12th June, National Hockey Centre
Women in Business, proudly supported by Phone Plus Group and Purple Ink
On a blustery winter’s day, more than 90 of North Harbour’s women business leaders gathered at the National Hockey Centre to hear a truly inspirational speaker.
At age 14, Genevieve Mora watched the six o’clock news and was so distressed by some of the imagery that it sent her into a spiral of mental illness, which persisted for most of her teenage years. Eventually, with the support of family and practitioners, she “got her smile back”.
An essential part of her recovery has been to offer support to others battling mental health issues. With Jazz Thornton in 2017, Genevieve co-founded Voices of Hope as a platform for people to share their stories and help dispel the ridiculous idea that mental illness is somehow shameful or the fault of the person experiencing it.
Genevieve generously and openly told her own story and explained the valuable lessons she’s learned, both as someone who struggled with their mental wellbeing and as a female entrepreneur.
The term “emotional rollercoaster” may sometimes be overused. Not in this case.
From put-downs (such as the appalling online troll who described her and Jazz as silly girls) to extraordinary emails of gratitude and support. Genevieve read one from a Canadian mum whose daughter had been on the verge of taking her own life. Seeing others’ stories on Voices of Hope and realising that she wasn’t alone, helped to bring this teen back from the brink. Real stories, real impact. It was an incredibly poignant moment.
By the very nature of their work, Genevieve and Jazz have put themselves out there for scrutiny. Genevieve also spoke, therefore, about striking a balance between protecting oneself and being authentic in leadership, offering advice for women wishing to build a meaningful, heart-led brand, and reminding everyone to rest and replenish. “You can’t drink from an empty cup.”
The subsequent Q+A clearly reflected how much Genevieve’s words had resonated.
Before the event concluded, guests enjoyed one more dopamine hit! Instead of a conventional business card draw, BNH’s marketing and events manager, Bernadette Roberts, asked guests to get out their phones, find a photo that made them happy and show this to someone they didn’t know. Three of the room’s biggest smiles and loudest laughs were awarded prizes, kindly donated by Ingham North Harbour.
To learn more about Voices of Hope, and how you and your organisation could support the team’s amazing work, go to thevoicesofhope.org
