The Very Brave Podcast

A huge component of being brave as a woman is using one of the most powerful tools that we have - our voices. For so long, the voices and opinions of women have been hushed and marginalized. The more we choose to speak out against injustices, the louder we become and the more we are heard. 

I spoke with Natasha Stott Despoja on The Very Brave Podcast this week and, if anyone knows what it’s like to speak up about injustice, it’s h...

We talk a lot about imposter syndrome and how it can be difficult to overcome the voice inside your head that tells you that you either can’t accomplish something or that the things you have achieved aren’t significant. 

One of the reasons that Imposter Syndrome may be so deeply ingrained in our psyche may be due to the more widespread issue of Tall Poppy Syndrome. 

Tall Poppy Syndrome really gets under my skin because it shows a...

Casting the opinions of others aside in the face of making brave decisions is something that we often speak about on The Very Brave Podcast. However, there is a different type of bravery that is required to quiet the voice in our heads so that we can listen to the voice that’s in our hearts. 

I spoke with Lisa Winston this week about the bravery of following your gut and listening to your intuition even when it may not make sense....

Starting a business takes a fair amount of bravery, but it takes a special type of bravery to jump headfirst into business with your best friend. I had the opportunity to speak with Lise and Sarah of Those Two Girls this week and we got down to what it really takes to make brave moves in our careers as women in our middle years.

There is the unfair misconception that women in their 40s are meant to slow down and close up shop when...

Moral bravery is one of the topics that we speak about most frequently on The Very Brave Podcast. Many of my interviews involve someone who saw something that requires speaking up about in order to change the lives of others. While it may not be the traditional definition of bravery as many understand it, it is bravery nonetheless.
This week, I spoke with Wendy McCarthy who is one of the trailblazers in Australia for standing fi...

As professionals, women tend to find their fair share of loneliness in many areas. Whether self-employed or at the top of our corporate career, we often put our noses to the grindstone and climb the rungs of the ladder until we reach the success we’ve been striving for. Once we’re there and we take a gander around, we realize that we’ve finally made it, we’re at the top – but we’re there alone. 

If the culture surrounding, not onl...

Oftentimes, we forget that the success we realize in our businesses is only successful if we have our personal lives sorted. Our lives are busy and hectic and we can sometimes have difficulty drawing appropriate boundaries as women. It comes down to a handful of basic concepts that allow you to become the CEO of your own life. 

Finding space to fill your cup is key. By analyzing where your energy is going, you can find time to dev...

Lauren Lowrey is an Emmy-award-winning news anchor, podcaster, mom, wife, and all-around American girl. After spending her adult years shedding the skin of the religious upbringing she had, she realised that in order to fulfil her purpose she had to reconnect to her spirituality. 

Bravery for her has meant being willing to stand in her beliefs, even when they aren’t the most popular and en-vogue at the time. It has also meant bein...

“Bravery builds bravery. So when you do one brave act, when you take one step, you can almost always take the second one.”

We have had so many brave female voices grace the waves of this podcast and are excited to share so many more. This time it’s the voice of the one-of-a-kind Kathrine Switzer, a.k.a Marathon Woman. Kathrine was the very first woman to ever run a Boston Marathon and has since been working to empower women ...

“Bravery builds bravery. So when you do one brave act, when you take one step, you can almost always take the second one.”

We have had so many brave female voices grace the waves of this podcast and are excited to share so many more. This time it’s the voice of the one-of-a-kind Kathrine Switzer, a.k.a Marathon Woman. Kathrine was the very first woman to ever run a Boston Marathon and has since been working to empower women ...

“Definitely trust yourself. You don't have to please everybody, you cannot please everybody, so you might as well make sure that you are making yourself happy.” - Jayne Lewis

Jayne Lewis has a burning passion for the brewing process that brings us beer and wine. She co-founded Two Birds, Australia’s first female-founded brewery, and Drinks Agents for Change, a not-for-profit that encourages diversity and inclusion within th...

“Progress comes from people being willing to go into the voids where many avoid.”

Is there a middle ground for women to discuss their sexuality and sexual needs outside of the medical or commercialized sex conversations? Not yet, but Paulette Stout is making brave waves to change the narrative. Listen in to hear her story and learn about her book, Love, Only Better. 

Paulette had a non-traditional upbringing. She was raised b...

“The moment that you actually stop being apologetic and you own who you are, there's great resistance from the outside world.” - Jacqueline Nagle

Mother of four and red wine enthusiast, Jacqueline Nagle, is setting the stage for brave women everywhere. As a person who loves language and communication, Jacqueline currently works with subject matter experts, assisting them to commercialize and create viable businesses through...

“I don't always take the most trodden road, but I take the right road for what I'm designed for and what I'm called to do in life.” - Kiri-Maree Moore

Kiri-Maree Moore was born in New Zealand, lived most of her life in Australia, and has spent the last several years traveling the world. As a young girl, she was often spoken down to and told that she was different, not smart enough, and didn’t think like other peop...

“I just really try and show up every day. I think that's the most important thing, for me, as a brave and courageous and kind and calm and confident human.”

You are the asset. You are the glue keeping things together. So you need to take care of you. This was made painfully clear to Shannah Kennedy as she navigated a lucrative but life stealing career in sports. 

She was Jerry Maguire. She was buying and selling athletes...

“Courage I think is the key essence of leadership. And you have to have courage if you want to lead. You have to have courage if you want to be an authentic leader.”

Senator Sarah Hanson-Young did not get into politics as a way to find fame and fortune. As she states, politics is not an easy job to have. Especially not as a single mother and a person who feels very deeply for others. 

But there are so many lives that she touches thro...

“Fear is actually the first vital ingredient of bravery. Because without fear, we don't get to summon our courage.”

At no point in my life has anyone ever tapped me on the shoulder and said, “Hey Rachael. Now’s the time to make your move.” That’s just not going to happen. There isn’t anyone out there looking out for us in such a way, which is why you have to pick yourself. 

Seth Godin said, “Reject the tyranny of being picked, p...

“We often hear this phrase, "We can't be what we can't see," but I tend to stray away from that because otherwise we're just waiting for someone else to give us permission.”

If something has never been done before, how do we as humans pluck up the courage to go out and do it? To say, I can do this, even if no one else has? Layne Beachley has some interesting insights on this concept because she’s been on...

“These young girls growing up can see the world and see themselves, that's how we start to make changes because you can't be what you can't see, and I think we're starting that journey, we're getting better, but we've still got a long way to go.”

This is a world filled with uncertainty, division, and in many cases, hate. But there are so many people out there with voices and experiences that need to be shared. Lorna Deng is the co...