Propel Her - Grounded Curiosity

April 13, 2026April 13, 2026Propel Her

Leadership doesn’t come from the comment section – when noise meets reality

Reading Time: 10 minutes It is also a significant day for every young girl who has ever thought about what leadership might look like for her. For every female soldier, officer and veteran who has quietly pushed through barriers that once felt immovable.
It is a reminder that those barriers are not what they once were. And that, more than anything, is worth acknowledging.

September 4, 2025September 4, 2025Propel Her

Blood, Sweat and Tears: A Bloody History

Reading Time: 14 minutes If we want young women to grow up with dignity and health, we need to talk about it openly. Women’s Health Week is the perfect time. Pens out, pads ready (see what I did there?) – class is in session.

Australian Army soldier Corporal Caitlyn Elleray reads a letter from a distant relative writing about his account of the landing at Gallipoli.

August 5, 2025August 5, 2025Propel Her

Hysteria, witch hunts and the wandering womb

Reading Time: 11 minutes To the wandering wombs, the witch-hunts and the Diagnostic Manuals that couldn’t quite fit us in. To the Freud footnotes, the battlefield breakthroughs and the male-led mental health movements that found time for everyone else first.

March 7, 2025March 7, 2025Propel Her

Spotlight International Women: women’s participation across global militaries

Reading Time: 2 minutes In celebration of International Women’s Day, we’re highlighting nine fun and inspiring facts about women in the military—showcasing their strength, resilience, and the incredible ways they have shaped armed forces across the globe.

March 7, 2025March 7, 2025Propel Her

Be your authentic self

Reading Time: 4 minutes In consideration of being your authentic self, what are those things that you consider important? If you had five mins to explain to someone what your core values are and why – what would you consider yours to be?

September 18, 2024September 19, 2024Propel Her

Asking For Help: Overcoming Pride and My Own Prejudice

Reading Time: 8 minutes I’m a creature of habit. I have been listening to the same audiobook every night to go to sleep for 19 odd […]

Image with writing stating no shame in the name: the athena project

June 6, 2024June 6, 2024Propel Her

The Athena Project. There’s No Shame In The Name: Victim

Reading Time: 8 minutes Written by Jordyn Gray (she/her), Founder of The Athena Project, Veteran, Survivor, Advocate and Speaker Trigger Warning: Sexual Violence Do you remember […]

October 3, 2023October 8, 2023Propel Her

On impending motherhood and leadership: Which comes first?

Reading Time: 5 minutes I have some questions for all the women I serve with who happen to be mothers.Were you ready? Were you prepared? How […]

September 18, 2023September 18, 2023Propel Her

The default setting to be the default parent; motherhood and delegation.

Reading Time: 5 minutes “What do you mean ‘call him first?“ A common question, often said with surprise, underpinned by thinly veiled judgement. My partner is […]

September 4, 2023September 4, 2023Propel Her

New Chapter for Propel Her Aus

Reading Time: 2 minutes After three years of sharing women’s stories and insightful conversations, it is time for a new chapter. Propel Her Aus co-founders, Shamsa […]

May 31, 2023February 11, 2024Propel Her

Shattering Identity Bias – An interview with Captain Mona Shindy CSC

Reading Time: 5 minutes Captain Mona Shindy is an accomplished Naval Officer – one of the first to serve on an Aussie warship. She wears many […]

March 8, 2023March 8, 2023Propel Her

International Women’s Day 2023 – Cracking the code: Innovation for a Gender Equal future.

Reading Time: 5 minutes Propel Her Co-Founder Shamsa Lea gave us a sneak peek into her IWD presentation to a female audience at a veterans organisation […]

Australian Army soldier Private Bree-Anna Cheatham holds an Australian Army camouflage paint mirror to a girl during the Regis Aged Care Facility Community Day held on Wednesday 21st March 2018 in Salisbury, Brisbane QLD

November 25, 2022February 11, 2024Propel Her

You Can Be What You Can’t See: Moving Beyond The Child’s Imagination To Achieving Life Goals

Reading Time: 7 minutes A recent post on a feminist and women’s empowerment page I greatly admire and respect quoted Sally Ride, an astronaut, physicist, engineer […]

August 2, 2022February 11, 2024Propel Her

High Performance Teams and Leadership Lessons – Afghan Evacuation Task

Reading Time: 8 minutes For nine months (August 2021 – May 2022), I have been part of a volunteer team, including Chris Parsons and Martin Dransfield, […]

July 27, 2022July 27, 2022Propel Her, Propel Her Bonus

When Traditional Concepts Blind Us To Our Own Success

Reading Time: 4 minutes It can be devastating when our pathways in life lead us to outcomes we view as contrary to success. This is […]

June 27, 2022March 29, 2026Propel Her

I See Myself: The Portrait Painted for All Mothers Who Serve

Reading Time: 6 minutes I know that look. I see myself in her eyes. I know that woman intimately. It’s a portrait of me – a portrait of […]

June 12, 2022February 11, 2024Propel Her

The invisible hand of gender inequality

Reading Time: 5 minutes This year’s theme for International Women’s Day was “break the bias”. However, what does this mean? And how can we actually break […]

April 13, 2022February 11, 2024Propel Her

It’s not up to her to solve: The competing demands of work and family

Reading Time: 8 minutes To improve the recruitment, retention and advancement of women, we need to remove structural barriers. And guess what? Doing so will be […]

Lyndsay in blue UN vest and army uniform stands with UN vehicle

April 1, 2022March 29, 2026Propel Her

The ABC of Diversity: Steps to Creating a Space for Change

Reading Time: 5 minutes I am currently serving with one of the most diverse organisations in the world – the United Nations. My role as a […]

October 31, 2021February 11, 2024Propel Her

Beyond Bubble Baths: The 9 Elements of (Realistic) Self-Care

Reading Time: 5 minutes I’ll admit it. I’m a Self-care Wanna-Be. I wanna-be more guilt-free and consistent with prioritising self-care. I wanna-be so enviably organised with my time and space that […]

October 5, 2021March 29, 2026Propel Her

Women, Warriors and Warfare: When the best man for the job is a woman

Reading Time: 6 minutes Recently, I had the pleasure of seeing a LinkedIn post from an American Army colleague, on a photo of a group of […]

September 16, 2021September 7, 2021Blog, Leadership, Propel Her

Will the Real Army Leaders Please Stand Up?

Reading Time: 4 minutes During a promotion course at Canungra, I recall an instructor posing a simple question to the audience: “How many of you have […]

April 8, 2021February 11, 2024Propel Her

How to have a Challenging Conversation at Work

Reading Time: 5 minutes By Shamsa Lea and edited by Lyndsay Freeman. This article is part of the Propel Her Australia – Defence Women’s Leadership Series. The difference […]

March 7, 2021February 11, 2024Propel Her

Choose to Challenge: Issuing ADF Leaders a Gender Challenge on International Women’s Day

Reading Time: 5 minutes By Lyndsay Freeman for Propel Her Women in the ADF are not living in a golden age. Despite gender restrictions for all […]

March 1, 2021February 11, 2024Propel Her

Do you call yourself ambitious?

Reading Time: 7 minutes Reframing how we all view the word ambition, particularly as women, will stop the ‘ambitious woman’ being an anomaly and empower us all.

February 21, 2021April 11, 2021Propel Her

The GROW Model: Your secret weapon for goal-setting and leadership

Reading Time: 4 minutes This article is part of the Propel Her Australia – Defence Women’s Leadership Series by Shamsa Lea and Lyndsay Freeman. There is a cartoon showing […]

November 5, 2020March 17, 2024Propel Her, Top Post

The only woman in the room

Reading Time: 4 minutes Propel Her – Defence Women’s Leadership Series spotlights Air Force Pilot and Commanding Officer, Wing Commander Marija ‘Maz’ Jovanovich as she shares her insights […]

October 29, 2020October 28, 2020Propel Her

A Mental Health Journey

Reading Time: 6 minutes To raise awareness of Australian mental health month – Propel Her shares this honest insight into a senior ADF leader’s story. If this article is challenging […]

October 8, 2020October 31, 2020Propel Her

Finding my Version of Success: A Different Approach to Steering Your Career

Reading Time: 4 minutes This article is part of the Propel Her – Defence Women’s Leadership Series. Do you feel like your military career is beyond your […]

October 1, 2020February 11, 2024Propel Her

The Mediator Mindset: A Leader’s Guide to Conflict Resolution

Reading Time: 5 minutes This article is part of the Propel Her – Defence Women’s Leadership Series. There are three certainties in life: death, taxes, and conflict […]

September 17, 2020February 11, 2024Propel Her

Imposter Syndrome: Feel it, name it, propel forward anyway

Reading Time: 5 minutes Uncover more insights from our centre of 40+ articles at the Propel Her Home Page or submit a guest author submission, read how here. […]

September 3, 2020February 11, 2024Blog, Propel Her

Learn, Connect, Inspire: The Power of Networking

Reading Time: 5 minutes This is the fourth article in the Propel Her – Defence Women’s Leadership Series by Lyndsay Freeman and Shamsa Lea. The term ‘networking’ will invariably turn some […]

August 27, 2020February 11, 2024DEFAUS, Propel Her

Intrapreneurship: The Art of Innovation and Influence

Reading Time: 5 minutes This is the third article in the Propel Her – Defence Women’s Leadership Series by Lyndsay Freeman and Shamsa Lea. You might purely associate ‘intrapreneurship’ with tech startups and […]

August 20, 2020February 11, 2024Propel Her

Building a Strong Personal Brand

Reading Time: 4 minutes This is the second article in the Propel Her – Defence Women’s Leadership Series by Lyndsay Freeman and Shamsa Lea. Do you […]

August 13, 2020February 11, 2024Blog, Leadership, Opportunities, Propel Her

The Value of Mentoring

Reading Time: 5 minutes Most ADF members don’t realise the value of mentoring until late in their careers – with the common reflection being ‘Why didn’t I do this sooner!?’ Mentoring can change your career and life trajectory. It can open up networks and opportunities beyond your immediate reach, and can give you the tools and confidence to develop and promote yourself.