Do you want to think more strategically? Have you been told that you need to lift yourself out of the operational space to think more futuristically? Strategic thinking is something that frequently comes up in our coaching conversations. In this episode, we offer you our thoughts, advice and practical tools that will help you to think more strategically and progress your career. We cover: What is strategy? Why does it matter?3 ways to think more strategicallyKey tools you can use to build a...

It's not easy to juggle a career with being a parent. In today's episode, five New Zealand women share their experiences and insights into how they make it all work. They talk about fitting work around their kids' schedules, what happens when family and work intersect, running a business while looking after a small child, and their hopes and dreams for more gender balanced parenting and work roles. We hope the thoughts of these women are useful and inspiring for you: Miriana Stephens (Ngāti...

Professor Bronwyn Hayward is an internationally-recognised sustainability and climate change advocate. Her day job is as a Professor at the University of Canterbury in the Department of Political Science and International Relations where she is also Director of The Sustainability, Citizenship & Civic Imagination Research Group: Hei Puāwaitanga. Bronwyn is also part of the UN’s Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change. She is passionate about sustainability, climate, youth and democracy....

Amanda Malu (Ngāi Tahu) is Chief Executive of Whānau Āwhina Plunket, which is a charity and Aotearoa’s largest support service for the health and wellbeing of tamariki under-five and their whānau. Amanda has been the Chief Executive since 2016. Prior to that, her career has seen her take on a wide range of marketing and communication leadership roles across not-for-profit and public sector organisations such as Maritime New Zealand, the Families Commission and the Tertiary Education...

Tara Tan is the Founder and CEO of Grin – a New Zealand natural oral care brand. Tara founded the company 8 years ago after completing her Masters in Commerce at the University of Auckland. She had some concerns about the oral care products that she was using with her daughter and felt she could create safer and more environmentally friendly options that would appeal to parents. Since starting the business, she has grown the brand and range significantly, and now exports Grin products all...

Mary Bond and Robyn McLean have been best friends since they were kids. In 2017, they launched Hello Cup, a fun, comfortable, hypoallergenic, recyclable menstrual cup, made here in Aotearoa New Zealand. Since then, their company Hello Period has gone from strength to strength, growing internationally, and launching a range of new period products. Mary and Robyn are also passionate about being a business that makes a positive impact on our planet. Since launching, Hello Cup has saved over 200...

Amber Taylor is Co-Founder and CEO of ARA Journeys, a mobile games company weaving the digital world with te ao Māori. Inspired by and drawing on mātauranga Māori, ARA’s award-winning games use immersive technologies and artificial intelligence to promote connection, education, and exploration of the natural world. In her broader career, Amber has over 18 years working in the tertiary sector, with 12 years of that in research and innovation of emerging technologies. Amber is also a strong...

Rebecca & Kate co-founded The Better Packaging Company in 2017, which has a mission to find the world’s most sustainable packaging solutions. They’ve experienced phenomenal growth since launching and now export globally, to over 50 countries. In this episode, Rebecca & Kate talk about: Leaning into their valuesPursuing 'zigzag careers' with many twists and turnsHow their packaging products are making the world a better place Kate studied chemistry and commerce and started her career...

Janine Grainger is the co-founder and CEO of Easy Crypto, New Zealand's leading cryptocurrency trading platform. Easy Crypto now has over 150,000 customers across New Zealand, Australia, South Africa and Brazil, and has recorded over $1.1 billion in sales through the platform over the past three years. Janine has been involved in cryptocurrency since 2015, and is one of New Zealand’s most visible voices in the sector. She’s leading the charge in trying to drive collaboration between the...

Julia Arnott-Neenee (Sāmoan, Chinese & British) has been told she is “too much”. Too loud, too bright, too young, too brown, too white. Far from letting these comments hold her back, Julia has chosen to grow into her “too much” as she has built her wide-ranging career across strategy, marketing and technology. Julia talks about: Putting her flame up and pursuing opportunities without fear of rejectionChoosing a values-driven careerFacing the system and refusing to be punished for other...

Anya Satyanand has spent the last two decades on a haphazard journey that's been all about equipping, emboldening and inspiring young people, entrepreneurs and leaders to actively create a more hopeful world. She is a recovering teacher, an erstwhile youth worker, and an independent director of an ethical investment company. In her work for Leadership New Zealand, Anya supports, equips, empowers and inspires people who are interested in growing the future of Aotearoa - a future that is just...

How do you decide whether to make the leap into a new career? Can you incorporate multiple passions into your working life? How does historical sexism impact on the experiences of women at work today? Dr Renee Liang, a second-generation Cantonese New Zealander, blends her passions for medicine and the arts. A paediatrician with special interest in community and youth health, she is also Asian Theme Lead for the landmark longitudinal study Growing Up in NZ. Alongside her medical career, Renee...

Tracey Ryan is Managing Director New Zealand for engineering, design and advisory company Aurecon. She is responsible for the leadership and performance of 850 people across five locations. In this podcast we talk about: The importance of bringing compassion, empathy and integrity into your career Finding the courage to get uncomfortable Why workplace diversity is critical to innovation and problem-solving Tracey’s career to date has been focused on business growth, leading enterprise-wide...

How do you know you are being paid a fair rate? Can you be both grateful and assertive? Practical tips to get the gender pay gap on the agenda at your organisation In this special episode of the podcast we talk all things gender pay gap. Our guests are Dellwyn Stuart and Irihapeti Edwards, campaigners and advocates for pay transparency and equality in Aotearoa. Dellwyn is CEO of YWCA Auckland and Co-founder of MindTheGap. With 30 years' experience in corporate and private business, she is...

For International Women’s Day we are bringing you a special episode on the theme of #BreakTheBias. Many of our previous podcast guests have faced some form of bias in their working lives. In this episode six wāhine talk about their experiences of bias at work and how they have fought to break it. Stacey Morrison (Te Arawa, Ngāi Tahu) is a radio and TV broadcaster, journalist and author. Stacey talks about how women are perceived differently once they become mothers and the expectations women...

Is it unhelpful to talk about “imposter syndrome”? How can you build your confidence and create opportunities to let your talent shine at work? Renee Graham is Te Tumu Whakahaere, Chief Executive of the Social Wellbeing Agency. Before beginning this role in June 2021, she was Secretary for Women and Chief Executive of the Ministry for Women. Growing up in Porirua, Renee began her career journey in a frontline role at Work and Income. Over the next 20+ years, she performed a range of policy...

“Nobody knows what they’re doing until they’re doing it, so just get started.”Jessie Wong is a Wellington entrepreneur and founder of luxury leather goods brand Yu Mei. She set up Yu Mei after winning an AMP scholarship while completing a Bachelor of Fashion Design at Otago, allowing her to invest in the specialised machinery required to craft leather goods. Together with her production manager Adrian, Jessie grew the brand, picking up 32 stockists in 18 months following successful showings...

“Trust yourself....When you’re in your flow and when you’re in your place of strength and confidence, things will work out.”Bron Thomson is the founder and co-CEO of https://www.springload.co.nz/ (Springload), one of New Zealand’s leading digital agencies, with a team of over 75 people in Wellington. Her experience in design, technology, and business strategy spans three decades of New Zealand's tech sector. Springload’s mission is to make the things that matter, better. They’ve worked with...

We are bringing you a special episode with some of the very best career insights from recent episodes of The Female Career podcast. Set yourself up for your next career steps by reflecting on thought-provoking career advice from five inspiring wāhine of Aotearoa: Qiane Matata-Sipu (Te Waiohua, Waikato-Tainui, Ngāpuhi, Ngāti Pikiao, Cook Islands) is a journalist, photographer, social activist, and the founder and creator of NUKU. Qiane talks about the innate magic of wāhine and the importance...

“My wonderful parents, and particularly my mother, have always said – do what you love and the money will follow. And I think I’ve always just taken that to heart, in that work is so much of your life so you need to love it and it needs to make you happy.”Dr Olivia Harrison is a neuroscientist whose research focuses on mental health, especially anxiety. She looks at the relationship between our brain and our body, and how awareness of changes in our body - things like a racing heart, sweaty...

“Don’t try and compare yourself too much to others. I think if you’re working on something you’re passionate about and you enjoy your work and you’re getting a lot of learning from it, … then I think that’s a massive achievement.”Amelia Gain is CEO and co-founder of boutique accommodation management software - https://prenohq.com/ (Preno). Amelia has a background in IT but took the leap to take over a luxury hotel at 23, turn it around to being profitable, and was even nominated for the...

“I think it’s really important to get a different perspective from people you trust, to try and get a cheerleader or a person to say, ‘No, you can do this. Why not? What have you got to lose?"Vicky Robertson is Chief Executive and Secretary for the Ministry for the Environment, a role she has held since 2015. Prior to that, Vicky was Deputy Chief Executive and Chief Operating Officer at The Treasury. She has a background in law and economics, and enjoys collaborating with a wide range of...

“We basically somehow stumbled on to a good idea. And once we realised that, we were so motivated and so energised and we just threw ourselves at it 100%.”We're delighted to bring you the career stories of Sonia Minnaar and Liz Henderson, co-founders of Canopy Camping, a collection of over 80 handpicked glamping experiences throughout Aotearoa New Zealand. Sonia Minnaar has a background in sales. Before co-founding Canopy Camping in 2012, she worked as an account manager in sales for both...

What I've learned from my career is to have more confidence in myself and actually have less fear.Lyn Lim is a lawyer by background and in 1998 became the first Asian woman partner at a NZ national law firm. She brings over 30 years of legal practice specialising in commercial, corporate and governance issues. In the last 10 years Lyn has taken on a wide range of governance roles across both the private and public sectors. There are too many to list them all here, but they include being on...