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In partnership with the fabulous team at The Hunger Project Australia led by the phenomenal Cathy Burke, forty Premium Members have taken up the opportunity to unlock the creativity, leadership, entrepreneurialism and productivity of the poorest of the poor in both Bangladesh and Uganda.

We want to introduce you to those fortunate enough to be chosen to participate in this mutually transformative experience. These women are incredible - connect with them and get behind them as they take this journey!

Deb Parietti

This is why Deb stood out ...

I believe it will shake me to my bones. And then enlighten me. I am craving a chance, clarity and a little bit of braveness. I can see all this happening in just a week!  I would like to look back in few years and rethink about this trip like a milestone, like the spark that ignited the fire I needed to redirect my life.

Request Deb's online business card and connect with her here.

Danielle Conlan

This is why Danielle stood out ...

I am still waiting for that ‘life-changing epiphany’ to arrive and crystallise into a tangible action plan for the future.  Perhaps an experience such as this will teach me once and for all that life is about less waiting, more creating!

 I feel as though it is now the time for me to shed my fears about going into my own business and just get out there and start making a change for good. Who knows, in the process of following in the footsteps of those I admire, I might even inspire someone else along the way.

Request Danielle's online business card and connect with her here.

Christine Khor

This is why Christine stood out  …

"I once read that the definition of insanity is when you do the same thing over and over again and expect a different result and I believe this is how I have been working and living for the last 12 months or so.  The best way to create a change and make a difference is to break down the old paradigms of thought and belief and to create new ones.  This is what I am hoping for.  By putting myself out of my comfort zone, but going to a place I have never thought of going to before, to go without friends or family around me, to immerse myself in another culture and witness real struggle and commitment I hope to jolt myself out of “insanity” and gain a clearer understanding of the value I can add to an organisation."

Request Christine's online business card and connect with her here.

Clare Phelan

This is why Claire stood out  …

"One of my favourite quotes is “be the change you seek”. Since I was young I have always been inspired and humbled by those communities around the world getting by in such difficult circumstances. Having led a blessed life in a country with so much spirit and freedom and having had support and opportunities, which so many women/children around the world could only dream about, I can’t help but acknowledge the inequality/hypocrisy and feel a sense of purpose."

Request Clare's online business card and connect with her here.

Nikki Tonkin

This is why Nikki stood out  …

"After losing my Dad a year ago, things in my life have been put into perspective. My passion to help and empower others with the right skills in leadership, health and survival has become a priority. I am hoping that this trip will teach me how to be more courageous, resilient and skilful, but most of all demonstrate to me how people in small communities can learn and accomplish great things with the help and encouragement of others. The trip will be personally challenging on a number of levels which will impact in ways that I can only imagine within my workplace and family."

Request Nikki's online business card and connect with her here.

Alyce Pilgrim

This is why Alyce stood out  …

"The barriers that I come up against in my day to day life are nothing compared to what these women must face. My barriers to success in my life and career are self imposed belief conflicts, that I’m not good enough, not worthy;  I don’t have enough experience; I am not old enough; along with additional fears that I create in my own mind. However, these women face monumental challenges each day and yet they still have the courage to go on. In the face of such adversity, they have the determination, the drive and the will to improve the quality of their life for themselves and future generations."

Request Alyce's online business card and connect with her here.

Yarianni Bustamante Rodriguez

This is why Yarianni stood out  …

"I will be able to give something of value back to others, to people-in-need who want support and encouragement. I would love to be part of a team that changes other people’s lives. It will be a great example for my daughter when she grows up to understand what her mum was pursuing."

Request Yarianni's online business card and connect with her here

Ailan Tran

This is why Ailan stood out  …

"Whenever I am asked who my favourite leader is, I always go back to my childhood when my adopted Australian grandparents (Robert and Betty Parsons) set a strong, positive example for me as the daughter of new migrants to Australia.

Robert and Betty taught me the importance of continuing my education, maintaining good health, the strength of family and the valuable contribution an individual can make to society through community service.  Robert and Betty had very little themselves, but they gave me as much as I needed to ensure that I developed and kept these enduring values with me into adulthood.

Without their persistence to change my mindset, without the opportunities, support and positive examples that Robert and Betty gave me during my most impressionable years, I would lack the confidence to take responsibility for achieving my personal and professional goals and would not value or understand the importance of the contribution that thousands of volunteers make to their local and global communities."

Request Ailan's online business card and connect with her here

Angela Kenny

This is why Angela stood out  …

"I feel very lucky as a woman to have been born in a country where women are treated as equals.  I, as a person, do feel empowered to do whatever it is that I want to do and am able to go about putting the motions in place to make things happen for myself.  It is distressing to think that there are other women in the world who are so oppressed that they have never felt this empowerment.  To be able to change that, and to make a child or woman feel that they are able to do something to change the position they find themselves in, that would be amazing."

Request Angela's online business card and connect with her here.

Jo Bennett

This is why Jo stood out  …

"I have been incredibly fortunate to have been raised in a close loving family and have been given endless opportunities throughout my life. I know how lucky I am however, speaking honestly, I still find myself wanting more (in a material sense). I am very recently married and my husband and I live in a lovely unit, but we want a bigger house. We have cars that get us from A to B, but we want better cars. We both have jobs which we love and enjoy, but we always want to earn more money. I don’t think this necessarily a bad thing per se but I want my life to be more than this. I want to become the best person I can be. For me, these trips represent a genuine opportunity to firstly give back in some form by getting involved with THP and secondly, and equally importantly, challenge and stretch myself. I love THP’s philosophy in dealing with hunger as a global issue - there are no borders in dealing with the hungry and the poor. I also feel particularly drawn to THP because of its passion around empowering women leaders."

Request Jo's online business card and connect with her here.

Nardia Verscovi-Diss

This is why Nardia stood out  …

“I have a dream of developing a business that works with women, by providing coaching to assist them succeed professionally when they may have been out of the workforce for a period of time. The ultimate aim being, that at whatever stage in their lives they are, they have the capacity long term to be self-sufficient and able to look after themselves and their families. Not at risk of being reliant on welfare, living below the poverty line, or having to stay in a difficult situation because they don’t feel that they have a choice. To truly be empowered and own their future.

I have always seen this as a ‘pipe dream’, in reality not a possibility. And I suppose, as something that is ‘local’ as opposed to ‘global’, but, I suspect that this journey will challenge me to develop the self-belief that could allow me to accomplish that dream, and expand the potential impact well beyond what I had envisaged and truly make a difference to not just those women, but, also to potentially generations of women, as by setting the example we allow girls to be powerful and to determine their own future regardless of where they live in the world.”

Request Nardia's online business card and connect with her here.

Tina Tower

This is why Tina stood out  …

“Personally (and a little selfishly) I think it is valuable to feel like I am doing something good in the world. I work hard to provide for my family but we have so much and are a little spoilt. I would like to help provide for a community that isn't so lucky and doesn't have as many opportunities. I want to feel that I can use my business to produce results for something far bigger than my family, my team and my immediate community. I want to be able to impact the world and leave it in a better place, not worse than when my life began.”

Request Tina's online business card and connect with her here.

Karen O'Donahoo

This is why Karen stood out  …

“I passionately believe in the power of women to achieve great things for themselves and their communities.  However, my life experience has shown me that women need support as well as belief in themselves in order to achieve their full potential.  Today, in our society, girls are brought up to believe in themselves.  Self confidence came late to me, and was hard earned - so when Cathy enunciated that women in developing countries need to be empowered to believe in themselves and also be supported to achieve their goals, this resonated deeply within me.”

Request Karen's online business card and connect with her here.

Peggy Radiotis

This is why Peggy stood out …

“I can’t even begin to imagine the difference that this trip will have on my life. Even though we see images every day of people living in poverty and read so many articles about famines, sex trafficking etc. there’s no way that someone so far removed from it can even begin to comprehend it. Experiencing Bangladesh first hand I believe will give me a greater appreciation for what I have. I think it will also open up my eyes to many other organisations that I could get involved with and encourage me to step out of my comfort zone and take risks. I’m confident that the women we meet in Bangladesh will inspire me to do bigger and greater things in my life, rather than go down the easy path. I also hope that this trip will enable me to form long last friendships with inspirational women involved in Business Chicks and THPA.”

Request Peggy's online business card and connect with her here.

Felicity Donaldson 

This is why Felicity stood out …

“In my professional life I facilitate development while balancing the impacts to the environment. I think it is time that I started to look after the people who live in the wider world, rather than just looking after the environment and the people who I love that are closest to me – this trip will give me a direct opportunity to have influence outside of my current sphere. One of my key motivators to go on this trip is also the networking and learning opportunities that the trip will present me with – I am a young manager/ leader and would love to accelerate my development in the leadership space.”

Request Felicity's online business card and connect with her here.

You can read more info about The Business Chicks Immersion and Leadership Project here.