Welcome to the latest “WIN Spotlight,” our ongoing series that celebrates inspirational women in our community. Each interview features a member of WIN who is championing innovation at her organization or across the industry. We dig into the diverse perspectives, influences, mission, drivers, and dreams of these leaders, and of course, ask them for practical advice and pro tips from their years of experience.

This month we are excited to feature Annabelle Williams OAM, Founder and CEO of Grit & Gold.

Tell us who you are and what you do?

I’m Annabelle Williams, the Founder, and CEO of Grit & Gold, a company dedicated to helping people unleash their potential.

I’ve worn several different hats over the years: international motivational speaker, Paralympic gold medalist, five-time world record holder, a corporate lawyer at Allens Linklaters, sports broadcaster, stunt-double for Charlize Theron, and mum to little Josie.

I was born without a left hand and forearm, but I haven’t let that affect my life—outside of the small things, like getting half-price manicures, which is obviously awesome! In my twenties, I trained six days a week as captain of the Australian Paralympic swim team while simultaneously building a professional legal career, including stints in Paris at the Australian Trade Commission and Washington D.C. as a representative for an NFL/NBA player agency. In 2012, my dream came true when I won a gold medal at the London Paralympics. Since then, I’ve continued with sports as a commentator, General Counsel for the Australian Olympic Committee, and Vice President of Paralympics Australia.

I knew I wanted to focus my career on motivational speaking after completing an executive MBA at Stanford last year. I’m excited to announce that I recently relaunched the brand and invite you to check it out at www.annabellew.com!

What are the top 3 defining moments in your career that have got you to where you are today?

Winning a Gold medal at the London 2012 Paralympic Games.
Graduating from the Stanford University Graduate School of Business and delivering the valedictory address.
Having the courage to quit my job as a lawyer to start my own company, Grit & Gold!

What is the best part of your job?

Well, pre-COVID, the best part of my job was traveling the world, meeting new people, and speaking to audiences about things I’m passionate about - grit, determination, the power of courage and kindness, and the importance of inclusion and belonging.

Since COVID, the best part of my job has been figuring out ways to be creative and pivot my business to digital platforms! When COVID hit, I was in Saudi Arabia, giving a keynote on International Women’s Day to Saudi Aramco about diversity and inclusion. I had all of these incredible gigs lined up around the world that were all canceled at once. I’ve had many challenges in my life because of my disability but having to re-think my business’s future was one of the bigger ones. I remember thinking, “What am I going to do?” I had just started a company based on speaking at large events, and now they were all canceled.

So, I rebranded my business and pivoted to a more digital model. I’m going to be doing virtual and in-person keynotes and providing masterclass content for corporations, students, and athletes. Hopefully, in the next few months, I'll be working with schools, organizations, and sports teams, helping them through this challenging time in our world. I feel very privileged to be doing this kind of work.

What does being a leader mean to you?

I think many different leadership styles are effective and imperative to be authentic.

For me, I think the most important investments are in people. Building a team with diversity of thought is vital, and respecting others’ opinions is crucial. Leaders need to be clear and effective communicators, and that includes having the ability to have hard conversations and manage unpleasant situations head-on. I’ve seen several people who possess seemingly strong leadership skills fall because of their ability to communicate clearly , causing them, their teams, and businesses to suffer.

What is your favorite quotation?

I have two favorite quotes that will always be applicable, but that are especially relevant to today's political climate.
1) “When they go low, we go high.” - Michelle Obama
I adore Michelle Obama. I mean, what’s not to love? From her commitment to diversity and inclusion to all the things she’s done for younger people and women, to me, she embodies everything good. This quote is so simple and applies to every aspect of life, especially in our current divisive and chaotic world. Regardless of anyone else’s behavior, you have to be satisfied with who you are at the end of the day. If every decision you make, you try to take the high ground and act with integrity, you will be a respected leader and a respected person.
2) “Fight for the things you care about, but do it in a way that will lead others to join you.” - Ruth Bader Ginsberg
Among other rockstar qualities, Ruth Bader Ginsburg was so skilled at bringing people along with her. She never reacted with anger, was always respectful, and made friends and alliances across the political spectrum because of this. Unfortunately, conversations about issues like equality can be polarizing. As people, we have different backgrounds, points of view, degrees of understanding, and exposure to various topics. If you want people to come along with you on a journey towards equality or gender parity or whatever issue you’re passionate about, you won’t get anywhere by ramming your opinion down other people’s throats. We must remain calm and respectful, and invite people into the conversation so that you can lead others to join you.

How do you keep up to date with the world?

I subscribe to the NYTimes and the Washington Post (even though I'm in Australia) and the Australian newspaper the Sydney Morning Herald. I also use Twitter a lot. I never post, but I follow journalists and news sources to get up-to-date news and understand trends.

I’m also a big podcast listener. One favorite is “Unlocking Us” with Brené Brown. She interviews exciting people on a range of topics. She recently interviewed Glennon Doyle, the author of one of my favorite books. My all-time favorite podcast is called “The Rich Roll” podcast, hosted by Rich Roll. The podcast covers a wide variety of topics (from “cancel culture” to gut health) by bringing in experts that dive deep into their area of expertise. Each episode is quite long, but they go into so much detail and allow experts to articulate their thought leadership, which makes them very compelling.

There is also a show on Showtime called “The Circus,” which is about the American election process that I find fascinating. One of the hosts was the Chief of Staff to Hillary Clinton. It’s very up to date, in real-time, and they have incredible guests that are on the pulse of all things politics. It’s an excellent current affairs recap.

What is the toughest challenge you’ve had to overcome as a woman in the industry?

Prior to starting my company, I worked in the legal industry and the sports sector - both male-dominant industries and both fraught with problems that impact women, specifically.

When I worked in M&A, there was a time when my team had no female partners. The challenge for women is that there’s not enough parity in senior roles, mostly held by men who are not primary caretakers. The hours are grueling and work-life balance is often impossible. This work environment punishes women for having children. For example, I remember a situation where a senior associate on my team wanted to come back to work four days a week upon returning from maternity leave. The firm said “no.” It was so strict and stagnant and old-school, and ultimately the culture suffered because of it. In sports, the culture is rough-and-tumble, and it’s still a bit of a boys club. Often women feel excluded in this environment, which is difficult because it’s a systematic problem. Women shouldn’t feel punished or excluded for simply being women, but it’s so ingrained in these industries that it will require a significant change from the top down to fix these problems. Something I believe we should all be very focussed on making happen!

What advice do you have for women and future generations of leaders?

Support young women! As a woman in this male-centric world, you may have had a hard time reaching the top, and because of the struggle, you will be a stronger and more resilient leader, but let’s try and make sure younger women don’t have to endure the same hardships that we did.

If you could give one piece of advice to organizations who need to reach gender parity what would it be?

Set a goal and just make it happen.

We need the gender pay gap to change, which means deciding to pay women the same amount of money for the same work. Right now. Just make the change. We spend so much time talking about the importance of doing it, and so much energy figuring out how to do it, but pay and percentages (of women in senior roles) just need to be equal.

We also need to make it easier for women to come back to work after having a baby. We must enforce equal parental leave entitlements (and encourage men to take the leave), have suitable breastfeeding rooms available at the office, and ideally, if your organization has the capacity, set up daycare e on site. I have so many friends who didn’t return to work because they were still breastfeeding and there wasn’t an appropriate set-up at work. I know these things are investments, but they’re worth it. And the fastest way to achieve this is to ensure there are more women in senior roles because they are the ones who understand the experience of being a working mom.

“We need the gender pay gap to change, which means deciding to pay women the same amount of money for the same work. Right now. Just make the change.”

What is the best innovation of the past 5 years?

Gosh. There are so many! The rate of innovation these days is immense. One that comes to mind straight away is the self-driving car!

What was the biggest industry fail of the past year?

Unfortunately, so many companies have failed over the past year through no fault of their own. COVID-19 has made organizations realize the importance of diversifying their income streams.

In addition, a number of industries have not been sufficiently nimble to pivot quickly. One that comes to mind is education. There are lots of poor children in the US and around the world whose education will suffer because school systems weren’t able to change in a way that was quick or effective.

What do you think will have the biggest impact on the industry in 2020?

COVID-19.

What product, service, or industry do you think is most ripe for innovation? Why?

I feel like what needs innovation is the voting process in the United States. The United States system seems to almost actively discourage people from voting. In 2012, when I was working for a senator in Washington DC, I went to a voting booth, and I was in shock at how long the line was for my boss to cast her vote. In Australia, the voting system is great. We have compulsory voting which means that everyone in the system must vote, and if you don’t, you’re fined. Voting day also takes place on a Saturday, which means it so much easier for people to vote, and it’s not reliant on the ability to miss a workday. Voting day is like an event or a celebration, and an enjoyable thing to do on a Saturday morning. It’s not the painful system that it is in the United States. How can it be that in 2020, we don’t have a system that everyone can easily vote?

Where do you see yourself/the industry:

1 month from now: I see myself continuing to innovate the way in which I deliver motivational content and build connections with people during the virtual age of COVID.
1 year from now: Hopefully we have a vaccine and, if so, I think businesses will really recognize the need for community and connection. I think big events and conferences with speakers will be paramount and there will be a real focus on topics like resilience, the growth mindset and inclusion.
10 years from now: I hope to continue finding innovative ways to help people realize their full potential. I anticipate digital content will be much more pervasive 10 years from now, and strive to be at the forefront of ensuring human connection, compassion and kindness are virtues that aren't lost.

What are your top 3 values as a leader?

Integrity: keeping promises and fulfilling expectations. Respecting others regardless of differences and treating people with dignity, empathy and compassion.

Authenticity: being consistent and transparent in your values, beliefs and actions and using your values and principles to contribute to the growth of others.

Courage: having the strength to make challenging decisions with intention and purpose and take a stand in the face of adversity and act boldly in the service of inclusion.

What is the most important book that you have read?

Two books come to mind. The first is Untamed by Glennon Doyle, and the second is Phosphorescence by Julia Baird.

Untamed is about always being your authentic self. During this period, where I’ve had to rethink my work, I’ve realized that I derive a lot of value and self-worth from my professional life. When COVID hit, and my career changed very suddenly, it took a lot of soul-searching to find my next step. Because of this, the concept of knowing yourself and trusting your instincts really resonated with me. I’m extroverted, and when I set goals, I tend to go for them without second thoughts, so I haven’t done a lot of quiet contemplation in my life. This book made me think critically about only saying “yes” to things that I believe in and that reflect my authentic self.

Phosphorescence is a stunningly beautiful and poetic autobiography about finding light in the darkness. The essential message is that being generous towards others is the best way to find the light. We can spend so much time thinking about ourselves and our perspective. Baird declares that the best way to find light is to be generous and caring towards others because it allows us to find purpose in our lives. This message reminds me of something my grandmother used to say: “As we travel through life, find kindness in another person's struggles and courage in your own.” I very much believe in these words.

If you were a brand, what would you be and why?

With the creation of my company (called Annabelle!), my name has become a brand. It’s interesting when you are a brand, and it’s your personal story being told, it makes you really reflect on your life in a very rewarding way. Growing up with a disability, I didn’t know that other people like me existed. I didn’t know anyone else with my disability and I have faced challenges because of that. I feel like there is a way that I can help people by telling my story through my brand.

My brand purpose is “helping people unleash their potential.” If I can help people in the world through difficult periods, and help people understand why inclusion is so important, then I feel I’ve accomplished something I'm proud of. I feel a great sense of privilege in the role that I play.

If I didn’t have a personal brand and selected an outside brand, I would say my brand would be Beyoncé (mostly because I am a huge fan).

Thank you Annabelle, for sharing your inspiring story and powerful words with the WIN Community!

Edited by Gabrielle Andrade

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WIN Spotlight: Annabelle Williams