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Katrina Ryan is the chef and co-owner of The Golden Pig Cooking School in Newstead. She shares her favourite recipes and Christmas tips for a successful holiday season.

Her favourite Christmas meal is not one that you would certainly expect. Katrina said that it was “the Christmas lunch when I found an antique ring that I had lost. I bit down on something very hard in a slice of walnut and quince jelly tart and it was the ring! It had come off when I was making the pastry a couple of weeks before. My husband had originally given it to me for Christmas when we first met. Very serendipitous!”

If you are looking for some tips to help make Christmas cooking that little bit easier, Katrina has some great ones. “Prepare as much as you can the day before, all sauces, desserts such as berry/cherry trifles and peel, bone and marinate any meat or seafood. You want to spend the morning lounging around in pyjamas opening presents!”

A love of eating and dining in restaurants as a child created Katrina’s passion for food and guided her to become a chef.

Before deciding to start up a cooking school, Katrina taught at Spirit House for many years as well as undertaking regular visits to teach at Sticky Rice Cooking School in Adelaide. “When we moved to Brisbane in 2012, I wanted to utilise my skills and create a school that offered a wide variety of lessons in different cuisines and skills as well as wine and beer education.”

A signature dish that she always seems to come back to is a salad of tea smoked salmon with fresh figs, labneh and walnuts finished with a drizzle of vincotto. While her most refreshing meal for the summer months include a Thai watermelon salad with fresh coconut, mint, coriander, lemongrass & sticky pork.

Her cooking philosophy is to “always taste everything and think about the balance of the dish or dishes that you serve together. A delicious meal has varying textures and balance between sweet, sour, salty and bitter, wet and dry, oily/heavy and light and fresh.”

The best piece of advice she received was from Andy Davies, now Head Chef at Locale, Noosa. “He taught me very early on in the kitchen to do everything as fast as you can. It holds you in good stead when you are flat out busy.

“I’m a strong believer in the adage, ‘Don’t put off until tomorrow what can be done today,’ it keeps me focused and productive.”

While the biggest lesson Katrina has learn’t over the years is “that there is no right way to do anything and to be open to different techniques and approaches.” Katrina’s proudest moment was when she was asked by prominent Australian chef Neil Perry to be his head chef at Rockpool in 1988.

Her favourite spots for a good meal in Brisbane include the Birds Nest in the Valley, Becofinos for pizza, Maru Korean BBQ and Arlette’s kitchen in Albion for a beautifully cooked classic bistro style meal.

Published on December 6, 2017 on She Society

Vulcana Women’s Circus are set to present two shows in partnership with Brisbane Powerhouse, Monsteria and The Modern Guide to Heroism and Sidekickery.

Monsteria revolves around the ideas of identity and feminine bodies, using circus to portray extreme strength, flexibility and contortion. According to Celia White, artistic director, “when the body can be twisted in unexpected ways, or turn upside down or seemingly inside out it gives us a palate of movement that can express startling, surprising, strange or ridiculous images that are fun to play with and hopefully engaging for audiences to try and untangle.”

Wanting to be in control of how bodies are being watched and to challenge the watcher by changing expectations. “Circus often sexualises or eroticises the performing women’s body and Monsteria is aiming to confound that while also owning and celebrating whatever sexuality is expressed,” Celia said.

While The Modern Guide to Heroism and Sidekickery deals with the common tropes and stereotypes that are prevalent in today’s representations of super heroes. Creator and performer, Michelle Zahner wants to ask the real questions that never seem to get answered.

Vulcana Women’s Circus are determined to empower individuals and to use the traditions of inclusiveness, strength, excitement and daring. Working with a wide range of creative people, Vulcana also focuses specifically on creating spaces for women, deaf and disabled people, LGBTIQ communities and Culturally and Linguistically Diverse (CALD) communities.

Director of Vulcana, Celia White came to performance through a street theatre company in Western Australia called Desperate Measures, but found that circus was a really exciting way of engaging audiences and creating a wow factor.

“It’s also about the potential to become an artist. For people to be able to use what they have learnt to create either fun or entertaining circus theatre performances.”

“It’s fantastic seeing strong women on stage,it’s inspiring and I think it challenges the way people think, that women are not just there to be sexualised objects. Sometimes circus can be used in that way, look at that woman, she’s so bendy and flexible and she’s got a beautiful body.”

“While we’re more interested in the circus where there are real bodies that are strong and healthy, they may be big, they may be small. But it doesn’t matter, they are strong and they have something to say,” Celia said.

According to Celia, theatre is a fantastic way to challenge stereotypes of women. “Because the voice or body of the woman performer has primacy in the theatre, all focus is on the performer and her “word” is left to resonate. It is a perfect vehicle for women to articulate their reality and present images of women alternative to those in popular culture where women’s voice are still struggling to be heard clearly.”

“It is changing but there is still a strong resistance to diversity of representation for people who identify as women without potential condemnation and unasked for sexualisation. How a woman represents herself should be her decision but the rules are still far too proscriptive,” Celia said.

Vulcana also offers classes all year round for women to come and learn new skills, we also offer mentorships, incubators and residencies. “Supporting women to have confidence in themselves to apply for funding, giving them skills to speak the language of funding processes and supporting them with administrative resources are other strategies for supporting women circus artists,” Celia said.

With big plans for 2018, Vulcana will also present works at other Brisbane Powerhouse Festivals, MELT and Wonderland again, a cabaret in July, as well as producing a new work, As If No-one Is Watching, a powerful exchange between emerging circus performers and mature aged dancers from WaW Dance.

Published on November 21, 2017 on She Society

Jane Anderson is Australia’s leading personal branding expert, helping professionals and organisations build trust-based, high-impact communication with their staff and customers. Moving from human resources to leadership development and career counselling, helping people was always at the forefront for Jane.

“What I noticed was that most of my time was spent teaching people how to communicate well and market themselves effectively and be clear about their strengths, their weaknesses, and what they do really well.”

Her advice for women who are wanting to start their own business sticks to an honest approach. “It’s harder than you think, you really need to be able to sell and even if you don’t know how to sell, you need to go and learn. The truth is, if you know how to package what you’ve got and it’s relevant and you know how to sell, the dollars will come. So, you have to push harder than what you think and learn how to sell.”

“My advice to influencers is to really tap into the problems and fears that your customers have and the people who are connected to you. So, whether it’s through social media or the following on your blog, focus on your customers, don’t focus on you. Focus on what it is and develop a compassion and empathy for those people who are connected and following you. Then, you can provide your insight and help them and educate them to become the best that they can be.”

“What drives me is seeing people who have incredible skills, knowledge and expertise, in particular women who have the ability to create a practice that is commercially smart and to be able to help them see how amazing they are.”

“Constantly struggling with self doubt, the biggest lesson Jane said that she learn’t was the importance of confidence. “Whilst I always felt like I had a contribution to make, I just felt when I worked in corporate roles that, because I was quiet, I wasn’t as valued or my own confidence really held me back.”

“Now, I think I’m on the other side but having been through lots of tough challenges, your confidence gets really knocked and just trying to work on how to build that up has definitely been the biggest lesson for me.”

‘Our deepest fear is not that we are inadequate, our deepest fear is that we are powerful beyond measure and it is our light not our darkness that most frightens us. We ask ourselves, who are you to be brilliant and, what’s the rest of it, by letting our light shine we give others permission to do the same,‘ By Marianne Williamson.

“I think that quote is really quite extraordinary, it’s always stuck with me because we share the same birthday, and I felt like that quote really resonates with me and what I think we’re all put here on this planet to do.”

Three words to describe Brisbane: accessible, great lifestyle and innovative.

Published on November 22, 2017 on She Society

Defined as a cheeky, fearless and strong all-female circus production, Resting B*tch Face is sure to resonate with women of every generation. The circus production is set on tackling stereotypes and examining the social expectations that are put upon women every single day. SheBrisbane chatted with two of the performers behind the show, Maddy Grant and Shannon Egans.

Supported by Vulcana Women’s Circus, Maddy and Shannon hope that audience members have fun seeing Resting B*tch Face but that they also leave with some food for thought. “It’s a pretty funny, quirky show, we’re tackling some serious topics, like aging, beauty standards and biological clocks, but it’s in a really kind of comedic way.”

The resting b*tch face phenomenon has translated into a common expression now, a sort of nod to strong and powerful women. “I like that it has become more well known, people have become more and more aware of the expectations women are facing, like we are constantly being forced to smile and to be easy going.”

“I think that now more people are becoming aware of these expectations, it’s kind of taken off, like we know about it, we have a name for it and I know some people are adopting and reclaiming the title,” Maddy said.

Why circus performance was their chosen outlet for the show was because of the strength it takes. “With circus you have to be really strong, you’re putting yourself on display using your body in a powerful way and I think women are discouraged from doing that and being strong. So circus is an amazing tool for becoming more comfortable in yourself and your body.”

Removing these expectations is an important part of the show and its main message. “We need to keep having these conversations and keep making art and challenging and having dialogue around these things wherever we can.”

“It needs to start with the arts in Australia and internationally recognising that they have, not just a women problem but a colour issue as well as a trans and non gendered issue. So the first step for us as white women with well paid jobs, is to make sure that we make space for people who don’t have the same advantages that we do,” Shannon said.

“We’re not at the top of the circus heap because we are not white men, but we are higher up the ladder than other people and that’s the same across the performing arts. So I think the very first step is the acknowledgement that we need to lift everyone up to the same level and listen to those voices and to not try and speak for those people but to advocate when they ask us to. Then I think the discussion can start about making that change on a broader level.”

As they say, “smiling gives you wrinkles, resting bitch face keeps you pretty.”

Published on November 23, 2017 on She Society

With season 2 of The Secret Daughter currently gracing our screens, we were lucky enough to score an interview with one of the show’s stars Bonnie Sveen.

Known widely for her role as Ricky Sharpe on Home & Away, the actress went on to play Layla Chapple on The Secret Daughter, the best friend and backup singer of Billie Carter played by Jessica Mauboy.

According to Bonnie for season 2, we get to see some highs and lows. “You see Layla fleshed out a little bit which I’m really excited about, it takes my friendship with Billie closer, and it’s so beautiful being able to perform with Jess.”

“We finished on such a high note, just wait until you hear this last track in episode 6, it’s such a banger. It’s a good balance between contemporary original stuff and old Aussie pop songs that everybody knows and loves.”

Performing since she was young, Bonnie went on to study at the National Institute of Dramatic Arts where she found her love for the screen. “We had a small amount of screen experience, but I was always told in the plays that my acting was too filmic.”

“I prefer to act most of the time from the inside out, to make sure I believe myself and I believe what I’m doing and that just takes a lot of imagination. I find it easier to block out the camera then have the viewer observe those intimate moments.”

“No doubt I think life is long and I’ll end up in theatre again but there is a magic for me of being on set and being ready when they say action, delving into it with the full palate of emotions and body.”

Having just directed her first short film Riley, Bonnie said that it was such a nice experience.

“Trying on all those different hats, required so much more bravery than what your professionally trained in. It’s not just one character and learning those lines but actually, everybody’s your responsibility, that was a really enjoyable process and I do think that I’ll be doing more of that.”

The short film revolves around a 6 year old girl’s self conscious that’s exacerbated by her technology addiction. “I’d love to be able to use it to take to schools, to show kids a 15 minute film and really allow for a little bit of discussion about how they are affected in their behaviour and emotions by social media and technology.”

“I think it’s important to differentiate what is real life and what is true to Instagram or Facebook because the friends that are there for you, are there for you. They will pick up the phone or come and meet you at anytime and it’s important to make that distinction,” Bonnie said.

Wise beyond her years, Bonnie said that outside of that, all it really comes down to is being honest with who you are and to know how you are truly happy and what makes you your best self.

“Approaching 30, you really start to notice what makes you happy and the decision you make to create that happiness and to manifest a life that you deserve. I would say that my happiness is my responsibility and that everybody deserves to love and be loved.”

In between jobs Bonnie said that she finds things slow down and that she has some freedom which has afforded her time to write. “It’s like if I don’t have anything on this week, l’ll start to write my own schedule, I find going to the library very useful or getting fresh air and just trying to create a work environment even if I don’t have an actual office.”

A brilliant painter in her own right, Bonnie said that it’s been recommended for her to get a studio and paint. “I have no problem with keeping that easel up and letting the work slowly morph, I wake up and look at it and see it with fresh eyes. If you love what you do, it doesn’t matter if it’s 24/7.”

Published on November 15, 2017 on She Society

SheBrisbane had a chat with Cassie George, creator and performer of her own cabaret show, Something About Mary(s), part of the Wonderland Festival 2017. It details her life as a fag hag, which according to Urban Dictionary has the meaning of a woman who prefers the company of gay men because she recognises their effervescent and sheer brilliance when it comes to the human condition. As Cassie said, “they always seem to have the answers.”

Written by Cassie and her best friend Michael Mandalios, the cabaret show explains how Cassie managed to find the balance between being friends with a lot of gay men and handling relationships and other friendships along the way.

“Growing up, I found that when I was in high school I never met anyone who was gay for such a long time. I was very sheltered in a Christian environment and so when I did my first musical, I met so many gay men and we had a lot of the same personalities, so I happened to make a lot of gay friends during my university years,” Cassie said.

“During my final year of university we had a Liza Minnelli award which is the fag hag award, which I won. But the funny thing was that when we were voting for everybody, I turned to one of my best friends and was like ‘I don’t know who to vote for’ and everyone was looking at me and going, ‘that’s you, there’s no one else to vote for’.”

Cassie said that while in so many other places it’s a derogatory term, she’s never been offended by it. “I feel like there must be another descriptive word for it but the one’s I’ve found are like queer dear or fruit fly. So I think fag hag is the best way for the general public to understand what I’m talking about, as opposed to saying I have so many gay male friends because it doesn’t exactly roll off the tongue.”

Playing music since she was 5 years old, Cassie has gone through the piano, saxophone, guitar and ukulele and also started singing when she was just 12 years old. She studied musical theatre at the Queensland Conservatorium of Music and watched a lot of cabarets throughout university.

“One of my first singing teachers wrote her own shows and musicals and I got to see a lot of her work which really encouraged and inspired me to create new work. I find that there’s a lot more freedom in cabarets.”

One of the stories that Cassie includes in the show is about someone she used to date. “I think when I first started writing the show I found it good to seek closure, to end that chapter of my life. So I think the first time we performed the show in full with adrenaline it was actually quite confronting to relive that memory again.”

“As I’ve gotten older and I’ve met new people and had different relationships, I realise that you come to acknowledge what has happened in the past and I’m a big believer in people having chapters in your life. With that chapter meaning something and being there for a reason and once you find what that chapter’s purpose was, I find that it’s not as confronting.”

Cassie’s show has an impressive 90’s soundtrack, with her love of strong female groups shining through. “As I got older I started listening to Salt-N- Pepa and TLC, what I love about 90’s women girl groups is that they’re not aggressive and they know what they want, they’re not polite about it.”

“They are very much I want to be with you, I want to date you, let’s make it happen, which I really appreciate and I think has even helped me to become more bold in the choices I make and not be so afraid to stand out in front of the crowd,” Cassie said.

The takeaway message that she hopes viewers get from the show is a better understanding. So that, “people can see the relationship between a woman and gay men. For men I’d like them to not feel intimidated by that relationship, I feel that both can work in magical ways.”

“But also as a general rule even if people have relationship mishaps, heartbreak and pain and things like that, there’s always great stories to tell. I think that storytelling is such an important factor in life and even though I’ve had some funny stories and some heartbreak in my life, I am definitely very entertaining at dinner parties because half the stuff that happens to me you can’t make up.”

“It’s a show to have fun, to enjoy and to listen to a local Brisbane girl talking about her love life and being okay to laugh at herself,” Cassie said.

Published on November 16, 2017 on She Society

If you’re getting tired of your Instagram newsfeed and are in dire need of some fresh inspiration, then go ahead and check out these 5 quirky Instagram accounts that we guarantee will liven up your day.

1. @baddiewinkle                                                                                                                              With a whopping 3.2 million followers on Instagram, Baddiewinkle is one badass grandma. 89 years old, the American internet personality has a distinct style, known for wearing eccentric and quirky outfits that can often be a little risque. But it doesn’t faze the now great-grandmother that the clothes may not be typically worn by her age group. After all, age is only a number and it’s your spirit that really counts. Her tagline sums it all up, ‘stealing your man since 1928.’

2. @bymariandrew
After visiting Mari Andrew’s page, we guarantee you will be scrolling all the way into the wee hours of the morning as you can get sucked into her drawings. Extremely relatable, you’ll be surprised at how much she nails about human beings and life in general.

3. @extraordinary_routines
Everyone needs some inspirational messages in the morning and what better way than to get them from a series of creative people. Extraordinary routines is an account by Madeleine Dore a freelance writer from Melbourne who is dedicated to discovering the daily routines of creatives. Highlighting that it’s how we deal with the seemingly ordinary parts of our daily lives that makes us extraordinary. You’ll pick up meaningful snippets of interviews that really resonate.

4. @talinegabriel                                                                                                                                     If you’re in the mood for gorgeous pictures of healthy food and exotic places then we recommend TalineGabriel. Based around her love of natural food, Taline boosts 515,000 followers, also having released a Hippie Lane app and Cookbook that details all of her highly sought out recipes.

5. @mirandamondays
This is for all you Sex & the City girls, especially the ones who identified as a Miranda. The Instagram account, Miranda Mondays, is dedicated to spreading the gospel according to Miranda Hobbes. Her wittiness and realistic view on the world is why she is a much loved character and why you’ll relish each nostalgic post. While everyone wanted to be a Carrie, Miranda was always underestimated, but here, her quotes are poignant and quite often relevant to the exact issues of the day.

Published on November 6, 2017 on She Society

5.4 Meals combine healthy options with the quick and easiness of TV dinner meals, without the high fat and high calorie content. They cater for both men and women, creating low carb meals as well as muscle gain and vegan meals, they also provide a meal plan that you can follow along to reach your health and fitness goals even faster, where you can lose 1-2kg per week.

The Beef Chilli Con Carne and the Chipotle Chicken were among our favourites in the office, bursting with flavour and just the right portion size to feel full enough that we didn’t need to grab any snacks afterwards. Other meal options include Chicken Korma, Thai Style Beef, Lemon Chicken and Beef Rissoles among many others.

The meals that are specifically designed for women help to improve wellness, increase energy and burn stubborn fat. High in protein and low in calories, fat and sugar these meals are perfect for the health conscious individual that wants to eat healthy, but may not necessarily like to cook all that much. The 5.4 meals steer clear from a lot of processed foods, including cheese, bread, white potato, white rice and pastry. They also use 100% chicken breast, 100% Aussie lean beef and low-fat premium mince.

You also have the option of getting the meals delivered straight to your door, either at home or at work. Providing breakfast, lunch and dinner options so you can skip cooking altogether if you’re not in the mood.

5.4 meals are great if you’re looking for more healthier options that can help with your weight loss goals or just your general health and wellbeing.

Published on November 2, 2017 on She Society

Australia’s media and entertainment industries are bracing for an expose (names and all) of scores of men alleged to have been involved in the sexual abuse of hundreds of women in the workplace.

Leading the attack is former Network Ten newsreader Tracey Spicer.

Now a freelance writer, speaker, media trainer and broadcaster through her two media companies, Spicer Communications and Outspoken Women, Spicer has enlisted the help up to 400 women who say they were victims of assault while working in the media and entertainment industries.

Spicer has put together a team of police, legal representatives, witnesses and victims all ready to go on the record. Many of the sexual assault stories outlined to Spicer allegedly involve the same 40 offenders.

Spicer, a broadcast journalist with twenty years experience, has for the past few years focused on advocacy work on behalf of female victims of sexism.

Her incredible TEDX talk is called The Lady Stripped Bare and she continued to speak out against workplace misogyny in her book The Good Girl Stripped Bare. It’s no wonder these 400 women are trusting her with their stories.

Tracey has two children – Taj who is 12 and Grace who is 11.

“And this is the main reason why we do it, isn’t it,” Spicer told 9Honey. Australia’s leading women’s network covering news, opinion, homes, food, fitness, travel, parenting, fashion and beauty.

“Aside from protecting women in the workforce now, we want to ensure our children are safe when they go into the workforce, particularly our daughters,” said Spicer. She says by the time her daughter enters the workforce, she doesn’t want her to have to go through similar experiences Spicer was forced to endure as a young journalist.

“I don’t want her to have to go in there and put up with the groping, the grabbing, the threats of rape that go on in workplaces that go on when there is a huge power disparity between male bosses and younger female employees,” she said.

Spicer’s quest to bring perpetrators of sexual abuse and assault in the Australia media and entertainment industries to justice began during a visit to a police station. She was there researching a story on cyberbullying.

“An officer who worked with victims of sexual assault brought up the Harvey Weinstein scandal, saying she was surprised a similar outcry against perpetrators of sexual abuse hadn’t happened in the Australian entertainment and media industries,” she said.

The officer told Spicer to tell anyone who reached out to her that there is no statute of limitations for the vast majority of these cases. “If something happened 30 or 40 years ago, tell them to go to their local police station and report it,” Spicer was told in what she describes as a real “light bulb moment” for her.

“A lot of the time these things happened years ago and get swept under the carpet because that was the workplace culture at the time. But can I tell you that the same people who were offending in workplaces 30 or 40 years ago are still doing it in media workplaces now, and I’ve got countless examples of that.”

Despite the hundreds of cases she and her team are already dealing with, Spicer says they are keen for more. “Even if it happened all those years ago, please come to me or report it to the police or report it to your union or report it to your workplace because this person, it’s likely they are still offending now,” she said.

Of the 400 victims, Spicer says they are aged from anywhere in their twenties to their sixties. Some were hair and makeup artists. Others were producers, personal assistants, executive assistants and young journalists.

When it comes to the historic cases, Spicer says the victims told her the behaviour was so pervasive they thought it was “normal” and they “just got used to it.”
There are many more victims of workplace sexual assault and abuse who are yet to come forward, and they may never do.

For those accusing Spicer of a witch-hunt which will result in men feeling as though they can’t even ask a female colleague out on a date, the broadcast journalist explains why they have nothing to fear.

“We’re not trying to restrict human behaviour. We’re trying to restrict criminal behaviour,” she told 9Honey.

“What we’re talking about are the kind of things that really do lead into the narrative that leads to sexual assault of women. The demeaning treatment of women, the pinging of the bra strap, the tickling under the arms that ends up being a groping of the breasts…these are the sorts of stories I hear an awful lot.”
In many of the cases that have been reported to Spicer, the most serious ones involve rape.

“There have been dozens of allegations of rape,” she said. “It doesn’t get more serious than this.”

Published on November 1, 2017 on She Society