In a beautifully bold kõrero with NBR, Global Women Member Dame Farah Palmer shares her experience of grappling with this while navigating incredible roles, milestones, communities and conversations. 

A full list of Dame Farah Palmer’s accomplishments would “strain the tendons of a writer’s arm…”

A full list of Dame Farah Palmer’s accomplishments would “strain the tendons of a writer’s arm,” as NBR’s Dita De Boni puts it in her article. Between completing 35 test matches as Black Ferns’ captain, leading the team to three Rugby World Cup championships, recently becoming a Dame, becoming New Zealand Rugby’s deputy chair, being Associate Dean Māori at the business school of Massey University, it’s safe to say that Dame Farah has carved out a rich tapestry of experiences. 

Dame Farah talks to the power of honouring one’s own unique knowledge as a key to shaking even the slightest suggestion of impostor syndrome

Dame Farah talks to the power of honouring one’s own unique knowledge as a key to shaking even the slightest suggestion of impostor syndrome. She draws on this feeling creeping in when asked to join as a Member in 2018, but also again prior to our now-postponed Equitable Futures for Indigenous Women and Women of Colour event, where she was set to be a storyteller.

“Accepting a place in Global Women was about me stepping up and seeing myself as deserving of being in that space.”

“I’m sitting there going ‘what am I doing here with these amazing women?” she tells Dita Di Boni of NBR. “But then I tell myself, ‘Shush, get over yourself and just enjoy the moment – and share what knowledge you have’. Accepting a place in Global Women was about me stepping up and seeing myself as deserving of being in that space – honestly, it’s a real struggle for me to put myself forward for these things.” 

For the full long-form interview on Dame Farah’s career, upbringing, board positions, and thoughts around pay parity in the sporting world, visit NBR’s website.