Short Black with Sandra Sully

It’s all about Mary today! Mary Konstantopoulos is a passionate advocate for women in sport. Ten years ago she founded sport media company Ladies Who League, and since then she has broadened the conversation with Ladies Who Leap, Ladies Who Legspin, Ladies Who Lineout and Ladies Who W-League. She’s also a lawyer and sits on the board of Hockey Australia.

Mary opens up about dealing with the pressures of social media, finding the courage to tackle the difficult issues, and levelling the playing field to elevate more women to board level.

Find out more about Mary and Ladies Who here: https://ladieswho.com.au/league/ 

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Returning to Australia a decade ago, Maryjane McKibbin-Schwenke saw many changes. With her husband Fred she established the Matavai Cultural Arts Centre in Sydney to promote community and connection to Pacific culture, helping people of all ages learn about themselves and their history through dance and music and sharing stories.

As well as strengthening identity and confidence through cultural arts Maryjane is a strong advocate for issues that affect the Pacific community both in Australia and abroad, including climate change, education and loss of cultural knowledge.

Maryjane talks to Sandra about everything from the importance of community, the stress and trauma of living through the harsh Covid lockdowns in Western Sydney and the impact that had on the younger community, her role in the new Bilas exhibition at the Australian Museum, and the realities of feeling unseen.

Find out more about Maryjane and Matavai here: https://matavai.com.au

And the Bilas exhibition here: https://australian.museum

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Andie Halas is one of the unsung heroes of the fashion industry. With fashion waste continuing to be a massive issue worldwide, Andie saw the potential in giving unsold clothing that would normally end up in landfill to people in need – providing the most ethical solution to fashion excess.

Just over a decade ago she set up Thread Together to make that happen in Australia, giving those in need the dignity and choice to get on with their lives by giving them access to new clothing.

Fast forward to today, and more than 1,000 partners have come on board, to date repurposing 5.6 million pieces of clothing waste to the men and women who need it most. More than one million items were distributed in 2022 alone.

Find out more about Andie and Thread Together, and how to donate or become a volunteer, here - https://threadtogether.org

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Dr Manasi Mittinty’s interest in pain management and living with pain started as a child, after suffering an accident which left her with third-degree burns and ongoing chronic pain.

Dr Mittinty now leads benchmark research in a number of key areas including developing scales for improved assessment and management of chronic pain for Indigenous Australian communities. She talks to Sandra about what Western civilisation can learn from studies like these, the spiritual connection between pain and trauma and how you can separate emotional pain from physical pain.

Dr Mittinty is also passionate about achieving mental health equity through individualised patient care programs, especially with children and younger people.

Her outstanding work has led to her being recognised in Australia and overseas, and last year she was named the Emerging Leader in Health at the 2022 Women’s Agenda Leadership Awards.

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Kat Stewart has been a familiar face on Australian stage and screen for a number of years now. The award-winning actress is probably best known for her roles in the television series Offspring, Underbelly and Five Bedrooms, which is just starting its fourth season.

But who is Kat Stewart when she’s not being someone else?

Kat opens up to Sandra about the fame game, the pain of losing her mum, and the importance of telling women’s stories.

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Josie Clarke is a true force of nature. She’s on a mission to give people from regional and rural areas with a disability a voice, and create opportunities for them to be able to work in the agricultural industry.

Josie’s dad became a paraplegic as a result of an accident on the family’s farm when she was five and it was this, together with the realisation years later that there was a lack of disability support groups in the ag industry, that led to her founding Ability Agriculture.

Her dream is for Ability Agriculture to one day be recognised as the representative voice for disability in the agriculture sector.

Find out more about Josie and Ability Agriculture here - https://abilityagriculture.com

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What kind of leader are you? Do you lead with your head or your heart?

From joining the Royal Australian Air Force at 17 to being acting chair of the Australian Broadcasting Corporation, Kirstin Ferguson has learnt a thing or two about what it takes to be a good leader.

Kirstin, an author, company director and columnist, talks to Sandra about how you can work out your own leadership style, what the attributes of a great leader are, the importance of perspective, and why it’s not just how you are at work but your leadership at home that counts too.

As she says – you are a leader, you probably just don’t know it yet!

You can find out more about Kirstin, her work, and her book Head & Heart: The Art Of Modern Leadership here - https://www.kirstinferguson.com

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Faith Agugu could never understand the negativity surrounding ageing for women in Western society, especially as in her native Africa the oldest person is always the most revered. She decided to do something about it, and Silver Sirens was born. Silver Sirens is all about redefining ageing, and provides a platform for women to rewrite this negative narrative and redirect energy to themselves.

In this frank, funny and honest look at ageing, Faith talks to Sandra about topics including what she’s enjoying about getting older, how psychotherapy works, the importance of community, and how we can change the stigma around menopause and ageing.

You can find out more about Faith and her work here – https://www.silversirens.org and https://www.thehealingprocess.com.au 

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You could say Buds & Beads was born out of love and friendship. Founders Jo Thomas and Karina Barry have been best buddies for more than half their lives and, when the opportunity presented itself, jumped at the chance to try something new.

Launching the business in late 2022 with a range of 17 loose-leaf teas and three sparkling, their sparkling tea is the first of its kind in Australia and is already winning awards.

They talk to Sandra about everything from choosing the right tea varieties to finding the first major customer, what it’s like going into business with your best friend, and what they have learned about themselves along the way,

Find out more about Buds and Beads here - https://budsandbeads.com.au/

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Welcome to Season 5 of Short Black!

Rosemary Kariuki’s joie de vivre is infectious. She is so vivacious it’s hard to believe that she fled her native Kenya to escape from family abuse and political unrest. Now happily settled in Australia, she is the Multicultural Liaison Officer for NSW Police and spends her time helping migrants overcome situations including isolation, financial stress, domestic violence and, of course, language barriers.

Her remarkable work in this field has led to her being named the 2021 Local Hero in the Australian Of The Year Awards, and the following year she was recognised with the Medal of the Order of Australia (OAM).

Rosemary has a big heart and a big smile, and we are very excited to share her story with you as we launch the new season of Short Black.

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