CASE STUDY: NAWOx brings stories to stage that you don’t usually hear

“Without the coaching and opportunity for NAWOx, I would never have considered that telling my personal story could have such an impact.”
Divya Pasupaleti, Executive Manager, NBN

In historically male-oriented sectors, it can take additional support and a dedicated platform for the stories of women and non-binary people to be heard.

NAWO CEO Louise Weine together with Sandra McNeil from Amazon, dreamed up the idea of the NAWOxTalks. At this event, one of NAWO’s members would share their story on a stage in front of their peers, using the famous TEDx format as inspiration. The selected speaker would receive my Strategic Speaker Coaching package to help them prepare.  

The very first NAWOx speaker: Divya Pasupaleti

I worked with NAWO to design the application questions, and past or current participants in NAWO’s signature mentoring program could apply. The winning applicant was selected based on their lived experience and commitment to sharing their story to make a difference for others.

Divya Pasapuleti, an Executive Manager at NBN, was the very first NAWOxTalks winner. At the time, Divya was often asked to speak about her technical knowledge in digital transformation and project management. NAWOx was the first time she had told her own story.

“Without the coaching and opportunity for NAWOx, I would never have considered that telling my personal story could have such an impact.”

Divya Pasupaleti

Like many of NAWO’s members, Divya’s work in operations is complex. Her story crossed the professional, technical, personal and cultural. She had ambitious aims for the way organisations viewed intersectional diversity.

Key speaker coaching moments

Coaching in the two months prior to the event covered the entire Strategic Speaker process of devising and delivering an engaging, meaningful 12 minute talk. Some of what was included:

• Landscape Scan: How to strategically research a talk and consider it from multiple perspectives and timeframes
• Your Deep Why: Go further into the reason you are speaking so that everything you say leads you there
• Critical Mapping: A time-saving process to structure your talk and efficiently choose your best content
• Somatic Integration: Tune into subtle signs in the body so that every word lands with listeners
• Stage Presence: Find a natural, alive audience connection and delivery that sounds like you

NAWOx Talks grows

We repeated NAWOxTalks in 2024 and 2025. Shelley Haslett and Lena O’Hagan shared their stories at Amazon Studios in Sydney and Melbourne. The nights also celebrated NAWO’s mentoring program, with awards for Mentor of the Year, and networking.

The impact when women strategically share personal and professional stories

NAWOx Speaker Coaching is an opportunity for women to be supported to talk about something that matters to them. Coaching helps technically trained women to strategically consider their audience and context, craft a talk that showcases who they are and takes their audience on a journey. This means that the important work that women do and the ideas they have, in the professional world, can ripple out into workplace change. 
 

Rachael West has been a Strategic Speaker Coach for over 15 years. She draws on a rich background in innovation and strategy, plus training in physical theatre, somatics and other movement practices to help speakers of all levels deliver great talks that make their research, ideas and social missions ripple. Contact Rachael to discuss how her speaker coaching can transform your next event.