— Sonia’s Story —
From CEO To Women's Leadership Pioneer
Real. Resilient. Relentless.
I Choose To Rise
Abandoned in a foreign country with a young daughter, no money, and no safety net, I had a choice: stay down or rise up. I chose to rise. Not just for me, but for every woman who’s ever been told to stay small. From fear and rejection, I found my voice, my courage, and my purpose. Today, I lead to help women rise to lead boldly, own their worth, and rewrite their story.
About Me
Courage, authenticity, and impact; These are the pillars of our creed
Today, I’m the proud founder of Women Leaders, Leadership HQ, The Leadership Association, Meno Rise, and Affirm by Sonia. I’m a CEO, an author, a speaker, a coach, and most importantly, a mother who raised a daughter to believe that leadership isn’t a title. It’s a way of being.
My work is built on neuroscience, courage, authenticity, and kindness because I know firsthand how powerful women are when we stop asking for permission and start owning our space.
I’ve coached thousands of leaders, spoken on global stages, written bestselling books, and helped women reclaim their voices. But what drives me every single day is this: “The future of leadership is female and it’s fierce, bold, and heart-led.”
This is n’t just my story.
It’s a call to every woman out there who’s ever been underestimated, overlooked, or told she’s too much.
Because let me tell you you’re just right.
Are you ready to lead with me?
The Inspiring Vision and Values
A world where women don’t just take a seat at the table — they build the damn table. Where they lead boldly, speak unapologetically, and own every room they walk into.
Courage
We leap before we’re ready—and lead with guts and heart.
Authenticity
We show up real, raw, and unapologetically ourselves. No masks. No filters.
Leadership
We lead from the front, by action—not by title or ego.
Legacy
We’re not just chasing success — we're building impact that echoes long after we're gone.
Just Rock It – The Best-Selling Book
This isn’t just a book it’s a bold invitation to stop playing small.
Just Rock It is packed with real stories, practical strategies, and empowering mindset shifts to help you trust yourself, speak up, and lead with confidence on your terms.
Whether you’re chasing a goal, navigating change, or simply tired of holding back, this book will show you how to back yourself fully and own your space.
Because confidence isn’t something you’re born with.
It’s something you build one bold step at a time.
Let’s go. Just rock it.
Explore Our Award-Winning Women Leaders Program
Built for impact and recognition, this flagship program empowers women to lead with confidence, courage, and clarity. Backed by results and trusted by leading organisations, it’s the program women turn to when they’re ready to rise.
Why These Programs Exist
Let’s be honest — leadership was never built for women.
It was shaped by outdated systems that silenced our voices, overlooked our talents, and rewarded playing small over standing tall. It was never made with us in mind.
So we changed the game. We built something different. Something bold. Something that actually works.
Rooted in real stories, driven by real results, and fuelled by a mission too big to ignore:
To empower women to lead with courage, conviction, and zero apologies.
The Data Speaks
(And It's Loud)
Women make up nearly half the workforce—yet hold less than 25% of executive leadership roles.
Only 10% of Fortune 500 CEOs are women.
60% of women say they’ve never had a leadership mentor or sponsor to back them.
Men apply for jobs when they meet just 60% of the qualifications. Women wait until they hit 100%.
Burnout rates are off the charts for women leaders—because leading under outdated expectations is exhausting.
This Is Why We’re Here
Because we’re tired of asking for a seat at a table we should’ve been running years ago.
Because we know leadership isn’t about fitting in. It’s about standing up, standing out, and taking up space—on purpose.
We’re not here to politely “close the gap.”
We’re here to blow it wide open and create a new standard where women leading
isn’t the exception—it’s the expectation.
These programs exist because:
- You don’t need to wait for someone to tell you you’re ready. You already are.
- You don’t have to tick every box to know you’re enough. You always were
- You’re not here to play small. You’re here to shift the damn landscape.
This isn’t just a leadership program.
- It’s a movement.
- It’s a rebellion.
- It’s a rally cry to every woman who’s ever been told she had to wait, shrink, or “earn” her voice.
Guess what?
You don’t have to earn it.
You just have to use it
Our Impact in Numbers
Become a Member and Lead With Us
Join a powerful network of women and allies committed to leadership, growth, and meaningful change. Our membership gives you access to ongoing support, resources, and opportunities to lead boldly, together.
"Sonia has been a highly engaging executive coach helping me to unlock superior levels of performance from my team, working with me on my leadership style and driving a highly engaged and motivated employee culture. She is 100% focused on her client, genuinely and authentically helping them to achieve outstanding results and perform at their best"
Sonia's integrity and passion for leadership shine through in everything she does. As my coach, Sonia has provided a structure that's helped me to reflect on my strengths, build on my capabilities, and set and achieve goals. Her sage insights and constructive feedback keep me focused and on track. If you are looking for a coach that lives and breathes leadership, Sonia should be at the top of your list
Sonia is a passionate, genuine, authentic, generous and caring leader, coach, mentor and I’m now proud to be part of her tribe. I am truly inspired to be the best leader I can be by focusing on my strengths. The guidance, support and the all important listening ear is really appreciated. Thank you. Highly recommended.
I recently attended a presentation by Sonia, and I was inspired and encouraged by her style, energy and spirit. Therefore, I invited Sonia to my company to present to our CPA discussion group session. Sonia was very generous and supportive and gave us an inspiring speech on “Leadership is an Attitude”. During the session, due to an internal IT issue, Sonia wasn’t able to use her presentation slides but she handled this situation very professionally. She engaged the audience with positive energy and a great sense of humour and encouraged audience participation. Her enthusiasm and passion about leadership attracted everyone’s attention and inspired the whole room. After the session, we received lots of very positive feedback, and many of our staff searched Sonia’s website and her articles to share. We really appreciated Sonia’s generosity and support and look forward to her presentations in the future.
Sonia is enthusiastic speaker who can communicate complex concepts in an entertaining and engaging manner. Her depth of knowledge and understanding of leadership is exemplified in the detail she goes into in her presentation. She’s committed to delivering the goods, honing her message to the group to ensure relevance and engagement. There’s no fluff, just substance with Sonia and she’ll give you skills to take home, tell others and start using immediately to better you, your company and everyone around you.
I am so grateful to Sonia for the learning I have had from her Leadership HQ sessions. The sessions have created influential results in my leadership, and I am more confident in my style and approach to leading. I shared my vision with Sonia and she has coached me on how to successfully execute that vision. After working with Sonia over the past 4 months, my leadership skills have grown tremendously. I am more confident, knowledgeable and passionate about everything I do. I now look forward to what my future will bring.
"I first heard Sonia speak when I attended a Griffith Alumni breakfast where Sonia was delivering the topic "Confidence- it's so hot right now." I was blown away by Sonia's engaging, entertaining and relevant content that she delivered in an enthusiastic and energetic manner. Sonia was so motivating and encouraging, and I left the room feeling like I really could accomplish anything that I set my mind to. One huge thing that resonated with me was how real Sonia was, as she explained that we are all vulnerable and never perfect, but should chase our dreams any way because we don't know the answer unless we ask. I was then lucky enough to attend a workshop with Sonia, an again she lifted the room as she encouraged discussion about diversity, confidence, women empowerment and leadership. I believe that Sonia has the potential to influence leaders at every stage of their journey, and as I progress through my professional career I always find that Sonia has unique content to help me along my personal development as a leader in my field. "
We at QSuper have a Women’s Network called She's on Q where we run large events for our female membership. We were looking for a empowering speaker and Sonia stood out to us and boy she didn't disappoint. And what an event it was - the energy, the passion in the room was palpable. Our attendees described the event as “inspiring, extraordinary, energetic, positive, motivational and incredible speaker". We had ladies leaving the room - saying they were ready to " Rock It" Sonia held the 300 attendee audiences attention the whole time. She energised them, she made them laugh, she made them think. I would recommend anyone looking for a speaker to empower their staff - Sonia should be your choice. She exudes energy and positivity and leaves you feeling like you can do anything. She is incredible.
I was lucky enough to secure Sonia McDonald for an amazing HR Leaders Workshop with my HR team. She challenged them, gave them some fantastic tools, and encouraged them to be courageous business leaders. The team were all so energized after the day, that I have booked the entire HR Leadership team for Super Retail Group into an intensive 3 day course.