How I went from miserable & insecure employee,
to having a fast-tracked & fulfilling career.
And to now helping women around the world
Step Into their Power.
Before there was a combined social media following of 500,000+, before sharing the stage with some of the most well-known business people and being invited to speak at prestigious events, before embarking on a mission to empower 1 million professional women…
After graduating from Law & Psychology, there was just a new girl in corporate, trying to find her way in a male-dominated industry.
Trying to please everyone.
Desperately seeking validation.
Constantly yearning for approval.
Struggling with imposter syndrome and not feeling ‘enough’, and finding solace in the world of competitive latin dance (that’s another story - but it involves winning 3x Australian National Titles and presenting the country in Puerto Rico at the Worlds... a serious adventure!)
My Story.
After spending 4 unfulfilling years in the law where I was riddled with self-doubt, I transitioned to banking and finance where my ‘inner nasty girl’ would help remind me daily that I was ‘an imposter’ and I didn’t belong.
But I persisted.
I sought out quality mentors.
I did extra weekend courses ‘in secret’.
I filled my knowledge gaps.
I built my confidence to speak up.
I knew my self-worth and fearlessly negotiated …
And pretty soon my obsession to figure out how to create a fulfilling career in corporate. My career started to really accelerate and before I knew it I landed a ‘Head of’ role by the age of 30. I was on a high salary. Rubbing shoulders with executives. Invited to speak at industry events. I was on the up and up.
While I’m grateful for these achievements in corporate, for traveling around the country with the CEO of the 40,000 company presenting to thousands of senior leaders, being named a Woman of Influence, becoming a 2 time Telstra Women in Business Finalist and being named Mentor of the Year in the Women in Financial Services Awards…
There was one thing that meant the most to me.
As more women at work began to hear of my stand-out progress and reputation, they started reaching out for career guidance. And before I knew it I found myself mentoring more and more women. It started becoming clear that I had a knack for helping women to see their value, to break through their limiting voices, to learn how to speak up in meetings, to negotiate, to have challenging conversations, to back themselves and to ask for what they want.
To realize that there was so much potential within them – they just hadn’t had anyone help them notice it or they were in environments that held them back.
Pretty soon I had created a strong reputation as the defacto go-to coach in the office. Executives would refer their team members for guidance, advice and mentorship.
And what really lit me up was seeing these women who were so unsure of themselves suddenly discover their inner-power to take their career by the reigns and truly shine.
As I helped these women and heard their stories, I was reminded about how much women struggle in the world of work. How many of them hold themselves back by listening to their ‘inner nasty girl’ that keeps telling them they’re ‘not ready’, ‘not good enough’, ‘not worthy…’
The self-doubt, the second-guessing, the endless obstacles…
Over the course of my 10+ year corporate career,
I learned how to hack the system.
Over the course of my 10+ year corporate career, I learned how to ‘hack’ the system. My trajectory was accelerated because of how I combined my background in psychology with insights from my MBA and coaching certification, along with my own trial-and-error approach, to understand what it takes to really map out a career that you enjoy and excel at.
I become obsessed with learning about how people perform in the workplace, especially women. And if I were to sum up everything in the simplest possible way about what the core principles are when it comes to accelerating career advancement for women, it’s this:
P
Positioning:
-
How are you positioned at work?
-
What is your unique value proposition as a professional?
-
How are you creating your brand and making sure people know what you’re capable of?
O
Ownership:
-
How aware are you of your internal blockers that hold you back?
-
How in-tune are you with your ‘inner nasty girl’?
-
How well are you able to subdue her incessant judgements?
W
Wow-Rate:
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How aware are you of your strengths?
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How do you leverage them?
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What are your unique career-multipliers and how are you developing them to really stand out as someone indispensable to the company you work for?
E
Enablers:
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How well can you position yourself in an interview or performance appraisal?
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How well versed are you in the art of negotiating for what you deserve?
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How do you set and achieve your goals?
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What techniques do you utilize to actively grow your network?
R
Rebound-Rate:
-
When things go pear-shaped, how do you pull yourself back on your path?
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How well are you able to manage your emotional state to remain focussed and composed under pressure?
These were skills I developed and fine-tuned during my career and in successfully mentoring many others – I know that these 5 core principles work.
Over the years, I’ve developed a reputation for my ability to blend neuroscience and psychology research into actionable, tangible strategies to boost performance and success – it’s what I’m invited to speak about at events all around the world.
And I teach professional women how to learn the ‘hacks’, the nitty-gritty details, the psychology-based insights, that give them confidence to build a remarkable career, without overwhelm or the “where the heck do I start” freak-out.
I am able to do this because I teach what I know.
I teach what I’ve personally experienced and applied to accelerate my career (and other’s careers) while still remaining true to my authentic self and my values.
One of my core beliefs is that men and women are like 'two wings of a bird'. Only when both wings are of equal strength can humanity truly fly. Through our work, my husband and I are working together to strengthen the female wing (while promoting better harmony between men & women).
I could have continued the journey in corporate to achieve more success but I knew deep inside that I can contribute the most value through helping other women live to their highest potential.
And now this is my mission - to empower 1 million professional women around the globe to work and live at their highest potential with a strong sense of self-worth and in-turn inspire other women around them.
Are you ready to hack your career,
overcome your limiting beliefs and
confidently create the life you deserve?
I’m sure you’ve heard of the phrase, “career success is all about who you know…” Am I right?
But that’s not it at all. It’s not WHO you know. It’s WHAT you do.
It’s about doing the work.
And I know you’re ready to do the work.
That’s why you’re here.
That’s why you’ve read up to this point.
That’s why you’re feeling frustrated in your career, and know you can ‘be’ more.
By reading this, you’ve proven to yourself that you’re willing to DO the work
– you’ll put in the effort to see yourself SOAR in your career.
Speaker
This is a great place to add a tagline.
As a professional speaker, Shadé is renowned for her ability to infuse motivation with practical strategies and solutions to shift mindsets and drive positive action in her audiences. Her high energy presentations are characterised by authenticity, humour and passion, and create maximum impact.
Ready to take the first step to
supercharge your career?
Start your journey now with with our free 3 essential strategies training to help you gain more clarity & confidence in your career.
As Director and Chief Positive Influencer of Influenceo Global Inc., Shadé brings positive psychology and neuroscience research to life through simple, easy-to-apply strategies to elevate leadership, bolster engagement and boost employee wellbeing. She’s worked with leading organisations to develop robust strategies for growth, delivered powerful professional development keynotes and programs that drive positive team culture and change-readiness.
In line with her mission to elevate the status of women in business, Shadé founded Neurofemina in 2019, an innovative training platform to equip women with Confidence, Capability and Clarity to ignite their potential and excel in an era of unprecedented uncertainty.
Clients Inspired by Shadé
Latin Dance
Shadé’s love of dance stemmed from a two-fold drive… to challenge herself to push beyond what she thought possible, and to be the instigator of change in her students, guiding them to build their confidence and seeing them have breakthroughs in their creativity and expression.
Becoming a highly sought after dance duo, Shadé and dance partner Juan Ruiz, Director of Tropical Soul in Sydney, performed and taught at festivals and events all around the country and were international guests artists at the World Bachata Festival in Malaysia 2015. They won three Australian Latin Dance Championships between 2015-16. Shadé also represented Australia at the World Salsa Open in Puerto Rico in 2014, came 1st the Portland Salsa Congress the same year and has contributed as an instructor to international dance retreats.
In 2017 she was invited to performing Australia’s first TED conference, dancing alongside Aric Yegudken from Dancing With the Stars and So You Think You Can Dance.