SBG welcomes our newest member Nadine Fluty. She was raised in Lake Tahoe in a foothill town called Auburn in the Wild West of California. Renowned for being a gold rush town in 1849.
“I’ve got a cowgirl streak a country mile wide.” says Nadine.
Her biggest mentor growing up was her Grandmother. She moved next door to her after her papa died when she was 7 years of age and was taught life skills such as cooking, gardening and how to be a lady.
“I was a tomboy,” explains Nadine.
Her Grandmother was a first generation American and her parents migrated from Germany via Russia and came through Ellis Island into New York. They ended up in central California and were farmers during the depression. She had a tough upbringing but she never complained.
“I learned to be grateful and positive from watching my Grandmother. She was made of grit and gumption and passed that on to me…thank goodness!”
Nadine was devastated when her Grandmother died on her 80th birthday in 2000. They shared such a special bond and soon after Nadine ended up spending years running from the pain of that loss and this is how she ended up in Australia. She accidentally ended up working in Telco because it was her ticket to living in Australia because of the skills shortage in the mid 2000s.
She spent 5 years working at Ericsson Australia then had a career break from the Telco industry to pursue a career in floristry and shortly after became a mum. When her son was 3, Nadine became a sole parent and floristry was no longer conducive to her personal situation, so she networked like crazy and found herself back in the the telco world working for Telstra.
She’s been with Telstra for 4 years now and manages one of their largest carrier customer accounts; who is also a competitor. She finds the goodness and beauty in humanity so inspiring and especially loves interacting with her work colleagues/friends and helping them out.
“Things like smiling at strangers, doing kind things and being friendly are my jam…I talk to everyone. I don’t care if people think I’m weird, I’m a Californian, we like individuality and people that embrace their weirdness.”
Her five keys to success are:
- I am authentic
- I never stop being curious
- I have courage to take chances when others play it safe.
- I think outside the box
- I’m not afraid to challenge the status quo.
In her spare time, Nadine enjoys hiking, climbing mountains, camping, skiing, mountain biking, pilates and yoga. She used to be an equestrian and the love of horses is still a big part of her life. She’s also most passionate about having as many adventures as possible. She’s always had a travel bug after living in England, Germany and France and will definitely make up for lost time once the borders reopen.
“It will make the adventures so much sweeter!”
Nadine is currently focusing on a project to create change within her organisation in the Diversity, Equality and Inclusion space. She is trailblazing a new path for herself and hopes her initiative and leadership skills demonstrated will lead to a career in DEI. She wants to be a champion at inclusion because this is what lights her up.
“Ensuring everyone in my workplace feels like they belong and have equal opportunities will empower them to reach their full potential.”
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