Brave Feminine Leadership

Most of us are holding two completely incongruent feelings about AI right now. The excitement about what it could make possible. And a deeper, quieter discomfort about what it might already be taking from us. Penny Locaso put both of those feelings on the table in this conversation - and then backed them up with research. Penny is a behavioural scientist and provisional psychologist, completing he...

There's a question sitting underneath a lot of leadership conversations right now, one that most people aren't saying out loud: am I actually adding value to what matters — or am I just busy? Felecia Pryor received a piece of feedback early in her career that stung: don't play in the garden when the house is on fire. More than any other conversation in the CPO series, this line has resonated and I...

Shomaice Zowghi walked into one of Australia's most closed, male-dominated industrial environments as the first female Director of Industrial Relations in a 107-year-old passenger railway system. Deals had always been done at the pub. Networks were tight and the door was shut. She didn't look like the role. She didn't sound like it. She carved out a place anyway - on both sides of the table. She c...

Felecia Pryor wanted to be an FBI agent. A psychological test, a shuttle bus, and a conversation with a stranger at a conference changed everything. What followed was nearly two decades building people strategy inside some of the world's most complex industrial organisations - Ford Motor Company, BorgWarner, and now John Deere, where she leads HR, labour relations, enterprise security, aviation an...

Anu Villarosa began her career as a lawyer in London, moved to Australia on a whim during the 2008 financial crash, and somehow ended up as Chief People Officer at a leading law firm - via recruitment, mindset coaching, competitive hockey, and a 50% pay cut she took to back herself into HR. The journey makes no sense on paper. In practice, it's the perfect preparation. In this conversation, Anu ta...

Damian Zahra started work early, grew up around family businesses, and came into HR with one obsession: what happens when you bring the discipline of high performance sport into the world of business? Nearly seven years into his role as Chief People Officer at Bunnings, one of Australia's most iconic and complex organisations, he's still asking the same question. In this conversation, Damian talks...

Amy Stanley didn't set out to be a Chief People Officer - she wanted to be a fashion buyer like Rachel Green from Friends. What she found instead was a deep love for the work of motivating people, and a 25-year career that took her from the shop floor to the strategic centre of some of Australia's most significant organisations. In this conversation, Amy talks about what it actually means to lead...

Amy Walker didn't plan a career in HR- she wandered into a lecture to keep a friend company and never looked back. What followed was 20+ years building people strategy inside some of Australia's most complex, traditionally male-dominated industries, and learning that the CPO role has never really been about authority. It's about influence, deliberate, patient, and built on genuinely understanding...

You can want that seat at the table. But when you get there - what are you actually bringing? In this candid conversation, Brave Feminine Leadership co-founders Melissa Hamilton and Kelli Hayes reflect on The Impact Formula masterclass, what they're hearing from senior leaders right now, and the thing nobody teaches you about impact, reputation and turning up with a real point of view. They get in...

Most of us have a story about who we are as a leader. The harder question is whether that story is true, or just the version we've rehearsed. In this conversation I sit down with Merle Singer, researcher, leadership developer, and creator of Epitome Leadership, to explore what three years of research across Australia and the US revealed about how women really lead. We get into the anxiety that sho...

The world shifted and most executives are still catching their breath. In this episode I called one of the sharpest strategic minds I know to make sense of it in real time: Matt Tice, CEO of Insurgence, who has navigated disruption with organisations across six continents. We get into what the Iran crisis actually means for business, why most leaders are asking the wrong questions, and the mindset...

There are leaders who hold the seat. And then there are leaders who transform everything they touch. Alexis George walked into AMP in August 2021 at one of the most challenging moments in the company's 176 year history. On the eve of her retirement as CEO, she sat down with us for this International Women's Day special to reflect on a career that has taken her from a small country town in Bega to...

As the world just announced that Craig Tiley is heading to the United States Tennis Association as their new CEO, we're bringing back this conversation to celebrate his extraordinary legacy. And what a moment to do it. For 20 years, Craig Tiley shaped Australian tennis into something the world genuinely admires. As CEO of Tennis Australia and Tournament Director of the Australian Open, he turned A...

Jodi Geddes is back - and a lot has happened since Episode 13. Since we last spoke, Jodi co-built Circle In into a globally recognised workplace platform before navigating the weight of a confidential exit, three months offline with her kids, and the question every exited founder eventually faces: who am I now? In this honest, energising conversation, Jodi opens up abo ut the identity grief of los...

Leadership is getting things done through other people. So why are so many brilliant leaders doing the work themselves? In this reflection on the Women Who Understand Influence series, Melissa unpacks one insight from each of five leading researchers - and why the gap between what you intend and what actually lands might be the most important thing you're not paying attention to. If leadership fee...

If you've ever been offered a promotion that felt smaller than your male peer's, or wondered why everyone loves working with you but you're still not getting the resources, this conversation explains why. Professor Laura Kray's research reveals that society recognizes men through power but women through status - and this has real consequences. Even at identical organizational levels, men lead larg...

This conversation left me with a deep understanding as another piece of the jigsaw puzzle clicked into place. That feeling when something finally makes sense and you can start to see the solution. The research is clear: Women are doing more of the "non-promotable" work in organisations, leading to burnout and being overlooked for promotions. Professor Laurie Weingart and four academic colleagues f...

You don't need to tone it down or hide your competence. You need to add warmth. Professor Alison Fragale's research shows that people want to work with those they both like AND respect. The Likeable Badass framework isn't about choosing one or the other—it's about having both. This conversation is practical, research-backed, and empowering. Alison gives you a framework for being both respected and...

If networking feels transactional and icky, this conversation will change how you think about building influence. Professor Rosalind Chow explains why status - not power - is the foundation of sustainable influence, how to network by being a conduit rather than a collector, and why becoming a sponsor is the fastest way to build your own network. Professor Rosalind Chow is Associate Professor of Or...

If you've ever felt resistance where you expected buy-in, or wondered why certain relationships require more effort than they should—this conversation will give you language for what's actually happening. Professor Jen Overbeck explains the gap between influence and coercive power, why leaders jump between them without realizing it, and how to audit your own influence patterns before they damage r...

Can you clearly articulate the value you create - not just what you do? Most leaders can't. They default to listing their responsibilities, their achievements, their resume. But that's not what gets you the next opportunity, inspires your team, or proves you're essential. This week, I challenged a room of senior leaders with three questions that have defined my success at every phase, from my firs...

Jill Schulman showed up to her first day of Marine Corps training in hot pink polka dot shorts and matching pumps. A senior Marine told her she'd never make it. She became the top-performing officer in her class. Now a keynote speaker and author of The Bravery Effect, Jill breaks down the research on why waiting until you feel confident means waiting forever. She shares studies on stress mindset,...

Glen told me to "get back in the kitchen" under one of my videos last week. I don't know Glen.. I could turn off the comments. Block him. Move on. But here's what I can't stop thinking about: Glen has a job. He works with people. Maybe manages people. And if he's comfortable saying that where I can see it, what's he doing in the spaces where I can't? The eye rolls. The knowing glances. The pointed...

What if the biggest risk in AI isn't the technology itself, but building it without understanding the problem first? Professor Didar Zowghi leads pioneering research on diversity and inclusion in AI at CSIRO's Data61. Her DNI guidelines were incorporated into Australia's national framework for AI in government in 2024. But her path to becoming a trailblazer in AI began unexpectedly, as a young wom...

What if the key to 90% staff retention was radical trust from day one? Marilla Akkermans launched Equality Media and Marketing while raising her first child, after experiencing her own worth drop when she became a mother. She decided to build something different: a business with a four-day work week that actually works, 19 inclusive care policies, and trust given upfront, not earned. In this conve...