Last year saw many women re-evaluate what success was to them. Some started their own businesses. Others chased new career paths. And many still decided to cut back on work to create more work-life balance. For all of these women, though, success no longer meant sacrificing their wellbeing.
Ahead, we share the stories of four Australian women among that movement. From a woman who started a discount healthy grocery business that gives to charity, to a corporate lawyer who is shifting her focus into homewares, these womens’ stories prove that success isn’t a one-size-fits-all.
Julie Wright Left a Company to Start Her Own Business
Working in communications and PR for over 15 years, Julie Wright’s measure of success had always been the same: working towards a leadership role where she mentored a high-performing team and was highly sought after for her specialist advice.
“Working the hours I was — trying to be the best boss, most dependable colleague, and mother of the year — weighed heavily on me,” she says. “Something had to give, and I realised that thing was me and my own wellbeing.”
So, in mid-2021, amid the Sydney lockdowns, Wright decided to take some extended leave from her role so she could create some space in her brain to consider her next move. Looking at her career as a whole, she began to feel nudged towards launching Anchor & Co Communications in late-2021.
“I immediately knew in my gut it was the right call,” she says. “I’m still able to operate at a senior level, use my skills and experience, be creative and collaborative, but I’m also able to walk my son to school every day and pick him up most afternoons.
“Our walk in the mornings is when he is at his chattiest, telling me about the things he has learned and asking curious questions. It’s my favourite way to start the day.”
Alene Sullivan Changed Her Focus to Charity
Alene Sullivan doesn’t know whether it was a mid-life crisis, baby hormones, or a rare moment of clarity that led to her leaving her twenty-year corporate career — with two kids and during a global pandemic, she adds — to start venture Wholesome Market with a business partner. “The meaning of success had fundamentally changed for me, and I needed to do something about it,” she says.
“So, I traded in business suits for trackie dacks, corporate travel for WFH, and a stable income for sweat equity. Our concept was to give away all the profits a normal supermarket would make and charge a $5/month membership fee instead. I’ll admit it took a while for people to understand, but once it clicked, it clicked.”
These days, Sullivan says she measures success not by how much money she’s making, but by how much money she’s saving thousands of Australians on healthy groceries. Success, for her now, means making it possible to get better-for-you products into the hands of more Australians every day.
Christie Whitehill Defined Clear Work Boundaries
When she was younger and just getting into business, Christie Whitehill says her goals were measured by the amount of capital she raised or the amount of revenue her company was making. “I was in the tech industry and the culture was very much driven by high-growth,” she says. “Working 70-80 hours a week was like wearing a badge of honour.”
Five years ago, Whitehill was still in that mindset when she started Tech Ready Women. Her drive helped to grow the company quickly, but also, eventually led her to burnout — and not the kind you can get over quickly.
“It took three years to get my health bank to a functioning state and for me to feel ‘normal’ again,” she says. “In that time, I also had my children and my values shifted. My health journey was what inspired me to create my new business Intu Wellness with my good friend Anna Robards.”
Now, Whitehill has boundaries in place around work, juggling both Tech Ready Women and Intu Wellness, as well as being a mum to her two kids.
“Today, I define success in how balanced my life feels,” she says. “I ask myself daily: Have I made time for exercise and meditation? Am I eating well? Have I made time for my kids and their interests? Are Dave, my husband, and I connecting? And, most importantly, am I getting enough sleep? If I’m meeting all these areas, then I feel successful.”
Carolyn Dorian Started a Side Hustle
Pre-lockdown, Carolyn Dorian’s goal was to build a law firm empire, with success defined by how many clients they could service. “I even closed a $100m M&A transaction on the day of my C-section — anything was possible,” she says. “I was in a corporate-driven race where everyone was in a hurry and everyone had to have city offices.”
Then, during lockdown, all that changed. When Dorian was forced to sit and have breakfast, lunch, and dinner with her husband and new baby, it made her realise how fulfilling spending time at home was. “I enjoyed having a chat or putting some food out in a nice, presentable way,” she says. “Sitting at the table brought me back to the old ways and taught me to enjoy the simple things.”
She decided she wanted to help others enjoy that simple pleasure, too, and so started a side hustle Mrs Tablescape, selling ceramics, napery and linens, candles, and place cards.
These days, Dorian says she’s no longer driven by the title or white-collar drive, but rather by how much she enjoys her work – whether that be in law or with Mrs Tablescape. “I am able to better adapt and to be proud of the things that I can achieve on that day,” she says. “My new definition of success is to be creatively known across the world.”
