Marvellous Women: The Podcast

Ep 51 - You can do hard things with Chipo Wekare

In this episode of Marvellous Women: The Podcast, Chipo Wekare shares her insights about resilience, purpose, and the power of turning personal challenges into meaningful impact. A mother, chartered accountant, MBA graduate, and founder of the Lili Grace Foundation, Chipo refalects on balancing motherhood with higher education, navigating her son’s Type 1 diabetes diagnosis, and building a charity dedicated to supporting children living with diabetes in Zimbabwe. Through stories of perseverance, community, and her guiding mantra—“I can do hard things”—Chipo offers an inspiring conversation about leadership, service, and creating change where it matters most. About Chipo Wekare: Chipo is a meticulous and results-driven Chartered Accountant (CAANZ & CA(Z)) with over 15 years of experience in accounting, financial management, and strategic leadership across large and multinational corporations. She is a graduate of Griffith University, where she earned a Bachelor of Commerce (Accounting), and the University of Queensland, where she completed an MBA. Chipo's career began in a family-owned company experiencing rapid growth, an environment that cultivated her ability to navigate complex challenges with resilience and agility. Over the years, she has risen to senior and executive roles, where she has been entrusted with strategic planning, operational leadership, and decision-making at the highest levels. In these roles, she has led cross-functional teams, steered large-scale initiatives, and overseen organizational transformations that drive growth and operational efficiency. Her expertise spans a broad spectrum of financial and managerial domains, including management reporting, stakeholder engagement, process improvement, financial reporting, budgeting, negotiation, project management, team leadership and forecasting. With a passion for business process optimization and the integration of cutting-edge technologies, Chipo is a strong advocate for adopting Artificial Intelligence (AI) and Robotic Process Automation (RPA) to streamline operations and enhance decision-making processes. Chipo is particularly adept at aligning financial strategies with broader organizational goals, leveraging her deep understanding of business dynamics to create sustainable value. Her strategic acumen, combined with her hands-on approach, ensures that she delivers impactful solutions tailored to complex challenges, whether it's improving operational workflows, driving system implementations, or fostering a culture of continuous improvement. Beyond her professional achievements, Chipo is deeply committed to social impact, particularly addressing insulin access among children with Type 1 diabetes in Zimbabwe and advancing the welfare of the African girl child. She actively participates in initiatives to improve access to essential medication, medical equipment, and education resources. Inspired by her personal mission, Chipo aspires to establish a foundation dedicated to supporting children and families affected by Type 1 diabetes. In her personal life, Chipo enjoys traveling, exploring new culinary techniques, and taking long walks with her beloved Rhodesian Ridgeback, Shumba. #MarvellousWomen #MarvellousWomenThePodcast #MarvellousWomenCards #podcast #Chipo Wekare

Ep 50 - Giving the signals that get you the outcomes you need with Lauren Hancock

In this episode of Marvellous Women: The Podcast, Lauren Hancock shares her insights about the psychology behind human behaviour, the universal need to be seen and heard, the power of taking up space with intention, creating meaningful human connection, and redefining success through community, balance, and purpose. Lauren Hancock is an experienced Psychologist with a diverse background, having worked across a range of industries, including healthcare, resources, local government, education, and non-profit sectors. Throughout her career, she has provided interventions to individuals and groups across Australia and internationally, supporting leaders and organisations in navigating complex people challenges.   Originally trained as a therapist, Lauren has worked in organisational development since 2010, providing programs on leadership and mental health. She brings extensive experience in designing and leading residential leadership programs, having served as Program Director for several multi-day retreats. Her work is grounded in evidence-based methodologies, empowering participants to gain deeper insights into human behaviour and apply these insights to drive meaningful change within their organisations.   Lauren is also Adjunct Faculty for the Executive Education arm of two leading Australian Business Schools. Her excellence in program facilitation was recognised in 2024, when she received a teaching award for achieving the highest overall participant satisfaction.   As a coach, Lauren works with leaders to develop both intrapersonal and interpersonal skills critical for effective leadership. She believes that self-awareness and the capacity to manage mental health factors are essential to successful leadership. She works with executives and senior leaders, supporting them through career transitions, promotions, and organisational change. A number of her coaching clients have worked with her over several years as they advance in their careers. She is also an experienced team coach, focussing on enhancing team dynamics and performance. #MarvellousWomen #MarvellousWomenCards #MarvellousWomenThePodcast #podcast #LaurenHancock

Ep 49 - Don’t speak to be heard, speak to be remembered with Sally Prosser

In this episode of Marvellous Women: The Podcast, Sally Prosser shares her insights on the power of voice and storytelling, the role of community and femininity in empowerment, overcoming self-criticism, and why authenticity is essential in meaningful communication. Sally Prosser is a voice and communication expert, keynote speaker, TEDx speaker, and host of the podcast That Voice Podcast. Through her signature concept of the “voiceprint,” Sally helps leaders, professionals, and teams speak with confidence, authority, and lasting impact. A former radio and TV reporter turned media spokesperson, she has coached everyone from executives to Olympians and built a global audience of nearly half a million across social media. Sally is also the author of Voiceprint and was awarded Young Entrepreneur of the Year for PR & Media QLD in 2020. #MarvellousWomen #MarvellousWomenCards #MarvellousWomenThePodcast #podcast #SallyProsser

Ep 48: Looking beyond the surface for real impact with Mei Ong

In this episode of Marvellous Women: The Podcast, Mei Ong explores how recognizing patterns can shape the way we live and learn. She shares her perspective on teaching music beyond just notes and keys, highlights the powerful role of mindset in the learning process, and advocates for a more holistic approach to education. About Mei Ong: Mei Ong is a marketing analyst turned aspiring data scientist who sees patterns everywhere—from sales anomalies that predict revenue risks to the neural pathways that unlock a child's musical potential. During the week, she develops machine learning tools that help businesses make smarter decisions. On weekends, she coaches young musicians aged 6-16 through Irume Coaching, where she applies neuroplasticity principles to build confidence, resilience, and focus—one piano key at a time. Currently pursuing her transition into data science and AI engineering, Mei is passionate about the intersection of human potential and artificial intelligence. Whether she's training algorithms or training young minds, her approach is the same: find the patterns, build on strengths, and transform challenges into opportunities for growth. Based in Sydney, Mei brings analytical rigor to creative pursuits and creative thinking to technical problems—proving that the skills that help machines learn can also help humans flourish. #MarvellousWomen #MarvellousWomenCards #MarvellousWomenThePodcast #podcast #MeiOng

Ep 47 - What gives you the good vibes and what gives you the ick with Professor Nicole Hartley

In this episode of Marvellous Women: The Podcast, Professor Nicole Hartley offers thoughtful insights on the power of service and connection, building confidence beyond comfort, growing through uncertainty, and cultivating spaces where knowledge can flourish. About Professor Nicole Hartley: Nicole Hartley is the MBA Director at The University of Queensland. She is also a leading service technology researcher with the UQ Business School. Her extensive research and teaching expertise areas include services technology, virtualised services, marketing strategy, customer-brand relationships, new media, communication, consumer-making behaviour, and consumer psychology. Nicole’s current research agenda focuses upon exploring customer perceptions of the advent of technology and various forms of disruption in the delivery of services. This research is currently focused within the education, tourism and health industries. Further to this, Nicole works closely with companies within the Brisbane technology start-up and social enterprise scene to advise on marketing advertising strategies to launch new-to-market technology-based products and services both nationally and globally. Nicole is a PhD graduate of The University of Sydney and has worked at leading universities through out Australia. Her work has been widely published in leading global journals and presented at international conferences and symposia. Prior to her academic career, Nicole was employed as Marketing Manager/Director for various corporations within the tourism/hospitality, education, and communication industries both in Australia and in London. #MarvellousWomen #MarvellousWomenCards #MarvellousWomenThePodcast #podcast #NicoleHartley