Rachel Bonner, the founder of InspireHER, was born and raised in Houston, Texas, the seventh of nine children. She spent part of her childhood in Brazil and later returned to serve an 18-month mission there before graduating from Brigham Young University with a degree in Elementary Education.

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Rachel and her husband, Conlon, are the authors of A Cultivate Series — Ruby Disappears, My Real Name, and Too Loud for Amber — a children’s book series that explores empathy, respect, and the power of choice. She has presented at conventions and on cruise ships and appeared on podcasts, including All In, Thriving with 8, and Good Things Spotlight.

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A mother of six children, five on earth and one angel son, Rachel currently manages her husband’s and sons’ careers as professional performers while homeschooling her children as they tour Australia with MJ the Musical.

Beverley Pinder OAM is a former Melbourne City Councillor, philanthropist, businesswoman, and Miss Universe Australia 1978, with a career spanning more than four decades across media, business, and public life. 

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With over 40 years’ experience in public relations, Beverley has advised industry leaders and launched major brands and events, including the announcement of the first Richard Branson Virgin Megastore in Melbourne. 

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A passionate community advocate, her life’s work has centred on bringing people together to raise funds for charities large and small, shaped by a deep concern for those less fortunate and a long association with the work of Father Bob Maguire. 

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Today, Beverley continues her commitment through pro bono work, community engagement, and her weekly radio program, Pinder’s Ponderings on 88.3 Southern FM.

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In January 2023, Beverley was awarded a Medal of the Order of Australia for more than 50 years of service to charitable organisations. 

Mariam Issa is a visionary change-maker, a skilled life coach, an author, a community builder, and an inspiring educator who sees diversity as an essential element of a unified world.

 

Her commitment is to offer transformative tools that help people connect more skillfully and meaningfully with each other. With her deep understanding of adversity, Mariam illuminates a path forward, weaving her African heritage and her Islamic faith into contemporary expressions of compassion and connection. She extends an open invitation to everyone to join her at the table of healing and growth.

 

She firmly believes in the power of honoring personal stories. Throughout her own life, she has triumphed over numerous obstacles and challenges associated with culture, race, migration, gender, and more.

 

Her passion and purpose revolve around creating a space for women to connect, integrate their stories, and transform them into desirable outcomes. Mariam strives to provide unwavering support to women as they break through barriers and design lives of their own choosing, lives filled with joy and purpose.

Penny McNamee is an award-winning actor, singer, screenwriter, and author with a career spanning theatre, television, film, and publishing. 

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She is currently starring as Rachel in the hit production MJ the Musical at Her Majesty’s Theatre.

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Penny has performed in leading roles across stage and screen, winning a Green Room Award for her performance in the Australian premiere of Wicked and earning a Logie nomination for her role as Tori in Home and Away.

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An accomplished writer, Penny is the author of the Stage Stars: Musical Theatre Clubseries, published by Scholastic, and writes for Channel 7’s Home and Away. 

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She brings her faith and perspective as a Catholic to the InspireHER interfaith panel.

Garima Mangal is a marketing professional based in Melbourne who moved from India nine years ago as an international student. 

 

Raised in a religious household, she has always been spiritually curious and, in recent years, has more deeply embraced Sanatan Dharma through prayer, fasting, the study of sacred texts, and learning from spiritual scholars.

 

During a personally challenging period in 2025, Garima’s faith became a profound source of strength and guidance, offering clarity and leading to a breakthrough that reshaped how she approaches life, purpose, and inner growth.

 

Outside of her professional work, Garima enjoys yoga and breathwork and is exploring her passion for storytelling through screenplay writing, blending creativity with self-reflection to craft meaningful and impactful narratives.

Anna Baylis is a Melbourne-based former Olympian and holistic life coach who draws on elite sport and wellness science to help people build resilience, clarity, and confidence. Anna represented Australia in women’s cross-country mountain biking at the 2000 Sydney Olympic Games and has also competed in Commonwealth Games and Ironman events, developing deep expertise in training, nutrition, and peak-performance mindset.

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She holds a Bachelor of Applied Science (Human Movement) and an Honours in Food Science and Nutrition from Deakin University, as well as advanced coaching qualifications, including trauma-informed practice, NLP, and hypnotherapy. Since transitioning to coaching in 2017, Anna has supported clients in creating sustainable change through an integrated approach that combines physical well-being with mindset and emotional regulation tools.

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Drawing on the mindset behind building goals that last, she will guide women toward sustainable progress grounded in self-awareness, alignment, and intentional action.

Julie McBeth is a former business journalist and communications professional, with a career spanning leading Australian publications, including BRW and The Australian Financial Review, as well as senior corporate roles with organisations such as National Australia Bank and Monash Business School.

 

She is the founder of Niche Nova Media, a public relations consultancy that helps founders and small businesses refine their narratives and gain visibility through story-led positioning.  Her work includes editing the manuscript of a well-known Australian public figure and supporting entrepreneurs and leaders to tell their personal and business stories through long-form writing and publishing books.

 

Julie is also a Christian author and speaker, shaped by her personal testimony and a calling to help others encounter God. 

Mary Shamaly is a nationally accredited mediator, lawyer, and communication and conflict coach, and the founder of Grace + Justice. 

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With nearly a decade of experience across public service and system reform, she has worked at the intersection of conflict transformation, law, and leadership.

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Mary began her career at Legal Aid before moving to the Children’s Court, where she mediated more than 1,500 child protection matters and supported complex reform initiatives within court operations.

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Her work now centres on relationship breakdown and structured repair, grounded in a trauma-aware, strengths-based approach that helps people navigate difficult conversations with dignity, clarity, and confidence.

Avril Bastiansz is a teacher of yoga and Vedanta, and an initiator of Vedic Meditation. She offers a deeply supportive space for people to reconnect with themselves, body, mind, and soul. 

 

With formal training in psychotherapy, counselling, clinical nutrition, and as a mental health-aware yoga teacher, Avril works with the whole person. 

Her approach recognises the inseparable relationship between our physical, emotional, and cognitive lives, and how our relationships, environment, and the wider cosmos shape these.

 

Blending evidence-based Western psychology with yogic philosophy, Avril guides others toward deeper self-understanding. 

At the heart of her work is yoga as a way of living and relating, a path of Being, Becoming, and Belonging that supports greater clarity, presence, connection, and authenticity.

Stephanie Woollard OAM is an Australian social entrepreneur, community leader and media presenter whose work spans social impact, heritage and storytelling.

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She is the founder of Seven Women, an internationally recognised social enterprise that supports marginalised women in Nepal through education, skills training, and employment pathways. For her contribution to social enterprise and humanitarian work, Stephanie was awarded the Medal of the Order of Australia (OAM).

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Driven by her deep connection to her Irish ancestry, Stephanie founded The Celtic Way, curating immersive, genealogy-led journeys to Ireland that help people reconnect with their roots through meaningful cultural experiences. She also established the Irish Family Heritage Trust, supporting individuals in tracing their lineage and preserving Irish family stories for future generations.

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In addition to her leadership work, Stephanie is a Radio Presenter and Host at 96.5 Inner FM, where she creates engaging programming that celebrates Celtic culture, community voices and local stories. Her broadcasting reflects her lifelong commitment to giving others a platform and strengthening community connections.

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Across her work, whether in social enterprise, heritage travel, leadership development or media, Stephanie is guided by a simple belief: when people understand their story, they lead with greater courage, clarity and purpose.

Dr Wendy Xiao is a biomedical scientist, entrepreneur, and wellness leader with more than 12 years’ experience bridging clinical science and holistic health. Holding advanced degrees from RMIT University and the University of Melbourne, she has an academic background spanning laboratory medicine, pathology, pharmacology, and biomedical research.

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As Founder and CEO of Infinity and Beyond, Wendy has built and scaled a personalised nutrition and wellness enterprise serving more than 5,000 families across the Asia-Pacific region, achieving sustained multi-million-RMB annual revenue and exceptional client retention. 

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Her professional experience also includes clinical pathology work at Monash Hospital and senior leadership roles with global health organisations.

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A practising Buddhist since 2006, Wendy integrates mindfulness, compassion, and ethical leadership into her work, creating science-based wellness programs grounded in care for both physical and spiritual wellbeing. 

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Her approach reflects a commitment to building health and wellness ecosystems that are effective, ethical, and nurturing of spiritual well-being.

Beverley Honig is a businesswoman, lawyer, judge, and Professor of Practice, recognised globally as an expert in leadership. 

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She has been named an AFR/Westpac Top Australian Entrepreneur, inducted into the Businesswomen’s Hall of Fame, awarded Prime Minister’s International Trade Awards, and is a 2025 Gold Stevie® Winner for Global Innovation.

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Beverley is Chief Executive of Honeylight Enterprises, described by Deloitte as unlocking significant economic potential, and has designed and delivered more than 200,000 leadership and change programs worldwide over two decades. 

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A technology entrepreneur, she is the co-founder of First Nations Blockchain, which protects cultural provenance and intellectual property, and the Chairman of Greenville Developments, working with major corporate and Fortune 500 clients.

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Her career spans law, international trade, governance, and academia, including senior executive roles overseeing multi-billion-dollar asset portfolios, board directorships across public and private sectors, and advisory work promoting trade as a driver of sustainable development. 

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As an author of bestselling leadership and management texts, Beverley is known for translating complex ideas into practical, real-world impact.

Emma Carr is a former elite swimmer with a passion and focus on health, medicine and fitness. Trained in Wing Chun Kung Fu and Aikido, Emma is a women’s self-defence instructor and a health and fitness coach. 

 

Following a shoulder injury and subsequent operation, Emma ceased swimming and completed a bachelor’s degree in nursing, medicine and health science, then deferred medical studies to study Chinese medicine and mineral therapy. 

 

Emma currently delivers her EmPower programs across Victoria, helping individuals push back against all forms of abuse, danger, and bullying, encouraging them to focus on their strengths, improve their health and fitness, and be supported and nurtured on their journey. 

Kathleen Watson has more than 25 years’ experience in the fitness industry as a personal trainer and group fitness leader, supporting individuals to build strength, confidence, and wellbeing.

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She is the Director of Pentecost Care, a charity dedicated to supporting homeless and marginalised people through practical assistance, community connection, and pathways to living life to the full. The organisation focuses on providing benevolent relief to individuals and families experiencing hardship across Melbourne, Manningham, and surrounding areas.

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Kathleen also serves as a pastor, bringing a strong commitment to faith, leadership, and community transformation into every aspect of her work.

Shar Balmes is a New Zealand–born Australian with a background in advertising and public relations, and a long-standing commitment to community leadership. 

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After many years of voluntary service, she was elected to local government, serving as both a Councillor and Mayor of the City of Casey, where she was known for her focus on engagement, collaboration, and positive social impact.

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Shar continues her community involvement through voluntary roles and as a business owner, a venture she has led for the past decade. 

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A lifelong member of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, she has held numerous leadership positions, including serving as president of the women’s organisation and mentoring young people for many years.

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Her work reflects a deep commitment to service, connection, and creating practical outcomes that strengthen communities.