BEK COND HELLO CREATIVE

WORDS

LinkedIn •

What If We Only Get One Shot At Our Dreams?

Life, in many ways, is just a process of gathering data. We try, we fail, we succeed, we recalibrate. We leave relationships, change careers, launch businesses, move cities — and even when things fall apart, we usually walk away with some clarity. There’s data. There’s closure. We can make sense of what went wrong, what went right, what we’d do differently next time. But what about the things that never made it far enough to gather data?
LinkedIn •

How Assumptions About Gender and Sexuality Shape Reality

We are born into a world where certain things are simply understood as truth—not because they are facts, but because they are deeply embedded assumptions. Heterosexuality is presumed unless proven otherwise. Power is assumed to rest in male hands unless contested. A woman is assumed to be someone’s wife, someone’s mother, or someone’s responsibility before she is assumed to be a fully autonomous entity.
LinkedIn •

White Women, Fragility, and the Failure of Performative Feminism

Not long ago, a friend reached out to me after seeing an article I had written being shared on a well-known public platform. My friend was confused. My words were there, but my name wasn’t. I hear me, but I don’t see me.
When I looked into it, I realised that the post had first been shared on someone else’s social media account. It appeared that this person had taken a screenshot of my LinkedIn post, removed my byline, and placed it among their own written content and posts.
LinkedIn •

The Relentless Backlash Against Women Who Speak Up

The constant noise from misogynists isn’t stopping women from taking up space, setting boundaries, and calling out the systems designed to work against them. If anything, the backlash is proof that they’re doing something right. Abbie Chatfield isn’t backing down. Women everywhere aren’t backing down. And for every bitter, mediocre man in a comment section whining about “modern women,” there are thousands of women watching, listening, and realising they don’t have to shrink themselves to be palatable to men who will never respect them anyway.
LinkedIn •

Selective Outrage: Why White People Only Care When Injustice Affects Them

Recently, at a Republican town hall in Idaho, Teresa Borrenpohl a white Democratic candidate, was forcibly removed by security for heckling the speakers. The footage went viral, outrage erupted, and over $120,000 was raised for her legal expenses. Meanwhile, unfolding on social media, Black communities watched and mused, This has been happening to us forever. Where was this energy before? Nothing is happening right now in the world, specifically in, is new. It’s just new to white people.
LinkedIn •

Performative Activism Won’t Save Women+

Women+ have always been on the frontlines of justice movements—only to be erased from them. The Civil Rights Movement, suffrage, and hashtag#MeToo, was built on the labour of Black women+, Indigenous women+, trans women+, and women+ of colour, yet their names are too often left out of the story. White feminism continues to dominate the narrative while the most marginalised are left to fight battles the mainstream refuses to acknowledge.

Feminism that doesn’t centre the most oppressed isn’t feminism at all—it’s just privilege protecting itself. If we’re not fighting for all of us, what are we even fighting for?
LinkedIn •

The Silencing of Antoinette Lattouf: Women, Bias, and Power in Media

Antoinette Lattouf’s sudden dismissal from the ABC has reignited long-standing conversations about press freedom, workplace discrimination, and how women—especially women of colour—are treated when they challenge dominant narratives. Her legal battle isn’t just about her; it’s about an industry that claims to value free speech and diversity but too often fails to back those principles when they become inconvenient.
LinkedIn •

Politics, Podcasts, and Power: What Abbie Chatfield’s Interview with Albo Reveals About the Future of Political Media in Australia

When Prime Minister Anthony Albanese sat down for a 90-minute interview with Abbie Chatfield, it wasn’t just political PR—it was a strategic shift in how leaders engage with voters. Meanwhile, The Hon. Peter Dutton MP declined the invitation, sticking to traditional conservative media outlets. The backlash to the interview wasn’t just about bias—it was about who gets to shape political conversations in hashtag#Australia. Why are male journalists seen as serious, while a woman with a national platform is dismissed as an “influencer”? And why is Dutton avoiding platforms that actually reach younger voters?
LinkedIn •

Marty Sheargold and the Perpetuation of Misogyny in Sports Media

If there’s one thing Australian media excels at, it’s handing a microphone to middle-aged men who think women’s sport is a joke—and only pretending to care when the backlash gets too loud. The culture of male approval runs so deep that most men would rather sit in silence than risk social discomfort. They don’t want to be the one who “ruins the joke.” They don’t want to lose status within their social circles. They don’t want to be seen as weak for defending women, as if basic respect is a threat to their masculinity.

But until men actively hold each other accountable, misogyny will continue to be excused as humour.
LinkedIn •

The State of OT Cybersecurity in 2024: ITSEC Insights and the Way Forward

OT Cybersecurity is no longer just about protecting systems—it’s about safeguarding trust and enabling operations. As we enter 2025, the challenges are clear, but so are the solutions. Seamless alignment between OT, IT, and leadership. Advanced tools for real-time visibility.
A focus on workforce skills and collaboration. The past year has demonstrated a fundamental truth: proactive measures, resilience, and collective effort will define our success. At ITSEC, we remain focused on empowering organisations to protect what truly matters.
Here’s to 2025—with clarity, purpose, and determination. Together, we can build a safer, more secure future.
Black Dog Institute | Better Mental Health •

2023: A year of working together towards better mental health

At the Black Dog Institute, we’re focused on creating better mental health outcomes for all Australians, and the past year involved the investigation and publication of new mental health and suicide prevention research, working closely with Federal, State, and Local Governments to advocate and advise on mental health programs and the future of clinical research in this sector, and the development and delivery of services and resources for our workforces, communities, families, friends, and individuals.
Black Dog Institute •

Navigating the Voice Referendum: Ensuring Respect, Empathy, and Social and Emotional Wellbeing for First Nations Australians

On Saturday, October 14, 2023, Australians will exercise their right to vote in a referendum which aims to acknowledge and recognise the First Peoples of Australia by instituting a government body, known as the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Voice.
During this process, however, there is something that non-Indigenous Australians can keep in mind: this debate carries some potential risks, and we should all actively work together as a community where possible to minimise any harm it may cause First Nations Australians.

Draft City Ballers - Futuro Magazine Interview

Roe grew up in Jackson Heights in Tampa Florida. The neighbourhood was a melting pot of different cultures, mostly Hispanic and Black. But everyone respected each other and minded their own. His Mom was only 16 and his Father was 21 when he was born, and neither of them were ready at the time to be parents, so he was raised on food stamps for the first 9 years of his life by his Grandmother Georgia, and 6 Aunties. Roe's uncles were in and out of jail and his father lived nearby, but he only saw him a handful of times.