In 2012, I hadn’t been a date in ten years. I was 34, lonely and terrified of the future. I decided to hit the online dating sites on a mission to date one man every week for a year and find a husband. I started just on eHarmony and quickly added RSVP, Tinder and others to expand my pipeline of potential candidates. It took three years and dates with 138 different men to meet my match.  Searching for love is hard work. I spent two to three hours most weeknights on the dating sites, every Sunday afternoon making ‘screening phone calls’ and Thursday evenings on face-to-face dates. The emoti ..read more

It was a Sunday morning in 2014. I’d arrived home from breakfast to a find newspaper article positioned conspicuously on the coffee table. ‘Women over 35 should stop being so fussy,’ read the headline, followed by some observations by a male fertility specialist. I smiled sarcastically and thanked my mother for cutting it out.  Inside, my chest roared with anger. How could a male fertility doctor know what it’s like to be a single woman in Sydney? I was thirty-six years old and had been dating non-stop for two and a half years. RSVP, eHarmony and Tinder – I’d just clocked d ..read more

I’m writing this behind a locked window and wire fence in Auckland’s M-Social Hotel.  Ten days ago, my husband Rod and I, along with our two young children Eve and Bobby, made a strange, nerve-wracking flight across international borders during COVID 19. Before we left, I searched for accurate accounts: what would our journey entail, and what could we expect on the other side.  A New Zealand Government brochure provided helpful information—but not the details.  The details of travel and managed isolation are impossible to write up in a booklet, and it’s the details that are diff ..read more

Some people love being helpful and derive value in seeing others succeed. I had lunch with a lawyer friend last week. She’s the friendliest, most helpful lawyer in town. Everyone goes to her for advice, which raised the question: “Do you ever feel exploited?” On Tuesday my phone rang. It was an old acquaintance who runs events. Every time he comes to Sydney, he wants to get coffee. These meetings usually revolve around him bleeding me for every contact in my book. I hesitate before answering. Do I have the time for this today? This got me thinking about the concept of “value exchange”. In my c ..read more

Shoes of Prey founder Jodie Fox says she found it hard to let go of her business identity. Two years ago, I left a company that I’d spent seven years working to build. Until then, when someone asked what I did for a living, I had a well-rehearsed response: “You know that app you use to buy coffee, Hey You? I started the company.” When I decided to leave the business, I felt afraid. I was nervous my next project might not work and worried I wouldn’t be able to make the same income, but my biggest fear was of losing my identity. I’d no longer be “Rebekah from Hey You”. I’d just be “Rebekah”, and ..read more

Rebekah Campbell: “This virus forced us to throw out the goals and focus on getting through each day.” Once I accepted that a lot of what I wanted to achieve this year isn’t going to happen, I started to relax. Like many families, we’ve spent the past eight weeks working from home. I have a minor heart condition that puts me in a “high-risk” category, so we pulled our two young children out of daycare early. Each morning we wake to Groundhog Day. We play inside, we play outside, we eat and we take turns working at a makeshift desk in the bedroom. Weekdays and weekends merge, as if the colours ..read more

Planning for the future involves looking further than one step ahead. To make good decisions, start by imagining your perfect dayLast November, the house next door went up for auction. I’d long admired the two-storey brick structure with a white chimney and dark-panelled roof. I’d peered over the fence and dreamt of our children growing up there, playing touch football in its flat, tree-lined garden. I imagined Christmas Day, when we would drink champagne on the balcony while cousins splashed in the swimming pool. I pointed it out to my husband as we walked past: “That’s my dream house,” I sai ..read more

It’s much more important to develop deep, authentic relationships with a small group of well-connected people. I spoke at a women’s business event recently and an attendee asked, “How do I build a network as a woman who lives in the country? It’s hard for me to make it to events like this.” It’s often said that networks are important. How important has occurred to me only recently. Reflecting on my career, almost all breakthroughs – raising capital, securing a big client or landing a role – have been instigated by a member of my network. I’ve always invested in building my network. But now, wi ..read more

“No one is there to judge you,” says Business Chicks founder Emma Isaacs. If networking terrifies you, try this approachThe open room at the Doltone House function centre in Sydney was vast and dimly lit as clusters of well-dressed professionals chatted in circles. I was early for one of the biggest charity dinners of the year, and I didn’t know anyone. The person who invited me wouldn’t be here for a while and had probably invited others. “She won’t want to babysit me all night,” I thought. I’d been looking forward to this event, but as I looked at the tightly formed groups connecting and rec ..read more

Some people seem to have an innate sense of style. How personal style can help shape your careerRecently it was 33 degrees and I dressed for a meeting in the city. Five years ago (before I had kids), I would have worn a silk singlet, light pants, pointed stilettos and a necklace. But now I’m 40, I wondered if it’s still OK to wear a sleeveless top. On the day in question, I also needed to walk across town and couldn’t stand the thought of hobbling atop two pointed sticks. As I rode down the escalator at Barangaroo in Sydney’s CBD, I watched the women and men in suits criss-crossing the streets ..read more