Behind the desks of successful women: Sally Obermeder & Maha Koraiem

In the lead up to our biggest event of the year, we’re taking a peek behind the desks of the influential women speaking at 9 to Thrive (in just two weeks time! Have you got your ticket yet?). We ask them everything from how much coffee they drink to their best productivity hacks to how many tabs they have open on their computers right now. We kicked the series off with beauty entrepreneur, Eleanor Pendleton and next up are SWIISH co-founders and sisters, Sally Obermeder & Maha Koraiem.

What does your workspace look like?

It’s very white! When we first started SWIISH we rented half of the office from a finance business and everything was brown. Brown carpet, brown desks and cream walls; it was awful! So as we expanded and eventually rented the whole space, we did a renovation and made everything white. White floorboards, white desks, white walls, white chairs! We’re lucky that we have a huge window that lets in a lot of natural light so the space is bright and happy.

We have inspirational and motivational quotes framed on the walls as well as a huge clothes rack with all the current and upcoming fashion for our online store. You’ll always find flowers, candles and coffee at SWIISH HQ! We spend so much time here so we wanted to make it as comfortable and as happy as we possibly could.

Can you describe it in 3 words?

Bright, collaborative, inspiring.

sally obermeder

What’s one thing that’s always on your desk/in your office?

Our Super Green Superfood Powder. If we need a pick-me-up at any time during the day, this is our number one go-to.

How many tabs do you have open on your computer?

Oh. My. God. You do not want to know!! OK we’ll tell you.

Sally – 64 … AAAAHHHH. I always leave them open and I tend to have a few projects on the go and I hate closing them down because usually I’ve delved deep online to find what I need and I’m never really sure I’ll be able to find it again.

Maha – 8 … I hate having loads of tabs open. It makes me stressed just looking at it. I open what I need, use it and then close them down. I think Sal’s system slows down your computer and your brain.

What’s the weirdest thing on your desk right now?

Maha – I keep a kilo of sweet cherry tomatoes on my desk because I snack on them all day. Some people (ahem, Sally) say it’s a weird obsession, but I just think it’s a healthy habit, ha! The team even gave me cherry tomatoes for my birthday.

Sally – Maha may have 1kg of cherry tomatoes, but I have 1kg of crunchy Pic’s Peanut Butter. It’s my go-to snack and I have it on everything from crackers to celery and apples. I also weirdly have SWEAT Ankle Weights for the odd occasion I do a workout at my desk, haha!

What apps can’t you live without?

Sally – I can’t live without Stocard, which is an app that stores all the details for your loyalty and reward cards. Before I downloaded Stocard, I was that woman at the shops that had two wallets – one for my everyday bankcards and money and another entire clutch that used to house all my loyalty cards. I’d be the one at the checkout holding everyone up while I found the card I needed so this has actually changed the way I shop and it’s made my handbag about 10 kilos lighter hahaha.

I love Canva for making fun Instagram Stories because they have the best templates that make it look like a graphic designer has created them but actually it’s just this clever little app and me. I use Last Pass to remember all my passwords, banking details and addresses etc., which makes online shopping so much easier and more efficient (ha, don’t tell Marcus I said that!). I use Lux It, which is a brilliant app that lets you book beauty services directly to your home. They can do anytime between 7am and 10pm, which is so convenient for me because I don’t need to leave the house with Annabelle and Elyssa to get hair and makeup done. I use Calm to practice meditation and Voice Memos to record emails, text messages, ideas, articles, you name it!

sally obermeder

Maha – Besides the usuals (Instagram, Facebook, etc.), I love Unfold for making beautiful Instagram Stories and Spotify to listen to Coldplay, Mumford and Sons and Guns N’ Roses on repeat! Driver’s Note is a fab app that is like an automatic car logbook. It tracks how many kilometres you drive, where you go and the purpose of your trip and then it turns all of that information into a spreadsheet or PDF file so it’s so handy when it’s tax time and your accountant asks for your dreaded log books. I used to break out in a sweat when they’d ask me, but now I can just hand over the spreadsheet from Driver’s Note.

Productive is an app that I use to help organise my life and to build habits. You put in your habit, how often you’d like to do that habit and then it tracks it and gives you little gold stars when you complete it each time. It’s all about creating a simple routine that’s low-stress and easy to stick to. And lastly, Eat Club has to be one of my favourite apps! It shows you nearby restaurants that have spare tables and are offering last minute deals. Most deals are usually 20-30% off so you end up getting quite a good discount!