Women in Leadership Book Sample

100 Stories packed with honest and direct advice. Shared struggles and fresh perspectives.

Your career path is not a race, nor is it a final destination. It is a journey with twists and turns and there are no shortcuts or secret formulas to success.

Anshika Grover

This book has truly been an honour to pull together and it wouldn’t have been possible without every single contributor. A huge thank you to all of you!

Kathy Olsen, Bec Ney, Emma Smith, Kayla Media, Julie Starovoitova, Sabrina Wuerth, Chloe O’Toole, Nadine O’Regan, Laura Petruccelli, Nicole Karagiannis, Jo Newton, Varsha Raghavan, Monpasha Mukherjee, Harriet Wakelam, Kate Williams, Lauren Mutzelburg, Ellie Miller, Mary Beth Hosking, Jennifer Hankin, Vicky-Lord Carlyle, Catherine Ballantyne, Louise Tait, Shanyn Payne, Amy Miocevich, Eva Brookes, Lisa Johnson, Tamara Howe, Jo Ioannidis, Charlotte Stofberg, Bec Donnelly, Lizzie Babarczy, Zoë Moore, Sofia Balmacdea, Gemma Toogood, Noni Hollonds, Laura White, Amanda Maykot, Beck Bidstrup, Wendy Hamson, Heidi Egger, Laura Penuela, Zaklina Todorovic, Terri Martin, Bianca Cassaniti, Jacalin Ding, Tiffany Chew, Samantha George, Jessica Trumble, Kasia Ciszak, Molly Rowe, Ash Ivory, Veronica Bainton, Hiam Sakakini, Jessie Nguyen, Katie Osborne, Sascha Gray, Jo Marks, Sam Yee, Vanvisa Brown, Sam Garven, Jacqui Loustau, Belinda Lofts, Chelsea Mannix, Simone Strachan, Robyn Djelassi, Anshika Grover, Joelle Black, Ermi Mendoza-Isais, Jet Swain, Jessa Jakovljevic, Deb Newell, Hannah Moase, Sarah Heimeier, Monique Richards, Donna Thomas, Chloe Graham, Elizabeth Obee, Alisha Geary, Chiquita King, Carla Rossi-Zalmons, Lavinia Kanagandran, Vicki Emmerson, Maryam Mahlberg, Pavi Iyer, Melissa Appleby, Esha Lata Sharma, Andrea Kirby, Phesephony Naidoo, Sandra (I-Hua) Lim, Sinéad Fitzgerald, Jessica Gibson Jones, Kayleigh Kahlefeldt, Michelle Strong, Denise Pereira, Lauren Denny, Natalie Mckay, Lucy Wilson, Nicole Hopkins.

And thanks to everyone who helped with the admin, editing and proofreading this book wouldn’t haven’t happened without you all - Samanatha George, Amy Newell, Amy Hornfeldt, Jenny Neville, Renee Peattie, Sam Garven, Rebecca Zammit, Olivia Tunhage, Sarah Courtman, Kori Eames.

Publishing notes

© Strivin Pty Ltd 2024

Art throughout book © Bunker 2024

First published in 2024 by Strivin

All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced in any form or without written permission from the copyright owners. Every effort has been made to ensure that credits accurately comply with information supplied.

Dedication and Acknowledgement of Country

In the spirit of reconciliation we acknowledge the Traditional Custodians of Country throughout Australia and their connections to land, sea and community.

We pay our respect to their Elders past and present and extend that respect to all Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples today.

LAURA WHITE

AMANDA MAYKOT

WENDY

ASH

VERONICA BAINTON

HIAM SAKAKINI

JESSIE NGUYEN

KATIE OSBORNE

SASCHA GRAY

JO MARKS

SAM YEE

VANVISA BROWN

SAM GARVEN

JACQUI LOUSTAU

BELINDA LOFTS

CHELSEA MANNIX

SIMONE STRACHAN

ROBYN DJELASSI

ANSHIKA GROVER

MARIE DOWLING

JOELLE BLACK

ERMI MENDOZA - ISAIS

JET SWAIN

JESSA JAKOVLJEVIC

DEB NEWELL

HANNAH MOASE

SARAH HEIMEIER

MONIQUE RICHARDS

DONNA THOMAS

CHLOE GRAHAM

ELIZABETH OBEE

ALISHA GEARY

CHIQUITA KING

CARLA ROSSI-ZALMONS

LAVINIA KANAGANDRAN

VICKI EMMERSON

MARYAM MAHLBERG

PAVI IYER

MELISSA APPLEBY

ESHA LATA SHARMA

ANDREA KIRBY

PHESEPHONY NAIDOO

SANDRA (I-HAU) LIM

SINÉAD FITZGERALD

JESSICA GIBSON JONES

KAYLEIGH KAHLFELDT

MICHELLE STRONG

DENISE PEREIRA

LAUREN DENNY

NATALIE MCKAY

LUCY WILSON

NICOLE HOPKINS

Book Recommendations

Why we wrote the book

INTRODUCTION

The road to success is rarely an easy or straightforward one and no two journeys ever look the same. Yet the one commonality we all have in our personal paths is the desire to not travel it alone.

We gathered stories from 100 inspiring women in leadership from a diverse range of backgrounds and all walks of professional life. We talked to leaders in Human Resources, Talent Acquisition, People & Culture, Design and Product innovators, Customer Success and Sales experts, and bold company Founders. We wanted to create a book packed full of motivation for personal and professional growth, and thanks to the generosity of these trailblazing women, it’s safe to say we’ve achieved that goal.

Within each and every powerful story is a rich fountain of honest and direct advice, shared struggles, fresh perspectives and a common thread of hard work - sprinkled with a bit of luck.

We can’t be what we can’t see.

Marian Wright Edelman

INTRODUCTION

Why women?

Throughout history women have faced and overcome unique challenges and adversities. The obstacles faced, setbacks endured, glass ceilings broken, and vital lessons learned along the way are what have shaped the experiences shared in this book. We think it’s important to create a place, through the power of written word, where women’s stories are shared and celebrated. Most importantly, where they can be learned from by anybody at any place in their leadership journey.

We encourage you to use this book like a choose-your-own-adventure story. Take the tools, tactics and habits shared by these phenomenal leaders that resonate with you and use them to fuel your fire and be your guiding compass for our own journey. Save the stories that speak to you and hold them close in your times of struggle. Keep them as a reminder that you are not alone and use them as your guiding light in moments of darkness.

No matter how far we come in our personal and professional journeys, we believe self development never stops. Change and growth are infinite. There is always room for improvement. There is always room to be inspired.

We hope this compilation and celebration of women in leadership can serve as that source of inspiration and encourage the leaders of the future to be brave, be fierce and most importantly, never give up.

Leadership Stories

KATHY OLSEN

There isn’t much Kathy Olsen hasn’t done! From an engineer’s executive assistant and working in retail, to becoming a business owner and company director, all while raising four children. Kathy is the embodiment of hard work, paying off.

With over two decades of experience in the world of web, IT and search solutions, Kathy’s non-traditional but inspiring career journey has seen her face fear of failure head-on (and win), leaving her with plenty of poster-worthy pieces of advice that are both inspirational and rooted in realism.

No one said life was going to be easy, so enjoy the ride, but don’t get lost in it.

Kathy Olsen

Tell us a little about your career background and current role.

I started out as an executive assistant to a bunch of engineers. I kept falling asleep at my desk as I was so bored, so that clearly wasn’t for me. I went on to be a production assistant at TVNZ, before going to work for my mum as a manager of a family retail business. I was only going to be there for six weeks but ended up staying about eight years while I had my four wonderful children.

We hear so much about people ‘living their best life’, but that isn’t always the reality. Tell us some truths about your day-to-day. What isn’t in order?

KATHY OLSEN

Ha! There is so much rubbish spoken about this. Let’s be honest, if we can do a darn good day at work, be kind to the people around us and get to spend time exercising, then that is a pretty good day. In fact, that is probably more than what 1% of the world can achieve.

From there I became a Business Development Manager for an organisation that dealt in leadership training for senior managers. After that I started my own business, ‘Customer Clarity’, that focussed on helping organisations understand the needs of their customers. It was ahead of its time! But it failed as the CX focus hadn’t happened. I then went into an agency and did production work for print before me and my partner opened a small digital agency called ‘Absolutely’ (the days when Wellington’s slogan was ‘Absolutely Wellington’). When we were asked to build a fully accessible site for the Ministry of Education, Group Special Education (GSE), I found Squiz and have been with them for the past 17 years. Not a straightforward career at all, but you have to enjoy the journey, not just the destination.

I absolutely struggle with trying to keep up with ‘my best life’. I overfill my life with activities and take on too much at work, sometimes even working on the weekends. I genuinely struggle not to work as I always have so much to do, so I’m not really one to talk about balance. But I am grateful for the life I have, the health I have and the people in it. No one said life was going to be easy, so enjoy the ride, but don’t get lost in it.

Can you think of a time that you’ve held yourself back?

Oh, many times. We often hold ourselves back when we have fear of failure, fear of status anxiety, fear of looking foolish or saying or doing the wrong thing. I once gave a terrible public speech at a conference. I tried to be something I wasn’t. Great lesson - be authentic! I remember being very embarrassed, but I lived, and now I know that I am good enough just the way I am.

How has failure, or apparent failure, set you up for success? Do you have a ‘favourite failure’?

I work damn hard to have as few failures as possible. I think the fear of failure is a very real trait in successful people - it’s a key driver. I believe that, ‘when the going gets tough, the tough get going’, and that grit and tenacity are the key measures of being successful.

My favourite failure relates back to a customer where we spent a lot of time putting together what we thought was the winning bid, only to lose. That was twelve years ago. But, I played the long game and kept in contact with them. Guess what? We’ve just won them as customers! Twelve years is a damn long sales cycle, but it shows me that good things happen in their own time.

What is one of the best investments you’ve ever made?

In the past four months, I’ve invested in doing acrylic painting and pouring classes. I’ve had to set aside a lot of mental space for taking the time to learn something new. It’s so good for me as I’ve had to learn patience and put aside time for painting on the weekend. I am the kind of person who is never really ‘off’, so doing activities and finding this kind of space is critical.

What’s one thing you wish you knew when you started your career?

How fulfilling a career can be when you love what you do. It will take a lot of years to learn and be good at your job, but for goodness sake, throw yourself into it, boots and all! You only ever get out what you put in. Also, listen before you speak and earn your stripes. Have respect, but know you don’t always have to agree.

What has been the key to your success?

A clear sense of purpose! Every day I get up excited by the possibility of helping organisations better serve their customers through better digital connection.

What attributes make you a good leader?

That’s easy - be a good person! A person who genuinely cares about others and who has little ego, other than what is best for the team and the world.

Can you share a piece of particularly meaningful advice you’ve received during your career?

[The Stephen Covey life metaphor] - Get your big rocks (your purpose, passion and your beliefs) in place, then fill your jar up.

What is something you do regularly that inspires your creativity?

Hypnotherapy tools like Havening, meditation, painting and walking. The best is spending time with the grandchildren who inspire me and fill me with a true sense of love.

If your younger self read this book, what’s one thing you’d like them to take away from this?

KATHY OLSEN

What advice would you give to a new or aspiring leader?

Find what it is you love to do, find your passion. Be the sunshine and remember, always be a nice person first.

Life is a journey, it is a gift. Nurture it, feed it and most of all live it so that at the end of it you can enjoy looking back and love living it all again.

Also, no one owes you anything. Be prepared to work for a successful outcome.

Life is a journey, it is a gift. Nurture it, feed it and most of all live it, so that at the end of it you can enjoy looking back and love living it all again.

Kathy Olsen

BEC NEY Leadership Stories

From the boardroom to the soccer field, Bec Ney is a real-life Kate Reedy (ref. Sarah Jessica Parker in I Don’t Know How She Does It). As a single mum and full-time marketing leader on a mission, Bec’s ability to run the workshop and still be there in time for school pick-up is nothing short of inspiring.

Bec believes her continued success is thanks to her commitment to her mantra - teamwork makes the dream work! From battling imposter syndrome and burnout, to putting up boundaries and loving the lessons learnt (we don’t say failure here), Bec knows it’s all about not sweating the small stuff and being able to keep calm and carry on.

Find your cheerleaders and embrace your allies!

Bec Ney

Tell us a little about your career background and current role.

I actually began my career in the legal industry. I started in a rural law firm as a receptionist, before moving into a conveyancing secretary role in Wagga Wagga.

Is there a single event or series of events that made you the person you are today?

BEC NEY

I moved to Sydney during the GFC, where I took a role as a receptionist at The Missing Link. I had very little knowledge or interest in tech, but I liked the company and their culture from the get-go. I worked my way through various roles within the business across reception, accounts, sales support and procurement roles, before landing in marketing. I started as the sole marketer for the organisation and worked my way up to Head of Marketing, while building a team of five and spearheading the development and brand for two new divisions.

From there, I took the plunge and moved into a partner marketing role for a cloud management platform, where I worked closely with the Partner Director to scale the partner program. After 12 months in that role, I took a job at Tecala where I am now. My current role is Head of Marketing and I’m a member of our Exec Leadership Team.

My father was in the Air Force, so I moved around a lot when I was younger. These moves and transitions have led to me being the resilient person I am today. Resilience has been key to my success, as it’s kept me both motivated and disciplined in all facets of my working life.

How do you feel you can support and elevate women within your industry?

By supporting each other - find your cheerleaders and embrace your allies! There are so many mentors out there in our industry who have a wealth of knowledge and experience to help navigate your career. I wouldn’t be where I am today without these people.

We hear so much about people ‘living their best life’, but that isn’t always the reality. Tell us some truths about your day-to-day. What isn’t in order?

As a single mum and working full-time in a role that can be demanding, the juggle of work/life balance can be hard. Setting yourself boundaries and disciplines so you can continue to enjoy both and avoid burnout is crucial. I’m constantly racing around to events and meetings/ workshops, then off for school pick-up and soccer. Structuring my day so I have blocked out time to get things done always helps, otherwise some days I find myself bouncing from meeting to meeting and then, at 4 pm, actually getting to my own tasks.

Can you think of a time you’ve held yourself back? Why?

Absolutely! Everyone has heard of imposter syndrome - there’ve been many times during my earlier career where I wasn’t confident enough to have a voice or opinion. Diversity of thought means everyone in all roles brings something new and different to the table. It wasn’t until I recognised this, that I stopped holding myself back.

How has failure, or apparent failure, set you up for later success? Do you have a ‘favourite failure’ of yours?

Marketing is a role that requires a lot of trial and error. We’re always testing new approaches and activities. It’s ok that not all of them work - we have to be ok with that.

I’ve run quite a few activities over the years where some were not as successful as others. I choose to look at these as lessons learned instead of failures. If you can gain knowledge and experience, they’re not really failures - you have still gained, learned and improved.

What is one of the best investments you’ve ever made?

Investing in people - nurturing junior team members and supporting them to grow. If you invest in your people, you will reap the rewards. Your people will be happy and give their all to their roles. I’ve been extremely lucky to work in several organisations that were willing to invest in me. I’m paying this forward by doing the same with those that I can mentor and support.

In the last five years, what new belief, behaviour or habit has most improved your life?

It might sound strange, but it’s something I say to my team all the time - we aren’t saving lives. We can only do what we can do with two hands. Prioritising is key to getting through and there’s no need to stress ourselves over every little thing on our to-do list.

When you feel overwhelmed or unfocused, what do you do?

I speak to my mentors. An amazing mentor can set you straight and leave you feeling less overwhelmed, which inadvertently will motivate you to carry on. Someone to tell you it’s ok, can reduce the overwhelming feeling of overload and burnout.

What is one thing you wish you knew when you started your career?

To trust myself and that nobody wants you to fail.

What has been the key to your success?

Resilience, hard work and approaching everything with empathy. People are often drawn to leaders who show they are human too.

What is the best advice you would give to a new or aspiring leader?

If your younger self read this book, what’s the one thing you’d like them to take away from this?

BEC NEY

Grow your network, absorb advice from those around you and always strive to learn. No matter what your role is, constantly learning new things, reading new books or studying new courses will keep you growing.

What attributes make a good leader?

Empathy. Approaching everything with empathy will ensure a leader is making more thoughtful and informed decisions. The leaders will value the input of their team and diverse perspectives, meaning the team will align much better.

Keeping a calm demeanour. This shows your team that you’re competent and confident when facing challenges, and it will often cascade down, helping avoid a stressed and burnt-out team.

What is something you do regularly that inspires your creativity?

I block out a couple of hours each fortnight where I gather our team for a face-to-face whiteboard session and everyone brings ideas. We get so wrapped up in running/ executing, that we often fall short on giving ourselves time to do what we do best - create ideas and bounce thoughts off each other as a team.

Be patient, be kind, work hard and the rest will fall into place. If something has you torn up, ask yourself, will it matter in 12 months? If it won’t, move on and don’t stress the small stuff.

Be patient, be kind, work hard and the rest will fall into place.

Bec Ney