The Sydney Feminists

It's 7:30 on a Tuesday night, and I'm surrounded by other women, of all shapes, sizes and ages, wearing very little and having the time of their lives. The music is pumping, everyone is chatting animatedly, and waiting to go in for their classes. It's pole time and there's not a gym-bro in sight. I first found my way to pole three years ago, after I'd started getting involved in weight lifting. I was missing aspects of my performing days, and looking for something that blended the two - and I confess, I've always been a sucker for exercise that incorporates fun outfits and great music. Learning to appreciate my body for what it can do rather than what it looks like was a long journey, and one that regular exercising - especially weight-lifting - started. But I was still riddled with body issues - still worried about getting too big, still watching every bite that went into my mouth like a hawk, and still treating food, and my body, as something to wrestle w...

Review:  Power Up: How Smart Women Win in the New Economy by Magdalena Yesil (Review copy provided courtesy of the publisher) Magdalena Yesil travelled from Turkey to the United States to go to college and became a pioneering entrepreneur in Silicon Valley. Most recently, she’s known for early investment in Salesforce, now a multibillion dollar company and cofounder of Broadway Angels, a group of female investors that invest in start-ups. Power Up is written for women building careers in tech, but really, it is applicable to anyone building a professional or business career. Yesil offers realistic advice about building a career in male dominated business including guidance on topics that people (but especially women) can struggle with, like sexual dynamics, getting credit for work and pay imbalances among other things. It’s an effortless book to devour, mostly because Yesil’s voice comes through clear, personal and genuine. Her story is inspiring and you are immedi...