As professionals, women tend to find their fair share of loneliness in many areas. Whether self-employed or at the top of our corporate career, we often put our noses to the grindstone and climb the rungs of the ladder until we reach the success we’ve been striving for. Once we’re there and we take a gander around, we realize that we’ve finally made it, we’re at the top – but we’re there alone.
If the culture surrounding, not only corporate work environments but those coming from self-employed backgrounds, could shift to a culture that embraces collaboration – women could come together to achieve amazing things.
On our way to the top, we may face the nasty experience of burnout. Whether it be career, motherhood, entrepreneurship, or some combination of the three, while we are busy climbing our way up, our cups are being drained.
I talked with Shannah Kennedy and Colleen Callander about ways to pour back into yourself while still staying the course to achieving amazing things in business and personal life. One of the big breakthroughs they speak of is collaboration with other female professionals and inclusivity in social circles meant for building other women up instead of tearing each other down.
I think we can all agree that the road we travel as women is already difficult enough. Why should we continue to make it harder for each other when we can come together and accomplish so much more?
Tune in to this episode to learn the ways in which you can collaborate and encourage the great women in your life while keeping your tank full and steering clear of burnout. We rise by lifting others.
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ABOUT THE GUEST
Colleen Callander
Colleen Callander is an award-winning CEO with a proven track record in building brands, creating winning cultures and building environments that allow people to be inspired and empowered, and organisations to grow and flourish.
Colleen is now sharing not only the past 13 years’ experience as a CEO but also the past 30 years of her industry expertise and leadership knowledge through Callander & Co.
Born and raised in Geelong, Colleen was brought up in a hard-working business focused family where there was always a job to do. After working in family businesses from as young as she can remember, Colleen had her first taste of retail at the age of 16. Unbeknown to her at the time, this summer job would be the start of a fashion retail career spanning over 30 years with 13 of those years at the helm of two of Australia’s iconic fashion brands – Sportsgirl and Sussan.
Colleen is an inspiration to women of all generations and encourages women globally to have the confidence to believe in themselves, share their voice, find the superpower within, and become the leader they always wanted to be in business and in life. Colleen also wants to change the rule and encourage a ‘new era’ of leadership – one where we lead with kindness, compassion, authenticity, and self-awareness, and one where we put people at the heart of everything we do.
Colleen is passionate about creating a world where people feel more confident, and inspired and empowered to live each day with clarity and purpose and where organisations thrive through the way they lead.
Colleen is an influential and dynamic force in Australia and believes that you don’t even need a title to be a leader. “We have the ability to lead every day, with every action, every reaction, every interaction, and every decision we make”.
Colleen has shared her journey as a guest speaker at multiple conferences and events, including the Sportsgirl Fashion launches, Business Chicks Australia, Inside Retail, The Agency Leaders Symposium, National Retail Association, and Conversation With Thought Leaders.
Most recently, Colleen has been listed as one of the top 10 Influential Business Leaders Making a Difference in 2021 by World’s Leaders and in 2014 was awarded the highly commended CEO of the Year Award, The CEO Magazine – ANZ, which she was also a judge for in 2012. Colleen is also an opinion columnist for the CEO WORLD Magazine.
In May 2021, Colleen launched her book ‘LEADER BY DESIGN’ which has been met with rave reviews and immense success, including being nominated as a finalist in the 2021 Australian Business Book Awards.
Colleen is no stranger to the media having appeared on Sky News, The CEO Institute, Ticker NEWS and has been interviewed by the likes of The Weekend Australian, Money Magazine, The Australian, Business Women Media, GT Magazine, Women On Topp and Thrive Global to name a few.
Shannah Kennedy
Shannah Kennedy had an incredible career in sports management and sponsorship working with over 100 Olympic and elite athletes until she hit burnout and was diagnosed with Chronic Fatigue Syndrome and depression.
She hired a life coach for herself to shift out of the darkness, review, reset and refocus her life. In 2000 she studied to be one of Melbourne’s first life coaches, focusing on coaching athletes into retirement after seeing so much destruction in their lives outside of sports.
Shannah Kennedy is now a leading business and life coach and master strategist, trusted by her clients across the spectrum of business, sport, and entertainment. She challenges people to rethink their relationships with work, well-being, and life.
“We work to discover
who you really are without the title.”
