In celebration of International Women’s Day, OutInCanberra approached some of the city’s most inspiring women to tell their stories. Gender inequality is still very much alive today and, as modern women, we experience our own set of challenges – in business and in life.
Rita Joyan is a public speaker, local entrepreneur and founder of ‘Unbox your Gift,’ a company focused on helping people discover their passion and how they can create a career around that passion. Rita travelled to Australia as an Afghan refugee as a child and holds her journey as her motivation to help Australians find their passion and live the life and career they want.
Hi Rita. Tell us a bit about yourself.
I started out my life in Afghanistan and came out to Australia as a refugee. Obviously the journey of a refugee is a hard one and my parents’ dream was for us to have opportunities that they never had. They wanted us to have a university education so I studied a Bachelor of Media Communications at Macquarie University in Sydney.
I took this degree into the corporate world to create my own business. I wanted to teach people how to ‘Unbox their Gift’ and find their passion and their dream job and monetise that passion.
The drive is to get out of the 9-to-5 rat race. I was always bored with my job and always waiting for Friday or annual leave. As a refugee who made it out of a war zone I want to show my gratitude to my parents and to Australia by doing something that matters and helping people unbox their gift is the way to do it.
Have you found it hard to break into a male-dominated industry?
Thinking about this question, speaking is a male-dominated industry. When you think of successful public speakers, males come to mind and that’s just because they have been in the industry longer.
Like anything new, of course it’s hard to break in to, but there is always a way to do it and discovering that is the challenge. The biggest challenge I have faced is trying to find my authentic message and voice in how I teach and speak to audiences.
It’s not hard, but it’s not easy either. You need to have a strategy in place and the hunger to see it through.
How did you overcome these challenges?
For me, it was finding the right mentor. Someone who has achieved what you want to do and can accelerate your learning to make the next steps clearer. Investing in yourself is the highest asset you can gain. If you invest in yourself and believe in your mission, you can over come any challenge.
What is the driving force behind everything you do…what keeps you motivated and driven on an everyday basis?
It’s my roots… my parents. What keeps me going is where I come from because I am blessed with the opportunity to do this. As a woman in business I can do it myself – which is something that women around the world don’t have the opportunity to do.
My parents sacrificed a huge amount in their life to get us to Australia – to safety – and to show how grateful I am for their sacrifice I continue to strive in my business and in life.
Who has been the biggest influence of your success?
My parents have definitely influenced my success. When I was 14 years old my father gave me a self-empowerment book titled ‘My TNT’ I remember this changed my perception of success and how valuable the power within you is.
I learnt that success is born within you and it’s not something crafted entirely by going to school and what you are taught. You have the opportunity to create your own success.
Beyond that, motivational speaker Anthony Robbins and Toast Masters have allowed me to dream and think outside the box to have other options in my career.
What does International Women’s Day mean to you? Is it important that we have one?
Without a doubt it’s important! Women are the lifeline. If you educate a female, you teach a village. Women are the cornerstone of any civilisation.
Afghanistan is a country of war-torn generations, yet the women who have seen this still push through and do the best they can for their children. It is hard to progress in times of turmoil but some how these women do it.
I remember reading a story about a woman who had twins yet only had enough milk in her breasts to sustain one child. These are the women we celebrate, the women who have to make these horrible, heart-wrenching decisions for survival, and there are millions of stories just like this all over the world.
In Australia, International Women’s Day means women having the opportunity to go to a board meeting, go to work and being seen as an equal voice in every situation.
The flavour that a woman can add to any situation adds a different contrast and changes the picture. The voices of today’s women allows future women to have an even greater voice.
Who are your female icons?
I have one female icon and her name is Khadija. Khadija lived 1400 years ago and was a very smart and sophisticated businesswoman, mother and wife.
At the age of 40, she proposed to a 25-year-old man, the profit Mohammad – peace be upon him. Khadija was an exporter of goods who employed a number of men in her business.
Earlier you asked about how hard it is to break into a male industry … when looking at Khadija, we have it easy. She encompasses everything that is International Women’s Day. She was a successful businesswoman, mother and wife, a visionary and proposed to one of the most influential men in history.
What’s next for Unbox your Gift and your career?
Very exciting stuff! We have an online summit called ‘How to Monetise Your Mission’ – a series where I interview 21 concrete examples of people who have been there and done that.
The series and Unbox your Gift shows that living your passion as a career is not a luxury… it’s a necessity.
Click here to our International Women’s Day Interview with Katie Doherty
