In Dynamic Duos, Mumbrella each week asks two colleagues with a professional and personal affiliation to share with readers the importance of workplace relationships in an increasingly hybridised world of work.

Erin Fraser:

Nate and I have been working together at Bench Media for three years. We first met when he joined the strategy team, then the accounts team, as an account manager, and I was tasked with onboarding him. As anyone who has worked in an agency knows, relationships are forged in the fire of complex briefs, impossible deadlines, and the ever-shifting nature of our industry. Ours was no different.

What began as shared thinking around how we approach work quickly evolved into deeper conversations — about the state of the industry, how we might do things differently, and what better could look like. Before long, we were talking about our lives beyond work: our interests, our values, and the experiences that shaped who we are.

One of those conversations led us to the wild realisation that Nate had worked with my brother years before. That serendipitous connection only deepened the sense that Nate wasn’t just a workmate, he was part of my world.

When I went on parental leave, Nate, along with our colleague Seb, became my lifeline to the adult world. He’d check in regularly, share what was happening at work, and more importantly, hold space for conversations that didn’t revolve around sleep schedules and feeding routines. I’m not sure he’ll ever fully understand how much that meant to me in a time when my identity felt like it was being rewritten. Nate reminded me of who I was beyond the baby.

Our relationship is rooted in friendship, and I think that’s what makes it strong. We understand what drives each other, and for me, I deeply value the way Nate challenges me........

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