‘Whirlwind’ is an understatement. I’m still struggling to find the words to describe the weeks since winning the Small Business category in the 2019 Victorian Telstra Women’s Business Awards.
Receiving the award itself was, as you might expect, an overwhelming honour; the pinnacle of my career to date. To be recognized in a room filled with some of the most accomplished female leaders in our country; that’s a memory that I will treasure and remain proud of for the rest of my life.
The response has been astonishing. I’ve had congratulatory phone calls and messages from hundreds of friends, family members, team members, mentors, referrers, clients…. the list goes on. What surprised me was that this recognition meant just as much as the award itself. Our society isn’t one where complimenting each other is entirely common, which is disappointing for those of us ‘Verbal Affirmation’ folk (if you don’t know what I’m taking about, I highly recommend the book The Five Languages of Love). So it has been pleasantly humbling to hear the lovely sentiments my community have shared with me about the 10 year quest I’ve been on with my company Own Body. The best part about these conversations is hearing that so many people feel connected to the journey and know they had at least some small part in its success.
I’m often asked “what does this mean?”. One of the marvellous things about the Telstra Awards is the incredible Alumni of past winners and finalists. This includes people from all over Australia who are ‘undoing business’ and have been recognized by the exemplary Awards judges for their work. Not do I have the resources to contact them all directly, the natural inclusive feel of the group means members are more than happy to make time to connect one on one despite their very busy schedules.
So what’s next? I believe it would be irresponsible of me to sit back and just enjoy my moment in the spotlight. After all, over the years I was inspired by hundreds of entrepreneurs and leaders who gave their time on panels, podcasts, blogs and speaking engagements. So now it’s my turn; I’m turning my hand to encouraging the next generation to take the leap into entrepreneurship.
But where I can make the biggest impact is to chase my BHAG; changing the landscape of healthcare by making home delivered rehab the norm. Small shifts in the way rehabilitation is provided will save the public healthcare system and private health insurers many millions of dollars annually. The research shows superior outcomes for client satisfaction and recovery in the home environment*. Remote health technology is improving constantly, enabling our ability to connect with patients with ease and monitor with greater accuracy.
Home health care will inevitably play a huge role in our future; the opportunities are enormous and multifactorial. I am determined to utilise the added ‘legitimacy’ and the platform that winning Telstra award brings, to be an influencer in this field. I’m making it my mission speed up the bigger cogs and ensure they keep turning in the right direction.
*on average and when medically appropriate.
