A holistic program for women who want to navigate their careers with courage, clarity and authenticity.

Sound familiar?

You'd like to be more proactive about your career, but your good intentions are consistently thwarted by an overflowing inbox and a never-ending To Do list.
You’re spending so much time and energy on meeting other people's needs and expectations that you rarely contemplate the question 'what do *I* want and need?'.
You know that gender equality requires cultural and systemic change - but while that change is underway, you could do with some fresh input on how to navigate your existing terrain with courage and confidence.

What might your average day/week/year look like if you had:

Career Courage

The skills to dial down your inner critic, build your workplace presence and profile, recover from setbacks and take action even when you feel fearful, awkward or uncertain.

Career Clarity

The ability to articulate your unique combination of skills, strengths and needs, identify how to develop your capabilities and profile in your current role and plan for the next phase of your life and career.

Career Confidence

The self-belief to make daily choices and bigger decisions based on your own values and priorities - not on gendered social norms, fear of the unknown or other people's expectations.

Sound good? Read on ...

It's no news to you that being a woman can have a massive impact on your career and working life.

Yes, gender equality has come a long way in the Australian workforce in recent decades. But gender can still play a big role in career progression, experiences, opportunities and aspirations.

For a start, many of us are still contending with:

Persistent gender stereotypes

(men are insensitive, women are emotional) that are totally unhelpful to both women and men ... but tend to be especially troublesome for women in the workplace.

A brain-breaking mental load

... thanks to outdated social norms that still see women undertaking the lion's share of caring and housework - even in heterosexual relationships in which the woman is the breadwinner.

Equally persistent gendered social messages

that influence our self-perception, our expectations and our behaviours (‘be nice’, ‘don’t be pushy’, and, perhaps most problematic of all ‘other people’s needs should always come first’).

The well-documented Double Bind for women in - or aspiring to - leadership

Too feminine? Likeable, but not leadership material. Too masculine? A competent leader, perhaps, but not very likeable.

... sometimes gets a bit wearisome, doesn't it?

But waiting around for things to change is
not much of a plan.

And you:

✔️ want to be proactive and positive about your career and working life.

✔️ know there are plenty of things that you could do more of, or less of, or differently, to find greater career and life fulfilment.

✔️ long to feel excited about your professional future, and equipped for the (inevitable) career challenges that lie ahead.

Imagine having the time, headspace, guidance and support to get clear on where, what and who you want to be - and being equipped with the skills, tools and courage to make it happen.

Day-to-day that might look like:

Establishing (and maintaining!) very clear boundaries at work and at home so that you can focus on the people, tasks and activities that matter most.

Feeling energised when someone asks 'what do you do?' or 'what's next for you?' or 'where are you at career-wise?' because you know exactly how to respond.

Focusing on the small daily joys of the journey and letting go of people-pleasing and perfectionism.

Finding moments - maybe even multiple consecutive minutes! - to rest and regenerate without feeling guilty for being 'unproductive'.

Introducing

the Career Catalyst Program for Women

An holistic program that supports women to build career courage, clarity and conference, and equips them with the tools and skills to follow through.

CAREER CATALYST COMPRISES THREE ELEMENTS:

1. Pre-Program Preparation and online Introductory workshop

2. A 2-day in-person workshop in which you'll:

Build or hone your authentic leadership identity

Articulate strengths, skills and purpose, expand your
career courage and understand gender dynamics.

Learn how to manage stress effectively and cultivate calm

Develop fierce and tender self-compassion, draw on mindfulness, set and maintain boundaries.

Develop your ability to communicate with power, presence and purpose

Dial down self-doubt and cultivate leadership presence with mind, body, language and voice.

Learn how to navigate challenging team and organisational dynamics

Build influence, manage conflict effectively and develop a Career Support Crew.

3. x3 online Implementation Sessions which provide ongoing accountability, an opportunity to troubleshoot, experiment, celebrate successes and share insights and support with your co-participants.

Here's previous participants describe their Career Catalyst experience:

〞

I came into Catalyst burned out, uninspired and with no sense of direction. By the time it finished, I was filled with energy and hope - and equipped with some really specific tools to do things differently back in my workplace.

"Catalyst was invaluable not only for my career direction but also for my mental health. Since completing the Program I've been really proactive in my approach to my career. Thank you, Anna, for developing such an incredible program - you've changed the trajectory of my career - and my life - for the better."

- Hayley Silenieks, Psychosocial Recovery Coach

〞

Catalyst is far and away the best professional development I have ever done. I cannot speak highly enough of Anna - she has this incredible ability to really see people and draw out what's going on for them - to shine a light on long-held beliefs and behaviours and challenge them in an incredibly respectful and succinct way.

"She then provides a whole suite of skills and tools that actually work - that have helped me to enormously in my career, but have also empowered me to manage my whole life better."

- Karen Garrett, Strategic Advisor, South Australian State Government

〞

Although I had been impressed by Anna as a speaker, the Catalyst Program surpassed every expectation I had. It's changed who I am and who I'm going to become.

"Prior to the Program I didn't consider myself ambitious, and was oblivious to many of my skills, qualities and strengths. Soon after completing Catalyst I applied for a role that I would never have previously contemplated - and was successful. Words can't express how grateful I am for the opportunities, confidence and connections that Catalyst gave me."

- Maddie, Marketing Manager, NFP sector

Hi, I'm Anna

I started my first business 13 years ago, when my firstborn was 6 weeks old (not something I'd recommend 😜). My mission: to help women take charge of their lives and careers.

➡️ Not by telling them that if they’re sufficiently positive, confident and determined, everything will fall into place.

➡️ Not by promising them that if they just try hard enough, they can ‘have it all’.

➡️ Not by pretending that it’s only their own self-talk that’s holding them back.

... but by recognising the reality that gendered social expectations still influence our self-perception and our life experiences.

While much of my work now is helping corporate and government organisations create more diverse and inclusive workplaces, I’ve never stopped coaching women who want more out of their lives and careers. I'm thrilled to be returning to in-person women's development with the Career Catalyst Program.

What's different about Hacks for Her?

1. WE'RE ALL ABOUT CAREER AND LIFE NAVIGATION SKILLS.

Most women's development activities focus primarily on leadership skills. While the skills you learn in Hacks for Her will undoubtedly benefit your leadership capabilities, your career and life fulfilment are are our top priorities.

2. WE GET THE COMPLEXITIES OF GENDER DYNAMICS AT WORK AND AT HOME.

Career advice for women all too often over-emphasises the role of confidence and under-emphasises the social factors that impact women's lives and careers. At Hacks for Her we know that confidence is a real challenge for many women - and we know that there's much more to career success than building confidence.

3. WE HAVE A RELENTLESS FOCUS ON IMPLEMENTATION SKILLS.

Human beings are notoriously poor at translating good intentions into action. Which is why in the Hacks for Her membership, implementation skills, including Dr BJ Fogg's Tiny Habits^®methodology, are included in everything we do.

Frequently Asked Questions

What if I can’t attend the online Introductory session or one of the Implementation Sessions?

I'm not especially ambitious - will Career Catalyst still be useful?

Can I attend only 1 or 1.5 days of the in-person workshop?

Still not sure if the Career Catalyst Program is for you?

Career Catalyst is for you if you're:

✔️ ready to take a more proactive, positive approach to your career

✔️ in need of a dose of inspiration, motivation and support to discover - or rediscover - your career mojo

✔️ open to building your self-awareness through reflection, feedback and sharing your experiences and insights with other women

✔️ ready to stop relegating your own needs and aspirations to the backburner and start making yourself and your aspirations a daily priority.

Best to give Career Catalyst a miss if:

🚫 you don't believe there's any value in exploring the ways in which gender can impact on self-perception, the expectations of others or workplace and career experiences.

🚫 you're not interested in exploring the possibility that there are some things you could be thinking about or doing differently that could bring you greater career fulfilment.

🚫 you want to focus only on how you can contribute to systemic, cultural or structural change (go you!), not on how you can navigate the existing terrain.

🚫 you're not in a space where you can be open to trying new things, considering different perspectives or contributing to group discussions.