I didn’t grow up with language as a strength or confidence in my voice. Like many women, I learned those things later, through experience and necessity rather than early support. Through my work with women over many years, I’ve seen how common that pattern is and how long it can take to undo. Lioness exists to move that moment earlier, so young women have access to the self-knowledge and practical capability to understand their strengths and use their voice before doubt and silence become embedded.

This program comes from my heart, as I had a very traumatic childhood, always being silenced out of fear and never feeling like I knew my strengths or could confidently speak my truth. As a teacher, the lioness program brings me back to my roots

At its core, the problem is this. Australia is failing to equip young women, particularly in regional and rural communities, with the internal language, confidence, and agency to advocate for themselves in education, work, health, and life decisions. We talk about resilience and leadership, but we rarely give girls practical tools to understand their strengths, articulate their value, and take action early enough to change their trajectory. The cost of that failure shows up later as disengagement, underemployment, mental health strain, and silence in systems that reward confidence and clarity.