Women At Work Samantha Sutherland

Carolina Giraldo was eight months pregnant, facing the prospect of giving birth alone at the start of the pandemic and about to lose her business as retail sales completely stopped with the uncertainty of COVID. With 180 employees across Colombia and Australia, people were relying on her for their livelihoods when things started to shut down. One of the proudest moments of her life is managing to keep every single employee on and reinventing her business to make that possible. Now with two small children and a growing business,  she is working to balance her family and her business, and all the competing responsibilities.

Wendy Tuohy is a journalist and columnist focusing on gender equality, women and work, women's safety and social issues. This is a fascinating conversation with someone who understands what’s going on by speaking daily with women who are impacted by systemic barriers, unfair workplace practices and inequality in the home and outside it. She saw what an impossible situation women are put in at work when they become mothers, and is passionate about sharing the truth about our lives, how we’re impacted by policies and legislation, and how it all shows up in our relationships and families. Wendy is hugely knowledgeable about our lived reality, this is a fascinating conversation.

Koa Beck on White Feminism

Having stuck it out in a workplace where she was disrespected and shut down to the extent that it was detrimental to her health, Charmaine Loratet won’t do that again, and she doesn’t want anyone else to live through that either. She is passionate about supporting women to be the most authentic version of themselves, so they can show up fully at work and in life. Charmaine also shared her very personal IVF story in this episode. She wants to normalise the conversation about IVF, but also about anything important that is happening in our lives. Work and life are so intertwined that we can’t separate them, and we can’t possibly show up authentically if we feel we have to hide a part of ourselves.  Charmaine’s bright, bubbly energy and her passion for supporting women really shines through in this recording.

Investigative journalist Jess Hill wrote the award-winning See What You Made Me Do, about the national emergency of domestic abuse in Australia. It’s a riveting but deeply distressing look at the real-life stories of women and children, how the justice system enables abusers, and hope for reducing violence through community intervention. Please note there is a content warning on this episode. It’s incredibly important listening, but it’s also upsetting at points, and we discuss family violence and child abuse.

Diversity Council of Australia CEO Lisa Annese is a self-described feminist and activist, working to improve gender equality in Australian workplaces. She is passionate about the connection between the gendered roles we still expect at home with a lack of progress for women in workplaces.  Lisa shared research from the DCA that shows men’s mental health and wellbeing benefits from being in gender equal relationships, families and workplaces. The conversation around men’s mental health and women wanting flexibility and support in the workplace are two sides of the same coin, and Lisa’s deep knowledge around gender issues led us on a fascinating discussion.