Women in leadership Australia and beyond

A New Model of Quiet Leadership

I have regularly prepared for masterclasses and workshops using carefully-planned scripts. Every word planned, every transition carefully marked. It gave me a sense of safety — if I knew the script, I knew I could deliver. But something shifted. I realised that when I spoke, what resonated most deeply wasn’t the line I had crafted perfectly, but the moment I set the script aside and spoke from myself — my body, my experience, my knowing. That is when people leaned in. That is when the connection sparked. And so I find myself moving into a new way of leading, not through lack of preparation, but through trust in what I already carry. Now, when I run a full-day masterclass it can be without a script. Not because I haven’t prepared, but because I have. The preparation isn’t on the page anymore — it’s in me. This is what I call embodied knowledge . When you’ve lived something, studied it, wrestled with it, tested it, it doesn’t just sit in your head as theory. It becomes part of you. The stories are yours. The insights are yours. The wisdom is yours. And when you stand up to teach, lead, or share, you don’t need to clutch a script because you are the script. There’s a freedom in this. A spaciousness. Instead of straining to remember the next line or worrying about whether I’ve covered every dot point, I can pay attention to the people in front of me. I can notice their questions, their silences, their sparks of recognition. I can respond in the moment, not because I’m improvising, but because I already carry the substance within me. It doesn’t mean I won’t prepare. I will always prepare. But preparation is different now. It’s not about writing every word. It’s about grounding myself in the essence of what I want to share and trusting that the right words will come when I open my mouth. “I am the script” is more than a mantra for teaching — it’s a way of living. How often do we rely on external scripts in our lives? Scripts about what success should look like. Scripts about how women should lead. Scripts about ageing, about family, about worth. These scripts can keep us small, contained, safe — but they can also keep us from trusting what is already in us. When we say, “I am the script,” we take back authority. We say: I carry enough. I don’t need to mimic someone else’s words or patterns. My life is the material. My wisdom is the content. My voice is the script.  And in that moment, we lead not from performance, but from presence.

A Life Reclaimed

The Quiet Undoing of Self-Erasure

True Power is far more than Positional Authority.

What's stopping my team from being fully inclusive? 

What can we learn from The Patchwork Girl?

Can we lay these ghosts to rest? 

I'm not a personal or business branding specialist. However, I have learnt a thing or two from trial and error, by watching what others so and by learning directly from others. And none of this is rocket science! Be yourself. If being funny is not something that comes naturally...don't try to be a comedian. If, like me, you're naturally serious, use that to your advantage. Who you are is unique. Be yourself. Bring the authentic you into the online space. Only you can do you! Trust yourself. I can hear you...you feel like you don't know enough. Maybe you don't. but you know something - and chances are what you know has it's own unique spin. You have an outlook only you can have. Bring that. Trust that. It's enough. One of the best pieces of advice I've ever received is to aim for progress not perfection. Perfection is the thief of progress and momentum. Just start. Just do it - great slogan! You'll get better as you make progress. Stay in your lane. For sooooo long I compared myself with others - and found myself wanting. A friend told me to put the measuring tape away. Who I am, who you are, is unique. Bring who you are out to play. Who you are - not who someone else is. Trust the process. Whether you're building a business on LinkedIn, or highlighting your skills on Instagram or YouTube, or using any other online platform, keep turning up, keep posting, keep putting yourself out there. Shape and re-shape your message. Keep at it. The process works if you do. Trust the process. None of what I've written above is original - there's nothing new under the sun (and when those words were penned 1000s of years ago, I bet they weren't original even then!) That doesn't stop me from sharing the ideas with my particular slant. I know someone will read this and think "I hadn't thought of it quite like that" or "I needed a reminder of this today". My brand represents who I am. I've learnt to trust myself, to show up as myself. I've learnt to trust the process, to not wait for perfection before I get started. I really hope you will too.