How to care for yourself – tips from Tara Moss at Women Leading Change

Women Leading Change is a one-day event run in Brisbane, Melbourne and Sydney by Wake Up Project. With a line-up of international speakers, it is about “catalysing a new way of envisioning women’s leadership” and “harnessing the growing movement of women who want to lead from their authentic voice, cultivate an inner vitality and live their truth”.

Leaders in Heels attended the events in Melbourne and Brisbane as a guest of Women Leading Change, and will also be at the upcoming event in Sydney on Saturday May 16. We will be doing more in-depth coverage of it after the Sydney event, but we enjoyed it so much and were so inspired we wanted to share a little snippet with you.

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One of the speakers at Women Leading Change was Tara Moss. Many people still associate her with her modelling career, but these days she is a bestselling novelist, UNICEF’s National Ambassador for Child Survival, an advocate for the rights of women and children, a PhD candidate at Sydney University, and a mother.

Tara shared the story of her past, and spoke passionately about the need for women to make their voices heard. She highlighted how we are so often drowned out by men–even on topics that specifically affect females, such as abortion, birth control, and planned parenthood. She talked about how we need to ensure we don’t burn out, and the importance of caring for yourself. Below are the three components she identified.

1. Prioritise your health

Eat well. Exercise. Get enough sleep. It’s amazing how many mental issues and illnesses in general stem from a lack of sleep, though it’s one of the first things we skimp on when things get busy.

2. Value your time

If you don’t value your time, others won’t either. Make time for yourself, even if it feels selfish. Life can get very rough, so you should do what you need to in order to get through it and do what you’re truly passionate about.

3. Learn self-care

Learn to look after yourself and take time out. Do something that makes you smile and brings you joy. Tara shared how her method of self-care is to go travelling in a vintage caravan. Yours may be a good meal, or a walk on the beach, or in the case of one colleague, doggy fashion shows!

When you’re under a lot of pressure, self-care is normally the first thing that gets forgotten, but that’s when you need it the most. Like the instructions for using the emergency oxygen masks on an airplane, you must assist yourself before assisting others. You cannot care for the people around you properly if you don’t care for yourself first!

A quick note from LH Agenda…
Discover our Make Your Mark planners and journals to help you create daily life habits to grow as a leader.

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If you want to hear Tara’s speech in its entirety, as well as be inspired by many other amazing speakers, you can check out Women Leading Change and buy your tickets for the May 16 event in Sydney at their website.