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She's The Boss Chats
Christine Burns - Co-Founder, WALT Institute
Christine is an absolute firecracker! Having grown up in North Palmie in NZ, Christine loved sport, particularly hockey. Once she discovered hockey, she became totally focused on it and it informed many of her early career decisions, as she wanted whatever she was doing to fit in with the sport! She studied for as long as possible (because of the student allowance and flexibility it offered her for training), and she rose through the hockey ranks until she was playing for NZ.
Christine has so much enthusiasm, it is positively bursting from every pore, so when she was told that she would have to have an operation to fix her Achilles tendons in both feet, the doctor told her they would do them both at the same time as it was the only way they could guarantee that she would stay still long enough for them to heal! And then she went back to playing, coaching, and working with elite athletes just like her.
After a move to Australia to follow her partner, it wasn't long before the two of them decided to set up a business coaching leadership skills to women. The WALT Institute was named by a friend and mentor of theirs, as an acronym for Womens Authentic Leadership and Training. Great name! You will love Christine's passion and positivity in this interview!
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Marissa Mascaro - CEO, The Candy Buffet Company
51:35|Marissa is a classic! She loved the company she worke for so much that she bought it! Growing up in the outer suburbs of Melbourne, Marissa's parents were great role models for her. Her Mum was a hard working hair dresser, and her Dad invented central locking keys for cars (I know!), so she had great work ethic from an early age. She also loved events, and talks about organising a family trip when she was young girl. Even then, she was project managing!After leaving school, and TAFE, Marissa got straight into the workforce. Starting with her father, where she started the Mascaro Foundation and ran a massive event ever year to fundraise for the Make A Wish Foundation. From there she was headhunted by an F1 engineering organisation that worked with students. It sounds like n incredible experience, this was followed by a couple of other jobs, and then she started with the Candy Buffet company, back when it was only a couple of months old, and fell in love with it! From running Candy Buffets for Tiffany and LinkedIn, through to providing branded donuts for Oprah on her tour of Australia, Marissa has done it all, and LOVES it!She talks about the challenges of the pandemic, and how that led to her providing savoury buffets too, this is a story you will ovge, and be inspired by!This episode is proudly sponsored by our favourite drink brand, Bondi Chai Latte. To find out your nearest stockist or for more information, go to bondichai.com.au. You can check out their fab new campaign where they champion small business owners here: https://www.bondichai.com.au/meet-the-faces-of-bondi-chaiTo find out more about She’s The Boss, go to: https://shesthebossgroup.com/Julie O’Donohue - Founder, Next Address
43:18|Julie O’Donohue is re-imagining real estate with her online platform, Next Address, which matches and connects property buyers and sellers. With an eclectic background in marketing, not-for-profit and a stint as a real estate agent, Julie’s focus is to maximise smart prop-tech tools, streamline processes and reduce the transactional costs for all.This episode is proudly sponsored by our favourite drink brand, Bondi Chai Latte. To find out your nearest stockist or for more information, go to bondichai.com.au. You can check out their fab new campaign where they champion small business owners here: https://www.bondichai.com.au/meet-the-faces-of-bondi-chaiTo find out more about She’s The Boss, go to: https://shesthebossgroup.com/Renata Sguario - Founder, Maxme
50:15|Renata is extraordinary! As the founder of MaxMe, she is passionate about teaching so-called 'soft skills', those associated with EQ, to younger people. I have no doubt she will realise her vision and MaxMe will go global. Born in Ukraine (when it was part of Russia), she moved to Australia with her parents when she was about 6. She has two sisters who were born after her parents moved here, one is 11 years younger, and the other is 16 years younger. Renata loved primary, and secondary school where she was clearly bright, but didn't necessarily apply herself as much as she could have! Uni was a different kettle of fish though. She got into Melbourne Uni and excelled, gaining High Distinctions throughout. From Uni, she landed an intern job at Accenture, which offered her a full-time role once she graduated. She ended up staying there for 7 years before heading off to London to see the world. In London, she landed (excuse the pun!) a role with British Airways and stayed for two years. At that stage, her parents had split and she came back to support them. She took on a couple of other roles in big corporates before realising, as she was about to turn 50, that she HAD to start MaxMe and teach these crucial skills. You're going to love this woman!This episode is proudly sponsored by our favourite drink brand, Bondi Chai Latte. To find out your nearest stockist or for more information, go to bondichai.com.au. You can check out their fab new campaign where they champion small business owners here: https://www.bondichai.com.au/meet-the-faces-of-bondi-chaiTo find out more about She’s The Boss, go to: https://shesthebossgroup.com/Katie Freeman - Investor, Advisor & Advocate for Women Entrepreneurs
47:09|Kate is an absolute firecracker but with all the smarts! After growing up in the suburbs of Melbourne, Kate didn't really like school, or try hard, until she hit year 11 when one of her teachers told her to shape up, or she wouldn't pass, and so she tried, and ended up winning an academic award! This was followed by a short stint t RMIT studying PR, before she was offered a role at J Walter Thompson. From there, she headed to London and worked there for 4 years, honing her skills in marketing and comms in some amazing roles.She returned to Australia and started working with NAB, which she credits as being her 'career role'. She stayed for 11 years and worked with some extraordinary women doing some amazing things. After NAB, she went on to work within Xero, and was in marketing for Futurli until the pandemic hit. That has spurred her on to work with scale-up ventures founded by women, offering advice, angel investing and consulting to several women-focused entrepreneur organisations. Kate is such a fun person to talk to, and is so knowledgeable. you will get a lot out of this interview!This episode is proudly sponsored by our favourite drink brand, Bondi Chai Latte. To find out your nearest stockist or for more information, go to bondichai.com.au. You can check out their fab new campaign where they champion small business owners here: https://www.bondichai.com.au/meet-the-faces-of-bondi-chaiTo find out more about She’s The Boss, go to: https://shesthebossgroup.com/Eloise Tomkins - Founder, Get Over Yourself, Psychologist and Executive Coach
37:30|Eloise is so honest and transparent, that many women will relate to her story. Growing up in the Western Suburbs of Melbourne, as the youngest (by 18 years!) in her family, Eloise had a difficult childhood with parents who didn't really get along. At the age of 14, her Mum found a new partner online, packed her bags and moved to the USA, leaving Eloise to pick up the pieces, and deal with her father who was not supportive. After finishing uni and qualifying as a teacher, she took off to the UK and Canada for a couple of years, before returning to Australia at the behest of her father who was keen for her to get a 'stable' job. She arrived back with her boyfriend, who didn't last much longer, and then she decided to do a Psychology degree and help other women who had, like her, been held back by some type of trauma in their childhood. She also, at the age of 38, came out as a gay woman and was surprised by her Dad's reaction when, after all the castigating around her work and life choices, took it in his stride! These days Eloise is building up a group coaching membership focused on helping women to advance their careers by 'getting out of their own way'. Eloise is such a warm and nurturing woman, she will no doubt be a huge success!This episode is proudly sponsored by our favourite drink brand, Bondi Chai Latte. To find out your nearest stockist or for more information, go to bondichai.com.au. You can check out their fab new campaign where they champion small business owners here: https://www.bondichai.com.au/meet-the-faces-of-bondi-chaiTo find out more about She’s The Boss, go to: https://shesthebossgroup.com/Cherry Wills - Metabolic Balance Australia/NZ
55:08|Cherry's story is bound to inspire you. Born in a little town just outside of Birmingham, Cherry's parents were very supportive, but the private girls school she went to, had identified her as an introvert from a young age and she felt, as she reached her teens, that they had 'pigeon-holed' her, and so, against her parents wishes, she enrolled in the local Sixth Form College, where she flourished and her parents were delighted!From there, she went on to study Colour Chemistry (you'll have to listen to find out what that is!), and then did her PhD in Colour Physics, before deciding it wasn't for her! Cherry took a few more years, and two children, before she realised how much she loved Nutrition, so she went and got a third degree, and started her practice. Then, in 2013, she and her husband and kids came to Australia and she hasn't looked back. Cherry is the Australian and NZ licence holder for Metabolic-Balance. Originally from Germany, this 20-year-old program is run by nutritionists and genuinely helps people change their lives. It's not a diet to lose weight, it's a diet that changes lives by getting rid of the inflammation in your body. It works! You will love this story of Cherry and her journey.This episode is proudly sponsored by our favourite drink brand, Bondi Chai Latte. To find out your nearest stockist or for more information, go to bondichai.com.au. You can check out their fab new campaign where they champion small business owners here: https://www.bondichai.com.au/meet-the-faces-of-bondi-chaiTo find out more about She’s The Boss, go to: https://shesthebossgroup.com/Nat Tucker - Founder, Make It Look Easy
46:12|Nat has an extraordinary story and an endless amount of enthusiasm and confidence to boot! Born and raised in Adelaide, South Australia, Nat's Mum was instrumental in helping her with school as she is severely dyslexic. After leaving school at 15, Nat got into fashion retail where she quickly found her niche. Her customers loved her and she won countless awards. Then she got pregnant, had a couple of children and she and her first husband divorced. By that stage Nat thought she had everything pretty under control - and she soon met her 'now' husband, Travis. But then disaster struck. Her first husband was brutally murdered and Nat was told to get out of the country, so went to NZ. But the policewoman who was working on her case gave her some brilliant advice - the best way to stay safe was to make herself into a public figure.So, Nat was the first person on social media to start to post an OTTD (Outfit Of The Day), and started to build a following. She soon realised that all her fashion experience had led her to a moment in time. The moment when she knew she could create a simple system to help women dress themselves, including accessories, easily, and in a way that worked. She created a colour system that has resulted in her having thousands of followers.Since then she has created an online course, she has collaborated on fashion designs and colours she now sells to her community - and she is now talking about interior design and homeware as the logical next step. You will adore her story and be inspired by her career.This episode is proudly sponsored by our favourite drink brand, Bondi Chai Latte. To find out your nearest stockist or for more information, go to bondichai.com.au. You can check out their fab new campaign where they champion small business owners here: https://www.bondichai.com.au/meet-the-faces-of-bondi-chaiTo find out more about She’s The Boss, go to: https://shesthebossgroup.com/Jodie Atkinson - Grief Recovery Specialist, Author, Cabaret Creator
01:01:48|Jodie's story will probably make you cry, as I did, but it is filled with hope and positivity too. Jodie grew up in Victoria on a farm and had a great childhood. When she left school she wanted to be a performer or a police officer, but despite trying out for both, she was considered too young so she didn't make the cut for either, which was pretty devastating. However, Jodie took a left turn and spent the next few years in childcare, which then led to work for the Childcare Union, then the Hospitality Union and then politics. What a ride! It also led to her meeting her second husband Craig. Then, after 14 wonderful years together, tragedy struck, and, out of the blue Craig was diagnosed with Pancreatic cancer. Despite being told they had months before he would die, Craig passed away only 37 days later, the day after his marriage to Jodie.Jodie, recovering from her own grief, needed hope, and she found it in a Grief Recovery Specialist course in Perth, just before the lockdown. From that course, she has now become the author of a book called 'Have You Met My Grief, a cabaret show she does around grief, and of course, counselling others who are going through loss - be it a relationship, the death of someone or any other form of loss that someone is finding it hard to get through. She is an amazing woman and I know you will get a lot from this interview.This episode is proudly sponsored by our favourite drink brand, Bondi Chai Latte. To find out your nearest stockist or for more information, go to bondichai.com.au. You can check out their fab new campaign where they champion small business owners here: https://www.bondichai.com.au/meet-the-faces-of-bondi-chaiTo find out more about She’s The Boss, go to: https://shesthebossgroup.com/Ildi Racz-Prosser - Co-founder, The Time Fix
53:47|Ildi's story is super interesting and we found it hard to stop chatting! Born in Transylvania (truly!), Ildi grew up with two parents who were in construction in Romania, a younger sister and a despot running the country. Not an easy childhood. Ildi enjoyed school, where she studied in Hungarian, and eventually lived with her grandparents until the age of 12 as her parents were on sites much of the time and couldn't really look after her. When she finished school, she got into Uni to study computers and coding, which she hated, so she left after 3 years and got a job as an office manager. Then she met her first husband who was a cartographer.After realising that she too loved cartography, she and her husband ran a small business in Romania, until their two daughters were born and one had special needs. So they decided to move and Australia was the place they chose. Her husband struggled with the culture here but Ildi thrived, took up an MLM role with a natural products company, and the marriage fell apart.As a single Mum with two kids, Ildi wanted to get some perspective and control in her life, so she created Antz Planners, and then moved into time and productivity management. She now runs The Time Fix with her two partners, Kirstin and Pooja and they help people change their behaviour and manage their time effectively. She also recently got married again. A perfect fit!This episode is proudly sponsored by our favourite drink brand, Bondi Chai Latte. To find out your nearest stockist or for more information, go to bondichai.com.au. You can check out their fab new campaign where they champion small business owners here: https://www.bondichai.com.au/meet-the-faces-of-bondi-chaiTo find out more about She’s The Boss, go to: https://shesthebossgroup.com/https://www.bondichai.com.au/meet-the-faces-of-bondi-chai