What if the life you really wanted was on the other side of one brave decision?

At 22, Maria Perry packed up her life in the UK, moved to Australia completely on her own, knew not a single person, and decided to build on her recruitment career.

7 years later, she's built successful recruitment careers across two continents, stepped into leadership, helped grow a business from the ground up, and perhaps most importantly, she's done it without ever losing sight of who she is.

When I created Women Who Recruit, I wanted to represent women at every stage of their careers. Not just those looking back on decades of experience, but those still in the middle of building something extraordinary.

Maria is exactly that.

What struck me most about this conversation wasn't how much she's achieved by 25. It was her perspective.

We spoke about building a career around your own strengths instead of someone else's blueprint, navigating the uncertainty that comes with backing yourself, and why some of the biggest lessons are learned while you're still finding your feet- especially as a woman.

Maria leads her life with her heart. She trusts her intuition. She says yes before she feels completely ready. And in doing so, she's created opportunities most people only ever talk about.

I'm incredibly grateful to have watched part of that journey unfold, and even more grateful that she shared it so openly on this episode.

I think so many people, whether you're just starting out or years into your career, will see a little of themselves in Maria's story.

This week on Women Who Recruit, I'm joined by Jill Ryder, Founder of Precision Sourcing.

Now, lets start by saying, I am a bit of a fan girl of Jill's. She has built what is in my opinion, one of the most progressive, modern, successful and values led Agencies in Australia. And as I learned, none of it started with a grand master plan.

From moving to London as a graduate who was kind of "winging it", to building one of Australia's most respected Tech Agencies that's now in its 21st year, Jill shares the honest story behind the success.

We talked about building a business while raising two daughters, caring for ageing parents, losing her mum, and how your definition of ambition changes through different seasons of life.

One thing Jill said really stayed with me: success stopped being about buying things, and became about having options. The ability to be there when life needed her most.

We also had one of the most honest conversations I've had on the podcast about menopause, motherhood, and why we need to do a better job of supporting women to build long, sustainable careers in recruitment- not just in their 20s and 30s, but well beyond.

Jill is thoughtful, humble, incredibly self aware, and refreshingly open about the parts of leadership we don't often hear. I am so grateful she took the time to share all of this with me.

I absolutely loved this conversation- we have a lot to learn from the introverts of our industry!

In this episode, I sit down with Sophie Lane for a conversation that feels like catching up with a friend who tells it like it is, and makes you laugh deliciously along the way.

We talk about wanting to quit recruitment every week in the early days, earning her first commission cheque of just a few dollars, and the resilience it takes to keep showing up when success feels a long way off.

Sophie also shares the leap from a secure, successful career into starting her own business, all while navigating the deeply personal realities of fertility, ambition and the question so many women quietly ask themselves: can I really have both?!

What I loved most about this conversation is Sophie's perspective on success and leadership. We explore why people remember how you make them feel, why one-size-fits-all leadership never works, and the importance of cheering for other women rather than competing with them.

It's honest, funny and incredibly human, a conversation about careers, courage, friendship and backing yourself, even when the path ahead is unknown.

Sophie is incredible, I hope you enjoy this chat as much as we enjoyed filming it!