Episode 17: “As fierce as f*&k and as compassionate as Buddha” with Marion Fulker

Welcome to episode #17 of The Thought Leader Show, hosted by Bec Sands and Andrés López-Varela. This ep is available on Spotify and Apple Podcasts, and if you enjoy it, we would love it if you could please subscribe, leave a review, and share it with your friends.

In this ep, we interview Marion Fulker, CEO, board director, researcher, speaker and writer. Marion is the Chair of Perth Zoo and a Director of Infrastructure Australia. She also runs a coaching and mentoring practice and writes opinion pieces on economic and societal issues for WA Business News. Driven by the need for evidence-based policy and reform, Marion has overseen the creation of more than 160 pieces of research to help shape Perth's future. 

Known for leading the Filling the Pool study, which provided a roadmap of 31 interlocking recommendations to advance women’s participation and progression in the workforce, Marion is a champion for gender equality. Sharing her personal story of being a domestic violence survivor in 2018 as part of the government’s 16 Days to End Domestic Violence Campaign, Marion is an advocate of the need to end this scourge on society. Marion is also a former Telstra Businesswoman of the Year winner, an inductee into the WA Women’s Hall of Fame and was named as Australia’s 100 Women of Influence by the AFR and Westpac.

Show Notes

00:07 Introduction to The Thought Leader Show and our guest today, Marion Fulker 

03:40 Marion’s career journey in a nutshell and how she’s created a dream business for herself

06:24 The ‘dark secret’ Marion held and how she finally told her story of being a domestic violence survivor 

07:50 Why Marion defines her personal brand – “as fierce as f*&k and as compassionate as Buddha” 

18:00 Steps Marion took to build her personal brand and key learnings that supported her 

22:43 Mindset challenges Marion has overcome to get to where she is today

26:00 How Marion prepares for public appearances, the rewards system she’s developed for doing scary things, and why it’s so important to take on feedback

31:40 The ‘Thought Leader Five’ rapid-fire questions with Marion

Connect: 

https://www.linkedin.com/in/marion-fulker-am/ 

Further resources:

To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee 

The Thought Leader Show features in the Feedspot Top 45 Australian Leadership Podcasts