Really Interesting Women

Really Interesting Women - The Podcast


Episode 114

Nicole Livingstone OAM

Nicole Livingstone was part of the Australian swimming team for twelve years - starting when she was in Grade 8!  She went to 3 successive Olympic Games winning a silver and 2 bronze medals. She was a short course world record holder in backstroke and, in fact, still holds the longest winning sequence in history of any Australian swimmer (male or female) at the national titles. Ten consecutive backstroke titles. 

More than enough achievements for one lifetime...but then she went on to a long and successful career in the media as a host and commentator and joined a number of not-for-profit boards including co-founding, with her sister, Ovarian Cancer Australia. 

And then another opportunity presented itself in 2017 and after an exhaustive process, she was announced as the Australian Football League's head of women's football and is now responsible for managing the hugely successful AFL Women’s competition.

You've probably seen Nicole on television in some capacity over the last 20 years or so, but, like me, you probably didn't know the whole story. It's a fascinating conversation and one which I'm sure you'll enjoy. 

Head to the link in my bio to have a listen to the podcast conversation. 

Visit instagram @reallyinterestingwomen for further interviews and posts of interesting women in history.

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https://podcasts.apple.com/au/podcast/really-interesting-women/id1526764849

Really Interesting Women - the Podcast

Episode 113.        Dr. Bronwyn Bancroft

Dr Bronwyn Bancroft is a proud Bundjalung woman and a very successful artist. But the journey has been a long one and she's overcome hurdles that most of us can't imagine. 

Bronwyn's career has included both national and international exhibitions, and her work has been acquired by all major Australian galleries, state libraries and private collections.  

She has also been a trailblazer in children’s literature having published over 40 books. In addition to this she has been a director of her own company, Designer Aboriginals since 1985 and, in 1987, was one of the first Australian fashion designers to be invited to exhibit their works in Paris. 

She has a long history of involvement in community activism and arts administration, and has served as a board member for the National Gallery of Australia. She has a Diploma of Visual Arts, 2 Masters degrees and in 2018 was awarded her PhD in Visual Arts. 

To have a listen to our conversation about her amazing journey, head to the link in my bio. 

Visit instagram @reallyinterestingwomen for further interviews and posts of interesting women in history.

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Really Interesting Women - The podcast 

Episode 112    Collette Dinnigan AO

Collette Dinnigan is one of the country’s most successful fashion designers. 

Her creations have been worn by the likes of Taylor Swift, Beyonce, Oprah Winfrey, Nicole Kidman, Julia Roberts, Princess Mary, and the Duchess of Cambridge. She became the first Australian to mount a full-scale ready-to-wear collection in Paris and was subsequently invited to show on the prestigious Paris Fashion Week schedule. 

Collette has won Australian Designer of the Year, the Louis Vuitton Business Award and the Award for Excellence from Fashion Group International amongst many other accolades. She has even been a Special Guest Editor for Vogue Living’s ‘Italian’ issue. 

Her business was an international success and then, after 24 years, she closed her boutiques in Sydney, Melbourne and London, stopped producing her successful bridal and evening wear lines and, with a renewed sense of purpose, headed in a new creative direction for all the right reasons.

We had a great discussion which included, as a child,  her family's real life re-enactment of the TV series The Rovers (one of the great Australian shows!), being told at Fashion School that she was least likely to succeed in the class, her international rise and embracing new opportunities (working with Specsavers, entering Celebrity MasterChef) and...food. We even get tips on the best thing for Italian food lovers to plant in a garden. Everything covered!

Head to the link in my bio for a listen. 

Visit instagram @reallyinterestingwomen for further interviews and posts of interesting women in history.

Follow the link to leave a review....and tell your friends
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Really Interesting Women Podcast 

Ep. 111      Danielle Laidley

Danielle Laidley had an illustrious career as an AFL player and in 1996 won a premiership with the North Melbourne Football Club. She subsequently became one of the youngest head coaches in the league’s history at the age of 36 and was then inducted into the club’s hall of fame. 

But her amazing career and life were never what they seemed on the surface. Danielle  faced a private and lifelong battle with gender dysphoria and that constant struggle with her identity led eventually to legal troubles and addiction issues...which, in other circumstances, may have led to her undertaking a private recovery. But in her case, it was all cruelly and publicly exposed without her consent or knowledge. And then came the incredible journey to recovery. 

I think it would be fair to say Danielle is the most prominent transgender person in the country. The opportunity to reveal who she really was was taken away from her by police at the St Kilda police station when photos were taken and distributed publicly without her knowledge or consent . And that was how her own children found out. 

Danielle is now taking back control of her own story and it's through podcasts such as this one and a documentary streaming on Stan (see below).

It's an important episode and can help people understand. Please head to the link in my bio for a listen. 

#reallyinterestingwomen #riw #daniellelaidley #transgender #genderdysphoria #addiction #determination #resilience
@daniellemaylaidley07
@the_dls
@afl
@aflwomens
@nmfcofficial


The book is:
Don't Look Away: A Memoir of Identity and Acceptance
The documentary:
Stan 
Revealed: Danielle Laidley: Two Tribes

Visit instagram @reallyinterestingwomen for further interviews and posts of interesting women in history.

Follow the link to leave a review....and tell your friends
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Really Interesting Women

Podcast - Episode 110

Nikki Gemmell

Nikki Gemmell is an international best-selling author of over 20 books and a Walkley Award winning commentator and opinion writer for The Australian newspaper. 

Her subject matter and distinctive writing style led to the French literary magazine Lire in 2007 including her in a list of what it called the fifty most important writers in the world – those it believed would have a significant influence on the literature of the 21st century. In fact, in France she has been described as a "female Jack Kerouac ".

Four of her books (Shiver, Cleave, The Bride Stripped Bare and The Book of Rapture) made the longlist of "Favourite Australian Novels" as chosen by readers of the Australian Book Review. 

But it was her best-known work in 2003, The Bride Stripped Bare, which became a world-wide publishing sensation...and then upended her universe. To protect herself she initially published the book anonymously. Then the media outed her and, according to Nikki herself, all hell broke loose. The consequences are still being felt today.

With Nikki Gemmell there's always a lot to discuss. And we try and cover as much as we can...her loving yet fractious relationship with her mother, how to deal with the inevitable withering criticisms that come from being a public figure and her liberating time as a writer in London....and then retraining, as she calls them, her pommy children to become Australian when she returned to these shores. 

But all the while, it was her love of writing that kept her moving through life's rollercoaster. And still does. 

 Her books display the qualities she most admires in other authors...brutal, eviscerating honesty. But there’s an overriding sense of fun, wit and wisdom which makes her a brilliant writer, a great guest and, it goes without saying, a really interesting woman. 

Visit instagram @reallyinterestingwomen for further interviews and posts of interesting women in history.

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Really Interesting Women - Podcast Episode 109

Caroline de Mori AM

This is a great story of an extraordinary woman.

Caroline was a journalist, ran a PR company and was a successful business woman who ran her own company with 4 of her own children. When that just wasn't a thing. 

She's a risk taker, a do-er and hates injustice. Her corporate role took her all over the Kimberley and Pilbara regions of WA and what she saw in the remote Aboriginal communities affected her profoundly...as it would for anyone seeing it. But unlike 'anyone'...she decided to do something about it. 

In 2005, Caroline established the EON Foundation, a not-for-profit foundation to overcome chronic health issues in Indigenous communities in the most practical way – by helping them grow and prepare fresh fruit and vegetables. She recognised that the simplest way to provide fresh food particularly to remote communities was to grow it locally.

The communities themselves request EON's assistance, so it has the best chance of success as a result. The children's involvement is a huge part of it. And it's working. 

Head to the link in my bio for Caroline's story. 

The website is brilliant. Have a look:
www.eon.org.au

Visit instagram @reallyinterestingwomen for further interviews and posts of interesting women in history.

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Podcast ep. 108

Marita Cheng AM

Marita is a former Young Australian of the Year. 11 Years on from that award her work improving the lives of others is quite extraordinary.

Marita and her brother were raised by their single mother in housing commission in Cairns. She encouraged education and worked a number of jobs such as a hotel room cleaner and dishwasher to give them every opportunity she could afford.

 Marita is the founder of Robogals and the founder and current CEO of Aubot, a start-up robotics company. She co-founded Aipoly, an app to assist blind people to recognise objects using their mobile phones and was named as one of the World's Top 50 women in Technology by Forbes in 2018 and was recognised on the Forbes 30 Under 30 list in 2016.

On 9 June 2019, Marita was appointed a member of the Order of Australia for significant service to science and technology, particularly to robotics.

Former Australian Prime Minister, Kevin Rudd, described her as  a leader; 
an inspiration; a game changer.

 
HEAD to the link in my bio for Marita's podcast episode. 


www.maritacheng.com

Visit instagram @reallyinterestingwomen for further interviews and posts of interesting women in history.

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To describe Janine Kirk as a prominent business, education, health and community leader would be accurate...but doesn't do justice to her actual achievements and commitments. Our conversation will shed some light on this. 

Janine has a wealth of executive experience and has committed to giving back to the community through her work for not for profit and charitable organisations. In fact in 2021 she was awarded an Officer in the Order of Australia (AO) for her leadership & contribution to the N.F.P. sector

 
She was the Founding Chief Executive of The Prince's Trust Australia and is currently Chair of several organisations including Phoenix Australia (the Australian Centre of Excellence for Post traumatic Mental Health); HousingFirst (an affordable and social housing association) and The Melbourne Prize Trust (provides financial and professional development opportunities to artists).

Janine would list her passions as innovation, ideas, design, creativity & hope. All things she brings to her NFP roles which benefit thousands of people. It’s a conversation which will both inform and inspire. 

Visit instagram @reallyinterestingwomen for further interviews and posts of interesting women in history.

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Podcast Episode 106

Really Interesting Women - Jean Oelwang

Jean Oelwang is the founding CEO and President of Virgin Unite, the non-profit foundation of the Virgin Group. Since its launch, it has inspired a number of global initiatives – like The Elders (with Nelson Mandela and Archbishop Desmond Tutu), Ocean Unite, Carbon War Room and The B Team. 

For over 20 years Jean has worked closely with and learned a lot from Sir Richard Branson, having previously been the joint CEO of Virgin Mobile in Australia.

In her current roles Jean has had occasion to work with Nelson Mandela, Archbishop Desmond Tutu,  the Dalai Lama, former President Carter, amongst many others. It has given her insight as to what makes a successful and fulfilled life - and it's not money. In fact, I was cheeky enough to ask her about the meaning of life...and she gave me the answer! And it makes sense!!

We discuss her recent book "Partnering" which shows the importance of deep seated connections and relationships and her anecdotal evidence comes from her interviewing over 60 business and life partnerships including Jimmy and Rosalynn Carter, Ben and Jerry, and Desmond and Leah Tutu.

It's really interesting, insightful and a fun conversation.

Head to the link in my bio to listen to this podcast. 

www.theelders.org
www.bteam.org
Jean's book: https://www.penguin.com.au/books/partnering-9781529146066


@jeanoelwang #reallyinterestingwomen #riw @virginunite @virgin #partnerships #nelsonmandela #desmondtutu @richardbranson #dalailama #disruptivedetours @theelders_org #deeplylistening #meaningoflife 

Visit instagram @reallyinterestingwomen for further interviews and posts of interesting women in history.

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Really Interesting Women - Podcast

Anna Funder    Ep. 105

Anna Funder is undoubtedly one of Australia’s most acclaimed and awarded writers.

Her 2003 book Stasiland won, amongst many other things, the Samuel Johnson Prize which is for the best non-fiction writing in the English language (!!). Actor Tom Hanks described it as 'fascinating, entertaining, hilarious, horrifying and very important.'

Her 2012 novel, All That I Am, won a myriad of awards including the very prestigious Miles Franklin Award. Both books are international bestsellers, translated into many languages and published around the world.

Her books are important because of the truths they reveal. They are beautifully researched and exquisitely told.  Her legion of fans has been eagerly anticipating her latest novel, Wifedom, which has just been released. I've read it, it's fascinating and important. Geraldine Brooks described the book as, 'Simply, a masterpiece'.

Head to the link in the bio of my instagram account: @reallyinterestingwomen to have a listen to our conversation. It's insightful, thought provoking and gave us both a bit of a giggle.


You can find all Anna's books at this link:
https://www.booktopia.com.au/search.ep?keywords=anna+funder&productType=917504

 

Visit instagram @reallyinterestingwomen for further interviews and posts of interesting women in history.

Follow the link to leave a review....and tell your friends
https://podcasts.apple.com/au/podcast/really-interesting-women/id1526764849