The women I love ❤️
I wanted to take this moment, this day, to acknowledge a few of the amazing women in my life.
Me, my sister Kate and my mum Toni
My mum — Toni Planinsek — born an entrepreneur but limited by the rules for women at the time, she went into teaching (it was teaching or nursing at university, and even that went against her father’s wishes and opinion of a woman’s place). Finally supported and encouraged to pave her own path, she launched a second career in the later part of her life and built an incredibly successful business (and successful exit!). She supported many causes through-out her life, and in partnership with my father was brave and bold enough to adopt my two younger brothers from their challenging circumstances, as she simply felt that was the right thing to do. Not only that, she dedicated herself to encouraging all girls and women she met (and that was many as a headmistress of a leading girl’s school in Melbourne, Australia) that we should all be courageous, to always fight for what we want, that gender should never be allowed to hold us back. “Be BOLD, be brave!” she was forever telling me. She even wrote a book to help women! I miss you mum x
My sister — Kate Gray — born a runner but she didn’t realize it until she was in her 20’s and has since there isn’t a race in a remote part of the world she hasn’t conquered, including the Polar Marathon in Greenland which she ran, and then woke up the next day and did the half marathon because well, why not? She has been raising my nieces Sarah Gowdey and Isabelle Gowdey to be similarly brave and bold, together she and Sarah even climbed Mount Kilimanjaro a couple of years back. Sarah was 11 years old at the time! Inspirational doesn’t do it justice. Read more about their climb here.
My step-daughters Sarah & Hannah, my daughters Charlotte & Sophie. These four girls light up my life in so many colors and Im so grateful to be playing the role of supporting you to “Be Bold” and I love that I learn more from each of you than I could ever expect to teach.
My best friend Sarah Galvin, who has been at my side (holding me up, catching me, laughing with me, celebrating with me, first pregnancy at the same time, and just always being there for me) for over 20 years (!!). Sarah chose to be an at home mum and wife — and she is without a doubt the best one I know (of both!). She helps me stay balanced, to see the trees through the woods and she is one of my greatest inspirations. And there is no roped off area we cant get to, and become the stars of!
My best friend Penny Davy-Whyte, we met as opponents across the table fighting for one of the biggest accounts in Australia. And quickly our mutual respect turned to lifelong friendship. She has launched her own business recently and I was so proud and excited to visit her offices on a recent trip to Australia. Penny’s sons have become my son’s best friends in the world and I know why. Like Penny, they are smart, empathetic, loyal, dedicated, extraordinarily kind and always the first people you want to invite over when you need some love, or are keen to celebrate something wonderful.
My best friend Nicole Wilson. We met professionally and became the deepest of friends, fast. She moved in with me when I was on my own , going through some of my toughest times, and inspired some of my greatest adventures. Many of my best ever holidays are so because my darling friend Nicole was there. She saw me at the highest of heights of career potential, and never stopped pushing and supporting me to “Be Bold” to get there. Nicole was my forever friend. I will always see her well, and I miss her terribly every, single, day. Her strength and courage during her battle with breast cancer was phenomenal, she could find a way to be grateful every day, read about it in her words here.
My mother-in-law, Linda. Sadly, I never had the chance to meet Linda, but I can see in her son and her daughter what an incredible woman she was, her legacy lives on in very powerful and tangible ways. Linda raised her son, my husband, to marry a bold and ambitious woman, and in turn, he’s now raising his daughters to be bold, ambitious and independent women too.
Im very blessed, and very grateful. Happy International Women’s Day. Be bold!
