International Women’s Day was on Sunday the 8th of March, 2026. To help celebrate this day, we’ve handed the blog over to Gill White, one of our Consulting Scientists to talk about how some of the programs at Gaia Resources provide support, and what the day means to her.
The theme of this year’s International Women’s Day, Give to Gain, inspired me to share my story about giving to, and gaining from, a women’s empowerment organisation - Woman Within - and to reflect on the way this has interwoven with my work at Gaia Resources.
Woman Within offers all women the opportunity to discover and connect with their own innate wisdom and power, through a series of workshops and women’s circles. A women’s circle is a safe space, co-created by the women present, where each woman has the opportunity to speak from the heart without interruption, judgement or advice.
I joined my first women’s circle in 2011, where I was welcomed by an amazing community of supportive women. Within the circle, I feel seen, heard and accepted exactly as I am. And, in the quiet space created by the no-interruption and no-advice etiquette, I’m able to look inward to discover my own answers, my own wisdom and confidence. I’ve also learnt so much from deeply listening to the wisdom of other women in the circle. It’s been a huge honour to co-create the circle each fortnight, and to witness and support each woman on her own journey.
Having gained so much over the past 15 years, I wanted to give back to this amazing women’s organisation, so I volunteered to serve as the Secretary for the Australian branch.
This involved lots of logistics and online paperwork, and also the opportunity to contribute to the future of a community dedicated to empowering women. Having recently completed my two-year term volunteering as Secretary, I’ve been reflecting on the interconnections with my work at Gaia Resources.
Back in 2021, Gaia Resources began a training program that encourages us to develop skills around emotional regulation and team dynamics, and gives us a common language and toolkit to use when we face challenges at work. I’ve noticed many similarities between this toolkit and the techniques I’ve learnt in women’s circle, including deep listening, identifying emotions, setting boundaries and clear communication models. These similarities have allowed me to develop and ‘cross-pollinate’ my skills between work and the women’s circle.
Also, on a very practical level, the experience I’ve gained with using the Google Suite (Google Drive, Google Docs, etc) at Gaia Resources proved invaluable during my volunteer work using the same software suite.
I am incredibly grateful for the flexible working hours offered at Gaia Resources; this has enabled me to attend early evening circle meetings and committee meetings, and has allowed me to strike a balance between my work at Gaia Resources and my involvement in women’s empowerment, both of which are ultimately about making the world a better place.
Gill