Dynamic Duos: When Sydney and Melbourne collide
This week on Dynamic Duos, Social Soup's chief executive officer, Sharyn Smith, and head of growth and partnerships, Cara Norris, break down how they met; Social Soup's first major Melbourne event; and reveal what unlikely location is their second office.
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.
Sharyn Smith:
When Cara joined the business six years ago, we were looking for someone in Melbourne who had the right connections and could work independently to build Social Soup’s presence there. We’d had a few failed attempts in Melbourne in the past with people who didn’t have the connections or the entrepreneurial spirit to work independently to drive things forward. Quite quickly I realised just how well-connected and loved Cara was in the media industry of Melbourne – whenever we met people they were pleased to see her despite the fact she was often there to sell them something! People buy from people they like, and Cara was someone people could quickly trust and who would deliver on her promises.
She also has such a fun and positive approach to life and work. Cara puts a lot of her personality into her work and always has a story or personal anecdote to share which breaks down barriers and builds rapport so very quickly. Plus, she isn’t afraid of bringing the whole person to every situation and people appreciate her well-rounded approach.
Cara stepping up and into the role as head of growth across all markets after coming back from maternity leave has created a huge shift for the business; it’s been so amazing to see Cara have the space to flourish and really make it her own.
She has also faced some huge challenges in her life recently and it’s been so impressive to see her become stronger as a mother, colleague and leader in the industry. I think that takes real courage, strength and resilience.
Cara Norris:
I first met Sharyn during my job interview with her at Social Soup over six years ago. I had to fly to Sydney for the interview and was so nervous at the time. Of course, I did my research with some Google and LinkedIn stalking of Sharyn beforehand which led me to feel truly impressed by her achievements at Social Soup – being at the forefront of word of mouth and influencer marketing before anyone was really doing it (before influencers themselves!).
Following the interview, I instantly knew that Social Soup was the place for me. I went away feeling that she was someone I could learn a lot from; a highly intelligent and a creative mind. Knowing that she was coming from a research background, it honestly did make me feel a bit intimidated (in a good way), as she was someone who would challenge the norm and add a new perspective. However, on my second day at the company, she asked me to come out for a drink with her and I quickly realised how down-to-earth and approachable she was. She was genuinely interested in my experience and what I could bring to the business to move it forward.
Throughout my years at Social Soup, Sharyn has always been someone I can turn to. She has a hands-on approach, making her easily accessible for anything. Our relationship has been built on trust and mutual respect and, as you can imagine over six years, I have had lots of ups and downs across both my professional and personal life from navigating the business and pivoting through COVID to becoming a mum. Sharyn has always been very supportive through all these moments and someone I can talk to and who can listen.
This year, I have been lucky enough to work more closely with Sharyn as part of the Leadership Team and it has been an incredible learning experience. She is regularly down in Melbourne supporting me and during those visits we always have a busy calendar! It means we work hard, always have back-to-backs, but we also have fun while doing it. At the end of the day, that’s what matter most.
Sharyn on Cara:
Most memorable moment with Cara: It was definitely putting on our first big event in Melbourne with over 100 clients at The Commons. Cara pulled everything together and managed to get the room filled with people, all while managing the event by herself as the only Social Soup person in the Melbourne market. It was probably at this time those years ago I realised what a force of nature Cara could be. She also looks pretty good in a power suit just bringing the vibes!
Best word to describe her: Positive.
Most annoying habit or endearing behaviour she has: Following on from the above, it’s her positivity and how she is able to find the lighter side of most situations. I don’t think I’ve ever seen much rattle Cara as she is always able to navigate situations with clients, creators and the team with such grace and the ability to keep moving forward with positive momentum. The most endearing part is the fact Cara doesn’t need to force this, as it just comes so naturally to her personality and approach to life.
Cara on Sharyn:
Most memorable moment with Sharyn: Most recently, as Sharyn regularly comes down to Melbourne, we have some great moments together but my favourites are being on the road and having to do conference calls in the car because we have so many meetings – my Mazda is now known as our second office!
Best word to describe her: Creative.
Most annoying habit or endearing behaviour she has: Indecisive food choices just before we are ready to go to a meeting.
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Lauren McNamara was the associate editor at Mumbrella. She joined in November 2022 as editorial assistant, after completing a Bachelor of Communications (Journalism) at UTS. She left Mumbrella in August 2025.
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