A Powerful Night at the Forbes Women Soirée
How Layne Beachley and Tess Brouwer Redefined Leadership, Resilience & Reinvention
The Forbes Australia Women Soirée at Crown Hotel Sydney was a night overflowing with courage, honesty, reinvention, and the kind of storytelling that reminds you why women’s leadership is so powerful in Australia right now.
As someone deeply passionate about helping leaders step into their next chapter with more clarity and confidence, this evening was a beautiful reminder of what’s possible when women share their lived experience.
Layne Beachley AO: A Masterclass in Courage and High-Performance Reinvention
Seven-time World Surfing Champion Layne Beachley AO brought raw honesty to the room. Fresh from being awarded The Dawn Award, one of Australia’s highest sporting honours, Layne shared the real cost of high performance, the physical toll, the mental load, and the resilience required to rise again.
Today, she’s a fierce advocate for mental wellness, sustainable success, and helping women thrive without burnout. Her ability to reinvent herself after elite sport and create meaningful impact is extraordinary.
Tess Brouwer: Reinvention After Trauma
Co-founder of Awake Academy, Tess Brouwer delivered a deeply moving story of healing and leadership.
After surviving a spinal injury and brain trauma, Tess rebuilt her identity, her confidence, and her life. Her journey is a reminder that reinvention often begins in the moments we feel most broken, and that resilience is a skill we build through adversity.
Tess’s insights on awareness, mindset, and personal growth were powerful for any leader navigating change.
A Conversation Led by Forbes’ Sarah O’Carroll
The discussion was beautifully guided by Sarah O’Connor, Editor-in-Chief at Forbes Australia, who drew out deeper lessons around:
- Reinvention in leadership
- Building resilience through adversity
- Prioritising wellbeing and alignment
- The changing landscape for women in business
Her moderation created space for real, vulnerable storytelling, the kind that actually changes people.
Why Events Like This Matter
Being in a room full of women who are leading, building, reinventing, and rising is truly what I love most.
Hearing their stories, what they’ve overcome, what they’re creating, and who they’re becoming, is a reminder that midlife leadership and reinvention are powerful forces.
This event reinforced exactly what I teach:
✨ You're not starting from scratch, you're starting from experience.
✨ Reinvention is always possible.
✨ Resilience is your greatest competitive edge.
