It was an honour to return to the LEAP Conference this year as a coach. I love the atmosphere and all the learning that you are immersed in. The opportunity to listen to so many speakers from many parts of the world is an absolute highlight for me.
The line up included Nate Buzolic from ‘Pretty Little Liars’ and ‘Vampire Diaries’, Holly Ransom, Joel Brown, Preston Smile and Alexi Panos, advocates for change, as well as Keith Ferrazzi, author of ‘Never Eat Alone’.
There were 3 speakers though whose words still had me pondering all the way home to Perth.
Education is Irreplaceable
NBA player Chris Paul was invited to speak on his decision to go back to school at age 31. You may be asking yourself, “Why would a successful NBA player even need to go back to school?”
As Chris explained; education is irreplaceable. While money can pay for attendance at better schools, money can never replace education, period.
Money can help meet one’s basic needs, but money does not make us better, more responsible citizens, nor does it truly expand our perspectives and sensitivity to others.
Chris delivered a phenomenal presentation on his decision to return to education, that really resonated with me.
I am so grateful for my own education and for the opportunity to be able to follow my dreams. I believe education is the stepping stones to success and this was really brought home to me while I listened to Chris speak.
Education prepares you to take on the systems in place within society, and without an education it can be difficult to succeed, and has proven to be very problematic for those less educated.
Education gifts us an understanding of language, our rights as citizens/human beings, the story of our history, culture, etiquette, and basic life and financial skills.
How we treat each other matters
One of America’s best keynote speakers, Jonathan Sprinkles, spoke on the effects of categorising people in light of the Black Lives/All 
Lives/Blue Lives Matter Movements.
At a time where racial tension is at its highest in the United States since the 1960s Civil Rights Movement, how we treat and regard one another is at the forefront of our everyday lives.
Whether on the job or at home, we categorise people subconsciously without realisation, stripping them of their individuality. As women, we are all too often scrutinised and categorised, especially in the workplace.
When others pigeonhole us, our worth is diminished and we are cut off from the opportunities that would allow us to blossom and flourish. I believe that women have an obligation to try and overcome this, so our daughters and granddaughters can have better opportunities.
Your life experiences ultimately shape your desires and your direction in life. Whether you’re content or not with your own is purely subjective and a matter of perspective; however, there are things we can always be doing to transform our perspectives and degrees of happiness.
Limiting Social and Cultural Structures
Reshma Thakkar, whom Oprah Winfrey called “the voice of the next generation”, also spoke at LEAP. Reshma is an Indian-American who has travelled the world and shone a light on the problematic realities of cyclical poverty and certain social class and culture structures – particularly the caste system in India.
Her insights had me thinking about the social and cultural structures that make up Australian society.
I’ve been made more aware of how these structures limit women from meeting their full potential in the financial world, and I’m wondering more and more how Aussie women are limited because of the systems in place within our society.
Most of all the LEAP conference reminded me how important it is to share our knowledge and build ourselves as a collective.
Every day I learn more and more from my clients as I teach them the ways of finances, and I feel that I am building a trustworthy network of women who will continue to build each other up, and never down.
If you would like to connect about how we can work together and create a strong community of women here in Perth contact me here.
