The Good Girl Confessional

Today in the Confessional, Sandy chats with brave and beautiful Melissa Griffith. Melissa is a transgender authority and advocate based in Melbourne. As a diversity and inclusion consultant, Melissa has managed to get a gender identity policy introduced at various horse racing clubs including the Victorian Racing Club. Melissa has also consulted with Cricket Australia in development of their Guidelines for inclusion of Gender Diverse and Transgender People in Cricket.

She is also currently a board director of Sydney based non-profit organisation JustSociale and previously a board director of Elder Rights Advocacy in Victoria.

Overcoming many challenges in her journey as a transgender female including overcoming the obstacles of transitioning in the workplace; society’s attitudes and many challenges that come with living day-to-day as a transgender female, Melissa received an Australia Day Achievement Award as well as the Rex Karmaveer Global Fellowship and Karmaveer Chakra Award instituted by ICONGO & the UN from India. Melissa was a finalist in the 2019 Australian LGBTI Awards in the Hero Category and a finalist in 2018 Women's Agenda Women in Leadership Awards for Agenda Setter of the year. Melissa completed the first ever LGBTI Leadership Program in 2018 and was a finalist as LGBTI person of the year in the 2017 Victorian LGBTI Awards.

Melissa is a recognised Thought Leader who draws upon her experiences and expertise to consult to business and mentor individuals as well as speak out and be a voice for those whose voices are not heard.

Melissa is also a recipient of an Australia Day Achievement Award. Melissa was the keynote speaker at RMIT for International Womens Day speaking about Organisational Gender Diversity and Policy. She also spoke at the National Employment Solutions Conference in 2018 presenting Transgender from All Angles talking about how all issues around a transgender person transitioning in the workplace.

You can follow Melissa here:

https://www.melissagriffiths.com.au
https://www.instagram.com/melissacgriffiths
https://www.facebook.com/melissagriffiths


Melissa is represented in Australia by:

BookSpeakersDirect - https://www.bookspeakersdirect.com/find-speaker/

Keynoteworthy Speaker’s Bureau - https://keynoteworthy.com.au/directory-diverse_dire/listing/melissa-griffiths/

Platinum Model Management - https://www.platinumpromotionsaustralia.com.au

JustSociale:
https://justsociale.org/

LGBTIQ+ Helplines:

Better Pride:
https://betterpride.com.au/

Trans Hub NSW
https://www.transhub.org.au/

Minus18 (LGBTIQ+ Youth Support)
https://www.minus18.org.au/

Transgender Victoria:
https://tgv.org.au/
Reach Out
https://au.reachout.com/

https://www.yourcommunityhealth.org.au

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The Good Girl Confessional Podcast is part of WB40 - Women Beyond Forty Platform

Follow the revolution:
www.wb40.com
https://www.instagram.com/womenbeyondforty
https://www.instagram.com/thegoodgirlconfessional


The Good Girl Confessional and Wb40 - Women Beyond Forty team acknowledges the traditional owners of the lands this podcast is recorded and researched on - the Wurundjeri Woi-wurrung and Bunurong Peoples of the Kulin Nation and we pay our respects to the Elders past, present and emerging. 

Separation and divorce can be painful and lonely life experiences. If you are like many women faced with the prospect, you might be asking yourself what the hell are you meant to do now?

Today in the Confessional, Sandy chats with Carolyn Tate and Gillian Moody, the founders of The Champagne Divorce Club. Together, the besties who run Champagne Cartel - an online magazine and community for women who want to live a Fuck Yes life - have created a one-stop-shop for advice and support on separation, divorce and finding yourself after the dust settles.

Both Carolyn and Gillian have lived experience in this arena. Both had to wade through the unknown of life beyond their marriages while juggling children, financial concerns and their own grief. What they came to realise is that finding the help and support you need during such an emotional time is not always easy, and they wanted it to be easier for other women.

The Champagne Divorce Club brings together an incredible team of experts - including psychologists, lawyers, life coaches, family law experts and financial advisors - to help step women through this difficult process, while offering support along the way. Gillian and Carolyn want help you to emerge on the other side knowing that you can live an incredible life on your own terms!

If you are going through this process, or even considering it, you will not want to miss this episode. Their wisdom is a must listen to! Carolyn and Gillian will also be holding a FREE Webinar in partnership with Women Beyond Forty on Friday 18th February 2022. You can register here:

https://divorce-club.mykajabi.com/how-to-take-the-struggle-out-of-divorce-WB40

You can Follow Champagne Cartel and join Champagne Divorce Club here:
https://champagnecartel.com/divorce-2/

https://www.instagram.com/champagnecartel
https://www.facebook.com/champagnecartel
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The Good Girl Confessional Podcast is part of WB40 - Women Beyond Forty Platform

Follow the revolution:
www.wb40.com
https://www.instagram.com/womenbeyondforty
https://www.instagram.com/thegoodgirlconfessional


The Good Girl Confessional and Wb40 - Women Beyond Forty team acknowledges the traditional owners of the lands this podcast is recorded and researched on - the Wurundjeri Woi-wurrung and Bunurong Peoples of the Kulin Nation and we pay our respects to the Elders past, present and emerging. 

Today in the Confessional, Sandy welcomes Annette Densham, an award-winning PR specialist, and the author of her memoir - How To Eat a Shit Sandwich...And Keep Smiling.

When Annette lost her cushy corporate comms role, she had to reinvent herself using the skills she normally used on other people. Starting her own PR agency, she used her print journalism and corporate communications skills to help small businesses share their stories. Annette works with with entrepreneurs sharing stories worth telling and helping dozens enter and win business awards. With over 35 years experience in media, PR and communications, Annette has been recognised for her work in this space with multi awards including 4 times winner of Grand Stevie Award and gold PR World Awards winner. Annette is also a comedian who is about to hit the stage at the RAW event for the Comedy Festival.

In her memoir, Annette bravely shares her often difficult and traumatic childhood with brutal honesty. When Annette becomes a journalist she thought she would be living her dream. Instead it was a career that led to bullying and disappointment. Annertte would take on a media empire in her pursuit of justice. Annette's story is one of incredible grit and resilience, told with authentic honesty.

You can follow Annette here:

https://theaudaciousagency.com/

https://www.facebook.com/Audaciousagency

Buy Annette's book here (How To Eat a Shit Sandwich...and Keep Smiling)
https://www.booktopia.com.au/how-to-eat-a-shit-sandwich-and-keep-smiling-annette-densham/ebook/9780645178005.html

Comedy Festival:

https://comedyfestival.com.au/raw/
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The Good Girl Confessional Podcast is part of WB40 - Women Beyond Forty Platform

Follow the revolution:
www.wb40.com
https://www.instagram.com/womenbeyondforty
https://www.instagram.com/thegoodgirlconfessional


The Good Girl Confessional and Wb40 - Women Beyond Forty team acknowledges the traditional owners of the lands this podcast is recorded and researched on - the Wurundjeri Woi-wurrung and Bunurong Peoples of the Kulin Nation and we pay our respects to the Elders past, present and emerging. 

Today in the Confessional, Sandy chats with Shannah Kennedy who is a Life Coach and the best selling author of 7 books that have been changing the way people live their lives, including the extremely popular The Life Plan and her latest book, Plan B.

Shannah, a Master Life Strategist and Coach, Wellbeing Specialist and keynote speaker, helps people to navigate what really drives us and what ultimately makes us happy.

Her latest book, Plan B, focuses on how we cope with change - something so timely as we navigate Covid-19.

"Whether you have faced a redundancy, dealt with a break-up, been in an accident, lost a loved one, had a health scare, or been impacted by an economic downturn, your ability to navigate through the change process and create an alternative plan will be the key to your future happiness."

Shannah's The Life Plan was a best seller, and in Plan B, she has created a simple yet powerful 4 part guide to give you the confidence to accept, heal, grow and adapt when facing sudden change. Shannah's guide helps you to Respond, Recover, Reset and Radiate!

Shannah has recently launched two Vision Board kits - Career & Confidence and Health & Happiness - which are available in K-mart stores, or via the link below. Shannah understands that when we can visualise where we want to be, or what we want, we can move towards change. Vision boards can be a powerful tool.

With her warm and engaging approach to life, Shannah also runs 4-week Refresh and Reset 2022 courses - details are below!

You can follow Shannah here:

https://shannahkennedy.com/

https://www.facebook.com/shannahkennedycoaching

https://www.instagram.com/shannahkennedy

For Books and Vision Boards:

https://shannahkennedy.com/books/

Refresh and Reset Course 2022 :https://shannahkennedy.com/books/
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The Good Girl Confessional Podcast is part of WB40 - Women Beyond Forty Platform

Follow the revolution:
www.wb40.com
https://www.instagram.com/womenbeyondforty
https://www.instagram.com/thegoodgirlconfessional


The Good Girl Confessional and Wb40 - Women Beyond Forty team acknowledges the traditional owners of the lands this podcast is recorded and researched on - the Wurundjeri Woi-wurrung and Bunurong Peoples of the Kulin Nation and we pay our respects to the Elders past, present and emerging. 

This week Sandy chats with Dr Susie O'Brien in the confessional, a delightful journalist and columnist with a PhD in Education. For the last 19 years she has written about parenting and social issues for the Herald Sun and other News Ltd papers, and she appears weekly on Channel Seven’s Sunrise. She and her partner have five (yes, 5!) kids between them. Susie says they're the Brady Bunch, without Alice to cook dinner every night!

Susie chats about her fabulous book The Secret of Half-Arsed Parenting: Raising kids with half the guilt. The Secret of Half-arsed Parenting is a funny and practical antidote to the extreme stress of
modern parenting. It pokes fun at the unrealistic goals and expectations thrust on parents
today. Parents don’t need any more thrusting - it’s how we got into this mess in the first
place.

The Secret of Half-arsed Parenting offers a way to raise kids with less pressure, less guilt,
less stress and fewer cupcakes baked at midnight. It's not about doing a bad job. It's about recognising that parents don't have to be perfect. What's wrong with toasted sandwiches for dinner? Kids sharing rooms and bathrooms? Saying “no” once in a while?

The key is to know your limits and set the bar low enough so you succeed. As Susie sees it,
if your friends judge you for not baking cupcakes from scratch or wearing slippers to school
pick-up, get new friends (and slippers that look like shoes).

As Susie says: “As a Half-arsed Parent, I don’t care about ‘retaining my sensuality’ and
‘finding my femininity’. I care about retaining my sanity and finding my daughter’s
mouthguard that I paid $80 for.”

You can follow Susie here:

https://www.instagram.com/susieobrien_hs
https://www.heraldsun.com.au/news/opinion/susie-obrien
https://twitter.com/susieob?lang=en

You can buy Susie's book here:
https://www.booktopia.com.au/the-secret-of-half-arsed-parenting-susie-o-brien/book/9781760525736.html

https://www.amazon.com.au/Secret-Half-Arsed-Parenting-Raising-guilt-ebook/dp/B086JHJZXM

The book is also available on Audible.
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The Good Girl Confessional Podcast is part of WB40 - Women Beyond Forty Platform

Follow the revolution:
www.wb40.com
https://www.instagram.com/womenbeyondforty
https://www.instagram.com/thegoodgirlconfessional


The Good Girl Confessional and Wb40 - Women Beyond Forty team acknowledges the traditional owners of the lands this podcast is recorded and researched on - the Wurundjeri Woi-wurrung and Bunurong Peoples of the Kulin Nation and we pay our respects to the Elders past, present and emerging. 

Today in the Confessional, Sandy chats with Jane Vandermeer, a delightful entrepreneur who has built a number of award winning businesses including Finesse Business & Style, and Intuitive Whispers. Jane has been working in the fashion industry for 30 years, wearing many hats including designer, tailor, pattern maker, buyer, Wholesale & Retail sales, Lecturer, Business Owner and creator. Jane describes herself as a holistic and soulful stylist who is helping women to feel good about themselves regardless of their size or shape.

When Jane talks about her clients, it's immediately obvious how much she cares about them. She explains that she gently guides them to a revised, updated & truly authentic aesthetic. She understands that women are multi-dimensional. Our identities are a tangle of connections to activities, places, interests, values & aspirations.

Jane has also built her successful business called Intuitive Whispers making multi-award winning artisan Parfume oils and natural deodorants. After finding a few benign breast lumps, Jane created Breast Care Deodorant. Her products are described as Ethical luxury for the conscious consumer and have appeared in many publications, including Vogue UK.

You can follow Jane here:
https://www.finessebusinessandstyle.com/

https://www.instagram.com/Finesse_business_and_style
https://www.instagram.com/intuitivewhispers

Https://www.facebook.com/FinesseBusinessandStyle
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The Good Girl Confessional Podcast is part of WB40 - Women Beyond Forty Platform

Follow the revolution:
www.wb40.com
https://www.instagram.com/womenbeyondforty
https://www.instagram.com/thegoodgirlconfessional


The Good Girl Confessional and Wb40 - Women Beyond Forty team acknowledges the traditional owners of the lands this podcast is recorded and researched on - the Wurundjeri Woi-wurrung and Bunurong Peoples of the Kulin Nation and we pay our respects to the Elders past, present and emerging. 

Trigger Warning: This podcast contains information about Birth Trauma and may be distressing for some. Please use discretion. If you haven't heard Part 1 of this podcast, we encourage you to go back and listen.
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Sandy chats with Stephanie Thompson, author of The Day My Vagina Broke and the founder of Bravemumma. In 2015, Stephanie suffered a traumatic childbirth injury her life and her body forever. Stephanie talks openly and honestly about her lived experience of birth trauma, a subject that should be talked about openly, but is often considered taboo. In Part 2 of this episode, Stephanie shares the story of being drawn to Bali, and how leaving her family to go on a cathartic writing retreat there, helped her to write her book and process her lived birth trauma experience. Sandy also opens up and shares the story of the traumatic birth of her first child which did not go as planned.

Stephanie is now on a mission to share her story and start conversations about how we view childbirth, to create understanding and education. Her intention is not to scare those who are pregnant or hoping to conceive, but to help women be more informed.

Her book, The Day My Vagina Broke, is a private exploration into bravery and healing when the impacts of trauma are lifelong and permanent. Stephanie makes the case for moving away from a one-size-fits-many approach to how we inform mothers during the antenatal period and shift towards a model of individualised assessment and care.

Stephanie says, "I wrote it for myself, for my daughter and for all women, everywhere."

You can follow Stephanie, and find out more about her book here:
https://www.bravemumma.com/
https://ww.instagram.com/bravemumma

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The Good Girl Confessional Podcast is part of WB40 - Women Beyond Forty Platform

Follow the revolution:
www.wb40.com
https://www.instagram.com/womenbeyondforty
https://www.instagram.com/thegoodgirlconfessional


The Good Girl Confessional and Wb40 - Women Beyond Forty team acknowledges the traditional owners of the lands this podcast is recorded and researched on - the Wurundjeri Woi-wurrung and Bunurong Peoples of the Kulin Nation and we pay our respects to the Elders past, present and emerging. 

Trigger Warning: This podcast contains information about Birth Trauma and may be distressing for some. Please use discretion.
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Welcome to the first podcast episode of 2022. Sandy chats with Stephanie Thompson, author of The Day My Vagina Broke and the founder of Bravemumma. In 2015, Stephanie suffered a traumatic childbirth injury her life and her body forever. Stephanie talks openly and honestly about her lived experience of birth trauma, a subject that should be talked about openly, but is often considered taboo.

Stephanie is now on a mission to share her story and start conversations about how we view childbirth, to create understanding and education. Her intention is not to scare those who are pregnant or hoping to conceive, but to help women be more informed.

Her book, The Day My Vagina Broke, is a private exploration into bravery and healing when the impacts of trauma are lifelong and permanent. Stephanie makes the case for moving away from a one-size-fits-many approach to how we inform mothers during the antenatal period and shift towards a model of individualised assessment and care.

Stephanie says, "I wrote it for myself, for my daughter and for all women, everywhere."

You can follow Stephanie, and find out more about her book here:
https://www.bravemumma.com/
https://ww.instagram.com/bravemumma

Please stay tuned for Part Two of this Podcast Episode.
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The Good Girl Confessional Podcast is part of WB40 - Women Beyond Forty Platform

Follow the revolution:
www.wb40.com
https://www.instagram.com/womenbeyondforty
https://www.instagram.com/thegoodgirlconfessional


The Good Girl Confessional and Wb40 - Women Beyond Forty team acknowledges the traditional owners of the lands this podcast is recorded and researched on - the Wurundjeri Woi-wurrung and Bunurong Peoples of the Kulin Nation and we pay our respects to the Elders past, present and emerging. 

Today in The Confessional Sandy chats with Gillian Holden, Director and Founder of Clover Lane consulting. Gill is an industry professional, with a clear and exciting vision for disrupting traditional recruitment methods and paving the way for modern recruitment practices. Gill is a visionary when it comes to people, purpose, passion and how we should be engaging the employee within our organisations, thinking outside the box to connect the right people beyond CV's.

Gill shines a light on our hidden talents with a unique and subtle approach, to unlocking our purpose and then, guiding the path, as we learn more about our differentiators and how we leverage the best possible outcome in employment. With a passion for recruiting the right team for her clients, for coaching individuals and groups through a thought-provoking and insightful methodology, Gill is changing how we see and do talent acquisition. Gill is also a champion for other women.

Within the Clover Lane ethos of ‘give and give,’ Gill offers pro bono career coaching to those who
may have fallen on hard times. Perhaps lost their way and might be struggling with self-worth or
‘purpose haze’. Upon every successful placement through Clover Lane Consulting, Gill donates funds to Groomed to Go Inc, so that candidates can receive their professional wardrobe in preparation for interviews, along with career path coaching, through Take a Chance on Me.

You can follow Gill and Clover Lane Consulting at:
https://www.cloverlaneconsulting.com/
https://www.linkedin.com/in/recruitcoachconsult-cloverlane/
https://www.facebook.com/coachrecruitconsult

You can follow and support Groomed to Go here:
https://web.groomedtogo.org/
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The Good Girl Confessional Podcast is part of WB40 - Women Beyond Forty Platform

Follow the revolution:
www.wb40.com
https://www.instagram.com/womenbeyondforty
https://www.instagram.com/thegoodgirlconfessional


The Good Girl Confessional and Wb40 - Women Beyond Forty team acknowledges the traditional owners of the lands this podcast is recorded and researched on - the Wurundjeri Woi-wurrung and Bunurong Peoples of the Kulin Nation and we pay our respects to the Elders past, present and emerging. 

Host Sandy Lowres chats with very special guest Sally Hepworth in the Confessional about Sally's amazing career as a full time author and her incredible new book The Younger Wife. In this warm chat, they also discuss Sally having an epic billboard in Times Square and her exciting collaboration with Amy Poehler! She also shares some insights about her next novel.

Australian author Sally Hepworth is the New York Times bestselling author of seven novels, most recently The Younger Wife (Out now in Australia and coming soon in the USA and UK).

Drawing on the good, the bad and the downright odd of human behaviour, Sally writes incisively about family, relationships and identity. Her domestic thriller novels are laced with quirky humour, sass and a darkly charming tone.

Sally's novels are available worldwide in English and have been translated into 20 languages.
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Sally lives in Melbourne, Australia with her husband and three children.

You won't want to miss this episode!

You can find out more about Sally and buy her amazing books here:
https://www.sallyhepworthauthor.com/
https://www.instragram.com/sallyhepworth
https://www.facebook.com/sallyhepworthauthor
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The Good Girl Confessional Podcast is part of WB40 - Women Beyond Forty Platform

Follow the revolution:
www.wb40.com
https://www.instagram.com/womenbeyondforty
https://www.instagram.com/thegoodgirlconfessional


The Good Girl Confessional and Wb40 - Women Beyond Forty team acknowledges the traditional owners of the lands this podcast is recorded and researched on - the Wurundjeri Woi-wurrung and Bunurong Peoples of the Kulin Nation and we pay our respects to the Elders past, present and emerging. l.