What are you working on?

I am a commercial project manager and estimator for Capital Veneering, one of the region’s largest commercial and residential joinery businesses in Queanbeyan. My role involves pricing up joinery tenders when they come from builders, helping to win the work and then project managing certain projects to completion while communicating with our production team, installation team and the onsite site team. My role is a mix of high-level organisation, hands-on work onsite, and teamwork with our company and other companies.

I also am the founder of Chase The Feeling, a brand around helping women, girls, trans, and LGTBIQA+ people learn self-confidence, self-love, tangible self-development skill sets, and a passion for life through goal setting, financial freedom, and adventure. The brand is currently split into two tiers.

The first is a podcast called Chase The Feeling Podcast, where I interview everyday women, girls, trans and LGTBIQA+ people to learn about their life journey, highs, lows, lessons learnt, careers, passion projects and advice to their younger selves. I also release episodes around life skills such as personal values, budgeting, finding your tribe and business.

The second is a travel planning small business called Chase The Feeling Travel. I have a not-so-hidden talent of being able to articulately plan small and large holidays with accurate budgets, itineraries, packing lists, and dream bucket list to-do items. My passion for travel and organisation has morphed into this small business where I offer to help people plan their ultimate dream holidays well before they plan to go and I custom create these plans for them. They can then use these plans to accurately save for the trip and understand what they can accomplish in their set time frame.

I believe this is different to a travel agent as I am invested in helping people create off the beaten track once in a lifetime adventures. I go as far as even finding incredible unique restaurants close to accommodation and prices of food on the menu to help you accurately know how much cash you need to go overseas or across Australia.

Why is innovation important to you?

Such a great question!

In a fast-moving world like the one we live in (and especially online), we always need to be innovative and keep up with the younger generations. I also am a big fan of finding ways to work smarter, not harder. This is the reason most innovation is created and implemented in construction so I use this in my everyday life and Chase The Feeling.

What drives you to make a difference?

Over the last four years, I have had the opportunity to talk at many schools and young people’s events about construction, female empowerment, financial independence, trade apprenticeships and women’s safety. Over time I have seen the struggles girls, women, trans, and LGTBIQA+ people have as they grow up, and what this can turn into as people grow older.

My drive to help people as discussed above is completely surrounded by this. I want to help create environments and situations for people that help them feel financially stable, healthy, loved, supported, listened to, and that they have opportunities and resources to do anything they wish to do.

A big change I have seen that drives my passion for women in construction is the equality coming out now. When I started my apprenticeship in 2013 I was the only female. Now, most CIT or TAFE classes are 50/50. This is incredible to see.

Do you have any advice for getting more women into the innovation ecosystem?

The advice I would give my younger self if I reflect on my journey to date would be:
1. Stop worrying about what people will think of you, or what ‘society’ will think of you. Do the thing! Follow your passion!
2. Don’t trick yourself into thinking that you are not good enough, or that you are not qualified enough, or that someone else is already doing it so its not worth you doing it. Your way of doing something will always be unique because no one will do it the way you do.
3. If your dreams are big, scary, and wild, you are doing it right. Keep going.

What are you proud of right now?

The biggest highlight of my career to date was being awarded the National Association Of Women In Construction’s Tradeswomen Of The Year award in 2018. It was the biggest honor for me to receive this award and to make it even better, my dad was my date AND it was his birthday! My dad was the reason I started my apprenticeship in joinery so it was a great moment for us to share together.

My most recent big win and achievement was being selected to be the face of the YWCA Australia national campaign for ‘Tradies For Women’s Safety‘. As one of the original members of the YWCA Australia’s Young Women’s Council, it was a privilege to use my position and contacts to help with this incredible campaign.

The campaign was around getting affordable and safe housing for women in need put on the agenda through the Nowhere To Go report. The campaign is around creating more jobs for tradies through building affordable housing to create safe places for women in need, which means a win-win for everyone.

I am so proud to have been the face of such an important campaign. You can find more information about this on the YWCA Australia Instagram or Facebook pages.

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