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 a ..read more

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 h ..read more

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 ..read more

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 k ..read more

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 ..read more

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 ..read more

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. T ..read more

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 ..read more

PG is such an inspiration! From growing up in Penrith with two older sisters and a violent household, PG and her Mum then moved to Tassie, where she completed her high school and uni years. From an early age she had wanted to be an actor (why isn't that surprising?!) but her Mum was keen for her to capitalise on her excellent academic record, and so she did an Arts-Law degree over 5 years - and got married along the way. This was followed by over ten years as a lawyer - specialising in superannuation. Not something that most people could imagine PG doing. It was while she was there that she ha ..read more

Anna is such a trailblazer when it comes to women in trades. She was South Australia's first female tradie in the construction industry and her story is so positive and uplifting, it will have you wanting to get into a trade too! Anna had an idyllic childhood, growing up as one of 6 kids in the Clare Valley in South Australia with a mechanic for a Dad and a superwoman Mum (that's how I would describe her!). From a really early age, Anna loved making things and her Mum said they always knew she would end up doing that. After finishing year 12, Anna took herself off to the 'big smoke' to do a fo ..read more