Four Aussie women who are absolutely killing it at the moment

It's International Women's Day (IWD) and there really is no time like the present to celebrate a handful of Aussie women who are girl bossing it so hard, the Sun was a bit perturbed by how brightly they shine.

And, before any man out there says 'when is International Men's Day', it is November 19 so you can pipe down until then.

But, for now, let's appreciate some radical Australian women doing great things both Down Under and around the globe.

Hannah Ferguson - Founder and Chief Executive Officer of Cheek Media Co

Hannah founded Cheek at the end of 2020, after watching the rise and fall of outlets with youthful audiences fail 'to make news that takes the opinions and beliefs of young people seriously'.

"I wanted to break down the news, explain the jargon and articulate ideas without the complexity. Cheek has always been about cutting through the s**t, and we had no idea that we were starting something that would be so desperately needed over the last two years," she told LADbible.

Cheek was formed from the idea that 'this is what our younger selves needed', and she reckons it continues to align with that mission statement.

And it's not just for women, but anyone with progressive views that didn't have a media outlet that matched or listened to their own voice.

"It's more about articulating complex ideas in simple ways and having hard conversations and engaging in healthy debate, and that goes above and beyond the idea that it's just aimed at feminists or people already in this space," she said.

"I want disagreement and I want people to feel challenged and examine bias and practice communicating their own thoughts and feelings. It's important that we have this platform and community to ensure people feel represented and heard, but it's still very much a work in progress."

Further to that, she would like to see a Royal Commission into Rupert Murdoch's News Corp and their practices and their monopoly on the press landscape.

"There has been a lack of governmental response to what remains a narrowcasting, conservative media landscape that thrives on extremism... at present the narratives are singular and the media has become a political organ, instead of a vital arm of democracy," she said.

As for International Women's Day, what concerns her is the corporatisation of the day mitigating its actual purpose.

"[It] thrives on concealing discrimination, gender inequality and exploitation through pink cupcakes and tokenistic emails," she said.

But it does give us a chance to recognise these behaviours and change.

She added: "I think IWD is a great day to reflect on how we've gotten here and sit in the discomfort and consider the small, immediate changes you can make to disrupt the normal."

Allyson Horn - ABC foreign correspondent for the Middle East

Allyson grew up in country NSW but always had her eyes set on a foreign correspondent role. It was tough, leaving her home, family, and friends behind to take her husband and daughter to the Middle East, but this determined reporter did it.

Now she is in her dream job and with her family on the other side of the world in Israel.

And not in a warzone, of course.

Now she's there, the mum guilt is real.

Amongst rushing to file stories across the Middle East and beyond, right at the centre of her life, is her two year old daughter Aurelia.

"It is a constant struggle," Allyson explained when asked how she juggles being a mum and an international reporter.

"You’re constantly torn between work and your family life, although I’d say that’s not restricted to being a foreign correspondent, but all forms of work.

"What can make this role particularly challenging with a child is the constant travel away from my daughter, often for extended periods of time.

"When I am here, I’m often not physically (or mentally) available - which is hard for a two year old to understand. For example, a few months ago there was an early morning bomb attack in Jerusalem and I remember my daughter howling and screaming as I had to quickly rush away from her to leave for the scene and file.

"And they are big, long days which means sometimes I don’t get to see her, which I find very hard."

But behind every kickass woman is her support system, and that comes in the form of her husband, Cam.

"I’m very fortunate my husband is a stay-at-home Dad with our daughter, and provides the stability and consistency for our family," Allyson said, before adding that she still struggles with 'enormous guilt' that she can no longer provide that.

But then there is the other mental toll of being a foreign correspondent.

As someone sent into war zones, she sees a tremendous amount of trauma first-hand.

But, as a strong, determined, and compassionate woman she carries on. Here's why.

"My most recent assignment covering the catastrophic Turkiye earthquake is something I will never forget… The smell of dead bodies, getting stronger each day, will also never leave me," she said.

She revealed a particularly tough assignment was when she was on the ground after bombings between Israel and Gaza last year.

"I was with families in Gaza and they were burying the innocent children who had been caught in the crossfire of fighting. The grief of families, and seeing the bodies of these small children laid down into the dirt, is hard to process," she said.

"So often these families tell me the one thing I can do in that moment, is to show the rest of the world what is happening there. To show and share their stories - so they know other people care."

So there is the crux of the issue: these stories, while hard to see and hear, are critically important for humanity to witness and to learn from.

Without women like Allyson, they wouldn't be possible.

Chantelle Otten - Director of the Australian Institute of Sexology and Sexual Medicine and Psycho–Sexologist

Chantelle Otten is here to teach us that 'sex' is not a dirty word.

Instead, she is hustling to normalise sexual wellness and to show us that sexual health and happiness is essential for everyone.

Otten wants everyone to know that the orgasm - both male and female - should not be shied away from.

She's also a consultant for Bumble Australia as well as Lovehoney’s official Australian Sexual Health and Wellness Ambassador, so she's a busy bee.

"[Sexuality] is taboo because a lot of people don’t know much about it, and there are some very backwards mentalities around what sexuality has to be," she told Harper's Bazaar.

"At the end of the day, it is an important part of the quality of life and is individualised, so it’s best not to judge, and to continue learning as much as possible about your own sexuality."

Otten is a woman working hard to initiate a societal change to make the world a sex positive and inclusive space to be.

She told Women's Health in 2021: "I felt like there was a gap here, that there was something we really needed to know around sexuality and it was the basics.

"I’m not even telling you how to have the most amazing time in the bedroom or how to make your sex life super raunchy, I’m just telling you about what you should know to make you feel confident and, I guess, empowered in the bedroom first and foremost."

Taryn Brumfitt - Australian of the Year, director, and body image activist

As far as great Aussie women go, it is hard to go past our very own 2023 Australian of the Year Taryn Brumfitt.

The South Australian activist is the woman behind The Embrace Collective, which is an organisation that pushes for a paradigm shift towards better body image, both now and for generations to come.

She always gets asked if promoting body positivity is a movement that promotes obesity.

And the answer? Nope.

“This is not about encouraging obesity; this is not what I do,” Brumfitt said in her Australian of the Year acceptance speech.

The former bodybuilder and documentary filmmaker of Embrace sparked a national conversation with her Australian of the Year appointment about body image, obesity, weight stigma and what it means to be truly healthy.

She told the ABC: “We really need to help our kids across Australia and the world because the rates of suicide, eating disorders, anxiety, depression, steroid use, all on the increase related to body dissatisfaction."

She added: "We can prevent any child growing up with a dysfunctional relationship with their body because we weren't born into the world hating our body.”

In her role as Australian of the Year, Taryn wants to focus on promoting a positive image of self in schools, helping kids to love the skin they are in.

As well as writing a children’s book on the issue of body image, she has made a kid’s version of her documentary and gives talks in schools around Australia.

She hopes to reach more than one million school children this year about body positivity.

"It's going to be the kids that say, 'Hey Mum and Dad, don't talk about your bodies like that'," she said, as per the ABC.

So there you have it folks.

Three Aussie women to watch as they shake things up and make their own - and others - heard in their own different ways. Happy International Women's Day, especially to all of the go-getter gals out there like these three.