Celebrating Incredible Women this IWD

International Womens’ Day means a lot of different things to a lot of different people.  Which makes a lot of sense because we are all of us different.  There has been a lot of change in the last couple of years and here at WONDERPETS we’ve been reflecting on how positively women have impacted us both professionally AND personally during that time.

We also have been thinking about the extremely powerful role our pets have had in lives during this time also.  They have been a great source of comfort, a good reason to move and unconditional in their support of our ideas and endeavours.

To that end, this year in celebration of all the ordinary women doing extraordinary things and making the world a better place, we’d like to celebrate four of the women that have stood out to us during recent times*.

Stephanie Stubbes
Steph founded Anipal after seeing and treating wildlife as a result of human population and climate change. She wanted to have a business focused on creating proactive changes in the vet and pet industries to improve our environmental impact. Steph says that animals and wildlife have inspired and shaped every facet of her life for which she is incredibly grateful. 

Steph notes that “Collectively as a global community, if we remain open-minded, encourage conversation, and work to attain a growth mindset then anything is possible.” Steph’s proactive thinking and dedication to change has been a huge inspiration for us.  

Steph is most proud of helping steer the vet and pet industry to adopt more sustainable practices. In doing this she and her team are enabling animal owners to have the tools to be proactive and make better choices. This has involved helping vets and pet store owners understand they can have a greater positive impact outside their clinic or store life.

Proceeds of Anipal's sustainable and carbon positive products go toward the threatened species projects they run as well as wildlife projects run by their partners RSPCA Victoria and WWF Australia. Seeing these projects in action and the impact it has on supporting threatened species is why they do what they do. And we love them for it. Check out the Anipal range today. 

Kirsty Webeck
Kirsty is a Melbourne-based stand-up comedian, actor and writer. Over the last few years her career has gone from strength to strength with appearances on Melbourne International Comedy Festival’s Opening Night Allstars Supershow, Peter Helliar’s How To Stay Married and 9Now’s Metrosexual.  The Age says of Kirsty that you “ You would need a heart of concrete not to be won over by her"

Well, we don’t have hearts of concrete. During Melbourne’s lockdowns Kirsty hosted weekly comedy shows attended by people and their pets from all around Australia on Zoom.  Kirsty provided a huge number of laughs for us in a time where laughs were hard to come by. Her stand up is effortlessly and relentlessly positive and has earned her glowing reviews.

Another reason to love Kirsty is the joy she finds in her pets – a 14 year old cat called Fergie, and a 10 month Pomeranian puppy called Joan. We asked her what she loved about Fergie and Joan and she said, “I love them because they are both so full of personality and are also complete opposites. Joan is full of beans while Fergie never moves. Joan loves everyone, Fergie wishes pain and suffering on us all. Joan is super affectionate; Fergie is livid if you even glance at her. They’re both excellent company in their own special ways and I can’t remember what life was like before them.”  We thoroughly recommend Kirsty’s Twitter feed for the laughs and the Joan and Fergie updates.  

If you want to support this gem of a woman, check out Silver Linings today.

Mel Devereaux
Mel is the founder of Laila and Me and has a vision to help reduce the gender pay gap and pave the way for future generations. Laila and Me strive to empower their workforce and provide opportunities to all people and promote diversity. Currently in Australia, the manufacturing industry is traditionally predominately male-driven and Laila and Me have team which is 87.5% female challenging the industry norm. Mel and her team actively challenge stereotypes, through the recruitment of older looking to leave the workforce, and women with children looking for a flexible working environment to re-enter the workforce.

Behind the powerhouse that is Mel is Laila. “In 2014 my Dad was diagnosed with terminal cancer, I got Laila as a support dog to help our family through this difficult period and add some joy to our lives. Laila's health and longevity were incredibly important to me which encouraged me to source the best food and treats as well as research holistic pet health alternatives. I then started to make my own food and treats for her so I could know exactly what was in these products. The rest is history! (Side note - my Dad is still here thanks to a brilliant oncology team and Laila is thriving 8 years later!)”  

Check out Laila and Me today.

Jess Eva
Jess has been an absolute powerhouse in recent years.  In addition to co-hosting Triple M’s breakfast show, she starred in I’m A Celebrity…. Get Me Out Of Here!, released her first book “Why Wouldn’t Ya?” which made us think about the stories we tell ourselves, down a whole bunch of other stuff and has STILL kept us entertained on her social platforms with IRL out-takes.   She’s warm, funny, has a crackingly contagious chuckle, and we love starting the day listening to her.  She’s a two time national lawn bowls champion, former tomato picker, partner to Norm, mum to Fred and Matilda, and is adored by Denise. 

“Denise is my three year old Moodle.  In the world of ratings, surveys, social media comments and public opinions. Denise is the one thing on the planet that loves me no matter how stressed, tired or grumpy I am.  They say kids give you unconditional love. I tend to disagree as they yell ‘I hate you’ when you turn off the Xbox. Denise is just happy to see me – no strings attached!”

If you haven’t read it – we totally recommend Why Wouldn’t Ya? for both the laughs and the kindness.  

We hope you enjoy celebrating these women as much as we do.

THE WONDERPETS TEAM xoxo

* We reached out to them and none of these are paid partnerships. Just a bit of love from us to them for the positive impacts they’ve had on us.