of the way through 2025Q4 so it’s a good chance to stop, collate everything (to-dos, wins, lessons learned etc.) over the last 9ish months. So, I will be taking a pause and taking stock and put this year into context.
We’re always experimenting with new formats on Substack and would love your thoughts. Reader input is what helps us craft the most valuable content for you so tell us what your liking and what you’d love to see more of!
As always thank you for tuning in to this weeks dribble.
Big love,
Remi & Bella