M.C.  Charlotte England introduced Varvara Athanasiou-Ioannou, who is the Founder and Chair of the Food for Thought: an inclusive Greek Australian Women’s Network.

Varvara spoke about her ground-breaking  collection of stories, which features relatable role models, whose strength and resilience will inspire anyone who reads it. It is aimed to be read by everyone, men and women.

‘Her Voice: Greek Women and their Friends’ has been called an insightful anthology, and it contains the individual stories of 42 women – Greek Australian women and their friends to be precise – as they reflect upon the challenges that they have encountered on a myriad of levels in Australia over decades.

Women of different generations, professions, cultures and faiths…share deeply personal reflections of resilience, endurance and courage, in a showcase of sisterhood between women from all walks of life.

The women featured in the book are academics, educators, entrepreneurs, writers, municipal counsellors, journalists, lawyers, scientists, politicians  and more. Selected with a diversity lens in mind, the women featured present an intersectionality of age, class, marital status, sexuality, faith, disability and race, representing different professional and business backgrounds.

Each story brings a different perspective unique to Greek-Australian and other culturally diverse women, told with striking insight, perception and sagacity.

The book’s first chapter is Varvara’s own story, beginning with her childhood in Ipeiros, Greece.  She tells of her migration to Australia ‘with no English and describing the key events that shaped and assisted her in her journey to where she is today, including systematic racism that she experienced in a toxic workplace and the difficulties of navigating through male-dominated organisations, all while handling the challenges of managing a growing family.

Varvara explains that the book was “created out of love, to make a difference.”

MC Charlotte England thanked Varvara for her thought-provoking book, and indicated that copies of her book are available for members. 

Varvara Athanasiou-Ioannou, is the Founder and Chair of the Food for Thought: an inclusive Greek Australian Women’s Network.

She is a multi award winning educator who has left her imprint indelibly marked in many sectors. For the last 21 years, she has devoted her life to the promotion of women’s issues.