Generation Women Melbourne — Nevertheless, She Persisted: Stories of resistance, resilience and revolution
💪 Nevertheless, She Persisted: When giving up wasn’t an option
Ever had one of those moments where quitting would’ve been easier? We all have. But sometimes the power is in getting back up, saying it out loud or laughing in the face of ‘no’. This show is about those moments. Six women, six decades, each sharing a story of persistence that will make you laugh, nod along and maybe even tear up.
If you’ve ever had to power through a ‘you can’t do that’ moment or kept going when the universe threw every obstacle your way, this night is for you. These stories will make you laugh at the setbacks, cheer for the comebacks and leave knowing persistence isn’t glamorous...but it’s how we change the game.
💫 Our Performer Line-up:
Team 20s: Lilian James is an emerging writer and playwright based in Naarm/Melbourne. She completed her bachelor’s degree in English at the Australian National University and graduated from the VCA Master of Theatre (Writing) in 2026, where she wrote her full-length play, Truth Dare Pash. Her short fiction has appeared in The Big Issue Fiction Edition.
Team 30s: Connie Cao is a passionate urban permaculture gardener, content creator and author of Your Asian Veggie Patch. She writes for ABC Organic Gardener magazine, is the resident garden columnist for The Design Files, and a regular guest on ABC Radio Melbourne and 3CR Gardening Show.
Team 40s: Koraly Dimitriadis is a Cypriot-Australian multidisciplinary artist and author of a number of poetry and short story collections, including Love and Fk Poems and The Mother Must Die. Her theatre show, I Say the Wrong Things All the Time, was staged at La Mama Theatre, and her award-winning poetry film Yiayia Mou (My Grandmother) screened on SBS. Her essays and opinion pieces have appeared in The Washington Post, The Guardian and Al Jazeera.
Team 50s: Mariam Issa is a visionary community builder, life coach, author and educator who believes storytelling can transform lives. Drawing on her African heritage and Islamic faith, she creates spaces for women to connect, honour their stories and turn adversity into strength, joy and purposeful lives through compassion, conversation and community.
Team 60s: Michelle McCann is an experienced adult educator with over 20 years in community and social care training. A passionate unionist and lifelong political activist, she has championed LGBTQIA+, workers, disability and women’s rights since childhood. She brings energy, curiosity and a strong commitment to fairness, inclusion and humanity to everything she does.
Team 70s+: Liz Hicklin is an author, poet, raconteur — and, at 95, a late-blooming comedy sensation living on Victoria’s Mornington Peninsula. Proving that ageing is less about slowing down and more about stepping up, Liz launched her comedy career at 92 at the St Kilda Tap House, and recently performed her debut one-woman, sell-out show, which she is currently touring.
About Generation Women
Generation Women is a global storytelling movement that celebrates women’s voices across the decades.
Founded in New York in 2017, Generation Women launched in Sydney in 2018 and Melbourne in 2020. Every show features six storytellers — one from each decade of life, from her 20s to her 70s+ — sharing original stories on a shared theme.
Why Generation Women Australia?
Generation Women Australia is proudly award-winning and is the only chapter in the world to offer an ongoing membership program, giving our community even more ways to connect, belong and grow between shows.
This event is presented by Generation Women Australia, founded by Donna Logue. The show will be hosted by Rebecca Lister.
Generation Women was originally created by Georgia Clark in New York.
Event Details
📍 Howler
7–11 Dawson St, Brunswick VIC 3056
🕢 Doors at 6:30 PM
🎤 Show at 7:00 PM
Want to feel even more connected?
✨ Membership is Now Open!
If you love our nights, don’t let the stories stop here. Join Generation Women Australia as a member and be part of the movement all year round.
🎁 What You Get as a Member
✔️ 120 brand-new true stories every year (20 live shows, 6 storytellers per show)
✔️ $1,000+ library included — 30+ full shows on video & audio, instantly
✔️ A searchable story library — find what you need by theme, generation, or mood
✔️ An exclusive member hub — reflect, connect, or simply watch quietly
✔️ 1:1 welcome concierge — real human support to help you settle in
✔️ Member-only bonuses — surprise giveaways + perks
✔️ Discounted tickets — save every time on Sydney & Melbourne live shows
💛 Membership is open right now in Melbourne — join us today and make sure women’s voices stay seen, heard, and celebrated.
Already a member? Don’t forget to enter your discount code at checkout for $10 off your ticket.
Generation Women Sydney — Nevertheless, She Persisted: Stories of resistance, resilience and revolution
💪 Nevertheless, She Persisted: When giving up wasn’t an option
Ever had one of those moments where quitting would’ve been easier? We all have. But sometimes the power is in getting back up, saying it out loud or laughing in the face of ‘no’. This show is about those moments. Six women, six decades, each sharing a story of persistence that will make you laugh, nod along and maybe even tear up.
If you’ve ever had to power through a ‘you can’t do that’ moment or kept going when the universe threw every obstacle your way, this night is for you. These stories will make you laugh at the setbacks, cheer for the comebacks and leave knowing persistence isn’t glamorous...but it’s how we change the game.
💫 Our Performer Line-up:
Team 20s: Born in Nigeria and raised in South-West Sydney, Esther Adeyinka is passionate about amplifying diverse voices in decision-making spaces, particularly the voices of young, diverse women. She is a lawyer, has sat on various government advisory boards, is always working on a side hustle and is, most importantly, the self-proclaimed queen of thrift shopping.
Team 30s: Giselle Moor is a speaker, writer and backpacker who took a once-in-a-lifetime trip across 17 countries with her wheelchair. She's also a disco lover and marathon runner who believes the only labels worth wearing are the ones you choose yourself.
Team 40s: Sushmitha Karnati is a technology leader based in Sydney with over 15 years of industry experience. Her story reflects the power of persistence, resilience, and staying strong through change. She is passionate about growth, learning from challenges, and encouraging others to move forward with confidence and purpose.
Team 50s: Heather Ahlfeld is a former executive protection specialist, providing discreet security for international celebrities and high-profile clients across Australia. Known for her low-profile, intelligence-led approach, Heather brought a quiet authority to her work — grounded in sharp situational awareness, calm professional judgement and an unwavering commitment to discretion.
Team 60s: Heather Hawkins is an author, adventurer, ultra runner, advocate, speaker and mother of two. But this was not always the case. . . In 2007, while recovering from surgery for ovarian cancer, Heather made a promise to herself to become fitter and braver, and to find a way to reignite her sense of adventure. That decision would change her life forever.
Team 70s+: Carol Bennett became an ‘accidental activist’ after retiring and moving from Sydney to rural NSW, when she became involved in fighting to save the local valley from coal seam gas and open cut coal mines. A founding member of the Gloucester Knitting Nannas Against Gas & Greed, she became a spokesperson for the organisation, addressing rallies and conferences across Australia to save our land, air and water for future generations.
About Generation Women
Generation Women is a global storytelling movement that celebrates women’s voices across the decades.
Founded in New York in 2017, Generation Women launched in Sydney in 2018 and Melbourne in 2020. Every show features six storytellers — one from each decade of life, from her 20s to her 70s+ — sharing original stories on a shared theme.
Why Generation Women Australia?
Generation Women Australia is proudly award-winning and is the only chapter in the world to offer an ongoing membership program, giving our community even more ways to connect, belong and grow between shows.
This event is proudly presented by Generation Women Australia, founded by Donna Logue, and hosted by Charlie.
Generation Women was originally created by Georgia Clark in New York.
Event Details
📍 The Beresford
354 Bourke St, Surry Hills NSW 2016
🕢 Doors at 6:30 PM
🎤 Show at 7:00 PM
Want to feel even more connected?
✨ Membership is Now Open!
If you love our nights, don’t let the stories stop here. Join Generation Women Australia as a member and be part of the movement all year round.
🎁 What You Get as a Member
✔️ 120 brand-new true stories every year (20 live shows, 6 storytellers per show)
✔️ $1,000+ library included — 30+ full shows on video & audio, instantly
✔️ A searchable story library — find what you need by theme, generation, or mood
✔️ An exclusive member hub — reflect, connect, or simply watch quietly
✔️ 1:1 welcome concierge — real human support to help you settle in
✔️ Member-only bonuses — surprise giveaways + perks
✔️ Discounted tickets — save every time on Sydney & Melbourne live shows
💛 Membership is open right now in Sydney, join us today and make sure women’s voices stay seen, heard, and celebrated.
Already a member? Don’t forget to enter your discount code at checkout for $10 off your ticket.
Generation Women Australia — On the Road: Mudgee
Resilient & Rural: Joy in Unexpected Places
Regional life brings its share of challenges, but also surprising moments of joy. These stories explore resilience, individuality and the beauty found in places others might overlook. They remind us that even in the toughest conditions, joy can be found — often where we least expect it.
This event is presented by Generation Women Australia, founded by Donna Logue, and hosted by Summer Land. Summer is an author and ghostwriter of 15 books, including The Last Victim with Tracy Hall, and most recently, Natalie Bassingthwaighte's memoir, Love Like This. Known for her sharp wit, intense curiosity and deeply empathetic nature, Summer is passionate about helping tell stories that inspire a more connected, compassionate and creative world.
This event is proudly supported by Watershed Women Mudgee and funded by Create NSW.
💫 Our Performer Line-up:
Team 20s: Manjot Kaur is a climate advocate from Mudgee. At 17, she helped lead Sydney’s first School Strike 4 Climate, organising Australia’s largest protests. She today works at Nature Conservation Council of NSW, campaigning against fossil fuel expansion. She believes in the power of storytelling to move hearts and minds to protect nature. She uses cultural arts like Bollywood dancing to engage diverse, especially South Asian, communities in her advocacy.
Team 30s: Kesh Mudaly is a biodynamic viticulturist and Assistant Vineyard Manager at Lowe Family Wine Co. With eight years in the wine industry and a background in architecture and teaching, she brings a holistic, regenerative approach to farming. Passionate about soil, sustainability, and storytelling, she weaves together science, intuition, and rich lived experience.
Team 40s: Kate Day is an award-winning winemaker, entrepreneur and regional trailblazer who’s built a wine business her way, no vineyard, no rulebook, no compromise. One half of the duo behind Two Pairs and In Two Minds, she also manages the Doctors 4 Mudgee Region initiative, proving her impact extends well beyond wine.
Team 50s: Jude Bowler is best known for her astute character-comedy in kooky cabaret/theatre circles. An Independent Performer/Writer/Producer/Creative Collaborator, her career began in Sydney’s 1990s LGBTQI dance party scene. She’s been creating shows ever since, performing nationally and internationally, working big cities + small towns, from mainstage to main street, to entertain, amuse & inform.
Team 60s: Annie Sievers is a former teacher, personal trainer, collaborative family lawyer, accredited mediator, and founder of Bodies Before Business — a coaching practice supporting lawyers and high-performing professionals to lead sustainably and thrive personally. She lives and works across Sydney and regional New South Wales.
Team 70s+ (stepping in): Victoria Smith-Webb has done it all — and done it on her own terms. Thirty years in corporate brand and direct marketing in Sydney gave way to a reimagined life in Mudgee, where she's thrown herself into tourism, regional media, and ten fun years celebrating love as an Authorised Marriage Celebrant. An international traveller, avid reader, and committed community volunteer, Victoria brings warmth, curiosity, and hard-won wisdom to everything she touches — and an unshakeable dedication to living fully.
About Generation Women
Generation Women is a global storytelling movement that celebrates women’s voices across the decades.
Founded in New York in 2017, Generation Women launched in Sydney in 2018 and Melbourne in 2020. Every show features six storytellers — one from each decade of life, from her 20s to her 70s+ — sharing original stories on a shared theme.
Why Generation Women Australia?
Generation Women Australia is proudly award-winning and is the only chapter in the world to offer an ongoing membership program, giving our community even more ways to connect, belong and grow between shows.
This event is proudly presented by Generation Women Australia, founded by Donna Logue, and hosted by Charlie.
Generation Women was originally created by Georgia Clark in New York.
Event Details
📍 Mudgee Town Hall Theatre
64 Market Street, Mudgee NSW 2850
🕢 Doors at 6:30 PM
🎤 Show at 7:00 PM
Want to feel even more connected?
✨ Membership is Now Open!
If you love our nights, don’t let the stories stop here. Join Generation Women Australia as a member and be part of the movement all year round.
🎁 What You Get as a Member
✔️ 120 brand-new true stories every year (20 live shows, 6 storytellers per show)
✔️ $1,000+ library included — 30+ full shows on video & audio, instantly
✔️ A searchable story library — find what you need by theme, generation, or mood
✔️ An exclusive member hub — reflect, connect, or simply watch quietly
✔️ 1:1 welcome concierge — real human support to help you settle in
✔️ Member-only bonuses — surprise giveaways + perks
✔️ Discounted tickets — save every time on Sydney & Melbourne live shows
💛 Membership is open right now in Sydney, join us today and make sure women’s voices stay seen, heard, and celebrated.
Already a member? Don’t forget to enter your discount code at checkout for $10 off your ticket.