I am a hot mess.

No denying it.

For two weeks of the month, I am either sad, anxious, irritable or full of rage.

I am a nightmare. It is a nightmare. Being a woman once a month is a nightmare.

Who is with me?

I always overthink.

Don’t forget to where the zinc.

Pink.

Why do I feel I have to shrink?

Women are real and don’t need to feature on a video link.

Pink.

There are days where the glow turns to a haze.

The praise from others fades.

Wishing you could have it all yesterday.

Searching for answers in cafes.

Looking for motivation through doorways.

Finding out kindness is always the runaway.

There are days where the glow turns to a haze.

The praise from others fades.

Wishing you could have it all yesterday.

Searching for answers in cafes.

There are some days in life where we can’t find a window.

However, for many of us it is easy to find the number of tabs open inside our minds.

The never ending to do lists. The day in and day out transactions of life admin plus the curveballs to keep us on our toes can be all consuming.

When we are struggling with the heavy moments of life, it can be hard to hang onto hope, because when we are sad, mad, not feeling ourselves the liberation of throwing all the hard stuff out the window isn’t that simple.

I was reminded of a quote that used to live on our fridge growing up.

My mum cut it out of our school’s newsletter, it literally sat on there until the last of her three daughters graduated high school.

It was Digby Wolfe’s poem, “Kids Who Are Different’.

“𝑯𝒆𝒓𝒆’𝒔 𝒕𝒐 𝒕𝒉𝒆 𝒌𝒊𝒅𝒔 𝒘𝒉𝒐 𝒂𝒓𝒆 𝒅𝒊𝒇𝒇𝒆𝒓𝒆𝒏𝒕, 𝑻𝒉𝒆 𝒌𝒊𝒅𝒔 𝒕𝒉𝒆𝒚 𝒄𝒂𝒍𝒍 𝒄𝒓𝒂𝒛𝒚 𝒐𝒓 𝒅𝒖𝒎𝒃, 𝑻𝒉𝒆 𝒌𝒊𝒅𝒔 𝒘𝒉𝒐 𝒅𝒐𝒏’𝒕 𝒇𝒊𝒕, 𝒘𝒊𝒕𝒉 𝒕𝒉𝒆 𝒈𝒖𝒕𝒔 𝒂𝒏𝒅 𝒕𝒉𝒆 𝒈𝒓𝒊𝒕, 𝑾𝒉𝒐 𝒅𝒂𝒏𝒄𝒆 𝒕𝒐 𝒂 𝒅𝒊𝒇𝒇𝒆𝒓𝒆𝒏𝒕 𝒅𝒓𝒖𝒎…."

The reality of why I even noticed the paper doll was because feeling flat has become a way of life lately.

There is no denying it or avoiding it, women have days where we are all different versions of paper dolls.

As history would tell us paper dolls were created to illustrate the social expectations on women. They also represented an idealised version of womanhood.

We feel the weight of womanhood and all the roles we play.

Believe women.

It needs to be everyone’s mission, not just HER in the kitchen.

Believe women.

Lying in linen there is no permission given.

Believe women.

A mathematician counting the bruises and words thrown like daggers, pain can be hidden.

Believe women.

As a woman I often forget to use my intuition.

There have been many moments in my life where I have ignored my six sense.

The churning of my stomach.

The feeling that something isn’t quite right.

We overthink the feeling, ignoring the butterflies freaking out.

We often forget the power of courage.

When it comes to confidence in ourselves, it comes from the hard things we sometimes must do in life.

We can’t escape hard conversations or the moments that change our lives forever.

Yes, we can ignore them, hide out under the rug, but that won’t help us or others in the long run.

What does it cost to be a woman?

This is the ultimate question for many women from all walks of life, but more so for women who have become Mothers.

When women make the choice to have children and start a family, their monetary value plummets, they can lose economic freedoms and a dwindling superannuation due to periods of paid and unpaid parental leave and casual work.

And let’s not mention the gender pay gap.

Jo Sainsbury is a successful role model for women in male dominated industries.

She promotes women in non- traditional roles through ‘Kickass Women’. But it’s not just about employment platforms but also charity dinners and regular women’s events for networking.

As part of Kickass Women Jo also hosts a radio show where she speaks with a variety of inspiring guests who share advice on career changes. 

Jo’s mantra is inspiring women here in the Greater Whitsunday region and abroad.  

I am an over thinking woman. The thoughts and worries I put out each day could power every household in my neighbourhood – talk about renewable energy.

Most days I love being a woman. But recently I have been thinking about all the roles we play, in our increasingly busy lives. How we give so much of ourselves to our families, partners, careers, and others.  Like my patience it is spread thin.

Shirlz Russell knows what it feels like to be at ground zero and have the strength to rebuild brick by brick.

 Shirlz is the founder of Build Your F’empire an online platform that is helping women realise the retirement of their dreams through educating, supporting and mentoring women to create future financial foundations for themselves. Online groups, courses, and one on one mentoring sessions are just some of the things she has created.

Build Your F’empire offers an eight- week course to help all women take control of their lives and become financially independent.

Kathleen Norris has been on a quest to find her voice and true purpose.  

So much, that she is having singing lessons to help her overcome her self consciousness and find her bravery. 

But the thing is Kathleen is already brave.

Jody Euler is a woman who can see the big picture long before others can.

It starts with a simple conversation where ideas are in their infancy and then there it is, her mind has already started to travel to a place where the magic is happening.

She is a published author, a guest speaker and loves nothing more than dreaming up her next big idea.

This past week we have seen two powerhouses leave the building.

Australian journalist Stan Grant, walking away from Q+A and his passion, after racist treatment. All while leading with love in his heart, despite the vitriol of hate he has endured.

Then we said goodbye to musical icon, domestic violence survivor and one of the leaders of the women’s empowerment movement Tina Turner, who passed away at the age of 83.

When we refer to someone as a powerhouse, they are a person of a thing of great energy, strength or power.

When we label someone as a powerhouse, why does it become a sport to pull them down?

For Shaye Moengaroa dark times don’t last forever.

And you can feel this in her presence, she is happy and genuine- despite her shadows of grief. 

As Shaye walks through the Mackay City Centre, her white dress floating in the breeze, she is holding her gorgeous daughter Zara - the light of her life. 

Zara is Shaye and her husband’s James rainbow baby, after losing their first daughter Mia at 38 weeks pregnant.

Say HER name in a room full of opportunities.  

Congratulate HER.

Amplify HER.

Is female competition still a thing in this era of women’s empowerment?  

Female Rivalry a tale as old as time.

Is beauty in the eye of the beholder?

Perhaps it is felt through the heart.

Our eyes are the windows to our souls but its our tears that baptise us through the agony.

Despite it all can you still look them in the eye?

Even if we close our eyes, we are still reminded of the memories that hang in our mind.