HOW DO WE SOLVE THE MOST WICKED PROBLEMS OF THE WORLD RIGHT NOW?

Right now the world has plenty of wicked problems worth solving.

👉🏽🌏Climate change?.
👉🏽💲Income disparity?
👉🏽🍚 Poverty?
👉🏽🚑 Healthcare?
👉🏽⚖️ The Gender Gap?
👉🏽🤖 The ethics of AI?
👉🏽💣 Terrorism?

But we need many more female innovators, inventors, entrepreneurs, design thinkers and can-doers to get cracking on the solving.💡 @girledworld we teach high school girls how to think like entrepreneurs, use innovation and #designthinking tools and get hands on tackling real-world industry, economic and social challenges so they can start solving tomorrow’s problems today.✔️

Thank you to the amazing #WhiteLightEducationpeeps and our awesome industry #DesignThinkingchallenge partners @microsoftau @virginaustralia and #WomenForElectionAustralia who join us @sydney_uni next Friday February 15 for the #girledworld #WorldOfWork Summit NSW.

We have an all-day, hands-on 🙌🏽 head-on💡#designthinking intensive workshop planned, which will give 100’s of NSW high school and tertiary students real-world innovation tools in real-world problem-solving (plus they earn a micro-credential for their resumes!) 

#DesignThinking is a process for creative problem-solving - an innovation methodology extremely useful for tackling complex problems that are ill-defined or unknown. The process involves deeply understanding the context and human needs involved, reframing the real problem in human-centric ways, and then coming up with lots of ideas in group brainstorming sessions which are rapidly worked up into testable prototypes.

We can’t wait to see the solutions they come up with by the end of the day!

#girledworld WOW Summit NSW 🌏
SPEAKERS + FULL 2-DAY PROGRAM AVAILABLE HERE.
Last spots and tickets available HERE. 
A lifetime of learning.

Women across Australia pledge time to mentor teenage girls for International Womens Day 2019

GIRLS NEED TO SEE WHAT THEY COULD BE

girledworld is excited to announce our national partnership with Virgin Australia for the CmeO International Women's Day 2019 campaign.

The partnership will see girledworld and Virgin Australia activate in multiple workplaces, events and industries across the country and see hundreds of women pledge an hour (or more) of time on Friday March 8 to enable a teenage girl to 'shadow' them at work. Watch the campaign video here.

girledworld CmeO Ambassadors include Libby Armstrong, Holly Ransom, Sushi Das, Anna Leibel, Lisa Leong and many other outstanding female leaders who will spend time sharing their career story and skills and mentoring a teenage girl on the day, and will also feature in the See Me role models mini-documentary being filmed by girledworld and Virgin Australia in major cities across Australia on Friday March 8, 2019.

Women in workplaces across Australia are invited to join the campaign. Learn more here.

The girledworld CmeO IWD2019 Virgin Australia campaign aims to enable teenage girls (aged 15-18 years) to gain real-world workplace education, career mentorship and immersive industry discovery, and to encourage them to pursue future career pathways in STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering and Math), Aviation, Media, Politics, Finance, and other industries currently under-represented by females. #balanceforbetter

Engaging young people in immersive work experiences is crucial to informing their choices, opening their frame of reference and equipping them with the entrepreneurial mindsets, 21st Century foundational skill sets, intercultural competence and career self-management skills they will require for the rapidly shifting global future workforce.  

"We need to ensure young people today are getting access inside today's workplaces so they can meet real-world mentors, cultivate the transferrable enterprise skills they will need and understand what their future employment and career pathways could look like," says Madeleine Grummet, girledworld Cofounder + CEO and mother of four daughters.

RESEARCH REVEALS GIRLS NEED ROLE MODELS

CmeO is a high-impact, transformative opportunity for girls to access workplace mentors to help them see what they could be. Recent research conducted by girledworld and University of Melbourne Master of Management and Master of International Development postgraduates examined the importance of industry role models in the character development and career pathways of teenage girls (aged 13-18 years).

The research revealed the most powerful determinant of a young girls’ future success is her access to a tribe of visible, capable role models because when girls can identity their own unique emerging strengths and skills, and then see their 'like' abilities and skills reflected in women leading companies, running countries and founding businesses, they are more likely to shift their frame of reference to imagine this as their future selves.

Mentors therefore perform a critical role in teaching and showing girls how to identify and cultivate talents and skills, and feel safe in trying new experiences, so they can lay down foundational career pathway goals early through subject selections and work experience.

The research also showed that a lack of female role models and systemic gender imbalance in the STEM sector contributed to the attrition rate of girls out of STEM subjects, sector-specific work experience selections and a diminishing confidence in pursuing careers in STEM, and that had a compound effect as girls entered the upper years of high school.

"Role models matter. Girls need to see what they could be. It's access that's the critical factor," says girledworld Cofounder and COO Edwina Kolomanski.

"Parents and educators are struggling to provide students with enough insight about the future of work and 21st century careers and skill requirements.

We want to change the way young women view their potential career opportunities and employment pathways, and help them realise how their strengths and interests could lead them into a job in the future. By inviting girls, including those from disadvantaged communities, to explore their interests further and gain insights from leading women across Australian industries, we can help them make informed choices, start building future skills and, hopefully, make their dream jobs a reality."

GIRLEDWORLD CMEO IS HAPPENING ACROSS AUSTRALIA ON INTERNATIONAL WOMEN’S DAY 2019. FRIDAY MARCH 8, 2019.

International Women's Day 2019 theme is #BalanceforBetter #IWD2019.

Please join the campaign and mentor a high school girl for the day.

Watch the CAMPAIGN VIDEO below and SIGN UP to pledge your time or get your whole workplace team to take part!

More details here.

Anna Leibel brings big technology career story to girledworld WOW Summit NSW!

WE LOVE CELEBRATING WOMEN WHO ARE KICKING GOALS.

AND ANNA LEIBEL IS KICKING QUITE A FEW.

Anna, UniSuper's Executive Manager of Technology, will share her big career story and technology leadership tips with hundreds of secondary school girls at the girledworld NSW WOW Summit at the University of Sydney on Saturday February 16, 2019.

LAST TICKETS ON-SALE VIA EVENTBRITE. CLICK HERE TO PURCHASE.

Read below for Anna's powerful story and see here to learn more about UniSuper.
(This article was first published on Industry Moves, April 2018.)

A love of innovative technology has been wired into Anna Leibel's DNA, having first started coding when she was still in primary school. Now, as executive manager of technology at UniSuper - which is just one of the roles within her 'portfolio career' - Anna has been charged with forming a new IT strategy for the $65 billion fund. She tells Industry moves about the strategy's goals, and also shares her decade long dream to launch her own firm, and about her involvement with some inspiring organisations.

IN YOUR ROLE AS EXECUTIVE MANAGER TECHNOLOGY AT UNISUPER, YOU HAVE BEEN DEVELOPING A NEW IT STRATEGY FOR THE FUND. CAN YOU TELL US ABOUT HOW THAT’S BEEN GOING?

First of all, it’s worth talking about what the IT strategy has been put in place to achieve. One of UniSuper’s strategic goals is to differentiate on service. This is reflected through the creation of the chief customer officer role that Lee Scales recently moved into. The key reason behind developing a new IT strategy was to help us prioritise the customer experience, for both our members and employers. From a technology perspective, we’re modernising the way that we bring value to our customers, which includes introducing new technologies, the time that it takes for us to deliver new products and services and also keeping information secure and safe. The new strategy will also see us leveraging our data further to help us make effective decisions and to personalise the member experience.

This is a three-year strategy with a roadmap that supports that timeline. Our strategy won’t change over this period but the roadmap might, as it’s designed to accommodate for any new technologies that come along the way. To achieve this, we will develop detailed plans 12 months at a time.

…AND WHAT ARE YOUR KEY GOALS WITH UNISUPER OVER THE NEXT 12 MONTHS?

Mobilising the majority of the initiatives within the roadmap to enable the IT transformation which includes how we can simplify our existing technologies and also looking at how we can use new technologies such as AI and automation. We will do this in partnership with our business stakeholders.

WHAT INITIALLY LEAD YOU DOWN THE TECHNOLOGY PATHWAY?

I started coding when I was 8 years old. I’m so grateful, and lucky, that my Dad chose to have computers in our house from a very early age. It has always been part of what I’ve done, so I find it really easy to adapt to new technologies; it comes naturally to me. My sister studied finance and still ended up working in technology – so there’s obviously something in our blood.

IN YOUR OPINION, WHAT’S ONE OF THE MOST INTERESTING AND INNOVATIVE START-UPS THAT YOU’VE COME ACROSS IN YOUR TIME?

There are two that I‘ve come across which stand out because of the solutions they’ve developed. The first is Emvisage, which is a cloud-based program portfolio management tool. It allows you to categorise your project portfolio and align that back to your business strategy, to make sure that you’ve got a balanced portfolio. It also helps you through demand management and resource planning.

The second one is Sinefa. This is a real-time network traffic intelligence platform. As we become higher users of digital services as a business, this helps us understand where the volume of traffic is within a network, to help make sure that we’ve got the right type of network bandwidth to support a great member experience.

WHAT LED YOU TO START UP YOU OWN CONSULTANCY FIRM, 110 PERCENT, AND CAN YOU TELL US A LITTLE ABOUT IT?

Starting my own consultancy firm has been a career aspiration of mine for about a decade. It’s been a natural progression for me; having worked at PwC in a technology consulting capacity, the roles that I’ve taken on at Telstra across technology and global sales and also the work that I did at Seek.com.au – which I still think is one of the most successful start-ups.

For me, 110 Percent is all about offering technology services around strategy development with a supporting implementation road map. Most importantly, it’s about the variety people and cultures that I experience. I love to help create a customer centric culture and help to get the buy-in so people understand why you’re making the changes that you are.

YOU ARE LISTED AS ONE OF THE WOMEN ON ‘THE CLICK LIST’ – A VETTED LIST OF FEMALES IN THE STEM INDUSTRIES AVAILABLE TO SPEAK AT EVENTS, BREAKING DOWN THE TRADITIONAL MALE-ONLY PANELS. HOW ELSE DO YOU THINK THE INDUSTRY CAN FURTHER ENGAGE WOMEN?

We all need to consider the role that we play around coaching, mentoring and sponsoring females. For me sponsorship has had the biggest impact on my career, while mentoring and coaching have been effective when I’m thinking about the next role I might be in or seek next.

Another thing to consider is the partnerships you have in place that have a female focus. That could be around communities or events. I enjoy ones that are across various industries, like Business Chicks, which means that I get to meet different types of people. More focused events include Women In Super and Wealth Management Leadership Summit and VIC ICT for Women, which is a Victorian IT focused networking group, who started The Click List.

Finally, it’s really important to seek diversity of thought within your team, in cross company interactions and choosing the vendors that you partner with. It’s important to have a representation of your customer base.

YOU MADE A DECISION TO LEAVE YOUR PREVIOUS CORPORATE ROLE IN FAVOUR OF WHAT IS CALLED A ‘PORTFOLIO CAREER’. HAVING DONE THAT FOR A WHILE NOW, HOW HAVE YOU FOUND THE SHIFT?

I have found the transition rewarding and full of learning and self-discovery. Firstly, I had to consider the type of work environment that I wanted to achieve and think about the things that energised me and made me happy. In Australia, a portfolio career is a fairly new way to work but it’s quite common overseas. The #gigeconomy is going to become a lot more popular over the next decade as the demand for technology skills and talent increases.

I wanted to work with a variety of people across technology start-ups. I want to make sure that I’m giving back around mentoring and coaching. I really love working in a corporate capacity and feel that it keeps my skills relevant. And I also love the flexibility that I have around being able to do some yoga teaching. I like being able to do a bit of everything!

EVERY YEAR I SIT DOWN AND PLAN HOW I WANT MY CAREER TO LOOK FOR THAT PARTICULAR YEAR. LAST YEAR WAS ALL ABOUT DOING THE COMPANY DIRECTORS COURSE, ESTABLISHING MY CONSULTING FIRM AND PARTICIPATING IN GIRLEDWORLD, WHICH IS A NOT-FOR-PROFIT THAT CAME OUT OF MELBOURNE UNIVERSITY’S ENTREPRENEURSHIP PROGRAM. GIRLEDWORLD HELPS TEENAGE GIRLS TO UNDERSTAND WHAT A CAREER IN STEM LOOKS LIKE AND ASSISTS IN BUILDING THE TALENT PIPELINE FOR THE NEXT GENERATION.

…AND WHAT ADVICE WOULD YOU OFFER TO SOMEONE WHO WAS CONSIDERING TAKING THE SAME LEAP?

Understand yourself and consider the type of environment you thrive in and enjoy. If you enjoy having a structured role and a defined scope, then a portfolio career might not be for you. It’s also important to know what makes you unique and understand your value proposition and why it’s relevant in today’s market. Lastly, you need to be resilient whilst you build momentum. Say ‘Yes’ to opportunities that allow you to demonstrate your value. Be creative in thinking of various ways to make this portfolio career work for you.

HOW DO YOU MAINTAIN A WORK/LIFE BALANCE, ESPECIALLY WITH YOUR WORK HOURS SHIFTING WEEK-TO-WEEK DUE TO YOUR PORTFOLIO OF PROFESSIONAL COMMITMENTS?

I no longer see a difference between work/life obligations. I go by the mantra that “if you love what you do, you’ll never work a day in your life.” I love what I’m doing now and even though I’m working longer hours than I ever have, I’ve never been happier. It doesn’t feel like work for me. I’m always continuing to learn and that’s what really satisfies me.

"IF YOU LOVE WHAT YOU DO YOU'LL NEVER WORK A DAY IN YOUR LIFE."

TOWARDS THE BEGINNING OF YOUR CAREER YOU WORKED FOR SEEK.COM.AU WHEN IT WAS A START-UP AND HAVE ATTRIBUTED YOUR TIME THERE AS A PIVOTAL ASPECT IN SHAPING THE LEADER YOU ARE TODAY. WHAT WAS ONE OF THE BEST LESSONS THAT YOU TOOK FROM THAT EXPERIENCE?

I was in my mid-twenties when I worked with Seek, and I took its amazing culture for granted. It was only years later, as I became a leader of teams and cultural change, that I started to reflect on the great environment that I experienced at Seek. I joined Seek when they were into their third year and were still working towards making a profit. What I loved about my role was that we weren’t confined to a job description. Once we mastered our own role, we became more efficient and then we were given the opportunity to try out new things and co-create a job that allowed us to be at our best. Upon reflection, it’s no wonder I ended up in a portfolio career as it provides the flexibility and variety I thrived on at Seek.

The other thing I learnt from this role, which ended up having a significant impact on my corporate career at Telstra, was finding ways to get stuff done without any money. I learnt how to be resourceful and pragmatic about what needed to be done.

WHAT’S A PIECE OF ADVICE THAT HAS STUCK WITH YOU?

I received this advice from a trusted CIO when I was entering my first large transformational role. He said: “It’s not a race to the end, but your ability to take people along on the journey.” At that time, I was so busy trying to prove myself in the role that I was speeding past the most important part and that was the people. This advice continues to resonate with me today and I keep it front of mind as I work as a leader of large transformational change.

WHO HAS HAD THE BIGGEST INFLUENCE ON YOUR LIFE/CAREER SO FAR?

Dr Catriona Wallace – she’s amazing. Catriona is a successful entrepreneur with five different start-ups and possesses a brilliant mind. I love the way she approaches business with honesty and authenticity. I was fortunate to partner with her during my time at Telstra and we co-created a new service. I learnt so much from her during this time and she has also introduced me to so many other amazing leaders who continue to influence and inspire me.

WHAT ARE YOUR TOP TIPS FOR EFFECTIVE NETWORKING AT INDUSTRY EVENTS?

Consider your elevator pitch before attending an event. Think about what it is that you do, or what you want to do, why it matters and what’s interesting about that.

Find a networking event that you feel comfortable with, that might be a casual coffee meet up or maybe you’d prefer a more traditional networking event. Networking is a hugely important part of your working life, although it’s often not prioritised. I suggest you try to attend one networking event per month and if you find these events daunting then try starting your own. I established a quarterly women’s networking dinner, which included like-minded people working in technology, so you can do something like that. I also recently heard about walking mentor sessions around Melbourne’s Botanical gardens, which is another really great idea.

FOR MORE ON THE GIRLEDWORLD WOW SUMMIT - UNIVERSITY OF SYDNEY - CLICK HERE

CLICK HERE TO PURCHASE LAST-MINUTE TICKETS

Women in the house: Teenage girls to redesign democracy at NSW girledworld Future of Work Summit

In the age of #Trump and a world that sees increasing polarisation and schoolyard squabble politics designed to divide rather than unite, more voices and organisations are rising up on and offline in support of more inclusive, diverse and representative political systems to address the most complex issues of our times.

We’ve decided to take matters into the hands of 100’s of teenage high school girls joining us at the girledworld NSW World of Work Summit in partnership with the University of Sydney next month!

Students have been set an all-day #DesignThinking challenge - How do we redesign Democracy for the Real World? - and will work in teams to design solutions and present to a panel of judges from SheEo, Telstra, Sydney startup accelerator muru-d, Fishburners - Australia's largest co-working community for #technology #startups at Jobs For NSW Sydney Startup Hub and White Light Education.

Students from across NSW will be immersed in the politics and gender debate, global and historical trends and deficits in democratic models, and the current systemic barriers and biases preventing women and girls from entering and participating in politics.

The recent announcement by Minister #KellyO’Dwyer - one of the most senior women in the Liberal Government - that she won’t recontest the next election, #JulieBishop’s Cabinet resignation and the continuing lack of diverse representation in Australian politics will provide plenty of fresh material for students to work with.

girledworld are pumped to partner with Women For Election Australia (WFEA), a not-for-profit, non-partisan organisation encouraging and supporting more women to succeed in Australian politics, for this girledworld WOW Challenge, and feature keynote speakers including #Wentworth by-election candidate Licia Heath, recently appointed CEO of WFEA, and Sonia Palmieri - UN Women policy specialist, Phd in Gender and Parliament, author, global parliamentary advisor and Adjunct Associate Professor with the 50/50 by 2030 Foundation, Institute for Governance and Policy Analysis, University of Canberra.

Other #girledworldsummit 2019 #DesignThinking Challenge partners include Microsoft Australia (Closing the STEMder Gap presented by Rita Arrigo - Microsoft Chief Digital Advisor) and Virgin Australia (Air Time: Upping Diversity in the Aviation Industry presented by Libby Armstrong - Virgin Australia Public Affairs Manager).

To purchase tickets and for more #girledworld WOW Summit NSW information click here.

BOOK TICKETS HERE.

"The world will never realize 100 per cent of its goals if 50 per cent of its people cannot realize their full potential. When we unleash the power of women, we can secure the future for all."
- UN Secretary General Ban Ki Moon

50 Faces: Why we need more good stories in the world

Political mud-slinging. Terrorist attacks. Trump.

It's so easy to sit with the bad news.

In 2017 Sian Gooden decided to switch focus and share more good by telling the stories behind the faces of 50 people contributing to building something bigger than themselves.

Our girledworld Cofounder and CEO Madeleine Grummet recently sat down with Sian to chat about girledworld - the Why, the Who and the What's Next?

Read the whole story, and meet 35 other faces, at www.50faces.com.au

And thank you to Sian, for spreading more good in the world :)

Read Madeleine’s 50 Faces story here.

girledworld WOW Summit - University of Sydney. TICKETS ON SALE NOW!

Our girledworld WOW Summit 2019 at the University of Sydney is fast approaching!

A transformational learning and mentorship event for teenage girls!

Build 21st Century employability skills, problem solve using Design Thinking in Challenge Teams, meet amazing global career mentors and get set to thrive in the Future of Work!

Get ready for two jam-packed days of real-world learning in partnership with the University of Sydney.

TICKETS ON SALE NOW! CLICK HERE

We spent the day at Square learning about careers inside a #TECH company!

Our girledworld WOW crew spent the rainy morning inside Square HQ meeting and filming some AMAZING women in tech careers📽💻

Their virtual STEM and industry stories coming to you very soon across our girledworld 2019 WOW Summits for teenagers at the University of Sydney and the City of Greater Geelong and in high schools right across the country as part of our Future of Work Masterclass series.

Young people need to see what they could be so they can make informed choices about their future career pathways.

Big thanks to Caitlin Walsh at Square for organising the awesome Square team!

Can’t wait to share! 🎙🙌🏽

girledworld grows capacity to scale to 1000's of girls across the world

Well, what a year! We’re still catching our breath after the last months.

We moved our growing @girledworld team to @Creative Cubes recently, and sat down to this interview to discuss our work with 1000's of teenage girls to unleash their potential and equip them with the career knowledge, global role models and 21st century skills they need to build their futures.

It's been a wild ride, with lots of learnings along the way. Startups are like that :) But we're on a mission to equip millions of students with what they need to succeed.

As part of our 2019 strategy and to enable us to scale our reach, we're expanding our capacity delivering #WorldofWork Summits in partnership with the @University of Sydney(February 2019), Geelong @Victorian State Government (May), Los Angeles USA (July) and Melbourne (September).

Our 'Future of Work' school programs in Design Thinking, Agile, Brave Leadership, Team Work, Startup and Entrepreneurial Thinking and Work Experience Ready are being delivered by facilitators in high schools right across Australia, connecting 1000's of girls with critical real-world learning pathways, leadership capability and career education.

And our big news is we're currently building a global World of Work careers and skills platform to give students (girls and boys) critical access to career mentor advice, micro-credentials and 21-century virtual work experience.

A huge thank you to all the students from @Haileybury who have been part of the UX design workshops this week, and our virtual mentors from @Square @MYOB @Airbnb@Twitter @Atlassian @Microsoft @CodeLikeAGirl @IndigitalStorytelling @Unisuper@PwC @IBM @FoundationForYoungAustralians and all the schools, universities, industry leaders, Silicon Valley tech startups and female mentors who have been part of our journey, brought their big stories and skills to our programming, and are working with us to give 1000’s of girls the skillsets, mindsets and techsets they need to thrive in the Knowledge Age.

We're gearing for a very big 2019. Please get in touch at hello@girledworld.com if you/your organisation would like to join us and be part of our WOW Summit series or feature in our World of Work platform.

Click here to watch the full interview.

GIRLEDWORLD FUTURE OF WORK SCHOOL WORKSHOP SERIES!

We have a huge lineup of workshops for 2019 and are already taking BOOKINGS across Terms 1 and 2, 2019!

Next year will see our team travelling all over Australia delivering workshops to high school students so they can upskill, wise up and plan their future world of work pathways!

CLICK HERE TO READ MORE!

BE BRAVE. EVEN IF YOU'RE NOT. BRAVENESS LEADS TO BOLDNESS.

If the past years of entrepreneurship and launching startups have taught me one true thing it's to feign brave, even in the face of uncertainty.

Entrepreneurship is hard.

There are no road maps, no rules, many ups, as many downs, big wins, crushing losses, wild guesses, giant leaps, incremental joys and plenty of days when you wonder why the F you started.

No startup comes easy. It's hard, hard work. Relentless. And you've got to really want to do it because no one else is going to push you to get up every day and keep working on your big idea to build a winning team and sticky customer base that enables your (temporary) survival.

It's a race to market, so you've got to get out there (even on the days you don't want to) and bang your drum so you stay visible, keep finding a way to GSD (however scrappy), gain traction, engage with mentors who've navigated the path before you and tap the rich seams and opportunities of the local support ecosystem (we have a thriving hub of accelerators, industry supporters, investor meets and entrepreneurship initiatives proliferating in Melbourne right now, so Victoria is indeed ripe for startups to seed).

Entrepreneurs know all this. That it's up to them to work their secret sauce (and the talent they can convince to come along for the ride).

Entrepreneurs also know it's hard work because they've already made their first difficult choices, stepped away from safety, challenged status quo and begun to smash their own glass ceilings because they've seen an opportunity where others didn't, a better idea, a white space. (Ideas are the easy part, of course).

Many of the exceptional individuals my girledworld Cofounder Edwina Kolomanski, and I, met in the University of Melbourne's Master of Entrepreneurship in 2016 (you know who you are!), any of whom could use their abundant talents in traditional workplaces, had already decided that their passion for entrepreneurship, business acumen, quest for innovation and incurable curiosity combined with a healthy risk appetite meant traditional work pathways weren't going to cut it. (Watch this space as their stars rise in the years to come.)

But the facts remain. The odds are stacked against us entrepreneurs.

Nine out of 10 startups fail*, the market is full of products no-one wants, founding teams regularly implode, funds atomise and customers need to be insatiably wooed and squarely won which often takes a critical combo of cash, luck and rapid pivoting for product market fit. (And let’s face it - if the dog won’t eat it, you go hungry.)

So you work out pretty fast that you need to use the ecosystem and all the amazing people in the village around you to give yourself the best chance at success.

Yes, you need to pitch.

Yes, you need to hustle.

Yes, you need to do your homework.

(And yes, you need to prove people are actually willing to part with their dollars for your product.)

But mostly you need to use your networks, and use them well and wisely.

I’ve been lucky enough to meet with and learn from Silicon Valley front runners and many of Australia's leading startup game-changers, VCs and industry leaders over the past years. Taking the hard-won advice of those who’ve started, survived and scaled is invaluable. You can’t get it unless you seek it.

But so too, the hard lessons learned from the unique starting, stopping and painful skinning of your own startup ventures is how you learn where your own roadblocks are.

Entrepreneurship can be taught and, more importantly, learned, but it would seem that much of what holds one back from startup success is not our businesses but ourselves.

The startup ecosystem right here in Victoria is full of people with varying talent and drive and dynamism but who, like all real entrepreneurs, have significant imposter syndrome and self-doubt when they fall down startup rabbit-holes.

The critical difference between those who can and those who can't is their willingness to be brave, back themselves, challenge status quo, use networks, weather startup stumbles, and to keep getting up, pushing hard, pivoting, validating and pivoting again til they eventually land on a market.

Then they swim like mad. Without the maps.

It's the mindset that makes an entrepreneur.

Make yours a brave one.

Madeleine x

#juststart #startup #stepup #girledworld @girledworld

OUR STARTUP SKILLS MASTERCLASS in MELBOURNE is ALMOST SOLD OUT!
Click here to book your spot!

FEMALE FOUNDER AUSTRALIAN ECOSYSTEM MAP

IT’S ALL ABOUT THE VILLAGE.

girledworld is keeping great company on this just released excellent innovation ecosystem resource for femalefounders, produced by the Australia-Israel Chamber of Commerce with research led by female founder advocate, startup advisor and investor Lynda Coker.

Women launching tech and startup businesses in Australia can look to this map and these organisations for hashtag education, mentoring, investment and kickoff inspiration.

Companies featured include SheStarts, ELEVACAO Foundation, SBE Australia, Code Like a Girl, Girls Invent, Tech Ready Women Academy, SheEO™, Scale Investors Ltd, Inspiring Rare Birds, Girls in Tech Inc., Women's Agenda, One Roof Women, FD Global Connections, Girl Geek Academy, BrightSparks RMIT University and Springboard Enterprises.

School Holiday Masterclasses for Teenagers! BOOK NOW!

HEY MELBOURNE TEENAGERS! 

Want to learn how to think like an entrepreneur, get startup and business skills and build your resume? 🚀

We’re SUPER pumped to announce our #girledworld Summer 18/19 School Holiday Melbourne Masterclasses for 13-18-year-olds have launched and are selling out! 

Build job skills, meet awesome virtual mentors, get your resume sorted, learn about 21st skills that you will need in the new world of work, get inside startups, understand innovation and start road-mapping your future career pathways today! 🌏✔️

Click here to check them out + book!

Limited spots. Get on it!🏃🏽‍♀️

SELLING FAST! 👆🏽👆🏽👆🏽

Creative Cubes girledworld Interview: November 2018

We sat down to have a chat at Creative Cubes (our new workspace) recently.

Watch this video to hear a bit about girledworld from founders Edwina Kolomanski and Madeleine Grummet, and learn about what we’ve got in the pipeline.

In the words of interviewer Claire Goldsworthy, of The Fashion Advocate:

“Start-up life is tough, exciting, tiring and amazing, all at the same time.

I've been interviewing brands and businesses for years, and while no two businesses are the same, there's a lot of similarities in the start-up experience.

Fashion, beauty, fintech, consumer goods... Whatever the business, there are a few principles that apply to all of us, and a few tips we can all share.

So, it's time to share the load, support local businesses, and learn from each other, because it takes a village to raise a child, or in this case, a business!

This week's episode has a strong and powerful message for young women, and it's safe to say that the generation of girls are in safe hands with Girledworld around.

For more good stories about good people doing good things, head to www.thefashionadvocate.com.”

Calling bored teenagers looking to build startup skills this Summer!

GIRLEDWORLD SUMMER INTERNSHIP PROGRAM 2019

We're seeking 2 x enthusiastic 15-18-year old teenagers to join us in Melbourne in January 2019! All you'll need are a growth mindset, and a willingness to learn and work alongside our teams in a fast-paced, startup team environment.

Based at Creative Cubes (Cremorne + Hawthorn), our internship program is designed to allow opportunities for students to immerse in real-world work environments, learn new skills in event management, content marketing, technology, data analytics, production and problem solving.

Maturity, strong interpersonal and organisational skills and the ability to learn quickly are desirable. We love co-design so interns will also have a chance to unleash their awesome ideas on our teams, too!

APPLICATIONS NOW OPEN until December 14, 2018 at 11:59pm.

INTERVIEWS: Interviews will be conducted @Creative Cubes - Cremorne on Tuesday December 18 and Wednesday December 19, 2018. Applicants will be contacted by girledworld by December 16, 2018.

APPLY HERE: http://www.girledworld.com/girledworld-summer-2018-internships/

QUERIES: Please contact team@girledworld.com

#education #careers #innovation #workbasedlearning #startup #design #analytics #contentmarketing #girledworld #futureofwork #entrepreneurshipeducation

Stories help us make sense of ourselves and the world around us. Share your story.

We each have a story to tell.

It's how we make sense of our moments, ourselves, and our pathways as we carve them out in the changing world around us.🌏

But finding your voice and telling your story on a noisy planet isn't always easy. 🎙 (And we're not talking about short-lived shouts on social media or the sonic booms of fake news that assault us day by day). ⚡️

We're talking about finding your authentic voice, your own unique deep story, and the ability to connect with people through it so you can powerfully communicate your ideas and your purpose to create change (for yourself, and the world). 📡

Part of the work we do @girledworld is to give girls story tool kits so they can find their voice, amplify their purpose and unleash their potential to help build better communities, and solve the wicked problems in the world around them. 🌏🚀

We also regularly get out on the speaking circuit to tell our story.

Because we know we need to keep sharing the story of why @girledworld exists, how we’re working with government, industry, startups and educators to help a generation of girls plan and build their futures. 🚀, and why today’s women and girls need to keep finding their voices, standing up and stepping into positions of leadership to help shape our planet for good. 🙏🏼

THIS WEEK we told our story to a room full of AMAZING female leaders, politicians and business women at the City of Greater Geelong WOMEN IN EVERYDAY LEADERSHIP event. The stories shared that filled the room afterwards were incredible. Women of Geelong and the Startup Runway precinct are doing VERY BIG things.

Thank you to the City of Greater Geelong, Lord Mayor Bruce Harwood, Geelong City Councillors, business women of Geelong and amazing members of the public for having us - we’ll be back to GET LOUD when our @girledworld W🌏W Summit lands in Geelong MAY 2019! Watch this space for deets!

And a SPECIAL SHOUTOUT of THANKS to the ace peeps at Story Pod for capturing the power of spoken wisdom today. 🎙🙏🏼

WHAT’S YOUR STORY?
Don’t forget to be part of the girledworld storytelling project this month.
If you’re a teenage girl (aged 13-18) please share your story for the #youarenotyourface project here.

Women in Everyday Leadership - City of Greater Geelong

The Women in Community Life Advisory Committee to the City of Greater Geelong invites you to ‘Women in Everyday Leadership’ – lunchtime conversation.

SPEAKERS INCLUDE:
Jacinta Masters, Gender Equity Victoria – peak body for gender equity, women’s health and the prevention of violence against women. https://www.genvic.org.au.

Madeleine Grummet, girledworld – skill-building the next generation of entrepreneurs, innovators and stem leaders with interactive events, real-world and virtual career mentoring for girls. http://www.girledworld.com.

Panelists: Women in Local Democracy (WiLD), Hayley Boehm (Sports) and the City of Greater Geelong Councillors.

Record your own aspirations in our Story Pod booth, enjoy inspirational company, great food and commit to strengthening the unique contribution women make to the Greater Geelong Community.

Tickets available at: https://women_in_everyday_leadership.eventbrite.com.au

For more information contact Cathy Walker on 5272 5130 or cwalker@geelongcity.vic.gov.au

girledworld welcome Melissa Spurgin to the team!

We’re excited to welcome the very awesome wordsmith Melissa Spurgin of Purge Words to the growing girledworld team!

We thought there was no-one better than Melissa to introduce herself!

“My name is Melissa Spurgin and I'm a professional writer, storyteller and grammar enthusiast with more than 10 years’ experience in copywriting, editing and content creation.

Fortunate enough to have spent most of my career in environments that nurture great creative with a conscience, I am passionate about working with organisations that align to my personal values.

I believe in the power of storytelling to connect with people and contribute to the world around me, and can offer any organisation a personable, original and professional service that achieves great results.

Why "Purge Words"?

I'm passionate about purging sentences of clutter, jargon, redundant phrases — while still having fun in the process.

Also: a surname like Spurgin tends to lend itself to some pretty creative nicknames ;)’

For more on Melissa’s ace work see Purge Words.

Melissa will be working with girledworld across strategic communications, research publication (Global Role Models University of Melbourne White Paper 2018) and associated content production.

Dangerous Distractions

There was nothing special about our first interaction.

We had been placed in the same history class; I was assigned the desk directly beside his, and for months, he was all I could see.

History, a subject I had previously detested for its dullness, was now my favourite class.

I found myself sneaking glances at him curiously and I began to notice a pattern of endearing habits; he flicked his hair back when he stretched and the corners of his eyes would crinkle when he laughed.

This boy had become a dangerous distraction.

Eventually, my youthful naivety waned and I realised that he, too, was showing an interest in me. And on the 29th of June 2015, he became my first ever boyfriend.

We dated on and off throughout high school, and even in our ‘off’ stages, I loved him to my core. He was my everything; my best friend, my confidante, my biggest cheerleader, the only person who had made me feel beautiful and wanted and interesting.

I fell harder for him every day, but as my adoration of him grew, so did my own self-loathing. I began to fight a raging internal battle, and questioned how this captivating, intelligent, caring boy had found a home in me.

I knew he was struggling, too; he distanced himself from me and our arguments became more frequent and harder to bounce back from. We were killing each other, but we clung onto the hope that things would improve, because we were both so viscerally afraid of being alone.

Moments of happiness were fleeting and rare; isolation and loneliness consumed us both and eventually reached a heavy climax earlier this year. We were both terrified and so intensely devastated, but we knew that we would do irreparable damage to each other if we let this train wreck of a relationship continue on any further.

I was broken, numb; life had lost its lustre and I caved in on myself.

For three years, the only love I was capable of giving had been poured into another human soul. I was empty.

The four months following the collapse of our relationship almost killed me. I was a shell, completely devoid of anything meaningful, ripped into a million pieces.

But.

Here I am.

As time marched on, unwavering and demanding, the guttural fear of abandonment that had followed me since I was a child ebbed onto acceptance, which inevitably gave way to true inner peace.

I found a way to reclaim the love that had previously been reserved for him and make it my own.

I remember my mother telling me on my 17th birthday that she was proud of me for finding myself in something that almost tore me from this earth.

I am proud of me, too.

Loving him will always be one of my greatest and most treasured achievements, but loving myself is what brought me home.

GRACE - AGE 17
#youarenotyourface

TO SUBMIT YOUR STORY CLICK HERE

TEENAGE GIRLS! Submit your stories - You Are Not Your Face

TELL US YOUR STORIES!
WE ARE SEEKING 500-WORD WRITING SUBMISSIONS!

Your life experience, insights, stories and voices matter to us, and we want to hear—and share—your story in your own words with girls across the world so they can learn from you.

We are seeking submissions of 500-words (or less) pieces of writing, essays, reflections and poems on subjects that matter to you to feature in our new book ‘You Are Not Your Face’ (due for publication 2019).

Your writing could include a personal story of leadership, loss, triumph, friendship, love, fear or ANYTHING where you learned something awesome about yourself or the world.

Or it might be a series of TIPS, TRUTHS or mantras you use!

Just write it how you’d say it! You don’t need to consider yourself a writer to be part of this. We are looking for unique global voices.

Selected writing will be published as excerpts and/or in full on the girledworld website and may appear in other girledworld formats, including in the girledworld ‘You Are Not Your Face’ book (due for publication in 2019).

FILL OUT FORM HERE TO ENTER YOUR SUBMISSION NOW!

Laura Youngson is changing the game for the world's girls.

We’re lucky to have the world-record smashing, @ted talking, global movement-starting, unstoppable force that is #LauraYoungson joining us as a @girledworld W🌏W Summit speaker (alongside Holly Ransom, Rita Arrigo @microsoft Aubrey Blanche @atlassian Anna Leibel #UniSuper Mikaela Jade @indigitalstorytelling and stacks of other female #STEM and #startup game-changers.

Laura is the founder of @equalplayingfieldinitiative (a global organisation challenging the gender inequalities in sport), and @idasports (currently creating the world’s best soccer shoe for women). ⚽️👟✔️

Passionate about building empowered communities 👊🏽, trading wisdom 💡, sparking ideas ⚡️ and equipping women and girls with skills in entrepreneurship 🛠, Laura says:

“You need role models at every stage in your life to pave the way and make it easier to reach your dreams. The best role models don't show you the exact path to walk - they take your spark of an idea and help you lead yourself toward making that idea a reality.”

Join us to hear Laura’s extraordinary world-shaping story on Saturday June 16 @rmituniversity Melbourne for the girledworld WOW Summit 2018. Details here.