If you had a collective of Super Women by your side, what help would you ask for? This was the question that Are Media’s Jane Huxley asked more than 800 incredible attendees at B&T’s Women in Media awards in August this year.
Last week on B&T’s Superwomen Series we spoke to 2025 Women in Media Social Media award winner Shivani Maharaj and Power List champion Dee Madigan about standing tall, demanding equality and succeeding in male-dominated spaces. To view last week’s instalment click here.
The women of the Australian media, marketing and advertising spoke out loudly, sharing their biggest fears and doubts. So, now, in partnership with Are Media, B&T has called upon our legion of superwomen – that’s our winners and the Women in Media Power List inductees – to guide this generation of women through some of the industry’s most consistent problems.
This week, we tackle coaching questions with Power List inductees Margie Reid and Lou Barrett.
How do I shift my focus from failures and shortcomings to celebrating my progress and success?
Margie Reid: Failures and shortcomings are always going to happen, focusing on the things I can control maintains the focus and process. At the same time I think we grow from moments of failures or tough times, especially when you reflect on it and take on learnings for the future.
I know I’m not perfect and my shortcomings are things I lean into rather than shy away from. When you know them and are honest about it is easier to tackle obstacles.
The greatest reward for celebrating progress is when you stride over what used to be an obstacle and know you know you have conquered a fear or challenge that has bothered you in the past.
Lou Barrett: In Ad sales it’s easy to dwell on what you didn’t win, a campaign that missed the mark for a client or a deal that you weren’t able to convert. I used to take that really personally but now I see them as just part of a process, every time you lose, you learn from that experience, you gain something valuable when you have setbacks, so I try to keep a mental list of wins – moments that remind me about the progress I’ve made over my 40 year career. I now believe that it’s not about ego, it’s about perspective.
How do I know if I’m on the right path when I feel lost in my career, even while being inspired by the women around me?
MR: Many years ago, I learnt after a really tough time in my life that I had to live in the present. So from a work perspective, I focus on what is in front of me right now and what I need to do to be the best I can in this moment. If I do that, what can that lead to – both personal and professional happiness.
It’s really important to remember that everyone’s journey is different, and just because you look up to or are envious of what someone else has achieved, remember you are different and your journey will be unique to you.
A saying I have is “control the controlables”.
LB: There have been times when I’ve felt unsure, even though I am surrounded by incredible women who inspire me every day. This industry moves incredibly fast, and it’s getting faster, and sometimes you can feel a bit lost. What I always ask myself is – does my work energise and inspire me? If the answer to that question is yes, then I know I am in the right place. I think that feeling a bit lost can often mean that you are growing.
How do I recognise my own growth when I’m always moving the goalposts?
MR: Personally, I never set out to be a certain role or follow a linear path, and I think letting it be organic to some degree helped me not feel like I was lost on the path.
Things will change and obstacles will appear, but my focus for that period mainly stays constant as long as I feel I am learning, delivering and perhaps exceeding expectations, then I feel my path will take shape.
LB: I think ambition is in my DNA, I’ve always set the bar high, and I think that the challenge is stopping long enough to recognise how far I’ve come. I don’t believe growth always shows up in a new title, I believe it’s in how you lead, how you handle pressure and how you lift others up around you, who look to you for leadership. The goalposts are always going to keep moving, that’s how we’re wired, but so will I, so I think that’s worth celebrating.
