For International Women’s Day recently the Sydney Morning Herald ran a double page spread titled “Women of Influence: wise words that inspired”.  It celebrated the 125^th anniversary of South Australian women making history as the first in the world to run for parliament and asked 20 Australian women of influence this question: What’s the best advice you got from your mother or a mentor? All the answers were insightful but these four stood out to me in terms of their relevance to Physie.

Kym Elphinstone, Managing Director of Articulate PR said “My mother taught me to always bring your best. If a job’s worth doing, it’s worth doing well. Her high standards instilled in me a strong work ethic, meticulous attention to detail and to never stop trying. Gender wasn’t part of the conversation in our house.”

Elizabeth Ann Mac Gregor, director of the Contemporary Museum of Art, said her mother taught her: “Follow your passion and don’t be derailed by what others think.”

Edwina Throsby, head of Talks & Ideas at the Sydney Opera House said “When I think about the best advice I’ve received, it’s pretty much all about confidence… We are acculturated to doubt ourselves, brutally self-criticise, and it’s the job of older women to help younger women out of these highly gendered traps. So I’m grateful to the strong women for the following advice: Don’t say sorry unless you’ve actually done something wrong.”

Jess Miller, City of Sydney Councillor said “Never over-estimate the competition… as soon as you start thinking someone is going to beat you, you’ve already lost.”

All great advice from strong, confident, female leaders who love empowering other women. I hope their words will inspire you too.

For the full list, go to Sydney Morning Herald, 8/3/19 pages 12-13.