"You can't have everything, but you can have anything" with Elizabeth Brennan
"If I haven't thought about a wicked problem by morning tea, then it's almost like I haven't lived my day properly. I feel and think about things deeply."
Elizabeth (Liz) Brennan is a force to be reckoned with. This chat is one of those really powerful conversations where you leave feeling revved up to make impact. For Liz, the impact she wants to have is in community.
It has stemmed from having three 'rock-star' parents and growing up in the small farming community with a 'can-do' mindset - Wongan Hills in Western Australia. And whilst Liz always loved agriculture, she couldn't see herself returning to the family farm.
Instead, Liz intertwined commerce, marketing, community development and visual arts at University in Perth. She was also really interested in war history and decided to hike Kokoda with a friend. Liz instantly fell in love with Papua New Guinea (PNG) and ended up moving there, completely fascinated by the way they produced food and able to create secure food systems for their people.
During her time in PNG, Liz often found herself being the only woman in the room, or the only 'whitey'. The way Liz is able to describe her journey to owning who she is and having confidence is really relatable. She says, "If I don't own my own sparkle, it doesn't give others permission to shine."
Liz recently relocated to Kununurra and she feels she is "slowly being chosen by Kununurra". She spends her weekends chasing waterfalls and dedicates her time to finding her place in the community which she finds infinitely fascinating.
Some more parts about Liz that we chat about:
She completed course 21 of the Australian Rural Leadership Program
She was the President Australian Women in Agriculture
She’s the Managing Director of AgDots - a consultancy business she co-founded and loves solving big, meaty problems alongside her other ‘dotty’ people
Authenticity is her greatest value
She loves her netball
An hour or so with Liz isn't long enough for her wealth of knowledge, so we might have to bring her back down the track!