Outstanding Connector Award

1.    What motivates you to build community or connection?

Fundamentally, it’s because I know what it’s like to feel like you don’t belong. I’ve been the new one, the outsider, the person wondering if anyone would notice if I didn’t show up. From enduring this feeling from changing schools every few years to being sent to different locations for work to “fix them” and then starting a business yourself. I’ve lived it and honestly. That feeling sticks with you.

So now, I notice people and I will go out of my way to notice people and connect with them. I make sure they’re seen, heard, included even if they don’t say a word. I build community because I don’t believe anyone should do life or business alone. It can be hard, isolating, and overwhelming, especially when you’re trying to juggle everything and keep your head above water.

What motivates me is knowing that one genuine connection. That one person who says, “You’re doing amazing” or “Me too” those words and that moment can shift everything. I’ve seen it happen repeatedly: women walking into a room unsure if they should even be there, and walking out with new friends, new confidence, and a spark that wasn’t there before. And that momentum is hard to stop once it gets going. I’ve seen it happen in a local setting with my networking group for the past 7 years and now nationwide through my Australian Ladies in Business Community.

I love watching people come out of their shell, realise they’re not too much or not enough. They are just them and that is a beautiful thing especially when they then go out and support others to do the same. That’s the kind of energy I live for, the more I see it the more it motivates me to keep going, keep connecting and keep building this community as not only does it ricochet through the members of my communities but also out to their friends, families and strangers they encounter.

2.    Tell us about a time your connecting skills transformed a space or event.

When I first launched the ALIBI Awards, I honestly wasn’t sure what would happen. I just knew women in business deserved to be recognised. Not just the ones with huge followings, lots of marketing or making lots of money but the ones doing amazing things behind the scenes, in between school runs, full-time jobs, or self-doubt.

What happened next still blows my mind. It started as a little idea in my local area, and now there are ALIBI Award winners with purple crystal trophies in every state and territory across Australia even rural towns that you can only reach by helicopter. It is now in its fourth year, but the real transformation wasn’t just in the awards night itself. It was in the ripple effect.

I’ve seen women finally step into the spotlight because someone nominated them. I’ve seen people collaborate, launch podcasts, grow their confidence, and say “yes” to bigger opportunities all because someone made them feel like they belonged. I’ve seen women put themselves forward for other award programs and taken trophies home. That’s what connection does.

The awards weren’t just about who won. They became a nationwide movement. One where people feel supported, encouraged, and part of something bigger. And that’s what I’m most proud of.

3.    How do you make others feel seen and included?

The secret is, I pay attention. It’s not about doing anything fancy or hard to do, it’s about actually noticing people.

I remember their names. I reply to the quiet ones. I reach out to the lurkers in my communities. I make sure the woman who doesn’t feel “successful enough” to belong knows she absolutely does.

Whether it’s in my awards, my networking events, my hypnotherapy space, or even just my inbox, I lead with real connection. Not surface level stuff but real connection. I send voice notes when someone’s having a rough day. I cheer people on both publicly and privately. I go out of my way to make sure people don’t feel left out or overlooked, especially the ones who’d never ask for attention.

And I try to create spaces where there’s no pressure to perform. You don’t have to be the loudest or most polished to be welcome in my world. You just have to be YOU! I genuinely believe everyone brings something special to the table as we are each amazingly unique so I make damn sure they know it.