Wonder Women: Power Reimagined

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In this Season 2 wrap-up, Nuala and Jane reflect on the themes that emerged across their conversations with six women about power at work.

They explore the tension between needing power to get things done and the discomfort many women feel in naming or claiming it. Instead, power is often reframed as influence, empowerment, or lifting others - language that both softens and reshapes how it’s understood.

The conversation looks at the role of 'scripts' - the messages we inherit from family, culture, and organisations - and how these shape our relationship with power, often outside our awareness. 

They also reflect on power as something fluid rather than fixed, and how approaching it with curiosity can expand what feels possible in any situation.

The episode closes with a reflection on the pattern that emerged across the season: reject dominant ideas of 'power over', reframe what power can be, and reclaim it in ways that feel constructive and real.

Wonder Women: Power Reimagined explores how women experience, express, and redefine power. Join us each week as we unpick old narratives, challenge expectations, and imagine new ways of leading that are grounded, connected, and bold.

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What does it mean to share power at a systemic level? 

Wendy Tyrrell, an independent consultant, has spent her career working at the intersection of mining, sustainability and community partnerships. 

In this episode, Wendy reflects on how industries can move from ‘power over’ to ‘power with’ communities. Sharing stories from Australia, Canada and Peru, Wendy explores how leadership, curiosity and genuine listening can reshape relationships between organisations and the communities they interact with. 

Wonder Women: Power Reimagined explores how women experience, express, and redefine power. Join us each week as we unpick old narratives, challenge expectations, and imagine new ways of leading that are grounded, connected, and bold.

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For Kudzai Kanhutu, power is deeply connected to dignity. 

As a physician, academic and leader in healthcare, Kudzai has seen how power operates in clinical relationships, cultural contexts and gender dynamics. 

In this episode, Kudzai explores how power shapes autonomy, identity and voice, drawing on her experiences as both doctor and patient. She also introduces a compelling idea: power as energy - something that can be shared, exchanged and even “seeded” in everyday interactions. 

Wonder Women: Power Reimagined explores how women experience, express, and redefine power. Join us each week as we unpick old narratives, challenge expectations, and imagine new ways of leading that are grounded, connected, and bold.

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How does trust shape leadership? 

Mary-Louise (ML) Huppatz, CEO of the Association for Tertiary Education Management, explores the relationship between power, authority and trust in organisations. 

Reflecting on her journey from specialist roles to CEO, ML speaks candidly about the discomfort many leaders feel in taking up power - and the risks when leaders avoid doing so. The conversation explores decision-making, leadership responsibility, and how trust enables power to be used in ways that activate leadership in others. 

Wonder Women: Power Reimagined explores how women experience, express, and redefine power. Join us each week as we unpick old narratives, challenge expectations, and imagine new ways of leading that are grounded, connected, and bold.

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Maria Govers’ story begins with a powerful childhood experience - starting school without speaking English. 

That early sense of exclusion shaped a lifelong commitment to creating opportunities for others. 

In this episode, Maria reflects on how power can grow when it is shared. From early supervisory roles to her work as a non-executive board director with not-for-profit Opendoor, Maria explores how empowering others can transform individuals, organisations and communities. This conversation introduces an important reframing: power not just over others, but with and for them. 

Wonder Women: Power Reimagined explores how women experience, express, and redefine power. Join us each week as we unpick old narratives, challenge expectations, and imagine new ways of leading that are grounded, connected, and bold.

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Does power only come with hierarchy? 

Kate McLoughlin, Senior Manager at Toyota Australia and former board member of the Cape Paterson Surf Life Saving Club, challenges that idea. 

Drawing on experiences in both corporate and volunteer settings, Kate explores how influence, respect and relationships can create power even without formal authority. 

The conversation highlights the role of trust, collaboration and recognition in enabling people to contribute their ideas - and how leadership can emerge at any level of an organisation. 

Wonder Women: Power Reimagined explores how women experience, express, and redefine power. Join us each week as we unpick old narratives, challenge expectations, and imagine new ways of leading that are grounded, connected, and bold.

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What does fashion have to do with power? 

In this episode, Michelle Pacey, Brand Director at Cotton On, explores how the way we present ourselves shapes how we feel, how others perceive us, and how we take up space in the world. 

From growing up in rural Queensland to leading global fashion brands, Michelle reflects on how confidence, authenticity and identity influence the way power shows up in our lives. The conversation explores the idea of “enclothed cognition” - how what we wear affects how we think and behave - and how clothing can act as both armour and self-expression. 

Wonder Women: Power Reimagined explores how women experience, express, and redefine power. Join us each week as we unpick old narratives, challenge expectations, and imagine new ways of leading that are grounded, connected, and bold.

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Season 2 of Wonder Women: Power Reimagined explores how power shows up in our lives, relationships, organisations, and society. Through conversations with a diverse group of women, this season moves from inner confidence to influence, leadership, dignity, and systemic change. Together, these stories reveal that power is not a fixed possession, but something relational, contextual, and capable of being shared and expanded.

Wonder Women: Power Reimagined explores how women experience, express, and redefine power. Join us each week as we unpick old narratives, challenge expectations, and imagine new ways of leading that are grounded, connected, and bold.

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Power can be a loaded word - something we’re taught to avoid, downplay, or view with suspicion. But what if power isn’t the problem? What if the issue lies in how we relate to it?

In this final episode of Season 1, we reflect on what it means to reimagine power - from the early experiences that shape our understanding of it, to the habitual responses we’ve learned, and how we might use power more intentionally to influence and create change.

We invite you, the listener, to notice how you're thinking about power. What’s shifting? What still feels stuck?  Where might there be room for growth, agency, and deeper connection?

Wonder Women: Power Reimagined explores how women experience, express, and redefine power. Join us each week as we unpick old narratives, challenge expectations, and imagine new ways of leading that are grounded, connected, and bold.

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In this companion to The Politics of Power, we dive into the practical side of navigating influence, power, and networking in organisational life. This shorter episode offers concrete strategies for working politically with clarity, confidence, and integrity, without compromising who you are.

You’ll learn how to map power structures, build alliances, and strengthen your network in ways that feel authentic and aligned with your values. Whether you’re new to this terrain or looking to sharpen your approach, this episode offers real-world guidance for navigating power with purpose.

Wonder Women: Power Reimagined explores how women experience, express, and redefine power. Join us each week as we unpick old narratives, challenge expectations, and imagine new ways of leading that are grounded, connected, and bold.