The Creative Files with Alex Neilson: Who Are You Without the Job Title?
Welcome to The Creative Files, spotlighting the writers, photographers, community builders, and creative thinkers who are daring to shape their own path. These candid conversations spotlight the non-linear careers, the unexpected pivots, the side quests and passion projects — the kind most of us rarely see on LinkedIn. Discover which rituals and daily habits inspire their best work, what anchors their approach to creativity and where these women turn to for inspiration.
Alex Neilson spent over a decade working for some of the world’s most iconic brands. But her journey to get there was anything but obvious.
In fact, Alex started as a semi-competitive slopestyle skier. But after a few too many concussions and even a torn ACL, she hung up her boots and found the next best thing: joining the brand marketing teams at Red Bull and Quiksilver (followed by three years leading ANZ marketing at Squarespace).
Working in corporate initially seemed like a “safe”, sensible move. But after facing multiple restructures and redundancies, the traditional path no longer felt viable (or rewarding). And so she decided to take matters into her own hands and build a portfolio career instead.
Today, Alex wears two hats: a brand marketing consultant for ambitious tech and consumer brands, and the founder of Out Of Office (a community for professionals feeling disengaged at work).
In the first edition of The Creative Files, Alex shares what it really feels like to lose yourself in a job title, why she sees the traditional 9-5 as the riskier career path, and the auto-rejection email that finally made her back herself.
Q. Tell us who you are and what you do, but skip the LinkedIn version. What's the real story of how you ended up here?
“It’s funny, I had never planned on starting my own business. I remember sitting in a university class, and the lecturer asked everyone who wanted to start their own business to raise their hand. About 70% of the room did; I wasn’t one of them."
“When I started my career, I was just so excited to work for cool brands and work my way up the ladder. For me, that was really what success would look like.” — Alex Neilson
Once I got into the corporate space, despite working for some really great companies, I found that the same pattern would repeat itself. I’d love it at the start, but then, after a couple of years, something would change: a restructure, a toxic culture, or poor leadership. I’d go from loving my job to loathing my job. I became increasingly disengaged, but I felt guilty about it because I thought I should feel ‘lucky’ to be in the roles that I had.
The more that I spoke with friends and colleagues about it, the more I realised that I wasn’t alone. That’s when the idea for Out Of Office really came to life. I wanted to create a community for disengaged corporate professionals where we share real, honest conversations about what it’s actually like to build a career (so pretty much: the opposite of what you see on LinkedIn).”
Q. What does a creative day actually look like for you: the conditions, the rituals, the habits and the way you do your best thinking?
“Now that I work for myself, this has definitely been a challenge. I was so used to the routine and structure that working in corporate provides, in the first couple of months of going out on my own, I procrastinated a ton.
Now (~6 months in), I’ve found a really nice balance. I’m definitely a type A personality, so organisation and structure are key for me to be creative. I normally organise my week on the Friday before and plan out each day. I try to have 1-2 key things to focus on each day and allocate time to each task (I’m a big fan of time blocking).
I’m most creative in the mornings, so I tend to slot in any creative ideation where I can, and leave any less exciting tasks (e.g., Xero reconciliation) to the afternoons.
That being said, I also find that my best ideas come to me when they’re not planned and I’m off doing something else. I’ll often jot down a reminder on my iPhone, then add it to a Google Doc where I dump all my ideas. I also get a lot of inspiration from browsing on social, so I have a ton of different folders on Instagram and Pinterest to save any great ideas or content that I’m loving.”
Q. What's something you've completely changed your mind about in the last year? Could be something about your craft, your work, or the industry you're in?
“That going out on your own is risky and working a 9-5 is the safer option. It’s not to say that starting your own business isn’t without risk. But for so long, I think we were taught that you should do well in school, get a degree, land a job and work your way up the ladder.
“But I think we’re really living through a shift in the corporate space right now, and I no longer see a 9-5 as the safer option. In the past few years, we’ve seen record highs in layoffs (particularly in the tech sector), and I actually think you’re carrying much more risk if your job security and income are tied to one employer (vs. diversifying this across multiple employers or clients).” — Alex Neilson
Going out on your own might mean you take a step back at first, but in the long run, you have so much more control over your salary and earnings potential (and not to mention way more flexibility).”
Q. You've written about being "Alex from Red Bull," then "Alex from Squarespace", and then getting laid off and suddenly just being Alex. What did that actually feel like, and how long did it take to figure out who Alex was without the brand attached?
“Getting laid off in September was unlike anything I’ve experienced before. When it happened, I was in shock. The week before, I’d been deep in planning for 2026 and was looking up flights for a team onsite in New York the following month. You feel a bit betrayed (not to mention angry), because it feels like all of the work and extra effort you put in over the years just didn’t matter.
It’s hard too because I’ve always prided myself on the brands that I’d worked for. I’d been incredibly selective about where I wanted to work throughout my career, choosing brands that I felt were most aligned with my personal values and passions in life.
It wasn’t until reading All The Cool Girls Get Fired a few months later that I realised just how much of my personal identity I’d attached to my job, and how easy it is to lose yourself in this.
Our individual experience, skills and personality are what make us unique in the workplace, and when you leave, you take all of those with you. So that’s really what I've been thinking about and how I’m approaching my work moving forward.
Q. You spent three months after being laid off applying for roles before realising you were spending all your energy backing someone else's business instead of your own. What was the moment you decided to back yourself, and what finally gave you the courage to actually bring Out Of Office to life?
“I was finding I wasn’t super inspired about any of the roles that I saw advertised back then. My first reaction was mainly ‘ugh’ when I read a job ad (which gives you a good indication of how I felt about full-time work in general), but I applied anyway because I thought it was what I should do.
Unsurprisingly, I didn’t have much luck with applications. I was spending so much time pulling together (what I thought) were quality applications, but the jobs I did land interviews for didn’t feel aligned with where I wanted to go, and for the jobs I did like the look of, I didn’t land interviews for.
The final straw was when I got an auto-rejection from a role that looked identical to the one I’d just done (and finally felt really excited about). I was so frustrated that was really the moment that made me flick the (excuse my French!) ‘f*** this’ switch and change course.
On reflection, I’m actually relieved that they rejected me because I think I was using full-time work as a bit of an excuse to delay me in launching Out Of Office and doing the scary thing.
“After my layoff last year, I promised myself that I would never put myself in a position where I would be another line on a spreadsheet (with my income solely in the hands of the one employer), so I realised that moving into part-time consulting (alongside growing Out Of Office) would be a much better option for me and where I’m headed.” — Alex Neilson
Q. What are you obsessed with right now? Give us your current hits.
“A few hits that I’ve been loving lately:
Something I’ve read: Career Comedown by Stef Sword-Williams. I’m such a fan of Stef’s work. She created F*** Being Humble (which is all about being unapologetically confident), and this book is all about what to do when work isn’t working for you anymore. It’s honest, funny and just so relatable.
Somewhere I’ve been: The Dolomites. Holy shit. I’ve been fortunate to ski in many places throughout my life (I have an unhealthy addiction to all things snow-related). This is by far the most incredible place I’ve ever skied. Breathtaking views. Italian food. Cute rifugios mid-ski run for Aperol Spritz. Runs where you ski past waterfalls and get towed by horses. Need I say more?
Someone to follow:Xanthe Appleyard. Not only is her content *chef’s kiss* from a design perspective, but it’s also just so fun and engaging to read. Even her emails (which for most brands tend to be pretty boring) are full of personality, and it feels like you’re chatting with a close friend the whole time.”
Want to follow Alex’s journey?
If Alex's story resonated, here's where to find her:
Join the Out Of Office community
Work with her at alexandraneilson.com
Connect with her on LinkedIn