A holistic program for women who want to navigate their careers with courage, clarity and authenticity.
Sound familiar?
- You suspect that a lack of confidence and/or gender dynamics may be holding some women back at work, but you don't want to take a 'fix the women' approach.
- You're well aware that gender equality requires cultural and systemic change - but while that change is underway, you can see that many women could do with some support to navigate - and challenge - the status quo.
- You know that women-only development can play an important role in cultivating a gender equal workplace, but it's difficult to justify an in-house program when so much other work remains undone.
What if you could find away to help your high-potential women develop:
Career Courage
The skills to dial down the inner critic, build their workplace presence and profile, recover from setbacks and take action even when feeling fearful, awkward or uncertain.
Career Clarity
The ability to articulate their unique combination of skills, strengths and needs, identify how to develop their capabilities and profile in their current role and plan for the next phase of their careers.
Career Confidence
The self-belief to make daily choices and bigger decisions based on their 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 thanks to outdated social norms that still see women undertaking the lion's share of caring and housework - even in heterosexual relationships in which the woman is the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?
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. Two-day In-person Workshop
3. Three online Implementation Sessions.
Build or hone an authentic leadership identity
Articulate strengths, skills and purpose, expand 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 the 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.
Here's how participants of the first Career Catalyst described their experience:
〞
I loved everything about this Program; I only wish it were longer! The opportunity to dedicate time and reflect on my own journey and barriers (both perceived and real) was incredibly valuable, and I came away already having made meaningful changes to how I operate.
Anna is a master facilitator; she’s polished and warm, deeply knowledgeable and inclusive and always provides solid, great examples. I especially valued how she gently reminded and refocused me on how to take responsibility for my actions. The mix of interactive group activities and solo work was great – it was a challenging, engaging and delightful experience – definitely surpassed my expectations."
〞
The Career Catalyst Program helped me be honest with myself about where I am, identify the changes I need to make, and gave me the tools to make those changes.
The focus on implementation skills as well as concepts and frameworks relevant to career means I’m confident I’ll take actions in the medium-long term, not just for the few weeks after the Program.
I really feel the program has helped me move on from being stuck and unhappy, to feeling a having a sense of energy and optimism about my career. As a result I've observed some positive changes in both myself and in how others respond to me - thank you Anna."
〞
It was fantastic to attend a Program focused on career navigation rather than on leadership. Identifying where I’m at and what I need to do to get to the next stage of my career was a game-changer for me.
I particularly loved the Implementation Sessions, which provided an opportunity to hone in on my specific goals and circumstances. The sense of accountability and support from the group made it almost impossible *not* to take action and apply our learning.
Anna is a fabulous facilitator and coach; thanks to her ability to create a safe and relaxed environment I felt almost immediately comfortable sharing experiences with the group, which I think made for a much more enriching experience."
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 participants can’t attend the online Introductory session or one of the Implementation Sessions?
I have a team member who's not especially ambitious - will Career Catalyst still be useful for her?
Can participants attend only 1 or 1.5 days of the in-person workshop?
Still not sure if the Career Catalyst Program is right for your team member/s?
Career Catalyst is for women who are:
✔️ ready to take a more proactive, positive approach to their careers
✔️ in need of a dose of inspiration, motivation and support to discover - or rediscover - their career mojo
✔️ open to building self-awareness through reflection, feedback and sharing experiences and insights with other women
✔️ prepared to experiment with moving out of their comfort zones to increase their workplace impact and influence.
Career Catalyst is unlikely to be valuable for women who:
🚫 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.
🚫 aren't interested in exploring the possibility that there are some things they could be thinking about or doing differently that could bring them greater career fulfilment.
🚫 want to focus only on how they can contribute to systemic, cultural or structural change, not on how they can navigate the existing terrain.
🚫 aren't in a space where they can be open to trying new things, considering different perspectives or contributing to group discussions.
