Inspirational Women for International Women's Day

As soon as people started replying it became super clear that we work with some super inspirational Quokkas. We have inspirational women at every level of our organisation. From Finance to Happiness, our Quokkas are leading the way to a better working world. Here are some of the things that people had to say about our inspirational quokkas.

Noelle

Elle says “I've been working with Noelle for quite a few years, and you'll never meet anyone as driven, as talented or as dedicated. She goes above and beyond and attacks everything in her life with incredible verve. She's an inspiration to me because she's a young woman working in Finance and absolutely smashing it.”

Anna

Michelle says “Anna is driven and highly talented - but above all else she is kind, caring and wears the biggest smile to work every day. Her warmth is contagious and makes everyone around her feel happy and comfortable in her company.“

Caroline

Joe says “Going to sound like a massive suck-up... but my manager Caroline is an amazing business leader who empowers everyone to succeed and feel confident in their abilities. Plus, she genuinely cares about creating positive change.” Pepe agrees, he says “Caroline possesses the greatest virtue of a manager: the ability to inspire and lead by action and example - not just by words. She is a calm leader who is much more expert than she would like to admit.”

Laura

Meesh says “Laura is a wonderful individual who prioritises growing authentic relationships. She is truly a people person and uses this specific superpower to support, enable and empower every Quokka at THI.”

Elle

Anna says “Elle was the first Quokka to tell me she loves me! She is so full of stories and knowledge, all told using the very best available in the English language. I find her totally inspiring and would happily be trapped in a lift with her!”

Rosanna

Alex says “I have never met anybody so genuine and passionate about everything she does. She has a love for life, people and everything in between. Rosanna is a lovely, bubbly human who inspires everyone who has the pleasure of working with her.”

Gemma

Caroline says “If you had to bottle the essence of The Happiness Index culture in one person it would be Gemma”

Meesh

Sophie says “Meesh is such an intelligent and caring person. They truly embody 'freedom to be human'. Whenever I speak to them, I always come away feeling supported and empowered. I feel privileged to have worked with them.” Veronika agrees, saying “Meesh is full of wisdom, passion, curiosity, drive and surprises. When I first met them in person we found out we both are learning/speak a bit of Korean, and since then I've always looked up to them as they're incredibly knowledgeable, kind and has taught me a thing or two in the short time I've known them. She's not afraid to speak her truth, a marvellous facilitator and has a fantastically unique energy.”

Do you want to work with some of these incredible women? Want to join as a Quokka? We don’t blame you. Find out more about working with us and our open roles today. Even if there’s not something that suits your experience perfectly, drop us a line so we can keep you in mind if something does open up!

At The Happiness Index we’re all about uniting the head and the heart. Because we know that in order to perform our best as Quokkas we need to be both happy AND engaged. That’s why we think it’s super important to recognise all the women that inspire us every day both inside and out of the workplace. 

Work-life balance is super important because it allows us to show up and be our best selves every single day. None of us are robots, and so we need the support outside of the office that helps us to be able to take on everything the world throws at us and deliver great work, day in and day out. 

Here are some of the amazing women who inspire us each and every day. 

Our Families 

Michelle says “My step-daughter, Grace, has the BIGGEST heart. She's only 11 but takes the big sister role very seriously, constantly looking out for her younger siblings. She’s protective, caring and always the first to check you’re ok if she gets even the slightest hint you’re a bit down."

Joe counts his Nan as his biggest inspiration. He says “She's endured world wars, sings on stage, she's the biggest character I know and she still plays golf every week and competes. Don't make them like her any more!”

Our Chosen Families

Elle says “My friend Steph is one of my biggest inspirations. She works really hard for her family and her community, but invariably when you speak to her she has a smile, a kind word and a listening ear. I always strive to be as dependable, kind and empathetic as Steph is.”

Anna says “Kate is like a sister to me. She puts everyone else first, her selflessness and capacity to make others feel better is mind-boggling. She is hugely funny and is insanely intelligent. She makes the world a better place for so many people every day. She's a complete Dr Who nerd as well!”

Alex counts her best friend as her soul mate; she says Samantha “has the kindest heart. I think that true soul mates are your best friend, and I am lucky she is mine. She is utterly utterly selfless, thinking of others even during her lowest times. Every moment you spend with her is happy, she will calm and ground you - even if she doesn't feel calm and grounded herself. She also makes amazing blueberry muffins…”

Our Work Families

As well as those people we work with directly on a daily basis. There are other women in our working lives we’re inspired by. 

Mark is inspired by Katharina Pesch, who he describes as “a strong driven individual who treats business the same way she would treat her friends - with respect, always willing to give time and caring.”

Matt is inspired by Shereen Daniels, who he says “helps us all to understand how to dismantle systematic racism in the workplace which is essential for The Happiness Index to achieve its vision of Freedom To Be Human. I also think Shereen should be PM.”

Chris is inspired by Helena Horton. He says “Heather is a massive inspiration because she always has a smile on her face, she's always got great energy. She works really hard AND she's always there for her three kids as well as her people. Plus she's still happily married to her husband and business partner."

Famous Women

Caroline loves Ella Fitzgerald, she says “Ella inspires me not only because I love her incredible voice but because she was fearless and strong, fighting sexism and racism to achieve her goals.”

Matt speaks for all of us when he says he’s inspired by trailblazers across the world. He says “There are too many to narrow it down to one - women who're challenging the status quo and saying 'not with me', 'no more' and going against the stream of societal conditioning, defying the odds and changing the world. Women Like the US Women's Football team, who fought for equal pay. Women like Junko Tabi, who was the first woman to climb Everest. Women like Malala Yousafzai, who raise their voice even when they're scared. Women like Shonda Rimes who is changing television by introducing more diverse representations of storytelling and casts into her shows. Women like Leah Thomas, who is an amazing intersectional environmentalist!”