Not Super. Woman

More often than not, we walk in and out of our community buildings with little thought as to why it was built, or even how it was built. Sometimes it’s a cement box simply designed for function and practicality, but then there are designs that started with a seed of greater intention, collaborating creativity with community and creating something that stands for so much more than the materials that it was made with. Kaunitz Yeung Architecture Firm is internationally renowned for nurturing positive social change in multicultural communities with their designs and builds. And when talking to the co-founder, Australian-Chinese Architect Ka Wai Yeung, it’s quite remarkable to come to the realisation that when someone who values heritage and history, ties their expertise with purpose and intention what is actually possible. The buildings become not just structures, but connectors of history, culture, respect and functionality. In Ka Wai’s career she has experienced building for wealth and financial gain, but it was the values instilled by her grandmother and a life changing trip to India where she decided to redirect her career and build so much more than just buildings but considered designs in areas and communities that need it the most.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

50% of women are considering scaling back their careers, in a bid to juggle motherhood. And 1 in 5 women of non-retirement age, are thinking about leaving the workforce all together. Why? This is the mountain in which Megan Dalla-Camina, Author and Founder of ‘Women Rising’, is climbing in an effort to get to the top and see the landscape of our societal structure and feel clarity on how do we really support women in their rising, in what we know to be a patriarchal society. Megan spent two decades as an award-winning marketing director and multibillion-dollar strategist for corporate heavyweights including IBM, GE, and PWC, spending most of her time often being the only female leader in a male dominated room. Then at the age of 30 Megan was blessed with becoming pregnant, but then confronted with the realities of the corporate world having little room and understanding for the realities of motherhood. Combining years of hard-earned corporate prowess, with the internal lioness of becoming a mother, Megan started to unpack the landscape that she had witnessed. What became clear was the empowerment of women we speak of, sits on shaky ground, as fundamentally, what is required is far deeper than the headlines around gender pay gap and women’s super, but a desperate need to truly understand both genders as men’s strengths are differing from women’s strengths but collectively create a far more well-rounded experience when combined. So how do we cultivate a world and workplace, where neither are shunned for their strength’s and inturn downside, but welcomed. And allow space for women to be uniquely themselves within their careers and workplaces, so that we as humans can benefit both within the workplace, but throughout our societal structure. Rebecca Bull – Creator / Executive Producer / Co-Host Zoe Weir – Co-Creator / Co – Host Sophie Jackson – Producer  Social Media – Naughty Nancy Social Media Agency Website / Brand Design – Foster Creative Video Editor – Luke MorganSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Research shows that by the time a girl reaches age 11, she has built the belief system that you earn love by pleasing others. But as we know, a life built around that sentiment, is destined for poor mental health when your internal reward system is - put others happiness before your own, to please and ‘be a good girl’ in the eyes of the community around us. Dr. Michelle McQuaid spent years of her adult life ticking the boxes of what we are told will provide us fulfilment and happiness - a great career, good financial income, getting married and having children and once those boxes were ticked, life will set and fulfilling. But what happens when you tick those boxes, yet you find yourself ignoring your inner voice in the sacrifice to achieve them and side-line your mental well-being to keep it on track? Dr. McQuaid found herself exhausted, burnt out and deeply unhappy and it came to a point after her midlife, where it was time to stop and look at how did she get here, and why was she so conditioned to ignore her sense of self to achieve the ideals of others. So we sit down with Dr. McQuaid, an Honorary Fellow of the Centre for Wellbeing Science at Melbourne University, blogs for Psychology Today, and has been featured in Forbes, the Harvard Business Review, the Wall Street Journal and more to unpack what she has learned through research around the grooming of good girls and it’s impact as the good girl grows into a women.  Rebecca Bull – Creator / Executive Producer / Co-Host Zoe Weir – Co-Creator / Co – Host Sophie Jackson – Producer  Social Media – Naughty Nancy Social Media Agency Website / Brand Design – Foster Creative Video Editor – Luke MorganSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Neurodiversity is an umbrella term which refers to understanding the diversity of all human brains, and the way in which we interact with the world. Often the variation is within behavioural traits that diversifies us from each other, and thankfully society is coming to a place of realising that it’s not a deficit to be neurodivergent, simply difference between one person to another. That being said, it’s taken too long for us to get to this understanding, and we still have a way to go. Thankfully for women like Madonna King , an Award Winning Journalist who has previously covered many areas including education around teen girls and their emotional and physical development, and Rebecca Sparrow - acclaimed Writer, Columnist and Public Speaker who raises awareness and advocates for teen friendship education and teen emotional development, both came together and combined powers to bring information, resources and spotlight the widely prevalent yet still misunderstood conditions that fall within the umbrella term of Neurodiversity. Both leaders in this area who are driven with personal passion and have dedicated their careers in covering children and teens development, have collated and created the book titled “Out of the Box”, as a call to action but also a one stop guide, for those like Rebecca, who wished back when her own child was diagnosed with Autism, that this type of information was available to navigate the unknown and overwhelm of a new diagnosis. As we learn in this book, and through listening to Rebecca and Madonna, knowledge is power when it comes to truly understanding who you are and how you are built to function. Knowing and understanding, can make those that feel different to the neurotypical, feel less alone and in fact, help the neurodivergent use it as their superpower. Rebecca Bull – Creator / Executive Producer / Co-Host Zoe Weir – Co-Creator / Co – Host Sophie Jackson – Producer  Social Media – Naughty Nancy Social Media Agency Website / Brand Design – Foster Creative Video Editor – Luke MorganSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Addiction - the word within itself carries a weight to it that feels scary and removed to the majority. But the reality of it is, and like we have heard before, addiction doesn’t discriminate.  Fenella Scarlett McCall is one of the many examples, who from the outside looking in, you would never suspect she had struggled with addiction. Fenella was from a privileged loving family, private school educated, had successful career driven parents along with creative and successful older siblings, and if when talking superficially - she has a beauty that was matched with what was considered to be confidence and coolness that other girls growing up, dreamt of having. Her reality was very different from the outside perception that others had, and Fenella now speaks to the loneliness, lack of confidence and being unaware of her right to say no when it came to substance use and consensual sex, that she now realises all contributed to her spiral into addiction. The Fenella of today, has been through hell and back trying to piece herself together mentally, physically, spiritually and emotionally with the purpose of understanding how her prior experiences and traumas impacted her and led her to make decisions that ultimately broke her and caused unbearable shame. Now, after years of support from mental health services along with studying to become a clinical psychologist, she has a greater capacity to understand and accept how she ended up in a negative vicious cycle of substance abuse. Fenella shares how some of the best healing and growth has come from hearing and identifying with others who like her, found ways to break the negative downward cycle and create positive lives filled with connection and joy.   Rebecca Bull – Creator / Executive Producer / Co-Host Zoe Weir – Co-Creator / Co – Host Sophie Jackson – Producer  Social Media – Naughty Nancy Social Media Agency Website / Brand Design – Foster Creative Video Editor – Luke MorganSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

1 in 4 Australian women has experienced emotional and/or financial abuse by a current or former partner since the age of 15, and 1 in 5 Australian women have experienced sexual violence since the age of 15. Violence against women is a terrifying reality that we often think doesn’t occur ‘in our backyard’, but sadly it is more prevalent than ever, all over Australia, and around the world. Often it gets thought of in terms of out-of-control arguments between couples, with statistically the male being the dominant perpetrator. But in the modern era, violence against women extends into family violence, emotional abuse and coercive control (including financial abuse) - disabling women from being able to leave, forcing victims to flee with nothing as finances have been manipulated and crippled, whilst air tags are being used as tracking devices, and devices themselves are hacked remotely and monitored for surveillance usually by their very own partners. The gut-wrenching reality of this took hold of Professor Kate Fitz-Gibbon’s life when living an idyllic youth in high school until her school friend’s dad killed his estranged wife, and after confessing to it, he successfully claimed provocation in court which saw him convicted of manslaughter rather than murder. Kate’s blissful beliefs about life crashed to a stark reality, and from then she became entrenched in the injustices that occur to women all too often, and an advocate for policy reform, prevention, early intervention and healing for those effected. So we ask Kate, what are signs we can look for with families who may be effected? What are steps friends or family can take to intervene before it's too late? And what does a world look like where intergenerational abuse heals and ceases its cycle, and how can we make that happen? Rebecca Bull – Creator / Executive Producer / Co-Host Zoe Weir – Co-Creator / Co – Host Sophie Jackson – Producer  Social Media – Naughty Nancy Social Media Agency Website / Brand Design – Foster Creative Video Editor – Luke MorganSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

In life, whether you believe yourself to be creative or not, we are built to express our individuality whether it’s on a small scale to a large. On a small scale for those who don’t see themselves as creative it could be your music, books or film selections or how you choose to expel your energy - sport, dancing, or writing in any form. But there is also the chance, that the realities of life have distracted you from even knowing what really means something to you, and if you are expressing yourself at all? Kerry Armstrong who is a renowned and established Australian Expressionist Artist is a prime example of someone that came to the realisation she wasn’t acknowledging for a long part of her life, her own expression and individuality that was deep within her. Whether it was the relationship that she was in, or the established financial successful career, or the business of raising a family, it was drowning out her own music that came from within, until it became prevalent the desperate need for change, and to start listening to her own needs that she had ignored for too long. So we ask, how does a woman in her 50’s breakdown the barriers that were stopping her from living authentically and rebuild the Kerry she is today. And how did she get back in touch with the Kerry within?   Rebecca Bull – Creator / Executive Producer / Co-Host Zoe Weir – Co-Creator / Co – Host Sophie Jackson – Producer  Social Media – Naughty Nancy Social Media Agency Website / Brand Design – Foster Creative Video Editor – Luke MorganSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

When podcast powers combine! We unite with fellow podcasters and mums, Lucinda McKimm and Lauren Treweek from Ready or Not? Podcast, to unpack what it has been to get to here and now.Everything starts with a seed of intention and when you begin to build on something you believe in, it always takes you on a journey and roller coaster, so it’s often helpful to pause and reflect and look at what you have achieved, what you have learned, and what would of have done differently? So we talk Lu and Loz on how and why they started their mission to share the realities of the overwhelming juggle of work and motherhood, and how has adding their self-made podcast into the mix added, taken away or changed their life? What has it taught them about themselves? And the world of podcasting? And where to from here?!See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

You may have heard or seen headlines lately with the concern over the impacts of social media on children and Anthony Albanese’s recent announcement about age regulation and policy reform for when children will be legally able to access certain social media apps. These are all steps in the right direction, but what do we do in the meantime? And really, in the wise words of Clinical Psychologist – Dr. Charlotte Keating - without trying to implement some foundational and fundamental skills to your child’s life, and your families – who is to say when they do turn 16 they will be ready to handle the world of online and social media? Further to this, Developmental Paediatrician Dr. Billy Garvey concurred that we don’t just give our children a car license and the keys and say – drive! We start children with their Learners Permit and sit with them whilst they learn to drive, before they earn their license and the right to drive alone. This week’s episode was a special one to Not Super. Woman, as we hosted our first community live event and had the privilege of both Dr. Charlotte Keating & Dr. Billy Garvey uniting to combine powers and give parents, their children and family units guidance on what are the steps we can take now, and rather than trying to find the silver bullet solution in the outside world. Let’s start with looking within our own homes and the things we can control, as there is a lot we can’t at the moment but we have time that can be spent well, whilst we wait . Rebecca Bull – Creator / Executive Producer / Co-Host Zoe Weir – Co-Creator / Co – Host Sophie Jackson – Producer Social Media – Naughty Nancy Social Media Agency Website / Brand Design – Foster Creative Video Editor – Luke MorganSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

No one ever really talks about how as a woman you go through puberty and then enter your reproductive stage, where if you have the ability to have a child, the physical and emotional changes go well beyond the first 6 weeks post birth. Most commonly in western medicine, we focus on the labour and then the first 6 weeks, but beyond that for the majority, women get left to resume motherhood with little acknowledgment of the biological, hormonal and physical changes that continue to occur to them for years after birthing children. Matrescence is somewhat of a new term that has recently been defined, similarly to adolescence as the physical, psychological and emotional transitions that occur to women for years once they become a mother. In the past the fatigue, the highs and lows, extreme periods, anxiety and so on, all were simmered down to the ripples effects of taking care of your young children. But with the dedicated work of people such as Dr. Oscar Serrallach and Frida Aalgars, it’s becoming more commonly understood that far more is happening to you that needs attention and support in the bid to manage the Matrescence stage of life. Dr. Oscar Serrallach is a renowned Doctor that has been a leader in the area of Mothercare for 10 years, writing and publishing world renowned book “The Postnatal Depletion Cure” in a bid to guide women through this previously ignored stage. Frida Aalgars was an established corporate calving out an impressive career for herself but once having children suffered sleep deprivation and burnout, which led her to be a patient of Dr. Serrallach, and in-turn making wholesale changes to assist in living a more balanced and holistic life to manage being a woman who is also a mother, in this new era of parenting, navigating parenting and life, and everything in between. Since then, Frida and Oscar have collaborated in an attempt to combine their expertise and provide women a better chance to manage their well-being, with their wellness brand The Tenth Co. The key to all of this goes back to the essence of being a woman who is also a mother, you can’t care for anyone from the place of an empty cup, so prioritising support and your health in today’s world is the key to helping manage your wellbeing alongside motherhood. Rebecca Bull – Creator / Executive Producer / Co-Host Zoe Weir – Co-Creator / Co – Host Sophie Jackson – Producer Social Media – Naughty Nancy Social Media Agency Website / Brand Design – Foster Creative Video Editor – Luke MorganSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

For the uninformed, the term Feng Shui is heeded as Chinese ideology relevant to the energy and balance within your home, but beyond that, truly understanding its purpose and proposed power can be overwhelming, complicated and sometimes too much to take on. Though the question begs why this practice has existed for thousands of years and those committed to it, swear by its positive influence in their life. Kelly McCloskey was a renowned real estate agent within the Melbourne housing market for years and often found herself selling the same home, multiple times, to new owners. One thing that struck her, was the habitual cycles of these particular homes - repeated illnesses, divorces or declines in wealth where she started to question the philosophy and connection of good energy, bad energy and the impact of a homes Feng Shui. That’s when Kelly leapt from Real Estate to undertaking years of study to learn the foundations of Feng Shui and merge her knowledge of real estate with understanding the energy and flow of a home. So we’re going to start at the beginning to get a grasp of the foundations of Feng Shui. What’s westernised myths and what is true to the philosophy practices that can make a positive impact of the energy flow of the place you spend most of your time - your home. Rebecca Bull – Creator / Executive Producer / Co-Host Zoe Weir – Co-Creator / Co – Host Sophie Jackson – Producer Social Media – Naughty Nancy Social Media Agency Website / Brand Design – Foster Creative Video Editor – Luke MorganSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Our skin is the largest organ of the human body and what we apply to it is absorbed by that organ (our skin) and in-turn absorbed into our blood stream and internal organs.Somewhere along the line, marketing genius became the majority focus of our attention, and we have gotten distracted by what is the ‘in’ product, what looks cool, what’s chic and what smells nice, over what is actually good for our skin and in-turn us. Jess Armstrong came to this realisation through her own confronting and deeply personal journey.Jess was in the throes of early motherhood with two young children when she found out she had breast cancer. Through this incredibly distressing time, Jess had to undergo chemotherapy, radiotherapy and a mastectomy. But cancer didn’t keep her down, Jess was driven to understand what was happening to her and her body and learn about that products that she had used for most of her teen and adult life. Through investing her focus in learning about this, Jess discovered that a lot of the beauty and skin care industry has gotten carried away with what looks and smells good over focusing on what is actually safe for good skin health and our overarching health, in turn the confronting realisation that majority product ranges were made up of ingredients that are actually toxic for us, especially those that are immuno compromised and in treatment. Now knowing all she has learned, Jess took this as a challenge to not only provide the market with a safe product range, but also a product range that still gives women the feminine feels of nurturing ourselves with something special and founded FUCA Skincare range. FUCA Oganic Skin Care https://fucaorganic.com/ Rebecca Bull – Creator / Executive Producer / Co-Host Zoe Weir – Co-Creator / Co – Host Sophie Jackson – Producer Social Media – Naughty Nancy Social Media Agency Website / Brand Design – Foster Creative Video Editor – Luke MorganSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.