Susie Williams usually avoided doing anything with groups of women. The long-held perception that this situation could be dangerous or intimidating and could possibly get her in fight or flight mode had kept her away.
But last year, Susie came across WoTL’s Stepping into Leadership (SiL) Program on social media and chose to stretch herself outside her comfort zone. Luckily, she did because she was able to turn that perception completely on its head. Six months since the completion of the SiL program, she is now processing her remarkable feat as a 2024 South Australian AgriFutures Rural Woman of the Year finalist, an opportunity she never considered as being a possibility.
“I can honestly say, hand on heart, that I can attribute participating in the SiL Program with my decision to apply for the award”, laughs Susie.
“I think it was just the right time for me, at the right stage of my life. I was starting to lose my mojo a bit with my business and had begun asking questions about what I was doing.”
Susie’s passion for connecting communities and supporting local businesses is what earned her the well-deserved accolade, which recognised her passion project, the Fleurieu App. The app brings together news, sports and business, as well as things to see and do on South Australia’s Fleurieu Peninsula and Kangaroo Island, all in one place.
Susie grew up on a sheep and cereal farm. After leaving school, she knew she wanted to do something in agriculture. Following the completion of tertiary education she settled working in precision viticulture, a career which has taken her across Australia and New Zealand with her husband, who also works in the wine industry, and their three daughters. It’s also a field which can be very ad hoc. The problem with that is Susie likes to stay busy, one of many traits she believes she inherited from her late father, a farmer.
“I don’t like to sit still. Like me, he was always doing something, thinking outside the square. He was quite stubborn, which I think you do need to have a little bit of when you’re running your own business, but he also had a love of learning.”
Moving back to South Australia’s Fleurieu Peninsula and frustrated with not knowing where anything was, Susie decided to do something about it. Hence, the Fleurieu App was born.
WoTL’s Stepping into Leadership Program
WoTL’s Stepping into Leadership (SiL) Program is an eight-month, personal and professional development journey offered to 15 women connected to agriculture every year. Participants take part in face to face workshops, and individual online coaching and mentoring sessions supporting them to take the next steps on their leadership journey. Friendships and networks are also made over the course of the program.
“When I was accepted into the program, I found this amazing tribe of women. I was made to feel completely safe to be able to explore ideas and ask questions about myself and my business. This type of environment gave me the confidence to share openly. There was a lot of growth that happened over that time,” explains Susie.
“Obviously, there is a certain amount of vulnerability that comes with sharing some of our challenges and life experiences but being held by this group of women, and feeling seen, was one of the best decisions I’ve ever made.
“I now have this group of women behind me that are giving me the confidence I need and have my back. I can just pick up the phone and run an idea past them, which is a network I didn’t have before. The whole program is a real confidence builder. I learnt to not be so hard on myself, which isn’t always easy.
“Many of these women will be mates for life.”
Working closely with her coach, Jeanette Long, and mentor, Anna Fisher, Susie built up the courage to address something that had been holding her back. She hosted her own networking event.
“Jeanette was amazing and a real wealth of knowledge. To grow my business, I knew I needed to put myself out there and get out of my comfort zone, but I found networking and talking in front of people really hard. It would always hold me back.
“Jeanette did a really great job in preparing me for the event, to give me the confidence to go in and tackle it.
“SiL has given me so much. As women, especially mums, we always keep reinventing ourselves. Having access now to this incredible group of women, and the SiL alumni is such a privilege.”
Understanding the incredible power of networks was a motivation for Susie to put herself out there and nominate for the SA AgriFutures Rural Woman of the Year Awards.
“After my experience with SiL and finding my tribe, if I could then tap into the alumni of the Rural Womens Award, imagine what I can do?”