The Present Day Wise Woman

Today’s Wise Woman knows how to turn businesschaos into clarity. After two decades leading Australian companies, Sharon Styman has learned how to blend strategy with soul, helping business owners find joy, direction, and freedom again. We talk about breaking ground as the first female board member at Twin Towns, what women bring to leadership, and how her 60s have become a season of ease, courage,...

Today’s Wise Woman has built her life, and legacy, around helping women do business differently. From a spare-room start-up to an $18-million company, Suzi Dafnis , CEO of HerBusiness , has spent three decades showing women how to grow thriving, purpose-driven businesseswithout burning out. In this episode, we talk about navigating midlife reinvention, the power of self-education and community, an...

What does real gender equality look like when we strip away the slogans and get honest about power, choice, and change? Myra Betron has spent two decades leading global gender equality and social impact programs, and now she’s using data to spark deeper conversations through her new venture, PowerHerData. In this raw and inspiring chat, Myra shares how her personal story shaped her purpose, why th...

Some people wash their hands of the world’s problems. Molly Lee makes soap, and gets right in there. From a kitchen experiment to her thriving business Optimistic Soap , Molly has turned bubbles into a tool for change. Through her art, she raises funds and awareness for abortion access, LGBTQ+ rights, and defending democracy, provingactivism can be both creative and compassionate. In this conversa...

Dr Sarah Mattin, aka The Fanny Physio  physiotherapist, researcher, and all-round pelvic floor powerhouse. With over 25 years working with bodies, she’s opened Australia’s first Pelvic Floor Acupuncture Clinic and is smashing taboos aboutwomen’s health. We dive into what really happens as we age, from incontinence to orgasms, and how reconnecting to our pelvic power changes everything. If you’ve g...

Forget the fear-mongering, menopause isn’t an illness, it’s a natural evolution. In this episode, Jen flips the script on what society calls “the change” and shows how it can become your greatest power-up phase. You’ll learn why your adrenal health holds the key to a smooth transition, how to calm those stress-fried glands, and the three core factors that make all the difference: sleep, toxins, an...

Some women don’t just live through history, they rewrite it. Barbara G. Walker is one of them. At 95, she remains a scholar, truth-teller, and author of 24 groundbreaking books on mythology, symbolism, and the sacred feminine. Her life’s work unearths what history tried to bury, the stories of the Great Mother, menstrual calendars, and the blood wisdom that once guided the world. Through fearless...

She’s back, and we’re going there. Relationship therapist and wise woman Vivian Baruch returns to talk about the topics too many women were never taught to talk about: sex, intimacy, desire, and passion. We dive into what sex actually means, the different kinds of intimacy that keep connection alive, and how to reignite desire in midlife when life, stress, and hormones get in the way. It’s smart....

Today’s guest has spent more than five decades holding a mirror to the world. Jane “One Race” Elliott, teacher, diversity educator, and truth-teller, first ran her Blue Eyes/Brown Eyes exercise the day after Martin Luther King Jr. was assassinated, revealing how racism is learned, not born. Controversial, courageous, and uncompromising, Jane has challenged classrooms, corporations, and governments...

Wendy McCarthy AC has spent more than five decades shaping Australia’s story of equality. From her early days in the classroom to leadership roles with the ABC, Plan Australia, headspace, and beyond, Wendy has never stopped asking “why not?” In this powerful conversation, we talk rage and reform, risk and resilience, from her personal experience with illegal abortion to her lifelong fight for wome...

When the world feels overwhelming, it’s easy to think our actions don’t matter. But as Jane Goodall reminds us, change is a puzzle, and every single piece counts. In this episode, Jen unpacks how shifting your focus from the whole picture to your piece can bring back hope, purpose, and power. Because when you own your piece, no matter how small it seems, you become part of an unstoppable ripple of...

From red hats to purple passion, today’s conversation is pure joy, colour, and courage. The Red Hat Society isn’t just about dressing up, it’s a global sisterhood born from rebellion. A movement of women who refused to fade quietly into the background of life. What began in 1998 with one red hat and a cheeky poem has become a celebration of friendship, freedom, and the unapologetic art of ageing b...

From hating volleyball in high school to Olympic gold, five-time Olympian and straight-talking Aussie legend Nat Cook OAM joins Jen to unpack what it really takes to win, in sport and in life. Nat shares the raw truth about resilience, confidence, and the grind behind the glory, plus life after the Games, the Aussie Athlete Fund, and her vision for Brisbane 2032. This is a conversation about minds...

Relationships don’t come with a rulebook.  In this conversation, relationship coach and therapist Vivian Baruch shares how singles can rebuild confidence, how couples can reignite intimacy, and what to do when you’re on the fence about your future together. We also dive into the wisdom of“wise women” and the power of mentorship across generations, because love, connection, and guidance are what tr...

Midlife isn’t a cloak of invisibility, and in this episode,Kim Morrison calls BS on the tired narrative that women fade as they age. Kim, the powerhouse behind Twenty8 Essentials, shares why she’s never bought into that story and how rituals, mindset, and self-care are the keys to staying vibrant, grounded, and unapologetically seen. We dive into reframing ageing, redefining beauty, and the sparkl...

Midlife women are told to shrink, to be grateful, tone it down, and not want too much. Bugger that. In this Rogue Wisdom episode, I call BS on the script that says our desires expire with age. From the boardroom to the bedroom, I dive into the cost of playing small, why women’s natural collaboration is the engine of progress, and how to reclaim unapologetic desire without guilt. Wanting more doesn...

Meet Dà jiě and Jasmine her daughter. Dà jiě and her sister Shu Yen, founders of Sun Son International, are the women who transformed Taiwan’s natural therapy industry. From humble beginnings to industry pioneers, their story is pure heart, grit, and wisdom, carried forward for the next generation of women rising. Connect With SunSon International Website http://www.sunson.com.tw/ Facebook https:/...

“Nonna’s” are not just by blood. My “Nonna” is by love andcommunity.  Nonna Irene Miller shares about the heart of Italian culture: family, wisdom, and belonging. Growing up as an Australian-born Italian in Perth, Irene shares the challenges, the rituals, and the joy of passing on traditions to future generations. It’s a conversation about heritage, identity, and the sweet wisdom of Nonna’s everyw...

I never take for granted the gift of being able to learn from women who’ve lived boldly and wisely. Today, I’m thrilled to bring you… Heather Rickard, affectionately known as Grannybelle, is a wellness leader, runner, and grandmother who proves it’s never too late to chase big dreams. With more than 40 years in the direct selling industry and a 100-kilometre ultramarathon completed at age 65, she...

Sarah Maxwell believes her highest value is connection, and her life, like most, is beautifully unfolding around that truth. She treasures intimate moments of discovering who people truly are and delights in sharing the behind-the-scenes experiences of triumphs, sadness, setbacks, resilience, growth, and courage. For Sarah, these are “Moments of Humanity,” when people reveal their authentic selves...

This week on The Present Day Wise Woman Podcast , I explore why so many women feel unseen after 50 and how we can reclaim our visibility, power, and voice. From Victorian “hidden mother” portraits to the decline of the once-revered crone, history has long sidelined older women—but invisibility is not our fate. I rip open the cloak with three powerful steps: own your space, speak unapologetically,...

This week on The Present Day Wise Woman Podcast , I sit down with Robyn Henderson, a woman who lost everything, rebuilt from scratch, and found her real power in the process. Frombankruptcy and shame to screenwriting, mentoring, and giving back, Robyn proves that wisdom isn’t about never falling, it’s about how you rise.

When Jenny first stepped into local politics, councils were still known as pale, male, and stale. They were dominated by retired men and businessmen who had the time to attend meetings. Women made up just 29% of councillors across New South Wales, and some councils had none at all. Jenny did not just take a seat at the table, she reshaped it. From championing the arts, reconciliation, and LGBTQ+ r...

In this intimate and inspiring conversation, Dr. Alice MacKinnon—no-nonsense emotion coach, five-time author, and surf-loving activist—opens up about coming out in her late 50s, the bushfire that changed everything, and the wisdom she’s apprenticing to as a present-day wise woman. From climate activism to the power of silence, from owning her PhD to buying her first surfboard at 46, Alice shares r...

Welcome to the first episode of The Present Day Wise Woman Podcast — where the stories are raw, the wisdom is lived, and the women are bloody legendary. I’m Jennifer Jefferies, naturopath, author, surfer, and unapologetic truth-teller, and this is the conversation the world doesn’t want us having. Money. Sex. Power. Ageing. Health. Visibility. Legacy. We’re not here to be polite or invisible. We’r...