Leading Women

Join host Rebekah Campbell, Serial Entrepreneur, Author, Speaker and Mentor for Season 2 of Leading Women where together we shift business leadership from aspirational to actionable.

Don’t miss an episode as we share in warm connections and rich relatable experiences with women leading business across the country.

In this special episode, the tables have turned and Jinny Olney, Head of CommBank’s Women in Focus, interviews Shadé Zahrai. Shadé is the Director and Chief Positive Influencer of Influenceo Global Inc. and a Member and Contributor of Forbes Coaches Council.

Valuable Discussion Points

(00:53) What is the story of Shadé’s leadership journey?

Shadé began her career in law where she struggled with with imposter syndrome, particularly as a young woman who hadn’t found her voice in a male dominated industry. During this time she developed and ‘obsession’ with figuring out how to create a fulfilling career in the corporate space. Whilst she had the right attitude, was networking with the right people and had a career trajectory on the fast-track, she wasn’t passionate because her career wasn’t aligned to her strengths. Upon leaving the corporate world, Shadé started her own company, Influenceo Global Inc., which she runs with her husband.

(14:50) What is the biggest thing that Shadé sees as holding women back in leadership?

Shadé believes women have a tendency to focus on their weaknesses or gaps and allow these to hold them back. Because the mind is designed to magnify what we focus on, when we focus on how we fall short or compare ourselves to others, you naturally start to focus on these event more.

(21:09) What is imposter syndrome?

It's this psychological pattern where you doubt your skills, your talents and your accomplishments. You have this persistent, internalised fear of being exposed as a fraud or as an imposter. You're also convinced that you are undeserving of any success in spite of a really strong track record of performance.

Key Learnings

• We tend to focus on our gaps, focus on our weaknesses and convince ourselves that we are not ready, that we don't have what it takes and in doing that, we don't put ourselves out there. We aren't then taking the opportunities that we could that could catapult us to success.
• We have a lot of these strengths around people and culture and collaboration, empathy, emotional intelligence. We sometimes incorrectly assume that they are not commercial in value and we underplay them. We undersell ourselves.
• Shadé added the COA model for taking action to the Leadership Toolbox. C is for Control and asking yourself, what can I control here? O is opportunity, what is the opportunity here? What is the opportunity for me to learn, for me to grow, for me to figure out something different, to try something new to experiment? A is for action. What action am I going to take?

Quotable Quotes

“If I want to succeed, I have to actually take action. I have to stop comparing myself with everyone else around me and just take action to move forward.” – Shadé Zahrai

“The importance of aligning a career behind authentic strengths and not trying to be someone that they're not.” – Shadé Zahrai

“It's kind of redefining your relationship with the self-doubt and acknowledging that, okay, I have doubt about something but I'm not going to allow it to hold me back.” – Shadé Zahrai

Important Resources and Links

If you would like to learn more about how CommBank is ensuring women are advancing their growth in business, visit https://www.commbank.com.au/women-in-focus.html.

Host of the Leading Women podcast, Shadé Zahrai helps women hack their careers to advance faster, overcome their limiting beliefs and confidently create the life they deserve. She is featured in Forbes, the New York Times, TED, Daily Mail and other media. If you’re interested in learning more about Shadé and the issues she’s currently discussing, visit https://www.shadezahrai.com

The Leading Women podcast is produced by Nicole Hatherly, recorded at RadioHub Studios with post production by Cooper Silk and Iain Wilson. 

This episode, Shadé Zahrai interviews Tanya Denning-Orman. Tanya is the Director of Indigenous Content for the Special Broadcasting Service (SBS) Australia. She was also the Commissioning Editor and Director of Content for the National Indigenous TV.

Valuable Discussion Points

(01:38) What is the story of Tanya’s leadership journey?

Tanya says she is an accidental leader. She was very passionate about becoming a journalist, storytelling and her craft. However, with that passion, she really wanted to tell stories, not just what was happening in the world around her or with Australians but particularly the stories that were happening to Indigenous Australians.

(04:36) What was it about this industry that really inspired Tanya to make her impact here?

Tanya grew up watching the news but had never seen the world through the perspective of her world, Indigenous people. Then one day she says "I saw a beautiful Black woman reading the news and it really changed me, I guess. And she knows who she is, Rubina Colbie. She was not only reading the news, it was the authority that she had. And so for me to see, this Black woman reading the news, there was a shift in my thinking. And if she could do it, I could possibly do it so that mixed with my passion of justice, so to speak, I always question the world". 

(19:32) What re the non-negotiables for Tanya when it comes to leading a team?

Empathy, really understanding what it's like to walk in somebody's shoes and caring and showing a degree of vulnerability and sensitivity. Women bring a beautiful understanding and insight into human behaviour.

Key Learnings

• Leadership is about bringing your whole self into the position. It is all about getting to know each other first before you start talking about negotiating this contract or that deal. And it doesn't matter where you're at in your career; leadership is something that you can consider as part of what you're doing in your daily life. It doesn't mean that if you're the manager, you have to be the leader. It's how you do and how you bring and how you connect with the entire team.
• There are 3 non-negotiable Cs for any manager, clarity, being clear with your team. Competence, making sure you are providing professional development and you're growing your people. And confidence, owning your place in the world.
• Mary added the idea of the bigger picture to the Leadership Toolbox. Knowing the bigger picture is not just about where you are at today with your careers. It's about the legacy of what you are leaving into the world and how you want to make it a better place and consider how every decision you make and the impact that can have on the generations to come.

Quotable Quotes

“What you see is what you get and you disarm people by ensuring you connect at the personal level.” – Tanya Denning-Orman

“And we're not just a one beige Australia. We're a very diverse, distinct Australia with more than 60,000 years of incredible stories for everybody – Tanya Denning-Orman

“When I think about leadership, I think very much it's a noun, but it's also very much a verb. It's an action. It's a doing.” – Tanya Denning-Orman

Important Resources and Links

If you would like to learn more about how CommBank is ensuring women are advancing their growth in business, visit https://www.commbank.com.au/women-in-focus.html.

Host of the Leading Women podcast, Shadé Zahrai helps women hack their careers to advance faster, overcome their limiting beliefs and confidently create the life they deserve. She is featured in Forbes, the New York Times, TED, Daily Mail and other media. If you’re interested in learning more about Shadé and the issues she’s currently discussing, visit https://www.shadezahrai.com

If you’re interested in connecting with Tanya Denning-Orman or viewing her professional portfolios and achievements, visit her LinkedIn via https://www.linkedin.com/in/tanya-denning-orman-3318ba12

The Leading Women podcast is produced by Nicole Hatherly, recorded at RadioHub Studios with post production by Cooper Silk and Iain Wilson.

In this episode Shadé Zahrai interviews Priscilla Rogers. Priscilla is the Director and Co-Founder of DOFTEK, the leading developer of innovative suspension systems for the automotive industry. She is also the Director and Co-Founder of Green Brands, Director of Australia Dementia Network Limited, Digital Health CRC and an Adjunct Professor at the La Trobe University. Priscilla is also Director and Investor of Upstart Innovations.

Valuable Discussion Points

(01:36) What is the story of Priscilla’s leadership journey?

For Priscilla her leadership journey started well before she thought it did and well before she thought she was a leader or at least recognised as one. For her, it's been in the context of entrepreneurship and innovation. Her parents had a small country bakery at the time and this is where she decided to make and sell fabulous rocky road. What she discovered that amused her was she was actually selling the product at a loss because she hadn't quite worked out this concept of cost of goods sold. It was at this point where she started to look for opportunities to create, to take risks and really to learn.

(09:15) What advice does Priscilla have for other women who are in STEM and in male-dominated industries to really thrive and deliver their best?

Her advice to the younger generation and to any females, who are wanting to pursue STEM and male-dominated industries is, do not look at their compassion and their empathy as a disadvantage, but rather embrace that along with their emotional intelligence, to really set themselves apart and to help whatever venture that they are doing to be successful.

(14:55) When it comes to having a really impactful and energising career, what is Priscilla’s formula for success if she wants to be really good at something?

You need to do what you truly love. Priscilla believes that passion and success are closely intertwined. She believes it's important to realise that success is different for a technical person. So it's so important to find what you love and also to find people that you love to work with. Time is the most precious commodity.

(16:32) What are the biggest lessons that Priscilla learnt about leadership and about teamwork that have come from specifically working with the person that she is closest with?

Priscilla has been really privileged to be able to work with her husband as she has so much respect for what he is naturally good at and the leadership roles that he takes on. So it's very easy to learn and take guidance from him in areas that she knows he's strong and passionate in. She believes that on the reciprocal side, he also looks to her and her strengths in other areas and it is through this teamwork that they lead and learn with each other.

Key Learnings

• Females have an enormous capacity to be great engineers, great founders and great innovators. Women are naturally blessed with the ability to clearly gravitate towards technical thinking. Their natural instinct as females however, enables them to work with an elite level of emotional and social intelligence. These skills and empathy is an aspect that really does set them apart within the field of engineering and their career. You often find that the most successful women have a very strong purpose and vision throughout their career journey. It's about the why for them, it's not often focused on the status or money. They are able to be very empathetic, when it comes to understanding customers, listening to their needs and innovating for them. This drive for an empathetic process has become a pivotal reason for a more focused human-centred design in STEM and has led women to pilot these innovative positions in the workforce.
• Priscilla added the research findings of the MIT Sloan Business School to the Leadership Toolbox. The research shows the need to redefine the way we think about and refer to soft skill. There is nothing soft about soft skills. This is not a lesser skill compared to hard skills. Instead, the research refers to soft skills as smart skills. Another tool that Priscilla added is that it's not enough just to create great products, it is also important to understand the intricacies of how customers search for products.

Quotable Quotes

“I do love smashing stereotypes.”– Priscilla Rogers

“I do believe that as younger people, we do develop very critical leadership skills that really come into play later in life. I think the constant desire to challenge and to grow and to be outside our comfort zone when we have an opportunity to develop those skills, they no doubt benefit us later in life.”– Priscilla Rogers

“Without taking risks, you're unlikely to achieve your goal. You just need to be very strategic and smart about the risks that you're taking.”– Priscilla Rogers

“If you are a woman in STEM and you're a young lady, you're the only female in the room, everyone else is at least 20 years older than you. I would say hold your head up high. You have so much to offer and you deserve to be there and really embrace that. – Priscilla Rogers

Important Resources and Links

If you would like to learn more about how CommBank is ensuring women are advancing their growth in business, visit https://www.commbank.com.au/women-in-focus.html.

Host of the Leading Women podcast, Shadé Zahrai helps women hack their careers to advance faster, overcome their limiting beliefs and confidently create the life they deserve. She is featured in Forbes, the New York Times, TED, Daily Mail and other media. If you’re interested in learning more about Shadé and the issues she’s currently discussing, visit https://www.shadezahrai.com

If you’re interested in connecting with Priscilla Rogers or viewing her professional portfolios and achievements, visit her LinkedIn via https://www.linkedin.com/in/priscilla-rogers

The Leading Women podcast is produced by Nicole Hatherly, recorded at RadioHub Studios with post production by Cooper Silk and Iain Wilson.

This episode, Shadé Zahrai interviews Sian Lewis. Sian is the Group Executive Human Resources of Commonwealth Bank. She was also the Founding Director of Way Forward, General Manager of Westpac, Director of Atos Consulting, Director of Change and Program Management of KPMG and UK Service Manager of Bupa.

Valuable Discussion Points

(02:11) What are Sian’s thoughts on the death of the office and the next normal when it comes to our environment at work?

Sian thinks the death of the office has been a little exaggerated. She thinks that we have to remember that we didn't organise work this way because we didn't like it. It’s been a long time since the Industrial Revolution that we all had to gather around big machines. And yet we have chosen to work in office spaces and in places where we can join with each other. As we look forward to the types of work that human beings are going to be doing, a lot of the kind of more menial, more repetitive tasks are going to be automated, digitised, and we won't have to do them. The things that human beings are going to need to focus on are really complex problems. They're bringing their knowledge and their skills together, but no one person has the answer. The office will change in the way that we've perceived it. It isn't going to be a place to go so that your units of time can be measured and managed. It's actually going to be a place you go because you want to be with other people.

(08:29) What are insider tips that Sian can share around navigating a new era where virtual meets physical environments and where flexible work is the norm?

She thinks there's enough flexibility with remote working now. People are much more open to the fact that careers are not linear and you'll have multiple different experiences to really think about what's right for you now.

(14:08) What can guidance does Sian have, especially for women who might be earlier on in their journey, who are in a rush to move as fast as they can?

Take a deep breath. It's a marathon, not a sprint. You're going to be working for a very long time.

There is no ideal path.

(17:51) What are Sian’s views on why women tend to advance in industries like HR and marketing?

The starting place has got to be these industries have been gendered by happenstance, not because there are any innate abilities in men or women that make them particularly suited. Sian says that because of this gendering that we've had, women have tended to see themselves as more creative, more empathetic, using those softer skills and therefore HR, marketing, PR, those kinds of careers have seemed to fit the skills that we are stereotypically given.

Key Learnings

• They've done a lot of research as we've gone through the pandemic about Zoom and you get the same kind of anxiety and performance nerves that you get if you're going to a meeting face-to-face, but you don't get any of the endorphins that you get from being with other people.
• Most innovations occur because someone goes, oh, that's really interesting, let's go and explore that. And that can happen as you meet each other in an office kitchen or you're working together on collaboration and something sparked the interests of one or two or three people. So I think connection, collaboration, innovation will mean that the office is still a very important part of all of our working lives
• Sian added gratitude to the Leadership Toolbox. By counting her lucky stars on a pretty regular basis, it actually makes her quite resilient.

Quotable Quotes

“I think people have to think very carefully about their own personal need for connection. Where do they get their energy from and how do they make sure that they keep that energy level topped up because working at home can be a very isolating experience.” – Sian Lewis

“Certainly my career has not been linear. I've taken sideways moves on at least four occasions in my career, and that's largely because I was always looking for something that added to my skill set and my flexibility, rather than looking for the next rung on the ladder or the next title or salary bump. And I think that's useful to think about as well because transferable skills are incredibly important and if you can build those up over time in the experiences you're building, you leave yourself with many more options when it comes to your next career step.” – Sian Lewis

“It's difficult to really feel that you can't handle the next crisis when you actually start to reflect on the great opportunities you've been given and certainly that's helped me keep some perspective when times get a bit sticky.” – Sian Lewis

Important Resources and Links

If you would like to learn more about how CommBank is ensuring women are advancing their growth in business, visit https://www.commbank.com.au/women-in-focus.html.

Host of the Leading Women podcast, Shadé Zahrai helps women hack their careers to advance faster, overcome their limiting beliefs and confidently create the life they deserve. She is featured in Forbes, the New York Times, TED, Daily Mail and other media. If you’re interested in learning more about Shadé and the issues she’s currently discussing, visit https://www.shadezahrai.com

The Leading Women podcast is produced by Nicole Hatherly, recorded at RadioHub Studios with post production by Cooper Silk and Iain Wilson.

This episode, Shadé Zahrai interviews Mary Hamilton. Mary is the CEO of Hugh Hamilton Wines, Australia’s oldest wine family. She is also a Board Member of the McLaren Vale Grape Wine and Tourism Association and Board Member of the Women’s and Children’s Hospital Foundation. She was also the Worldwide Business Director of McCann Erickson.

Valuable Discussion Points

(01:26) What is the story of Mary’s leadership journey?

Mary’s journey started as a little girl. She was always dressing up and pulling out pages of gorgeous Vogue magazines and holding all the ads together in special folders. This led her where she went because she went to school and she did work experience with a very specific goal in mind. She has been on quite a journey. Some of those things weren't intended and some were and everything had its purpose along the way.

(12:15) What was Mary’s main drive when she was early on in her career?

She was just really grateful to be able to learn so much from good people and to see wonderful, important brands and important campaigns just coming to fruition. She shares a story that one day, the chief executive put out a call and said, is there anybody in this business that knows anything about wine? Mary comes from a wine family, she has been around wine her whole life. The CEO was establishing a pitch team and asked her to join the team, she said yes, sure but she has got one condition. If they win the pitch, she wants to run the account.

(22:17) What important career advice did Mary receive, which was pivotal for her?

The vice chancellor of the university gave Mary career advice. She was finishing and going to be out

in the big wide world. Mary asked him for some advice on how to tackle leaving uni and going out and starting her career. And the vice chancellor asked her a really fundamental question, do you want to be organisational or do you want to be entrepreneurial?

Key Learnings

• It’s a female thing that we often feel as though we've got to be really well rehearsed to go for stuff. It's maybe a little bit of a female curse. And it's because we've got great emotional intelligence often that we feel as though we really should be the real deal. But Mary thinks that can also be a handicap, because sometimes you get passed over because you just didn't jump into the void.
• Mary added a fifth P to the 4Ps of marketing to the Leadership Toolbox. Aside from the 4Ps of marketing, promotion, product, price and place, Mary added people as being a fifth and important part of marketing. People is about knowing who you are, who you appeal to, what your purpose is and what you offer.

Quotable Quotes

“Some of those things weren't intended and some were. And everything's kind of, I think, had its purpose along the way.” – Mary Hamilton

“And it just made me think you don't always have to be ready to ship to be able to ship. You know, you can sometimes say, I think I've got it and I'll just go for it.” – Mary Hamilton

Important Resources and Links

If you would like to learn more about how CommBank is ensuring women are advancing their growth in business, visit https://www.commbank.com.au/women-in-focus.html.

Host of the Leading Women podcast, Shadé Zahrai helps women hack their careers to advance faster, overcome their limiting beliefs and confidently create the life they deserve. She is featured in Forbes, the New York Times, TED, Daily Mail and other media. If you’re interested in learning more about Shadé and the issues she’s currently discussing, visit https://www.shadezahrai.com

If you’re interested in connecting with Mary Hamilton or viewing her professional portfolios and achievements, visit her LinkedIn via https://www.linkedin.com/in/mary-hamilton-b8b084b

The Leading Women podcast is produced by Nicole Hatherly, recorded at RadioHub Studios with post production by Cooper Silk and Iain Wilson.

This episode, Shadé Zahrai interviews Louise Adams, Chief Operating Officer – Australia and New Zealand of Aurecon. She is also a Mentor of the Minerva Network, National Advisory Board Member of Infrastructure Partnerships Australia, Member of Chief Executive Women and Board Director of Aurecon Australasia.

She was named 2020 CEO of the Year by The CEO Magazine, a 2018 Scholar by the Chief Executive Women and received a High Commendation as one of the Champions of Change Female Leadership Award by Consult Australia.

Valuable Discussion Points

(01:21) What is the story of Louise’s leadership journey?

Louise felt that her leadership journey started out quite accidentally. Her passion was to travel and she wanted to link her career with her ability to travel, having some opportunities to travel with the work. One of the directors of Aurecon wanted to open an office in Western Australia and offered Louise the job of leading the office there. As the office grew, she grew with it. She continued to jump at opportunities that took her overseas. She headed overseas to the UK, the UAE until she was offered another role back in Australia.

(05:16) What is the “what next” moment for Louise?

When Louise was starting her career, whenever an opportunity was given to her, she would jump in without really knowing where it was heading. Now, she is at a point in her career where she can visualise where she wants to be next, what she aspires to become and where she wants to be in 10 or 15 years. This is her "what next" moment. She has built herself a bank of experience, connections, networks and professional reputation that rather than just taking in the opportunities as they come to her, she can now start to design opportunities and create opportunities for herself in areas that she wanted them to be to put her on the right path for her planned future endeavours.

(16:02) What are her thoughts on young people who are really driven, ambitious and want to keep moving and growing but without really thinking about, where they are now and how they can demonstrate that they can deliver here and now?

A CV is a reflection of the experiences that you have in your career and a CV is like a report card that can open opportunities for you. You've got to really appreciate that the depth of the CV comes from actually making the most of opportunities. Louise advises young people that she mentors to sort of hasten slowly and prove themselves in their roles.

(24:46) With all of Louise’s leadership experience, nothing could have prepared her for 2020, what was 2020 like for her and what wisdom did she gain from that year?

For her, 2020 is going to go down as the most challenging year in most people's professional careers, if not personal lives. What really resonated with her was that every time she faced thousands of people who are looking to her for leadership during times of crisis, she emphasised the importance of authenticity and the willingness to be quite open about that she won't always have the answers.

Key Learnings

• Leaders have perhaps tended to hold expectations of themselves or perhaps other people held expectations of leaders that leaders naturally know the answers to everything. We live in such a fast changing, evolving world that can be disrupted and is constantly disrupted, be it by technology or by the circumstances the world finds itself in 2020. Leaders need to be able to show vulnerability, to show that it really is impossible for one person to have the answers to everything.
• Decades ago, a typical army approach to leadership may have worked, where leaders can say I know what you need to do because I've been there and I've done that before. Nowadays, with the size and complexity of organisations and often the multidisciplinary nature of organisations, it's very rare for you to have a leader that actually can look at everybody in the organisation and say, I've done what you've done. Add to that the fact that you're introducing technology at such a rate, you're often as a leader, going to be asking people to do things that you really haven't had to do yourself.
• Louise added being specific about where one wanted to go in their leadership journey to the Leadership Toolbox. Where do you want to be in 10 years? What sort of CV would you need to have to get that job that you want in 10 years? And then comparing it with your CV on the day with the CV that you needed in 10 years and looking for the gaps. Ask yourself, what are the career opportunities that I need to go and create for myself to make the ideal CV that I'm going to put on the table in 10 years to get that ultimate outcome that I want.

Quotable Quotes

“You don't suddenly wake up at a point in your career and say, I'm a leader, and therefore I have all of the suite of tools and experiences and skills to be a leader that leadership in and of itself is this ongoing lifelong learning journey.” – Louise Adams

“You need to earn the right to be able to have people follow you.”– Louise Adams

“We were starting to see this ongoing trend where people and communities were standing up to corporations and saying, we expect you to stand for more than just profit. And I think, therefore, there's a lesson to be learnt for leaders that you really have to find. What is your passion?”– Louise Adams

Important Resources and Links

If you would like to learn more about how CommBank is ensuring women are advancing their growth in business, visit https://www.commbank.com.au/women-in-focus.html.

Host of the Leading Women podcast, Shadé Zahrai helps women hack their careers to advance faster, overcome their limiting beliefs and confidently create the life they deserve. She is featured in Forbes, the New York Times, TED, Daily Mail and other media. If you’re interested in learning more about Shadé and the issues she’s currently discussing, visit https://www.shadezahrai.com

If you’re interested in connecting with Louise Adms or viewing her professional portfolios and achievements, visit her LinkedIn via https://www.linkedin.com/in/louiseadamsaurecon

The Leading Women podcast is produced by Nicole Hatherly, recorded at RadioHub Studios with post production by Cooper Silk and Iain Wilson.

This episode, Shadé Zahrai interviews Caitlin Figueiredo, Founder and CEO of Jasiri Australia. She is also an Australian Youth Development Index Expert Panelist of the Ministry of Youth and Sport, Board Member and Vice Chair of Australian Youth Affairs Coalition and Ambassador of Alannah and Madeline Foundation.

She was named Young Leader of the 100 Women of Influence in Australia, an Obama White House Changemaker and a Queens Young Leader.

Some of her other past roles include, Head of Technology and Data for the Australian Red Cross, Task Force Member for the UN Women, Representative to the UN Annual Youth Assembly, Australian Director for The Global Resolutions Project, Founder and State Director of World Vision ACT.

Valuable Discussion Points

(01:26) What is the story of Caitlin’s leadership journey and what is her experience of leadership at such a young age?

For Caitlin, leadership is not defined by age. She started pretty young, and that was mainly because of her grandparents and parents who taught her from a young age that leadership and supporting your community has to start from the time that one is young. So it's always been very natural for her to be a leader. When her family came to Australia from Kenya, a couple of years after the White Australia Policy ended, they found it really difficult in the beginning to fit in. They faced cultural prejudice and racial discrimination. When Caitlin was little, they learnt that the whole part of themselves was to give back to their community, to serve their community and to leave where they live better than they found it.

(04:10) What is Caitlin’s main program, Girls Takeover Parliament?

Jasiri Australia, the organisation founded by Caitlin, runs the Girls Takeover Parliament programme.

Essentially, it's an experiential education initiative to create pathways to politics for young women both across Australia and around the world. The whole purpose of Girls Takeover Parliament is to open the closed doors to young women everywhere so that they can be shapers of democracy, so that they can see that even though they're not represented, they can be and that's why Caitlin and Jasiri Australia partner young women with politicians. They’ve recently had one of their first alumni actually run for office. The program has young women who work in the most senior ministerial offices in the country. They also have alumni go on to create similar programmes in India. The programme aims to create the next generation of politicians and what Caitlin likes to say, creating the next generation of Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern.

(09:14) Has Caitlin ever experienced imposter syndrome?

One example where she experienced imposter syndrome was when she had just won the Young

Leader category of the 100 Women of Influence in Australia. She had just turned twenty-one. She thought to herself that she had barely done anything in her life to win and deserve the award. She remembered just absolutely shaking, not having any courage, but she knew that she had to use that moment to overcome imposter syndrome.

(22:43) What does Caitlin’s mantra, everywhere is an opportunity, mean?

There are infinite possibilities in life and that it's up to us to not only find them, but to use it. So what I'd like to tell young women everywhere is that if they have an idea and people tell them no, just keep working until you get a yes. If you don't get that, yes, straight away, find a back door and persist because there is always a way to overcome a problem and make your idea become a reality.

Key Learnings

• For women who hold back from speaking up in meetings, from applying for roles to moving into politics, Caitlin’s advice is simple, to just do it, to just start. Don't wait until you think you have the finances or if you are at a certain age in life, if you see that you have the passion behind you and that you want to make a difference, then just do it.
• From the time we’re little, we live in a life of uncertainty. For example, when we are babies and we want to take our first steps, we fall over, and we keep stumbling until we walk until that just becomes natural. So I would say that to any woman who feels like they receive pressure, pushback or discrimination, it will be there but I know that you are not alone and that everything good always starts off with being a challenge but that challenge eventually becomes natural and persistence will turn it into your everyday reality.
• Caitlin added two tools to the Leadership Toolbox, one personal and one practical. The personal is going back to the Duchess of Sussex to breathe, to live in the moment when you are on this leadership journey the practical tip is about elevating and expanding impact, if you were in a position to do so, support other women around you, go back to service, go back to community.

Quotable Quotes

“Leadership is not defined by age.” – Caitlin Figueiredo

“I stumbled and fell. But I fell upwards.”– Caitlin Figueiredo

“It's often the individual who is cast aside. But when an individual joins the collective that is when you create waves of change and that is something I want to show and to champion women everywhere to go, actually, you have this power. Own it. Use it and that's how you can change the world.”– Caitlin Figueiredo

Important Resources and Links

If you would like to learn more about how CommBank is ensuring women are advancing their growth in business, visit https://www.commbank.com.au/women-in-focus.html.

Host of the Leading Women podcast, Shadé Zahrai helps women hack their careers to advance faster, overcome their limiting beliefs and confidently create the life they deserve. She is featured in Forbes, the New York Times, TED, Daily Mail and other media. If you’re interested in learning more about Shadé and the issues she’s currently discussing, visit https://www.shadezahrai.com

If you’re interested in connecting with Caitlin Figueiredo or viewing her professional portfolios and achievements, visit her LinkedIn via https://www.linkedin.com/in/caitlinfigueiredo and her website https://www.caitlinfigueiredo.com/

The Leading Women podcast is produced by Nicole Hatherly, recorded at RadioHub Studios with post production by Cooper Silk and Iain Wilson.

This episode, Shadé Zahrai interviews Julie Drago, CEO of Hero Properties, Non-Executive Director of Mendolia Seafoods and Director of Fairbridge Investments. Julie is a Member of the WA Divisional Council and Chair of WA Land and Infrastructure Committee of the Property Council of Australia. She is also a Committee Member of the City of Kalamunda.

Valuable Discussion Points

(01:25) What is the story of Julie’s leadership journey?

Julie’s parents immigrated from Italy in the 60s. Her father established a large fabrication business. From a very young age she was very fortunate to be able to have the opportunity to work in the facility. This is where she developed her passion for fabrication and workshops in that industry. She built the business up and tackled huge projects all around WA. In the early 2000s, the family decided to concentrate more on developing industrial property, close and lease out the fabrication business. Over the next 20 years, Julie built large workshops and leased them out to mining, oil, and gas multinational companies. In 2019, she was appointed the CEO.

(03:08) What were the barriers that Julie faced and practical ways she navigated her way through male-dominated industry and environments?

Growing up in a male-dominated industry, Julie did not really work with a lot of women, apart from the administration roles. The biggest thing she learnt was that she needed to step up and back herself. Going into these environments, she would often be the only woman in the room. She had to learn to believe in what she was doing and what she was saying, so she could make her own voice that people would listen to.

(04:09) Why does Julie feel that it is so important for women to embrace and amplify their natural skills?

Julie thinks that women are naturally more empathetic. When women look at problems, they look at the problem from both sides of the argument and sometimes people can get caught up on trying to win an argument but being more open and understanding about where the other person is coming from enables women to be really good negotiators and that's how Julie tackle things all the time.

(18:20) How does Julie use networking as a strategy for building relationships?

The biggest thing is do your research before you go to an event like apart from get involved, go to events and find out where you can have some input. Use LinkedIn, get to know them and figure out who they are and then actively go up to them and say, look, I'm really interested in what you've done here and here and have that conversation. Don't try to be so random about it.

Key Learnings

• Julie learned that she had to stop questioning herself. She struggled to put herself out there and really speak up. Women need to ask themselves, what can go wrong? Once women get over that hurdle, they will realise that they have got a voice, that they can use it and that it is very powerful.
• Some people can be so focused on the short-term gain, instead Julie shares that people need to think about a longer-term gain because relationships, trust, and rapport take years to build. When COVID first came and her tenants went to her for rent relief, she did not need the government to mandate it because they were already doing it.
• Anna added involvement to your respective industry body to the Leadership Toolbox. Start going to their events, participants and try to get onto some of their committees. Being part of that body enables you to lobby the government and figure out ways to try and make your business easier.

Quotable Quotes

“I've got a voice and I can use this and it's very powerful.” – Julie Drago

“You can't literally win every deal. You know, they're going to win one. You'll win one that's it and that's life. You know, and if you think like that, you'll have a lot better relationship with your competitors.”– Julie Drago

“There's no point complaining about something, get involved and be active about changing it.”– Julie Drago

Important Resources and Links

If you would like to learn more about how CommBank is ensuring women are advancing their growth in business, visit https://www.commbank.com.au/women-in-focus.html.

Host of the Leading Women podcast, Shadé Zahrai helps women hack their careers to advance faster, overcome their limiting beliefs and confidently create the life they deserve. She is featured in Forbes, the New York Times, TED, Daily Mail and other media. If you’re interested in learning more about Shadé and the issues she’s currently discussing, visit https://www.shadezahrai.com

If you’re interested in connecting with Julie Drago or viewing her professional portfolios and achievements, visit her LinkedIn via https://www.linkedin.com/in/julie-drago-21324b66

The Leading Women podcast is produced by Nicole Hatherly, recorded at RadioHub Studios with post production by Cooper Silk and Iain Wilson.

This episode, Shadé Zahrai interviews Anna Marsden, Managing Director of the Great Barrier Reef Foundation. Anna was previously the CEO of the Queensland Ballet, Director of the Queensland Art Gallery, Gallery of Modern Art and General Manager of the Institute of Modern Art.

Valuable Discussion Points

(01:39) What is Anna’s leadership journey?

Anna started her leadership journey in the industry of her passion - the arts. As a teenager, Anna’s dream was to be on stage, however she decided that her personality and interests were also suited towards arts management so she began pursuing this as a career. For the first 14 years of her career, Anna worked in art galleries that took her around the world and unlocked a passion for connecting great brands, great work and great people with fundraising and investment. After a stint in corporate communications and consultancy, Anna became the CEO of the Queensland Ballet where she remained for seven years. Today, Anna is the Managing Director of the Great Barrier Reef Foundation.

(03:39) How does Anna see women activating leadership in male dominated industries and environments?

Whilst Anna has worked with a lot of powerful women throughout her career, she still sits at many top leadership tables as the only woman which is something she believes has to change. Anna recalls one moment, around 15 years ago, when she was attending a women's lunch with some amazing guest speakers who broke various glass ceilings in Australia. One of the speakers commented that once you have children, you start climbing the ladder and progressing up. This spurred Anna on later in her career after having children herself to work harder and continuing progressing her career as a working mother as she strongly believes there is no more productive, empathetic, powerful or purposeful creature on this planet than a working mother. Anna comments on the importance of women being able to quieten the voice in the back of our heads that evokes a feeling of guilt or uncertainty as a working mother, particularly when holding a leadership position.

(09:04) What are Anna’s insights into people generally being more aware and focused on their purpose?

In 2020, we faced bushfires, the COVID-19 pandemic and various other challenges. Not only did the the world stopped but it was completely disrupted. People had to confront the fragility of life. Anna believes what it did do is to make people realise they only have one life and one community so it’s important to understand how we can be purposeful and make it count. Anna states that we are currently in a transition where people are trying to find a more purposeful life in a more purposeful vocation.

(25:27) What is on the horizon for the Great Barrier Reef?

Anna strongly believes that when we talk about collective impact, one of the big aha's and oversights for all of us is to truly understand the role and the necessity of this bio culture stewardship of the Great Barrier Reef and its protection and that can only be done with deep, authentic relationships with the First Nations people. Through some incredible investment from the Australian Government, and working closely with the traditional ownership communities, Anna is excited and proud of the work being carried out to manage, protect and love these beautiful ecosystems forever.

Key Learnings

• Some women have a tendency to listen to the voice in their head that tells them to feel guilty about being in leadership roles. Anna suggests that women disregard this voice because it can hold them back at critical times and make them think they are not good enough.
• Anna added Dual Psychology to the Leadership Toolbox. She uses this to stay authentic to herself, and be positive and optimistic. This thinking has been picked up and applied to COVID to look at how business leaders and community leaders can handle the brutality of life and still remain resilient, optimistic and powerful.

Quotable Quotes

“There is no more productive, empathetic, powerful, purposeful creature on this planet than a working mother and I don't have the psychology or the data but I will fight anybody on that fact.” – Anna Marsden

“The world didn't stop. The challenges didn't stop but people did have a disruption. They had to confront the fragility of life.”– Anna Marsden

“We will prevail because we will get the right combination of great brands from around the world to work this and we will leave nothing in the tank and so that's my drive is that team Australia will prevail.”– Anna Marsden

“We're all learning together but I have to say, out of everything that I've done in my life and a few of the executives share this with me, this is the work that we think we'll be most proud of is how we work together with First Nations communities to protect a special part of Australia.” – Anna Marsden

Important Resources and Links

If you would like to learn more about how CommBank is ensuring women are advancing their growth in business, visit https://www.commbank.com.au/women-in-focus.html.

Host of the Leading Women podcast, Shadé Zahrai helps women hack their careers to advance faster, overcome their limiting beliefs and confidently create the life they deserve. She is featured in Forbes, the New York Times, TED, Daily Mail and other media. If you’re interested in learning more about Shadé and the issues she’s currently discussing, visit https://www.shadezahrai.com

If you’re interested in connecting with Anna Marsden or viewing her professional portfolios and achievements, visit her LinkedIn via https://au.linkedin.com/in/anna-marsden-b10b892b 

The Leading Women podcast is produced by Nicole Hatherly, recorded at RadioHub Studios with post production by Cooper Silk and Iain Wilson.