International Women's Day 2016
Jennifer Rose Bryant, director of Business Women Australia
Lhani Davies, who tragically lost her son to methanol poisoning and is now an advocate for safe alcohol through the LIAM Foundation
Carina Hoang, author of ‘Boat People’ with a foreword by Malcolm Fraser
Suzzanne Laidlaw, Australian representative at the World Triathlon Championship
Kim Marie Smith who inspired Oprah through Standing Strong
Alicia Curtis, founder of the giving circle 100 Women (which I’m proud to be a member of)
Sophie McNeill, foreign correspondent for the ABC
Angie Paskevicius, Telstra Businesswoman of the Year
Jessica Smith, Australian paralympian and advocate of positive body image
Lacey Filipich from Money School, financially free at 33
Julie Shuttleworth, a western ‘woman boss’ in rural China
Vanessa Thiele’s inspiring story about her ambitious grandmother,
June Kenny, first Aboriginal woman to become managing director of a law firm
Vida Carlino from Inspiration Source, carer for her two younger siblings in an orphanage at the age of 5
Leah Rando, breast cancer survivor
And little old me for my fundraising through my music! It's all a bit surreal!
The book also has a foreword by Perth Lord Mayor Lisa Scaffidi. The BEST part about the book is that the proceeds will go towards empowering Balinese women with business skills! The women will be provided with solar lamps to sell to the villages, which will prevent kerosene poisoning, which is a huge problem for Balinese people who have no access t electricity. With the money made from solar lamp sales, the women will be able to support themselves and their families and buy more solar lamps and so on! Books are available HERE.
At this very special lunch today the keynote speaker was Angie Paskevicius, Telstra Business Woman of the Year, and I couldn’t help but take notes. She lost everything financially twice, her husband abandoned her for another woman and left her and her two small children, and yet she has managed to win Telstra Businesswoman of the Year! What a woman! Some of her advice:
The struggles she went through in her life shaped her to be who she is today. She learned to ask for help from her supportive community and everything she has experienced has prepared her for her role as a CEO. I love Angie’s advice: take responsibility for the choices you make and the consequences, be true to yourself, be an authentic leader, understand what matters most to you, to lead others you need to understand yourself, be yourself, lifelong learning is important, be the best you can be, trust yourself, have a glass half full, can-do attitude, take time to network and build relationships, show genuine concern for others, treat people well, be compassionate, never ask people to do things you wouldn’t do yourself, listening is important and if someone is talking don’t transfer their story to make it about you, don’t fall in to other peoples’ dramas, have boundaries, be humble, be grateful for the gifts you receive, make sure you mentor others and don’t keep all your pearls of wisdom to yourself, look after yourself because no one else will, be healthy, be active, take risks, respond rather than react, walk the talk, be honest, do what you say you will do , build trust, love what you do, have faith and confidence in yourself, trust your judgement, have an abundance mentality, be vulnerable, be human, don’t be afraid to make mistakes, think about your spheres of influence and how you can make a difference. At the end of the day it’s all about integrity.
Love it!! Thank you Jennifer and Lyn at Business Women Australia for a fantastic Day. Thank you Clare for including me in the book! I love being a member of this ambitious, daring, group of dreamers who do amazing things! I've finally found my herd! The other best part of the day was the food- oh my goodness yum! And taking home a heap of leftover dessert for my family!! Happy International Women’s Day! It’s not about man hating, it’s about celebrating how wonderful women are! Every woman has a story to tell and when we share our stories to inspire one another, we can make our world a better place!