Bronwyn Fagan has worked her way through many different things in life, just by taking the opportunities that come up and ditching the five-year plan. So what can she share with other women on boards, in business and mums?
From being a 2006 shadow winter Olympian to holding many corporate roles, board positions and as guest co-host on ABC 666 Local Grandstand, Bronwyn is a big believer in welcoming every chance to grow your career.
When Canberra Raiders chairman Allan Hawke announced Bronwyn’s appointment to the Raiders board in January this year, he made the comment that she had a seriously impressive CV for someone her age.
In this interview from The Constant Investor Success Stories podcast, she talks about how she juggles it all while being a single parent.
Crafting her ‘seriously impressive’ and diverse CV wouldn’t have been possible without embracing almost every opportunity to come her way.
She prefers this approach to a five-year plan, not necessarily seeking out promotions and opportunities in line with a structured career path but instead having the flexibility of considering opportunities as they come her way. When they do, she says “I’m not very good at saying no!”
Although her habit of saying yes may yielded mixed results on some occasions, Bronwyn believes there’s always a lesson to learn from each experience and who knows where it will lead you.
From training as an elite athlete at the AIS to juggling her career as a lawyer, presenter, board member and mum to two young daughters, Bronwyn knows prioritizing her health is key to keeping up with, and enjoying!, her portfolio of commitments.
Bronwyn points to the tried and true advice of simply eating healthy, regular meals and listening to your body when you need to slow down and take some time out for yourself.
It’s not just a healthy body that allows Bronwyn to keep her multitude of commitments ticking over. Excellent time management is an essential habit when it comes to running her career and household.
“A bit of a machine” by her own admission, Bronwyn is clear on her tasks and priorities and squeezes the most out of each day by sticking to a schedule that works for her.
She puts her five and seven-year-old daughters to bed at the same time each evening and then continues on with work at home.
While at work during the day, she’ll put aside any tasks she can tackle later in the evening without distraction and focus on what needs to be done while in the office.
Bronwyn ‘s priority is to provide her girls with as many opportunities as possible. Number one on the list is an excellent education.
She’s a single mum and sole bread winner for the family but sound financial practices mean she can afford to send both her daughters to Canberra Girls Grammar School.
Her advice for finances, like eating well for health, is simple but effective: live within your means.
Downsizing to a smaller home when she became a single parent meant mortgage repayments were easier to manage and there was more money in the budget to put aside for her girl’s education and family holidays.
Bronwyn has a clear understanding of her financial commitments and the bills that need to be paid each month and has made choices on where she works and what she does based on those commitments.
She knows having everything you want isn’t always possible and prioritizes her financial decisions to reach the goals most important to her and her family “Be realistic about what you want and what’s important and the reasons you are doing something…is it worth it?”
