Cas Watene left her 9-5 job at 20 when she became too sick from her first pregnancy to keep working. She devoted her early 20s to raising her four kids.

Cas started in network marketing in 2013 quickly rising to top sales person in Australia with the company and earning incentive trips and decent commissions.

In 2018, she stumbled into cake decorating with no skills or qualifications and launched Cas’s Cakery. She has now built a reputable business locally in Emerald, Queensland, and internationally with more than 240K followers on Instagram.

Cas set a goal to earn enough so her husband could leave his mine job which she recently achieved.

Cas shares with us her journey, bringing her husband into the business and creating passive income through stencils and online courses. She also talks very honestly about her self limiting beliefs like imposter syndrome, fear of failure, trying to be a perfectionist, feeling like a fraud because she was self taught.

Meet my friend Cas, from Cas's Cakery.

Sarah Henney from HenneyCFO is empowering women to make confident financial decisions with her new flagship program Bookkeeping for Profit. This unique online bookkeeping and business course includes weekly support and access to a community of like minded business women from rural and regional areas. 

Learn how to make your business finance and bookkeeping fun, simple and work for you. Sign up for Sarah's Know Your Numbers masterclass. 

Visit HenneyCFO or find Sarah on Instagram. 

This episode was hosted by Kimberley Furness, founder + editor of OAK Magazine. OAK Magazine is a proudly independent print publication dedicated to sharing stories and amplifying voices of female entrepreneurs and women in business in regional and rural Australia. Founded in Bendigo, this quarterly publication is filled with expertise, insights and small business guidance from driven, inspiring and successful local women. 

Stay social and connect with OAK Magazine on Facebook and Instagram. 

For more inspiring stories, visit OAK Magazine website. Hosted by Kimberley Furness, Founder + Editor, OAK Magazine. 

Four years ago, Leslie Carvitto left a 9-5 digital marketing job for her own creative pursuits and she refers to it as ‘one of the best decisions of my life’.

While she was working at the digital marketing agency, Leslie started experimenting with photography and writing. She began defining herself as a multi-passionate creative, and started to let go of the idea that she needed to grow up and out of her idea of what a successful life should look like.

Leslie’s intuition grew louder and she knew there was something more waiting for her.

Leslie and her husband moved to Australia shortly before the country, and more specifically Victoria, was sent in lockdown. Still she forged on and built a new business in a new country.

On Wadarrung Land, Leslie creates vibrant and authentic imagery for female business owners and conscious creatives.

Leslie shares with us her business journey, why she initially - and intentionally - said yes to every opportunity, the importance of asking for reviews and building community, why branding is important for your business and lots more business advice.

Meet my friend Leslie.

Sarah Henney from HenneyCFO is empowering women to make confident financial decisions with her new flagship program Bookkeeping for Profit. This unique online bookkeeping and business course includes weekly support and access to a community of like minded business women from rural and regional areas. 

Learn how to make your business finance and bookkeeping fun, simple and work for you. Sign up for Sarah's Know Your Numbers masterclass. 

Visit HenneyCFO or find Sarah on Instagram. 

This episode was hosted by Kimberley Furness, founder + editor of OAK Magazine. OAK Magazine is a proudly independent print publication dedicated to sharing stories and amplifying voices of female entrepreneurs and women in business in regional and rural Australia. Founded in Bendigo, this quarterly publication is filled with expertise, insights and small business guidance from driven, inspiring and successful local women. 

Stay social and connect with OAK Magazine on Facebook and Instagram. 

For more inspiring stories, visit OAK Magazine website. Hosted by Kimberley Furness, Founder + Editor, OAK Magazine. 

After years as a CEO in the not-for-profit sector, Linda Goldspink-Lord quit the safety net of her job when her health took a turn for the worse.

In 2012, Linda experienced every parent's worst nightmare when her daughter Molly was killed in a tragic accident on their property in the Illawarra.

Having also recently lost her mother, and suffered major health problems of her own, Linda had to find a way out of the darkness, back to the light.

Trying to recover from grief, Linda explored how her health was having an impact on her mental wellbeing. She looked into links between the gut and the brain, and made some big lifestyle changes.

When her horses were struggling with their overall health, Linda looked into gut health for horses and so Poseidon Equine was born - scientifically formulated gut health supplements for horses.

After that came Poseidon Canine - gut health support for dogs. And then Saint + Sinner alcoholic kombucha.

Linda shares with us her story of building resilience after great loss, and why she'd never go back to the 9 to 5. And how she's built a business with purpose, and in partnership with her family. So many great tips and insight into running a business.

Meet my friend Linda; business woman, author, speaker and incredible storyteller.

Read Linda's book https://lindagoldspinklord.com/ (Crawling Through The Darkness).

This episode was hosted by Kimberley Furness, founder + editor of OAK Magazine. OAK Magazine is a proudly independent print publication dedicated to sharing stories and amplifying voices of female entrepreneurs and women in business in regional and rural Australia. Founded in Bendigo, this quarterly publication is filled with expertise, insights and small business guidance from driven, inspiring and successful local women. 

Stay social and connect with OAK Magazine on Facebook and Instagram. 

For more inspiring stories, visit OAK Magazine website. Hosted by Kimberley Furness, Founder + Editor, OAK Magazine. 

Transitioning back to work after parental leave is hard.

As Sarah Gee watched her return to work date creep closer, she began to feel an internal struggle between wanting to spend precious time with her son and needing to maintain her standing in the workplace.

Sarah was on the verge of throwing away 15 years of training and hard work as a business and commercial lawyer before deciding to forge a career on her own terms. She launched her business Curium Legal in 2020.

In just four months of trading, Sarah replaced and exceeded her full time wage. Being able to set her own fees combined with the lower overheads of working from home, has meant that more local business owners can afford to engage Sarah for their legal services.

Sarah shares with us her business journey and talks about some common legal blunders business owners face when dealing with trademark, ecommerce policies, partnerships and collaborations. She also explains why so many senior women are leaving the industry and why it's important we fix this.

Meet my friend Sarah from Curium Legal.

Sarah Henney from HenneyCFO is empowering women to make confident financial decisions with her new flagship program Bookkeeping for Profit. This unique online bookkeeping and business course includes weekly support and access to a community of like minded business women from rural and regional areas. 

Learn how to make your business finance and bookkeeping fun, simple and work for you. Sign up for Sarah's Know Your Numbers masterclass. 

Visit HenneyCFO or find Sarah on Instagram. 

This episode was hosted by Kimberley Furness, founder + editor of OAK Magazine. OAK Magazine is a proudly independent print publication dedicated to sharing stories and amplifying voices of female entrepreneurs and women in business in regional and rural Australia. Founded in Bendigo, this quarterly publication is filled with expertise, insights and small business guidance from driven, inspiring and successful local women. 

Stay social and connect with OAK Magazine on Facebook and Instagram. 

For more inspiring stories, visit OAK Magazine website. Hosted by Kimberley Furness, Founder + Editor, OAK Magazine. 

It’s time to explore our own backyard in this special travel episode to Maldon in Central Victoria.

Maldon is a historical gold mining region between the larger centres of Castlemaine and Bendigo, and just over a 90 minute drive from Melbourne.

It is a charming historic town with an added pinch of the arts, fine accommodation and niche retail experiences to add a little sophistication to the country feel. Wander past old weatherboard homes, solid stone buildings and decorative shop fronts in this lovingly preserved Australian gold mining town.

We've put together a complete guide to everything you need to know about Maldon thanks to local business owners Kate Edwards from Winter Creek Flowers and Rebecca Haack from Portia and Co.

Kate and Rebecca share with us their move from Melbourne to Maldon, the courage it took to open a business and operate through COVID, and everything you need to know about Maldon.

This episode compliments the launch of Take Me Somewhere magazine published by OAK Magazine.

This episode was hosted by Kimberley Furness, founder + editor of OAK Magazine. OAK Magazine is a proudly independent print publication dedicated to sharing stories and amplifying voices of female entrepreneurs and women in business in regional and rural Australia. Founded in Bendigo, this quarterly publication is filled with expertise, insights and small business guidance from driven, inspiring and successful local women. 

Stay social and connect with OAK Magazine on Facebook and Instagram. 

For more inspiring stories, visit OAK Magazine website. Hosted by Kimberley Furness, Founder + Editor, OAK Magazine. 

It’s time to explore our own backyard in this special travel episode to Halls Gap in the Grampians, Victoria.

The Grampians National Park is a three hour drive northwest of Melbourne. It's home to an incredible mountain landscape dotted with small towns such as Dunkeld, Stawell, Halls Gap, Wartook Valley and Beaufort.

Be it outdoor adventure, indulgent food and wine, cultural experiences or simply fun family times, a Grampians road trip will deliver lasting memories. And with so much to do, it's little wonder you can come back time and again, and still experience a new adventure.

We've put together a complete guide to everything you need to know about Halls Gap thanks to

Justine Neofitou who lives in Halls Gap with her young family and owns several businesses including Grampians Helicopters, Grampians Wine Tours and more recently Halls Gap Walking Tours.

Justine shares with us her journey from ballet to cruise ships to business ownership, her big pivot during COVID-19, finding balance in working with your partner, and everything you need to know about The Grampians.

Meet my friend Justine.

Also mentioned in this episode… Kerrie's Kreations, Rupanyup Living, Icon Central Halls Gap, Grampians Adventure Golf, Moco Gallery, Live Fast Cafe, Coola's Ice Creamery and Halls Gap Bakery

This episode compliments the launch of Take Me Somewhere magazine published by OAK Magazine.

This episode was hosted by Kimberley Furness, founder + editor of OAK Magazine. OAK Magazine is a proudly independent print publication dedicated to sharing stories and amplifying voices of female entrepreneurs and women in business in regional and rural Australia. Founded in Bendigo, this quarterly publication is filled with expertise, insights and small business guidance from driven, inspiring and successful local women. 

Stay social and connect with OAK Magazine on Facebook and Instagram. 

For more inspiring stories, visit OAK Magazine website. Hosted by Kimberley Furness, Founder + Editor, OAK Magazine. 

It’s time to explore our own backyard in this special travel episode to Yarragon in West Gippsland, Victoria.

With an unmistakable village feel, glorious heritage buildings and a deluge of shops to potter and browse, Yarragon’s charms extend well beyond a leg-stretch on the highway.

Just 90 minutes east of Melbourne, Yarragon is a place where you can slow down and recharge the batteries, powered by a potent dose of country calm.

The town is home to vibrant laneway cafes, cosy brunch nooks, coffee roasters and providores heaving with local delicacies.

Meet my friends Kristy Plumridge who recently moved from Melbourne to West Gippsland and owns The Ridge House and Green Hills Farm.

And Jo Wolswinkle who is a born and bred West Gippslandian, and owns Town and Country Gallery.

Kristy and Jo share with us their start up stories, how they’ve coped with COVID and share all the best places to stay, eat, shop and explore in Yarragon.

This episode compliments the launch of https://www.oakmagazine.com.au/pages/take-me-somewhere-magazine (Take Me Somewhere) magazine published by OAK Magazine.

Nicole Gleeson is quite simply a healthcare hero.

When she isn’t working as a clinical nurse specialist at a large tertiary hospital in Melbourne, Nicole is disrupting the first aid training scene through her business Rhythm First Aid.

Nicole is determined that your postcode should not define the level of first aid training or access to resources you receive. Since 2018, Rhythm First Aid has been providing families and businesses in rural and regional Victoria with first aid courses and supplies.

Nicole shares with us her pathway into nursing and the catalyst to her launching Rhythm First Aid, transitioning from co-founder to sole director, the impact of COVID on her business, and importantly, first aid tips that may just help you save a life one day.

This episode was hosted by award winning publisher Kimberley Furness, founder + editor of OAK Magazine. OAK Magazine is a proudly independent print publication dedicated to sharing stories and amplifying voices of female entrepreneurs and women in business in regional and rural Australia. Founded in Bendigo, this biannual publication is filled with expertise, insights and small business guidance from driven, inspiring and successful local women.

Stay social and connect with OAK Magazine on Facebook and Instagram.

For more inspiring stories, visit OAK Magazine website. Hosted by Kimberley Furness, Founder + Editor, OAK Magazine.

This special episode was recorded live for our In Conversation with Laura Hall event held online to celebrate Rural Women's Day.

Hat maker Laura and her label Phylli both hit their stride after moving to Scone in country NSW. Despite only being in business for two years, Laura has attracted an impressive celebrity following including Delta Goodrem, Matt Damon and Chris Hemsworth's wife Elsa Pataky.

Laura shares with us her personal connection to hats, her celebrity start at Bondi and Paddington markets, the advantages of running Phylli from Scone, providing job opportunities for her local community, what it feels like to see oneself on the cover of a magazine, business advice, as well as some fabulous questions from our online audience.

Take a screenshot and share with us on social media so we can continue to amplify women's voices in the media.

This episode was hosted by award winning publisher Kimberley Furness, founder + editor of OAK Magazine. OAK Magazine is a proudly independent print publication dedicated to sharing stories and amplifying voices of female entrepreneurs and women in business in regional and rural Australia. Founded in Bendigo, this biannual publication is filled with expertise, insights and small business guidance from driven, inspiring and successful local women.

Stay social and connect with OAK Magazine on Facebook and Instagram.

For more inspiring stories, visit OAK Magazine website. Hosted by Kimberley Furness, Founder + Editor, OAK Magazine.