This week's guest changes the rooms she walks into, and changes them for the women coming next. LJ Kennealy spent three decades in the Royal Australian Air Force, rising to Wing Commander and Gender Adviser to the Chief of Air Force. She's been deployed to Afghanistan, Iraq and Syria, and worked at the United Nations in New York fighting to get more women into peacekeeping worldwide. When they tried to put her chair in the corner, she pulled it up to the table herself. SHOW NOTES Early life in Tasmania and joining the Air Force @ 5:00 LJ grew up in northwest Tasmania, where opportunities were limited despite the region’s beauty. Encouraged by her mother to “fly the nest,” she joined the Air Force at 18 as a practical alternative to university. Finding her voice in a male-dominated system @ 6:25 LJ struggled to speak up in a challenging military culture. After commissioning in 2001, she stepped into leadership and policy work, eventually joining the team responding to the Broderick Review into the treatment of women in the ADF. Despite strong resistance and backlash, she became deeply committed to advocating for women and creating lasting change. Flight camps that changed recruitment for women pilots @ 14:46 LJ helped create the “Air Force Women Defying Gravity” flight camps, giving young women hands-on exposure to aviation and technical careers. Instead of lectures, participants experienced flying, mentoring, and life on base. The program also uncovered recruitment biases and helped increase women pilot recruitment from 2.4% to around 13%, with the model later adopted internationally. Deployments to Afghanistan, Iraq and Syria @ 19:24 As a gender advisor in conflict zones, LJ witnessed extraordinary resilience from women risking their lives for safety, security, and freedom. She shares the heartbreak of the Afghan withdrawal, the trauma carried by women in war zones, and the frustration of seeing women’s voices ignored despite their expertise. She also recalls physically moving her chair to the table during a briefing, refusing to stay invisible. Working with UN Women in New York @ 30:07 At UN Women, LJ worked at the intersection of military operations and women’s rights. She collaborated with peacekeeping organisations worldwide and saw firsthand how women’s inclusion leads to stronger peace outcomes. Travelling through Central Asia, she was struck by how some countries were far more progressive about women in military leadership than Australia. Leaving the military after 30 years @ 37:24 Transitioning out of Defence was deeply emotional for LJ. Returning from New York, she felt disconnected from the organisation and grieved the loss of identity that came with leaving service. She speaks honestly about unlearning decades of conditioning, reclaiming her authentic self, and finding freedom in no longer having to conform to military expectations. Women Veterans Australia and the Phoenix Program @ 45:09 As Chair of Women Veterans Australia, LJ now advocates for better support systems for women leaving military service. She highlights alarming suicide statistics among women veterans and the gaps caused by systems originally built for men. Through programs, grants, mentoring, and women-only support spaces, the organisation is helping women veterans reconnect, heal, and rebuild. Living authentically and reclaiming personal power @ 55:15 For LJ, living in women’s power means owning your space, speaking your truth, and surrounding yourself with supportive people. She shares the importance of authentic relationships, mutual encouragement, and letting go of environments that diminish others. Advice to her younger self @ 57:14 If she could speak to her 18-year-old self, LJ would simply say: “You’ve got this.” She reflects on the importance of taking opportunities, finding the right support network, and trusting that even life’s hardest challenges can lead somewhere meaningful.
