In this conversation with Dr Paul Harrison, Director of the Deakin MBA, student Daniela Fra reflects on her journey of balancing MBA studies with work and life commitments. She discusses the lessons she’s learned about prioritisation, the challenges she’s faced, and how she maintains balance throughout.
Paul Harrison: Thanks, Daniela, for agreeing to do this. What motivated you to pursue an MBA, and why did you choose the Deakin program?
Daniela Fra: The main motivation really was just to expand my learning. I felt there were a few gaps in my knowledge in business as a whole, even though I work in a business setting. I just felt that by having a bit more knowledge and understanding in those areas, it would really help further my opportunities now, and I guess in the future. Why Deakin? Well, I think, for me it didn’t matter which location because it’s online. But what really made Deakin stand out was that it had different learning options. So not only did you have traditional semester or trimester learning online, but you had the intensives, the residentials and the study tours. [I’m interested in] the stackable courses, too, which I’m going to dive into next year and try. I liked the options to better try to work around my life, really.
Paul: What’s something surprising you’ve learned about yourself since starting the MBA?
Daniela: I guess there’s a few things. I mean, probably that I can retain and apply a lot more of what I learned than I thought, and apply it quickly in practice, in a commercial setting that I work in. And being able to prioritise. Not that I couldn’t before, but I really feel like I’ve had to learn how well I can prioritise from it. So, there are some tactical skills I guess I’ve learned.
Paul: Can you expand on how you’ve learned to prioritise?
Daniela: I think it comes down to being able to take the learning and understanding of whatever the concept is or the thought, and applying it in two parts. One is the physical content of a subject you might be learning about, and [two] then being able to pull out those key elements that are going to make the biggest impact. They’re the things that I should focus on and not necessarily try to get every single bit of detail, even though I’m naturally drawn to that. So, it’s being able to go, ‘Okay, of all this detail, what’s the big thing? Prioritise that. Learn, understand that, apply that.’ And then, from a more practical sense, it’s prioritising how I spend my time on study versus my work versus my life. And being able to juggle that as well. You start to rationalise how you can still take the benefit of all of it but make sure there’s time for everything.
Paul: Great. What’s your go-to way to unwind when the workload gets intense?
Daniela: Get out there in nature. Be near the water. For me, it’s like I could just sit on the edge of the water and just breathe and have fresh air. That is a huge way to help me switch off for a few minutes. It’s either that or going for a run and doing a bit of exercise. Movement is really important. Those are my two main things.
Paul: How often do you need to do that?
Daniela: Like all the time, every single day. I pretty much exercise every day, like six days a week, I’ll do proper physical exercise. But I will go out for a walk every day. If I’m in the middle of intense work and it’s getting too much, I’ll literally pop myself up, walk to the end of the street, sit by the water for five or ten minutes, and walk back. That will be enough to do it.
Paul: So, the water is at the end of your street?
Daniela: I’m really lucky. If I come out and go left, I’ve got Rose Bay, so I can literally go and sit just on the edge of the bay. And if I walk 15 to 20 minutes the other way, it’s on Bondi beach. So, I’m plunked right in the middle of the two. I don’t want to leave the area if I can avoid it.
Paul: Living the Aussie dream!
Daniela: Location-wise, yes, I would say so. It’s gorgeous, very calming. So, I do love it.
Paul: How has the MBA program helped shape or change your life goals?
Daniela: The big thing is that I’ve just gotten much more clarity on what a role might look like, or what my direction in my career may look like. And, funnily enough, the role that I’ve just stepped into is in part because of this. I’ve been able to take it from just a big idea of things I like and want to do… Being able to pull it into, ‘Here’s a role. Here’s what I want to focus on.’ Sell it to the business, be able to get it over the line. And the thought behind that was because that’s ultimately long-term where I want to go outside of this business and, therefore, I’m starting the path to get there. So, I feel like I’ve got clarity, and I’ve got the confidence that I can achieve it and also define and get to where I need to be because of the MBA.
Paul: You mentioned that your new role is Head of Strategy and Innovation? Do you think the work you have done in the MBA helped you to refine this role?
Daniela: Yes, definitely. I always thought I wanted to focus on strategy but couldn’t articulate what that might mean for the business I’m in now or in my future career or roles. The MBA provided me with an awareness and understanding of what this looks like, and could be, and clarity to help define my new role.
Paul: How do you balance the demands of the program with your personal and professional life?
Daniela: You don’t always get it quite right. But planning and being organised helps a lot. You need to map out what you need to get done, how they’re going to look, and how much time you’ve got. That’s been pretty crucial. And then having balance—exercise, time with family and friends, rest, and fun—along with working hard on the MBA program and work. Without that mix, it doesn’t work well for me.
Paul: I’ve noticed you’ve often done single units at a time. Did that worry you? That you couldn’t get it done quickly.
Daniela: To be honest, before I joined the MBA, it’s one of the few things in my life that I took a long time to think about before deciding to jump in. I’m the type of person who would have wanted to smash it out in as short a time as possible, but I had to be pragmatic and ask myself, ‘Can I do this without losing parts of my life that I value?’ So, I made a conscious decision before joining that [doing] one subject at a time is okay. This year’s been tough because I’ve deferred a couple of subjects, which made me feel like I wouldn’t finish for a while. But I thought, ‘What’s important? How does this work with my life?’ My compromise is to do one subject this year, the residential intensive, and that’s progress. If it takes me an extra two years, that’s okay.
Paul: I love that you’re asking yourself, ‘What’s a way to resolve this at the moment?’. You’re choosing to live a little bit in the moment as and coming to terms with ‘this is what I can do now, who knows what next year will bring?’
Daniela: Yes, you have to wait and see and give it a go. And if I have to change something, I change something, then keep going.
Paul: Can you describe a significant challenge you’ve faced during your MBA and how you overcame it?
Daniela: Yes… Life changes happen around everything else. There was a combination of that and making the call to defer and prioritise life and my health over study in the short term. That was a big challenge. The other challenge was the pressure I put on myself to achieve or do the study at a certain level. I’ve had to work out a happy medium, but that’s a constant internal battle.
Paul: What do you think about the role of extrinsic factors in the MBA? Even the results you get are an extrinsic indicator [of your performance]. It’s outside of your control to some degree. Yet, it feels like you’ve had to accept that it’s okay. Even though all MBA students are high-achieving people, sometimes just getting through is still an achievement.
Daniela: Yes, I have to check myself all the time. For example, I did the pre-reading for the residential, and I was reading every word, every detail, going off and trying to dive into stuff and read it. At one point, I thought, ‘This is going to take me three months!’ So, I had to challenge myself to read the content, let it sit, then focus on the things that stick out. You have to work out a different way and be okay with not getting everything perfect. It’s about finding a balance and getting the value from the learning without overloading yourself.
Paul: What’s a book, podcast, or show you’re currently obsessed with?
Daniela: Don’t judge me—it’s a reality show, Love is Blind.
Paul: No judgement.
Daniela: And the reason why? Because I thought about this, I was like, ‘Why am I getting sucked into this?’ It’s really intrigues me as you watch people get to know and understand each other when you remove some of their senses. You remove that physical appearance piece in the first instance, and so it’s about, how do they build that connection and start to learn? Listen, and understand without all of those things they normally have in front of them. It intrigues me how they connect through like the mind and other features and the things that they learn [about each other]. So, it’s kind of a human behaviour thing for me.
Paul: If you could take a year off, what would you do?
Daniela: Definitely travel. I would travel a lot, particularly, I’d probably go live in Italy for a few months just to rebuild my language skills. They’re fading so rapidly. I used to be able to speak [Italian] so well. It’s just going so I could spend time with my family. But then, you know, outside of that, the bigger thing would be just relax, spend time with friends and family. Literally just exist. And just, yeah, enjoy life.
Paul: What’s something you’ve always wanted to try but haven’t had the chance to?
Daniela: Also, really random and funny. Indoor rock climbing.
Paul: Not random at all. It seems perfectly reasonable. Tell me why.
Daniela: Well, I love anything physical and challenging from that perspective. I think I got a little bit obsessed with it when the Olympics were on, and they were doing the speed climbing. … not that I want to do speed climbing. But it was just like, you know what? That just looks like a really great physical activity that uses your mind and your body. And I think for me, I thought that could be a really good, different thing to try.
Paul: Looking back, what advice would you give to someone starting their MBA journey?
Daniela: I’d say, if you’re unsure, embrace it. Be curious, and jump in. I think learning is always valuable. Outside of that, it would just be to stay connected. Talk to lots of people about the unit content, about the process, about how it’s all coming together for you. Yeah, and that will help you kind of continue to get through it once you’re in it.
Paul: Have you formed good networks in the MBA?
Daniela: I’ve definitely made good connections that I stay close with. As you go through the program, you reconnect with people more, but outside of that, the MBA has made me better at networking in general. I can talk to anyone; I’m not a shy person, but in professional settings, I used to struggle to take surface-level conversations further. Now, I’m getting better at that, because I’m being pushed into situations with people from different industries. It’s helped me create that space to improve. So yes, I’ve made some lovely connections, both personally and professionally.
Paul: You did the study tour, you’re about to do the residential, and you’ve done some units online. Can you explain the different kinds of experiences and how they’ve helped you?
Daniela: Sure. The standard online learning is really good. It’s structured, and everything is available to you. It’s flexible, so you can jump in, watch recordings, and learn at your own pace. But the downside is you don’t get the physical, one-on-one interaction you get in something like a study tour or residential.
The study tour was fabulous for two reasons. First, I thrive on in-person interaction and learning. As a mature-age student, online learning isn’t how I studied before, so having people to talk to, share stories, and learn from was amazing. Second, going into real-life businesses, seeing them in practice, and getting their perspectives—whether from different cultures or industries—made the learning really stick. That’s what I find so valuable.
And the residential, I’m making a hypothesis here because I haven’t it yet, but I think the in-person learning is really going to tick a box for me. I feel like I’ll get a lot of value from it. Strangely, I think I’m someone who works well under pressure—I can cram a fair bit in and still take a lot away from it, because I’ll be giving 110% of my focus.
During the semester, when I’m doing things online, I have moments of focus, but there’s a lot of other stuff going on around me, as we all do. So, it takes discipline to stay on track. I like the idea of deep diving and fully immersing myself, and I feel like I’ll retain a lot more from that kind of experience.
Paul: Living the Deakin MBA dream. Make it your MBA!
Daniela: Like you asked me before, why did I choose Deakin? It’s because it works for me. I need to try all these options [to] see if they work for me. And if they don’t, I have the traditional trimesters, and I can do those.
Paul: Fantastic. It’s been great to talk to you Dani and to see you again. Thank you so much for your time.
Paul’s perspective
It’s clear from my conversation with Daniela that she has learned to approach her MBA journey in a thoughtful and pragmatic way. Because of life changes, she has decided not to race through the program, but to let it play out and balance study with the demands of her personal and professional life. What stood out for me was that she was able to find value in every aspect of her experience of the MBA; embracing the opportunities and having agency over her decisions, whether it was through the flexibility of the online learning platform, the exciting experience and insights from the international study tour, or her anticipation of the residential. What I really enjoyed about my conversation with Dani was that her approach to the MBA was as much about the process as it is about achieving the end goal. It was such a pleasure to catch up with her again, having spent time with her on the MBA study tour in 2023.
Daniela Fra
With 20 years in health and pharmaceuticals, Daniela Fra is a strategic marketer skilled in driving growth through innovation, market segmentation, and consumer insights. Formerly Head of Marketing ANZ at Care Pharmaceuticals, she now serves as Head of Strategy & Innovation, focused on expanding business opportunities and fostering transformative growth.