"Resilience is not that we don't have setbacks. Resilience is about coming back and showing up every day in spite of all the challenges that we have."

She arrived in Australia with a husband, a master's degree, and no career plan of her own. Within two decades she was running one of Western Australia's largest Aboriginal community-controlled organisations - pulling it back from massive debt, then leading it to a King's Birthday honour for service to the community she serves.

But the harder story isn't the title change. It's what came before it: convincing a traditional husband she needed to travel for work, rebuilding trust in a community that owed her nothing, and learning - the hard way, over email, in a restructure she still thinks about - that some conversations can only happen face to face.

This week, Luella sits down with Asha Bhat, CEO of Southern Aboriginal Corporation in Albany, WA, and recipient of the Medal of the Order of Australia (2022) for service to the Indigenous community of Western Australia. Asha moved from India to Australia in 2004, worked her way from finance officer to CEO during an organisational crisis, and has spent the years since building trust, capacity, and cultural connection across housing, legal services, and family violence support. She talks with Luella about leadership lessons learned the hard way, what "sorry business" means and what it teaches about grief and community, and how she's had to renegotiate ambition, marriage, and identity at every stage of her career.

00:00:53 - What Southern Aboriginal Corporation Actually Does. Asha breaks down the scope of the organisation - legal services, housing, mental health, and family violence support - and why every program is designed bottom-up with the community, not for it.

00:06:46 - The Restructure Mistake That Changed How She Leads. A hard lesson in delivering difficult news by email instead of in person - and why she's never done it again.

00:10:30 - What "Sorry Business" Means. Asha explains the Aboriginal community's approach to grief and mourning, and the parallels she sees with her own Indian cultural background.

00:21:03 - From Finance Officer to CEO in a Crisis. How Asha ended up leading the organisation she'd joined in an entry-level role, and what she changed first.

00:31:23 - Redefining Resilience and Success. Asha's take on what actually makes someone successful - and why it isn't a number, a title, or being the loudest person in the room.

Southern Aboriginal Corporation: https://www.sacorp.com.au/

Asha Bhat on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/asha-bhat-oam-gaicd-46b9552/

All opinions are the guest's own.

New episodes on a Wednesday, with interviews with leaders or experts every week and a monthly discussion on what we've heard in the last week of the month.

We'd love to hear from you. Share your thoughts on recent episodes or questions you'd like Luella and Michelle to answer at [email protected].

Career Stories is hosted by Dr Luella Forbes, who works with organisations on leadership, change and storytelling. To find out how she can support your leaders and teams, visit luellaforbes.com/services

More about the podcast: luellaforbes.com/career-stories

Watch Career Stories on YouTube, and follow us on Instagram and LinkedIn.

Help other people find this podcast by subscribing in your podcast app and leaving a review.