Knotch connected with John Ville, Editorial Director at Atlassian, for our "Own Your Voice" series to hear his story, and to learn what drives John in his career.

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Where did your story begin?

In boring suburban London in the 1970s. The youngest of 4, I pretty much lazed my way through school and college. I ended up in a very junior position on a men's style magazine just as the popularity of lad's mags exploded in the UK.

What was a pivotal life moment where your story changed?

The birth of my first child, Jeanie. I realized that if I wanted to spend more time with her I'd have to change the pace of my career (from hellish daily deadlines and uncontrolled stress) to something more balanced. This redirected me from the path of an individual contributor to that of leadership. A different kind of stress, but something I had a better chance of controlling.

Who made the biggest impact on your story?

All the people who've hired me. Right now, I'm REALLY enjoying working on the team led by a very charismatic and inspiring CMO.

What’s an unpopular opinion you have about content?

Readers are selfish. If you don’t acknowledge that with content that serves them first, not your company goals, your efforts simply won’t land.

If you could define your story using one sentence, what would that sentence be?

'Keep trying new things.' and  'Fail, fall, learn, get up, move forward.'