GLOW GANG X NEROLI MEADOWS

In our series, the GLOW GANG, we talk to inspiring women doing incredible things. It's a hub for everyone to tap into - it may resonate, inspire, encourage or give you the new perspective you didn't know you were looking for.

This week we spoke to the wonderful Neroli Meadows. Neroli is a sports journalist, broadcaster and television presenter. She's been in the industry for over 10 years, working for some of the biggest sporting events in the world (hello Super Bowl!).

Neroli has forged an incredibly successful career in an industry typically dominated by men, which has been no mean feat. She's exceptionally hard working, determined and resilient. We sat down to chat about her career as well as how she's survived through 2020.

Hi Neroli! Thanks for your time today. We'd love to start by getting to know how you have found working in a typically male dominated industry. And what have you done to not only survive, but thrive in that industry?

I grew up with two big brothers so from day dot I was "one of the boys". I really hope that one day we don't even have to stipulate that that's the case and it's just accepted that women love sport and that the industry is reflective of that. The older I get, the more focused I become on equality and the more aware I am of how gendered the world is. It makes me so happy seeing my 8 year old niece playing footy and kicking goals and she's able to watch women on TV and have footy cards of the AFLW Dockers. At the end of the day, I'm just really passionate about what I do for a living and that keeps me going when things do get challenging.

That's very inspiring to hear. What 3 pieces of advice would you give to your younger self starting out?

Be driven but patient
Things won't always go your way, but you need a few setbacks so you've got a story
Don't ever sacrifice who you are to achieve a goal

2020 has been a real year full of spanners and life interruptions. How has it been for you? It’s been a wild ride no doubt. What have you done to stay positive and get through?

It has definitely been challenging! All the work I had lined up was overseas and it was all cancelled with Coronavirus. I've been separated from my family back home in WA for six months and I live alone so it has been tough. I enrolled at uni to do a short course in mental health and counselling to stay busy and give myself a focus. When things got really tough, I forced myself to keep moving - I'd write lists of things to achieve the next day, no matter how small. I made sure I kept phoning people even though I didn't want to talk and I would set my alarm and keep exercising, even though I had no drive or energy to get out of bed. As I put it now - just keep talking and keep walking! Eventually, you get yourself out of that rut. Oh - and puzzles! Lots of puzzles.

You can follow Neroli on Twitter here. You can follow her on Instagram here.

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