female leader Archives - Page 6 of 6

Future Proof Me – Advice on Getting Out of…

June 23, 2020June 23, 2020
by Claire

Our latest Future Proof me mini-episode this week shares invaluable lessons from an entrepreneur who’s truly experienced the highs and lows of building a global business.

For this week’s mini episode, we return the spotlight to Jodie Fox, the Co-Founder of the iconic online retail brand Shoes of Prey.

Jodie and her co-founders went on an incredible journey over a decade building Shoes of Prey to be a global brand, only to be forced to close it all down in 2018.

The advice Jodie shares here isn’t just relevant for a budding entrepreneur; it’s actually about how to navigate your way through your chosen career and not short change yourself by holding yourself back or getting in your own way of progress.

Jodie has really thought deeply about how we can hold ourselves back and how we like to keep ourselves safe and has some great advice to share.

She also shares her views on how we all think too judgmentally about failure – both when it comes to ourselves as well as others.

Don’t forget, if you love this taste of Jodie’s invaluable lessons then we encourage you to listen to our full interview with Jodie here and check out Jodie’s book called ReBoot – More Than You Ever Probably Wanted to Know About Starting a Global Business.

Enjoy this mini episode and be sure to practise getting out of your own way! 🙂

Interview

Deanne Weir – Following Her Passions

June 2, 2020June 2, 2020
by Claire

This week on the show we’re excited to introduce you to Deanne Weir, a former media lawyer and executive; turned media entrepreneur, investor and company director.

Deanne started her career as a corporate lawyer in Australia and spent years in the telco and television sectors. She became one of the most respected executives in the broadcast industry.

In 2012, as a member of the senior leadership team and a shareholder of Austar, an Australian cable TV company, she played a key role in the sale of the company. The capital she personally earnt from the sale, gave Deanne the opportunity to start her own investment company and start a new career.

Her company, WeirAnderson.com, invests in entrepreneurs and storytellers in the media and social sectors to help them change the world. She is the Chair of three start-ups including one in data and analytics and one in AI, as well as supporting numerous not for profits including being Chair of the Sydney Film Festival and Global Sisters.

In this conversation you’ll learn:

How Deanne’s upbringing in a regional town in Australia shaped her desire to change the landscape for women
What she learnt as an investor when three of her investments failed all around the same time
Why Deanne thinks there will be massive change after COVID-19 and the type of conversations we need to be having about the world we want to live in
And, ways we can all personally make a difference in society and effect change.

Enjoy this conversation with the driven and passionate Deanne Weir.

Links of Interest

Deanne on LinkedIn

WeirAnderson

WeirAnderson Foundation

Seer Data & Analytics

AI-Media

Hoodlum

Sydney Film Festival – Starts June 10th 2020 online

Global Sisters

The Australian Institute – they offer many interesting webinars, some of which Deanne has tuned into

Interview

Jacqueline Novogratz – Revolutionary For a Better World

May 19, 2020May 20, 2020
by Claire

We have a real treat in store for you today with a truly remarkable changemaker and NY Times bestselling author as our guest.

Acumen Founder and CEO, Jacqueline Novogratz, has been named one of the 25 Smartest People of the Decade by the Daily Beast, and one of the world’s 100 Greatest Living Business Minds by Forbes, amongst numerous other honours.

Jacqueline pioneered the notion of ‘patient capital’, investing in social entrepreneurs around the world. Acumen supports them to establish sustainable businesses that serve some of the world’s poorest people.

What makes this episode a particularly fascinating one is that all this work with entrepreneurs has taught Jacqueline and her team so much about what it takes to succeed when trying to create change. And now she’s also just released a new book sharing what it takes to be a changemaker. It’s called Manifesto for a Moral Revolution (and there’s a free course too if you buy the book).

In this episode you’ll hear:

How her early attempts at social change in Africa seriously failed to impress the locals;
What she learnt about humanity when she became one of the first people to visit in jail someone she’d known well who’d gone on to become a major perpetrator in the Rwandan Genocide;
How Jacqueline sees investment as a means to solving problems rather than making profit as the primary goal; and ….
How she’s seeing women entrepreneurs successfully breaking the rules particularly now during the coronavirus crisis.

Enjoy this episode with the incredibly inspiring Jacqueline Novogratz…

Links of Interest

Acumen Website

Jacqueline’s Books:

Manifesto for a Moral Revolution – Practices to Build a Better World – her latest book. If you buy a copy you can sign up for free to her 11 week course ‘The Path of Moral Leadership’ (usually it’s US$195)

The Blue Sweater

Interview

Kristina Karlsson – Tough Times Never Last But Tough…

March 12, 2020March 12, 2020
by Claire

Our guest this week is Kristina Karlsson, the entrepreneur and founder of global Swedish design and stationery business, kikki.K.

What’s unprecedented about this episode is that just as we were in the process of putting this out to the world, Kristina’s beloved nearly 20 year old business fell in to Administration with the latest news saying they are looking for buyers or investors to keep the business alive.

When we recorded our interview with Kristina just a few weeks ago she talked about challenging times in retail but, not surprisingly, she didn’t go into details of the current situation.

What we’ve been struck by is how positive and strong Kristina is, even now in her social posts. And that comes through so strongly in this episode where you’ll hear about:

The ups and downs of starting your own retail business and how tough you need to be
Kristina’s passion for having dreams and chasing them (She’s also written a book called ‘Your Dream Life Starts Here’ to inspire others to write down and chase their dreams.)
How she credits becoming a Mother with giving her more balance
And the quirky yet ingenious way Kristina learnt to perfect her business English early on!

Plus, 3 lucky listeners have the chance to win a copy of Kristina’s book here but hurry, entries close in a few weeks.

We’re sending loads of positive energy and good wishes to all involved with kikki.K and hope the business survives.

Now without further ado enjoy this conversation with the inspiring and positive Kristina Karlsson.

Links of Interest

Kristina on Instagram

Kristina on LinkedIn

Your Dream Life Podcast

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Interview

June Dally Watkins – Redefining What’s Possible for Women…

November 19, 2019
by admin

This week’s guest is a woman who at the age of 92 is still inspiring thousands of women to be the “best they can be!”. We’re talking about the incredible doyenne of etiquette and deportment, June Dally Watkins.

Miss Dally, as she is known, grew up on a sheep farm and attended a one teacher bush school in regional Australia. Her teacher told her mother that she “would be an absolute failure in life”. He couldn’t have been more wrong.

At 22, June became Australia’s Fashion Model of the Year and soon became Australia’s first supermodel. She lived the high life as part of the global jetset becoming great friends with Hollywood stars Audrey Hepburn, Bing Crosby and Gregory Peck (who asked her to marry him!).

When she came back to Australia she started her now famous etiquette and deportment business which made her one of Australia’s first female entrepreneurs. The June Dally Watkins School has gone on to change thousands and thousands of people’s lives.

She is now, at 92 years of age, an absolute sensation in China where she goes for weeks at a time to teach thousands to be “the best they can be”.

In this episode you’ll learn:

How hard it was to be one of the first business women in Australia when women were expected to play the traditional housewife role
Why June pushed through condemnation and criticism to build her business
How she came to be so in demand in China in her 90’s
And her advice on how to stay young.

Enjoy this episode with the delightful and determined June Dally Watkins.

Useful Links

June Dally Watkins Website (JDW)

Sydney Morning Herald Good Weekend Article on June Dally Watkins

JDW on Facebook

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Interview

Jodie Fox – The Rise and Demise of Her…

October 24, 2019October 24, 2019
by admin

Our guest this week has been on an incredible journey in the past decade – building an iconic online retail empire to global heights and then having no choice but to close it all down last year. We’re talking about Shoes of Prey co-founder, Jodie Fox.

The trailblazing Shoes of Prey became a global start-up and fashion darling during its nine years in business – offering shoes that its customers could personally design and customise online. It was a truly innovative concept.

Big name VC firms thought so too, and Jodie and her two male co-founders raised around $30 million over the life of the business before coming to the heart-wrenching decision to cease trading in August last year. The problem? Despite a stunning launch years earlier, they simply couldn’t get the scale to make the business sustainable in the long term.

Jodie was the Chief Creative Officer and public face of Shoes of Prey, so coming to terms with having to shut down the business, and its global offices, has been particularly confronting for her in the past year having spent the past ten years living and breathing the brand.

In this episode you’ll learn :

How and why Jodie went from being a risk averse young lawyer to a start-up co-founder
What it was like to be married and then divorced to one of her co-founders whilst still having to work in the business together
The three key lessons she’s taken away from the high profile failure of their venture
And, how vulnerable she feels sharing so much of her personal story in her new book.

This is Jodie’s first podcast interview since Shoes of Prey was shut down and it comes as she’s launching her book about the incredible journey she’s been on: ‘Reboot – More Than You Ever Probably Wanted to Know About Starting a Global Business’.

We loved this discussion and Jodie’s generosity in sharing what she’s learnt. Be sure not to miss this one and be among the first to hear her fascinating stories. Plus, enter our competition to win one of ten copies of Jodie’s book that we are giving away to lucky subscribers.

Happy Listening!

Jodie with co-Founders Michael Fox and Mike Knapp; the early days of Shoes of Prey; a Shoes of Prey concept store in the US; Jodie

Links of interest

Jodie’s website

Win one of 10 of Jodie’s new book

Jodie’s Youtube Channel

Jodie on Insta

Jodie on Linkedin

Buy Jodie’s new book – Reboot, More Than You Probably Ever Wanted to Know About Starting a Global Business

Booktopia – Australia

Amazon – US

Amazon – UK

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Interview

Mia Freedman – Is the Real Deal

May 21, 2019
by admin

We don’t think we’ve ever had a guest who is prepared to be as open and honest about her life and career as Mia Freedman is. Whether it’s in our conversation for this episode, or her Insta posts or in the 3 books she’s written, Mia is determined to show her life, warts and all, because she really cares about shattering the ‘women should look and be perfect’ myth. She’s all about making women feel better about themselves.

Mia is a household name in Australia. She’s the co founder and creative director of MamaMia, one of the largest female-focussed digital media businesses in the world. Mia became the world’s youngest editor of Cosmopolitan magazine at just 24 years of age.

In this episode you’ll hear:

How Mia advises young women to think about their career
How she was persuaded to stick out a nightmare job for months while negotiating her own redundancy
How she and her husband manage working together, and …
How Mia realised she didn’t want, nor was she the right person, to be CEO of her own company.

Enjoy this frank conversation with the amazing Mia Freedman.

Photo Credits: Supplied or from Mia’s social channels

Links

Mia on Instagram

Mia’s own website

MamaMia Women’s Network website

MamaMia Podcasts – Apple Link

Mia’s Books:

Work Strife Balance – her most recent book and a great read

Mama Mia – A Memoir of Mistakes, Magazines and Motherhood

Mia Culpa

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Interview

Gaby Dalkin – How Her Food Side Hustle Took…

April 23, 2019
by admin

We’re so impressed by how this week’s guest has grown her business and her brand from pre side-hustle stage, to become the entrepreneurial ‘foodie’ success it is today. We think you’ll love getting to know Gaby Dalkin, the California based chef, author and influencer.

Gaby is the CEO of ‘What’s Gaby Cooking’. She and her team are a content and recipe creating machine! She has more than 450,000 Instagram followers, she’s published 2 cookbooks with another on the way, she’s appeared on some of America’s most watched TV shows, she has several product ranges at kitchenware giant Williams Sonoma, and has numerous other brand partnerships as well.

When we met Gaby we were blown away by her obvious dedication and commitment. We actually met her whilst on holiday in Patagonia and in between our horse riding and hearty ‘estancia’ (ranch) Patagonian BBQ lunch, Gaby was clearly working on social media and we were intrigued.

So intrigued, we got chatting and the rest is history!

And in today’s episode you’ll learn:

How this famous foodie had never tasted fish until she started at culinary school
The secret to her building up such a loyal and ever-growing number of followers
How her business smarts and initiative led her to her first product line with Williams Sonoma
And the biggest challenge she’s had to overcome in order to be able to delegate and grow her business

We hope you enjoy this episode with the super smart and delightful Gaby Dalkin.

Gaby having fun – on set with two of her team, Matt & Adam; and with her husband Thomas in Patagonia (where we met them)

Links:

Webiste – https://whatsgabycooking.com/

Instagram – https://www.instagram.com/whatsgabycookin/

Facebook – https://www.facebook.com/WhatsGabyCookin/

Pinterest – https://www.pinterest.com.au/whatsgabycookin/

Twitter – https://twitter.com/whatsgabycookin

Snapchat –https://www.snapchat.com/add/whatsgabycookin

Gaby’s Email: gdalkin@gmail.com

Where you can find Gaby’s Products:

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Interview

Kriti Sharma – Robots, AI and the Future

November 20, 2018December 5, 2018
by admin

We’re excited to bring you this week’s guest, Kriti Sharma; a leading global expert in AI and its impact on society and the future.

Kriti grew up in Rajasthan in India. She didn’t have access to a computer at home so she built one herself. She followed that with her first robot when she was 15.

Today Kriti applies her AI and tech expertise to solve global issues from productivity to education to domestic violence. And she’s part-time VP of AI and Ethics at Sage.

She’s recently been named a UN Young Leader; she features in the Forbes 30 Under 30 list for advancements in AI; and was included in the Recode 100 list of key influencers in technology last year alongside Elon Musk, Jeff Bezos and Mark Zuckerberg.

In this episode you’ll hear:

How Kriti’s upbringing in India has shaped what she’s doing today
How a ‘cat with a jetpack’ has helped her tackle gender bias
Her thoughts on the power of AI, both for good and bad and…
Her experience of being invited to meet the Obamas and why it was “life changing”,

Enjoy this episode with the talented and delightful Kriti Sharma.

P.S. Interested to learn more about Artificial Intelligence? Stay tuned for our first ever ‘What is?’ episode early next year dedicated to AI.

Images: Courtesy Kriti Sharma & Sage

Links of interest:

Kriti on Twitter

Kriti’s TED Talk

MIT Media Lab

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Jodie with co-Founders Michael Fox and Mike Knapp; the early days of Shoes of Prey; a Shoes of Prey concept store in the US; Jodie

Photo Credits: Supplied or from Mia’s social channels

Gaby having fun – on set with two of her team, Matt & Adam; and with her husband Thomas in Patagonia (where we met them)

Links:

Where you can find Gaby’s Products:

‘WhatsGabyCooking’ product range at Williams Sonoma (ships internationally)

Gaby’s 2nd Cookbook – ‘What’s Gaby Cooking: Everyday California Food’

Gaby’s 1st Cookbook – ‘Absolutely Avocados’