Graduate Diploma in Commercial Radio Broadcasting, 2003
Lisa presents Sundays with Lisa Leong on ABC Radio Melbourne and hosts This Working Life on ABC Radio National. She has co-authored with Monique Ross the book This Working Life: How to Navigate Your Career in Uncertain Times.
A former intellectual property, technology and wine lawyer (yes, there is such a thing!), Lisa caught the radio bug in 2001 while based in London. After graduating from the radio program at the Australian Film Television and Radio School, Lisa did a stint on commercial radio stations Hot Tomato on the Gold Coast and SA FM in Adelaide, before joining the ABC presenting the breakfast show for the Eyre Peninsula in South Australia.
After the birth of her daughter, Lisa returned to her hometown Melbourne. Lisa draws on her unique career experiences combined with design thinking and mindfulness practices to bring a fresh approach to conversations and connection. Her work has been the subject of a Harvard Law case study, received numerous awards, and inspired Lisa’s TEDx Melbourne talk ‘Can robots make us more human?’
Described widely in narrow circles as “Asian Aussie Oprah meets (former) SBS’ Jenny Brockie”, Lisa’s superpowers are curiosity, creativity and delivering key messages by way of song.
AFTRS HIGHLIGHT
I have sooo many…perhaps picture this as a montage:
(a) A rowdy, rambunctious, delightfully diverse group of mavens and mavericks, united by a love of radio;
(b) The wonderfully wise yet practical and purposeful head of radio Steve Ahern who peppered us with thought-provoking reflections like: “Who will you be when the On-Air light switches off?”
(c) Show Radio – our live broadcast from the Sydney Royal Easter Show. So much fun!
(d) Last but not least, I met my (now) hubby Darcy Yuille at AFTRS. Our first kiss was in the AFTRS car park. #romantic
CAREER HIGHLIGHT
I am really enjoying presenting Sunday Mornings with Lisa Leong from my hometown Melbourne, plus also creating podcast This Working Life (a weekly show with more soundscape-style production, case studies, narrative voice) for ABC Radio National.
I also combined with Forest Bathing Guide and former ABC journo Monique Ross to co-author a book This Working Life which we released in 2022. I had so much fun writing with Mon, and collaborating with others such as editor Arwen Summers and Little Green, a singer-songwriter who created an original soundtrack for our book – who says only films can have original scores, hey?
I have a portfolio career and I feel that each string in my bow is additive to the other. I am learning from each format and it informs how I am approaching the other one. I am stretching and learning every day – I love that about my career.