Shelley Simpson, owner and founder of Mud Australia

Donna de Zwart, Managing Director of Fitted for Work

She may head up one of Australia’s most vital not-for-profits, helping women in this country who are experiencing disadvantage find a meaningful place in the workforce, but Donna de Zwart can admit it – she feels Impostor Syndrome, too.  These days, however, she has an antidote: “More and more I have that really stern conversation with myself – ‘This is rubbish, what’s the worst that can happen here? I can try something, I can fail, but no one’s going to die as a result.’ This Impostor Syndrome, this false sense of humility…that actually doesn’t help me or the women I’m trying to reach.” In her Pep Talk with host Caroline Hugall, Donna reveals her greatest achievement, why a sense of creativity is crucial, and why everyone needs someone in their corner to say, “You can do this, you’ve got this”.  This first series of Pep Talk is in partnership with the not-for profit Fitted For Work [https://fittedforwork.org/], which runs work-readiness programs and mentorships for disadvantaged women.

Cindy Gallop, Founder of Make Love Not Porn

“I have a sunglasses case that says on it, ‘Don’t look back, you’re not going that way.’ And that’s my philosophy.” Nope, taking a backwards step is not in Cindy Gallop [https://cindygallop.com/]’s DNA. After nearly four decades working in brand building, marketing and advertising on global businesses including Coca-Cola, Ray-Ban and Polaroid, ten years ago Cindy founded social sex video sharing platform Make Love Not Porn. MLNP is on a mission to make it easier for everyone in the world to talk honestly about sex, to promote better communication, consent, good sexual values and good sexual behavior. “The way to think about us is, if porn is the Hollywood blockbuster movie, Make Love Not Porn [https://makelovenotporn.tv/]is the badly needed documentary,” is how Cindy puts it, quite simply. In fact, much of the advice Cindy has to offer is simple – and transformative. From how to ask for a payrise (“The amount you ask for is always the highest amount you can say out loud without bursting out laughing”) to why you should consider starting your own business (“Whose hands would you rather place your future in? Those of a large corporate entity who doesn't give a shit about you or somebody who will always have your best interests at heart, i.e. you?”), Cindy’s Pep Talk with host Caroline Hugall is like a cheat sheet for life done right. This first series of Pep Talk is in partnership with the not-for profit Fitted For Work [https://fittedforwork.org/], which runs work-readiness programs and mentorships for disadvantaged women.

Shelley Simpson, owner and founder of Mud Australia

“Always do the hardest thing first, because everything after that is easy.” It’s a motto that Shelley Simpson lives by, even though she admits it took years of practice to make that motto her reality. In this Pep Talk with host Caroline Hugall, Shelley talks about growing her homewares brand [https://mudaustralia.com/] side hustle into a main hustle, the importance of getting the right support (“get a good bookkeeper”), and how she focuses on the changes she can achieve in the world. “You can’t fix the whole problem, but you can work in your corner and just make that better.”

Imogen Hewitt, CEO of Spark Foundry ANZ

"I'm quite ferocious in creating some space for people – women, particularly – to say, ‘I worked hard and I deserve it’,” says Imogen Hewitt, who, as well as being CEO of Spark Foundry ANZ (a media agency within Publicis Media), is also on the board of the Media Federation of Australia and was awarded Executive Leader of the Year at the 2022 B&T Awards. Unsurprisingly, she says of herself: “I worked hard – that's been the key to my success." In her Pep Talk with host Caroline Hugall, Imogen shares thoughtful and honest insights, including "Nobody else can be weird like you are weird”; plus, the advice she'd give her younger self, the importance of advocating for yourself and where her motivation comes from. This first series of Pep Talk is in partnership with the not-for profit Fitted For Work [https://fittedforwork.org/], which runs work-readiness programs and mentorships for disadvantaged women.

Antoinette Lattouf, journalist and author

Antoinette Lattouf knew from a very early age that she "wanted to tell stories and challenge the status quo". Her first book, How to Lose Friends and Influence White People [https://www.penguin.com.au/books/how-to-lose-friends-and-influence-white-people-9781761044007], released this year, hits that mark perfectly – deeply critical of the media industry in Australia, it’s an anti-racism manual and a lesson on how diversity and inclusion can be done well. In her Pep Talk with host Caroline Hugall, Antoinette shares raw and practical advice, revealing issues she overlooked earlier in her career that she definitely wouldn't walk past today, the questions to ask yourself before you ask for a pay rise, and how you can have a meaningful impact on the world – even just by speaking up at a family barbecue.