Meet Our Team
Our Founder
Michelle Boundy
Michelle Boundy is the founder of She Inspires Me. She has over 30 years’ experience working in large Human Services Organisations for the State and Commonwealth Governments supporting young people with high and complex needs from diverse backgrounds including Indigenous and CALD communities. She has an extensive working background and tertiary education in Community Development, Child Protection, Drug & Alcohol, Mental Health, WH&S, Counselling & Mediation, and Family and Domestic Violence. Michelle is a Subject Matter Expert in Workplace Wellbeing and Culture, and she is passionate about creating safer workplaces for Australian workers.
In 2009 Michelle developed and implemented a health and wellbeing program called the "Wellness Project" for the State Government. Within 3 months Michelle won both Regional and State WH&S Awards and the program was rolled out Statewide. This led to guest speaking opportunities on Workplace Wellbeing at various events across NSW. In 2011 she was a finalist at the prestigious WorkCover WH&S State Awards night where she won the Highly Commendable Award for Outstanding Achievements in WH&S - Innovative Solution to a WHS issue.
In 2013 Michelle transferred to the Commonwealth Government where she developed and implemented another wellbeing program called 'Wellness at Work’. This program was highly successful and gained a strong following across APS where she obtained a number of regional ‘Shout Out’ Awards for her work in this area. In November 2022 Michelle won the National ‘Light Up Award’ for ‘Excellence in WHS & Wellbeing’ as State Lead for Wellbeing where she implemented wellbeing programs and initiatives that enhanced staff wellbeing during the COVID-19 pandemic and Lismore Floods.
In 2020 Michelle became the integral Community Kindness Champion for the Stay Kind Foundation where she developed and implemented a number of highly successful Community Projects. This included the 50 Walks Project, 50 Bathers Way 50, the 50 Hearts Project, the 50 Acts of Kindness Project, and the Do Something Kind Project. Her projects have seen a strong social media following in Australia and overseas where Michelle undertook virtual walks along the iconic Newcastle’s Bathers Way Walk with participants from India, Indonesia, Norway, and America during the 50 Walks Project and COVID-19 pandemic.
Michelle was mentioned in NSW Parliament in 2022 by NSW State Member Mr Tim Crakenthorp for her community projects which raised awareness of the current 'mental health state’ in New South Wales during the COVID 19 pandemic and the power acts of kindness can play in the lives of others and the community. During Mental Health Week in October 2022 under her new brand called Be Kind she implemented a community mental health initiative called the ‘Elephant in the Room’, where she held a Charity Event in Newcastle which raised over $25,000 for Lifeline Hunter.
On World Kindness Day on the 13th of November 2023, Michelle wore an Elephant suit around Newcastle’s famous Merewether Beach to promote the power of kindness and raise further funds for Lifeline which supports our community’s most vulnerable. She Inspires Me became Michelle’s new community project which was officially launched on International Women’s Day in March 2023, to celebrate the contributions and achievements women make in our community. The #tellyourstory initiative focuses on social issues impacting women in our community, it explores their experiences and the challenges they face within our society. In July 2023 She Inspires Me was launched nationally and formed a number of collaborations with major stakeholders.
Since then, Michelle has been traveling all over New South Wales, Queensland, and Victoria meeting with hundreds of women and capturing their stories. The #tellyourstory initiative has seen a strong following on social media and has become a national movement and platform for women to share their stories in a safe and supportive environment. Michelle is highly regarded and respected in Government and admired nationally for her unique community projects prompting kindness, advocating workplace wellbeing, and genuine desire to make a difference in the lives of others. We hope you will join her to celebrate the wonderful achievements and contributions women are making in our workplaces and communities. You can follow Michelle on social media here: Michelle Boundy | LinkedIn
Our Patron
(Waskam) Emelda Davis
Emelda is the first Black woman elected to serve on the City of Sydney Council in its 180-year history and is a representative on the Clover Moore Independent Team. Emelda is also a second generation born Australian South Sea Islander (ASSI) – a descendant of our Pacific slave trade to NSW in 1847. A passionate volunteer, community builder and long-term resident of Pyrmont for over two decades, Emelda has worked effectively across the corporate and grassroots sectors, including as an advisor to State and Federal Government agencies on culturally specific Indigenous knowledge.
In serving the City, Emelda is the Deputy Chair of the Resilient Communities Committee, the Lord Mayor’s delegate on the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Advisory Panel, the Lord Mayor’s delegate on the Multicultural Advisory Panel, and the Alternate Chair of the Local Pedestrian Cycling and Traffic Calming Committee. A dedicated advocate for Australian South Sea Islanders, during Emelda’s first term on Council the Blackbirded South Sea Islanders 175th anniversary was recognised through an annual flag raising as part of a Council resolution ‘to recognise and support Australian South Sea Islanders’, a follow up letter was also sent to 500 councils across Australia to encourage others to follow suit.
As a founder of ASSI - Port Jackson, Emelda’s achievements include 2020-CALD Panel for Women’s Business, Women for Election Australia Ambassador, awarded NSW Parliament Recognition Statement by the Member for Sydney and Legislative Assembly, Mr. Alex Greenwich, NSW Premiers Multicultural Community Settlement Services International - Human Rights Award. Emelda is also the first ASSI person to complete an ASSI oral history thesis ‘Children of the Sugar Slaves; Black and Resilient.’ Recipient of 2017 Rotary Inspirational Woman, Ultimo PS Sydney Inspirational Wall Medal, 2016-NSW Women of the Year (Sydney Local), 2015- NSW Council for Pacific Communities ‘Stronger Communities Award’ and 2022 International Council on Monuments and Sites ‘Caring for Country’ committee award.
Emelda is also an advisor to Politics in Colour, various state ASSI leaders and organisations, continues to work with Vanuatu Government officials and sits on the International Coalition Sites of Conscience Board of Trustees. An ongoing champion for Climate Justice and Social Housing, Emelda sees her time on Council as a privilege to work with all communities to bring about meaningful change.
Our Integral Ambassador
Katherine Berney
Katherine is the Director of the National Women's Safety Alliance. She is passionate about social, economic, and safety equality for women and children. Katherine has a strong not-for-profit background including internationally with the Red Cross in the South Pacific and on the DV-Alert Program as part of the National Safety Plan. She has experience in strategic planning with the Higher Education and Government consulting sectors. With a genuine passion for changing the statistics for women in Australia, she understands the power of Women’s Alliances and the collaborative strength of the sector.
Katherine is currently working towards her Ph.D. in Sociology under Dr Michael J Walsh at the University of Canberra. Katherine represents everything She Inspires Me strives for and represents in our community. Her passion, desire, and commitment to keep women and children safe in our community is truly commendable. Katherine continues to inspire us all, by empowering and providing hope to so many women across the Country. You can find out more about Katherine and the National Women’s Safety Alliance here: National Women's Safety Alliance
Lauren Cassimatis
Lauren is one of Victoria’s leading criminal lawyers and a Law Institute of Victoria Accredited Specialist in Criminal Law. With over 20 years’ experience in the legal profession, Lauren is known for her exemplary legal skills and her compassion, warmth and dedication to her clients. She understands how stressful it can be for you and your loved ones when facing legal proceedings, and makes the process as streamlined and comforting as much as possible, thinking about her clients’ cases, wellbeing and future.
Lauren founded Gallant Law with a vision to provide quality and client-centric legal services to all and to overcome barriers to access to justice. Lauren is also an Adjunct Lecturer at the College of Law, educating emerging lawyers on advocacy, substantive law and practical skills. She is the proud founder of Connecting Lawyer Mums™️ (CLM), an Australia-wide professional development, networking and support group for lawyer mothers. Connecting Lawyer Mums is dedicated to boosting the well-being, confidence, and careers of criminal lawyer mums and related professionals throughout Australia.
CLM’s has over 1000 members and offers informative and engaging events, support in a secure online forum, provides valuable resources and enables professional networking Membership is free and inclusive. Lauren is passionate about helping her clients, her colleagues and the community rise above life’s challenges and achieve their goals. Lauren is involved in many charity organisations and philanthropy events including Aboriginal Youth Sport and Recreation, St Kilda Mums, Geelong Mums, Success Works, Pride in Law and Geelong Women in Business.
Corinne West
Corinne is Head of Diversity and Inclusion at King & Wood Mallesons law firm for Australia and Singapore. She is one of Australia’s leading culture transformation experts with over 20 years’ experience leading highly complex, sensitive and politically charged transformation programs within Australia’s public, academic and commercial sectors. Corinne has successfully worked in some of the toughest environments for culture change including the Australian Army, Victoria Police, and Fire Rescue Victoria.
She has also worked to improve university and government cultures which has often been tougher than male-dominated organisations as toxic culture is masked by positive diversity demographics, marketing and brand strategies. She is a fierce advocate for human rights and uses intersectionality as a reform framework to mitigate negative impacts of a siloed approach. She appreciates that diversity is visible and invisible, and recognises her privilege and advocacy limitations, in that an individual cannot represent all diverse identities. In response, she actively makes space and partners with people with different lived and living experiences to give voice and power in creating a more diverse and inclusive world.
Corinne’s transformation approach comes from her early career as an academic oral historian where she partnered with people who had experienced trauma, disadvantage and discrimination to uncover their hidden histories through print and digital platforms. Her work has drawn critical global acclaim and she continues this practice by privileging first-person testimony and using consent practices where participants retain power to tell, shape and share their stories in a manner which suits them.
This has resulted in relationships of trust and collaborative engagement to build safer and more respectful organisational cultures and communities. Her current work at King & Wood Mallesons reflects her power-sharing and collaborative approach with the release of a digital animation Words Can Harm the first in a 3-part animation series exploring language – Words Can Harm, Words Can Heal and Words Can Empower. The series has been co-designed with people across the firm and features their life experiences to educate people about the importance of language on safety, health and wellbeing. As a storyteller, Corinne is perfectly placed to be an ambassador for She Inspires Me, offering expertise and life experience to grow our community and strengthen action for gender equality.
Belinda Hughes
Belinda is an accomplished prosecutor, having spent more than a decade with the New South Wales Police Force, attaining the rank of Sergeant and prosecuting some of the most significant cases arising from organised crime and outlaw motorcycle gangs. Following her time with the New South Wales Police Force, Belinda moved to Transport for New South Wales to lead their prosecution team. As a Senior Manager, she was responsible for a team of over 30 lawyers, advocates and administration staff and prosecuting over 36,000 matters per year.
Belinda commenced as the National Director of Prosecutions with the National Heavy Vehicle Regulator (NHVR) in 2020. Belinda leads the Prosecutions Team with over 40 staff, based across New South Wales, Australian Capital Territory, Victoria, South Australia and Tasmania. The team supports Heavy Vehicle investigations and prosecutes on behalf of South Australian Victorian and New South Wales Police, together with the NHVR Safety Compliance Officers and Investigators. Belinda has a Masters’s Degree in Law, a Bachelor of Law, a Bachelor of Criminology and a Diploma in Policing Practice.
Joanna Abraham
Joanna is a Lecturer at the College of Law & President of Victorian Women Lawyers (VWL). The VWL is the peak representative body for women in the law and going through the law in Victoria, providing a community that supports women through not just their professional careers, but also focusing on their wellbeing outside of workspaces as well.
She has practiced extensively in Administrative, Immigration & Refugee Law, both in private and community legal practice, working with clients from a variety of ethnic backgrounds (refugees and asylum seekers, victims of family violence, and those facing the prospect of visa cancellation or deportation). Joanna has recently been recognised as one of Australia's 40 under 40 Most Influential Asian-Australians.
She is listed as one of Australia’s leading lawyers in Human Rights Law 2024 and was also previously Highly Commended with the Justice Award at the 2020 Victorian Multicultural Awards for Excellence for her work in the human rights space. She sits on the Board of Afri-Aus Care (AAC), a not-for-profit community service organization supporting CALD communities in Australia, advising on legal and policy issues in relation to migration law and family violence issues, and is a firm believer that grassroots community needs should be the guiding force at all echelons of decision making.
As President of VWL, she leads strategic initiatives; both across the sector and across a variety of teams and committees to promote gender equity and diversity; overseeing events and projects relating to mentorship, community engagement, sexual harassment and justice issues pertaining to women.
Sapphire Parsons
Sapphire works as a Senior Associate in Workplace Law at Macpherson Kelley, in the areas of employment, discrimination, industrial relations, and psychological safety. As a survivor of domestic and gendered violence, Sapphire has transformed her pain into purpose, harnessing the power of education, advocacy, and collaboration with those who have the power to make the greatest difference.
In recognition for her work in this space, in 2023, Sapphire was the Winner of the Lawyers Weekly 30 Under 30 Award for Workplace Health and Safety. She was also a Nominee for the National Protective Services Safety and Wellbeing in the Workplace Award which forms part of the 7NEWS Young Achiever Awards for Victoria. Sapphire was also selected as a Bond University Ambassador for their 2023 Giving Day.
In 2022, she was the Winner of the Rising Star of the Year Award at the Women in Law Awards. She was also a Finalist for the Innovator of the Year and Women in Law Excellence Awards and was a Finalist in the Lawyers Weekly 30 Under 30 Awards for Workplace, Health & Safety.
Fiona Kirkman
Fiona is the Global Family Law Evangelist at Smokeball, a leading global legal practice management software. She is also the Co-Founder of Family Property, an expert family law system that streamlines the family law process. With 20 years of experience in the legal industry, Fiona is an Accredited Specialist in Family Law, a Mediator FDRP, and a Collaborative Coach and holds a Masters in Applied Law (majoring in Family Law).
She runs her own mediation and collaborative coach firm, Kirkman Family Law, where she helps families resolve their disputes without going to court. Fiona is passionate about using dispute resolution and legal technology to make the legal process more efficient and affordable for families. She is also an advocate for the education of the next generation of family lawyers and mediators, mentoring a number of students within her firm.
Asha Bhat OAM
Asha is a CEO of Southern Aboriginal Corporation (SAC). Asha is an Internationally renowned businesswoman whose passion for social justice, equality, diversity and inclusion fuels her everyday activities. Asha is the leader of a prominent Aboriginal Corporation in Western Australia. Under her stewardship, the organisation, known as SAC, spearheads initiatives encompassing affordable housing, employment facilitation, youth empowerment, suicide prevention, health advocacy, support for victims of family and domestic violence, as well as legal services.
Asha's most notable accomplishment lies in orchestrating the expansion of family violence prevention legal services, thereby enhancing access to the justice system for Aboriginal individuals affected by violence. As an Australian, Indian migrant woman at the head of an Indigenous organisation, Asha frequently walks the tightrope of successfully fusing the best of different cultures to develop solutions that deliver significant outcomes to the quality of life for some of our nations most marginalized people.
Acknowledged for her extraordinary contributions to the fabric of Australian society with a Community Citizen of the Year Award in 2017, an Order of Australia Medal during the 2022 Queen’s Birthday Honours and an induction into the WA Women’s Hall of Fame in 2023, WA Award for Excellence in Women’s Leadership in 2024. Her National and International Awards include the Gold Winner of a Stevie International Businesswomen’s Award, the United Nations Association of Australia WA Division – Gender Equality Promotion Award in 2023 and the WA Multicultural Award (Sir Ronald Wilson Leadership Award) in 2023. Asha is a shining example of the ways that culture and diversity can be embraced to make Australia a stronger place.
Sourced frequently as a keynote speaker on social and emotional wellbeing, success as a migrant and providing holistic support to indigenous families, and for comment as a media expert, Asha spends every day advocating for solutions to some of Australia’s greatest issues. Above all, Asha is renowned for her ability to encourage others around her and for leading with true empathy and compassion.
Our Young Ambassador
Keeley Johnson
Keeley is 19 years old and resides with her beautiful family in Victoria. She is an incredible young lady I have been fortunate enough to meet and the more I get to know her, the more impressed I am by her passion and genuine desire to make a difference in the lives of others. Keeley was diagnosed with a Mild Intellectual Disability and Autism and struggled within the mainstream education system. The one thing that assisted Keeley was a communication tool placed onto an iPad which strengthened her ability to communicate with her peers, express her needs and wants to her teacher and gave her greater confidence and independence within the wider community. Keeley, at the age of 13 years old decided she wanted to help other children with disabilities to have access to communication aids, so with the support from her mother Sharon she launched her own Charity, called Keeley’s Cause.
In January 2019, Keeley's Cause was officially recognized as a National Charity which has raised over $300,000 through community initiatives including sausage sizzles, donations, iPad sponsorship, and merchandise sales. Since then, Keeley has won numerous awards including the following: The Bean Award 2023, Champion Social Enterprise Business 2023, Young Women of the Year 2023, The Diana Award 2020, Ballarat Council Youth Award 2020, Ballarat Council Youth Awards - Challenge and Change Award 2019 and the Lions Australia - Child of Courage Award 2017. To date, she has been able to provide over 400 iPads to children in need. I encourage you to review her wonderful work here: Keeley's Cause Foundation
