The Female Career. Trailblazing New Zealand women share their career journeys

Do you want to think more strategically? Have you been told that you need to lift yourself out of the operational space to think more futuristically? Strategic thinking is something that frequently comes up in our coaching conversations. In this episode, we offer you our thoughts, advice and practical tools that will help you to think more strategically and progress your career. We cover: What is strategy? Why does it matter? 3 ways to think more strategically Key tools you can use to build a strategic mindset Follow us on https://www.facebook.com/TheFemaleCareer (Facebook) and https://www.instagram.com/thefemalecareer/ (Instagram), or sign up to our newsletter to receive career insights direct to your inbox using the form on https://www.thefemalecareer.com/ (our website). Find out more about The Female Career and the services we provide, including leadership coaching, career coaching and gender pay gap analysis on https://www.thefemalecareer.com/ (our website). We'd love to hear your feedback. If you'd like to get in touch you can email us on hello@thefemalecareer.com. Image credit: Christina Morillo

It's not easy to juggle a career with being a parent. In today's episode, five New Zealand women share their experiences and insights into how they make it all work. They talk about fitting work around their kids' schedules, what happens when family and work intersect, running a business while looking after a small child, and their hopes and dreams for more gender balanced parenting and work roles. We hope the thoughts of these women are useful and inspiring for you: Miriana Stephens (Ngāti Rārua, Ngāi Te Rangi, Ngāti Ranginui), Leader of wellness business AuOra™, Director of Wakatū Incorporation - and mum of 4 Alliv Samson, Co-Founder and COO of EdTech app Kami - and mum of 1 Rhiannon McKinnon, CEO of KiwiWealth - and mum of 3 Jacqui Magure, Clinical Psychologist, Science Communicator, Media Contributor - and mum of 1 Megan Scott, Director at PwC - and mum of 1 Follow us on https://www.facebook.com/TheFemaleCareer (Facebook) and https://www.instagram.com/thefemalecareer/ (Instagram), or sign up to our newsletter to receive career insights direct to your inbox using the form on https://www.thefemalecareer.com/ (our website). Find out more about The Female Career and the services we provide, including leadership coaching, career coaching and gender pay gap analysis on https://www.thefemalecareer.com/ (our website). We'd love to hear your feedback. If you'd like to get in touch you can email us on hello@thefemalecareer.com.

Professor Bronwyn Hayward is an internationally-recognised sustainability and climate change advocate. Her day job is as a Professor at the University of Canterbury in the Department of Political Science and International Relations where she is also Director of The Sustainability, Citizenship & Civic Imagination Research Group: Hei Puāwaitanga. Bronwyn is also part of the UN's Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change. She is passionate about sustainability, climate, youth and democracy. In 2021, Bronwyn was made a Member of the New Zealand Order of Merit in recognition of her outstanding work. In 2022, she was chosen as the Supreme Winner in the Women of Influence Awards. In this episode, Bronwyn talks about: Strategies for breaking into academia as a woman How we can work collectively and improve the way we collaborate to solve big issues Completing her PhD with young children

Amanda Malu (Ngāi Tahu) is Chief Executive of Whānau Āwhina Plunket, which is a charity and Aotearoa's largest support service for the health and wellbeing of tamariki under-five and their whānau. Amanda has been the Chief Executive since 2016. Prior to that, her career has seen her take on a wide range of marketing and communication leadership roles across not-for-profit and public sector organisations such as Maritime New Zealand, the Families Commission and the Tertiary Education Commission. Since recording this episode, Amanda has been appointed Deputy Chief Executive Service Delivery at ACC. In this episode, Amanda talks about: Her pathway to becoming a Chief Executive out of a career in marketing Her experiences of returning to work after parental leave, including starting back when her baby was 3 months old and being promoted while on parental leave How she responded to situations where conversation was directed at the man in the room even when she was more senior

Tara Tan is the Founder and CEO of Grin – a New Zealand natural oral care brand. Tara founded the company 8 years ago after completing her Masters in Commerce at the University of Auckland. She had some concerns about the oral care products that she was using with her daughter and felt she could create safer and more environmentally friendly options that would appeal to parents. Since starting the business, she has grown the brand and range significantly, and now exports Grin products all around the world. In this episode, Tara talks about: The importance of determination and resilience Starting a business with little experience of working in a company Being ambitious as a mother, daughter and wife

Mary Bond and Robyn McLean have been best friends since they were kids. In 2017, they launched Hello Cup, a fun, comfortable, hypoallergenic, recyclable menstrual cup, made here in Aotearoa New Zealand. Since then, their company Hello Period has gone from strength to strength, growing internationally, and launching a range of new period products. Mary and Robyn are also passionate about being a business that makes a positive impact on our planet. Since launching, Hello Cup has saved over 200 million single use tampons and pads from going to landfill. In terms of career backgrounds, Mary has been a nurse for over 20 years, with her most recent years as a palliative care nurse at a hospice. Robyn started her career as a journalist before moving into Communications, PR and Marketing. In this episode, Mary and Robyn talk about: How they learnt to trust their instinct and commit to the things they believe in Running a profitable business while looking after the environment Bringing fun and humour into their work

Amber Taylor is Co-Founder and CEO of ARA Journeys, a mobile games company weaving the digital world with te ao Māori. Inspired by and drawing on mātauranga Māori, ARA's award-winning games use immersive technologies and artificial intelligence to promote connection, education, and exploration of the natural world. In her broader career, Amber has over 18 years working in the tertiary sector, with 12 years of that in research and innovation of emerging technologies. Amber is also a strong advocate for growing Māori and Pasifika talent and diversity in the tech sector. In this episode, Amber talks about: How she started growing her business while still working a day job Stepping back in her career to get ahead Strategies for overcoming self-doubt

Rebecca & Kate co-founded The Better Packaging Company in 2017, which has a mission to find the world's most sustainable packaging solutions. They've experienced phenomenal growth since launching and now export globally, to over 50 countries. In this episode, Rebecca & Kate talk about: Leaning into their values Pursuing 'zigzag careers' with many twists and turns How their packaging products are making the world a better place Kate studied chemistry and commerce and started her career in management consulting. She then founded, published and edited a quarterly magazine Dumbo Feather, with a focus on social and environmental change makers before running her own Marketing & Communications Consultancy. She is passionate about the circular economy and about innovative design solutions. Rebecca studied biochemistry originally and the early years of her career were spent working for companies such as IBM and Vodafone. Prior to founding the Better Packaging Company, Rebecca was the COO at StarShipIt, a cloud based app designed to simplify shipping orders. In that role, she realised the amount of packaging waste generated by the eCommerce industry and that sparked the vision for The Better Packaging Company.

Janine Grainger is the co-founder and CEO of Easy Crypto, New Zealand's leading cryptocurrency trading platform. Easy Crypto now has over 150,000 customers across New Zealand, Australia, South Africa and Brazil, and has recorded over $1.1 billion in sales through the platform over the past three years. Janine has been involved in cryptocurrency since 2015, and is one of New Zealand's most visible voices in the sector. She's leading the charge in trying to drive collaboration between the industry, central government, and the finance sector to provide a secure, accessible crypto environment for consumers while fostering ongoing innovation and growth for the sector. Prior to Easy Crypto, Janine worked in senior operational and people leadership positions at Air New Zealand and Westpac and also in Consulting with PwC. Janine talks about: Starting and growing a side hustle alongside her day job The steps she took to grow her business internationally Finding the confidence to follow her interests and progress in her career Her experiences of conscious and unconscious bias

Julia Arnott-Neenee (Sāmoan, Chinese & British) has been told she is “too much”. Too loud, too bright, too young, too brown, too white. Far from letting these comments hold her back, Julia has chosen to grow into her “too much” as she has built her wide-ranging career across strategy, marketing and technology. Julia talks about: Putting her flame up and pursuing opportunities without fear of rejection Choosing a values-driven career Facing the system and refusing to be punished for other people's behaviour Julia's career has spanned across Aotearoa, Australia, the UK and the USA. She has recently been appointed National Manager of Transformation at the country's largest NGO, Emerge Aotearoa, whose mission is to strengthen whānau so that communities thrive. Julia is driven by social justice, people, and futures. In line with this, she is also a member of the Digital Council for Aotearoa New Zealand, member of the World Economic Forum Global Futures Council on AI and Humanity (Inclusion), Trustee of Hi-Tech Board, Board Member at Middlemore Foundation and Mentor at First Foundation. Julia has also co-founded the social enterprise PeopleforPeople, a youth-led Pacific organisation on a mission to ensure that everyone confidently participates in the Digital World of today and tomorrow.

Anya Satyanand has spent the last two decades on a haphazard journey that's been all about equipping, emboldening and inspiring young people, entrepreneurs and leaders to actively create a more hopeful world. She is a recovering teacher, an erstwhile youth worker, and an independent director of an ethical investment company. In her work for Leadership New Zealand, Anya supports, equips, empowers and inspires people who are interested in growing the future of Aotearoa - a future that is just and abundant, peaceful and participatory. Anya talks about: The challenges and urgency of being a leader today Her professional crisis of becoming a parent How appointing a personal board can help you grow in your career

As is sometimes the way with virtual recordings, the audio quality varies in this interview. Please don't let that put you off listening though - Renee has such an interesting story! How do you decide whether to make the leap into a new career? Can you incorporate multiple passions into your working life? How does historical sexism impact on the experiences of women at work today? Dr Renee Liang, a second-generation Cantonese New Zealander, blends her passions for medicine and the arts. A paediatrician with special interest in community and youth health, she is also Asian Theme Lead for the landmark longitudinal study Growing Up in NZ. Alongside her medical career, Renee also works as a poet and playwright. She has written, produced, and nationally toured eight plays, and has made operas, musicals, and community arts programmes. Her poems, essays, and short stories are studied from primary to tertiary level. In 2018, Renee was appointed a Member of the New Zealand Order of Merit.

Tracey Ryan is Managing Director New Zealand for engineering, design and advisory company Aurecon. She is responsible for the leadership and performance of 850 people across five locations. In this podcast we talk about: The importance of bringing compassion, empathy and integrity into your career Finding the courage to get uncomfortable Why workplace diversity is critical to innovation and problem-solving Tracey's career to date has been focused on business growth, leading enterprise-wide multi-disciplinary teams and creating inclusive and engaged cultures. She has held senior leadership roles in several global professional services companies. Tracey's technical STEM background and 25 years international professional services experience makes her incredibly passionate about getting more young women and girls to choose STEM careers. She is Deputy Chair for Infrastructure New Zealand and Chair of the International Federation of Consulting Engineers (FIDIC) Sustainable Development Committee.

How do you know you are being paid a fair rate? Can you be both grateful and assertive? Practical tips to get the gender pay gap on the agenda at your organisation In this special episode of the podcast we talk all things gender pay gap. Our guests are Dellwyn Stuart and Irihapeti Edwards, campaigners and advocates for pay transparency and equality in Aotearoa. Dellwyn is CEO of YWCA Auckland and Co-founder of MindTheGap. With 30 years' experience in corporate and private business, she is passionate about gender equality and is driven to help amplify the voices of young wāhine. Irihapeti (Ngāti Manawa, Ngāti Hikairo, Ngāti Awa, Te Arawa, Ngāpuhi, Ngāti Whātua ki Kaipara) is a young wahine Māori who works in the finance sector. She is a keen advocate of human and indigenous rights and is passionate about community engagement, cultural representation, female empowerment and education. Dellwyn and Irihapeti talk about their work at MindTheGap and what drives their passion for closing the gender pay gap. They leave us with practical tips for how we can all be part of the movement for a more equal society. In the words of Dellwyn, we all have power to make change. “All change does really begin with conversation. You are entitled to be curious and to have that conversation.”

For International Women's Day we are bringing you a special episode on the theme of #BreakTheBias. Many of our previous podcast guests have faced some form of bias in their working lives. In this episode six wāhine talk about their experiences of bias at work and how they have fought to break it. Stacey Morrison (Te Arawa, Ngāi Tahu) is a radio and TV broadcaster, journalist and author. Stacey talks about how women are perceived differently once they become mothers and the expectations women put on themselves. Vic Maclennan is a technology entrepreneur and champion of digital capability for all. Vic speaks about gender pay discrimination and the power of supportive colleagues. Teresa Tepania-Ashton (Ngāpuhi, Ngāti Kuri, Te Aupōuri, Te Rarawa, Ngāti Kahu ki Whangaroa) is the Chief Executive of Māori Women's Development Inc. Teresa talks about challenges at the intersection of ethnicity and gender and we can overcome bias by believing in ourselves. Sarah Lang is Director of Government Advisory and Strategic Relationships at Beca. Sarah talks about struggling to be heard in male-dominated workplaces and the value of female role models. Hema Patel is a senior business leader in the software and technology sectors. Hema speaks about breaking the bias by finding the courage to have the conversation or ask the question. Caren Rangi (Cook Islands Māori) is a professional director and supporter of Aotearoa's Pacific community. Caren talks about challenging the expectations we hold of ourselves and cutting ourselves some slack.

Is it unhelpful to talk about “imposter syndrome”? How can you build your confidence and create opportunities to let your talent shine at work? Renee Graham is Te Tumu Whakahaere, Chief Executive of the Social Wellbeing Agency. Before beginning this role in June 2021, she was Secretary for Women and Chief Executive of the Ministry for Women. Growing up in Porirua, Renee began her career journey in a frontline role at Work and Income. Over the next 20+ years, she performed a range of policy roles within the Ministry of Social Development and the Ministry of Education. In this episode of the podcast, Renee talks candidly about her progression into senior leadership roles, her experiences of imposter syndrome, and how she built her confidence by noting down her successes in a little black book. “You start building up your little black book of things that you know that you can do, and that helps build your confidence. And then when you're building your confidence, your imposter syndrome dial is decreasing a little bit. So it's always there, but every little thing that you do helps.”

“Nobody knows what they're doing until they're doing it, so just get started.”Jessie Wong is a Wellington entrepreneur and founder of luxury leather goods brand Yu Mei. She set up Yu Mei after winning an AMP scholarship while completing a Bachelor of Fashion Design at Otago, allowing her to invest in the specialised machinery required to craft leather goods. Together with her production manager Adrian, Jessie grew the brand, picking up 32 stockists in 18 months following successful showings during Yu Mei's first two appearances at New Zealand Fashion Week. Six years on, Yu Mei has grown to a team of 16, with a permanent design studio, and three flagship stores across Wellington and Auckland. Under the guidance of her female business mentor, Jessie has scaled her business, securing a world-class manufacturing facility to realise plans for international expansion. With a large network and community of successful fellow females, Jessie is a woman in business with an impressive strategic outlook and vision for the future of regenerative leathercraft.

“Trust yourself....When you're in your flow and when you're in your place of strength and confidence, things will work out.”Bron Thomson is the founder and co-CEO of https://www.springload.co.nz/ (Springload), one of New Zealand's leading digital agencies, with a team of over 75 people in Wellington. Her experience in design, technology, and business strategy spans three decades of New Zealand's tech sector. Springload's mission is to make the things that matter, better. They've worked with some of New Zealand's leading organisations, including Te Papa, Massey University, ACC, NZ Customs, Kiwibank, and many Government agencies. Springload also became a B-Corp in 2019. Bron is passionate about collaborating to create change for good.

We are bringing you a special episode with some of the very best career insights from recent episodes of The Female Career podcast. Set yourself up for your next career steps by reflecting on thought-provoking career advice from five inspiring wāhine of Aotearoa: Qiane Matata-Sipu (Te Waiohua, Waikato-Tainui, Ngāpuhi, Ngāti Pikiao, Cook Islands) is a journalist, photographer, social activist, and the founder and creator of NUKU. Qiane talks about the innate magic of wāhine and the importance of finding the courage to listen to and trust our gut. Katherine Skipper is an architect and Principal with the architectural firm Warren and Mahoney. Katherine talks about seeking growth outside of our comfort zone, using our networks and being bold.  Dr Hinemoa Elder (Ngāti Kuri, Te Aupouri, Te Rarawa, Ngāpuhi) is the only Māori child and adolescent psychiatrist in Aotearoa. Hinemoa encourages us to reach out to the wāhine who inspire us and to learn to love ourselves by exploring our whakapapa. Vanisa Dhiru is a human rights advocate who holds commissioner roles with the NZ National Commission of UNESCO and the Library and Information Advisory Commission. Vanisa talks about the importance of playing to our strengths and being open-minded about networking opportunities. Leonie Freeman is the Chief Executive of Property Council New Zealand and has had an extensive and accomplished career in the property industry. Leonie talks about how to lean into our purpose and reframe challenges as opportunities.

“My wonderful parents, and particularly my mother, have always said – do what you love and the money will follow. And I think I've always just taken that to heart, in that work is so much of your life so you need to love it and it needs to make you happy.”Dr Olivia Harrison is a neuroscientist whose research focuses on mental health, especially anxiety. She looks at the relationship between our brain and our body, and how awareness of changes in our body - things like a racing heart, sweaty palms or rapid breathing – may impact on our anxiety. Olivia studied originally at the University of Otago before completing her PhD at the University of Oxford in the UK. She's worked as a Research Fellow in Oxford and Zurich before returning home to NZ in 2020 and has been awarded the Rutherford Discovery Research Fellowship. Olivia has also recently been awarded the prestigious LÓreal/UNESCO Fellowship for Women in Science. Here are some mental health support services in Aotearoa New Zealand in case useful after listening to this episode: Call or text 1737 any time for support from a trained counsellor Lifeline – 0800 543 354 or free text 4357 (HELP) Anxiety Help Line – 0800 269 4389 https://mentalhealth.org.nz/ (Mental Health Foundation)

“Don't try and compare yourself too much to others. I think if you're working on something you're passionate about and you enjoy your work and you're getting a lot of learning from it, … then I think that's a massive achievement.”Amelia Gain is CEO and co-founder of boutique accommodation management software - https://prenohq.com/ (Preno). Amelia has a background in IT but took the leap to take over a luxury hotel at 23, turn it around to being profitable, and was even nominated for the world's best hotel. Her challenges while running this hotel sparked the inspiration to launch Preno, a software as a service business for smaller, independent accommodation businesses. Over the past few years, Preno has gone from strength to strength and is now used in more than 25 countries, helping small hotel businesses streamline their business management.

“I think it's really important to get a different perspective from people you trust, to try and get a cheerleader or a person to say, ‘No, you can do this. Why not? What have you got to lose?"Vicky Robertson is Chief Executive and Secretary for the Ministry for the Environment, a role she has held since 2015. Prior to that, Vicky was Deputy Chief Executive and Chief Operating Officer at The Treasury. She has a background in law and economics, and enjoys collaborating with a wide range of stakeholders to bring about significant reform on complex areas such as climate change, freshwater quality and the resource management system.

“We basically somehow stumbled on to a good idea. And once we realised that, we were so motivated and so energised and we just threw ourselves at it 100%.”We're delighted to bring you the career stories of Sonia Minnaar and Liz Henderson, co-founders of https://www.canopycamping.co.nz/ (Canopy Camping), a collection of over 80 handpicked glamping experiences throughout Aotearoa New Zealand. Sonia Minnaar has a background in sales. Before co-founding Canopy Camping in 2012, she worked as an account manager in sales for both Telecom and GEN-I. Sonia's core focus is working with prospective and new hosts and the financial management of the business. Liz Henderson has a background in marketing, working on both agency and client-side. Before co-founding Canopy Camping, she headed up the ANZ Relationship Marketing team. She focuses on building the brand presence and marketing Canopy Camping.

What I've learned from my career is to have more confidence in myself and actually have less fear.Lyn Lim is a lawyer by background and in 1998 became the first Asian woman partner at a NZ national law firm. She brings over 30 years of legal practice specialising in commercial, corporate and governance issues. In the last 10 years Lyn has taken on a wide range of governance roles across both the private and public sectors. There are too many to list them all here, but they include being on the Boards of Public Trust, General Capital, Restaurant Brands and the Asia New Zealand Foundation. In the 2017 New Years Honours, Lyn was appointed as a Member of the New Zealand Order of Merit for her services to New Zealand-Asia relations and governance. Lyn believes that success is about much more than just the financials, it is about the greater good for our communities, and making the world a better place.

"'I definitely felt more rushed early in my career to advance. Now as I look back on it, I think I would give myself advice not to be in such a hurry. Take the time and get the most out of each role or opportunity that you have before you feel you need to advance"Gaye is Te Tumu Whakarae mō Toitū Te Whenua, Secretary of Land Information and CE of Land Information New Zealand (LINZ). LINZ's purpose is understanding, developing and caring for whenua, moana and arawai.  LINZ is the Government's lead agency for property and location information, Crown property and managing overseas investment. Gaye has held a range of senior leadership positions in New Zealand's public service – as a Deputy Commissioner at Inland Revenue, and Executive team roles in ACC, the Ministry of Business Innovation and Employment and the Ministry of Economic Development.  Gaye started her career as a lawyer, working as a Crown Prosecutor in Palmerston North, and was a Senior Counsel in the Commerce Commission.  

"I love bringing my Samoan heritage into my designs and work. It's a very important part of my identity and what I want my company, my brand to represent." Lucy Tupu is a classically trained Industrial Designer with over 20 years of experience producing bespoke rugs, carpets, furniture and lighting. She has lived and worked in New Zealand and Australia and for the last 17 years has been based in the United States.  In 2015 she opened her New York City-based design studio, https://www.lucytupu.com/ (Lucy Tupu LLC) and her debut collection was launched in May 2016 at the International Contemporary Furniture Fair (ICFF). Her work has quickly built a reputation for its vibrant, graphic and playful designs that also reflect her New Zealand and Samoan roots.

"The thing that I would say to women as there is no such thing as a glass ceiling, but there are barriers. So acknowledge those barriers and find ways to push through them." Vic Maclennan is passionate about many things - growing great companies, raising digital literacy, growing New Zealand's economy, and equality for women. Her day jobs include Managing Director of data and information specialists OptimalBI, plus investing in and advising a range a great Kiwi startups as they grow. Vic's community contributions include being co-Chair of NZRise a community of NZ owned digital and technology companies, Chair of the Digital Skills Forum, a cross government and industry initiative focusing on the future of work, and Chair of Digital Future Aotearoa a fabulous charity established to raise the digital capability of all New Zealanders. Victoria is also Chair of the Ministerial Advisory Group on Digital Inclusion and Digital Economy (DEDIMAG).  Vic believes we live in a great country so helping every New Zealander reach their potential in life is something we can all aspire to achieve.

"Only 15% of advertising photography you see was shot by women. Yet pretty much all of that advertising photography is aimed at women. There's some amazingly talented female photographers out there who are shooting beautiful campaigns, and just need to be given a break." Camilla hails from Scotland, and studied at the prestigious Central St Martins College of Art in London. After graduating Camilla embarked on a 5 year winter, between NZ ski fields in Wanaka and Switzerland's Verbier. On these winters she gained a reputation as a world-class snow photographer, before deciding she wanted a bit more summer, settling in Wanaka and starting to photograph mountain biking as well. Camilla now calls NZ home and lives deep in the Southern Alps with her family on their high country merino sheep station. She travels when she can shooting editorial assignments and advertising campaigns for adventure sports, travel, and lifestyle companies.  Recently Camilla has grown passionate about photographing regenerative farming practices and started a personal photography project to showcase this called https://www.healtheearthnz.com/ (Heal the Earth). She was awarded the 2020 Professional Photographers Grant from Canon to support this work. Camilla has twice been a finalist in the New Zealand Geographic Photographer of the Year and won the 2015 NZ Press Photographer of the Year. She is incredibly passionate about NZ and its unique and diverse landscapes and loves living, working and shooting here. 

"One of the most memorable moments of my life was walking onto the stage to get my PhD with a four month old and a 19 month old - my two baby girls - in the audience." Juanita Ryan is the Deputy Chief Executive, Health Services with Ara Poutama, the Department of Corrections. She is responsible for the operational delivery of health, mental health, addictions and disability services for people on remand or sentence with the Department.   Juanita is a Clinical Psychologist by background with a PhD in Psychology. She started her career as a psychologist with the Waikato District Health Board. Juanita joined Ara Poutama 12 years ago and she has held a range of roles there including principal psychologist, Director Programmes and Interventions and Chief Psychologist.   

"Figure out and celebrate what your strengths are. You've been given these magical gifts, so use them and ideally use them for good." Bridget Williams is the founder of https://beadandproceed.com/ (Bead and Proceed) - a social enterprise working to educate people about the 17 UN Sustainable Development Goals and inspire action towards them through creativity.  Alongside this, Bridget is also one of the youngest elected Christchurch City Council Community Board members. She studied law, classics and political science originally and was President of the Student Volunteer Army. The first few years of her career were at Duncan Cotterill as a solicitor before she realised her dreams of pursuing a more creative, community-focused career.

"Being in sustainability is always about having a really future-facing lens. Sustainability is doing what we do today in a way that means that future generations can meet their needs" Abbie Reynolds is one of New Zealand's most respected figures in sustainable business. She is Chair of Westpac's Sustainability External Advisory Panel, a Director of Auckland Transport and Trustee for Sustainable Coastlines.    Most recently Abbie was CEO of Predator Free 2050 Ltd, the company established to help deliver the New Zealand government's ambitious goal of eradicating possums, stoats and rats by 2050. From 2016 to 2019 she was the Executive Director of the Sustainable Business Council, and was the key architect in the establishment and launch of the Climate Leaders Coalition in 2018.  Before joining the Sustainable Business Council, Abbie was the head of sustainability at Vodafone NZ and has led sustainability and regulatory work across a number of different industries. Her tireless work earned her a 2019 Women of Influence award in the Board & Maintenance category.

"My career advice would be: try to not listen to too much advice! I think that as females we are just absolutely inundated with information about how we can live our best lives, and all it really does is drown out your own gut instinct. Instead, really try and listen to yourself, and I think deep down you'll know what's the right thing to do." Huia Burt is Co-Founder, Director and the Chief Strategy officer for The Energy Collective, which creates and scales digital businesses that disrupt energy retail markets. Huia studied Engineering Science at University. Her first job after uni was as a Business Risk consultant with Ernst & Young before she moved to Ireland and worked as a quantitative analyst with a hedge fund. Following that, she returned to New Zealand and worked for 6 years for Mighty River Power, which later became Mercury Energy, working in risk and investment. In 2014, together with two high school friends, she founded Electric Kiwi, which is now part of The Energy Collective.  

"If you're working with people and on things that you really enjoy and are interested in, then work is not really work anymore." Tracey is a Civil Engineer by background and a Senior Principal and Market Lead for Land Development with infrastructure consultancy Beca. Over her 25 year career she has led many multi-disciplinary transport, urban development and climate resilience projects in Aotearoa New Zealand and the South Pacific. A few highlights include: -   2 years living and working in Samoa leading a World Bank funded infrastructure strategy and management planning programme -   4 years as Manager of Beca's Civil Structures team, leading 34 engineers and design professionals charged with delivering large, high profile and complex infrastructure projects through collaborative contracting -   establishing and then 5 years leading Beca's Group-wide commercial practice and delivery improvement business. She has successfully led strategic change programmes and initiatives, across 7 countries and 3000+ people -   Since 2018 she's been involved in Auckland's Housing Programme as the Beca Project Director for 5 neighbourhoods Tracey is also a champion for Women in STEM, and is on the Advisory Board for the Women's Infrastructure Network

Work life balance is a topic that so many of us are interested in. On this episode, five New Zealand women share their own thoughts on how they find balance. From knowing your priorities, to building exercise into a busy life, hopefully you can take some practical tips from these women: Kendall Flutey - Founder & CEO of financial education Banqer: "Balance is not a destination" Emma Eden - Principal Horn with Christchurch Symphony Orchestra: "I don't have a lot of time. With the time I've got I just have to be smart with it." Traci Houpapa - Professional Director and Chair of Federation of Māori Authorities: "Every woman needs a small group of truth tellers. That group of people keeps me grounded and focused." Hema Patel - Managing Director, Database Solutions: "My weekends have always been sacred." Caroline Rainsford - Country Director, Google New Zealand: "I try to avoid thinking about balance. I try to think about integration"

"If we can stop and take a dive into our deepest pain, that's where you find the pearls. It's hard work, but the pearls are there." Anne Fitisemanu has been the Chief Executive for TupuToa since 2017. In that time, she has been delivering on the organisation's vision to grow Māori and Pacific leaders for a greater Aotearoa, with exponential growth in the number of interns and partners TupuToa delivers for. Of Niuean, Samoan and European heritage, Anne has not only led the growth of TupuToa beyond Auckland to other parts of New Zealand, but also overseen the creation of international opportunities for Māori and Pacific young people. An eternal optimist, Anne's passion for creating a more inclusive world is infectious. She is known for her energy, enthusiasm, innovation and entrepreneurship. Her career has spanned leadership roles in key sectors including health, education, local government and not-for-profits committed to equity and growing people. 

Alana Gunn is head coach of Canterbury United Pride women's football team, and she's coached the team to three successive victories in the national league in the past three years. She's had to be patient in her coaching career, working her way up alongside other paid work to get to the role she is in today. She's a player-centred coach, and creates an environment where girls and women feel safe, valued and part of a community. "You have to be brave to improve something and spend time where you're uncomfortable. Sometimes it just takes a deep breath and a first step forward to get yourself there. And I think when you're there, you find it's a lot easier than you originally imagined it could be."

Rhiannon McKinnon is the CEO of Kiwi Wealth, the largest New Zealand-owned Kiwisaver provider. Rhiannon is originally from the UK, and of Welsh and Chinese heritage. She started her career in the financial services sector with Cazenove and Morgan Stanley in the UK. Since moving to New Zealand she's held roles with NZ Post and Kiwibank. She's also a part-time working Mum of 3 young children, and is keen to keep smashing the glass ceiling and inspiring others in her career.

"My advice for women would be to not be afraid to claim that expert status, to apply for awards, to put your hand up for promotions, even when you think you haven't got the whole 100%. Put yourself out there." With a Masters in Geography, Sarah started her career with Manukau City Council before moving on to a leadership role with the not-for-profit Committee for Auckland. She then spent nearly 10 years with Infrastructure New Zealand as their Director Strategic Partnerships. One of her key achievements while there was the launch of The Women's Infrastructure Network NZ in 2016, which now has 7 chapters across the country and over 2100 members. Alongside that she has also run her own consultancy advising organisations on areas such as economic recovery and community development. Sarah recently started a new role as Director of Government Advisory and Strategic Relationships at infrastructure consultancy Beca. Sarah has been widely recognised for her work including being the Winner of the 2018 Woman of Influence Award for Diversity, USA Government International Visiting Leadership Program Scholar in 2019 and a Nominee for the Kiwibank New Zealander of the Year in 2019.

"Tell people what you want to happen. People can't help you achieve your dreams if you don't share them." Courtney Johnston is Tumu Whakarae, Chief Executive of Te Papa Tongarewa, the Museum of New Zealand. Courtney has had a varied career across web, communications and people leadership. One of her first jobs as a student at Victoria University while studying for her Masters in art history was actually as a visitor host at Te Papa. Her early career was at City Gallery Wellington as an assistant curator and publicist before moving to the National Library working across communications and web. She was the General Manager at Boost Media, a web design and development agency in the early 2010s, before spending a number of years as Director at the Dowse Art Museum in Lower Hutt. She initially joined Te Papa as the Director of Audience & Insight before moving into her current role at the end of 2019. Outside of her full-time gigs she was the visual arts correspondent on Nine to Noon with Kathryn Ryan for 10 years and has also been on the Boards of a wide range of sector organisations, including as Chair of Museums Aotearoa

"Should I try to negotiate my salary?" "How much should I ask for?" "What if they say no?" Join the Founder of The Female Career, Leadership Coach Anna Johnstone as she shares practical tips about how to negotiate for the salary and opportunities that you want. In this episode you'll discover: Why negotiation is so important, and yet so tricky, particularly for women How you can prepare effectively for negotiations How to come across as confident & credible How to handle objections and your emotions during negotiations We hope that you find this episode useful and best of luck in applying this advice on your own negotiations.

Rosa and Margo Flanagan founded ‘https://www.tworawsisters.com/ (Two Raw Sisters)', whose mission is to inspire, motivate and educate people on the benefits of plant based eating. They run cooking workshops, have released  two bestselling cookbooks and have more recently launched ‘Hello Raw' a range of ready-made salads sold in supermarkets. Margo's focus is more on the Creative and Marketing side of the business and Rosa focuses on Recipe development and logistics. It was personal struggles that brought them on this path – for Margo it was chronic fatigue, endometriosis and gut issues and for Rosa the battles of being an under-weight athlete with a training obsession. Rosa and Margo enjoy healthy living, but also don't take themselves too seriously and want to make cooking and eating practical and enjoyable for everyone. "You get what you get with us. And I think a lot of people find that really refreshing, especially in this day and age with social media where everyone has to be perfect. We show the sh*t times and we show the great times and I think people love that unique difference."

"When you're afraid, you don't do it 100%. You hold yourself back and you don't fulfill the potential that you have. Whereas, if you go in 100%, give it your all and release that fear, then you will create greatness." Qiane Matata-Sipu is a journalist, photographer, artist and social activist. She's been a storyteller for as long as she can remember. Qiane created the platform https://www.nukuwomen.co.nz/ (NUKU) which shares the stories of 100 Indigenous female change-makers and leaders through audio podcasts, photography, videography, books, art and live events. Qiane has also been very actively involved at https://www.facebook.com/protectihumatao/ (Ihumātao) and the land protests there over the years.

"You have to turn luck into a break through hard work" Rachel Garrett is a leader of people. She has had a varied career across change management, business improvement and customer service. She fell in love with leadership after landing her first leadership role working in Australia at 19 years old. After attending uni she continued her career leading teams across the public and private sectors in New Zealand, including as Head of Customer Service at Trade Me. She now leads NZ and manages a global team for Shopify, one of the world's most successful ecommerce companies.

"Sometimes the most amazing opportunities are in literally the most unexpected places." Emily Henlein is Executive GM of Design and Research with Xero. She's based here in NZ and manages a rapidly expanding international team across North America, Europe and APAC. Emily is originally from the US and she started her career with Amazon, before moving to join Microsoft and later joining US department store chain Sears as part of their technology turnaround. She's passionate about user experience, product design and putting the customer at the centre. In 2019 she moved to New Zealand with her kiwi husband, hoping to put into practice her yoga training as a teacher and enjoy a peaceful life. Her plans were frustrated by the opportunity of creating a global design team for Xero!

Brooke Roberts and Sonya Williams are the co-Founders and co-CEOs of Sharesies, the online investment platform that makes investing easy and accessible. Sonya comes from a marketing, product management and customer engagement background. Before co-founding Sharesies in 2016 she worked for Springload, Xero and Kiwibank. Day-to-day she runs the product and marketing side of Sharesies. Brooke has a marketing and finance background. She also worked at Kiwibank and Xero with her roles focusing more on Product Management and she also co-founded beauty start-up Indigo & Iris. Brooke is co-CEO or ‘3EO' at Sharesies alongside Sonya and Leighton Roberts Together, Sonya and Brooke won the 2020 New Zealand Woman of Influence Award in the Business and Enterprise section. "Sharing that you need help isn't a weakness at all. Actually that's a real strength. People want to see you succeed and will do whatever they can to help."

"It's interesting this word 'career'. Because that assumes you have one career. I saw this saying once, "Don't build a career, build experiences." And I think that that's what I've done. Yes, I've had a vision of where I was going. But the experiences took me from one place to the other to this career that I have today" Rhonda Kite is an award-winning film and television producer, creating work such as anthology series https://www.nzonscreen.com/title/mataku-series-2001-65e/series (Mataku) and feature-length documentary https://www.nzonscreen.com/title/squeegee-bandit-2006 (Squeegee Bandit) as well as long-running TV series Kete Aronui. In the early 2000s Rhonda founded Kiwa Media. Its first software product was Voice-Q, a tool designed to automatically dub foreign-language dialogue in television and film production. Voice-Q is now used in studios worldwide. More recently, Kiwa has moved into digital publishing, creating multilingual digital books that bring content to life in ways that are interactive and immersive. Rhonda is passionate about creativity and the power of storytelling. She's served on most of the screen industry Boards in Aotearoa New Zealand including Māori television and NZ On Air. In 2018 Rhonda was named an Officer of the New Zealand Order of Merit, for services to media technology, television and film.

Research shows that focusing on our strengths can make us more satisfied, productive and innovative. And it's certainly more energising than trying to fix those things we're not so good at! In this short episode, Leadership Coach and Founder of The Female Career Anna Johnstone shares her top tips for discovering your strengths and how to start applying them at work straight away.

"When somebody else believes in you, then it's an opportunity to believe in yourself." Christine Langdon is co-founder and Chief of Good at The Good Registry - a gift website where you can give or ask to receive goodness instead of stuff. The Good Registry has partnered with 65 Kiwi charities, which people can support through charitable gift cards and gift registries. In their first three years they've raised $565,000 for good, they've replaced about 17,000 gifts and all of the associated packaging and waste, and they've given thousands of people the joy of giving. Christine didn't start out in business or social enterprise. She studied as a journalist, worked at newspapers in New Zealand and overseas (including a stint at the New York Post), then moved into communications and public relations, seeking out roles where she could have a positive social impact, then leading the community programme at Z Energy - before leaving her ‘dream role' to forge her own path in social good.  As well as leading The Good Registry, Christine continues to do strategic communications consulting for causes that resonate with her.  "The thing about being an entrepreneur is this incredible sense of satisfaction, that the hard work that I am doing is creating something that wouldn't be there otherwise. It's creating opportunities for people to give, that they wouldn't have otherwise, and it's reducing waste, and it's helping good causes. All of that's happening because we created something, and that's an incredibly satisfying feeling."

We really hope you enjoy listening to the career story of Vanisa Dhiru on The Female Career podcast. Manawatū-born Indian Vanisa Dhiru is an equality champion with a strong sense of social responsibility.  She holds commissioner roles with the NZ National Commission of UNESCO and the Library & Information Advisory Commission, alongside other advisory and panel roles for NGOs and government departments.  During her career Vanisa has held various leadership roles including CEO of Volunteering New Zealand, Executive Director of 20/20 Trust, and President of the National Council of Women NZ. Based in Wellington, she is a member of the global BMW Foundation Responsible Leaders Network, Global Women NZ, and the Manawatū regional Te Aho Tāmaka leadership programme.  "It doesn't matter what your background is, there's always something that you can learn from someone that's different than yourself."

Stacey Morrison is an experienced broadcaster having started her career as a TV presenter on long-running children's TV show What Now. Since then she's hosted and worked on a range of shows including Mai Time, Showstoppers, Seven Sharp, Whanau Living and It's in the Bag. She's also experienced as a radio host having had roles on Following that she shifted into radio with hosting roles on Mai FM, Flava and Classic Hits and Hits Drive Show. More recently she's become an author, publishing many titles to support people, especially families and children to learn te reo Maori. She's also very involved in the community and is an Ambassador for the New Zealand Breast Cancer Foundation as well as Water Safety New Zealand.  "Think about the structure that works for you and whatever you want to accommodate. Whether that's accommodating your own career goals, your own financial goals, or your whānau goals. It's up to us to write our own script."

Hema is a senior business leader with a passion for transformation and innovation. She has had key roles across media, technology and telecommunications sectors. Hema has a unique background as a chartered accountant (having recently been awarded Fellowship status) and has in recent years, taken senior leadership roles, currently as Managing Director for Database Solutions, a division of the global ICT business, NTT. Hema was previously CEO at streaming service Lightbox. Hema has experienced first hand many of the challenges in leadership being both Indian and of course, female. However, she also believes that we can't be what we can't see, and this very much keeps her going. Hema is mum to two boys, Akshay and Dhyan and very much changing the role of a mum in their eyes.  "I bumped into somebody in the car park the other day, and she said, "We're so proud of you, Hema. We need more women like you doing the kind of work that you do." I forget all the time that I have what would be considered to be a position of influence, and that I can actually pave the way for change."