Accomplished senior executive, entrepreneur, chairwoman, board director, ambassador and Royal Australian Navy veteran Penelope Twemlow captivated her audience as guest speaker at the 2023 Scenic Rim International Women’s Day Breakfast.
More photos at end of story, below.
Ms Twemlow, who is co-founder and chairperson of not-for-profit organisation Women in Power, spoke to a full house at The Centre, Beaudesert at the popular annual Council event.
Introducing her to the room, Mayor Greg Christensen touched on her extensive resume, from being able to drive am 8500 tonne armed warship to taking out a long list of national awards for her leadership roles.
With great humour and candour, Ms Twemlow shared about finding her passion, overcoming significant challenges and the value of hard work and self-belief.
She insisted that despite her achievements she was just like every other woman in the room, trying to do the best she could with what she’d been given, and urged them to be the best version of themselves.
“There are no tricks or shortcuts in my story, or in life for that matter. There is no magic pill that you can take to make things better,” she said.
“Each and every day, work quietly towards achieving your goals. Demonstrate your worth, never doubt that you are valuable, powerful and deserving of every chance and opportunity. Become involved, stay connected, work well together. There are opportunities to be seized and goals to be achieved. Believe in yourself and embrace the values that make you who you are.”
In a sobering finish which had the room still with silence, Ms Twemlow opened up about her horrific experience of domestic violence and ongoing journey to work through the trauma, underpinned by a fierce determination not to be defined by any of it.
“Never in a thousand years would I have thought that I, a successful woman with a bright career ahead of me, who was kicking goals in all facets of her life, would become one of the statistics,” she said.
“Never did I ever think that I would be a survivor of domestic violence, but there is one thing that I am thankful for – at least I can say that I survived!”
