On Tuesday 28 October 2025, members, friends and new acquaintances of Spence Club gathered at the beautiful Mylk Bar on Waymouth Street for an evening that mixed authentic, vulnerable and brave conversations with strong connections, networking, impact, and delicious food & drink.
To kick things off, we heard from our Charity Partner Catherine House, with Jaylee Cooper (Manager of Philanthropy & Community Engagement) outlining the current housing need for women and the reality on the ground in South Australia. Jaylee also explained that Spence Club’s support is directed towards crisis accommodation and building safety and security for 60 women every single night. Spence Club was proud to share that our total donation to Catherine House for the FY25/26 was $1350, and we again thanked our members and event attendees for their support to make this happen.
Then, we introduced our panel of brave, authentic and resilient women: Kristen Eckhart, Sophie Bretag and Sharmilla Zaluski. Each spoke with real candour about drawing on resilience during challenges they have faced – both personally and professionally throughout their lives – including when confronting health issues of their own, or supporting a loved one with their own serious challenges, or when the “ultimate” career move turns out to not be the opportunity of a lifetime after all.
And while from different industries, different professions, and at different stages of their careers and lives, their messages were consistent:
• There will always be good seasons and hard ones, and the hard times do not last – it is important to remember that, especially when we are in the middle of them.
• We all benefit from a buffer from the chaos, and those breaks (even if they are microbreaks) are essential.
• Resilience does not equate to perseverance - it is more than just pushing through. Listen to your body and rest if that’s what you need!
• Looking after ourselves is not selfish, living by our values matters and keeps us grounded when life gets messy.
Practical lessons from our panel included practising gratitude, asking for help earlier and seeking professional support when needed. Our panellists spoke about finding purpose and staying authentic, keeping active, holding onto hope and belief in yourself, surrounding yourself with people who help you be your best, focusing on what is within your control, knowing what sustains you, and recognising when to persist and when to step away.
The final takeaways emphasised by all speakers, with their lines resonating deeply with us, were:
• “Resilience is having the courage to walk away,” – know your limits and when the chase is no longer worth it.
• It is important to know when to choose “grit or grace,” – when to be kind and prioritise your health.
• “Seek purpose over politics” – don’t chase the salary or title at the expense of your identity or well-being,
• “Be proactive with the pause” - the insight that resting & reflecting earlier can protect your health.
Our audience was genuinely moved by each speaker’s story, and the admiration and respect in the room was palpable. We were inspired, energised and deeply thankful for the bravery, authenticity and generosity of Kristen, Soph and Sharmilla.
Following the panel presentations, Spence Club was pleased to present our new board members in person for the first time since their appointment at the 2025 AGM, and hand their new badges to: Alexandra Beal (Secretary), Brittany Duregon, Emma Dignon, Gabriela Vasconcelos, Katarina Watkins, Katie Jansen, Mandy Azzam, Mimi Sia (Treasurer) and Rosemary Simper. We also farewelled our outgoing Treasurer, Alisa Burns, and thanked her for her hard work and support during her tenure.
Afterwards, networking was lively and generous (as usual!). It was wonderful to see first timers connecting with our supportive members over great food, drinks, company and conversations.
Thank you to our incredible volunteer speakers, and our supporters Mylk Bar and Duda Balestrin Photography who helped make another event a great success!
Find out more about our speakers and this event here!
