Today Esha Oberoi sits at the head of a 550+ staff, multi-million dollar business and has been recognised for her achievements as a Winner in the Indian Australian Community Business Award for Small Business and a Finalist in the Telstra Young Business Women of the Year Awards in 2014. But her journey to success wasn’t without challenges.
In Australia, the majority of VC funds are founded and led by men, and globally, only 2% of investment dollars go to women. Yet, there are more women joining the investor community each year, including angel investor, Solai Valliappan. In this interview, Solai shares experiences with unconscious bias which she regularly experiences from other investors, while highlighting that some sectors demonstrate this more strongly than others. She’s also on the look-out for female-led companies and is always encouraging women to follow their gut and venture out on their own.
Peace Mitchell is an entrepreneur and business leader who recognised the opportunities presented by empowering more women, and also recognised the importance of continuing to invest in developing more accessible business school programs for women in order to truly reach gender equality and equity in corporate leadership.
Muneera Bano is a passionate advocate for women in STEM and is an active role model for the next generation via the various accolades and positions she holds, including a ‘Superstar of STEM’ for Science and Technology Australia, and the Go Girl, Go For IT 2020 Ambassador. In this interview, Muneera shares her views on driving diversity and inclusion in STEM fields.
Along with the joys of cooking and wanting to share this with the world, Dan is a new business owner whose business was severely impacted by COVID-19, and a LGBTQI+ community member who believes strongly in the need for change in how the TV and media industries represent LGBTQI+ experiences and stories.
Growing up with a strong support network and Maori community, Kera believes strongly in the power of role models and community engagement. In this interview, Kera shares why and how she started Fibromyalgia Aotearoa NZ, and her views and experiences with ableism.
Many Australians are still confused about how to best plan ahead for their superannuation, including basic decisions such as whether to have one fund or many. And the stats show that women are far worse off financially than men, when it comes to building their superannuation fund over time. This, among many other factors, is why Pascale Helyar-Moray set out to launch Super-Rewards.
Brittany Bloomer’s entrepreneurial journey started from seeing a problem – one that impacted the lives of thousands of animals – and a relentless dedication to solving it. Her charity, Pound Paws, helps to re-home pets in pounds and rescue centres. It operates an online search engine which fast tracks the adoption process, by allowing users to search by breed, age, size, and more.
Kellie and Nicolette are The Rainbow Babes – a powerful same-sex couple due to be married in 2020 and currently undergoing IVF. While Kellie has a high-profile career in aviation marketing and Nicolette is a well known voice for diversity in healthcare, these profiles haven’t been built without challenges. Not least of which occured in the last few months, as their highly revered and influential Instagram account was hacked by an anti-LGBT hacker.
Jean Sum, Founder of Sum of Jean, made a shift from the banking industry to international development and is also now a mentor to Asian-Australian women. She believes strongly in empowering women, overcoming imposter syndrome and breaking through the bamboo ceiling so everyone has the opportunity to become what they cannot see.
During the coronavirus pandemic, many are doing it tough, including the thousands of healthcare workers on the frontlines. Sarah Goulding is one of these frontline workers, taking on night shifts to deliver much-needed mental health services to patients, while homeschooling during the day. In this interview, she shares how she has seen the mental health industry evolve throughout her career, her experiences during the pandemic, and advice for others considering a career in this space.
Ola Endress is an Australian actor an content creator who wanted to be the change she wanted to see on Australian screens. But after extensive attempts, she found her most successful path to being part of a diverse film and TV industry would be to move overseas.
Milly Bannister is the the Founder & Director of GRLKND, a non-profit organisation connecting young women to mental health resources. In this interview, Milly reflected on GRLKND’s journey so far, and why she wants to “represent and empower women to not only know they matter, but to chase and create realities they desire.”
In this interview, Stephanie shares how, from humble beginnings, she built two brands and hundreds of products she’s proud to call hers.
Growing up in poverty in India, Shuey had high hopes for his new life in Australia. In this interview, he shares how he overcame struggles in his early days in Australia, and overcame them with resilience and perseverance.
Echo Chamber Escape 