Equality Talks

Equality Talks Season Two has been absolutely amazing to be part of and I cannot believe the calibre of women that I've had the chance to speak to. I have learnt so much from the wonderful women this season. The theme that really came to me when I was reflecting on the season is generosity. I was blown away by the amount of generosity all our guests showed with their time, their wealth of information, and their true desire to see other women succeed. Have a listen to recap this season's episodes. 

Sangeeta Venkatesan took her 25 years of banking and financial experience and founded FairVine Super, where they want to empower women to take control of their finances and future. In this episode we discussed Sangeeta's impressive career history, the crossroads she reached on several occasions where she had to decide what was really important to her, and managing working with very small children. Sangeeta raised the superannuation gap, and what FairVine are doing to address financial inequality and increase financial literacy and independence of Australian women. With practical advice on networking and believing in yourself, Sangeeta supports women advocating for themselves and asking for what they are worth.

Camille Wilson experienced severe mental health issues from a young age, and truly understands what that can impose onto an individual's life. She founded social enterprise Grow Together Now, with the mission to change the way we see mental health in Australian workplaces and schools, based on three core skills: being aware, being courageous and being real. We talked about her mental health journey, the gap in wellness and mental health management programs that ignores people who aren't either thriving or in crisis, managing emotions in response to stress and the importance of leadership buy in for changing workplace cultures. Camille shared the three ‘moments that matter' in relation to mental health, and activities that can help you move from blah to thriving.

Somoud El Masri is the Women's Network Global Co-chair at Jacobs Engineering Company, and sits on the Inclusion & Diversity Council. She shared a number of fascinating (and shocking) stories of inequality from earlier in her career, that were the catalyst for the work she does now. With amazing insight into improving gender equality, pay equity, the importance of leadership in creating change and the value of women supporting each other, this conversation is a really fun chat covering many aspects of diversity and inclusion.

Samantha Payne has her own personal story of pregnancy loss that led to her co-founding Pink Elephants support network. They are on a mission to ensure no woman walks the journey of early pregnancy loss alone. They have built an amazing community of support groups, and impact 2.500 women and their partners per month. They support hospitals across Australia, as well as providing free resources on their 'virtual hug' of a website. Samantha also shared the story of growing their national charity from just an idea to a nationwide movement, impacting policy, legislation, workplaces and individuals.

Shivani Gopal is the Founder and CEO of The Remarkable Woman and Co-Founder and CEO of Upstreet, a Fintech start-up. She is a dedicated advocate for gender equality and closing the wealth gap for everyday Australians. Her work impacts women and girls from school age through to executive directors and her goal is to help 1 million women. Shivani discussed the link between systemic influences and individual empowerment to create change, the role of unconscious bias in slowing transformation and why men need to be part of the journey. She shared some amazing success stories from women learning to speak up and advocate for themselves, and the value of networks. Shivani's life motto of, “Dream big, and do the work,” is how she keeps moving with such energy towards her goals and ambitions.

Julie Moss believes men need to come on the journey to achieving gender equality. It's not just a women's issue. She shared a shocking story of unconscious bias when trying to redress the gender pay gap, the importance of flexible work options for all and how to define what success looks like for yourself and your own life. A wealth of industry knowledge with many years in the diversity and inclusion field, Julie is passionate about creating a more equal world for all.

Libby Lyons is the Director of the Workplace Gender Equality Agency. She took us through the real value of women in leadership, the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on women's workforce participation rates and the importance of a continued focus on gender diversity during an economic recovery. Libby shared stories and learnings from her past as a primary school teacher and then working in the resources sector, tips for getting your voice heard, and what she wishes she knew when she was younger.

Diane Smith-Gander believes that gender equality is the strongest lever we have to pull to support economic growth, but fears COVID may have set us back by a decade. She spoke about a Board career, creating your own personal Board of Directors, the value of supporters in helping you open doors and taking a deliberate approach to pivoting your career. With a wealth of experience and fascinating insights, Diane shared some of her hopes for the future, the silver linings of COVID impacts, and the importance of women supporting other women.

Anastasia Volkova believes the world can be a better place if we make smarter decisions. She's an Emelia Earhart Fellow, one of MIT's Technology Review Innovators 20 under 35, with three degrees and a doctorate thesis on autonomous navigation systems. As CEO and Co-Founder of Flurostat, Anastasia's passion is earth observation, automation and efficiency. She wants more young women to take on STEM roles and is passionate about the power of persistence to change the world.

Heidi Roizen was the subject of the famous Harvard University Howard vs Heidi research into gender bias. As a is a venture capitalist, corporate director, ‘recovering' entrepreneur and now partner at leading technology venture firm Threshold Ventures, she has her share of lived experience ralting to bias. In a candid discussion with WORK180 co-Founder and CEO Gemma Lloyd, Heidi discusses the traits that successful entrepreneurs share, living a relationship-led life and career, and giving yourself permission to pay for help with the domestic load.

Fiona Vines is the Head of Inclusion & Diversity and Workforce Transition at BHP. With 25 years' experience she is a wealth of knowledge about all things Diversity & Inclusion. A passionate feminist with practical ideas for achieving gender balance and workforce equity, Fiona is inspirational. We talk about what businesses need to reach 50-50, men's role in inclusion and why women leave the workforce at greater rates than men. Truly inspiring and informative, this is an episode to listen to.

Naomi Simson founded Red Balloon in 2001 and it's not the third largest experience marketplace of its type in the world. She was on four seasons of Channel 10's Shark Tank and is a passionate supporter of female founders. We talk about supporting local business to fuel Australia's recovery, using this period to reflect on what is important to you, Rushing Women's Syndrome, and finding your passion. An inspiring, personal I hope you enjoy it.

That's a wrap on Season One of Equality Talks, and we hope you loved it as much as we did! Listen to hear a brief recap of what we've talked about and the inspirational women we've spoken to, plus get the inside scoop on who's kicking off Season Two - she's pretty famous!

Vivienne Partridge has amazing flexibility, and talks about advocating for what you want, true flexibility, the support companies can provide in evening out the domestic load and wage theft as it applies to both parents and non-parents. She is the Associate Director of Strategy and Planning at Optus, is mother to two toddlers only 14 months apart and encourages people to use physical movement to support mental health.

Kirsten Clacey is a specialist in connecting and working with remote teams, and earlier this year organised a two day fully remote conference for 200 delegates from Eyeo. In this episode she talks about the benefits and challenges of working remotely, supporting your team in the rapid transition to remote working due to Covid-19, and supporting diversity through meeting design.

Kate Harrison found her priorities changed after having children, and she became an Acceptance and Commitment Therapist. In this episode she takes us through how to identify your core values, the five steps to catch and change though and behaviour patterns that don't serve you, and the importance of self-compassion and gratitude.

Renee Noble is the executive director of the Girls' Programming Network and was recently named in the Australia Financial Review's 100 Women of Influence. After a late introduction to tech, Renee is passionate about making coding education exciting and accessible to everyone. She strives to create scalable content and methods for including girls, women and people from other under-represented gender groups. She talks about non-technical skills that you need working in tech, the big-picture strategic thinking that is the foundation for working in technology, and that it's about helping people solve problems. Renee talks about unconscious bias, how it shows up in real-life applications and increasing empathy through understanding. She also talks about growing your skills and confidence through volunteering and recognising your worth.

Michelle Ayyuce discusses Zipwire's mission to get talented women back into their careers and into purposeful roles, the barriers we face following extended career breaks, and a number of tips and tricks to re-enter the workforce. Michelle recommends focusing on both opportunities and confidence, and also discusses the rebalance of domestic duties when someone takes up employment after a period as the primary carer. She is passionate about building confidence through action, and has a wealth of ideas for getting your career moving again after a break.

Kate Hobbs discusses market disruptions, future studies and changes we can't even predict. Humans are naturally resistant to change but can build our change-resilience in part by understanding that we learn through mistakes and failure. Taking risks is a muscle that needs to be built, but understanding and focusing on our strengths means the risks may well change the course of your life. Kate also discusses volunteering, Inclusion, and making a difference.

Tracey Edwards talks about the wide-reaching impact of NAB's neurodiversity targets, and the idea that diversity goes beyond just gender. Career progression can be enhanced by having a wide network, so Tracey talks about how to build that web of contacts, and the joy in your career comes from understanding what you're passionate about and learning as much as you can Learn more at www.WORK180.co

Ife Akintoye became a single mother while still at University, but by taking risks and stepping out of her comfort zone she now has a successful career in recruitment branding at Mott Macdonald. She talks about rebuilding your confidence after babies, what we model to our children as mothers and parents and how resilience defines us through the challenges of life. Ife is testament to the value of taking action to build your confidence and create the life you want! Learn more at www.work180.co

Samantha Reynolds shares the importance of sabbaticals and her year as a chocolatier, digital detoxes even when you work in tech and the terrifying idea of declaring email bankruptcy. She shares why a mentor is crucial for success and how to be a good mentee. As a working mother she knows taking care of yourself is a foundation for taking care of others and shares her working-mum hacks to inspire you! Learn more at www.work180.co

WORK180 is on a mission to empower every woman to choose a workplace where they can thrive. Co-founders Gemma Lloyd and Valeria Ignatieva started WORK180 after both experiencing discrimination in the tech industry. They wanted to flip the job seeking model on its head, give power back to job seekers and in the process are changing the world. In our debut episode of Equality Talks, we're speaking about their pasts and their dreams for the future.