Sonya Oliver Scoble believes we need to treat mental health issues and sufferers with the same compassion, support and dignity as we would any other potentially terminal illness.
Sonya, with her husband Barry started MAD Cow Coffee Mackay as a legacy to their son Aiden who lost his battle with Mixed Anxiety and Depression (MAD) and a tribute to a great bunch of Mad Cow friends and family who supported and continue to support them through the hard times.
Read MoreJo Sainsbury is a successful role model for women in male dominated industries.
She promotes women in non- traditional roles through ‘Kickass Women’. But it’s not just about employment platforms but also charity dinners and regular women’s events for networking.
As part of Kickass Women Jo also hosts a radio show where she speaks with a variety of inspiring guests who share advice on career changes.
Jo’s mantra is inspiring women here in the Greater Whitsunday region and abroad.
Read MoreI am an over thinking woman. The thoughts and worries I put out each day could power every household in my neighbourhood – talk about renewable energy.
Most days I love being a woman. But recently I have been thinking about all the roles we play, in our increasingly busy lives. How we give so much of ourselves to our families, partners, careers, and others. Like my patience it is spread thin.
Read MoreShirlz Russell knows what it feels like to be at ground zero and have the strength to rebuild brick by brick.
Shirlz is the founder of Build Your F’empire an online platform that is helping women realise the retirement of their dreams through educating, supporting and mentoring women to create future financial foundations for themselves. Online groups, courses, and one on one mentoring sessions are just some of the things she has created.
Build Your F’empire offers an eight- week course to help all women take control of their lives and become financially independent.
Read MoreKathleen Norris has been on a quest to find her voice and true purpose.
So much, that she is having singing lessons to help her overcome her self consciousness and find her bravery.
But the thing is Kathleen is already brave.
Read MoreJody Euler is a woman who can see the big picture long before others can.
It starts with a simple conversation where ideas are in their infancy and then there it is, her mind has already started to travel to a place where the magic is happening.
She is a published author, a guest speaker and loves nothing more than dreaming up her next big idea.
Read MoreThis past week we have seen two powerhouses leave the building.
Australian journalist Stan Grant, walking away from Q+A and his passion, after racist treatment. All while leading with love in his heart, despite the vitriol of hate he has endured.
Then we said goodbye to musical icon, domestic violence survivor and one of the leaders of the women’s empowerment movement Tina Turner, who passed away at the age of 83.
When we refer to someone as a powerhouse, they are a person of a thing of great energy, strength or power.
When we label someone as a powerhouse, why does it become a sport to pull them down?
Read MoreFor Shaye Moengaroa dark times don’t last forever.
And you can feel this in her presence, she is happy and genuine- despite her shadows of grief.
As Shaye walks through the Mackay City Centre, her white dress floating in the breeze, she is holding her gorgeous daughter Zara - the light of her life.
Zara is Shaye and her husband’s James rainbow baby, after losing their first daughter Mia at 38 weeks pregnant.
Read MoreSay HER name in a room full of opportunities.
Congratulate HER.
Amplify HER.
Is female competition still a thing in this era of women’s empowerment?
Female Rivalry a tale as old as time.
Read MoreIs beauty in the eye of the beholder?
Perhaps it is felt through the heart.
Our eyes are the windows to our souls but its our tears that baptise us through the agony.
Despite it all can you still look them in the eye?
Even if we close our eyes, we are still reminded of the memories that hang in our mind.
Read MoreI first met Karen Jacobson, a little bit before Julia Gillard became the first female Prime Minister of Australia.
Let’s just say it was in the same era of history, I was a journalist and Karen had returned to her home town from New York, to share her story and wisdom with the students at Mackay North State High School.
More than a decade later, I watched Karen perform live for the first time, at the Misogyny Opus Not Now Not Ever with the Queensland Symphony Orchestra.
Read MoreYOU can’t see it.
But you can feel the black dog chasing you.
Part of your life’s strategy is to get on with things.
Make them happen.
Then one day you wake up and the pull of your universe’s motivational gravity just drops.
Ton of bricks.
Read MoreThis week has been an emotional shit show.
I have felt low. I have felt like a failure.
Second guessing my abilities and contribution.
I have cried several times in public, trying to shake off a stubborn feeling that won’t go away.
It is hard to put yourself out there, for the world to see. You open yourself up to judgement, opinions and beliefs of others.
Read MoreDOUBT is one of the most unsettling feelings you can have.
It sits in the pit of your stomach.
Doubt feels like you have swallowed your heart, it is uncomfortable, and the beat is out of sync.
For me doubt decides to crash into my life, when I feel as if I have been successful or had a win.
Read MoreDear Women,
Women like you pave the way for women like me. It is women like you and your stories that help amplify all our stories as women.
It is important. It is valued and it helps women keep writing their own stories.
Story telling is one of women’s SUPERPOWERS. It has always been a source of connection, our voice of rebellion, a way to share our beauty and to give wisdom.
When you write your own story, you are penning your own history, you are making sure your life doesn’t go unwritten.
Read MoreChristmas .
It has been written and sung as the most wonderful time of the year.
Amongst the carols heard on high, giving of gifts and the preparation of a feast laid out across the family table there is such a lead up to the day.
It is a time of nostalgia. A time filled with our families - the ones we are born into and the ones we choose.
It is a season of love and kindness. A time to celebrate and say goodbye to the year that was.
Read MoreWhat is our reputation worth in an era obsessed with opinions?
Everyone has one- an opinion that is, so when did we decide that opinions and beliefs about someone are true?
I was recently at a business leaders’ dinner and one of the speakers spoke about the importance of our reputation. Her words really resonated with me, that once we strip back our careers, houses, clothes and possessions- all we are left with is our reputation.
Our reputation is one of our greatest assets in life, it works alongside our moral compass, guiding us in what we hope is the right direction.
If you asked most women if they thought they were independent, most would say yes.
It would then be followed by a sharp stab, where they would actually question their answer.
We all know that sharp stab.
One that is made to stop us in our tracks, put us back into place?
I am guilty of using the word should. I am pretty sure my memoir would be: “The woman who should herself.”
Read MoreGrowing up in a girl household, my sisters and I were lucky to go to great school, have a safe home environment and when we were unwell, we had access to healthcare.
Today is the 10th anniversary of International Day of the Girl, a day to recognise that girls around the word continue to face challenges to their education, their physical and mental wellness and the protection for a life without violence.
When this photo was taken of my sisters and I, around 1995 the World Wide Web, had just starting to gain momentum. Before we knew it the internet would change our culture and how we communicate foreve
Read MoreShe closed her eyes as she pulled her swimmers over the curves of her body.
There is anxiety around showing parts of her body, she would prefer to keep in the dark.
We forget that the curves of the shorelines along the beach are beautiful and constant – a reminder that each tide brings with it new stories.
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