A new event focused on celebration and encouragement aims to continue the global conversation around women supporting women to be their best selves.
Called Courage, Connection and Badassery, the event organisers want to attract 1,000 women to spend a day hearing stories focused on courage and leadership. It’s headlined by renowned Australian speaker and personal development coach, Turia Pitt, who suffered burns to 64 percent of her body before going on to become hailed as one of the “most adored women in Australia”.
Organiser She Says Events, says CCB has been established to contribute to the worldwide movement of women supporting women, “women teaching women, women believing in women; knowing we are so much better when we connect, rather than compete and compare”.
Founders Paula Gosney and Nicola Carter say women are drowning in an ocean of ‘shoulds’ and ‘to-do’ lists; relentlessly being held up against an ideal that is almost impossible to achieve.
Courage, Connection and Badassery has been created to bring women together “to celebrate our unevenness and to sing a message of enoughness, through powerful stories of courage and leadership”.
The first promotional video has iconic New Zealanders talking about courage including former Prime Minister Helen Clark, business woman Theresa Gattung and celebrities Hayley Holt, Kerre McIvor and another of the speakers Lizzie Marvelly.
“This event was created because I believe every woman is so much more than they allow themselves to believe, it is the stories (not the lectures) of other woman that light the path and show other woman how to step into their true potential,” says Gosney.
Gosney is a coach, writer, successful entrepreneur and the founder and creator of Belief School, a programme and community focused on giving people the tools and confidence to create change.
Carter has more than 20 years’ experience creating and delivering major sporting events and more recently in the arts field where she has established the Taupo Winter Festival, a four-day arts and entertainment festival.
Courage Connection and Badassery will be held on Saturday, June 2, at the Cordis Hotel in Auckland (formerly the Langham) and Carter and Gosney have kept the entry price low at $167 to ensure price is no barrier to attendance.
One of the first to support the event is the founder and managing director at Partners Life, Naomi Ballantyne, who has bought tickets for all her female brokers to attend.
“As a woman and the founder and leader of a substantial New Zealand business I am very proud that Partners Life is at the forefront of inspiring, encouraging and supporting female entrepreneurs and business leaders to be seen and heard, and to be recognised and celebrated.”
The organisers are targeting women between 30 and 60 but also mothers and their daughters.
“This is an event where tough topics will be tackled and our wish is these will be conversation starters between mums and their girls,” says Gosney.
