Really Interesting Women

Ep. 38  Rabia Siddique Rabia is a hostage survivor. It’s part of a story that has its beginnings as a human rights and criminal lawyer, British Army officer and subsequently a best selling author and professional speaker. It’s a very different story from those I’ve brought you to date, but it does share some common themes. Like all my guests, she has been confronted with numerous obstacles, hurdle...

Ep. 37 The Hon. Annabelle Bennett AC, SC, FAA Annabelle is a retired Judge of the Federal Court of Australia. She is currently Chancellor of Bond University; the Chair of the Australian Nuclear Science and Technology Organisation (ANSTO), an Arbitrator of the Court of Arbitration for Sport; President (part time) of the Anti-Discrimination Board of NSW; Member of the Board of Directors of the Garva...

Ep. 36   Meggie Palmer Meggie Palmer founded PepTalkHer whose mission is the close the gender pay gap.  The PepTalkHer app helps track career successes and uses artificial intelligence to coach confidence and negotiation skills.....and gives you a pep talk when you need it most. I'm using it. The key to it's success is its simplicity I reckon.  Meggie travels globally speaking and helpin...

Ep. 35  Katy Barfield Katy Barfield has been described as a food waste warrior, an award winning female founder, circular economy ambassador, food tech expert, food system disruptor, not for profit leader, board member, government advisor and....occasional dolphin rescuer.  As Founder and CEO of Yume Australia, Katy realised that food rescue was not going to be enough - she did that with Second Bi...

Ep. 34   Maggie Beer AM Maggie Beer is a National Treasure.  Having left school at 14 to help provide for the family, it wasn't until she was in her mid 30's that her true calling came to her.  A revelation in the wilds of Scotland led to a new food era in Australia. From the opening of a farm shop called Pheasant Farm in 1979 in the Barossa Valley in South Australia, to transforming tha...

Ep. 33  Hon. Linda Burney MP Linda was the first aboriginal person, male or female, to be elected to the New South Wales State Parliament. She was the first aboriginal woman to be elected to the Federal House of Representatives. She is currently the Shadow Minister for Families and Social Services and the Shadow Minister for Indigenous Australians. Her commitment to indigenous issues and rights in...

Ep. 32 Professor Julie Leask Julie Leask is a social scientist specialising in risk communication and vaccination uptake. She  has qualifications in nursing and midwifery, a Master of Public Health and a PhD in public health. She is an advisor to the World Health Organization on vaccination acceptance and demand issues. Her research has covered communication issues surrounding pandemics, outbreaks...

Ep. 31  - Assoc. Prof. Sally Moyle Sally Moyle is a leading expert on gender equality. Which, right now, is probably one of the most important people we need to listen to.  By providing historical context to these problems she explains why the politicians in this country have such an appalling record when it comes to the treatment of women in parliament. But she's optimistic that we may have...

Ep. 30 - Diane Grady AO Diane Grady has an exceptional background in the corporate world and she has used that privilege to advance the causes of women more than practically anyone. Her lessons for how to get ahead and help others should be etched in marble.  Armed with an MBA from Harvard in the mid 70's she became a partner with the highly prestigious worldwide management consulting firm Mc...

Episode 29   Sadhana Smiles As an immigrant to Australia with no qualifications and no plan as well as being the granddaughter of a slave in Fiji, Sadhana Smiles inauspicious beginnings were no indication of what was to come. She would rise to become a global CEO, multi leadership award winner, author, business and social entrepreneur and leading speaker on leadership, diversity and inclusion. She...

Ep. 28   Mikhara Ramsing Mikhara is a former finalist for Young Australian of the Year. She started two amazing companies after becoming s social entrepreneur.  Mikhara Ramsing describes herself as a gay South African Indian Australian woman. At the age of 16 her family moved to Australia which is difficult enough at that age but at the same time she was only just beginning to understand her own s...

Ep. 27    Carla Zampatti AC OMRI Carla is a fashion icon who is also a pioneer in business.  For over 55 years she has been a leader in her field. A string of awards and accolades from Australia and Italy have confirmed her as one of this country's most influential and powerful women. Even when she arrived from Italy as a child in Bullfinch, WA (I didn't know either - about 300 km north...

Ep. 26   Gloria Allred "One of the best attorneys in America"  - President Barack Obama. A  fearless advocate for civil rights and fighting for injustice for 45 years. Gloria Allred is the high profile, outspoken, at times outrageous advocate for women and those whose civil rights have been transgressed. She's been forcefully advocating gay rights since the 1970's. Aids discrim...

Ep. 25   Lauren Bath Deemed “Australia’s first professional Instagrammer” by national media, Lauren Bath pioneered the Australian influencer industry.  With an online audience of close to half a million followers, she is not only one of Australia’s most powerful travel Instagrammers but also a savvy social media consultant, educator, and public speaker.  It's a very open discussion and Lauren...

Ep. 24 Dr Cassandra Steer Cassandra is a mission specialist with the ANU Institute of Space, a senior lecturer in space law and a highly acclaimed author having delivered papers on topics such as The Weaponisation of Outer Space: Ethical and Legal Boundaries and Feminist Perspectives on International Security. And....she's a Wonder Woman obsessive.  It's a fabulous combination! If you ar...

Ep. 23  Emma Alberici As a very highly regarded journalist and television presenter with over 30 years experience, Emma Alberici has some fabulous stories of her time in the industry. And some not so fabulous. She parted ways with the Australian Broadcasting Corporation in 2018 where she was the Chief Economics Correspondent.  It was a very public departure. To say the least.  In the fallout that...

Winner of the 2018 Pulitzer Prize for Drama, Martyna Majok's story is fascinating.  From a non English speaking Polish immigrant whose mother was a house cleaner, to the very top of the artistic mountain. Martyna has shone a spotlight on the working class immigrants that helped create America by putting them centre stage and imbuing them with the pride, intelligence, warmth, toughness, dedica...

Tania de Jong AM is a trail-blazing Australian soprano, global speaker, award-winning social entrepreneur, creative innovation catalyst, spiritual journey woman and storyteller. Tania is one of Australia’s most successful female entrepreneurs and innovators having developed 6 businesses and 3 charities over 3 decades. She is a global authority on creativity, innovation and collaboration. With a gr...

Ep. 20    Ursula Dubosarsky Ursula is the current Australian Children's Laureate and one of the most talented and original writers in Australia today. She has won the prestigious Premier's Literary Award in New South Wales, Victoria, South Australia and Queensland. In fact, she's won the NSW Premier's Literary Award an astonishing 5 times. More than any other writer in the awar...

Ep. 19  Sarah Davidson A truly inspiring story of how a medical episode became the catalyst for a life change and a realisation of what's most important and how to overcome the obstacles both physical and mental, to get there.  Sarah is such a energetic and upbeat person, you can't help but get swept up in that energy.  She gives us a road map for leading a fulfilled life. Her determinat...

Ruth Kissam risks her life for her work. She's a community organiser and human rights activist in Papua New Guinea focussing on preventing the atrocities committed on girls and women accused of sorcery and witchcraft. Her campaigns and work led to her being selected to attend the highly prestigious Obama Foundation Scholars Program (the first ever person from PNG) which was started by the Pre...

A national treasure. An Australian icon.  A performer, writer, director, public advocate for the arts. Known for her internationally acclaimed one woman shows, her artistic directorship of many national arts festivals, her cabaret performances, her plays, her speaking and writing about the arts around the world. She talks about herself as a singer....and her show Robyn Archer: A Songbook, is being...

Our shameful (non) treatment of early onset dementia is tackled head on by Kate Swaffer who, at 49, was diagnosed and told to get her end of life affairs in order. She didn't want to do that.  Twelve years later she is a founding member and CEO of an international organisation charged with changing attitudes and treatment for early onset dementia. As a direct result, Kate was invited to addre...

Melanie Brock is an expert in international business relations in Japan. Having lived there for thirty years, she is also a torch bearer for women's rights in a country where women's business success and women's rights are not high on the cultural agenda.  But things are changing thanks in no small part to fabulous women like Melanie. Have a listen to how an Australian steak and win...

Susan Alberti's influence on the business and philanthropic landscape of Australia has been huge (see Part 1 of the interview).  Part 2 explores her enormous influence on her other passion....Australian Rules Football. She has been a pioneer in the men's game and an integral part of the commencement of the professional women's game. She has a lot of wisdom to pass on to those intere...