Building Tech Teams with James MacDonald EB
About Ella Brennecke
Ella Brennecke is People Operations Manager at Everlab, a preventative health company founded in Melbourne in 2023 that combines diagnostic testing, clinicians and wearable data in one service. Based in Sydney, she has built Everlab's people and culture function largely from scratch, working with the founder on hiring, onboarding and culture across its Sydney and Melbourne offices as the team grew past 130 people.
She came to people operations from hospitality and founder support, with roles on the guest experience team at Unyoked, the cabin retreat company, and on the Founder Success team at Blackbird Ventures.
On Building Tech Teams with James MacDonald, she explained Everlab's approach to hiring and culture, including the rule that everyone unpacks the dishwasher.
In conversation.
1 episode
Building Tech Teams with James MacDonald Go straight to the good bits.
Key moments from Why Everybody Unpacks the Dishwasher: Ella Brennecke, People Operations Manager at Everlab.
- 0:00Cold open
- 2:57Designing experiences where people excel
- 4:03Magic is designed, not accidental
- 5:20Holding culture across Sydney and Melbourne
- 7:31Supporting technical people leaders
- 9:28Leaning on your VC as a resource
- 10:56Breaking into people and culture with no HR background
- 14:45Creating your own luck
- 16:11Just ask for the title
- 16:41Why she stays close to the founder
The path so far.
- Now
People Operations Manager · Everlab
- Earlier
Founder Success team · Blackbird Ventures
- Earlier · Startup
Guest experience team · Unyoked
Sources: buildingtechteams.substack.com
Everlab on Day One
Everlab is a Melbourne-based preventive health service that combines blood and diagnostic testing, doctors and allied health clinicians, prescriptions and an app to help…
4 people · 5 episodes
Across the network.
Spot something wrong? Suggest a correctionUpdated 29 October 2026
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