In Episode 8, Matt sits down with Pamela Naidoo-Ameglio, a geologist whose career spans the deepest gold mines of South Africa, diamond mining operations, platinum mine negotiations, copper block caves, BHP technology, and ultimately running Australia's only nuclear reactor at ANSTO.
Pamela is the first scientist and first non-engineer to appear on Full Send Engineering. Her story is one of relentless curiosity, calculated courage, and proving that the right leader can walk into any room, even one they have never been in before.
From navigating a salary negotiation where miners had held management hostage underground the previous year, to founding Women in Mining South Africa, to peering over the edge of the OPAL reactor and seeing the Cherenkov glow, Pamela shares what it really takes to back yourself, especially when that voice in your head tells you not to.
Timestamps[00:00:00] Welcome to Episode 8
[00:03:00] Have You Ever Doubted Yourself?
[00:05:00] Growing Up and Falling for Rocks
[00:07:00] Finding a Path Without a Map
[00:09:00] First Steps Underground: The Deep Gold Mines
[00:11:00] A Fatality, a Fault, and a Turning Point
[00:13:00] How a Geologist Reads Rock and Keeps People Safe
[00:16:00] What It Is Actually Like Underground
[00:19:00] The Sound Underground
[00:21:00] Diamond Mining: What It Is Really Like
[00:25:00] Diamond Security and Homing Pigeons
[00:26:00] Block Caving Explained
[00:28:00] North Parks and the Copper Porphyry Dream
[00:29:00] The Salary Negotiation Where Miners Had Held Management Hostage
[00:31:00] Why She Was the Right Person in the Room
[00:34:00] Women Underground in South Africa
[00:36:00] Moving to Australia: A Surprising Culture Shock
[00:38:00] What Leadership Actually Means
[00:41:00] When to Walk and When to Keep Going
[00:43:00] Backing Yourself Means Knowing When to Stop
[00:44:00] The Pivot to Technology at BHP
[00:45:00] BHP: Iron Ore, Automation, and Non-Process Infrastructure
[00:46:00] Two Redundancies and What She Did With Them
[00:50:00] Consulting, Training, and a New Idea
[00:51:00] Founding Women in Mining South Africa
[00:53:00] The Nuclear Question: Why Would You Say Yes?
[00:55:00] Building Credibility When You Are Still Learning
[00:59:00] What the OPAL Reactor Actually Looks Like
[01:01:00] Open Days and What the Reactor Does
[01:06:00] Boards, Governance, and Getting Involved
[01:09:00] Exige: Drone Geophysics
[01:11:00] Follow the Interest, Not the Money
[01:12:00] Advice for Anyone Doubting Themselves
[01:13:00] Closing and Full Send Gift
Additional Resources
Website: fullsendengineering.com
Email Matt: matt@fullsendengineering.com
Connect with Pamela on LinkedIn
Learn more about ANSTO and the OPAL Reactor: ansto.gov.au
Learn more about Women in Mining South Africa: wimsa.co.za
Have you ever said yes to a role you did not feel ready for? What happened and what did you learn?
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