Women in Business 2026: Real Conversations on Leadership, Resilience and Building What Matters
An Evening of Insight, Experience and Real Talk
Our latest Women in Business event brought together three inspiring speakers — Dr Lucy Hone, Maury Leyland and Hannah Hardy-Jones — for a candid discussion about leadership, resilience, innovation and the realities of building a business.
From elite sailing and food-tech innovation to resilience research and AI startups, the conversation highlighted the many different paths women take into leadership.
What stood out most was the honesty: leadership is rarely a straight line, and the journey often includes risk, doubt and reinvention.
Rethinking “Resilience”
Dr Lucy Hone opened the conversation by acknowledging something many people feel but rarely say out loud — people are tired of the word resilience.
“Choose the language that works for you. It might be wellbeing, mental fitness, grit or something else — the important thing is understanding what helps you navigate hard times.”
A key reminder from Lucy was that burnout is not an individual failing.
It usually happens when people are overburdened and under-resourced, which means organisations must look beyond simply telling people to “be more resilient”.
Instead, strong teams and psychological safety are some of the most powerful drivers of performance and wellbeing.
Taking Risks and Backing Yourself
Maury Leyland shared her journey from sailing enthusiast to Team New Zealand engineer, then senior leader at Fonterra and now co-founder of Leaft Foods.
Along the way she encountered what researchers call the “glass cliff” — where women are more likely to take on high-risk leadership roles others avoid.
“Sometimes the roles no one else wants are the ones where you can make the biggest difference.”
Hannah Hardy-Jones also spoke openly about overcoming imposter syndrome when she left a stable HR career to start a business.
Her approach?
Break overwhelming goals down into small, manageable steps.
“When things feel too big, focus on the tiny step you can take today.”
Innovation with Purpose
Maury also shared insights into the work of Leaft Foods, which extracts protein from leafy forage crops.
Their focus is RuBisCO — the most abundant protein on Earth — creating a highly nutritious and sustainable protein source.
Their consumer product, Leaf Blade, delivers:
- 18 grams of protein
- Highly absorbable ferritin iron
- A faster digestion profile than whey
The innovation highlights the intersection of science, sustainability and entrepreneurship in New Zealand’s future food systems.
Using AI Without Losing Authenticity
For Hannah Hardy-Jones, AI should start with solving real problems — not simply adopting technology because everyone else is.
Her advice to businesses was simple:
Start by mapping where your team experiences daily friction or stress.
Only then consider whether AI could help.
“Your voice is the most authentic input you can give AI — conversation is the most human thing we have.”
Voice-based tools can help businesses capture ideas, turn conversations into documents and reduce the mental load of follow-up work.
Getting Back on the Horse
Each speaker shared their own strategies for navigating challenging periods.
Some of the practices discussed included:
- Ruthless prioritisation to focus on what really matters
- Lowering expectations to reduce daily disappointment
- Returning to fundamentals like nutrition, exercise and time outdoors
- Breaking problems down into small, manageable actions
One of the most memorable reflections from the evening came from Dr Lucy Hone:
“Ask yourself: what is still good in my world, and what is still true?”
Final Reflections
The evening reinforced the value of bringing women in business together to share stories, challenges and practical advice.
From navigating high-risk leadership roles to building innovative companies and protecting personal wellbeing, the discussion highlighted that leadership is rarely a straight line. But with strong networks, honest conversations and a willingness to keep moving forward, remarkable things are possible.
