Many of us don’t feel comfortable flying our own flags.

Well, if there’s one thing I discovered after interviewing Australia’s rock star, successful business women it’s that they are comfortable speaking about their achievements.

They own it. It is something they have generally perfected over time.

The ACT Telstra Business Woman of the Year winner Samantha Kourtis worked as a pharmacist for five years, before taking the leap to management and then Capital Chemist ownership.

She’s generous with her learnings and super positive about what we can achieve.

What’s been your greatest threat to business success?

Not thinking I’m good enough or worthy of sharing my success.

One of the biggest ways my success has grown is because I’m now generous with sharing my ideas.

By me being generous it stimulates conversation and that gives me more ideas and people want to collaborate.

Ideas get bigger, strategies are formed and results follow – Samantha Kourtis.

SA’s Telstra Business Woman of the Year, heads the state’s biggest workforce as the Commissioner for Public Sector Employment.

What do you regard as your greatest business learning?

There is the unknown and the unknown actually creates a level of vulnerability. The thing I’ve learnt most along the way is if you can live with that vulnerability; if you can live with that uncertainty it does some extremely great things to you as a person because nothing, nothing is insurmountable.

Everything is possible.

It can be quite tricky at times but actually there is a way if you stick to your values. – Erma Ranieri.

Tasmania Police Assistant Commissioner Donna Adams is an inspiration to a generation of young police and was named Tassie’s top business woman.

What’s your best advice for women?

You’ve got to be true to yourself, there’ll be a lot of pressure for you to behave to meet the expectations of the boys or the men in the workplace. Don’t do that; be true to yourself.

If you are true to yourself, you’ll make sound judgements and be able to call inappropriate behaviours by those you work with. In the long run they’ll actually welcome your contribution –Donna Adams.

Full interviews with these gals coming up. Over the hols, when you’ve all got more time to read.

Check out my interviews with Sandra Sully, Natalie Bassingthwaighte or even James Reyne by popping across here