In this episode we speak with Grace Molloy, CEO and Founder of Menopause Friendly Australia. Grace is an Australian Registered Nurse with a Big 4 background in financial audit, business development and commercial partnership and is a Telstra Best of Business Award Winner. In this episode, we unpack why Grace started the business in Australia, why it is so very much needed from a productivity and psychological safety perspective, why men need to tune into and get comfortable talking about menopause and why we need to act now:
Menopause contributes to the gender pay gap because women retire 7.4 years earlier than men, often during their prime leadership years.
Despite intending to retire around the age of 64, the average age of retirement for women is 52 with menopause symptoms being a contributing factor.
81% of women aged between 45-54 are in paid employment. In 1980, this figure stood at just 47%.

If that isn’t business case to recover talent I don’t know what is. But we know this is a challenging space, so Grace and her team has helped get workplaces started, jump onto menopausefriendly.au, maybe start with the free checklist and then connect with Grace to get your workplace started or progressed in being menopause friendly.  Please enjoy Grace Molloy, she embodies grace under fire.

In this episode we speak with Grace Molloy, CEO and Founder of Menopause Friendly Australia.&nbsp;Grace is an Australian Registered Nurse with a Big 4 background in financial audit, business development and commercial partnership and is a Telstra Best of Business Award Winner. In this episode, we unpack why Grace started the business in Australia, why it is so very much needed from a productivity and psychological safety perspective, why men need to tune into and get comfortable talking about menopause and why we need to act now:
<ul>
<li>Menopause contributes to the gender pay gap because women retire&nbsp;7.4 years&nbsp;earlier than men, often during their prime leadership years.</li>
<li>Despite intending to retire around the age of&nbsp;64, the average age of retirement for women is&nbsp;52 with menopause symptoms being a contributing factor.</li>
<li>81%&nbsp;of women aged between 45-54 are in paid employment. In 1980, this figure stood at just&nbsp;47%.</li>
</ul>
If that isn&rsquo;t business case to recover talent I don&rsquo;t know what is. But we know this is a challenging space, so Grace and her team has helped get workplaces started, jump onto menopausefriendly.au, maybe start with the free checklist and then connect with Grace to get your workplace started or progressed in being menopause friendly. &nbsp;Please enjoy Grace Molloy, she embodies grace under fire.

Business In Colour is a podcast that inspires, empowers and mobilises leaders and allies to understand and act for greater diversity. Hear our stories so that you understand our journey, our experiences and our wants. We bring to you leaders who are doing incredible work in this space. We know this work is not easy, we know the challenges leaders face. Our hope is that by listening to the leaders on the Business In Colour podcast, you make a commitment to act for positive change. Our businesses must reflect the colours of the communities we work and live in.

Hosted by Div Pillay and Sadhana Smiles.

This show is for you if you are interested in:
Leadership in Business
Workplace diversity
Inclusion practices
Innovative inclusion
Creating change 
Equity in the workplace
High performing cultures 
People and customer diversity and inclusion
Culturally diverse leadership

Get in contact with Div & Sadhana via LinkedIn 

https://www.linkedin.com/in/divpillay/

https://www.linkedin.com/in/sasmiles/

Business In Colour is a podcast that inspires, empowers and mobilises leaders and allies to understand and act for greater diversity. Hear our stories so that you understand our journey, our experiences and our wants. We bring to you leaders who are doing incredible work in this space. We know this work is not easy, we know the challenges leaders face. Our hope is that by listening to the leaders on the Business In Colour podcast, you make a commitment to act for positive change. Our businesses must reflect the colours of the communities we work and live in.
Hosted by Div Pillay and Sadhana Smiles.
This show is for you if you are interested in:
<ul>
<li>Leadership in Business</li>
<li>Workplace diversity</li>
<li>Inclusion practices</li>
<li>Innovative inclusion</li>
<li>Creating change </li>
<li>Equity in the workplace</li>
<li>High performing cultures </li>
<li>People and customer diversity and inclusion</li>
<li>Culturally diverse leadership</li>
</ul>
Get in contact with Div &amp; Sadhana via LinkedIn 
<a href="https://www.linkedin.com/in/divpillay/">https://www.linkedin.com/in/divpillay/</a>
<a href="https://www.linkedin.com/in/sasmiles/">https://www.linkedin.com/in/sasmiles/</a>

Providing inspiration to lead conversations and actions for diversity in your business

Business In Colour

Business In Colour is a podcast that inspires, empowers and mobilises leaders and allies to understand and act for greater diversity. Hear our stories so that you understand our journey, our experiences and our wants. We bring to you leaders who are doing incredible work in this space. We know this work is not easy, we know the challenges leaders face. Our hope is that by listening to the leaders on the Business In Colour podcast, you make a commitment to act for positive change. Our businesses must reflect the colours of the communities we work and live in.

Hosted by Div Pillay and Sadhana Smiles.

This show is for you if you are interested in:
Leadership in Business
Workplace diversity
Inclusion practices
Innovative inclusion
Creating change 
Equity in the workplace
High performing cultures 
People and customer diversity and inclusion
Culturally diverse leadership

Get in contact with Div & Sadhana via LinkedIn 

https://www.linkedin.com/in/divpillay/

https://www.linkedin.com/in/sasmiles/

-- 

This is a Guide Your Light Network Production | Podcasts with Purpose

www.guideyourlightnetwork.com

Business In Colour is a podcast that inspires, empowers and mobilises leaders and allies to understand and act for greater diversity. Hear our stories so that you understand our journey, our experiences and our wants. We bring to you leaders who are doing incredible work in this space. We know this work is not easy, we know the challenges leaders face. Our hope is that by listening to the leaders on the Business In Colour podcast, you make a commitment to act for positive change. Our businesses must reflect the colours of the communities we work and live in.
Hosted by Div Pillay and Sadhana Smiles.
This show is for you if you are interested in:
<ul>
<li>Leadership in Business</li>
<li>Workplace diversity</li>
<li>Inclusion practices</li>
<li>Innovative inclusion</li>
<li>Creating change </li>
<li>Equity in the workplace</li>
<li>High performing cultures </li>
<li>People and customer diversity and inclusion</li>
<li>Culturally diverse leadership</li>
</ul>
Get in contact with Div &amp; Sadhana via LinkedIn 
<a href="https://www.linkedin.com/in/divpillay/">https://www.linkedin.com/in/divpillay/</a>
<a href="https://www.linkedin.com/in/sasmiles/">https://www.linkedin.com/in/sasmiles/</a> 
-- 
This is a Guide Your Light Network Production | Podcasts with Purpose
<a href="http://www.guideyourlightnetwork.com">www.guideyourlightnetwork.com</a>

EP 136 The Menopause Gap/ Grace Molloy

In this episode of Business in Colour, Sadhana and I sit down with Associate Professor Betty Exintaris — an award-winning educator, curriculum innovator, with more than 25 years of experience shaping how students don't just learn, but belong.

Betty is also the Associate Dean of Learning and Teaching, and Associate Dean of Equity, Diversity and Inclusion at the Faculty of Pharmacy and Pharmaceutical Sciences at Monash University.

A first-generation Greek Australian, Betty brings her own lived experience to every room she walks into — and it shows. From building community programmes for isolated international students during COVID, to personally sponsoring women of colour through the promotion process by making sure their names are heard in the rooms they're not yet in — Betty does this work with a rare combination of instinct, strategy, and heart.

In this conversation, Betty takes us behind the scenes of inclusive teaching in the age of AI, the grassroots staff community MOSAIC, and what it really looks like to sponsor someone — not just mentor them — when the system isn't designed with them in mind.

She also picked up the inaugural Business in Colour Award for Sponsorship — and if you were in the room that day, you'll know exactly why.

This episode is full of practical wisdom for leaders, educators, and anyone who wants to be the kind of person who opens doors — not just holds them ajar.

✅ If this episode resonates, share it with a leader or colleague who believes in making people visible — and follow Business in Colour for more conversations like this one.

In this episode of Business in Colour, Sadhana and I sit down with Associate Professor Betty Exintaris &mdash; an award-winning educator, curriculum innovator, with more than 25 years of experience shaping how students don't just learn, but belong.
Betty is also the Associate Dean of Learning and Teaching, and Associate Dean of Equity, Diversity and Inclusion at the Faculty of Pharmacy and Pharmaceutical Sciences at Monash University.
A first-generation Greek Australian, Betty brings her own lived experience to every room she walks into &mdash; and it shows. From building community programmes for isolated international students during COVID, to personally sponsoring women of colour through the promotion process by making sure their names are heard in the rooms they're not yet in &mdash; Betty does this work with a rare combination of instinct, strategy, and heart.
In this conversation, Betty takes us behind the scenes of inclusive teaching in the age of AI, the grassroots staff community MOSAIC, and what it really looks like to sponsor someone &mdash; not just mentor them &mdash; when the system isn't designed with them in mind.
She also picked up the inaugural Business in Colour Award for Sponsorship &mdash; and if you were in the room that day, you'll know exactly why.
This episode is full of practical wisdom for leaders, educators, and anyone who wants to be the kind of person who opens doors &mdash; not just holds them ajar.
✅ If this episode resonates, share it with a leader or colleague who believes in making people visible &mdash; and follow Business in Colour for more conversations like this one.

EP 135 Making People Visible/ Betty Exintaris

In this episode, Sadhana and I talk to two remarkable women — Charmaine Panickar and Krystin Low — the worthy winners of the Business in Colour 2025 Collective Impact Award, on behalf of AGL Cultures.

Charmaine and Krystin are both Melbourne-based in-house lawyers at AGL, and the Co-Leads of AGL Cultures, one of the company’s employee-led inclusion networks, championing cultural awareness, anti-racism and belonging across the organisation.

Charmaine was born in Singapore to Indian and Chinese parents, before her family moved to Queensland in 1999. Krystin was born in Malaysia and is a first-generation Australian whose childhood moved between Melbourne and Kuala Lumpur, sparking an interest with place, language and code-switching, and how they shape who we are.

Together, they bounce off each other with such warmth that we simply couldn’t separate them. We talk about belonging as the everyday outcome of inclusion rather than a box to tick, the quiet cost of assimilation and of softening our accents and identities to fit in, how the next generation is redefining cultural identity on their own terms, and why “progress over perfection” and a strong collective voice are how real, lasting change gets made – even when the tumultuous local and global contexts try to pull us apart. Listen towards the end, as Charmaine and Christine focus on how staff led networks can influence dialogues on safety and taking a duty of care approach.

It’s a generous, insightful and deeply human conversation — so let’s get into it.

In this episode, Sadhana and I talk to two remarkable women &mdash; Charmaine Panickar and Krystin Low &mdash; the worthy winners of the Business in Colour 2025 Collective Impact Award, on behalf of AGL Cultures.
Charmaine and Krystin are both Melbourne-based in-house lawyers at AGL, and the Co-Leads of AGL Cultures, one of the company&rsquo;s employee-led inclusion networks, championing cultural awareness, anti-racism and belonging across the organisation.
Charmaine was born in Singapore to Indian and Chinese parents, before her family moved to Queensland in 1999. Krystin was born in Malaysia and is a first-generation Australian whose childhood moved between Melbourne and Kuala Lumpur, sparking an interest with place, language and code-switching, and how they shape who we are.
Together, they bounce off each other with such warmth that we simply couldn&rsquo;t separate them. We talk about belonging as the everyday outcome of inclusion rather than a box to tick, the quiet cost of assimilation and of softening our accents and identities to fit in, how the next generation is redefining cultural identity on their own terms, and why &ldquo;progress over perfection&rdquo; and a strong collective voice are how real, lasting change gets made &ndash; even when the tumultuous local and global contexts try to pull us apart. Listen towards the end, as Charmaine and Christine focus on how staff led networks can influence dialogues on safety and taking a duty of care approach.
It&rsquo;s a generous, insightful and deeply human conversation &mdash; so let&rsquo;s get into it.

EP. 134 Identity at Work/Charmaine Panickar and Krystin Low

In this episode of business in colour, I had the absolute privilege of introducing a woman whose name alone tells you who she is. Azadeh means freedom.Dastyari means those who lend a helping hand. Born during the Iranian Revolution, raised in Blacktown, Western Sydney — she embodies her name.

Azadeh will tell you she’s an accidental academic. But there is nothing accidental about what she has built. Professor Azadeh Dastyari is the Director of the Centre for Western Sydney and a Professor of Human Rights Law at Western Sydney University. She has held appointments at Harvard Law School, Georgetown University, and the European University Institute. We are proud to say that Azadeh was unanimously chosen by our independent judging panel as the winner of the Business in Colour Research Excellence Award.

In this episode, Azadeh takes us deep into Western Sydney — a region where 75% of people have a parent born overseas, where more than 100 languages are spoken. There is untapped strength in this community and Azadeh is working to shine a light through her work and her research. In this episode she shows us what is at stake when we get this wrong in our workplaces, our institutions, and our communities – when we don’t value and recognise this strength in diversity.

Azadeh also speaks directly to women of colour in this episode— to those who code-switch, who carry a lot in different work and home spaces, those who question whether they belong. Her message is both a challenge to leaders and a gift to multicultural communities and professionals.

This is a conversation about racism, rights, resilience — and the quiet, radical act of solidarity. We are so honoured to bring to you, the authentic and purpose led leadership voice of…Professor Azadeh Dastyari.

In this episode of business in colour, I had the absolute privilege of introducing a woman whose name alone tells you who she is. Azadeh means freedom. Dastyari means those who lend a helping hand. Born during the Iranian Revolution, raised in Blacktown, Western Sydney &mdash; she embodies her name.
Azadeh will tell you she&rsquo;s an accidental academic. But there is nothing accidental about what she has built. Professor Azadeh Dastyari is the Director of the Centre for Western Sydney and a Professor of Human Rights Law at Western Sydney University. She has held appointments at Harvard Law School, Georgetown University, and the European University Institute. We are proud to say that Azadeh was unanimously chosen by our independent judging panel as the winner of the Business in Colour Research Excellence Award.
In this episode, Azadeh takes us deep into Western Sydney &mdash; a region where 75% of people have a parent born overseas, where more than 100 languages are spoken. There is untapped strength in this community and Azadeh is working to shine a light through her work and her research. In this episode she shows us what is at stake when we get this wrong in our workplaces, our institutions, and our communities &ndash; when we don&rsquo;t value and recognise this strength in diversity.
Azadeh also speaks directly to women of colour in this episode&mdash; to those who code-switch, who carry a lot in different work and home spaces, those who question whether they belong. Her message is both a challenge to leaders and a gift to multicultural communities and professionals.
This is a conversation about racism, rights, resilience &mdash; and the quiet, radical act of solidarity. We are so honoured to bring to you, the authentic and purpose led leadership voice of&hellip;Professor Azadeh Dastyari.

EP 136 The Menopause Gap/ Grace Molloy

In 1 playlist(s)

Business In Colour

Social links

Follow podcast

Recent clips