To celebrate our second birthday this month, we’d like to pay tribute to all the inspirational women in business who provided advice, support and guidance at our Melbourne events.

What initially started as a MeetUp group in 2017 has evolved into a buzzing ecosystem of professionals, corporates, female founders, startups, side hustlers and job seekers. We now have a Members’ Club, where every single member of our community donates one hour of her month to another member in “The Mentor Hour”.

This guarantees REAL, authentic connections and a wealth of shared knowledge and experience. It bolsters our ever-strengthening community and has been ground breaking for members’ personal growth and career/business development.

At a time when men are still more likely to be given CEO positions than women – and paid 1 million dollars more for it – the Members’ Club is committed to helping women flourish and conquer in all facets of business.

It’s been an incredible journey and one that couldn’t have been possible without the generosity and wisdom of our speakers and guests – and the support of our amazing community! So here’s a tribute to all the fantastic women who’ve been incredible resources of information on the following topics:

Women in Leadership:

With Emma Shearman, Suzanne Tonks, Kylis Lewis, Sherryn Bowers and Dr Amy Silver

In April 2017, She Mentors hosted its first event at One Roof in Southbank – the perfect setting to host Emma Shearman and Suzanne Tonks, as they shared their advice for women in leadership. This engaging talk – covering workplace stats, reasons why women aren’t in top leadership positions and providing proactive ways we can help bridge the gender gap – set the ball rolling on what would become a focused and fruitful She Mentors discussion area.

Not long after, we were graced with the presence of the lovely Kylie Lewis and Sherryn Bowers, who lead us in a discussion on “courageous leadership” – a strong leader doesn’t just lead herself, she motivates and inspires other to do the same.

And just last month, Dr Amy Silver brought about a whole new perspective on self leadership, in our sold out International Women’s Day event. We left after Dr Amy’s talk armed with practical tips for communication, leadership and mindset, as well as a renewed vigour to take on the world!

Missed Dr Amy Silver’s insightful talk on Leading Yourself to Influence? Check it out now inside the Members’ Club. Not a member? Join now!

Overcoming Imposter Syndrome

With Rachel Service, Caroline McGuinness and Lucy Allen

What. A. Topic. This is the number one thing that holds women back – the fear of being discovered as a fraud. In June 2017, founder of The Happiness Concierge, Rachel Service, and life coach, Caroline McGuinness led us through the first installment of our Imposter Syndrome events, equipping us with tools to battle self-doubt and stop underestimating our abilities.

Then, last year in October, career and life coach Lucy Allen hosted our sold-out Imposter Syndrome event and lifted the lid on why women so often undervalue themselves – even when they are successful. Lucy shared many useful tricks and tips, including a quirky one designed to quiet that critical voice in our heads once and for all!

Watch the video replay of Lucy Allen’s sold out How to Overcome Imposter Syndrome event inside The Member’s Club. Not a member? Join now!

The Rise of Female Entrepreneurship

With Kim Pierce, Eleni Pearce, Miranda Bond and Fleur Wood

In 2017 we discussed the rise of female entrepreneurship and we asked the incredible Kim Pierce, founder of Babe Australia, and Eleni Pearce, founder of Lenzo.com to share their heartfelt stories. Hearing about their journeys was incredibly moving. Both Kim and Eleni were candid about the challenges they faced about deciding to quit their jobs and fly solo – and both have achieved HUGE goals. Continuing the conversation about the reality of launching your own business, last year Miranda Bond gave us some highs and lows – juggling busy lives, family and finances – as well as the importance of seizing opportunities to constantly evolve as an entrepreneur.

Now that our speakers had us thinking like bosses, personal stylist Fleur Wood from How to Wear It would have us looking the part too! In her incredibly transformative Workwear Styling Party, Fleur gave us some tips for affordable fashion, seasonal layering, dressing for your body type and of course, her selection of wardrobe staples you can’t live without!

Building Your Brand On Instagram

With Chelsea Thomas @iheartbargains and Rebecca Klodinsky @FrankiiSwim

Instagram has become one of the best ways to build your tribe and connect with your audience, and when it come to harnessing its power, we turned to the experts. Over two SOLD OUT events, the amazing Chelsea Thomas (@iheartbargains) and Rebecca Klodinsky, founder of Frankie Swimwear, debunked common Instagram myths and gave us their insider’s perspectives of how to use this explosive platform to propel our businesses forward.

How to Ace Your Personal Branding

With Ruby Lee

The one-and-only Ruby Lee gave us an experts’ breakdown of how to build an authentic personal brand and create real, meaningful connections with an audience. Founder of Rubylee.co and the queen of LinkedIn marketing, Ruby is a living example of a go-getter who turned her side hustle into her main hustle!

Missed Ruby’s rousing webinar, check her out on the She Mentors podcast as she gives her tips on growing your side hustle!

She’s On The Money: How to Negotiate

With Alexis Harvis and Amanda Blessing

Money. It’s one of the most contentious topics surrounding gender in the workplace. The wonderful Alexis Harvis and Amanda Blessing, who are experts in money management and negotiation, took to the stage on this one. They led us through an eye-opening discussion of what the Gender Pay Gap is doing to women’s abilities to earn a fair wage, negotiate for a promotion or salary increase and just generally, feel valued in the workplace. It’s in our power to push for fairer working conditions, to push the standards up – for ourselves and our fellow women.

Harnessing Powerful Presentations

With Emma Andrews

For this one, we teamed up with the wonderful Emma Andrews, a master of digital and brand strategy, to host a jam-packed workshop on presentation skills. From writing compelling presentations and channeling nerves into positive energy, to mastering the art of delivering influential pitches, we delivered a 7-step framework to guide you through tricky presentation scenarios and talk to clients and colleagues with ease. Really useful stuff! Want to connect with Emma? Join the Members’ Club and “Request Her Hour”!

Getting the Work/Life Balance Right

With Steph Lowe, Nat Kringoudis and Dr Kelly Windle

Are you constantly juggling a stressful job, side hustle, family and career changes? You’re not alone! As a workaholic and a woman on a quest to ‘have it all’, this topic is close to She Mentor founder Ali’s heart. In 2018, Steph Low (founder of The Natural Nutritionist) and Nat Kringoudis (founder of The Pagoda Tree and podcast The Wellness Collective) dropped by to share their insights on how to get say goodbye to the frantic morning rush, get organised – and kick arse!

Then, in 2019 we returned for another round with the inspirational, Dr Kelly Windle. In an age where ‘being busy’ is the new black and everyone expects it to be done yesterday, Dr Kelly gave us another approach. In changing our mindset and connecting more deeply to what truly matters, we can better set ourselves up for success. We left that evening with a clear purpose about the importance of slowing down and reclaiming the space we need.

Check out the video replay of Dr Kelly Windle’s inspiring talk, How to Accelerate Your Success inside the Members’ Club. Not a member? Join up today!

Our podcast guests

With Jessica Ruhfus, Kate Morris, Fleur Wood, String Nguyen, Ruby Lee, Eleanor Pendleton and Stephanie Ellul

Aside from our amazing in-person events, we have also interviewed some incredible women in business on our podcast, including Jessica Ruhfus, Kate Morris, Fleur Wood, String Nguyen, Ruby Lee, Eleanor Pendleton and Stephanie Ellul. Here you’ll discover how to use LinkedIn to become a video superstar, what a perfect CV looks like and how to slay at your next job interview!

Our latest podcast episode “Why are Women STILL being sidelined for leadership Roles in 2019) featuring the amazing Conrad Liveris. Subscribe to the She Mentors podcast and get some inspo to your earbuds.

The She Mentors team!

We can’t sign off without mentioning our wonderful team! A heartfelt thank you to our mentor and Non-Exec Director Natalina Morelli; the wonderful Hannah Blamey, photographer/helper and all-round fabulous woman; and She Mentor's first official team member, Amelia Theodorakis, who is our Content/Digital Marketing Assistant. Many exciting things to come – we’re so happy you’re on the journey with us!