My mission...

As an educator, a businesswoman and a mother, it has long concerned me that while teenage girls are excelling as never before and may appear to be coping with the demands life throws at them, behind closed doors many are silently imploding. Pressure comes from many sources, especially the barrage of media, marketing and pop culture voices telling girls that their true worth is determined by how hot and how thin they are.

In 2003, I decided it was time to do something about it: I co-founded Enlighten Education, which runs workshops helping girls overcome body image and self-esteem issues, self-doubt and stress. Enlighten now works with thousands of girls every year right across Australia and New Zealand.      

My book The Butterfly Effect (Random House Australia, September 2009) gives a new perspective on raising happy, confident teenage girls. I’m also an avid blogger and write on occasion for The Sydney Morning Herald.

In 2009 I was delighted to be named by The Australian newspaper as the country’s number one Emerging Leader in Learning, whilst (the) Sydney Magazine (Sydney Morning Herald) named me as one of Sydney's Top 100 Influential People. I am honoured to receive this recognition – but more than that, I am happy that the crises our girls are facing are finally getting a little airtime.

My life’s passion is to empower girls to grow into the bright, shiny adults they have the potential to be.