Meet Zoë Routh

We’re excited to introduce you to the always interesting and insightful Zoë Routh. We hope you’ll enjoy our conversation with Zoë below.

Hi Zoë, we’re so appreciative of you taking the time to share your nuggets of wisdom with our community. One of the topics we think is most important for folks looking to level up their lives is building up their self-confidence and self-esteem. Can you share how you developed your confidence?

I was born with a large birthmark on my left cheek. My mother, worried for me, lay me in the cot with the birthmark hidden. My grandmother discovered what had been happening and she berated my mother saying, “Penny, don’t you hide that child from the world!” Since that moment, my mother was an avid proponent for me—being seen, taking risks, being unstoppable. She has been a cheerleader and positive promoter all my life. The early messages from my grandmother and mother to be bold, to explore have stayed with me. By being curious about the world, about others, self-consciousness faded to the background. That spirit of curiosity and a powerful desire to discover have pushed aside fear and doubt: the world was too exciting to be held back by self-doubt.

Let’s take a small detour – maybe you can share a bit about yourself before we dive back into some of the other questions we had for you?

I’m a leadership expert, speaker and award-winning author specialising in the people stuff. I show leaders and teams struggling with office politics and silos how to work better together. 

I have worked with individuals and teams internationally and in Australia since 1987. From wild Canadian rivers to the Australian Outback, and Boardroom jungles, I love exploring what’s possible when culture and strategy come together to navigate a better future.

I’m obsessed with power and fairness in leadership. I believe better leaders can create a better world and my mission is to assist audacious teams in developing their leadership capability.

I’m a multiple award-winning author with five leadership books and a dystopian technothriller series. I explore the themes of power, fairness, overcoming self-doubt, and creating better futures.

I host and produce The Future of Leadership Podcast, dedicated to asking “What if…?” and sharing big ideas on what leadership we need now for what’s next.

I’m outdoor adventurer and love skiing and hiking. I have run six marathons, am a one-time belly-dancer, a cancer survivor and I sing badly to 80s tunes. I’m married to a gorgeous Aussie and love cats and birds (not together).

I’m currently working on expanding my writing into other genres like Ancient Rome historical fiction.

If you had to pick three qualities that are most important to develop, which three would you say matter most?

I love learning. This has kept me curious and open to new experiences and people, opening the door to grand adventures and opportunities.

I’m a voracious reader and get through about one hundred and fifty books per year. This stems from my love of learning and passion for stories. I learn so much about people and places through fiction and non-fiction alike.

Reflective practice is central to my development as a human and professional. I use a journal and document my wins while also exploring my failures. Treating my life and work as an experiment helps me lean into the challenging aspects of growth. It also helps keep hubris in check.

My advice is simple: be curious, read lots, and reflect often.

One of our goals is to help like-minded folks with similar goals connect and so before we go we want to ask if you are looking to partner or collab with others – and if so, what would make the ideal collaborator or partner?

I am working on reaching a broader audience for my books: people who are passionate about a more fair and equitable world. In terms of collaborators, I am seeking fellow authors who write about similar topics (fiction and non-fiction), in the following genres: non-fiction, science fiction, and historical fiction. Though if you write a different genre with these themes, do reach out. My email is [email protected]

Contact Info:

Image Credits

Paul Chapman

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