An Australian mentor and her protege have proven women empowering each other is more beneficial than competing. Australian author, motivational speaker and 2018 Exceptional Woman of Excellence award winner Tracey Horton has passed the baton on to her protege, Suzi Dent, who has been awarded the same honour at the Women Economic Forum in New Delhi, India.
The Women Economic Forum is the largest global gathering of female entrepreneurs and leaders worldwide, and is held annually in India, with regional events throughout the year. The event empowers women to increase their global influence through peer exchange and networking across borders with inspirational input from some of the world’s most successful authors and speakers.
Horton invited Dent, whom she has been mentoring since October, to accompany her to this year’s Women Economic Forum where Ms Dent took home the prestigious Exceptional Woman of Excellence award for 2019. “I met Suzi at an event that she was speaking at. It goes without saying that she is gorgeous and fun and easy to listen to, but this day she also shared something personal,” said Horton. “We spoke afterwards because her authenticity and spirit shined. That began a lunch chat that turned into us working together. I knew very quickly that Suzi was meant to come to India with me, and from here, I expect we will follow each other to most of the globe from one time to another.”
At the event, Dent spoke about the #MeToo movement – a movement against sexual harassment and sexual assault that went viral in 2017 – and Horton touched on topics around empowering women and working together. “Suzi and I share a passion to see the world stronger and safer for those women coming up after us – we both know heartache; we both know pain and we both know and live the answer, so our synergy is great. I think when you are given opportunities like ours to work together then so much more can be done, which is the ultimate goal,” said Horton.
Rather than competing, Horton took Dent under her wing, and inspired her to open up and speak out about her past on a more personal level. The pair have now come together and work cohesively in telling their stories, and empowering as many women around the world as possible. “Tracey has helped me connect with the little girl inside me who stayed silent for a very long time. She is not silent anymore and I now speak from a very heart-centred place, totally connected with my story and my upbringing, having also learnt the inner strength one gains from the power of forgiveness,” said Dent.
Since meeting, the dynamic duo have become extremely close friends and will continue to work together, empowering each other, sharing their stories and inspiring women all around the world.
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