Why style and intelligence are synonymous with success

“Style and intelligence are not mutually exclusive.” This tagline is a shorthand way to convey one of my personal beliefs. The second aspect of that ethos is straightforward and we no doubt all plug away in our jobs, upskill ourselves with new certifications and read...
The Annual Bali Reading List 2019

The Annual Bali Reading List 2019

Every August/September for the last eight years my husband and I go to Bali for nine days of sun, poolside, good eating and reading. Those nine days of no work stresses, home chores and life admin really re-energise us both to see us through the remainder of the year....

Recent fictional read that blew my mind

Recent fictional read that blew my mind

I am an avid reader. I grew up spending a lot of time at the Knox public library after school with my sister; I think a product of my dad not knowing what to do with us while my mother was working afternoon shifts at the soup factory. Every fortnight (every week...

Tips from the Shoe Dog

Tips from the Shoe Dog

It is customary for me to do fun reading on the plane whenever flying for a holiday. By fun reading I mean leisurely, not work-related, not academic-studies-related good old fashioned fiction. There’s never enough time in the week to really dedicate solid hours to...

I find myself unemployed, now what?

When I was a teenager, I remember my mother opening a small candy shop in a shopping centre. She had previously been working a number of years at one of Unilever’s factories as a process worker, and put her hand up to take a redundancy package. With a sizeable lump...

Sometimes, it’s okay to quit

It has been a really awful 2020. It’s only April. Bushfires and Covid-19 have certainly given us all enough reason to give up on any hopes and dreams we had for this year; long forgotten I am sure are the optimistic new year resolutions that we all struck with...

Tricks to conquer your internal willpower battle

In the last 18 months I have managed to bed down a routine of going to the gym 2-3 times a week. This is a big deal for someone who does not like exercise (still don’t) and doesn’t particularly love a plate of steamed vegetables. I recently read an interesting article...

Warren Buffett

Price is what you pay. Value is what you get.

Michelle Obama

You can’t make decisions based on fear and the possibility of what might happen.

Coco Chanel

Don’t spend time beating on a wall, hoping to transform it into a door

Using Anxiety and excitement to make game-changing business decisions

I changed jobs during Covid. It was October 2020 and here in Melbourne, while the case numbers soared with no plateau in sight, we were experiencing Lockdown 2.0: no eating out, no hosting friends or family for delectable dinner soirees, no leaving the house but for...

The perils of loving your job

“You’re killing yourself for a job that would replace you within a week if you dropped dead”. This was the headline that captured my attention on facebook a few days ago, and prompted me to read the ensuing blog post on mindbodymiko.com. Miko is pictured above and is...

Public Speaking Hacks

My friends and colleagues wouldn’t be surprised to know that I was on the school debating team. I did this for all six years of high school, and then was a judge for the same school competitions when I went to university. At the time I really enjoyed the art of a well...

Things I wish I thought more about as a shiny new graduate

It can be daunting and overwhelming as you make the transition from a newly minted university graduate into the working world. You start your life progressing through chapters, from the bottom and moving up as your grow and learn. Formally finishing your schooling is...

Guest Post from Nikki: The art of The Ask

Nikki is a direct report of mine at work who is hilariously funny, energetic and if I were to describe her in one word: bold. She also avidly shares my belief in women sharing their experiences to support one another to succeed. I invited her (without any coercion...

“Must Dos” when preparing for an interview

I was recently asked for my thoughts on how to best prepare for an interview. It has been awhile since I last had a formal interview, so I reflected on what I have personally learnt from in the past, as well as things I have responded to positively as an interviewer...

Women in Leadership Summit, Sydney 2017 – perspectives on leadership

At the end of 2017 I attended the Women in Leadership Summit in Sydney. The event ran over several days with a global selection of speakers from a variety of industries and professions. All shared their stories on – surprise, surprise – leadership, in particular from...

5 tips for being a charming conversationalist

Some of you may have already read my post about the agony an introvert feels when faced with the inevitable networking drinks event. Since then I have thought more about what noticeable behaviours I have seen in others that make them charismatic and pleasant to...

Establishing your own personal board

I have been reflecting recently on the article I wrote on Developing Your Own Personal Strategic Plan in relation to having a framework for your career, and it occurred to me, I had missed a crucial element. It should go without saying that part of having a career...

Investing in your career, Warren Buffett-style

I recently watched a documentary about Warren Buffett. It was a really insightful story that illustrated the key themes that underpin how Mr Buffett came to be the Oracle of Omaha. You don’t need to be a finance or investment professional to appreciate and understand...
Leveraging silver linings of Covid-19

Leveraging silver linings of Covid-19

*This post is an unedited extract of an original article published and featured as the cover of the Association of Corporate Counsel's July/August 2020 publication, the ACC Docket. CLICK HERE for the full edited article.  It goes without saying that 2020 has so far...

Lawyering and Teamwork

Lawyering and Teamwork

*Photo: Team Legal at the Women in Law Awards 2019 This is an unedited version of the original article that was published in the Association of Corporate Counsel Australia’s Corporate Lawyer Magazine, November Summer Edition 2019.   Lawyers are trained to...

Conference keynote in Johannesburg 2019

Conference keynote in Johannesburg 2019

June 2019 was nothing short of an epic month. Though not just because of the usual end of financial year madness that work always brings. I was privileged to be invited to speak at the Legal Innovation & Technology conferences in Johannesburg and Sydney so amongst...

EMBA Series: What is your value proposition

EMBA Series: What is your value proposition

EMBA Series: What is your value proposition? Some of you may already know, I started studying again. Last month was the beginning of my Executive MBA. Four day residentials, once a month, for 18 months. And the hours are arguably longer than my working hours. But I am...

60 Seconds on Australian property buying

60 Seconds on Australian property buying

I was speaking to a friend who was talking about her recent purchase of a home with her long-term partner. And it dawned on her. She had absolutely zero idea what needed to happen next and what it all financially meant for them, for her. It was the cliché “he took...

Steps to being a financially independent woman

Steps to being a financially independent woman

Many women around the world remember the awe and wonder they felt over Carrie Bradshaw’s wardrobe (and that bankruptcy inducing shoe collection). What some of us may not remember is the brief conversation the four friends had around their approaches to their finances,...