International Women’s Day commenced at Santa Maria with breakfast.  Past student, Ruth Hatherley (1995), was invited to speak to the parent community about her journey since leaving the College.  Ruth spoke openly about moments in her life that required grit. Her story was powerful and demonstrated that if you persevere and keep moving toward your goals, anything is possible.

Below is an extract from Ruth’s speech.

As you climb the ladder to success remember that one hand will always be free to help someone else along the way. Resilience can be a two-way street.

In my experience, when you fail, you need the right people around you to pick you up, learn from the failure and apply those lessons to be successful in the future. I don’t think we are naturally taught to be ok with failing or to simply accept it as part of our life journey. Take stock of the situation, regroup and don’t be disillusioned if things don’t go your way.

Since I started my company I have handpicked my team, identified the networks I had to win and built a tribe in both my personal and professional lives. We respect and trust each other, and work together – all sharing the same vision. I’ve built this company from scratch and I felt it was essential for me to get the cultural foundation right because in start-up life, you fail every single day, a lot! And I mean A LOT!

Sir Richard Branson says, “every person, and especially every entrepreneur, should embrace failure with open arms. It is only through failure that we learn.”

Today, my company has a partnership with a global bank and is currently valued at around $50 million and growing. I am so proud that I built that in two years from scratch and that my ideas are making a difference.

But I have to say that what makes me the most excited is that I was resilient enough to keep pursuing my dreams and I am a better and more available mum to my little girl. I am a more grateful and supportive daughter to my parents. I have a company that lives and breathes a culture of inclusion, experimentation and innovation.

And I know who I am within myself more than ever before.

Ruth Hatherley, Founder and CEO, Moneycatcha Pty Ltd