Storytelling is one of Karen Lebsanft's favourite ways to connect with others, and it is with this in mind that she is taking her experience as the Co-founder and CEO of Kurrajong Kitchen to the world.
Ms Lebsanft is still very much at the helm of the famous Lavosh manufacturer, which runs its operations from South Windsor, but it is the ups and downs of her journey with the business - and on a personal level - that compelled Ms Lebsanft to share her experiences with others, and help them along their own journeys.
"It's time to share my wisdom to the next generation and leave a legacy. There's so many learnings we had from making a business from scratch," she said.
Ms Lebsanft has turned her name into a brand and under the name Karen Lebsanft Master Storyteller she is helping individuals and businesses via inspirational speaking.
"It's one to many - I get joy delivering my message that way. My passion shines through and there are so many lessons to learn. Everyone in an audience will take a different lesson from my story," she said.
"I have a number of different businesses I chat to - it would be corporate or small business-owners. We all need a dose of business inspiration at some point - we all get stuck on our business journey, and plateau, and we need to make the decision about whether we jump out or jump in with all we've got and benefit from that."
Soon, she will be bringing Three Wise Women to the stage, through which Ms Lebsanft and two other women will share her journey for audiences, and share other's stories, and have a conversation.
Murrandah was a strong leader and a fierce leader and my style reflects that.
- Karen Lebsanft
"Sometimes people need to hear they're not the only one who's gone through it or that someone else has been through it and come through it," she said.
Five years ago, Ms Lebsanft discovered she is an Indigenous woman. She is a proud Burra Burra woman, a direct descendant of Aboriginal tribal chief and renowned warrior Murrandah and traces her European ancestry back to the First Fleet.
"Murrandah was a strong leader and a fierce leader and my style reflects that," Ms Lebsanft said.
"It's like going back into the past to bring my legacy forward, to show someone has been there and done that before."
ALSO MAKING NEWS:
Ms Lebsanft is launching Kat Hughes Entertainment - a name special to her, by which her pop used to call her as a nickname - a content creation and distribution entertainment company that will aim to inspire, empower, impact, and connect communities by sharing lived experiences through storytelling.
In its early days, and yet to launch officially, Kat Hughes Entertainment will see Ms Lebsanft launch a series of online videos sharing stories of real Australians.
Ms Lebsanft has also begun sharing her experiences with local high schools, with an aim to inspire Year 12 girls and women moving into the next stages of their lives.