In this episode of The Mindful CIO Podcast, Nathalie Heynderickx sits down with Miranda Ratajski, CIO of Group Business Units at Westpac. With a career spanning 25+ years across global industries, Miranda is recognised for her transformative leadership and her advocacy for diversity and psychological safety in tech.

Miranda opens up about her unlikely leadership training — managing 80 teenage girls at Coles as a teen herself — and how that experience shaped her understanding of empathy, communication, and self-awareness.

A core focus of the conversation is healthy culture, one of the four pillars of the Mindful CIO Manifesto. Miranda shares how she fosters psychological safety across Westpac, using skip-level meetings, feedback forums, and inclusive listening techniques to ensure every voice is heard — especially those less inclined to speak up.

She also talks about her self-care practices, including teaching yoga, walking her dogs mindfully, and allowing herself the grace of imperfection. Her honest take on managing energy — not just time — offers valuable insight for leaders navigating complexity.

Miranda reflects on her role in advancing diversity at Westpac, where she sponsors the Diversity in Tech and Accessibility programs. She discusses the success of the “Empower Up” returnship for women re-entering the workforce and Westpac’s long-standing leadership in gender and inclusion. Her mindset: diversity is not optional — it’s a non-negotiable.

On the topic of non-technical challenges, Miranda addresses the real work of prioritisation. From managing competingdemands to knowing when to say no, she offers practical strategies grounded in purpose, transparency, and courage.

She closes with a reminder that true leadership isn’t about doing more — it’s about doing what matters, sustainably. And her favourite quote from Dr. Seuss says it all: “Today you are you. That is truer than true. There is no one alive who is youer than you.”

🎬 IN OUR EPISODE:

00:00 – Introduction to the Mindful CIO Podcast

01:00 – Meet Miranda Ratajski: CIO at Westpac

03:00 – Early Lessons in Leadership: Managing 80 Teenage Girls

04:50 – The Mindful CIO Manifesto and Building a Healthy Culture

07:20 – Creating Psychological Safety and Diverse Spaces

09:00 – What COVID Taught Me About Energy and Inclusion

10:20 – Self-Care Routines, Yoga Practice, and Being Present

13:00 – Compassionate Leadership and the Inner Critic

15:00 – Great Leadership Role Models: Authenticity, Integrity & Vision

18:00 – The Power of Empowerment and Situational Leadership

20:00 – Early Resilience: Family, Education and Belief