❤️ A Durack International Women’s Day initiative to celebrate and promote inspiring Durack women ❤️
Cristelle Stott
⭐ Cristelle is the owner operator of Autism Horses, an equine therapy group who help people from all walks of life with capacity building and independent functioning. Cristelle and her team understand the challenges that being a parent or caregiver of a specific-needs person are and their programs are developed for the participant as well as their support network by providing a ‘no demand stimulus’ therapy environment. Autism Horses aim to support members of the community who experience their environment hypo-reactively, reducing the sensory experience which can be overwhelming. Cristelle is highly involved in her community and cares deeply about the work she does ⭐
An interview with Cristelle
What advice would you give to your younger self, considering the unique challenges that women often encounter in leadership roles?
I would tell my younger self that I’m so proud of her courage to be authentic in this world as a woman. The ability to be authentic is a fantastic ‘filter’; because the people that don’t align with your message will naturally drop away when you centre yourself in your authenticity. To always listen to her ability as a woman to be receptive to her intuition, because women are a portal for energy, information and abundance, when they are both authentic and intuitively centred. Finally, to act on her intuition, because who, what and where you surround yourself with, will become you. There are no mistakes when you align yourself with yourself; so don’t stay, do or be anything that is not authentic and intuitive in that moment you make decisions, there are no accidents, no mistakes; there is only learning and growing. You are the only one that is with you, your entire life; so if you act from these principles you will always respect yourself.
Who are the role models that have inspired you?
I respect and gravitate to people who are value driven and moral orientated, with grit and drive who don’t give up. They are everywhere and sometimes you only get just a glimpse. We call this ‘glimmers’. Glimmers of hope in humanity. My current favourite role model is my 12 year old daughter.
What word/s describe your leadership style?
As a micro-noticer, I am equipped to lead gently from behind. I encourage my team to think and only bounce off me after they have made relevant choices and decisions. I notice strengths before challenges in my team; adjust the team member workload to suit, and set them up to thrive. I set up an environment that is an open learning exploratory and stimulating environment; with challenges suited to team members, but also with the expectation that team members perform at their highest level. I scaffold well to this. I am aware I am human, a female human with combination Autism and adhd; so I can appear cold due to being in my reporting brain, and grumpy. However I only ever get grumpy with my team when team members do something they know they should not do. I protect my team and absorb challenges not directly related to team and individual performance. You will never get in trouble for making a mistake. I think I just answered that in a really long winded way, so I will say I think I’m a good balance between the three leadership types; autocratic, democratic and laissez-faire.
What words of inspiration can you share with women in regional, rural and remote Western Australia?
You are not a man; nor should you try to be one. When women do things they don’t want to do, or have no choice but to ‘play’ roles determined by others outside of themselves, they produce testosterone. Let the men be men and produce the testosterone. Withdraw from the game presented to you by others by understanding that you have way more creative control than what you give yourself credit for. In any circumstance, the reality you experience is the one you activate by responding to the thoughts you have about it. Seek to be an ‘activated’ woman; even in any and all pain you experience. Don’t run from the pain, it is your highest learning. The world needs connection, depowered language and deconstruction of archaic social narratives. Women need to lead like women. As a woman, you have the innate and natural ability to lead via empowerment through noticing others. Never forget the power of your attention or lack thereof; even without saying a word. Women can naturally design and create new paradigms, and are an expression of the abundance of life—-only if your own cup is full first!! Never ever never ‘dim your light for anyone’ or pour from an empty cup, that won’t serve your culture, community, your passion, your family at all. Old system thinking doesn’t solve new world problems, so recognise the process is top-down by putting you first; then address society, culture, community; down to family. But you make sure you’re at the top, Queen. Nobody can do this without you. The whole world is waiting for this swing back from patriarch to feminism, to the balance of empowered persons. Then we can united tackle the real problems. Your people are watching you, and they need to see you vibrant, resourced, and inspirational. Make that happen, and everything else will fall in.
We thank you Cristelle, for what you achieve for your community and regional Durack 💙