Brave Feminine Leadership

Hosted by Melissa Hamilton

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246

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Jun 2026

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Sharing stories from amazing leaders just like you and me. Breaking down myths of leadership, imposter syndrome & helping us all be braver. Step by step.

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June 11, 2026Episode 24616 min

#246 Melissa Hamilton: Still Waiting to Be Consulted?

There's a question sitting underneath a lot of leadership conversations right now, one that most people aren't saying out loud: am I actually adding value to what matters — or am I just busy? Felecia Pryor received a piece of feedback early in her career that stung: don't play in the garden when the house is on fire. More than any other conversation in the CPO series, this line has resonated and I think it might be the most important question any executive can ask of themselves right now. Not in a performance review. Not in a strategy session. Right now, today, looking honestly at where your time and thinking actually goes. This episode is my reflection on the Shaping the Future CPO series — six conversations with some of the most senior people leaders. I let the insights settle for several months before coming back to them. What rose to the surface wasn't about HR frameworks or people strategy in the traditional sense. It was about what it actually takes to be at the centre of strategic decisions rather than downstream of them. And it applies far beyond the CPO role. What's inside: Don't play in the garden — Felecia Pryor's confronting early-career feedback and the question every executive should be sitting with right now Step towards the tension — Why Amy Walker's deliberate practice of moving into discomfort is what earns you a place at the strategic table — and why so many senior leaders are conditioned to do the opposite The influence you can't see — What Amy Stanley and Shomaice Zowghi revealed about the influence that has no audience — and why it's often more powerful than anything visible on your CV Curiosity is not optional — Why Anu Villarosa designs for curiosity deliberately, what Damian Zahra's feedback work taught me, and what happens to leaders who stay too long in their own lane Are you in the house? — What being at the strategic table actually requires, and why getting invited to the meeting isn't the same thing If this lands, come and find me on LinkedIn. I'd love to know which of these insights hits closest to home. https://www.linkedin.com/company/brave-feminine-leadership Book time to connect with Melissa - 15 mins: https://calendly.com/brave-feminine-leadership/curious-for-feedbackb WORK WITH MELISSA: The Executive Shift — 8-week intensive for senior women ready to lead at full power: https://bravefeminineleadership.com/the-executive-shift INFLUENCE Mastermind — 6-month peer advisory for sitting CEOs (max 6, invitation only): https://bravefeminineleadership.com/programs/ceo_mastermind 1:1 Executive Coaching — https://calendly.com/the-brave-group/executive-coaching ----------------------- Craving inspiration? I send an email each Sunday about leadership reflection, top tips to build an intentional & sustainable life and other things that have captured my attention and are too good not to share! Sign up here: https://www.bravefeminineleadership.com/leadershipinspiration Loving the podcast? Leave us a short review. It takes less than 60 seconds & will inspire like-minded leaders to join the conversation! Access Your Free Clarity Tool Between the endless to-do lists, competing priorities, and decisions piling up, it’s easy to lose sight of what matters most. But here’s the truth: you can’t give more if you’re running on empty. That’s why we created Balance Your Brave—a free 15-minute diagnostic tool to help you regain control and clarity. In just 15 minutes, you will: ✅ Pinpoint energy drains holding you back. ✅ Identify where to focus for the biggest impact. ✅ Walk away feeling calmer and more confident in your next steps. Think of it as your personal roadmap to balance and alignment. ⬇️ Click here to access your free Balance Your Brave diagnostic tool. https://www.bravefeminineleadership.com/Balance-Your-Brave Are we friends? Connect with Us. Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/bravefeminineleadership Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/company/brave-feminine-leadership

May 28, 2026Episode 24534 min

#245 Shaping The Future | In Conversation with Shomaice Zowghi: Be in the Room Where It Happens

Shomaice Zowghi walked into one of Australia's most closed, male-dominated industrial environments as the first female Director of Industrial Relations in a 107-year-old passenger railway system. Deals had always been done at the pub. Networks were tight and the door was shut. She didn't look like the role. She didn't sound like it. She carved out a place anyway - on both sides of the table. She came to this work through law, through lived experience, and through a deep belief - shaped by parents who raised her to care about fairness, dignity and social justice - that the conditions people work in either build them up or quietly break them down. In this conversation, Shomaice talks about what it really means to be a workforce architect - thinking about capability before the problem arrives, not after. About the lawyer behaviours she had to deliberately unlearn before she could truly lead. And about why loud, visible confidence is one of the most dangerous things we mistake for leadership potential. Shomaice Zowghi is Head of People at Pacific National, Australia's largest private rail freight operator, and a former employment lawyer whose background in industrial relations, social justice and lived experience shapes everything about how she leads. ----------------------- Craving inspiration? I send an email each Sunday about leadership reflection, top tips to build an intentional & sustainable life and other things that have captured my attention and are too good not to share! Sign up here: https://www.bravefeminineleadership.com/leadershipinspiration Loving the podcast? Leave us a short review. It takes less than 60 seconds & will inspire like-minded leaders to join the conversation! Access Your Free Clarity Tool Between the endless to-do lists, competing priorities, and decisions piling up, it’s easy to lose sight of what matters most. But here’s the truth: you can’t give more if you’re running on empty. That’s why we created Balance Your Brave—a free 15-minute diagnostic tool to help you regain control and clarity. In just 15 minutes, you will: ✅ Pinpoint energy drains holding you back. ✅ Identify where to focus for the biggest impact. ✅ Walk away feeling calmer and more confident in your next steps. Think of it as your personal roadmap to balance and alignment. ⬇️ Click here to access your free Balance Your Brave diagnostic tool. https://www.bravefeminineleadership.com/Balance-Your-Brave Are we friends? Connect with Us. Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/bravefeminineleadership Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/company/brave-feminine-leadership

May 21, 2026Episode 24451 min

#244 Shaping The Future | In Conversation with Felecia Pryor: Don't Play in the Garden When the House is on Fire

Felecia Pryor wanted to be an FBI agent. A psychological test, a shuttle bus, and a conversation with a stranger at a conference changed everything. What followed was nearly two decades building people strategy inside some of the world's most complex industrial organisations - Ford Motor Company, BorgWarner, and now John Deere, where she leads HR, labour relations, enterprise security, aviation and brand across a 189-year-old company. In this conversation, Felecia talks about what it means to be a truly strategic partner, not just good with people, but commercially minded enough to shape the agenda. About the peer who once told her HR was playing in the garden while the house was on fire. And about why she believes courage is the defining leadership capability of our time. Felecia Pryor is Senior Vice President and Chief People Officer at Deere and Company, known globally as John Deere, where she leads people strategy across one of the world's most iconic industrial organisations. ----------------------- Craving inspiration? I send an email each Sunday about leadership reflection, top tips to build an intentional & sustainable life and other things that have captured my attention and are too good not to share! Sign up here: https://www.bravefeminineleadership.com/leadershipinspiration Loving the podcast? Leave us a short review. It takes less than 60 seconds & will inspire like-minded leaders to join the conversation! Access Your Free Clarity Tool Between the endless to-do lists, competing priorities, and decisions piling up, it’s easy to lose sight of what matters most. But here’s the truth: you can’t give more if you’re running on empty. That’s why we created Balance Your Brave—a free 15-minute diagnostic tool to help you regain control and clarity. In just 15 minutes, you will: ✅ Pinpoint energy drains holding you back. ✅ Identify where to focus for the biggest impact. ✅ Walk away feeling calmer and more confident in your next steps. Think of it as your personal roadmap to balance and alignment. ⬇️ Click here to access your free Balance Your Brave diagnostic tool. https://www.bravefeminineleadership.com/Balance-Your-Brave Are we friends? Connect with Us. Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/bravefeminineleadership Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/company/brave-feminine-leadership

May 14, 2026Episode 24335 min

#243 Shaping The Future | In Conversation with Anu Villarosa: Curious by Design

Anu Villarosa began her career as a lawyer in London, moved to Australia on a whim during the 2008 financial crash, and somehow ended up as Chief People Officer at a leading law firm - via recruitment, mindset coaching, competitive hockey, and a 50% pay cut she took to back herself into HR. The journey makes no sense on paper. In practice, it's the perfect preparation. In this conversation, Anu talks about why feedback is a gift most organisations don't know how to give, why self-awareness is the capability that will separate effective executives by 2040, and what it actually means to be strategically vulnerable in a profession that tends to reward certainty. Anu Villarosa is Chief People Officer at a leading Australian law firm, an accredited coach grounded in neuroscience and psychometric profiling, and a former competitive hockey player who applies the principles of high-performance sport to executive leadership every day. ----------------------- Craving inspiration? I send an email each Sunday about leadership reflection, top tips to build an intentional & sustainable life and other things that have captured my attention and are too good not to share! Sign up here: https://www.bravefeminineleadership.com/leadershipinspiration Loving the podcast? Leave us a short review. It takes less than 60 seconds & will inspire like-minded leaders to join the conversation! Access Your Free Clarity Tool Between the endless to-do lists, competing priorities, and decisions piling up, it’s easy to lose sight of what matters most. But here’s the truth: you can’t give more if you’re running on empty. That’s why we created Balance Your Brave—a free 15-minute diagnostic tool to help you regain control and clarity. In just 15 minutes, you will: ✅ Pinpoint energy drains holding you back. ✅ Identify where to focus for the biggest impact. ✅ Walk away feeling calmer and more confident in your next steps. Think of it as your personal roadmap to balance and alignment. ⬇️ Click here to access your free Balance Your Brave diagnostic tool. https://www.bravefeminineleadership.com/Balance-Your-Brave Are we friends? Connect with Us. Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/bravefeminineleadership Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/company/brave-feminine-leadership

May 7, 2026Episode 24240 min

#242 Shaping The Future | In Conversation with Damian Zahra: The Gift of Feedback

Damian Zahra started work early, grew up around family businesses, and came into HR with one obsession: what happens when you bring the discipline of high performance sport into the world of business? Nearly seven years into his role as Chief People Officer at Bunnings, one of Australia's most iconic and complex organisations, he's still asking the same question. In this conversation, Damian talks about what it really means to be an interpreter of strategy, why equal portions of support and challenge create the healthy tension where growth actually lives, and why the one thing most organisations could learn from elite sport is the gift of feedback. Damian Zahra is Chief People Officer at Bunnings Group, leading people and safety strategy across nearly 60,000 team members in Australia and New Zealand. He is also a board member of the Corporate Mental Health Alliance Australia. ----------------------- Craving inspiration? I send an email each Sunday about leadership reflection, top tips to build an intentional & sustainable life and other things that have captured my attention and are too good not to share! Sign up here: https://www.bravefeminineleadership.com/leadershipinspiration Loving the podcast? Leave us a short review. It takes less than 60 seconds & will inspire like-minded leaders to join the conversation! Access Your Free Clarity Tool Between the endless to-do lists, competing priorities, and decisions piling up, it’s easy to lose sight of what matters most. But here’s the truth: you can’t give more if you’re running on empty. That’s why we created Balance Your Brave—a free 15-minute diagnostic tool to help you regain control and clarity. In just 15 minutes, you will: ✅ Pinpoint energy drains holding you back. ✅ Identify where to focus for the biggest impact. ✅ Walk away feeling calmer and more confident in your next steps. Think of it as your personal roadmap to balance and alignment. ⬇️ Click here to access your free Balance Your Brave diagnostic tool. https://www.bravefeminineleadership.com/Balance-Your-Brave Are we friends? Connect with Us. Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/bravefeminineleadership Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/company/brave-feminine-leadership

April 30, 2026Episode 24137 min

#241 Shaping The Future | In Conversation with Amy Stanley: The Influence You Can't See

Amy Stanley didn't set out to be a Chief People Officer - she wanted to be a fashion buyer like Rachel Green from Friends. What she found instead was a deep love for the work of motivating people, and a 25-year career that took her from the shop floor to the strategic centre of some of Australia's most significant organisations. In this conversation, Amy talks about what it actually means to lead through influence rather than authority - so quietly and so consistently that her board chair told her she could hear Amy's words coming out of other people's mouths. And why, if a CPO role doesn't report directly to the CEO, she's simply not interested. Amy Stanley is Chief People Officer at HBF, where she leads culture, leadership and organisational strategy across people and corporate affairs - and holds joint accountability with the CTO on HBF's AI strategy. ----------------------- Craving inspiration? I send an email each Sunday about leadership reflection, top tips to build an intentional & sustainable life and other things that have captured my attention and are too good not to share! Sign up here: https://www.bravefeminineleadership.com/leadershipinspiration Loving the podcast? Leave us a short review. It takes less than 60 seconds & will inspire like-minded leaders to join the conversation! Access Your Free Clarity Tool Between the endless to-do lists, competing priorities, and decisions piling up, it’s easy to lose sight of what matters most. But here’s the truth: you can’t give more if you’re running on empty. That’s why we created Balance Your Brave—a free 15-minute diagnostic tool to help you regain control and clarity. In just 15 minutes, you will: ✅ Pinpoint energy drains holding you back. ✅ Identify where to focus for the biggest impact. ✅ Walk away feeling calmer and more confident in your next steps. Think of it as your personal roadmap to balance and alignment. ⬇️ Click here to access your free Balance Your Brave diagnostic tool. https://www.bravefeminineleadership.com/Balance-Your-Brave Are we friends? Connect with Us. Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/bravefeminineleadership Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/company/brave-feminine-leadership

April 23, 2026Episode 24041 min

#240 Shaping The Future | In Conversation with Amy Walker: Moving Towards the Tension

Amy Walker didn't plan a career in HR- she wandered into a lecture to keep a friend company and never looked back. What followed was 20+ years building people strategy inside some of Australia's most complex, traditionally male-dominated industries, and learning that the CPO role has never really been about authority. It's about influence, deliberate, patient, and built on genuinely understanding the business you're in. In this conversation, Amy shares what a truly great CEO partnership looks like, why she went and studied supply chain mid-career, and what she means when she says the best leaders learn to move towards the tension rather than away from it. Amy Walker is CEO of Artemis People and former CHRO at Visy, a $4B+ global operation where she led people strategy across 10,000 employees. ----------------------- Craving inspiration? I send an email each Sunday about leadership reflection, top tips to build an intentional & sustainable life and other things that have captured my attention and are too good not to share! Sign up here: https://www.bravefeminineleadership.com/leadershipinspiration Loving the podcast? Leave us a short review. It takes less than 60 seconds & will inspire like-minded leaders to join the conversation! Access Your Free Clarity Tool Between the endless to-do lists, competing priorities, and decisions piling up, it’s easy to lose sight of what matters most. But here’s the truth: you can’t give more if you’re running on empty. That’s why we created Balance Your Brave—a free 15-minute diagnostic tool to help you regain control and clarity. In just 15 minutes, you will: ✅ Pinpoint energy drains holding you back. ✅ Identify where to focus for the biggest impact. ✅ Walk away feeling calmer and more confident in your next steps. Think of it as your personal roadmap to balance and alignment. ⬇️ Click here to access your free Balance Your Brave diagnostic tool. https://www.bravefeminineleadership.com/Balance-Your-Brave Are we friends? Connect with Us. Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/bravefeminineleadership Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/company/brave-feminine-leadership

April 9, 2026Episode 23928 min

#239 The Seat and The Passenger: Two CEOs Reflect

You can want that seat at the table. But when you get there - what are you actually bringing? In this candid conversation, Brave Feminine Leadership co-founders Melissa Hamilton and Kelli Hayes reflect on The Impact Formula masterclass, what they're hearing from senior leaders right now, and the thing nobody teaches you about impact, reputation and turning up with a real point of view. They get into the difference between brand and reputation - and why one lives in your mind and the other lives in everyone else's. They talk about what Melissa said when she was asked on a panel at Melbourne Business School what it feels like to hold power. And they share what they see every day from both sides of the table - the CEOs asking why their teams aren't thinking, and the executives wondering why they're not being seen. Two former CEOs. 27 years of friendship. No filter. https://bravefeminineleadership.com/the-executive-shift https://calendly.com/the-brave-group/free-leadership-impact-strategy-call ----------------------- Craving inspiration? I send an email each Sunday about leadership reflection, top tips to build an intentional & sustainable life and other things that have captured my attention and are too good not to share! Sign up here: https://www.bravefeminineleadership.com/leadershipinspiration Loving the podcast? Leave us a short review. It takes less than 60 seconds & will inspire like-minded leaders to join the conversation! Access Your Free Clarity Tool Between the endless to-do lists, competing priorities, and decisions piling up, it’s easy to lose sight of what matters most. But here’s the truth: you can’t give more if you’re running on empty. That’s why we created Balance Your Brave—a free 15-minute diagnostic tool to help you regain control and clarity. In just 15 minutes, you will: ✅ Pinpoint energy drains holding you back. ✅ Identify where to focus for the biggest impact. ✅ Walk away feeling calmer and more confident in your next steps. Think of it as your personal roadmap to balance and alignment. ⬇️ Click here to access your free Balance Your Brave diagnostic tool. https://www.bravefeminineleadership.com/Balance-Your-Brave Are we friends? Connect with Us. Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/bravefeminineleadership Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/company/brave-feminine-leadership

March 26, 2026Episode 23846 min

#238 - Merle Singer - Where are you Performing in Your Leadership?

Most of us have a story about who we are as a leader. The harder question is whether that story is true, or just the version we've rehearsed. In this conversation I sit down with Merle Singer, researcher, leadership developer, and creator of Epitome Leadership, to explore what three years of research across Australia and the US revealed about how women really lead. We get into the anxiety that showed up uninvited in her data, the gap between your brand and your reputation, and her four feminine archetypes: Sovereign, Consort, Empress, Seductress, that each carry their own relationship to power, their own gifts, and their own underbelly. This isn't a framework that boxes you in. It's a language for leading with more range, more agency, and a lot more honesty about what's actually driving you. ----------------------- Craving inspiration? I send an email each Sunday about leadership reflection, top tips to build an intentional & sustainable life and other things that have captured my attention and are too good not to share! Sign up here: https://www.bravefeminineleadership.com/leadershipinspiration Loving the podcast? Leave us a short review. It takes less than 60 seconds & will inspire like-minded leaders to join the conversation! Access Your Free Clarity Tool Between the endless to-do lists, competing priorities, and decisions piling up, it’s easy to lose sight of what matters most. But here’s the truth: you can’t give more if you’re running on empty. That’s why we created Balance Your Brave—a free 15-minute diagnostic tool to help you regain control and clarity. In just 15 minutes, you will: ✅ Pinpoint energy drains holding you back. ✅ Identify where to focus for the biggest impact. ✅ Walk away feeling calmer and more confident in your next steps. Think of it as your personal roadmap to balance and alignment. ⬇️ Click here to access your free Balance Your Brave diagnostic tool. https://www.bravefeminineleadership.com/Balance-Your-Brave Are we friends? Connect with Us. Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/bravefeminineleadership Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/company/brave-feminine-leadership

March 19, 2026Episode 23733 min

#237 Matt Tice - Geopolitics Just Landed on Your P&L

The world shifted and most executives are still catching their breath. In this episode I called one of the sharpest strategic minds I know to make sense of it in real time: Matt Tice, CEO of Insurgence, who has navigated disruption with organisations across six continents. We get into what the Iran crisis actually means for business, why most leaders are asking the wrong questions, and the mindset shift that separates the ones who'll come out ahead from the ones who'll just survive it. Game theory, scenario planning, capital flows, supply chains and a framework for thinking clearly when the news cycle won't slow down. This is the conversation I wanted to have, and I think it's the one you need to hear. ----------------------- Craving inspiration? I send an email each Sunday about leadership reflection, top tips to build an intentional & sustainable life and other things that have captured my attention and are too good not to share! Sign up here: https://www.bravefeminineleadership.com/leadershipinspiration Loving the podcast? Leave us a short review. It takes less than 60 seconds & will inspire like-minded leaders to join the conversation! Access Your Free Clarity Tool Between the endless to-do lists, competing priorities, and decisions piling up, it’s easy to lose sight of what matters most. But here’s the truth: you can’t give more if you’re running on empty. That’s why we created Balance Your Brave—a free 15-minute diagnostic tool to help you regain control and clarity. In just 15 minutes, you will: ✅ Pinpoint energy drains holding you back. ✅ Identify where to focus for the biggest impact. ✅ Walk away feeling calmer and more confident in your next steps. Think of it as your personal roadmap to balance and alignment. ⬇️ Click here to access your free Balance Your Brave diagnostic tool. https://www.bravefeminineleadership.com/Balance-Your-Brave Are we friends? Connect with Us. Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/bravefeminineleadership Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/company/brave-feminine-leadership