THRIVING WOMEN
TESTIMONIALS

Let me tell you, Emma McQueen is the real deal. I had followed Emma for a long time before reaching out at a time when I could not see the wood for the trees in my business. I still can’t exactly ‘label’ what Emma has done for myself and my business, but she helps lift the fog and helps me to move forward in ways that I had never even considered in the past. I can honestly say that bringing Team McQueen on board in my business was the one of the best decision I have made.

Julie Doyle, Cocoon Business Solutions

Can I just say, Thriving Women 2020 has blown my mind. It has been so much more than I had hoped for, even with the challenges of Covid and not being able to be together in real life. The connections and support have been amazing. The support I have received from the Thriving Women group has been the missing piece I had been searching for as a business owner. A group of women that truly have your back and inspire me so much to have the motivation, passion and drive to create anything you want to achieve. Emma McQueen is the most thoughtful, caring, goal kicking woman I have had the privilege to work with and I can’t thank her enough for helping us all thrive through 2020. In February we had a beautiful retreat in Marysville, allowing us all to step out of our businesses and work on them. This for me was beyond words life changing, I had the help and expertise of other thriving women help me crunch numbers and make a tough call that saved my butt a few weeks later. I remember crying happy tears with how much help I was offered and now my business is thriving during Covid thanks to these ladies. I never want to leave the Thriving Women Team.

Karen Andrea, Viva Life Pilates

2020 has been a particularly challenging year for me at work in the corporate world; trying to build relationships and sell our service offering without being face to face has been tough. I have struggled with set backs, stress and workload. The Thriving Women ladies have been my cheerleader when I needed it, my support when I was overworked and stressed, and my sounding board for new ideas. I have personally starting writing a book that I had put off for over 7 years and I have new and exciting ideas for a side hustle in the future. Throughout the year, Emma and her Thriving Women have given me connection and support, as well as the odd ‘gentle push’ to get me out of my comfort zone and let the magic happen. This group of ladies come from such different backgrounds and careers and yet we support each other, laugh with each other, push each other and genuinely hold each other up.

Jaqui Clark, Allianz Australia

Joining Thriving Women has been an incredible experience this year. I have loved everything about it, but the biggest stand out factor has been the support offered by Emma. She is just so invested in each of us, and it shows. And of course the surprise and delight she throws at us spontaneously through the year is an amazing bonus. It’s just a wonderful, loving, kind, fun community of inspiring women. You never feel alone, and there is no doubt that’s because of the example set by Emma and the quality of women she attracts. The network aside, Emma also has a wonderful coaching style that is motivating and challenging. She’s kind and supportive but she’s also extremely results driven, and it’s a mix that I haven’t come across before in a coach. I think it’s pretty rare and definitely special. Working with Emma has helped me to aim higher and look at my business from different perspectives. Her ideas and insight have helped me understand where I need to focus my energy, as well as guide me to make choices about where I want to head in the future.

Fi Mims, Fi Mims Photography

Thriving Women has provided me with a safe space to build confidence and clarity with other women interested in talking serious business. It’s hard to find others that will spend hours indulging in ‘work-talk’ and it’s even harder to find groups where ‘ambition’ is an applauded trait. Thriving Women is all that and more. During the year, I’ve really clarified my personal brand. I’m clearer on the who I want to be, but also the why I want to be her. Physically I receive support in accountability groups, emails, facebook groups social networking as well as the one on one coaching from Emma. But spiritually, there is always a cheer squad behind me and an imaginary butt-kicker on my shoulder saying, “Come on, you know you can do this”, whenever I start to lose confidence. It’s been tough year with the COVID-19 pandemic, and this group has held each other together in many ways, remaining positive, supportive and kind.

Tracy Bell, Uni Super

There is something special about a group of highly intelligent, highly motivated, and deeply caring women who support other women. I joined thriving women in year one looking for a coach to push me further and a tribe to accelerate the momentum, share in the joys, and stand side by side through the fails. The results were much more than I thought possible so I joined for year two. It has not disappointed, even through COVID. The challenges of home-schooling whilst still staying the course (or pivoting) the professional goals was only made possible by the power of the group and the challenge to extend on what I thought possible

Melitta Hardenberg, Seek.com

Being part of Thriving Women 2020 has been incredible. With all of the challenges small businesses have faced during this difficult year, having the support of not just Emma but the collective group has been invaluable. My business has gone from strength to strength and has thrived in a time when it could have easily collapsed. I can’t recommend this service highly enough. Thanks Em xx.

Kelli Brown, Petal Provedore

Results give us confidence and as a senior executive managing the business and leading a diverse team of personalities, I attribute my confidence growth as a leader to the two years I’ve spent with Thriving Women, including one-to-one coaching with Emma and being kept accountable by a small dedicated network.

Thriving Women provides connection to diverse-minded business professionals to safely challenge perspective and expand possibility. Efficiencies gained through skill development in workshops grounds thinking to lean into one’s strengths with intent and reset amidst the bulging to-do list. This is a key benefit of Thriving Women and is at the heart of Emma’s mantra to ‘get shiz done’. Speaking of heart, this group leads with empathy and kindness to build resilience and demolish roadblocks.

In coaching with Emma you become the beneficiary of her knowledge and research in human and organisational behaviours, experience in corporate and start up business contexts, and access to her expansive network of thinkers. This is amplified by the individuals within Thriving Women and the collective insights lifts performance all ‘round. When we help each other out, we all do well and mostly exceed what we thought was initially possible.

Having the right people around you is critical and both a safety net and launching pad at the same time. Thriving Women create a space to be vulnerable and creative, to listen and be heard as well as the opportunity to ugly-cry and snort-laugh. In short, the confidence to step out and soar.

Olivia Giglia, Melba Opera Trust

Emma was my business coach prior to me joining this year’s TW, and so I already knew the benefits of working with her and was very keen (aka somewhat desperate) to continue the relationship.

I also had a sense of what it meant to be one of Emma’s Thriving Women, because I had planned to be an inaugural 2019 member and so I was privy to the FB group discussions for some of 2019.

This meant I had a sense of the fantastic women in the group, and some of the ‘magic’ that happened within it.

I had also been lucky enough to have met a few of the 2019 cohort during the year and heard what they had to say were the benefits of being in the group.

That does not mean I wasn’t nervous though when I walked in on my own to the first TW dinner in February (you remember, when we used to be able to go out for meals. Gasp, shock, horror).

The first night passed in a bit of a blur and I was a little overwhelmed. Truthfully, up until the retreat later in February, I started to wonder if I was ‘good’ enough to be part of this impressive group.

During the retreat I started to get to know people, and started to feel the magic of the tribe. I stopped worrying about if I was good enough and started thinking instead how I could serve the group.

Every week since the retreat I am pretty sure that in our ‘grateful Friday’ FB discussions, I always mention how bloomin grateful I am to be part of the ‘my tribe’ as I like to call them.

For there really is a special kind of magic in being a Thriving Women. Absolutely it is largely due to Emma, for having created the group in the first place and all the tremendously hard and continual work she puts into the group. Making sure we are all ok, checking in on us, frequent ‘surprise and delights’. As well as challenging us and holding us to account. She is the voice in my head that continually pushes me through expressions like ‘progress over perfection’ and how important it is to ‘keep turning up’.

As a Thriving Woman, it is kind of like experiencing Emma on steroids (although she doesn’t need any of the ‘roids, cause she is already a powerhouse on her own!) What I mean by that is, now it isn’t just Emma acting as my cheerleader, pushing and encouraging me in equal measures.

Now I have a bunch of them to do that! The group is a safe space to be the authentic me – if it’s a crappy day, I know I can whine about it to the FB group and I won’t be judged. There will probably be some pouty mouthed or slightly risque humour thrown my way instead – thank god. Or at the very least, I will be shown love and care.

When I want to test out new ideas for my business, the TW are happy to put their hands up to be guinea pigs. Above all else, I know they want me to succeed. And I absolutely feel the same way about them.

I’ve made friends through the group as well, and I am pretty confident the friendships will outlive membership of the group. Every day I hear myself saying to my family “one of my Thriving Woman X….”.

Thank god for this group and our Zoom accountability calls; Friday drinks; remote co-working and workshops during covid (not to mention the spin off groups I am part of such as Holly Cardomone’s Band of Batches). I seriously doubt how I would have made it through ISO lockdowns 1 and 2 without these connections.

A group of women supporting each other is a powerful thing. A group of awesome women who care about each other, as well as cheer each other on in all ways, is friggin awesome.

That my friends is Emma McQueen’s gift of the creation of Thriving Women. As best as I can describe it.

Alison Drew-Foster, Workology Co