Career Conversations
Ideas, stories and practical tools for navigating your career
Career Conversations shares the stories behind remarkable careers. Some women knew exactly where they were headed. Others changed direction entirely. Some founded businesses, others transformed organisations, communities and industries. Every conversation offers a different perspective on work, leadership and finding your own way.
Originally published between 2018 and 2021, these conversations have been lightly edited for readability and updated where possible to reflect where each person is today.
Leadership
Career Change
Confidence
Entrepreneurship
Money
Wellbeing
Women at Work
Creativity
Purpose
STEM
Governance
Communication
Networking
Melissa Baer
Entrepreneur and Business Owner
Christchurch, New Zealand (and Canada)
Melissa Baer has always done things differently. From funding her own rugby career as a teenager to building businesses across two hemispheres, she's created a life driven by freedom, purpose and financial confidence rather than following a traditional career path.
Sharee Harper
General Manager, Swazi
Levin, New Zealand
As General Manager of Swazi and a single mum of two, Sharee Harper knows that leadership isn't just about running a business. It's about resilience, communication and creating a working life where family and career can genuinely thrive together.
Jane Guy
Writer, Community Advocate and Founder of Queenstown Life
Queenstown, New Zealand
Jane Guy created Queenstown Life to tell the stories behind one of New Zealand's best-known destinations. Through writing, community work and genuine curiosity, she's built a career that reflects her love of people, place and connection, one story at a time.
Abbe Hyde
Entrepreneur and Innovation Consultant
Dunedin, New Zealand
Abbe Hyde never imagined becoming an entrepreneur. What began with a university enterprise programme and an exchange semester in the United States eventually led her into the startup world, where she's learnt that curiosity, trust and saying yes can open unexpected doors.
Anya Satyanand
Executive Director, Ember Innovations
New Zealand
Anya Satyanand didn't leave school knowing exactly what she wanted to do. A gap year, a teaching career and time overseas eventually led her into leadership, where she's focused on helping young people realise their potential and create opportunities for themselves.
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