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It’s Time to Stop Backing Your Doubts and Start Backing Yourself

by admin | Feb 16, 2026 | Exemplar, Female Empowerment, Female mentoring

What happens when women stop backing their doubts and start backing themselves?

In this unfiltered conversation, Margie Warrell, globally recognised expert in leadership and human behaviour, and bestselling author, joins Di Gillett on the Power Of Women Podcast to explore why self-doubt, not ability, is the biggest limiter of women’s leadership, visibility and agency.

Margie shares her personal journey through adversity, loss, and reinvention, revealing how courage is built through action – not confidence – and why waiting to feel ready is often the very thing holding women back.

This episode is for women who know they’re capable of more, but feel caught between who they are now and who they’re meant to become.

➡️In this episode, we explore:

➜ Why the chances we don’t take cost us more than the ones we do

➜ How self-doubt limits women’s visibility, leadership and financial independence.

➜ Why courage is not a feeling, but a decision

➜ Why choosing your response is the ultimate act of power.

Key takeaways::

➺ It’s the chances we don’t take that we regret the most.

➺ Backing ourselves is crucial to overcoming self-doubt.

➺ Financial independence is foundational to female agency.

➺ Adversity doesn’t define you – how you respond does.

➺ We are not our struggles or doubts; we are more than that.

📖 Read the full transcript of this conversation here 👇

MARGIE WARRELL_Guest (00:11.784)

It’s the chances that we don’t take that we regret the most. And too often we back our doubts versus backing ourselves. And when we let our doubts call the shots and direct our action, they sell us short and they shortchange the future and they actually sell everyone else short of who it is we could be.

Have you ever stopped to ask yourself, what would you do if you went all in and backed yourself? I’m Di Gillett and this is the Power of Women podcast. And what I love about this platform is the opportunity to showcase and celebrate the strength, resilience and achievements of women from all walks of life. Today’s guest, Margie Worrell is somebody who embodies that spirit and fully commits. She’s a bestselling author.

global keynote speaker and leadership coach whose work has inspired countless women to lead with courage and conviction. In this conversation, we’ll explore what limits brave thinking and decisive action, how to turn self-doubt into growth, and why the bravest thing any woman can do is back herself. Margie Worrell, welcome to the Power of Women podcast.

Thank you for having me die.

Margie, I can detect an international accent. I know you’re sitting in New York today and I’m here in Oz, but where exactly did you grow up?

MARGIE WARRELL_Guest (01:46.338)

I grew up, Victorians may stand a chance of knowing where I grew up, most people who don’t come from Victoria have never heard of it, but I grew up in a little tiny place called Nungurna that’s midway between Lake Sentrance and Bairnsdale in East Gippsland, Victoria. We didn’t even have a shop.

There was a school, I was the only kid in my grade, and I grew up on a dairy farm. My dad obviously milked cows, my whole childhood. So it was a very rural Aussie country kid upbringing.

We have that in common, Margie. I too grew up in country Victoria, but we had a couple of shops close by. So yours was slightly more rural than mine. And I always feel that people who have had that rural upbringing, it absolutely plays into who they become later in life because there’s a certain resilience that comes from that.

Does that play into how your character has formed, do you think, over time?

There’s no doubt, Di, I think you learn to be a little scrappy. You learn to pick yourself up a lot. I also feel that it’s such a humble upbringing in many ways. There’s nothing about it that you could use if you were trying to be pretentious about

DI GILLETT: Host (03:04.831)

you

MARGIE WARRELL_Guest (03:21.698)

you know, what you did or where you went to school or and so it’s a wonderfully grounding place to start life from. And I think it shaped me in many, many ways. I think Australian culture shaped me in the sense that it was a bigger insult to be called up yourself or stuck up than it was to be called a bitch or mean.

You know, it’s like, maybe I don’t call me stuck up don’t say I’m up myself and so I think the flip side of that is that we can be too humble and we can talk ourselves down too much but but I I feel like it’s all I always look back at my childhood with with a lot of gratitude for the ways it shaped me and I’m you know, I

It’s probably shaped me in a few ways I’ve had to overcome too. You know, so much self-doubt and who am I to do that? And maybe a lack of self-belief throughout my adult journey, which is sort of why I write and speak and have such a deep passion around courage because I feel like I’ve had to practice it a lot.

And I bet it also came into teaching you to get up early because nobody gets up earlier than dairy farmers.

Well, I will say my dad probably got up earlier than the rest of us. It’s not like, guess people picture me and all my siblings, I’m a big sister of seven, picture us down there at the crack of dawn milking the cows. The fact is, dad did a lot of the hardest work in the early mornings and we pitched in around it. the truth is I am an early riser, so who knows, maybe that’s what shaped it.

DI GILLETT: Host (05:06.67)

I must admit, Margie, we had an infestation of snails in our backyard the other week and I pulled on gumboots and went out and squashed them and my husband grew up in the city and he was horrified and I said in the country there was nothing more fun than going out and stomping on snails.

Stuff like that or throwing cow muck at each other or I mean yeah there’s a lot of things that I did for fun that when I tell people they’re slightly aghast so I have to choose my own.

Yeah, no, I get that. It’s the same in my world. So what took you to the US and how long have you been there?

Well, this is my second time living here. The first time I moved here, I mean, I backpacked around America when I was 21. I saved up my travel as checks as a lot of Aussies do. And I should mention my mum was born in America, but she moved to Australia when she was seven. And so growing up though, I always was like, my mum’s American. She didn’t have an American accent. She was not, she didn’t act

remotely like what we think of as American. She was super introverted and quiet and private and understated. But I always had this little kind of probably emotional connection to the United States simply from mom always cherished her US roots and actually never became an Australian citizen always until she died two years ago always kept her US citizenship even though she didn’t vote or anything. She just

MARGIE WARRELL_Guest (06:42.766)

It meant a lot to her. So I’ll just say that because some people kind of like helps explain a little bit maybe why I was drawn here. But when I, after I met my husband, I was like, I really want to go and live globally. And he is from Melbourne and he is an engineer and work for a big company. And an opportunity came up in 2001. had, actually I was pregnant with our third child to move to their corporate head office.

And honestly, it just seemed like, yeah, let’s do it. What an exciting opportunity for him professionally, but for us as a family. And so we moved to the US. As it turned out, we packed up our house literally the morning that everyone in Australia was waking up to the news of 9-11. And I had a five-week-old baby and a two-year-old and a three-year-old.

We could all remember where we were at that time. Yeah.

We can. I mean, it was a really challenging time. I mean, one having three tiny children, but then moving somewhere where there was zero support and no friends and then add on the whole, you know, 9-11 fear factor and everything. So I lived here actually for 11 years and really came, I mean, my professional career in terms of coaching and speaking and writing, I started that in the United States.

You know, they’re kind of in a deep back studying before I moved to the US, but I launched it living in Dallas, Texas with four kids, five and under. And then moved up to Northern Virginia.

DI GILLETT: Host (08:14.926)

I think, yep.

think it’s just like, you know, you’ve got four kids, five and under, but I can start a coaching business. And then had 11 years and then moved back to Melbourne for five years, Di, which was in 2012 through 2017. And I’m really grateful for that. It came out of the blue. Again, Husband’s Company said, want to move you back to Australia. It wasn’t, we had zero inkling that that was going to happen.

But it was a really beautiful opportunity for my kids to know what it is to be really live in Australia. And they went to primary and high school in Australia. And I think it really solidified their identity as Aussies. They’re very global and all of them.

Do they identify as Aussies or do they identify as global citizens?

The oldest three, my youngest was born in US, but the oldest three, and they all have Aussie accents. They got back, I remember their first day at school, my oldest, Lachlan, was nearly 14 coming home, and he goes, I told people I’m Australian, and they’re saying, they say I’m not, they’re saying I’m an American, because I sound American, and he had a real American accent, and I won’t, I won’t, I won’t do that to you. And so insulted that people didn’t think he was Australian.

MARGIE WARRELL_Guest (09:33.966)

I just know the kids went on up like we are going to sound Australian as fast as we can and they have never given up that Australian like they were there you know several years up to five and a half of my younger two and I think that for them was just to know this is how we’re Australian we will sound Australian.

How wonderful. So tell me what was it experience or your upbringing that drew you into this interest in human behaviour, Margie?

There’s probably a little bit of both, but it was definitely some difficult experiences in my 20s. I actually moved to Papua New Guinea in my 20s. had three years there and then back to Melbourne, then to Adelaide, then to Dallas, then to DC, then back to Melbourne, then to Singapore, and then back to the US. So that’s the trajectory of all the moves. But during my time in Papua New Guinea, I had had an eating disorder. I’d had bulimia through my teens die.

Ironically, I heard about, believe me, a reading of Dolly magazine when I was 13. And I thought…

Doesn’t that ring a chord? Hmm.

MARGIE WARRELL_Guest (10:42.35)

a great way for me to be skinny. I just want to be skinny and I wasn’t skinny. I mean we say that now and we listen to that and go, but that’s me at 12, me at 13 was desperate to be skinny, like centrin to say.

And so many of our listeners would relate to that. I totally relate to that.

had tried taking laxatives and all that anyway cut a long story short I ended up for 13 years struggling with bulimia

In secret, Margie, or was it known to others?

Yeah, really, yeah, really in secret. And my parents knew, but they didn’t know what to do and they never said anything except making the odd off the cuff remark about don’t waste food. Like, don’t waste good food. And I just think they didn’t have the tools, they didn’t know how to deal with why would someone eat and throw up, you know. And of course, I didn’t know what to, you know, it’s not something I shared with anyone.

DI GILLETT: Host (11:46.542)

The system didn’t have many tools to help us with it either.

No, there was still and there was so much shame. I remember just thinking if people knew and they wouldn’t like me and and I was pretty high functioning. I mean, I always did well at school. I was very social. I got great grades. I just see school.

How low is it in, because it needs determination to do that?

Yeah, I so, but I carried that with me. I shared it with my friend Anna, Anna Quinn. Hello Anna, if she ever listens to this in Brisbane. And I shared it with her at university. And I didn’t want to tell anyone and I told her and she said, and it was just the power of friendship. She said, you know, maybe you should go and talk to someone. Maybe you should go see a psychologist. And I was like, but only crazy.

I had this thing that only people who are really not functional see psychologists. But it was like, that maybe that would be a good idea. And that was the start of the journey. But it was while living in Papua New Guinea, five years on, I moved there at 2026, that it flared up again and I did a 12-step program. And I made friends with a few fabulous women.

MARGIE WARRELL_Guest (13:08.258)

who was struggling with their own things. One of them cut herself. you know, people were having, infidelity was rampant. And I found myself the confident of a lot of people, not a lot, but a handful. And I realized I really wanted to, I discovered Scott Peck and Wayne Dyer, and I was like, I wanna be someone that helps people deal with the internal struggles.

and I met so many smart, amazing people that were hurting themselves. And that was really the beginning of the journey. And then while I was there, I ended up in an armed robbery die and I lost a baby, first child, only 20 weeks pregnant, 10 days later. And that was pretty traumatic. And just as I picked myself up from that, I decided, I just want to go back and study psychology. I had been working in marketing.

and that was that took me off on the path that I have been on ever since and that was gee that was 1997. Where are we so you know was that 28 years ago? Yeah something like that and I had no idea where it would go by the way. had no idea. I’d never heard of coaching. I didn’t even know that people got paid to speak. Writing a book never crossed my mind.

It was more, at that moment I would have said, I wanna be a psychologist.

Wow, that’s a huge amount of experience leading into that, Margie. Thank you for sharing. how did that then become, because bold moves and courage has become your thing, how did you even tap into that to then talk about that based on such challenging life experiences that you went through?

MARGIE WARRELL_Guest (15:04.878)

When we share the things that we have shame around, it removes and helps dissolve the shame. So that was one thing. And I felt almost a sense of obligation. I don’t, my identity isn’t that I had an eating disorder and I don’t always share it because I don’t always feel it’s relevant. But when I do feel it can be relevant or helpful, happily share it. don’t know if the word happily, but I’m really comfortable and I feel really, I really feel a strong sense of

conviction and an end obligation around sharing that story. But I should also mention, you know, I have a brother who had a brutal mental illness for a decade, schizophrenia before he took his life. And I have another brother who had a terrible accident two years before Peter took his life and became paraplegic, had developed, it was spinal injury, has paraplegia still ever since then.

and my mom’s really struggled with depression, there was just numerous pretty brutal experiences. I had ended up with five miscarriages, you know, and I think I believe that each of us is born with a unique set of talents and I feel a strong sense of purpose around

the work that I do, but so much of that comes from the hardest experiences that I’ve had. And yes, have I been bold and had a sense of adventure? Sure, yeah, I have. But it’s not been in the absence of a lot of doubt and a lot of misgivings and a voice in my head Di that says, who do you think you are? And just wait, someone’s going to realize you don’t know as much as you think.

you’re not that brave, you’re not that, you know, like that voice is there. And, you know, that comes, obviously comes from the childhood days when big sister, I couldn’t help my mom enough when there was a lot of pressure on me, et cetera, to always be doing things and never feeling like I was measuring up. So just, I think all of those experiences have shaped me, but also that’s where I probably have drawn my own wisdom over the years too.

MARGIE WARRELL_Guest (17:20.142)

Who we are is not our doubts, who we are is not our struggles and our setbacks and our hardships and our heartaches. Who we are is something infinitely more than that. And so often our fear and those stories that we’ve been telling ourselves for a long, time create this barrier that keeps us from really connecting with what I think is the sacredness of who we are.

I see ourselves as not so much physical beings having this occasional spiritual experience, but really spiritual beings who have these earth suits and have this physical experience. a quote that I actually put in my last book, The Courage Gap, is that God had a dream and he wrapped your body around it. I just, that sort of encapsulates a little bit of how I

I view life for myself, do you view all of us as here on this planet for so long and what does it mean for us to live lives that are just really true and honoring who we are and the journey we’ve had.

I did an episode last year, Margie, with Carly Lyon, and she talks about three universal thoughts, and one of them is exactly what you said. Who do you think you are? I mean, your life experiences and the adversity from a personal level could have absolutely broken you and would have broken many.

decisions did you take and can you share how you actually didn’t allow that to become the defining moment that broke you and kept going? Because you had multiple encounters that could have been a tipping point.

MARGIE WARRELL_Guest (19:13.08)

Yeah, you know, I can recall I’m a journal die. I’ve been a journal all my life. Well, since I remember finding a little diary, you know, when I was 11 on back then it was like Sharon’s my best friend and I like Ricky and I hate Ricky and you know, like that’s where I started as an 11 year old. I’ve often, I’ve often just written to process what I think and,

And I’m mindful as I’m speaking to you now, you probably have largely a straight in audience and I’m very mindful of the cynicism around religion sometimes or certainly, you know, spirituality. But I have a really strong faith system and that has been

a huge source of resilience for me and courage. And I recall though after I was in this arm droppery, it was pretty violent. And then 10 days later, I got told your baby has died. And I was 27. No, just turned 27. And I remember journaling a lot because there was a lot of like, what the fuck, God.

Like seriously, how could this happen to me? can’t believe, I mean, I knew intellectually women have miscarriages. knew, you know, that bad things can happen to good people. I knew that, but I just somehow didn’t think it would happen to me in really close succession, like super tight timeframe there. So I hadn’t even processed the first event and the second happened.

And so I journaled a lot and I wrangled and I was like, you know, fighting with reality, fighting with whatever I call it, God, right? I’m just going to say that. And some people might go, I don’t believe in God. I’m like, okay, you’re just fighting with life. Like what has happened here? And, and I just remember journaling a lot, trying to make sense of it all. But I arrived at probably six weeks, two months. And after those events,

MARGIE WARRELL_Guest (21:27.03)

And there came a moment and a lot of people felt really sorry for me. know, word had spread, know, she was in his arm drummer and then she lost her baby and people were feeling really sorry, a lot of sympathy, which is nice. But I could feel people treating me like a victim and I was a victim. There was no doubt I had been a victim of, you know, violence. I had been a victim of miscarriage as are many, many, many women. Mother nature, whatever you call it.

But I remember having this moment of clarity. I do not want to identify as a victim.

absolutely want to reclaim all the power that I’ve given away to woe is me and my pity party and this isn’t fair and how can this happen to me and it didn’t happen to the five other women I know that are pregnant right now who are now getting bigger and bigger and and and so I just remember this moment of decision. I will not give my circumstances the power to define me. I will define myself and it was a real it was a real moment of clarity.

I get to choose who I am and I get to create my story and it will not be a story of poor me. And it was that little name that was on that moment of like, what is it that I will do this year that I’m not? And I went back and I signed up Deakin University back then with distance education and I signed up and did this course in psychology and that was the start of the path I’m on. But I think there’s been many moments since then where

And in more recent years too, when things aren’t the way I’d like them to be. And yeah, I’m as vulnerable as everyone to going down the, it’s not fair. And it shouldn’t be this way. I’ll never make it. know, all the negative tales we can tell ourselves and those shameful stories we can tell ourselves. And I’ve just become a little more masterful. I’m not saying I’m a master, but a little better.

MARGIE WARRELL_Guest (23:29.12)

at catching myself when I’m in the midst of telling this story that I know is not empowering me, that is sucking my HNC, that is keeping me from backing myself.

And so hence the courage piece that I talk about and write about, which isn’t an absence of doubt and fear and everything else, it’s the decision that something else is more important. It’s not an emotion, I disagree with Brené Brown on this one, you the emotion of courage. Like if we’re waiting to feel brave or courageous, you could be waiting until you’re 100. No, it is a decision, it’s a practice, it’s a discipline.

I’m gonna do this thing even though I’m honestly, my stomach is feeling sick and I’m terrified that people are gonna discover I’m really not that good. But I’m gonna do it anyway because I don’t wanna look back one day and go what if.

Can you draw a thread, and I know in my own life through adversity, I draw a thread coming all the way back to growing up in a country setting because there is nothing more challenging than your survival being dependent on the weather. You can’t control it. So you’ve got to be incredibly damn resilient to bounce back.

When things outside of your control keep getting thrown at you and making life difficult, you either make a decision to fold up and walk away or you make a decision to keep going. Do you see a thread between childhood and those decisions that you’ve made to go, I’m going to take control of this?

MARGIE WARRELL_Guest (25:15.682)

realized that I had experienced some trauma when I was nine until about six or seven years ago. And I’ll share the story because it was interesting when I connected the dots. When I was nine, it was a terrible drought and my dad had to sell his entire herd, couldn’t afford to feed them, except a few cows that he kept for our family and for bartering with local fishermen and et cetera.

And I remember as the cattle truck went down the lane way, just looking at dad and I realized like, how are we going to get money? And none of my other siblings, I think they were too young. They just, I was just so clear for me, it was like, this is the source of income going down the lane way. And I remember my dad saying, I don’t know, but we just have to trust the good Lord will provide. And I remember thinking, how does the good Lord provide? Like, does he, does he just put money on the back of a rander? Do we win tax lotto? Like,

And for the next four years, my dad did odd jobs with his tractor. mean, we, I mean, we never went to restaurant my whole childhood, but we always had op shop clothes. Like there wasn’t, there was never any money. I mean, not that, but we never, of course, went hungry. And so I guess the good Lord did provide, but it was as an adult, a few years ago when something happened and the certainty I had about future financial security suddenly was blown up and I had an anxiety attack.

And I knew it was irrational. knew intellectually it was irrational. I wasn’t going to end up on the streets in destitute. But it was like that truck was going down the laneway again. And suddenly the nine-year-old in me was like, I’m terrified that I’m not going to be, that I don’t have enough security. And of course, as kids, we look to our parents to make us feel secure.

and I had to just look in and go, you know what, Maggie, know, no one’s coming to save you, but seek within yourself the security you look for elsewhere. And I really overreacted to the situation. It was disproportionate. My fear factor was disproportionate. And so I do realize I don’t think I would have ever married a farmer die. I don’t think as an adult, never.

MARGIE WARRELL_Guest (27:39.746)

wanted that level of insecurity that it was dependent on the prices, the cream prices and the weather systems. I also don’t think I’ve ever married an entrepreneur.

Mmm, for the same risk profile.

I don’t want to lose it all. I don’t think I’ve ever met an artist. I’ve always had a crush on Hugh Jackman. It’s funny, my husband is an engineer and it wasn’t a conscious decision.

Well maybe it… yeah.

But I think at a subconscious level, like, engineer, you know. And so I see that now. But I also think those experiences that were a little jarring for me and did create some insecurity in me also fueled agency and fueled drive. And my mom actually was a fairly passive person.

MARGIE WARRELL_Guest (28:36.204)

I think also reacting against my mom, like no one’s ever gonna say I’m sitting back and being passive, like really fueled, like, you know, if it’s gonna be, it’s up to me, like go out and get shit done. And I think that also shaped me too.

Yeah and I tell a story Margie about what defined my agency about being financially independent was in growing up in in the country setting that I grew up in it was commonplace every week to hear my mother say on a Monday morning, Max can you leave me a check on the dresser? Now wasn’t that mum had to beg for money it’s just that dad controlled the bank account in

as was done in those times, even though she was the daughter of a bank manager. And I can remember hearing that every week and it would play over in my head and I used to think, why does mum have to rely on dad to have any income? And it was a drip feed to go.

I’m not going to do that. I am going to be financially independent and not rely on anybody else or a man for my financial security. different story, but same impact.

think there’s a lot of women who have witnessed that or they witnessed their parents breaking up and dad, sure, mom got something, but she could only get, she could only do an hourly job because she hadn’t worked for years. She couldn’t afford to keep the house because she couldn’t afford the rates on it, you know, or whatever. Yeah, men aren’t a financial plan is what I would say. I’ve often said, don’t.

DI GILLETT: Host (30:12.046)

Exactly.

DI GILLETT: Host (30:19.456)

That might be a grab, Margie. aren’t a financial plan. I kind of like that. And not to be disrespectful to any of the men in our lives, but I get it.

Men are awesome. I’m a huge man fan. I have three awesome young sons and a great husband, But I do think as women, it’s so important for us to be rooted in both our, obviously our feminine power, but you know, some of the masculine like, you know what, you don’t need, I mean, they choose to be with someone because they make you better and they bring out your best, not because you need it. And something I’ve seen die,

with women so many times and it hurts my heart is women who settle for a man because it’s the best I can get because they’re afraid of being alone because they don’t feel complete without a man to protect them and I’m not saying I don’t love that my husband gives me a sense of feeling protected and we’re together, sure great, but I know I can stand on my own two feet and that was a really wonderful place to go into.

a relationship when I was in my 20s. Because it’s like I’ve traveled around the world. I’m extremely independent.

You arrived there early, Margie, because I mean I think a lot of women don’t land at that point of standing on their own, you know, feeling empowered enough to stand on their own two feet until much later in life than early 20s, so.

MARGIE WARRELL_Guest (31:47.822)

Yeah, well I think that is to die. left home at 18 to move to Melbourne for university. There was no family. I had to find somewhere to live through the papers. You know, that was the Wednesday age. I, there was no school dormitory. didn’t, there was no living at Trinity college or I. You if you had that, I would have loved it. It would be awesome. I was living with random people in random.

Indeed, I apologize.

MARGIE WARRELL_Guest (32:16.696)

sometimes like really

Ordinary setting, yeah.

MARGIE WARRELL_Guest (32:23.87)

I mean, got something from the government because my parents

would have been called teese in those days, Margie.

But I also work three jobs and so I think by the time I got to 22, I’m four years being 100%. I mean, even before I left home, I was making all my own money, buying my own bedding. So it sort of gave that grittiness, that tenacity, resourcefulness that I think some kids, when parents are buying you your own car, when your dad’s helping you figure out how to sell or whatever,

You’re used to putting your hand out and not driving your own decisions.

actually even as a parent die, you know, my kids would never accuse me of over-parenting. I’ve been very much like, figure it out. you know, I think as they’re getting now into their twenties, they can see that they have a self-reliance and independence that even though I could have given them things that my parents couldn’t afford to give me, I’m like,

MARGIE WARRELL_Guest (33:33.696)

I’ve got kids living in New York and people go, you do help them with rent? A lot of people I know help their kids with rent. I’m like, no, you want to live in New York? You need to learn how to live in New York on your school salary and in the hovel that you can afford. even though I could help you, I want you to know what it is to be poor.

Well, and I love that because I think there is so many parenting mistakes made of, want to give my kids everything I didn’t have. I think that point is an error and I know in my own upbringing if I was a horse rider and a dressage rider and if I wanted anything to do with livestock or anything to support that career and I didn’t have the money, I’d have to go to dad and negotiate and I had invested in.

a small herd of cattle, in fact, with my father. And I used to sit down and he would say, well, how many are you prepared to sell to fund what you want? And if you’re prepared to do that, I’ll tip in the shortfall. So everything was a negotiation, but nothing was just given. And I think there’s huge lessons in that. And I paid my own rent from day dot post.

post-Trinity and I think that plays a lot into building character.

Yeah, absolutely. Yeah, I mean, we’re all figuring out as parents and I think it’s a little more complex, but honestly, the more affluent you are, I think the more thoughtful and intentional you are. Because when you can afford to solve all your kids’ problems by buying them things and paying for them to get out of trouble and helping, okay, you didn’t go to that school because you’re expelled, let me put you in this other elite school. I think…

MARGIE WARRELL_Guest (35:22.248)

Actually we can make a lot bigger mistakes and faster than when we don’t have those means.

So coming up, we’re going to explore bold thinking and how that can propel you forward. If you’re loving the Power of Women podcast, be sure to jump onto our YouTube channel and hit that subscribe button to ensure you never miss an episode.

So I’m talking with Margie Worrell, global expert and leader in human behavior. Margie, in the break, you mentioned something, a phrase, post-traumatic growth. Could you expand on that for me?

We’ve all heard of post-traumatic stress or post-traumatic stress disorder, PTSD.

Post-traumatic growth is in one sense the opposite of it, though the two of them can coexist. But post-traumatic growth is when people emerge from a traumatic circumstance, traumatic experience, as a more positive, more evolved, more mature, more purposeful, more connected person than they were before.

MARGIE WARRELL_Guest (36:41.866)

And so there are various things that can help to facilitate post-traumatic growth. And as I said, we can be suffering symptoms of PTSD, which I did after that armed robbery in hindsight. I didn’t recognize it at the time. had some PTSD in the, like I just completely overreacted one day, six months later when I was in Chapel Street, Melbourne, and I couldn’t find my husband who was supposed to rendezvous at a point outside Safeway or something.

And my brain went straight away to he’s being murdered, he’s lying in a back alley and he’s dead. And then when I found him after 20 minutes, I went hysterical. I thought you were dead, which was a completely ridiculous response. But it was clearly triggered by the experience six months earlier, the very close order of the robbery and the miscarriage that helped me, that jarred my world that bad things don’t happen to And I’m like, I was waiting for the next penny to drop.

What’s the next terrible thing? My husband’s going to get murdered. And so I had PTSD, which I’m pleased to say I don’t have anymore. However, I did emerge through that experience over time.

far more purposeful with an enlarge. actually, our mental maps of the world get smashed and we’ve got to come up with new mental maps that can incorporate that bad stuff happens and it happens to me. But that life is good and that life is worthwhile and that we can find purpose and positive things even in the hardest and harshest of circumstances.

And even I you know, I think back of say having the eating disorder had I not had that I might have been a little bit more judgmental and righteous about people who are stuck in cycles of addiction or in patterns of behavior that were whether it was alcoholism or gambling addicts or Shopaholics or you know, I might was sex addicts at such I’m like, for God’s sake just stop it. I might have said

MARGIE WARRELL_Guest (38:52.238)

But having been in that, I knew, you know, we could just stop it. We’d just stop it.

Glass houses, yeah

Yeah, so you know more empathy all of these things and so you know I really strongly believe and now I mean I you know some people might know the name of Gabor Mate who has talked so much about this thing. and obviously I’ve only come to know him in the last couple of years but for all of us I

Yeah.

MARGIE WARRELL_Guest (39:26.366)

I think those things that wound us, we’re all gifted and wounded by our childhoods. And those experiences that test us the most, that can sometimes just really hurt our hearts, don’t have to be things that leave massive scar tissue, would, you forevermore, I am never opening up to someone, I’m never trusting someone that make us bitter.

and I know it’s cliche, but I think when we can pour a lot of love into ourselves and do the work and heal ourselves, and often that’s in relationship with others, that we can actually emerge from that a fuller, deeper version of who we could become. And those experiences actually can ultimately be incredibly shaping and formative in positive ways.

And I absolutely applaud what you’ve said, but I also realize there is a fork in the road of going left or right when these things hit. Is there a piece of wisdom that you could share with listeners, about how you make that decision to take that?

and build that into the strength of character rather than allow it to pull you into the abyss.

Yeah, firstly I think if anyone that’s listening is in the midst of a really difficult time, this isn’t to diminish that sometimes life’s experiences can be just incredibly painful. We can feel tremendous heartache and anguish and so I don’t want to diminish that for anyone that’s going through that because it’s real.

MARGIE WARRELL_Guest (41:32.302)

But I also know, and the research bears this out, as hard as it is right now, it doesn’t stay this hard forever. We often underestimate our ability to heal. And the emotions, as intense as they are right now, over time, those emotions aren’t as intense. And so I think of…

Victor Frankel and a book that I always recommend to everybody which is Man’s Search for Meaning and he was obviously for those some of you may know who he is already he a he was a Jewish man caught up in the Holocaust in Auschwitz but you know that in the midst of the most difficult circumstances the ultimate freedom the human freedom is to choose our response and to decide you know

Who it is we will be in the midst of all of these things that we would never have chosen, didn’t feel prepared for. And, you know, I wrote a lot about this in, the courage gap, like just anchoring in on who is it that you want to be and not letting what’s going on around you define who it is you want to be and putting who before do. And I think for me over the years with, you know, the 101

shitty things that have happened in the years since some of those experiences I’ve talked about. It’s come back, well, you know what, if I’m someone who has the capacity to rise above any circumstance, then what can I do today that will help move me in that direction? And maybe it’s just nursing the wound and giving myself time to just really cry. Maybe it’s just sharing it with someone else. Maybe it’s writing about it.

Maybe it’s taking myself out for a long walk under a bunch of trees because I always feel a little bit better when I’ve been in nature. But it’ll help me instead of just being a victim to the circumstance to go, no, what is it I could do that’s going to help me move through this? And there’s a phrase that life doesn’t happen to us, it happens for us. And that may sound a little cliche and patsy, but if life is

MARGIE WARRELL_Guest (43:43.374)

always giving you an issuing a silent invitation for you to grow in your own humanity. What might it be pointing you toward right now? And we can put a lot of energy into fighting with reality. It shouldn’t be this way. My husband shouldn’t have cheated on me. We shouldn’t have gone broke. I shouldn’t have a kid that’s got this addiction. I shouldn’t have a parent as I just went through.

who is I’m losing to the fog of dementia or, you know, and we can just get stuck up, stuck in railing against realities versus who is it I choose to be in the midst of all of this? And, you know, I do a lot of work in the leadership space, but the number one person we ever have to lead is ourselves and really anchoring in, you know, those values and the virtues of who it is we choose to be. And I think in our relationships that,

We need that most of all because it’s in our relationships that causes the most stress and heartache. And you know, I know when my brother was in and out of psych hospitals and then, you know, in trouble with the law and I was trying to help him and I was, you know, trying to give him tips on how to turn his life around. And then I just had to let go and go, this is his path to forge and he’s going to do, I mean, I can, I’ll support him, but

I can’t save him. And even with my kids, not that my kids have been in a circumstance like that, but they sometimes make choices that I take a breath and I’m like, know what? They’ve got their path to forge and I just love them. And maybe I point out and have them think through the second and third order consequences of decisions, but this is their path to forge.

their journey and their learning. But again, just choosing who is it that I choose to be. I want to be a source of love. I want to be a source of encouragement. And I want to be someone who continually shows up with some consistency on the values that I care about too.

DI GILLETT: Host (45:49.474)

Fantastic, Margie, that’s incredible. And I think one of the most powerful lines I take away from that, from where I started the question that led to that incredible response is, choose your response. So, or we choose our response rather than allowing circumstances to define you. And I think that’s incredibly powerful and a great message.

Margie, could I throw a couple of quickfire questions, rapid fire to wrap up today? What’s the bravest decision you’ve made in the past five years?

Ooh, five years. I know. So when I moved back to United States, I was recruited, it was the midst of deep dark COVID, to become a senior partner at Cornferry, which is a big global consulting firm. And I was in the advisory practice working with board CEOs and exec teams of the world’s biggest companies. It was a lot of status.

It provided a lot of nice things, including the security of income. And after my mom died two years ago, I just got so much clarity that one day I’m going to die. And I’m going to look back and I just knew that I needed to leave because I was like, you know what? You are not using your talents for the highest good here. I felt like I was starting to shrink a little. I was losing touch with

what I think is that makes me different. And so I chose to leave that. And you know what, going back out on my own, you know, one is that, yes, there’s the financial salary that yeah, do I miss that? Sure. I know over time I’ll make up for it. But I think for me, that was a brave thing to do. But by the same token, I’ll also say I knew I had to do it. I just had to do it because actually it was more, what would have been more terrifying to me is not to do it.

DI GILLETT: Host (47:54.786)

Yeah, wow, thank you. And for a woman listening right now who feels unseen, what would you want her to hear from you?

would say pour love into those parts of you that feel like you’re not enough and that feel unseen and just extend grace into yourself and all of the kindness and things that you’ve given to others, like really pour it into you and know that you are innately worthy and wholly adequate and

And I believe fully seen by God, whether people believe that God or not, believe that. And I would just say, just know that who you are and your worth and your value is not determined by anybody else. It is just innate and intrinsic in you.

Could you finish this sentence for me? Bravery is.

fear walking.

DI GILLETT: Host (49:04.814)

Amazing. Margie, there is so many valuable insights from the story that you have shared and you have been extraordinarily generous in sharing some pretty challenging circumstances that you faced into through your life. But more importantly, how you’ve actually come through that out the other end and are now applying that to a

purpose-led life, think that is just incredibly inspiring. So thank you so very much for the candid conversation today. If somebody wants to engage your services, Margie, how do they do that?

Well, you can just head over to my website, margieworal.com and obviously there’s books there. I actually just launched a brand new course on LinkedIn that people might enjoy doing. It is just the best quality and highest production quality course I have ever done. It’s super exciting.

But you can find everything on my website, just for anyone who would like more. And I also have my own podcast called the Live Brave podcast that people are welcome to check out wherever you’re listening to this, you’ll find the Live Brave podcast too.

Wonderful. I’m sure there are many more powerful stories there. Margie, thank you so much. think the best advice I can give anybody is share this episode with somebody you think might just need a little bit of help in getting over a dose of adversity or a setback or a feeling of self doubt because there is so many messages that are uplifting and

DI GILLETT: Host (50:52.844)

Choose your response is going to be one of the ones that I’m going to keep replaying. Margie Worrell, thank you so much. Until next time.

Connect with Di:

Find Margie at:

Website https://www.margiewarrell.com

LinkedIn https://www.linkedin.com/in/margiewarrell/

Instagram https://www.instagram.com/margiewarrell

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Let’s Talk About Women’s Longevity: Why We Should Rethink Ageing & Healthspan

by admin | Jan 26, 2026 | Ageism, Female Empowerment, Health & Wellbeing, Women's Health

In this powerful and deeply relevant conversation, Di Gillett is joined by Maddy Dychtwald, globally recognised futurist, author, and co-founder of Age Wave – to talk about longevity and challenge outdated narratives around ageing, retirement, women’s health and relevance.

Women are living longer than ever before – yet spending more years in declining health. Maddy unpacks why lifespan is the least useful measure of ageing, why healthspan and brainspan matter far more, and how up to 90% of our long-term health outcomes are within our control.

This conversation goes well beyond theory. From inflammation, menopause, and Alzheimer’s risk, to workforce ageism, outdated retirement models, and the power of lifestyle choice, this episode is a call to reclaim agency – personally, professionally, and biologically.

This is not about anti-ageing.
It’s about ageing with authority, vitality, and intention.

We explore:

Why women are winning the longevity lottery, but paying a hidden price
The critical difference between lifespan, healthspan and brainspan
How inflammation accelerates ageing – and what actually reduces it
Why women are twice as likely to develop Alzheimer’s
The outdated retirement model that no longer serves women or economies
Ageism as the last socially acceptable bias
Why older women are an untapped workforce advantage
How purpose, attitude, and social connection directly impact longevity
The lifestyle levers that matter most – beyond diet and exercise.

Key takeaways:

Up to 90% of health and wellbeing is influenced by lifestyle, environment, and access to science
Ageing well is not about genetics – it’s about epigenetics and choice
Health systems treat illness; longevity requires prevention
Muscle mass, inflammation reduction and social connection are non-negotiables
Retirement as we know it was designed for a world that no longer exists
Older women bring resilience, wisdom, and leadership – not obsolescence
Attitude toward ageing can extend life expectancy by up to 7.5 years.

Maddy said:

“We truly are becoming the CEOs of our own health and wellbeing.”

“Up to 90% of our health and wellbeing has to do with our lifestyle choices, our environment and the science that we have access to.”

“People associate the 70s and the 80s as being a time for falling apart. And I refuse to be that.”

📖 Read the full transcript of this conversation here 👇

FULL TRANSCRIPT:

MADDY DYCHTWALD: Guest (00:02)

On the very first day of the 20th century, average life expectancy was only 47. So inflammation is a huge deal. ⁓ It’s one of the what’s called hallmarks of aging. So in other words, it’s one of the factors that really create negative health spans. They tell us that up to 90%, 90 %?

of our health and wellbeing has to do with our lifestyle choices, our environment, and the science that we have access to. We have fewer young people entering the workforce ⁓ than we ever did before. So in many corporate environments, in many entrepreneurial environments, we need the older workers ⁓ just because we need those bodies. You know, get rid of the gluten, get rid of the dairy.

get rid of as much sugar as you can. So, you know, I did that. And by the way, that was the secret sauce.

Okay, so ⁓ I’ve been digging deep into aging, longevity, the new retirement for close to 40 years. 40 years, and that’s probably longer than some of your listeners have even been alive. And what I’ve really come to understand is that a couple things. First, we women, we are very different than men. And the way we age and we

behave in the second half of life very different than men. ⁓ The other thing that I came to really understand is that longevity, it’s been kind of like a bro thing up until now. Part of the reason I got so obsessed with really understanding aging and longevity is because when I looked at what books and information was out there,

It was mostly dominated by men. And I’m like, whoa, this is really wrong. We need to change this drama. We need to bring women into the fold and have us better understand how we can live better longer. And that’s really what I’m all about.

DI GILLETT: Host (02:27)

What if everything you’ve been told about aging is wrong? And what if the only thing standing in your way is the outdated narrative we’ve inherited? I’m Di Gillett and welcome to the Power of Women podcast. And what I love about this platform is the opportunity to showcase and celebrate the strength, resilience and achievements of women from all walks of life.

And today’s conversation is absolutely one of those that we all need to hear because we’re living through a longevity revolution, especially for women. And as today’s guest points out, we’re living longer than ever before. Women are outliving men by five years and 50 year old women today can expect another 35 years in life. But there is an uncomfortable truth because we’re living longer.

but we’re not living well. And the average woman spends the last 14 years of life in declining health despite science saying that 70 to 90 % of our longevity is within our control. My guest today is a global visionary who is rewriting the narrative of what it means to age as a woman. Maddy Dychtwald is a celebrated author, researcher,

and co-founder of Age Wave, the world’s leading consultancy on aging, retirement, and the future of longevity. And for more than 40 years, she’s studied how longer lives are reshaping identity, health, work, money, and purpose. And her book, Ageless Aging, is a blueprint for women not just to live longer, but to live better, stronger, sharper, and more empowered.

Maddy Dychtwald welcome to the Power of Women podcast.

MADDY DYCHTWALD: Guest (04:22)

Thanks Di it’s a pleasure to be here.

DI GILLETT: Host (04:25)

Fab. Maddy, I feel so privileged and I know you’ve mentioned that you’re going through a cleanse at the moment, which I think is terribly fitting with the lifestyle that you lead and are promoting. And you’re a subject matter expert on the topics of aging, longevity, brain span, lifespan, and you’ve been recognised by Forbes as one of the top 50 futurists globally.

What actually drew you to this work in the first place?

MADDY DYCHTWALD: Guest (05:00)

Believe it or not, it was just kind of by accident, which so many things in our lives happened by accident. I was working in Los Angeles as an actress, and I was an actress at the time, not an actor. I was lucky enough to be… I know, right? Very big distinction. And at the time, I was lucky enough to be employed all the time, doing a lot of television commercials, working on a soap opera.

And when I started to realize is I would go to auditions and they would talk to women who were like 30 plus as if they were over the hill. And I’m like, what, what, what’s going on here? What kind of reality is that, that women, once they hit a certain age, whether it be 30, 50, or even 70, that they no longer count, that they’re no longer relevant to their social.

lifestyle, workplace. ⁓ It just seemed so insane to me that I became really interested in it. And then coincidentally, I met my husband who had written a book about the demographic shifts, which he called age wave. So about the fact that we used to be a world where all the action was with younger people because that’s where the growth in the marketplace was.

but that it has really, we’ve seen a flip-flop. We’ve seen suddenly that while people in the younger age groups, ⁓ they used to be fast growing, ⁓ that’s where we’re seeing shrinking populations. And in the 50 plus population, we see them as the fastest growing populations. So the whole idea of what is old and what is young,

is beginning to shift as a result.

DI GILLETT: Host (07:00)

How long ago was that that they were talking to 30 year olds with or purporting 30 year olds were were aging Maddy just to put a line a line

MADDY DYCHTWALD: Guest (07:11)

Sure,

that’s a good question. So I’m 75.

DI GILLETT: Host (07:16)

And look at you!

MADDY DYCHTWALD: Guest (07:18)

Well, thank you, I think. You know what, this is such a really difficult thing to talk about because you can look great at any age, at 60, at 90, at 42, and you can look horrible also at those ages, depending on the way you live your life and the science that you are able to have access to. So, you know, most of it is up to you, but not all of it.

So yeah, at the time, 50 was considered over the hill. In fact, Ken and I, my husband, when we started Age Wave, we would go into corporations that we were working with as keynote speakers to talk about the future of aging and longevity. And at that time, 50 was considered over the hill for women and men.

DI GILLETT: Host (08:11)

Yeah. And that’s been a big part of what I’m reporting on the podcast. I’m early 60s and you’ve now become my pinup for 70s. I think I’ve become look pretty amazing. But similarly to you, it’s been lifestyle choices behind that. that

MADDY DYCHTWALD: Guest (08:26)

yourself.

DI GILLETT: Host (08:35)

That is part of what I would love to explore in detail with you today, Maddy. Because you describe this as a point in time that it’s a longevity revolution. For the female listening, what exactly do you mean by that?

MADDY DYCHTWALD: Guest (08:54)

Okay, so throughout most of history, people really didn’t have the opportunity to age. They died. ⁓ In fact, you would see that it wasn’t until the 20th century that we saw average life expectancy begin to skyrocket. as an example, on the first day, well, actually, let’s try that again. On the very first day,

Of the 20th century, average life expectancy was only 47. 47. And by the last day of the 20th century, it had gone all the way up on average for women and men, the average went all the way up to 78. So think about, yeah, it’s like year longevity. What I think of as a longevity bonus.

DI GILLETT: Host (09:43)

Goosebumps, yeah. Literally got goosebumps.

MADDY DYCHTWALD: Guest (09:51)

30 extra years of life.

DI GILLETT: Host (09:54)

So how much of that do we contribute to medicine versus how we actually choose to live?

MADDY DYCHTWALD: Guest (10:01)

That is a great question. So a lot of the breakthroughs that happened in the 20th century had to do with science and medicine breakthroughs, had to do with antibiotics were suddenly very popular and accepted. ⁓ Sanitation, simple things like sanitation and refrigeration really helped us to live better longer. But today, the kinds of breakthroughs we see and the kind of breakthroughs we need

are very, very different than what they were then. Now, today, more lifestyle and environmental kinds of breakthroughs are needed. And I would say that the science is still evolving, so it puts a lot of pressure on the lifestyle choices we make. We truly are becoming the CEOs of our own health and wellbeing.

DI GILLETT: Host (10:55)

I love that framing. So the stats are really concerning, Maddy, because we’re living, as you’ve just pointed out, we’re definitely living longer than ever. Yet we’re spending more years in poor health. Where’s the disconnect happening?

MADDY DYCHTWALD: Guest (11:14)

Okay, so this is a very simple thing to understand. So just to put it into context, we used to think that genetics were our destiny, that it had nothing to do with the choices we made in our lives, that most of our 75 % of our health and wellbeing had to do with our genes. yeah, so that, okay, no problem. We don’t have to care about what we eat or if we exercise or.

what our sleep looks like and yada, yada, yada. But the most recent breakthroughs in science tell us a very different story. They tell us that up to 90%, 90 % of our health and wellbeing has to do with our lifestyle choices, our environment and the science that we have access to. Now that’s literally a breakthrough kind of

concept that we are in charge of our own health and well-being and that the choices we make make a difference in not only how long we live but in how well we live and that is huge. That has to do with our health span and our brain span as well as the number of years or our lifespan.

DI GILLETT: Host (12:33)

Why are so many people ignorant to this? know you’re out there, you’re going and doing presentations. What is the reason? And I’m going to focus on women being the power of women, Maddy, but why is there such a large cohort that just don’t know this?

MADDY DYCHTWALD: Guest (12:53)

That is the million dollar question. Actually, it’s the trillion dollar question because that’s how much it’s costing us in terms of our health and well-being on a personal level, on a societal level. It’s a huge number.

DI GILLETT: Host (13:07)

So that was my question, what is the cost of not knowing and it’s trillion.

MADDY DYCHTWALD: Guest (13:11)

The cost is enormous and part of the problem, part of the challenge, I should say challenge, is that we’ve created a health system in our country that is really a sick care system rather than a healthcare system. So we’re not so great about preventing disease. We are fantastic at treating disease once it happens.

DI GILLETT: Host (13:39)

we’re the same. Yeah. It’s that band-aid approach to everything of let’s let’s approach the the cure-all after the event rather than preventing the event. That is such a ridiculous mindset for intelligent people to come to.

MADDY DYCHTWALD: Guest (13:55)

Yeah, but you know what? A lot of people just don’t know, don’t understand. Also, some people just don’t care and they don’t necessarily like trust the science.

DI GILLETT: Host (14:06)

Can I be not to be a conspiracy theorist, but is it commercially advantageous to keep the system running as healthcare?

MADDY DYCHTWALD: Guest (14:16)

I think there’s a lot of frustration with the healthcare system by not just patients, but people who work in the healthcare system. Now, I want to be really clear that most of the people who work in healthcare are very well-meaning and they want to do a good job, but they’ve been taught to do things in a way that no longer is effective.

And I think that that’s the rub. mean, the average doctor spends 15 minutes at most with a patient. I mean, how can you get anything accomplished in those 15 minutes? ⁓ It’s just not conceivable. yeah, it’s integrated into the system. So, which means even more so that each and every one of us needs to understand that there is a solution.

And the solution is, by the way, this kind of holistic recipe. It’s not just about one thing, but it’s about things like sleep and exercise and nutrition and social connections. ⁓ Your work life really matters. mean, all these things work together. They don’t exist in silos. Now, I know this is really hard to kind of keep in your mind without a visual, but

When I set out to write Ageless Aging, I reached out to my network of experts, which are top experts, researchers, scientists, physicians. And I was surprised that, first I was surprised that almost everyone got back to me. So there was like 90 people that got back to me. But besides that, I was surprised to see there was a lot of agreement about what works, what doesn’t work. So, yeah.

I think that ultimately it is. We know what works and it’s not about your genes, it’s about turning the good genes on and turning the bad genes off. That’s called epigenetics.

DI GILLETT: Host (16:10)

Good starting point.

Yeah. Now you mentioned ⁓ social connection. Yes. And there must be an interface between social connection and the fact that we are still wedded to a 1980s, an 1880s version of retirement. Because retirement is one of these things that does absolutely lead to social

disconnection because it’s the point where so many people come together. Why are we so outdated in how we’re hanging on to this whole view of what is the retirement age and when we call time on our careers?

MADDY DYCHTWALD: Guest (17:08)

That’s a very complicated question. Let me try to pull some of the threads on that. You’re right. 1880s Otto von Bismarck was the one who created the first pension program for Europe. And at the time, average life expectancy was only 47. And he chose the number 65 as retirement age. So think about that for a minute. He was a very

DI GILLETT: Host (17:34)

Until

you died.

MADDY DYCHTWALD: Guest (17:36)

Yeah, exactly. It was not meant to be for anyone, for very few people. ⁓ Let’s fast forward to today where average life expectancy has skyrocketed all the way up to in the US, 78. It’s even higher in Australia, in Great Britain, and a lot of other countries. And what we see is that because we’ve been wedded to a system that was put into place

such a long time ago, it is creating incredible stress on our government and our governments. mean, it’s global issue, not just in the United States and then on us individually, because as you pointed out so beautifully, Dee, ⁓ the workplace happens to be a great place for socialization. Just to put it into a context.

My company Age Wave, we do a lot of research. And one of the questions we’ve asked in a very recent study that we put out there was we asked retirees and we asked pre-retirees, what are you going to miss most about the workplace? So we asked pre-retirees, people who are still working, and they said, we’re going to miss the money. And when you think about it, that makes a lot of sense. I mean,

Living on a fixed income seems overwhelming and seems like, know, wow, if I could delay that for a little while, that would be a smart move. So that makes sense. However, when we asked retirees, they had a very different answer. They said it was the social connections. The money still mattered, but the social connections soared.

DI GILLETT: Host (19:27)

And those in the workplace just hadn’t imagined it because they hadn’t experienced it and they didn’t. That was yeah.

MADDY DYCHTWALD: Guest (19:32)

Exactly.

Because of COVID, we saw a lot of people stay home to work and we’re beginning to see that change. People are going back into the workplace. Why? Because they’re finding that they missed the social connection, the brainstorming, the ideas that you can come up with as a group rather than being single-minded.

DI GILLETT: Host (19:57)

Yeah, I can understand that. We’re having the same experience here in Australia, Maddy. what happens to a woman cognitively, psychologically, physically, when she gives up work and it’s before time, it might have been imposed upon her or they pulled the pin or they’ve simply lost their job?

MADDY DYCHTWALD: Guest (20:20)

Interestingly, while we know that women have won the longevity lottery, mean, we live longer than men, as you pointed out, in every country, ⁓ actually in every species. So it’s not just in humans.

DI GILLETT: Host (20:35)

That’s so yeah. Yeah. There you go

MADDY DYCHTWALD: Guest (20:38)

Yeah, but we spend more years in retirement than men. And the impact that that has is pretty dramatic. ⁓ First, we’re taking off time along the way to care give our children.

DI GILLETT: Host (20:53)

So we’ve got broken income in retirement savings.

MADDY DYCHTWALD: Guest (20:57)

That’s That’s exactly right. Yeah. You know the answer. Yeah. We’re not getting the pensions that we should. We’re not getting the social security that we should. Then we retire early, oftentimes because we could be married if we are married or partnered to someone who’s a little bit older than us who might be getting sick and need us to care for them. ⁓ Add to that.

DI GILLETT: Host (21:23)

This

lottery is looking pretty shabby at the moment.

MADDY DYCHTWALD: Guest (21:26)

Oh, I can make it even worse. I won’t try to make it worse because women are incredibly having the information that you can be in charge of your own health and well-being and that you can find mechanisms to stay socially active and full of a sense of purpose and take the right steps to live better longer. Not only does that feel empowering, it can increase our vitality.

our mental energy and our sense of purpose and wellbeing. So yeah, I would tell every single woman out there and I talk about it in Ageless Aging, ⁓ there’s some hacks, there’s some steps that each and every one of us ought to take to live better longer, especially women.

DI GILLETT: Host (22:18)

And you’re a pin up for that, Maddy, because you’re, I mean, but you are, you’re professionally engaged, you’re out there in the community, you’re following, and we’ll get to that in some more detail if we could, some lifestyle protocols that are improving your longevity and wellbeing, the importance being the two things together.

Could I ask if you had the opportunity, and I’m sure you do to an extent in the work that you’re doing, but if you could sit down in front of CEOs and hiring managers in organizations across the marketplace, what would you be telling them about retirement and the older workforce?

MADDY DYCHTWALD: Guest (23:11)

Mm.

See, that’s a simple but complicated question. For one thing, we have fewer young people entering the workforce ⁓ than we ever did before. So in many corporate environments, in many entrepreneurial environments, we need the older workers ⁓ just because we need those bodies. Second, exactly. Older workers.

There’s some stereotypes that they’re not tech savvy. That is not true at all. ⁓ There’s some stereotypes that don’t really take into account the fact that they have wisdom and accumulated experience that can be of value to not just themselves and their company, but to their coworkers, especially to younger workers. And what we’ve seen is there’s this great opportunity

for older workers to mentor young ones and younger ones to mentor older ones because they can share skills. And it’s very empowering for everyone. So I think that there’s these misconceptions and concepts that older workers do not have wisdom, which is totally false, that they are not resilient. And in fact, studies have shown that

The older we get, the more resilience we get. So we’re able to handle stress far better than younger people. And we know that, you we’ve been through a lot. We’ve been through COVID, we’ve been through up turns and down turns in the marketplace. We’ve been sick, we’ve cared for older adults, younger children. We’ve seen it all. So we know that we can not only get through it, but that we can…

actually prevail and do well. And I think that having that kind of a mindset is an incredibly valuable tool for any worker and that corporate leaders who don’t take advantage of it are going to be losing out come the next decade.

DI GILLETT: Host (25:27)

And I think on that aging piece, Maddy, too, with wisdom, we’ve only got to look at indigenous cultures around the world who actually value elders as distinct to how we seem to do in first world cultures. We’ve got a lot to learn.

MADDY DYCHTWALD: Guest (25:44)

That’s right. That’s right. And we have not learned the lesson well. mean, this one ism that is still very acceptable is ageism, especially aimed at women, especially something that I call lookism, the idea that, well, if you don’t look a certain way, we don’t want you around.

DI GILLETT: Host (26:05)

Well, we all know gray for men is applauded, gray for women is criticized. Proud to palm. Yeah, yeah, so we know that. Well, coming up, how inflammation actually accelerates aging and why women are twice as likely to develop Alzheimer’s.

If you’re loving the Power of Women podcasts, be sure to jump onto our YouTube channel and hit that subscribe button to ensure you never miss an episode. I’m talking with Maddy Dychtwald, globally renowned futurist and subject matter expert about extending our health span, our brain span and our lifespan. Maddy, you write that lifespan is the least meaningful.

measure of aging and that health span and brain span are actually what matters. Why are we still focusing then on the wrong matrix?

MADDY DYCHTWALD: Guest (27:05)

I think the idea, okay, let me try this another way. Here we are in the 21st century and there are a lot of what I call tech bros who are at the leading edge of longevity and they’re great. I mean, they’re really, they wanna see how long they can live and they haven’t necessarily connected it with the idea of how well they can live.

So they’re investing a lot of dollars and a lot of time and a lot of energy into extending lifespan or life expectancy, which we’ve done a pretty good job of. Let’s be honest about it. However, there is a total disconnect between lifespan and health span and as well brain span. And let me tell you what I mean by that. How span it’s really simple. The number of healthy years that you live. So in

The US also in Australia, by the way The average person spends the last 12 years of their lives in a cascade of poor health things simple as aches and pains ⁓ heart disease ⁓ All kinds of chronic degenerative diseases of strokes people are frightened of strokes worst of all

Alzheimer’s disease and I’ve seen it firsthand. My mom, yes. I mean, when you see someone suffering from Alzheimer’s disease, it not only breaks your heart, it scares you to death.

DI GILLETT: Host (28:33)

have on.

That’s

right. Yeah, that’s right. How much has, and that’s an interesting point, Maddy, how much has watching your parents in the generation before you sparked you and motivated the actions that you’re taking?

MADDY DYCHTWALD: Guest (29:01)

No, it’s a great deal. I would just say that, you know, watching my mom, my husband, Ken, his mom also suffered from Alzheimer’s disease and it manifested very differently in each of our parents. But watching both of them was, it was heartbreaking. And we became, Ken and I both became advocates for, let’s not see how many great caregivers we can get, which is important, but there are a lot of people

doing that work. Instead, we wanted to help fund the research to find a cure for Alzheimer’s disease. And you know what? We still haven’t found a cure.

DI GILLETT: Host (29:44)

So let’s get into a conversation we could then about inflammation because I think that’s, there’s a direct correlation here. What are we doing in living our lives that is the trigger to this inflammation in our body that’s leading to our aches and pains, that’s leading to the cognitive decline? Is there one or two significant areas you could highlight?

for us.

MADDY DYCHTWALD: Guest (30:16)

Okay, me, so inflammation is a huge deal. ⁓ It’s one of the, what’s called hallmarks of aging. So in other words, it’s one of the factors that really create negative health spans and brain spans in your life, no matter who you are. And what’s so beautiful about inflammation is a lot of it is within our control. So I’ll use myself as an example. ⁓

seven years ago, was experiencing excruciating hip pain. And I’m a huge exerciser, which by the way is probably the best thing that I do for myself. But I was like limping around to the point where my son turned around and said to me, mom, what’s with you? You look like you’re 90 years old, get yourself to the doctor. So I did and I tried everything. I tried ⁓ just, know, cortisone treatments and.

I tried going to physical therapy. I tried stem cells. I tried PRP. I did it all. And all of it worked for a very short time. And finally got an MRI and I learned that I was bone on bone in both my hips. I had been born with hip dysplasia and I didn’t know that, you know. Today they do something about it with an infant, but for me, like nobody knew.

even what hip dysplasia was 75 years ago. So, you know, I became hysterical. My doctor said to me, you need to get hip replacements. So I did my research, found a doctor to do a double hip replacement, both hips at once, but he couldn’t take me for three months. And so I said to him, what should I do in the meantime? And he says, well, get a cane. And I’m like,

Okay, that’s a great idea as a last resort, but it’s not the way I that’s not the visual I have of myself. So I reached out to my network of people, people like Mark Hyman and Andy Weil, and I said, what should I do? And they told me, you’ve got to fight inflammation. It’s that simple. And they told me number one, get out an anti inflammatory diet. So it’s not that hard.

I was already eating pretty healthy, it’s, you know, get rid of the gluten, get rid of the dairy, get rid of as much sugar as you can. So, you know, I did that. And by the way, that was the secret sauce. I also did a few other things, but that was the secret sauce. I started meditating, started visualization. All of these things worked, but within six weeks, I think mostly through the diet and I continued exercising, but through the diet.

I no longer had any pain at all in my hips. It all went away. I looked at my biomarkers through blood tests, no inflammation in my body whatsoever. So it is something that is within our control. So I would advise anyone who has those aches and pains or dealing with diabetes or heart disease, try an anti-inflammatory diet. It may sound really hard. It’s not.

DI GILLETT: Host (33:39)

And if you don’t believe Maddy, I came to the same realization only three years after you, Maddy, with the same thing. I was having six monthly PRP on my hip. I was booked in for hip replacement on one hip, but kept it at bay with PRP. Then during COVID, I don’t have hip dysplasia, but I have a lifetime of skiing and horse riding accidents that have caught up with me. ⁓

and bone on bone. had bunion pain. I ended up in hospital during COVID. And the blessing was with nerve pain, they couldn’t operate because of COVID restrictions. But then six months later, I too came to the realization that inflammation was my kryptonite, fueled by my love of sugar. And I

And I went cold turkey on sugar, which as you know, means you go cold turkey on nearly all processed food. Yep. And I’ve, I’ve not had PRP since I have not had, I have, I have ⁓ nerve atrophy on, on, on a numb leg because clearly my, my nerve was, was trapped, but I don’t have the bunion pain. I don’t have the aches. I don’t have the pain. I don’t have the sugar bloating that I used to have.

MADDY DYCHTWALD: Guest (34:39)

almost everything.

DI GILLETT: Host (35:03)

visually because it was causing this build up of bloating in your system. it’s a no-brainer and it’s just a commitment to doing it.

MADDY DYCHTWALD: Guest (35:17)

It is, it’s a big commitment. know, there were two people that I respect greatly. I’m always asked, where do I begin? And there’s two different points of view. ⁓ One of the physicians at Mayo Clinic told me, well, pick one way to get started with it’s, you know, exercise or what you eat or your sleep, whatever seems easy, start there. And then you’re going to have some success.

and you can start incrementally adding other ingredients from that holistic recipe. On the other hand, ⁓ I’m friends with Dr. Dean Ornish and Dean said to me, no, I would not do that at all. I would say do it all at once. And then within three weeks, you’re gonna feel so different, so much better that you’ll be highly committed. you know, there’s two different ways to skin a cat.

DI GILLETT: Host (36:16)

So women are twice as likely to develop Alzheimer’s. Why is that?

MADDY DYCHTWALD: Guest (36:26)

Okay, so I don’t think that we know the answer to that, but we do know that it is in fact true. I think that you can blame menopause a little bit. I think that when women go through menopause and they’re not doing hormone replacement therapy, there’s some radical things that go on in your body. There’s been this assumption in the past

that the symptoms of menopause were just uncomfortable and suffer through it. But in fact, that is not true. They are not just symptoms. There are things that change in your body that have detrimental effect on your health, including the shrinking of gray matter in your brain. And you do not want that happening. And so I. The new.

black box prescription for menopause really does include hormone replacement unless, unless there’s a big unless unless you have reproductive cancers running in your family.

DI GILLETT: Host (37:41)

Yeah, I what what is the acceptance of HRT like in the US I know Australia’s Australia’s still mixed. I mean, I’ve I’m I’m 61 and I’ve been on HRT for the better part of of 20 years and even with my health care providers, it’s still controversial because I I don’t follow mainstream medicine I follow

compounding medicine for my HRT and I get wrapped over the knuckles for it regularly but I’ll take that as my choice. How are women accepting the fact that HRT is important in the US?

MADDY DYCHTWALD: Guest (38:29)

Okay, well, this is a very complicated question, but the simple answer is things are getting better. ⁓ As you know, there was this huge study, the Women’s Health Initiative that was done. And it’s important to keep in mind that in the study, they were looking at women all over the age of 60. and they were using, ⁓ they weren’t using bioidentical hormones, they were using synthetic

hormones. In fact, they were using hormones ⁓ that were derived from a horse’s urine. So if that’s what you want to put in your body, don’t expect great results. And they didn’t get great results. What they found, they stopped the study because a lot of women who were in the study were getting heart disease rather than being protected from it. So that was what many gynecologists and regular doctors have

based their knowledge on. So they’re well-meaning. So it’s not like they mean to mess us up, but in fact they are messing us up. So the more recent science tells a very different story. Number one, you need to start hormone replacement early like you did. ⁓ You want it to start early. You can’t go into it at age 60. That is a no-no. ⁓ Second, you don’t want to use synthetic hormones. You want to use bioidentical hormones.

And yeah, those are two really important pieces of the puzzle. knowing that that is the science that is being talked about now. However, in the United States, it’s still not, it’s just beginning to open the door to the conversation. So women who are on the cutting edge of knowledge and information, they know it, they’re doing it, they’re great.

The average woman in the United States feels a tremendous amount of confusion and ⁓ fear, a lot of fear around it.

DI GILLETT: Host (40:38)

With good reason.

MADDY DYCHTWALD: Guest (40:40)

Absolutely, and I don’t blame them. But I have spoken to some of the top menopause specialists in our country, ⁓ and they have a different story. They say, yes, yes, you do want to have hormone replacement. And some of them even suggest that it’s just progesterone that is the problem for women who have reproductive cancer running in their families.

So you don’t take the progesterone and there are things you can do instead of taking the progesterone.

DI GILLETT: Host (41:18)

Yeah. Maddy, you’ve said it’s not just ⁓ sleep and diet and exercise. And I think we’ve touched on all of those, albeit we haven’t really delved into sleep today. But what are the less obvious levers that women aren’t paying attention to that we should be?

MADDY DYCHTWALD: Guest (41:39)

Well, we talked a little bit about social connection, and I think that we need to just underline the fact that loneliness is the equivalent of smoking 15 cigarettes a day. So.

DI GILLETT: Host (41:51)

Can repeat that? Loneliness? That is extraordinary.

MADDY DYCHTWALD: Guest (41:56)

Yeah, it’s the equivalent of smoking 15 cigarettes a day. Yeah, so you need to take it seriously. And this whole idea of sense of purpose, ⁓ we talk about it as a nice to have, but what we’re beginning to recognize is that it’s a biological imperative, that there actually are deep connections between your brain health

DI GILLETT: Host (42:01)

Wow.

MADDY DYCHTWALD: Guest (42:24)

and having a sense of purpose. again, you don’t have to be starting a podcast or a nonprofit to be having a sense of purpose. You may not even have to go back into the workplace. Maybe it’s just walking your dog in the morning or taking care of your grandchildren. I mean, you don’t want to dictate to people how they get a sense of purpose. It’s different for everyone. So that’s something. But the one that I love the most is this idea of our attitude because

Attitude doesn’t cost a penny and it doesn’t take a lot of time, but there have been studies that have done Dr. Becca Levy from Yale was the famous longitudinal study in the US in the Midwest. She learned that having a positive attitude about your own aging and the aging of those around you can add up to seven and a half years to your lifespan and can improve your cardiovascular health.

by 40%. I mean, imagine that.

DI GILLETT: Host (43:26)

That’s extraordinary. But there has to be a correlation between that and having a sense of purpose. Attitude and sense of purpose are intertwined.

MADDY DYCHTWALD: Guest (43:37)

See, I think all of these things are intertwined. if you, by the way, money has something to do with it as well, finances, you if you don’t, using money as an example, if you don’t have your financial house in order, ⁓ your cortisol levels are going to go through the roof. You’re not going to be able to sleep at night. You’re probably going to eat a lot of processed foods instead of the healthy ones.

DI GILLETT: Host (43:56)

Okay.

MADDY DYCHTWALD: Guest (44:06)

I mean, there’s just…

DI GILLETT: Host (44:07)

cool.

MADDY DYCHTWALD: Guest (44:10)

It is, it’s a virtuous circle.

DI GILLETT: Host (44:14)

So with all of that in mind, is there a specific insight from these experts that you’ve been working with that’s actually changed how you’ve lived your life?

MADDY DYCHTWALD: Guest (44:25)

Yeah, first of all, I’m very happy that I’ve always been big into exercise. But one of the things that I didn’t really realize was the importance of building muscle mass. ⁓ It’s critical as one gets older. think that recognizing the fact that sarcopenia or loss of muscle mass begins as early as in your 30s.

So you need that strengthening exercises. You need to build it into your life. In fact, ⁓ one of the physicians that I interviewed for ageless aging told me that he believed that muscle strength should be a new vital sign, similar to our heart rate and our blood pressure. That’s how important it is. So that was a big aha. What else? think as you get older, that’s

you need more protein and I think that message I mean if you go on social media it’s all over the place yeah it is and

DI GILLETT: Host (45:29)

There’s good protein and there’s bad protein.

MADDY DYCHTWALD: Guest (45:32)

That’s

exactly right. And getting into a precursor to an amino acid that ⁓ builds protein, I think is a little bit more of an efficient way of building protein than eating gobs of protein.

DI GILLETT: Host (45:48)

Yeah. Yeah.

MADDY DYCHTWALD: Guest (45:50)

You could never meet all your protein needs if you just like gobble down a lot of protein.

DI GILLETT: Host (45:56)

Yeah, and of course there’s different forms of protein being vegetable and animal.

MADDY DYCHTWALD: Guest (46:03)

That’s right. There’s one other thing that I need to underline for you that really I did change now that I’m really thinking it through. ⁓ I used to love having a glass of wine with dinner every night. And the most recent science tells us that even small amounts of alcohol can be toxic for your health, especially your brain health.

DI GILLETT: Host (46:27)

I was at a function earlier in the week and there were 20 people in this room and it was the first time I saw the majority of people go for non-alcoholic options. Now that’s probably got a high sugar component so there’s, you know, choose your…

MADDY DYCHTWALD: Guest (46:48)

I know,

there’s a trade-off, if I’m gonna have sugar, I might as well have alcohol.

DI GILLETT: Host (46:51)

Yeah, but it was very interesting. And I know in talking to people in the hospitality industry across the country, that the consumption of alcohol, particularly with the younger generation coming through, has gone down. So the message is getting through somewhere. It’s a slow, slow burn. Maddy.

Thank you so much. I’ve got a couple of rapid fire questions if I could throw them at you. One word you want women to associate with aging.

MADDY DYCHTWALD: Guest (47:30)

⁓ Empowerment.

DI GILLETT: Host (47:33)

A daily non-negotiable for your own lifespan.

MADDY DYCHTWALD: Guest (47:38)

Exercise.

DI GILLETT: Host (47:39)

Yeah. The most surprising thing longevity research has taught you.

MADDY DYCHTWALD: Guest (47:47)

that I’m the CEO of My Own Health.

DI GILLETT: Host (47:51)

and a belief about aging you once held that you no longer do.

MADDY DYCHTWALD: Guest (47:57)

You know, I guess the one thing that kind of surprises me and that I wasn’t expecting was that ageism is real and it’s out there and everyone experiences it. And so when people say to me, my God, you look so young. You know, I don’t take that as a necessarily.

DI GILLETT: Host (48:20)

How does that land with you? Does that feel positive and a compliment or does that feel annoying and some other negative thought?

MADDY DYCHTWALD: Guest (48:33)

I feel like it’s a social moray from another century. I think that, you know, this is one version of 75 and part of that and a big part of that has to do with the way I live my life. And it’s reflected in the way I look. mean, exercise and diet and sleep and all of these things together contribute to

not just the way you feel, but the way you look. yeah, I feel like, yes, I look youthful, but I don’t look necessarily young.

DI GILLETT: Host (49:13)

Yeah, and I think that is such an important distinction. So if somebody said, I applaud you for the way in which you live your life, that would probably land better than somebody saying, you defy your age.

MADDY DYCHTWALD: Guest (49:29)

Makes me a little uncomfortable. just, um, I just did a LinkedIn post about it because we need to find ways to recognize that as we get older, we, there’s different forms of beauty and it’s, know, I mean, we’re not going to look like we looked when we were 20. I mean, there’s just no way. mean, we see you.

DI GILLETT: Host (49:52)

and you look vital and I think that’s probably what we don’t say when we’re we’re applauding somebody who who looks all of those things at at an age that we have traditionally didn’t associate with those traits.

MADDY DYCHTWALD: Guest (50:08)

You hit it right on the nose. I think that that is 100 % true. ⁓ People associate the 70s and the 80s as being a time for falling apart. And I refuse to be that, or I don’t want to be that. And I’m sure that I’m going to have to deal with some things that are going to be setbacks. But I do see a lot of people around me falling apart. ⁓

DI GILLETT: Host (50:37)

And that’s where the attitude comes in. That’s where you’re on the front foot in how you approach it. Maddy, this is such a valuable conversation and it’s one I could get lost in infinitum and I can see what has drawn you and your husband into it as a point of specialization and I absolutely applaud you for what you are doing and if you haven’t

found Maddy on LinkedIn, I suggest you do because her thought leadership pieces are so insightful and I’ve become ⁓ an avid reader of the insights that you’re putting out there. How else does somebody find you Maddy and the work that you’re doing?

MADDY DYCHTWALD: Guest (51:29)

Well, I’m not sure about Australia, but I do know that Ageless Aging became a national bestseller in the US and it’s available. Bookstores everywhere, Amazon of course, and they can also go to my website, agewave.com or maddydykewald.com.

DI GILLETT: Host (51:50)

Fantastic, fabulous. Well, if you haven’t got on to the health span longevity ⁓ area in terms of your pursuits of learning, I really suggest you do. And I suggest that you share this particular episode of podcast with somebody that you value, because that could just be the trigger to put it on your radar. Until next time.

Chapters:

00:00 The Longevity Revolution: Understanding Ageing

02:52 Women and Ageing: A Unique Perspective

06:00 The Shift in Retirement: Rethinking Age and Work

08:54 Lifestyle Choices: The Key to Health and Longevity

12:11 The Disconnect: Living Longer but Not Better

15:11 Social Connections and the Impact of Retirement

18:06 The Value of Older Workers in Today’s Workforce

20:57 Challenging Ageism: Embracing Wisdom and Experience

24:10 Health Span vs. Lifespan: What Really Matters

27:31 Lifespan vs. Healthspan: Understanding the Disconnect

29:44 The Impact of Inflammation on Health

36:16 Menopause and Its Effects on Women’s Health

41:39 The Importance of Social Connection and Purpose

44:25 Insights from Experts on Ageing and Health

Connect with Di:

Find Maddy Dychtwald at:

Website https://maddydychtwald.com/

LinkedIn https://www.linkedin.com/in/maddydychtwald/

Instagram https://www.instagram.com/maddydychtwald/

💫 If this conversation shifted your thinking, share it with a woman you respect.

💫 Subscribe to the Power Of Women Podcast on YouTube, Spotify, or Apple Podcasts — and join the conversation redefining what it means to age, lead and live well.

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Disclaimer: https://powerofwomen.com.au/podcast-disclaimer/

Lead Through the Power of Your Story

by admin | Jan 19, 2026 | Female Empowerment, Female Leaders

Own your voice. Build networks that empower. Create a legacy that lasts.

The Power Of Women Podcast opens the 2026 season with a defining conversation on influence, voice, legacy and understanding the power of YOUR story.

In this episode, host Di Gillett sits down with global brand strategist and Powerful Steps founder Tory Archbold to explore the new rules of influence. Why women must own their voice, how empowered networks shape opportunity, and what it takes to build a legacy rooted in purpose and alignment.

Drawing on decades of experience building iconic brands and advising women globally, Tory shares the moments that shaped her leadership, what she attributes her success in business to, and why influence is no longer about noise, but about clarity, truth and impact.

You’ll hear :

How influence has evolved and what that means for women in 2026.
Why owning your voice changes how you lead and how you’re seen.
How to build networks that empower rather than diminish.
What legacy leadership looks like beyond career milestones.

Tory said:

“Your voice isn’t something you earn. It’s something you choose to use.”

“The right network doesn’t make you smaller, it expands who you’re becoming.”

“Legacy is built when influence is grounded in alignment, not approval.”

📖 Read the full transcript of this conversation here 👇

FULL TRANSCRIPT:

TORY ARCHBOLD [Guest] (00:03)

And I had the opportunity to go and work in some of the biggest entertainment companies in the world in London on the working holiday visa. So I was exposed to George Lucas films, 20th Century Fox, MTV, Nickelodeon. Leaders listening right now lead through the power of your story. But don’t just put it there and go, ⁓ I launched Zara. That was such a long time ago, Di. People always ask me about it. But that’s not my story anymore.

DI GILLETT [Host] (00:29)

A moment that changed everything for you.

TORY ARCHBOLD [Guest] (00:32)

Mind Age Eth Experience.

DI GILLETT [Host] (00:34)

The most underrated skill for women in leadership. A belief you had to let go of to rise.

TORY ARCHBOLD [Guest] (00:37)

Self-belief.

People pleasing. You know, they were saying, but men judge us. I said, but you’re not putting yourself in the shoes of the men. Men also have stories. Men also have challenges and they feel that they’re going to be judged too.

So the top 1 % of female leaders around the world stand in their authentic truth. A happy heart is a magnet for miracles. Self-belief is your superpower.

DI GILLETT [Host] (01:12)

I’m Di Gillett and welcome to the Power Of Women Podcast. What I love about this platform is the opportunity to showcase and celebrate the strength, resilience and achievement of women from all walks of life. And that tapestry is getting richer as the community grows as we enter our third year. Can’t believe it. So join the conversation if you haven’t already.

Jump on to YouTube and subscribe to the channel there, or you can listen to us on any of the audible platforms. I am super excited though to start the new year with a very special guest. She hails from Sydney, but she is truly a global citizen these days, jumping between Riyadh, the US and Australia. She’s a woman whose name is synonymous with influence.

visibility, alignment and unapologetic leadership. But before I introduce her to you, let me ask you this. If you could change one thing in your life that stopped downplaying your voice and truly stepped into your power, what would that be? So every week I sit down with women who change the narrative in business, in leadership,

and in life. Women who don’t just rise, but more importantly, women who bring others along with them. And today’s guest is an exemplar of all of the aforementioned. Tory Archbold is the founder of Powerful Steps, a global platform activating the purpose, voice and leadership of high performing women across the globe.

She has built international brands, shaped cultural moments, and transformed the way women see themselves and their voice. And she does it in one unmistakable step of heart-led, high-impact truth. She’s a global strategist, a keynote speaker, and author of Self-Belief is Your Superpower, and the host of top-rating podcast, Powerful Stories.

Her mantra, lead with truth, partner with purpose, and build a legacy that outlives you. And today we’re going deep. We’re going to talk about how to elevate your voice, how to build networks that empower, and how to own your story with clarity, conviction, and alignment. Tory Archbold, welcome to the Power of Women podcast. ⁓

TORY ARCHBOLD [Guest] (04:01)

so grateful to be here and what a welcome. Thank you Di.

DI GILLETT [Host] (04:05)

It’s taken a while, Tory, and it is so good to have you in the studio. Could we kick off today with your story because your story is pretty rich in its own way. Can you take us to some of those early defining moments?

TORY ARCHBOLD [Guest] (04:22)

I love this question because everyone’s like, tell me your story, Tory.

DI GILLETT [Host] (04:30)

I’m sorry I didn’t quite get the string of that right.

TORY ARCHBOLD [Guest] (04:35)

So my story really started with rejection, if I’m completely honest with you, and a little bit of judgment thrown into the mix. So I like to say that I am a woman who jumped out of the box of expectations at a really young age and into a global world of opportunities.

DI GILLETT [Host] (04:43)

Mmm.

TORY ARCHBOLD [Guest] (04:59)

And I say that with my hand on my heart because I think when you reflect on the journey of who you are and where you come from, you really need to look at the highs, lows, and those game-changing moments. And one of the defining moments for me was when I started my first business, Tourstar, at 24 years of age. Very young. Very young. And I backed myself through self-belief. But also, I knew that I could ignite change.

And I wanted to create and build really powerful brands because, like many Australians, when you’re young in your early 20s, you’re schooled by the University of Life, not necessarily a degree, and you go and you explore the world. And I had the opportunity to go and work in some of the biggest entertainment companies in the world, in London, on the working holiday visa. So I was exposed to George Lucas films, 20th Century Fox, MTV, Nickelodeon, you know, the whole portfolio of Viacom.

And I fell in love with the power of storytelling. Absolutely loved it. And I thought, if there’s one thing that I can do that’s going to ignite change in this world, it’s going to be able to tap into the power of storytelling, but also take people on a journey. And I loved that. Like I was always an avid reader, you know, all the magazines, and I always loved the movies. But most importantly, I loved connecting with people.

And so when I came back to Australia, no one wanted to give me a job. Absolutely no one. I think that I was a little bit ahead of the times, but people didn’t recognize the depth of my knowledge and my capabilities. And I was actually okay with that because I always believe in life, you forge your own path. And so when it had coffee, because I couldn’t afford to take people lunch.

DI GILLETT [Host] (06:29)

You put that down too.

Of course.

TORY ARCHBOLD [Guest] (06:48)

And I always remember the advice like coffee not lunch because in those days coffee dates were $2 right? Yeah. It’s now some places in world. Yeah, $25 in some parts of the world to just buy someone a coffee but it was like a $2 exchange of energy and listening into what people needed and what I really recognized was that no one was tapping into what was happening on a global stage.

DI GILLETT [Host] (06:58)

be the price of lunch.

TORY ARCHBOLD [Guest] (07:14)

And I saw my laneway and I thought to myself, imagine if I could actually use the knowledge and the frameworks that I had been taught by what I would call wise souls who took me under their wing for those short stints in those incredible entertainment companies and actually transformed that into a business. And so I did. And it was called Tour Star. Started when I was 24. No money in the bank.

DI GILLETT [Host] (07:39)

Where does self-belief come from, Tory? Because that’s, you you say you come from, one of the words you said you come from is judgment. So how did you tap in and identify that self-belief so young?

TORY ARCHBOLD [Guest] (07:52)

the judgment came from rejection over when I went for coffee dates and it was actually an ex-boyfriend, so let’s get really serious here. Who ended up running one of the biggest advertising agencies in this region for quite some time. He was more of a hero and a legend in the industry, but he just couldn’t see what I could see at that point in time. And when I went for the coffee date and said,

DI GILLETT [Host] (08:02)

I had that rejection.

TORY ARCHBOLD [Guest] (08:17)

team I’ll never forget it was in Bills in Crown Street and I said look I think I’m going to start my own agency I’m going to call it Torstar and it’s going to be a branding communications agency and it is going to attract the world’s top performing brands celebrities and influencers and he kind of looked at me and wanted to put me back in the box that my parents had placed me and he’s like I think you should go and you know finish that interior design degree so that you can go and be a really good homemaker.

DI GILLETT [Host] (08:42)

We wanted to keep you small.

TORY ARCHBOLD [Guest] (08:45)

Absolutely and white picket fence and that’d be it but I’d already said no to that by going to London. Yeah. And so I remember walking out of that coffee date so clearly in Crown Street and kind of like putting my hand in the air as a bit of a fuck you. ⁓

DI GILLETT [Host] (08:59)

And thank you for the momentum.

TORY ARCHBOLD [Guest] (09:01)

Thank

you and thank you and I’m going to use that to actually drive forward my idea and so I did and no one in Australia would give me the opportunity to work with their brands because of course I didn’t have a track record and so I called a friend in London and I said to her look this is my idea this is the agency that I want to create what do you think and she said to her it’s brilliant I’m going to introduce you to someone who actually became my first client you always need a marquee client when you step out on your own

And my first client was launching Megan Gayle’s The Face of David Jones. And from there, I mean, it was all just based on referrals because I anchored every decision that I made in that business and my three values, passion, integrity, delivery. I had the intent to create and build powerful brands, but most importantly, I was the woman that delivered. And so if you deliver and you’re magnetic and you’re

years are so creative and outside of the box and anyone else’s, what’s going to happen? You’re going to attract. But also when you attract, how do you retain? So my clients on average stay with me for eight and a half, nine years, which is unheard

DI GILLETT [Host] (10:02)

Cool.

That’s

know even if I had the good fortune of holding on to a client for three or four years in the search space before somebody knocked you off your perch, you’ve done well. So that’s incredible.

TORY ARCHBOLD [Guest] (10:24)

And I do want talk about knocking people off your perch because I remember when I was pregnant with my daughter Isabella and I went to see a client and I saw that someone had basically looked at my website, looked at the clients I had because these were in the early days of, know, my gosh, you’ve got to have a website, how do you promote yourself because you usually used to go in and hand over a presentation presented. I’m about to give birth.

And another woman who had started an agency, I remember it was this one client, then I went to the next client, then the next client, and sitting on all of their desks was a presentation from her saying why she was better than me.

DI GILLETT [Host] (11:03)

and she saw your pregnancy as a moment of weakness.

TORY ARCHBOLD [Guest] (11:06)

Correct, but it actually was a moment of strength. What is that? Give it back, you know. All of the things.

DI GILLETT [Host] (11:14)

What is that in the world of sisterhood? Because that is very blatantly taking the decision to stamp on somebody’s parade.

TORY ARCHBOLD [Guest] (11:25)

It absolutely is and that same woman used to come up as a plus one to my events with the media and hand out her business cards at my events. I mean, I looked at that situation, I thought, okay, she wants what I have. Yeah.

DI GILLETT [Host] (11:40)

So she’s already on the back foot she’s chasing?

TORY ARCHBOLD [Guest] (11:43)

She wants what I have, but she’s not me. And for anyone listening to these podcasts, always remember, like, you are unique. You have a unique footprint. She can’t be me. And it didn’t dampen what was a stellar career. And I ended up attracting the best of the best.

DI GILLETT [Host] (12:03)

And I love that you say that because there were a few critics when I first decided to call my podcast Power of Women because I had actually secured the domain name Power of Women 10 years earlier with an idea that I was going to build some purpose-led female platform. And I said, well, that’s true. If I Google Power of Women, there’s a few in the marketplace, not as many as you might think.

But there’s only one power of women with diagelate.

TORY ARCHBOLD [Guest] (12:34)

Correct. And you are the star of the show. You are the leader of your own destiny. And you know, as Oprah said, I saw her in Sydney last night. She said, lead yourself. Lead yourself. Rise up as yourself. And so I’ve always lived by that motto as well. And I was an Oprah fan, you know, I’m sure you were as well. We were young. She leans into the heart, not ego.

DI GILLETT [Host] (12:45)

Mmmmm ⁓

Absolutely.

Yeah.

TORY ARCHBOLD [Guest] (13:02)

And so I think that if you believe in an idea and you believe that you can step into it, that’s your intent, that’s your purpose. All you need to do is anchor it back to your values and it’s the ripple effect.

DI GILLETT [Host] (13:13)

With Torstar, it was incredibly successful, but you walked away after what was it, 20 years. not because the business was on a downward trajectory. You walked away at the top of its power. What led to that?

TORY ARCHBOLD [Guest] (13:30)

my intuition. The secret whispers of life. ⁓

DI GILLETT [Host] (13:35)

⁓

One of my favourite things that so many women don’t acknowledge or listen to.

TORY ARCHBOLD [Guest] (13:42)

the secret whispers of life. So I knew that I had a story that I wasn’t telling. And while I was really good at creating and building brands and obviously telling the stories of global businesses, but also CEOs, board directors, founders, like the best of the best, I like to call them the top 1%, at the same time I wasn’t being honest about who I was. And so there was this niggly feeling inside of me,

And I remember it actually came from the movie, Hard Loser Guy in 10 Days.

DI GILLETT [Host] (14:17)

As distinct to my pretty woman experience in Sydney only recently of not being allowed into a luxury boutique. See, we’ve all got a movie.

TORY ARCHBOLD [Guest] (14:24)

We’ve all got a baby. So my daughter and I, Bella, we’re in LA and I had just won the keys to freedom through standing up and winning full custody in a non-contact order in the Federal Circuit Court of Australia. So I think I’m one of three percent of women that self represent and actually successful, successful in the sense that it was 12 years. It almost broke me.

But I came through that tunnel and saw the light and was completely happy. And my daughter was young at the age and we’d been watching on repeat this Matthew McConaughey movie. And I said to I think it’s ready, well it’s time for me to start dating. But I only had five days free in my diary.

DI GILLETT [Host] (15:08)

And was Matthew your pin-up of what you wanted do? he wasn’t! Because he would have been mine!

He actually wasn’t! have been mine!

TORY ARCHBOLD [Guest] (15:15)

Before we were due to hop on a flight back to Sydney from LA, we actually bumped into him in the park. Like this is like serendipity, the way this all turns out. And it was all about my daughter saying, Mom, I want a picture with Matthew. And I said, well, that’s not what you really do, because I work with a lot of people like that. If you never take photos with them, it was my golden rule. And ⁓ she said, well, can you ask him? Can you ask him? And I felt so uncomfortable. So I asked him and he said, no.

Sorry, no. And then we kind of, no, he was just like, no, photos, no photos. But then do you know what the crazy thing was? Then this paparazzi guy comes along and takes his photos. And I looked back and I was like, you’re saying no to like my daughter is under 10 and yes to the paparazzi. And then of course it was like Matthew McConnachie on Venice beach working out. And I thought that’s, that was the reason. And I was okay with that. But anyway, we actually decided to use that for fuel to the fire.

DI GILLETT [Host] (15:47)

A southern drool?

TORY ARCHBOLD [Guest] (16:14)

And when I came back to Australia, I was on Bumble and I decided that I was going to date six guys in five days and learn about myself die. And I learned more about myself from dating five different guys than I did in a lifetime. And so I started to understand the power of is tour style what I really want?

Do I really want to be around all of these so-called celebrities and power brokers who sometimes aren’t showing the heart and the empathy and they can disappoint us? And what if I actually dug deep and looked at what my story was and how that can help other people? Now, ironically, Matthew went on to do Greenlights and it’s a book I absolutely love.

DI GILLETT [Host] (16:48)

And they can disappoint you.

TORY ARCHBOLD [Guest] (17:05)

And I do think that that moment in time where our paths crossed, it was maybe not a great time for him. And I was actually coming out of the tunnel into the light. So I was stepping up into what he is. Ultimately, he’s done so much for so many people by sharing the power of his story. But I look at that time and I think to myself, who have I not worked with? What are the things that I want to wrap up? What am I going to do with the 22 staff that I have? How are we going to pay forward my…

DI GILLETT [Host] (17:11)

Yeah

TORY ARCHBOLD [Guest] (17:33)

knowledge and what’s the legacy piece going to look like. It wasn’t TORSTAR and I was 44 years old and I shut the doors. I had an offer on the table to sell and I said no to the money and yes to myself. Best decision of my life.

DI GILLETT [Host] (17:36)

and it wasn’t tossed.

Because selling meant you had to go with it. And cuffed.

TORY ARCHBOLD [Guest] (17:51)

Handcuffs?

And I don’t like handcuffs. I like creating and delivering impact.

DI GILLETT [Host] (17:55)

Everyone

And neither does our audience.

TORY ARCHBOLD [Guest] (18:00)

Through the heart, not the ego. And, you know, my last three clients were Drew Barrymore, Steve Madden, and Victoria’s Secret, three of the top brands out of the US. But they each taught me something about myself to give me the confidence to walk away because I was no longer afraid of judgment.

DI GILLETT [Host] (18:21)

Yeah, you got there at 44. I think I said to my husband earlier that day, and I did have a guest on the show last year who said she was a late bloomer. And I actually think I’m a late bloomer too. I’m now early 60s, but I think I really stepped into who I am visually, emotionally.

in every respect when I hit 50.

TORY ARCHBOLD [Guest] (18:54)

I mentor so many incredible women and right now I’m mentoring a beautiful lady who’s about to turn 70. And she’s worked with every major star you can think of in Hollywood. And she’s looking at me as her mentor to show her what does her legacy piece look like.

DI GILLETT [Host] (19:14)

because she’s done it for others and she’s done nothing for others. I remember that lesson, Tory. You mentioned something not dissimilar to me.

TORY ARCHBOLD [Guest] (19:16)

nothing for herself so she’s gone back to her

Yeah.

Tap into the power of your story and who would have known that it had a naked chairman. You know, your story, there were all of these twists and turns to who you are as a woman. And one of the gifts of LinkedIn for me is connecting with women like you, who now have the confidence to share their story. Because now when you look at who you’re interviewing, you look at the caliber, you look at the vibration.

DI GILLETT [Host] (19:47)

Absolutely.

TORY ARCHBOLD [Guest] (19:48)

It’s

because you actually stood in your power and owned it. Because when we first met, you didn’t own it. You didn’t.

DI GILLETT [Host] (19:56)

was giving it away. I had it, but I actually think I was giving it away. were. I don’t know whether that’s generosity or stupidity, but I’m not going to ask you to answer that. It’s It was a decision.

TORY ARCHBOLD [Guest] (20:01)

But now you’re owning it.

Yeah, it’s generosity. But I know since we have that time together and watching your journey now and the impact that you create, it’s extraordinary. And you are one of those top 1 % women that I talk about because you’re in alignment, your soul’s happy, your heart’s happy. Absolutely. And your voice means something to other people. And that’s what we call the ripple effect. That’s the legacy of who we are as women.

DI GILLETT [Host] (20:40)

But does it still surprise you, because I know it still surprises me with some of the feedback that comes back of thanking you for sharing and putting it out there. That still feels very new and unfamiliar to me. Does that dissipate or change with time or is that revelation a revelation every time?

TORY ARCHBOLD [Guest] (21:02)

It just makes me happy. It makes me so happy that you can crack open the hearts of female leaders. And that when you meet them, and then when you see them a few years later, I mean, last night after Oprah, I had so many women I hadn’t seen that I mentored through COVID, even from regional Australia, coming up and hugging me and saying, Tory, you’ve changed my life. And I always say, no, you just called me. And all you did.

was follow the frameworks and you did the work, which is why you are there. But I always say, thank you, you know, thank you for acknowledging that, but it was actually you.

DI GILLETT [Host] (21:41)

Mm. Mm. I love that. Now, you have a book, Self-Belief is Your Superpower, that you released some time ago. I believe you’re working on a new book. Can you tell us anything about it?

TORY ARCHBOLD [Guest] (21:53)

I am.

My legacy, my way. Because, Di, I feel that when we get to the halfway mark of our lives, like so many of the listeners as well, we’re looking at how can we give back? How can what we’ve been taught or we’ve learned along the highway of life apply to the next generation? Or how can we actually give others the confidence to navigate challenging situations? And so when I teach others, I also teach myself.

DI GILLETT [Host] (21:58)

I love it.

Mmm.

TORY ARCHBOLD [Guest] (22:24)

And I realized that this year that there was a big milestone in my life when my father died. And I was estranged for many, many years from him, not because I didn’t love him, but because our values didn’t align. And integrity is one of them. Integrity is really important to me. And he knows the reason why I walked away. And he asked for forgiveness in front of my daughter, which was a really big healing moment for me.

And so when he passed and I did a post on Instagram saying that, you know, this is why he was in my life for some time, but this is what I’ve learned from it, everyone started commenting and they jumped in and I had a phone call from the CEO of the time of Hello Sunshine when I was in West Hollywood hosting an event a couple of weeks later for Powerful Steps. And she said to me, Tory, that’s what we call the ripple effect.

DI GILLETT [Host] (23:04)

jumped in.

TORY ARCHBOLD [Guest] (23:20)

Honesty from women is such a rare thing and I’d met her a few years beforehand.

DI GILLETT [Host] (23:26)

extraordinary. Honesty from women. What’s the decision to hold back?

TORY ARCHBOLD [Guest] (23:32)

They’re afraid of the truth. They’re afraid of what people will think of them. It’s a judgment piece that we spoke about. And she knew the back end of my story of how I’d won full custody, how I’d created this business, how I’d attracted all of these brands. And she said to me, you know, that story is pretty extraordinary. She said, but I think you’ve got another story. Tory. And I said, ⁓ I think I do. And she said, I think it’s time to tell it.

And I was going to Saudi Arabia, my husband’s based in Riyadh, I now live there with him. And she said, I want you to go to the desert and ride it. And so I’m about to wrap it up. And yeah, my story will go into film and a whole lot of vertical. I’m very excited.

DI GILLETT [Host] (24:15)

Very exciting.

Brilliant. I look forward to being at the launch, could be in Riyadh ⁓

TORY ARCHBOLD [Guest] (24:25)

all around the world. It’s manifested.

DI GILLETT [Host] (24:28)

There we go. I will clear my diary. Now, Forbes wrote, she leads with heart and healing what corporate women crave right now. What do you think corporate women are missing? Because there’s a lot of leadership issues going on in the marketplace and there’s a lot of business women who listen to this podcast.

TORY ARCHBOLD [Guest] (24:52)

Women are afraid of standing in their truth when they’re in corporates for fear of judgment, fear of not getting that promotion, fear of what their team will think, fear of if they actually think someone discovers something about them that doesn’t align with company values. But actually it’s the opposite. It is the complete opposite because I explained this when I was doing the opening keynote for the Salesforce Female Lead Program the other day in Sydney.

And, you know, they were saying, but men judge us. I said, but you’re not putting yourself in the shoes of the men. Men also have stories. Men also have challenges and they feel that they’re going to be judged too. So if you strip it all back and you’re honest with each other, imagine the magic you can create. One of my biggest posts on Instagram, it went viral. It’s sitting at about 80,000 organic views right now. And it’s me crying.

And it’s me finding out that my dad’s ashes had been left at the crematorium. After four and a half months, my sisters had left him there. After they uninvited me to a funeral, we might…

But I give this as an example because my intuition at the time was like video this moment when the New South Wales government on compassionate grounds gave me access to 1,030 medical documents so that I could actually access the truth of what happened. And so when I found out, it wasn’t because my sisters told me how my dad passed, it wasn’t that the executives of the will told me how my dad passed even though I was next of kin.

It was through the kindness of this incredible man ⁓ from the New South Wales government and I just watched myself just film this moment. It was just like my intuition saying it and I was spot on and I’m sharing this because it’s related to corporate women in Australia. That did not change corporate women or corporate businesses booking me into the next year for keynotes around the world.

DI GILLETT [Host] (26:54)

Mmm.

how they.

Because it wasn’t seen as weakness.

TORY ARCHBOLD [Guest] (27:07)

It wasn’t a weakness, it was a strength because I was in my authentic truth and I was distressed. I was crying. But I’ve actually pinned that to the top of my Instagram because I think it’s a powerful reminder to any female leader anywhere in the world that the raw and authentic moments are the most powerful. Gone are the glossy days when you turn up with the airbrushing, which you and I have both done.

because of course that we you know we grew up in magazine media and you know all of those things

DI GILLETT [Host] (27:41)

The

real power is in vulnerabilities.

TORY ARCHBOLD [Guest] (27:44)

want it. And then on LinkedIn, you know, I might be in different parts of the world and saying I’m going on a coffee date and people would be like, but Tory, you’re wearing your workout gear. I’m like, so what? Some of the most powerful coffee dates in my life have been with women like Shelly’s Alice, who created the female quotient and who through acts of kindness and coffee dates says to me, Tory, we can create magic together.

DI GILLETT [Host] (28:10)

and you’re in your gym gear.

TORY ARCHBOLD [Guest] (28:12)

And so is she. And she’s like, Tory, help yourself to coffee in my house and I’m going to fly to Australia and I’m going to see what you’ve created with Powerful Steps. Now, she wasn’t judging me on what I wore. She wasn’t judging me that my skin might have been a little bit blotchy. So for corporate women who are struggling right now, don’t be afraid to share those moments because every strong woman in the world has those moments.

DI GILLETT [Host] (28:38)

We’ve come a long way from the 1980s power suit. Thank God for that. ⁓

TORY ARCHBOLD [Guest] (28:44)

Mine were all given away.

DI GILLETT [Host] (28:48)

Well, coming up, we’re going to shift gears into two big themes that every woman in leadership needs right now. Firstly, how to elevate your voice and how to build networks that empower. Back soon.

If you’re loving the Power of Women podcasts, be sure to jump onto our YouTube channel and hit that subscribe button to ensure you never miss an episode.

So you’re listening to the Power of Women podcast and if you’re enjoying the show, jump on and follow us on any of the podcast platforms. I’m joined today by Tory Archbold, brand builder, cultural activist and powerful advocate for women owning their voice. Tory, when a woman says, I want my voice to be heard, what’s the step to do that?

TORY ARCHBOLD [Guest] (29:43)

The first step is getting out of your own way. It’s like, get out of your own way. Well, I knew you had such an incredible story, but it was getting it in writing. So when you own your story, you own your power. It’s pretty simple. But most women don’t hit pause and they don’t give back to themselves to truly know the power of their story.

DI GILLETT [Host] (29:46)

There you go. think that’s what you said to me.

TORY ARCHBOLD [Guest] (30:08)

So the ones that actually hit pause, invest the time in getting to know themselves, right from the start, are the ones that are the high vibrational women that can walk into any room anywhere around the world and people will say yes.

DI GILLETT [Host] (30:23)

That’s a really interesting point and I know I came out of a de facto relationships a couple of years before I met my husband 20 years ago. And I had to really stop and that was the first time I truly paused because I’d gone from one average relationship to another and it was like, just a second, what’s wrong? Because I don’t think there’s anything wrong with me. There’s something wrong with what I’m doing.

And of two years of purposely staying single, I recognised that I had allowed men to choose me rather than me to do the choosing. And that was the turning point. And it was early 40s actually. So I say I didn’t step into my parents until I was 50, but I didn’t get to know myself until I was 40, which then gave me the foundations to step up.

TORY ARCHBOLD [Guest] (31:21)

Jitko Queen, I am with you.

DI GILLETT [Host] (31:24)

There you go. You

too got married later in life like I did.

TORY ARCHBOLD [Guest] (31:28)

Yeah,

46 for the first time.

DI GILLETT [Host] (31:31)

and I was 41. Yeah. Highly recommend holding off.

TORY ARCHBOLD [Guest] (31:34)

I know. And just, you know, about telling your story. I remember when I had a copywriter when I was first starting Powerful Steps and she said, Tory, you need to do your bio. And she actually put in it that Drew Barrymore ended my career. And I thought, oh my gosh, I can’t say that, but it was actually true. But in a good way. When he clicked on it, it was a good way. But she also said in there, and I got married for the first time at 46. And I said, why are you putting that in there?

And she said, you watch the women will slide into your DMS and you’ll build a business. And I thought no one commented, but we did talk about corporate women and being afraid of the truth. And my DMS were jam packed with women saying, I can’t believe that you got married for the first time at 46. How is that possible? And if you actually

DI GILLETT [Host] (32:27)

wasn’t a criticism.

TORY ARCHBOLD [Guest] (32:28)

It wasn’t. was like, how did you meet your match? So it actually opened up a whole lot of other conversations. And if you Google my name now, normally one of the top three things that come up is Tory Archibald’s husband. People are desperate to know like, who’s the husband? but my husband’s name is Craig. And he’s my soulmate.

DI GILLETT [Host] (32:39)

at 46.

Isn’t that interesting? That’s how you take control of the narrative.

I love you.

TORY ARCHBOLD [Guest] (32:56)

And hopefully we have this happily ever after scenario like you and George.

DI GILLETT [Host] (33:01)

Well, I think so because we’ve done the work before we embarked on them. So how does a woman begin to own her story in a way that’s, and importantly, because there’s so much ⁓ unauthentic information out there. mean, think social media is allowed for it. How does she do it in a safe and authentic manner?

TORY ARCHBOLD [Guest] (33:26)

She actually clears her diary and she says to herself, I’m going to open a Google Doc. I’m going to follow Tory’s five-point story framework. And it’s really simple. So you are writing your own hero’s journey. Yeah. So point one of your story when you’re writing is like, who are you? What kind of a family did you grow up in? What were the dynamics? Where were you living? What are your core memories? The second part is, well,

DI GILLETT [Host] (33:43)

Mmm.

TORY ARCHBOLD [Guest] (33:56)

When you left school, what did you want to become? So I always talk, you know, in interviews or when I’m coaching people now, and I said it in this interview as well, everyone wanted to box me. And I jumped out of the box and I went to London and I worked with the world’s best entertainment companies. But then in part three of your story is how you’re using that to step into your success story. So your success story is always, you know, what are three things that you became so brilliant at that nobody can take away from you?

But give me some facts. Give me some juice. So I always talk about the fact that, you know, Zara, I launched Zara into Australia. 22,000 people, a million dollars on, you know, the day of launch. But it wasn’t about me, it was about the collective team, right? So when I’m writing in the story, I give examples like that. Then it’s always success with a little bit of survival. So what people don’t realize about me, and when you’re thinking about writing your own story,

is well, what did you survive when you’re at the top of your game? Because everyone had a child. Yeah, your naked chairman. So mine was an ex-partner like the father of my child where I was stalked, harassed and intimidated for up to 100 touch points a day. I was one of the first women in New South Wales to get an AVO around people that actually target you online. And so when you look at all of these things, no one knew that part of my story because

DI GILLETT [Host] (34:59)

And that’s my naked chairman.

TORY ARCHBOLD [Guest] (35:25)

part four of my story, is a game-changing moment, which I like to call like the fuck you from the universe. So when you’re writing it, it’s like, well, what is it? You had burnout, I had burnout, I had a near-death experience. And so, you know, 72 hours before I was due on a flight to London to host some global media, my appendix burst. I ended up with septicemia. I lost eight kilos in five days. I had 12 rounds of antibiotics.

and I did not get better until that surgeon said to me, Tory, you don’t know how to be happy. I said, what do you mean? What is happiness? And he handed me a piece of paper and on it was a happy heart as a magnet for miracles. So when I’m writing a magnet, he handed that to me. And it’s now because I share it with everyone.

DI GILLETT [Host] (36:04)

We it.

I know it’s a phrase you use but it was given to you.

TORY ARCHBOLD [Guest] (36:12)

from the surgeon who saved my life. And it’s also helped thousands of women around the world because I share it willingly. in that Google Doc, when you’re writing a story, think about those moments. Who helped you navigate them? I also recognise in point four of my story that I was an ultimate people pleaser. And also, was surrounded by takers who did not believe in a mutual exchange of energy. So if I was going to get better, if I was going to get that happy heart, what was I going to strip out of my life?

to it into alignment, to listen to my gut instinct, to shut my business, to say no to the multi-million dollar offers to buy my tour star, and to actually go, well, I deserve love. So part five of my story was fast-tracked really quickly. I found my soulmate, thanks to Matthew McConaughey.

DI GILLETT [Host] (37:00)

And it wasn’t Matthew McConaughey.

TORY ARCHBOLD [Guest] (37:02)

What’s

it? What husband’s name’s Craig? And I shut my business and I stepped into my power. So how do people own their story? It’s taking the time to do that, but your story’s not over once you’ve written it. So I know my story really well. I’m able to articulate it in business, in social settings, on coffee dates, everywhere. And I’m so crystal clear and I’m known for certain things.

Like storytelling, yeah? Coffee dating. I’m also known for my survival story. There are so many parts to it, but I know it inside out, which makes me a brilliant leader. Because I can meet anyone and I can see what is going to touch their heart and their soul and take them to the next level, because it’s likely I might have experienced something because I’m tapping into my story that relates to them.

Now a couple of weeks ago I went back to a place called Kamalea in Thailand, Koh Samui, and it was actually a place that I’ve now been to nine times. And believe it or not, I’m coached by this amazing Buddhist monk called Sujay. And he is, I mean, he has my heart on so many levels. And during the two weeks that I was there working on my book and what I’m going to do with my story writes,

I actually went back to my five point story framework because my story’s not over.

DI GILLETT [Host] (38:27)

must agree that because this is being augmented all the time.

TORY ARCHBOLD [Guest] (38:32)

So leaders listening right now, lead through the power of your story. But don’t just put it there and go, I launched Sara. That was such a long time ago, Di. People always ask me about it. But that’s not my story anymore. My story is like who we are here. so don’t forget that you walking, talking encyclopedia, who is a female leader.

DI GILLETT [Host] (38:53)

So keep writing.

TORY ARCHBOLD [Guest] (38:58)

who can create and deliver impact around the world, but you can never do that if you don’t own the power of who you are.

DI GILLETT [Host] (39:05)

I was asked the other day how people would describe me when they first meet me and potentially it’s aloof or distant. And there is something in, and I suggest even in your own story with Tour Star, you were successful and people put you at a distance on a pedestal unattainable. But once you started to share your story, you’ve humanised

the individual and now people want to engage and reach out. And ⁓ I’m finding that in releasing these drip feeds in my story and there’s much more to come. Not all of it’s probably fit for publishing, but there’s a lot more to come. But in humanising the name and revealing something about yourself, people want to engage because you’ve humanised the brand.

TORY ARCHBOLD [Guest] (40:00)

course. I’ll give you a really good example. When I had that near-death experience back in 2013, there was only one photo of me that was actually taken by an ex-boyfriend at the time. And his dad actually saved my life before I got to the hospital. So I will always be very grateful for that. But I never wanted to share that picture. And so…

many media publications when I started sharing the power of my story would say to me, you have a photo? And I’d say, no, I don’t have one.

DI GILLETT [Host] (40:31)

Knowing full well that you did.

TORY ARCHBOLD [Guest] (40:33)

I had a double chin in the photo. I thought to myself, and I was like carrying extra weight, which actually, by the way, saved my life because losing eight kilos in days. I needed the fat, right? So I look at it all now and I can see why ⁓ that was a positive. But I just thought I can’t share a photo of me with a double chin. Then when I was going through what was happening with My Legacy My Way and the family dynamics that came after my father died, when I was actually given permission,

DI GILLETT [Host] (40:43)

something in

TORY ARCHBOLD [Guest] (41:03)

to actually share the truth of my background and my story, which will obviously come out next year, I thought to myself, Tory, honestly, get out of your own way. Who cares that you have a double chin? And so I decided to post it on LinkedIn. And it’s now had almost 60,000 impressions. There’s over 270 women and men from around the world actually sharing their own stories of burnout.

But what I did with that story, and I think this is really important when you do share parts of your story that are real and raw, you have to be authentic. So I said I didn’t want to post this because I had a double chin. Now in the comments, people are like, but I love your double chin and I’ve got a double chin and this is what happened to me. I thought this is earlier. But I also, when you share a personal story, I always include three

DI GILLETT [Host] (41:52)

My tonight party!

TORY ARCHBOLD [Guest] (42:01)

leadership lessons. So I said, what you may not know is at the time I had this top agency, these were my clients, these were the brands, these were the results that I was living and breathing and investing all my time in. I was also a single mom in the family law court system. And I was really in the battle of my life. So I was going back to that five point story and I was setting up the hero’s journey

so that it would actually land in people’s hearts so that they could actually take affirmative action. That’s what leaders do, right? But then the three takeaways I said, and what you may not know is while I was lying in this hospital bed in the ICU afterwards, is that three men did these three separate things to me. Number one, my data access, my financial records without my permission, which is illegal in Australia.

Number two, the man who saved my life asked me for $6,000 to pay off his credit card. And number three, the father of my child sent me a text saying, I thought I’d see you’re a bit sure in the city morning, Harold. So I am at my most vulnerable. The battle of my life and these three men kept going and no one knew. So when you’re giving your story to the world,

DI GILLETT [Host] (43:07)

And they can’t go.

TORY ARCHBOLD [Guest] (43:20)

Give it with intent. And my intent was to show, sure, I’ve worked with all of these incredible people around the world, but I’m human just like you.

DI GILLETT [Host] (43:29)

And shit has happened. Shit.

TORY ARCHBOLD [Guest] (43:31)

has gone down. But guess what? Through that shit has come the greatest gifts of my life. And when I look at those three men, actually said in that post, thank them.

That was like I thanked them and I still am grateful for them doing what they did because I would not be here today on your podcast if they didn’t.

DI GILLETT [Host] (43:53)

And that is a little like my story, Tory, with the alopecia journey where I lost all my hair and the cruelness of, ⁓ and I referenced it in some of my storytelling of my then line manager, when on the one day I rang in and said, I can’t do this because I looked, I felt like I looked like a freak show with a few strands of hair left. And instead of saying, take the time you need, he said, why?

Aren’t you coping? Which nearly drove me off the edge. But it was the absolute anger out of not letting somebody else define where I was at that I pulled myself back and found some purpose in the whole thing, similarly. And isn’t it interesting what nearly kills us makes us stronger literally.

TORY ARCHBOLD [Guest] (44:26)

Of course.

does. Literally. want to share what Sujay said to me a couple of weeks ago because I was coaching a few women in a group the other day and I remember Sujay saying to me with everything that I’d been through this year, I was still showing up on LinkedIn. So the first thing he said to me is, he said, we’ve all been following your journey and we’re so inspired. And I said, thank you. But why? And he said, you always show up. And I said, but Sujay, this is what’s really happening behind the scenes.

And he said, oh my gosh. And he’s known me for a very long time and helped me through some of the darkest times of my life. And he started by saying what I’d been through was a nine out of 10. And when we finished, it was a 9.75 out of 10. And I thought, oh my gosh, but what is the key learning here? And he said, Tory, you need to learn to get angry. And I said, I’m not angry. I’m disappointed. I’m disappointed that humans behave like this.

And then a couple of days later, something came through where I had to prove my value.

DI GILLETT [Host] (45:49)

you stop for a second? A Buddhist monk saying you need to get angry. Now, because they probably normally say to me you need to temper the anger.

TORY ARCHBOLD [Guest] (45:54)

I’ll explain.

Yeah, no. He said to me, ⁓ anger is confidence and confidence is going to fuel the legacy that is going to transform your story into helping millions of people, Tory, and I you to get angry. ⁓

DI GILLETT [Host] (46:13)

I just kept saying to you, I’m disappointed.

TORY ARCHBOLD [Guest] (46:15)

But

then something came through where I was asked to prove my value of something that I contributed hundreds of thousands of dollars to. made me angry because I thought, how am I supposed to explain that this is my contribution? is just not okay with me. And I went back in and I sat on his chair and I said, I’m angry. And he said,

DI GILLETT [Host] (46:26)

make you angry?

She can’t

Hallelujah

TORY ARCHBOLD [Guest] (46:44)

Yeah,

he said, good. He said that is the confidence that is going to carry you forward. ⁓ Anger is confidence.

DI GILLETT [Host] (46:53)

How do women build networks that empower them and know that they’re in a safe space and who they’re surrounded by?

TORY ARCHBOLD [Guest] (47:01)

So number one, you’ve got to go back to your story, which is what we’ve just talked about. Because why would people connect with you if they don’t know who you are? How are they going to know that your values are aligned? How are they going to know that what you’ve experienced in business or life is a match for where they’re at? Because networking is about a mutual exchange of energy. It’s not about, ⁓ I want you to do this for me, but I’m not going to give you anything in return.

DI GILLETT [Host] (47:25)

And we’ve all experienced those people, we still do.

TORY ARCHBOLD [Guest] (47:28)

Correct, it’s not life, it’s not life. networking for me started with that $2 coffee date philosophy. And I’ve been doing this for 25 years now.

DI GILLETT [Host] (47:38)

euro in Paris, but that’s okay.

TORY ARCHBOLD [Guest] (47:40)

It’s okay, that’s wild, right? Wait until you come to Riyadh and visit us, the Evian is $40. $40 in a nice restaurant for Evian Water, because it’s like their wine. So here you go. But going back to networking, at a young age, I recognized the value of helping others without asking for anything in exchange. And so all my life, I’ve had three coffee dates a week.

DI GILLETT [Host] (47:48)

⁓ my god.

TORY ARCHBOLD [Guest] (48:10)

One with someone I know, one with someone I want to partner with, and one with someone completely outside my comfort zone, which is how I’ve landed the biggest opportunities of my life. Because what I’m doing is I’m placing my energy, my story, and what I can give to others, asking nothing in return into the energy and the aura of others. It’s magnetic. It is magnetic. And so it’s very rare that I get ghosted.

DI GILLETT [Host] (48:29)

But it’s a very clever BD strike.

Mm-hmm.

TORY ARCHBOLD [Guest] (48:41)

The last person that ghosted me was my sister. It wasn’t a business person. She ghosted me when I’m like, how did our father die? Refused to tell me. Still to this day, refused to tell me. So I’m okay being ghosted by people like that. It doesn’t bother me. ⁓ But I also think that when you understand the power of your story, you can connect with anyone in the world. You can walk into any room anywhere in the world and people will say yes. And I will tell you this one thing about networking. LinkedIn is your best friend.

I agree with over a billion impressions per month. The most extraordinary opportunities landed my DMs every single week. Every single week. I am so thankful. So Yeah, we did. Because I saw what you were doing. Yeah. Yeah. And I was like, I want to know this woman. And you were like, me too. And so I wanted to know you because I could see what you were doing with the podcast. Yeah. And I could see the kinds of questions, the type of women you’re attracting. And I was like, this is someone I’d like in my orbit.

DI GILLETT [Host] (49:39)

Hmm.

TORY ARCHBOLD [Guest] (49:39)

But it’s very rare for me to reach out like that. takes a special woman and you are one of those. thank you. It does. Thank you. But put that in other people’s shoes as well. Yeah. Think about when people that are working in a high vibration want to have something to do with you. about.

DI GILLETT [Host] (49:57)

How do I be accessible?

TORY ARCHBOLD [Guest] (49:59)

How do I be of service? How can I help them?

DI GILLETT [Host] (50:04)

Now that ⁓ is a really interesting thing because coming up ⁓ on Two Weeks Time is an episode with Maddie Dijkveld. Now Maddie is one of the top ten futurists in the world and specialises in ageing along with her husband and ageless ageing. She’s mid-70s, looks younger than me and it’s not through

TORY ARCHBOLD [Guest] (50:19)

incredible

DI GILLETT [Host] (50:33)

potions or surgery, it’s through a life ⁓ well lived and lived with purpose. But when I reached Aunt Maddie, who I also engaged with through LinkedIn, she said, absolutely, I’m there. And when we did and we prerecorded because we don’t do this show live as much as we like to, but we don’t. But I said to her, are you comfortable

with the line of questions that we’re going to cover off today. And she said, I’m here to service what you need. Of course. And I nearly fell off my chair.

TORY ARCHBOLD [Guest] (51:11)

Yeah. But why would you say yes to a podcast if you’re not going to share what you know? Yeah. But that is the only reason.

DI GILLETT [Host] (51:17)

It was so like, and I’m in awe of this woman and it’s like.

TORY ARCHBOLD [Guest] (51:23)

She’s a high vibrational woman. And you know, high vibrational women know that the more you share, the more you receive. And so there’s this thing, and we did touch on it earlier about the sisterhood and people not wanting to share because they’re afraid that someone’s going to take a slice of their pie. That’s actually not true. The more you give without any expectation in return, the more you receive back. And the more you can then reinvest in other people.

DI GILLETT [Host] (51:32)

Absolutely.

Mmm.

TORY ARCHBOLD [Guest] (51:52)

and create a ripple effect. So anyone wanting to go on your podcast and they’re listening to this and they’re thinking, I want to be a leader, having conversation with Dai, my question to them is, what are you giving? And do you understand Dai’s audience? Is it an energetic match? Because you don’t go on a podcast unless you know that that audience is going to receive something from you. Because energy is time and time is money. ⁓

DI GILLETT [Host] (52:18)

Absolutely.

Absolutely. And that has been a learning curve, Tory, without question, because unfortunately not everybody thinks that way, but we are getting better at identifying that. So tell me, you’re living really in a global sense. You’re based in Riyadh, but you’re between the US, Riyadh and Australia. Spending time in…

in those different regions. What is different and what is similar in the women that you are meeting across those three regions?

TORY ARCHBOLD [Guest] (52:52)

Women want to have a voice no matter where they are in the world. I mean that’s the biggest driver and it also gives me the greatest happiness to know that because I can contribute to them having a voice. That’s really important to me. ⁓ Look, we’re talking about coffee dates. In Riyadh in Saudi Arabia a lot of people have cake dates. Cake dates. ⁓

DI GILLETT [Host] (52:55)

Hmm.

I saw you write about them.

sugar-free

world that’s not going to work.

TORY ARCHBOLD [Guest] (53:22)

They do have some sugar-free cakes over there well. ⁓ for them, it is around the art of conversation. They’ll have coffee dates up until 3 a.m. in the morning because it’s a big coffee culture. So I love being in Riyadh because there are some, what I would call, some exceptional leaders over there that understand that it’s the art of conversation. How can we help each other? And most importantly, they’re saying to me, Tory, how can we have a voice around the world and how can you help us get it? So happy to be a part of that equation.

⁓ In LA, look, people don’t dress up. Like I said, I met Shelly when we were both in workout outfits.

DI GILLETT [Host] (53:58)

Well, I don’t think they do here now. COVID was the tipping point.

TORY ARCHBOLD [Guest] (54:02)

Yeah, and I find in LA as well people don’t drink, which is fantastic. love so coffee dating or tea dating, you know, that’s definitely the way to go to connect. They’re definitely time poor because it takes so long to get between places. So you really want to be somewhere or be at a point where you meet someone and they just invite you into their home. You always know when someone invites you into their home in LA that…

Genuine. is going to happen and that’s happened to me a lot of times. Yeah. This past year and I’ve been greatly appreciated of that. Yeah. ⁓ Then Australia. Look, we are massive drinking culture and being in different… clearly because in Saudi we drink no alcohol. Yeah. And your mindset is so clear and you can go…

DI GILLETT [Host] (54:44)

You can see that by contrast.

TORY ARCHBOLD [Guest] (54:55)

and really use that mindset for the greater good. Whereas I find it this time of year and even going into the new year when this podcast comes out. pace yourself. If you don’t pace yourself and hit pause and give back to yourself, you will burn out. I’ll tell you one thing, when I’ve arrived back in Chichester, everyone’s like, can we have a drink with you? And I’m like, I’m not drinking. And then I’ll only coffee date before 11 o’clock because I don’t like being wired after then. So I’m quite happy to have a tea date.

DI GILLETT [Host] (55:08)

without question.

TORY ARCHBOLD [Guest] (55:24)

Or I’ll say, come for a walk and talk. I need to get my body moving. So the way people network in different parts of the world can go anything from a cake to a home networking experience with, and normally their assistant will take notes while you’re in the meeting with them in their home. And then everything just gets fast tracked or they’ll be on WhatsApp connecting you to all the moves and shakers and this is what needs to happen. And then you will do that for them.

⁓ But I think in Australia we all need to pause.

DI GILLETT [Host] (55:55)

And I think we also, I mean, I know I had five, I got back from Sydney last week and I’d had five events. Now five nights out knocks most people off their perch. But the difference was I only drank at one of those events and not a lot. just had one or two glasses. And you wake up completely refreshed. in Australia, unfortunately, it takes confidence to say, thank you, but I don’t drink. Could I just have a sparkling water or?

whatever it may be and people still look at you and there’s a judgement in that, I don’t care. But we need to get on board with this idea and as I learnt from talking with Maddy Dijkveld and ⁓ I suggest you listen to that episode coming up in a couple of weeks time, unfortunately we now know there is no good amount of alcohol.

TORY ARCHBOLD [Guest] (56:50)

No, that’s not. all bad. It’s terrible. So I was lucky enough many years ago to work with a man called Ben Branson and he created Seedlip, which was the first non-alcoholic drink in the world. I, when I always had these international guests,

instead of having a driver drive them around, I would always drive them around because I always knew that the conversations would be so dynamic. I remember we were driving to one of the media interviews together and we going through the city and I said, did all of this start? And I mean, he had some wild times, know, some incredible stories with Kate Moss and, know, that whole hard partying time.

you know, in London during those wild years and I understood it and he just said to me, my life had to stop. I had to hit pause. But he said, but he said to me, I created this drink so people would think that I was drinking a gin and tonic. People would think that I was drinking a dirty martini. And he was very clever with his marketing because he went to all of the Michelin star restaurants around the world.

DI GILLETT [Host] (57:40)

who killed himself.

TORY ARCHBOLD [Guest] (57:58)

And he said to them, I want to create a difference in the world. Can we create bespoke cocktails with my product and serve them to your clients and see if they can notice a difference? And a lot of them didn’t. And that’s how it started. And I think the business ended up selling for close to a billion to GRGO. But the words of wisdom from him, and I really want everyone to take that forward is,

that if you’re afraid of judgement, just order it. I mean, there’s so many non-alcoholic drinks out there. No one knows it differently.

DI GILLETT [Host] (58:31)

I know, I know and I discovered that in the events of last week. Tory, such a generous conversation. I’ve got a couple of rapid fire questions to wrap up. We could. A moment that changed everything for you.

TORY ARCHBOLD [Guest] (58:45)

We need you.

Mind Age Eth Experience.

DI GILLETT [Host] (58:52)

The most underrated skill for women in leadership. A belief you had to let go of to rise. A daily ritual you never skip.

TORY ARCHBOLD [Guest] (58:56)

self-belief.

People-pleasing?

my morning shower ritual and my evening shower ritual which ends with gratitude.

DI GILLETT [Host] (59:09)

one message you want every woman to hear today.

TORY ARCHBOLD [Guest] (59:13)

You are enough. That’s very powerful word.

DI GILLETT [Host] (59:18)

There we have it. There

we have it. So when’s the book out, the new book and all of this exciting stuff that’s going on?

TORY ARCHBOLD [Guest] (59:26)

So we can’t actually put a date on that right now. Okay, it’s coming. we are in negotiation phase and I always say that it’s about the right partners. Yep. And we are speaking to several people, but it needs to be an energy match. Yes. And I don’t want anyone to butcher my story, my truth, my authenticity for clickbait or dollars. It’s not about that. The reason why I’m sharing it is to create a legacy.

and an impact and an opportunity for others to view challenges as opportunities.

DI GILLETT [Host] (59:58)

Brilliant.

So if somebody wants to engage your services like I did, how do they find you, Tory?

TORY ARCHBOLD [Guest] (1:00:06)

powerful-steps.com or DM me on LinkedIn. Tory Archibald. Like I’m on LinkedIn. I answer. I am not a bot. I turn up for half an hour religiously every single day on LinkedIn. There we go. And I like comment and engage with people. Yeah. Yeah. But don’t spam me and sell me something because that’s just not for me.

DI GILLETT [Host] (1:00:27)

I’ve had enough of SEO spamming. ⁓

TORY ARCHBOLD [Guest] (1:00:30)

don’t get it anymore because I think I’m so brutal with archive delete box. It doesn’t come. I’ve got the aura.

DI GILLETT [Host] (1:00:36)

that it just doesn’t come in.

Brilliant. Well, Tory’s joined us from Riyadh and I’m sure she’ll be heading back there in not too distant future. But what a fantastic way to start 2026 with such an insightful, impactful and powerful conversation. Thank you, Tory. Lovely to have you in the studio. It’s been an absolute pleasure.

TORY ARCHBOLD [Guest] (1:01:03)

Thank you. I just for you and your listeners, the impact that you are creating with what you have actually put forward to the universe to uplift other women and to teach them new skills and to teach them to get out of their own way is extraordinary. And I just want to take a moment to say thank you for doing that because I would not have hopped on a 6am flight to be here if I didn’t believe in the power of what you have created. And I say that

authentically and genuinely and be proud and go forward and conquer because this is just the start of something special. you.

DI GILLETT [Host] (1:01:41)

Thank you so much.

We’ll see you again next week.

Chapters:

00:00 The Power of Storytelling in Leadership

04:05 Defining Moments and Self-Belief

10:10 Navigating Rejection and Building a Brand

17:48 Walking Away at the Peak: Intuition and Legacy

24:52 Authenticity in Corporate Leadership

29:03 Elevating Your Voice and Empowering Networks

31:34 Owning Your Narrative

39:05 The Power of Storytelling

47:01 Building Empowering Networks

55:51 Cultural Differences in Networking

58:50 Final Thoughts and Reflections

Connect with Di: