Breaking Barriers: Women in Tourism Career Accelerator

Breaking Barriers: Women in Tourism Leadership & the Career Accelerator

Episode Summary: In this episode, Michelle is joined by three incredible wahine toa who are making waves in the tourism and leadership space: Alex Dykman from Grow Tourism, and Kristen Lunman and Natalie Ferguson from PowrSuit. They discuss the challenges and opportunities for women in tourism, the gender leadership gap, and why now is the time to take action.

The conversation covers the launch of the Women in Tourism Career Accelerator, a groundbreaking initiative designed to equip women with the skills, networks, and confidence to step into leadership roles within the visitor economy. They explore the barriers that have historically held women back, the power of networking, and how small, actionable steps can lead to major change in the industry.

With real-world examples of businesses already leading the way, insights from experts, and practical advice for women looking to advance their careers, this episode is an essential listen for anyone passionate about diversity, leadership, and the future of tourism.

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What You'll Learn in This Episode:

• The current gender leadership gap in tourism and why it needs to change.

• How the Women in Tourism Career Accelerator is designed to support career progression.

• Why networking is key to success and how to approach it in a way that feels natural.

• The biggest barriers to women in leadership and how we can overcome them.

• Success stories from tourism businesses leading the way in diversity.

• How to take control of your personal brand and position yourself for leadership.

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Guests:

• Alex Dykman (Grow Tourism) – Founder of Maverick Digital & Grow Tourism, dedicated to building a stronger and more future-ready tourism industry by investing in its people.

• Kristen Lunman, Co-founder, Powrsuit 

  From a family of entrepreneurs, Kristen is attracted to challenging the status quo. Her startup journey in New Zealand started with Wipster, a video SaaS solution. Until 2021, she was the co-founder and CEO of Hatch, an investment app. More recently, she is one half of the dynamic duo behind Powrsuit, a career accelerator for women on the way up. When she does have spare time, it's spent with her family on the sidelines or on a surfboard.

• Natalie Ferguson, Co-founder, Powrsuit

  Nat caught the entrepreneurial bug at university, and at 19, embarked on her first venture. Twenty years on, she’s had multiple exits, a few painful failures, and everything in between. With a knack for tackling complex problems, Nat changed the wealth-building behaviour of nearly 200,000 customers through her last startup, Hatch. Now, she’s closing the gender leadership gap with Powrsuit, a career accelerator for women at every stage.

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Resources & Links:

• Women in Tourism Career Accelerator: Sign up for early bird pricing

• Get more Powrsuit: Every week, on our newsletter and podcast, deep dive into one self-leadership skill or challenge, complete with a 30-second action.  Listen: https://open.spotify.com/show/2sC4y2gnTFmLRbSLHd7CLh and Sign up:  https://powrsuit.com/newsletters/ 

• Grow Tourism: https://growtourism.com/ 

• PowerSuit Newsletter: Connect with our guests:

  • Alex – https://www.linkedin.com/in/adykman/ 

  • Kristen – https://www.linkedin.com/in/kristen-lunman/ 

  • Natalie – https://www.linkedin.com/in/natalieferguson/ 

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Take Action: Kristen’s challenge for listeners: In your next meeting, say one thing! Whether it’s a question, comment, or idea—start making your voice heard. Small actions lead to big change.

Join the conversation and share your thoughts on social media using #WomenInTourism #PowerSuit #GrowTourism. Let’s work together to close the leadership gap in tourism!

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