Equality Talks

Equality Talks Season Two has been absolutely amazing to be part of and I cannot believe the calibre of women that I've had the chance to speak to. I have learnt so much from the wonderful women this season.

The theme that really came to me when I was reflecting on the season is generosity. I was blown away by the amount of generosity all our guests showed with their time, their wealth of information, and their true desire to see other women succeed.

Have a listen to recap this season's episodes. 

Sangeeta Venkatesan took her 25 years of banking and financial experience and founded FairVine Super, where they want to empower women to take control of their finances and future. In this episode we discussed Sangeeta’s impressive career history, the crossroads she reached on several occasions where she had to decide what was really important to her, and managing working with very small children. Sangeeta raised the superannuation gap, and what FairVine are doing to address financial inequality and increase financial literacy and independence of Australian women. With practical advice on networking and believing in yourself, Sangeeta supports women advocating for themselves and asking for what they are worth.

Camille Wilson experienced severe mental health issues from a young age, and truly understands what that can impose onto an individual’s life. She founded social enterprise Grow Together Now, with the mission to change the way we see mental health in Australian workplaces and schools, based on three core skills: being aware, being courageous and being real. We talked about her mental health journey, the gap in wellness and mental health management programs that ignores people who aren’t either thriving or in crisis, managing emotions in response to stress and the importance of leadership buy in for changing workplace cultures. Camille shared the three ‘moments that matter’ in relation to mental health, and activities that can help you move from blah to thriving.

Somoud El Masri is the Women’s Network Global Co-chair at Jacobs Engineering Company, and sits on the Inclusion & Diversity Council. She shared a number of fascinating (and shocking) stories of inequality from earlier in her career, that were the catalyst for the work she does now. With amazing insight into improving gender equality, pay equity, the importance of leadership in creating change and the value of women supporting each other, this conversation is a really fun chat covering many aspects of diversity and inclusion.

Samantha Payne has her own personal story of pregnancy loss that led to her co-founding Pink Elephants support network. They are on a mission to ensure no woman walks the journey of early pregnancy loss alone. They have built an amazing community of support groups, and impact 2.500 women and their partners per month. They support hospitals across Australia, as well as providing free resources on their 'virtual hug' of a website. Samantha also shared the story of growing their national charity from just an idea to a nationwide movement, impacting policy, legislation, workplaces and individuals.

Shivani Gopal is the Founder and CEO of The Remarkable Woman and Co-Founder and CEO of Upstreet, a Fintech start-up. She is a dedicated advocate for gender equality and closing the wealth gap for everyday Australians. Her work impacts women and girls from school age through to executive directors and her goal is to help 1 million women.

Shivani discussed the link between systemic influences and individual empowerment to create change, the role of unconscious bias in slowing transformation and why men need to be part of the journey. She shared some amazing success stories from women learning to speak up and advocate for themselves, and the value of networks.

Shivani’s life motto of, “Dream big, and do the work,” is how she keeps moving with such energy towards her goals and ambitions.

Julie Moss believes men need to come on the journey to achieving gender equality. It’s not just a women’s issue. She shared a shocking story of unconscious bias when trying to redress the gender pay gap, the importance of flexible work options for all and how to define what success looks like for yourself and your own life. A wealth of industry knowledge with many years in the diversity and inclusion field, Julie is passionate about creating a more equal world for all.

Libby Lyons is the Director of the Workplace Gender Equality Agency. She took us through the real value of women in leadership, the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on women’s workforce participation rates and the importance of a continued focus on gender diversity during an economic recovery. Libby shared stories and learnings from her past as a primary school teacher and then working in the resources sector, tips for getting your voice heard, and what she wishes she knew when she was younger.

Diane Smith-Gander believes that gender equality is the strongest lever we have to pull to support economic growth, but fears COVID may have set us back by a decade. She spoke about a Board career, creating your own personal Board of Directors, the value of supporters in helping you open doors and taking a deliberate approach to pivoting your career. With a wealth of experience and fascinating insights, Diane shared some of her hopes for the future, the silver linings of COVID impacts, and the importance of women supporting other women.

Anastasia Volkova believes the world can be a better place if we make smarter decisions. She’s an Emelia Earhart Fellow, one of MIT’s Technology Review Innovators 20 under 35, with three degrees and a doctorate thesis on autonomous navigation systems. As CEO and Co-Founder of Flurostat, Anastasia’s passion is earth observation, automation and efficiency. She wants more young women to take on STEM roles and is passionate about the power of persistence to change the world.