KATE OSBORNE
Nominee for what Award/s
Outstanding Connector Award
Everyday Trailblazer Award
Mums Who Move Mountains Award
Outstanding Connector Award
Outstanding Connector Award
1. What motivates you to build community or connection?
I grew up in a large family as youngest of 6 kids with many cousins and friends, when I was approached to start my business I looked for other like minded people to connect with - after 2 years I started my own community which grew to over 1000 business leaders. I am motivated to collaborate and cheer others on so we can do life together.
2. Tell us about a time your connecting skills transformed a space or event.
I met a woman who had a son with a disability requiring surgery however she had lost all of her money due to a corrupt business deal. I was attending a global coaches conference in Fiji where I pitched a charity event to raise the money for the surgery - we had 17 coaches participate and played a business games where we challenged our coaching clients to see if their lawyer or Accountant are smarter, we sold tables of clients to play alongside starting in New Zealand at 7 pm and finishing in Oxford UK with almost 24 solid hours of coaching lessons. The kk why was raised and the operation successful too.
3. How do you make others feel seen and included?
I continue to run an event for $97 each quarter for 4 hours where any business leader can come and plan their next 12 weeks, join others for lunch and meet like minded leaders- I have clients who have been coming for 20 years. I also call my clients to check in regularly after they discontinue coaching . I value the long term relationships I have been blessed with.
4. What has building a community taught you about leadership?
Building a community requires patience and consistency - people may drop off the radar for a while however when they finally pick up the phone they tell me I am one of the few people who reach out through the hard times.
5. What legacy do you hope your connections leave behind?
Compassion and an Abundance mindset. People come in for a season or a reason however they always find a welcome smile when they reach out.
Everyday Trailblazer Award
Everyday Trailblazer Award
1. What male-dominated space or tradition did you step into?
In 2001 few females were coaching in construction, I was referred into Multiplex and worked with the Chief negotiator to improve his Sales Technique - Don White increased his business profits and also used the techniques to repair a relationship with his 14 year old daughter. I ended up coaching women in Construction for many years.
2. What barriers or stereotypes did you face?
The biggest barrier was cashflow , as a female in my late 20s the only funding available was credit cards at 12% interest. I worked with Westpac and won the most outstanding women in Business Award and was able to coach the executive team which allowed me to rapidly elevate my loan to scale my business and then built a cohort of private financiers.
I I broke the stereotype that you can’t be a Mum AND a Business Coach - I had 3 kids in 4 years whilst managing a team of coaches.
3. How did you stay motivated when facing resistance?
My best friend talked to me each day and helped me to see that more women would relate to me if I just told the truth.
4. What does being a trailblazer mean to you now?
I can help more young women and my daughter with the utmost confidence and integrity.
5. How do you want to open doors for the next generation?
Giving them the roadmaps and the soft skills to achieve faster success at a cheaper price tag than I had to pay.
Mums who move mountains
Mums who move mountains
1: Share a story where you balanced motherhood and ambition.
In 2009 I crowd funded to the global coaches to create a couples in business series of 52 short sessions to help men and women connect better within their marriages. We presold enough courses to purchase a green screen and editing equipment and with my business partner we released the series for just $1 per day to help other coaches who had clients that were struggling within their businesses. When the GFC hit globally we had a database of over 1000 business leaders and a community to support though the following 10 years- this series was then added to all podcast channels for free where it still helps couples today.
2: What inner strength helped you carry it all?
I have always had a strong faith and sense that my life is lived to serve others. As my kids started school I engaged in the process of talking to them daily about the principles I taught adults , my kids are my roles models to this day and inspire me to be the best version of myself. They are now 19.18 and 15 and all successful happy people.
3: How do you lead your family and your community at once?
I have a very clear rhythm to my year that has worked for my family. Each January we set goals as a family and have 4 10 week sprints and a couple of weeks holiday in between to celebrate what we have achieved. Weekly we have a roster of Wow lists to ensure that everyone contributes equally and I invest Wednesday solely to working - on that day my husband is the first port of call for the kids and my friend looks after all the kids needs, my EA stacks my tasks on this day.
It is critical that one day is exclusive for business and 4 days a blend and 2 days for family for me to feel like I can balance community and family with integrity.
4: What sacrifices have you made, and what joys have you gained?
No Maternity leave was a sacrifice I made , my business required me at that time however when the kids were 4.6 and 7 we took them away for 10 weeks to travel the world as a family spending quality time. We visited Disneyworld and Atlantis resort in the Bahamas before spending the US Summer with cousins in a lake house. We visited all the cousins and made lifelong memories that kept me going another decade.
5: What message would you give to other mums feeling overwhelmed?
Learn how to Breathe effectively to regulate stress, in motherhood those first 10 seconds can be the difference between a calm household or an anxious household. In a team, everyone is looking to the leader - taking a few deep breaths and asking a quality question can allow the team to clarify the priorities and step forward more collaboratively.