The top moments from our Movers and Breakers conference

3 days. 8 speakers. 120 awesome women.

Our annual conference Movers and Breakers was held on Hamilton Island over the weekend, and we’re still on a high from all the inspiring speakers, workshops and of course – our awesome attendees. There were so many brilliant moments; we laughed, we cried, we took notes and discovered our strengths – take a look at what we got up to, and if you want to be part of the action next year, be quick – we’re already 40% booked out. Find all the details you need to know here.

Dinner and drinks on the Bommie Deck at the Yacht Club

We kicked off the conference with cocktails and a three-course dinner on the Bommie Deck. What a way to unwind and connect!

Rachel Botsman’s talk on the importance of trust.

A conference fave, Rachel Botsman spoke about the trust gap, and how as a society we’re now placing our trust, money and safety in share economies like UBER and AirBnB – and the impact that has on us and future generations. We’ll never think about Alexa the same way again. You can watch her latest TedTalk here.

Our host Karen James.

We were thrilled Karen James was our emcee at Movers and Breakers this year. She had us in fits of laughter throughout the three days. It’s a hard ask to round up 120 inspired and talkative women, so a special shout out to our events team for tracking down the biggest bell – what turned out to be the school bell – on the island for KJ to use!

Sunrise yoga on the beach

The early birds of the conference, including speakers Lorna Jane, Cathie Reid and Nic Morris, were treated to a sunrise yoga session on Catseye beach.

Kathy Kelly’s raw honesty and resilience

There wasn’t a dry eye during Kathy Kelly’s interview. Kathy spoke at a Business Chicks breakfast in Sydney recently, but we were blown away again by her raw honesty, resilience and positivity. We also loved seeing Kathy burning up the dance floor on Saturday night!

The goodies.

It wouldn’t be a Business Chicks event if we didn’t share the love. Some of the gifts included a Claire Aristides bracelet, Koko Black chocolates, Sportsgirl beauty products and The Hunger Project clutches.

Dr Jason Fox’s keynote.

We soon found out why Dr Jason Fox was named Keynote Speaker of 2016. His informative, intelligent, hilarious and thought-provoking keynote was one of the standouts (but they were ALL good) from the conference. Read more from Dr Jason here.

Finding our strengths with Nic Morris

Nic Morris led a session all about strengths. We learned by focusing on our strengths rather than our weaknesses, we’ll led happier and more fulfilling lives – both at work and at home. Read more about Nic here.

Your magic moments.

Thanks to everyone who shared their vulnerabilities, dreams, goals and wishes for the future – we can’t wait to see you smash them now and in 2018! #unleashedcougar

Talking success with Colleen Callander

At the helm of the Sussan Group for 17 years and the CEO of Sportsgirl since 2013, Colleen shared how she’s navigated competitors, reinvigorated the 70-year-old brand (yes, Sportsgirl is 70!) and created a culture that allows people to contribute, challenge, be challenged and be creative.

The Hibiscus Island dress-up theme.

We knew our attendees would run with any dress-up theme, but their effort was next-level at our Muriel’s Wedding inspired theme! (Part of Muriel’s Wedding was set on Hamilton Island using the fictional name ‘Hibiscus Island’) It was no doubt, the funnest night of the conference!

Our Global CEO in conversation with Lorna Jane

Activewear queen, Lorna Jane has been in the fashion industry designing workout gear for 27 years. At Movers and Breakers, she spoke about the early days of building her business, right through to her latest move to the US. Oh, and there were plenty of laughs too.

Emma Isaacs leading a conga line into the pool.

We came, we saw, we conga-ed … right into the pool. Our cheeky Global CEO Emma Isaacs, led the dance floor out to the pool where a good portion of us jumped right into the pool fully clothed. We’ll spare you the footage, but we’ve never laughed so hard. Thanks to all who took a dip with us!