Women At Work

Kate Gunn is an entrepreneur and a feminist who has done what she can throughout her career to support other women. In her life stage now she's looking at what makes her happy and how to find meaning in her work beyond traditional 'success' (while acknowledging that her previous success and privledge are part of what enable that). She shared stories of making waves throughout her career in support of women - causing a media storm around a previous defence minister, refusing to finalise Board appointments until there was a woman, and her activism in membership committees.  She believes that when you have the power to drive change, you have a responsibility to get women to the starting line, and she has certainly lived that in her career.

Liz Budnik has spent her career in small businesses, and remembers taking the car seats out of her car before job interviews so that no one would judge her as less ambitious. Despite being more ambitious than ever before! She shared her views on the changing world of working families, available care options and that workplace dynamics have been very slow to keep up with these changes. Mother guilt is something mothers feel no matter what they do - and Liz says every family should be free to make choices that work for them.

Jinan Budge is a woman working in a man's world. She's sometimes one of 6 women in a room full of 5,000, and she uses her position of authority to agitate for gender equity wherever she can. As a grassroots activist, she challenges male-only panels, companies' committment to gender diversity and why the conversation only seems to consider women. She shared the importance of defining your values and purpose, and that her purpose includes being a mother but goes far beyond that. She shared the Wheel of life tool to check in on her life and where she's at. Here is a Wheel of Life template for you to use: https://samanthasutherland.com.au/wheeloflife/ Jinan talked about what self care looks like (and it's not about painting your nails), getting support, and that elusive balance. And she shared some of the ways she advocated for gender equity throughout her work and life.

Carolina Giraldo was eight months pregnant, facing the prospect of giving birth alone at the start of the pandemic and about to lose her business as retail sales completely stopped with the uncertainty of COVID. With 180 employees across Colombia and Australia, people were relying on her for their livelihoods when things started to shut down. One of the proudest moments of her life is managing to keep every single employee on and reinventing her business to make that possible. Now with two small children and a growing business,  she is working to balance her family and her business, and all the competing responsibilities.

Wendy Tuohy is a journalist and columnist focusing on gender equality, women and work, women's safety and social issues. This is a fascinating conversation with someone who understands what’s going on by speaking daily with women who are impacted by systemic barriers, unfair workplace practices and inequality in the home and outside it. She saw what an impossible situation women are put in at work when they become mothers, and is passionate about sharing the truth about our lives, how we’re impacted by policies and legislation, and how it all shows up in our relationships and families. Wendy is hugely knowledgeable about our lived reality, this is a fascinating conversation.

Koa Beck on White Feminism

Having stuck it out in a workplace where she was disrespected and shut down to the extent that it was detrimental to her health, Charmaine Loratet won’t do that again, and she doesn’t want anyone else to live through that either. She is passionate about supporting women to be the most authentic version of themselves, so they can show up fully at work and in life. Charmaine also shared her very personal IVF story in this episode. She wants to normalise the conversation about IVF, but also about anything important that is happening in our lives. Work and life are so intertwined that we can’t separate them, and we can’t possibly show up authentically if we feel we have to hide a part of ourselves.  Charmaine’s bright, bubbly energy and her passion for supporting women really shines through in this recording.

Investigative journalist Jess Hill wrote the award-winning See What You Made Me Do, about the national emergency of domestic abuse in Australia. It’s a riveting but deeply distressing look at the real-life stories of women and children, how the justice system enables abusers, and hope for reducing violence through community intervention. Please note there is a content warning on this episode. It’s incredibly important listening, but it’s also upsetting at points, and we discuss family violence and child abuse.

Diversity Council of Australia CEO Lisa Annese is a self-described feminist and activist, working to improve gender equality in Australian workplaces. She is passionate about the connection between the gendered roles we still expect at home with a lack of progress for women in workplaces.  Lisa shared research from the DCA that shows men’s mental health and wellbeing benefits from being in gender equal relationships, families and workplaces. The conversation around men’s mental health and women wanting flexibility and support in the workplace are two sides of the same coin, and Lisa’s deep knowledge around gender issues led us on a fascinating discussion.

Welcome back to Women at Work Podcast! After a bit of a hiatus that included a global pandemic and extreme homeschooling, we’re back with this season themed women speaking up. The impacts of COVID on working women have been shocking but unsurprising. Women everywhere are saying they’re burnt out, overwhelmed and overworked. This season we’re talking to women who have something to say about gender equality and the barriers women face, as well as the real steps they’re taking in their own lives and careers to combat it. Enjoy the season!

What We Cover: How Larissa made her way to senate. The impact of breastfeeding in parliament How Larissa's life is set up to manage a full career and family How Australian workplaces are structured with regard to supporting families. What can people do to change this paradigm Dated beliefs in parliament The impact of politics on everyone’s lives How to stay engaged with the political system. What arguments can you use to help influence people who are opposed to your viewpoint Gender pay gap Advice to working mums

The infrastructure you need to have a big job and a family Relationship dynamics when the woman is the primary earner Letting go of mother guilt Giving yourself permission to receive support How to fit self care into a busy schedule Stepping back and getting perspective in life

The speed of change with the gender equality, and changes that contribute to hope The Persisterhood The seven myths of women at work The four stages of gender equity awareness The male breadwinner model in Australia and how it impacts progress The importance of financial freedom for women, and teaching that to girls Invisibility of older women and statistics around homelessness How can we make change ourselves, and gathering groups together to drive change Benefits of long daycare for children

What work 180 does and why Valeria’s passionate about it Equality between men and women in the workplace and in their working remotely How to manage yourself and other people who work remotely and flexibly How to start the discussions around working remotely or flexibly Companies that are at the forefront of flexible working The Still Birth Foundation, and maternity leave post-stillbirth How to come back after you’ve had a career break - the Work180 community, regaining your confidence and how parenting gives you a host of new skills that can be applied at work Girls in STEM, and Work 180's Super Daughter Day The value of a network in your career The importance of volunteering in feeding your passions and creating opportunities

Denise Duffield-Thomas helps women create wealth through her mindset courses and practical wisdom on releasing money blocks. She is a self-made millionaire who has done it all while raising three small children, against a backdrop of a life of ease and joy. Denise has written three books, Lucky Bitch, Get Rich Lucky Bitch and Chillpreneur, where she gives a fresh and funny road-map to create an outrageously successful life and business. Her honesty, trademark humor and down-to-earth wisdom make her relatable and engaging while she's out in the world changing lives.

“We will rise together or not at all.” Jamila Rizvi is an author, presenter, political commentator, the newly appointed editor-at-large of Future Women, former editor-in-chief of MamaMia. She’s written two books, Not Just Lucky and The Motherhood, and signs off her emails Troublemaker At Large, which is a great sign. We discuss: a series of hilarious but also scary statistics, like the fact that there are more men named Andrew than women running ASX200 companies Tips for negotiating, such as focus on what you want, not what you’ve got The structural inequalities that we live in, and the importance of understanding them so we can see it’s not ‘just me’ Diversity is proven to shift the bottom line in organisations, so how do we make workplaces work better for women A glorious story about how Barak Obama’s female staff supported each others ideas and in being heard That we can all be part of the sisterhood and the feminist movement in whatever way works for us as individuals The importance of community