Sandra Simpson is a storyteller at heart. She trained as a journalist in the Czech Republic – in the Czech language — and never imagined those skills would transfer to a life on the other side of the world.

Before moving to Australia, she held what she describes as her dream job: Director of Communications at Czech Railways, overseeing internal publications and editorial content for thousands of employees.

But life had other plans.

She met her now-husband Gavin (an Aussie) in Barcelona, and the move to Australia happened quickly.

“Gavin didn’t even know that I would decide. So I took the risk. And I told him, ‘This is what’s happening, Gavin… I’m a woman with a plan, and she knows how to execute.”


She moved to Brisbane and started over, never imagining her journalism background would transfer. “I never thought I’d be able to do the same job ever. And now here I am 15 years later, and I’m proving it is possible.”

Turning jargon into journeys

Today, Sandra leads Hark Communications, a Brisbane-based creative agency that helps technically minded organisations, including those sectors like defence and manufacturing, to clarify their message and tell their story. It’s probably no coincidence that Sandra’s strength lies in making complex ideas clear and relatable.  After all, she had to translate her own career into another language.

That experience laid the groundwork for what she does so well now.

Beyond messaging, Sandra and her team often become long-term partners in strategy, helping clients shape not just what they say, but how they grow.

“We try and take it a little bit further and help with pretty much everything marketing-related. We almost cross over into business development — and that’s what I really like about it. I’m originally a journalist and I always find different angles and different opportunities.”

Trusting her intution

Sandra admits that one of the biggest shifts in leadership has been learning to trust herself, even when it feels counter to what logic might suggest.

“I’m very intuitive as a person, and I always try to stop myself. I put on my rational brain and try to explain to myself that what I’m feeling isn’t actually the right thing — that I should be looking at things logically. And it just doesn’t work. So I have to trust my intuition. And it’s probably a journey for everyone.”

She’s a big believer in gut instinct, and balancing data with emotional intelligence when making decisions.

You don’t need to be the expert

Like many new leaders, Sandra wrestled with the pressure of feeling like she should be the expert in everything.

“It’s something that I’m always conscious of. I always think that I need to be the expert. And it’s actually not true. You can learn absolutely anything. You just need to have the ability and time to read and talk to people.”

Instead of trying to know it all, Sandra has learned to ask better questions. She was, after all, already surrounded by experts.

“That’s something that I think is super important. Ask people for help or ask people to explain what they are good at… most of our customers are defence experts; some of them served, so they know defence very well. And I felt like, ‘I’m going to be doing marketing, communicating your story, but I haven’t served myself — maybe I’m not the right person to do that?’

But it doesn’t really matter… you just need to have people who help you around and who give you the right information, and that’s good enough.”

Best investment? Hiring the right first full-timer

For Sandra, one of the most transformative steps in her business journey was hiring her first full-time employee — Andrea.

“Andrea is our senior account manager. And she is officially my first full-time employee ever. I was very concerned about making this change because I started the business and had a few people — a few casuals.

That decision, Sandra says, unlocked a new level of growth — and clarity.

“We wouldn’t be able to grow, or do good business, without making that shift. Andrea is the complete opposite of me — structured, organised, extremely efficient, and very sophisticated. She uses AI to the next level and brought a completely different perspective to the business.

This was the best investment. And I should’ve done it earlier.”

The real weight of leadership

Hiring a team was a turning point, but it also came with unexpected responsibility.

“The responsibility of having staff, and being able to pay their wages every week… it’s much heavier than I realised.”

It’s not just about cash flow. It’s about care — knowing your decisions directly impact the people who’ve trusted you with their livelihood.

Advice to her 18-year-old self

“I would say — have more fun.

“Because I do everything with 100% commitment and I work really hard, but I sometimes forget to have fun. And it is just so important…because it’s contagious. People love to have fun. And that’s what I quite often tell my team.

“We work really hard to deliver for our customers, and it’s a lot of work involved. But what people actually love about marketing and communications is that it’s a bit of fun; it’s not brain surgery.

“It’s valuable, of course…but it needs to be fun. That’s my recipe. And that would be my advice for myself.”

Would 18 year-old Sandra have listened?

“Probably not,” she laughs. “I was taking things quite seriously. But I did have fun… I studied journalism, and we spent days and nights sitting in dingy cafes, drinking red wine and smoking cigarettes, talking about philosophy and religion.”

“So yeah — just more fun”

Catch Risky Business, Episode 7 featuring Sandra Simpson below: