Shows / Brave Feminine Leadership
Brave Feminine Leadership
Sharing stories from amazing leaders just like you and me. Breaking down myths of leadership, imposter syndrome & helping us all be braver. Step by step.
Episodes
- Brave Feminine Leadership
#256 Leading AI Change at the Speed of Trust, with Rebecca Klaassen
Rebecca Klaassen describes her leadership as rooted in kindness. She learned that early at Volvo Group, travelling the world in her twenties, loving every bit…
- Brave Feminine Leadership
#255 I Just Decided to Do It, with Sandra Wallace
Sandra Wallace grew up near Wauchope on Birpai Country running barefoot around the paddocks, with a drop toilet and creek water hauled up in the family Kombi…
- Brave Feminine Leadership
#254 The First Six Months as CEO, with Lisa Lynch
Six months ago, Lisa Lynch walked in the door as the inaugural CEO of the Victorian Institute of Forensic Medicine. Forensic pathology. Death investigation…
- Brave Feminine Leadership
#253 Is AI Making You Faster, or Better? with Tim O'Neill
Think about the last few AI ideas your team brought you. A faster way to write reports. Summarising meeting notes. Cutting time out of a process everyone…
- Brave Feminine Leadership
#252 The Truth Was I'd Never Been the Problem, with Jane Phipps
There's a line in Jane Phipps's book where she recognises that she'd never been the problem, she'd always been enough. Many senior women will recognise the…
- Brave Feminine Leadership
#251 I Asked 11 Female Leaders Who Their Female Role Model Is
Who is your female role model? I put that one question to eleven women this week, executives, a professor, a local government councillor, a health coach, a…
- Brave Feminine Leadership
#250 - 250th celebrations
Join Melissa, 4 CEOs and her co-founder Kelli Hayes as they reflect on some favourites along the way and explore their response to Brave Feminine leadership…
- Brave Feminine Leadership
#249 Melissa Hamilton: Busy Is a Reputation. Is It the One You Want?
We've all sat across from that executive. Laptop open, phone buzzing, apologising because the last meeting ran over. Somewhere along the way, we decided that…
- Brave Feminine Leadership
#248 Melissa Hamilton: Safe Pair of Hands Is Not a Compliment
Melissa and Kelli got fired up this week. Not at anyone. At a pattern they keep seeing in incredibly talented senior leaders: ask them what value they create…
- Brave Feminine Leadership
#247 Penny Locaso: AI Was Meant to Do the Dishes. We Gave It the Painting Too.
Most of us are holding two completely incongruent feelings about AI right now. The excitement about what it could make possible. And a deeper, quieter…
- Brave Feminine Leadership
#246 Melissa Hamilton: Still Waiting to Be Consulted?
There's a question sitting underneath a lot of leadership conversations right now, one that most people aren't saying out loud: am I actually adding value to…
- Brave Feminine Leadership
#245 Shaping The Future | In Conversation with Shomaice Zowghi: Be in the Room Where It Happens
Shomaice Zowghi walked into one of Australia's most closed, male-dominated industrial environments as the first female Director of Industrial Relations in a…
- Brave Feminine Leadership
#244 Shaping The Future | In Conversation with Felecia Pryor: Don't Play in the Garden When the House is on Fire
Felecia Pryor wanted to be an FBI agent. A psychological test, a shuttle bus, and a conversation with a stranger at a conference changed everything. What…
- Brave Feminine Leadership
#243 Shaping The Future | In Conversation with Anu Villarosa: Curious by Design
Anu Villarosa began her career as a lawyer in London, moved to Australia on a whim during the 2008 financial crash, and somehow ended up as Chief People…
- Brave Feminine Leadership
#242 Shaping The Future | In Conversation with Damian Zahra: The Gift of Feedback
Damian Zahra started work early, grew up around family businesses, and came into HR with one obsession: what happens when you bring the discipline of high…
- Brave Feminine Leadership
#241 Shaping The Future | In Conversation with Amy Stanley: The Influence You Can't See
Amy Stanley didn't set out to be a Chief People Officer - she wanted to be a fashion buyer like Rachel Green from Friends. What she found instead was a deep…
- Brave Feminine Leadership
#240 Shaping The Future | In Conversation with Amy Walker: Moving Towards the Tension
Amy Walker didn't plan a career in HR- she wandered into a lecture to keep a friend company and never looked back. What followed was 20+ years building people…
- Brave Feminine Leadership
#239 The Seat and The Passenger: Two CEOs Reflect
You can want that seat at the table. But when you get there - what are you actually bringing? In this candid conversation, Brave Feminine Leadership…
- Brave Feminine Leadership
#238 - Merle Singer - Where are you Performing in Your Leadership?
Most of us have a story about who we are as a leader. The harder question is whether that story is true, or just the version we've rehearsed. In this…
- Brave Feminine Leadership
#237 Matt Tice - Geopolitics Just Landed on Your P&L
The world shifted and most executives are still catching their breath. In this episode I called one of the sharpest strategic minds I know to make sense of it…
- Brave Feminine Leadership
#236 IWD 2026 Special with Alexis George - She Left It Better Than She Found It
There are leaders who hold the seat. And then there are leaders who transform everything they touch. Alexis George walked into AMP in August 2021 at one of the…
- Brave Feminine Leadership
#235 Craig Tiley - Game Changer
As the world just announced that Craig Tiley is heading to the United States Tennis Association as their new CEO, we're bringing back this conversation to…
- Brave Feminine Leadership
#234 Career Insurance: Jodi Geddes on Why Your Personal Brand Can't Wait
Jodi Geddes is back - and a lot has happened since Episode 13. Since we last spoke, Jodi co-built Circle In into a globally recognised workplace platform…
- Brave Feminine Leadership
#233 Melissa Hamilton - Why Leadership Is Harder Than It Needs to Be
Leadership is getting things done through other people. So why are so many brilliant leaders doing the work themselves? In this reflection on the Women Who…
- Brave Feminine Leadership
#232 Laura Kray - The Hidden Pay Gap: Same Title, Half the Team Size
If you've ever been offered a promotion that felt smaller than your male peer's, or wondered why everyone loves working with you but you're still not getting…
- Brave Feminine Leadership
#231 Laurie Weingart - The No Club: Stopping Women's Dead-End Work
This conversation left me with a deep understanding as another piece of the jigsaw puzzle clicked into place. That feeling when something finally makes sense…
- Brave Feminine Leadership
#230 Dr. Alison Fragale - Likeable Badass: Why You Need Both (Not Either/Or)
You don't need to tone it down or hide your competence. You need to add warmth. Professor Alison Fragale's research shows that people want to work with those…
- Brave Feminine Leadership
#229 Rosalind Chow - The Doors You Can Open: Why Status Trumps Power
If networking feels transactional and icky, this conversation will change how you think about building influence. Professor Rosalind Chow explains why status -…
- Brave Feminine Leadership
#228 Dr. Jen Overbeck - The Gap Between What You Intend and What Actually Lands
If you've ever felt resistance where you expected buy-in, or wondered why certain relationships require more effort than they should—this conversation will…
- Brave Feminine Leadership
#227 Melissa Hamilton - Why You Can't Explain Your Value (And How to Fix It)
Can you clearly articulate the value you create - not just what you do? Most leaders can't. They default to listing their responsibilities, their achievements…
- Brave Feminine Leadership
#226 Jill Schulman - Stop Waiting to Feel Ready: A Former Marine on the Science of Bravery
Jill Schulman showed up to her first day of Marine Corps training in hot pink polka dot shorts and matching pumps. A senior Marine told her she'd never make…
- Brave Feminine Leadership
#225 Melissa Hamilton - Get Back in the Kitchen: When Misogyny Shows Up at Work
Glen told me to "get back in the kitchen" under one of my videos last week. I don't know Glen.. I could turn off the comments. Block him. Move on. But here's…
- Brave Feminine Leadership
#224 Professor Didar Zowghi - Move Fast and Fix Things: Why AI Needs Human-Centered Design
What if the biggest risk in AI isn't the technology itself, but building it without understanding the problem first? Professor Didar Zowghi leads pioneering…
- Brave Feminine Leadership
#223 Marilla Akkermans - Swim in the Doubt: The Trust Behind a Four-Day Work Week and 90% Retention
What if the key to 90% staff retention was radical trust from day one? Marilla Akkermans launched Equality Media and Marketing while raising her first child…
- Brave Feminine Leadership
#222 Dr. Alison Fragale - The Likeable Badass Framework: Add, Don't Subtract
Dr. Alison Fragale, organisational psychologist and author of "Likeable Badass," reveals why women don't need to choose between being liked and being…
- Brave Feminine Leadership
#221 Justine Robbins - No One Size Career Fits All
Justine Robbins, CEO of Heartweb, dismantles the myth that successful careers follow one path. After feedback calling her "not a team player" and "not…
- Brave Feminine Leadership
#220 Dr Kate Mason - Powerfully Likeable Leadership
Dr. Kate Mason, executive communications coach and author of "Powerfully Likeable," dismantles the myth that you have to choose between being powerful or being…
- Brave Feminine Leadership
#219 Florence Potter - Why Generational Tension Is a Gift
Baby Boomers are technophobes. Gen Z are lazy and entitled. Millennials want everything handed to them. Gen X are just... forgotten. Florence Potter, Founding…
- Brave Feminine Leadership
#218 Tom Mutch - The 30-Second Test: Are You Really Ready for the Boardroom?
Tom Mutch, a board and C-suite headhunter specialising in APAC appointments, reveals his infamous "30-second elevator pitch test" that exposes why 90% of…
- Brave Feminine Leadership
#217 Robbie Campo - To Have Impact, I Had to Lead
Robbie Campo didn’t set out to become a CEO. She started in advocacy and policy, driven by purpose and a passion for change. But over time, she realised…
- Brave Feminine Leadership
#216 Twenty Percent: Emma Olivier's Mission to Transform Australian Boardrooms
In the powerful finale to our Board Director Series, we meet Emma Olivier, founder of Twenty Percent and passionate advocate for authentic inclusion in…
- Brave Feminine Leadership
#215 Serendipity Equals Opportunity Plus Action: Aliza Knox's Tech Transformation Journey
Episode 5 of the Board Director Series features Aliza Knox, bestselling author of "Don't Quit Your Day Job" and the tech executive who built APAC businesses…
- Brave Feminine Leadership
#214 Inviting Others In: Nichelle Maynard-Elliott on Making Diversity a Movement, Not a Moment
In this compelling episode of the Board Director Series, we meet Nichelle Maynard-Elliott, founder of Dunamis Transaction Advisors and board director of Xerox…
- Brave Feminine Leadership
#213 Getting Runs on the Board: Kathy Grigg on Building Board-Ready Judgment
Welcome to the third interview in our six-part Board Director Series, where we explore the pathways and wisdom of some of our most respected leaders. Kathy…
- Brave Feminine Leadership
#212 Don't Opt Out: Leanne Caret on Building Courage and Taking the Jobs That Scare You
Welcome to the second interview in our six-part Board Director Series, where we explore the mindset and pathways of the world's most accomplished leaders…
- Brave Feminine Leadership
#211 The Strategic Move: How Kate Spargo Built a Diverse Board Portfolio Across Industries
Welcome to the first interview in our six-part Board Director Series, where we explore the mindset and pathways of Australia's most respected board directors…
- Brave Feminine Leadership
#210 Melissa Hamilton - Why Leaders Need to Stop Filling Every Pause
Just back from facilitating two leadership sessions in Sydney, I witnessed something profound that changed how I think about high-performance thinking. When we…
- Brave Feminine Leadership
#209 Terry Tateossian - Busy, Burnt Out, and Done: Terry Tateossian’s Wake-Up Call
Terry Tateossian had it all on paper—founder of a successful tech agency, two beautiful kids, and a reputation for being the one who always delivered. But…
- Brave Feminine Leadership
#208 The Real Reason Your Strategy Isn’t Landing: Rose Fass on the leadership skill that changes everything
If your strategy isn’t landing, it’s probably not the strategy. It’s the conversation. In this episode, I’m joined by Rose Fass — the person Fortune 500 CEOs…
- Brave Feminine Leadership
#207 Meg Gluth - From Sobriety to CEO
Meg Gluth didn’t plan to become a CEO but her path through sobriety taught her the discipline, clarity, and self-awareness that leadership demands. Now running…
- Brave Feminine Leadership
#206 Dr Michelle McQuaid - Trading Perfectionism for Playfulness
In this eye-opening episode, Dr. Michelle McQuaid, Honourary Fellow at Melbourne University's Centre for Well-being Science and one of LinkedIn's top mental…
- Brave Feminine Leadership
#205 75,000 Strong: Tami Erwin on Leading with Clarity and Courage
What does it take to lead 75,000 people through transformation, challenge, and real impact? In this final episode of the 2025 CEO Interview Series, former…
- Brave Feminine Leadership
#204 Judy Deuchar - Don’t Believe Your Own PR: A CEO Conversation with Judy Deuchar
Episode Five in the CEO Interview Series features Judy Deuchar - a global CEO and brand strategist with deep experience leading across retail, live commerce…
- Brave Feminine Leadership
#203 The Feedback That Shapes Us: Christine Holgate on Leadership, Loyalty & Legacy
Christine Holgate’s leadership story is one of purpose, persistence, and principle. In this episode, she reflects on the feedback that shaped her, the mentors…
- Brave Feminine Leadership
#202 Todd Harper AM - Ask More. Listen Deeper. A CEO conversation with Todd Harper
Todd Harper AM, CEO of Cancer Council Victoria, has held four CEO roles across some of Australia’s most respected public health organisations. But his…
- Brave Feminine Leadership
#201 Feedback, Focus & the Future: A Conversation with John Batistich
What does it take to scale a business from $6 million to $6 billion — and stay grounded in what matters most? In this episode, John Batistich (JB), a seasoned…
- Brave Feminine Leadership
#200 Pressure, Purpose & Protecting Your Energy: A CEO Conversation with Jayne Hrdlicka
Welcome to our first interview in the 2025 CEO Series, where we explore the CEO mindset and best pathways to success. Jayne Hrdlicka, former CEO of Virgin…
- Brave Feminine Leadership
#199 Melissa Hamilton - What 6 CEOs Taught Me About Real Leadership
In this compelling episode, I reflect on what six remarkable CEOs taught me about real leadership — beyond the job titles and polished bios. From leading Myer…
- Brave Feminine Leadership
#198 Kit Rich - From Fitness Guru to Filmmaker: Kit Rich's Brave Midlife Pivot
In this captivating conversation, Kit Rich shares her extraordinary journey from celebrity fitness trainer to award-winning filmmaker. After building a…
- Brave Feminine Leadership
#197 Greville Pabst Chairman WBP Group - From Shy to Spotlight: The Power of Deliberate Visibility
Property expert Greville Pabst opens up about transforming from a shy, introverted person to a confident public figure. Discover visualization techniques…