About UsThe Story Behind Secret Women’s Collab
Secret Women’s Collab began the way many good ideas do, over coffee, in between the chaos of business and family life.
We were two women running our own businesses south of the river, both juggling work, kids, clients, and community commitments. We loved what we did, but we also felt something was missing. The traditional networking events were too formal, too early or too late in the day or too far away.
We wanted a connection that felt calm, natural, and real. A space where you could turn up in jeans, between client calls or after school drop-off, and feel at home.
So we created it. Not as another business initiative, but as a shared space we needed too.
What started as a few casual catch-ups has grown into a trusted community of more than 200 women across Kwinana, Rockingham, Cockburn, and Mandurah, and we are growing every day.
The Collab has become a safe place for women in business to connect, learn, and grow, without the pressure to be polished or perfect.
Our mission is simple: conversation, connection, and community.
Meet the SWC TeamMeet Ash
Founder
Ash Battye is the founder of Emerald HQ, a hiring and HR consultancy helping women-led businesses build values-driven teams and lead with confidence.
With years of experience in recruitment and people management, Ash knows how to bring out the best in others. With her three part framework to build with intention a business you enjoy and life you love, she has a gift for making leadership feel natural and for helping business owners step into their role as leader without losing the heart that makes their business unique.
Ash grew up in Pinjarra and now lives in Kwinana with her partner and two children. She understands the realities of building a business outside the city and the importance of community support. That understanding drives her passion for creating spaces that feel inclusive and approachable.
Meet Emma
Founder
Emma Bennett is the founder of Em & Co Consulting, a business systems and operations consultancy that supports women-led service businesses across regional and rural Australia.
She is known for her practical grounded approach to helping business owners find flow. Through her signature F.L.O.W. Framework, Emma helps women simplify their systems, reduce overwhelm, and build sustainable operations that give them back time, confidence, and clarity.
But beyond the strategy, Emma understands what it feels like to juggle everything at once. She runs her business from her home in regional Western Australia while raising three kids and supporting her husband in their family enterprise, LWB Rural Contracting. She knows firsthand the mental load that comes with wearing every hat and she is passionate about helping other women create space for ease, not exhaustion.
What Secret Women’s Collab Means to UsWhen people ask how Secret Women’s Collab began, we always smile. It started with an online connection, a few shared frustrations and one simple question: “Want to grab a coffee?”
We first met through an online networking group for service providers. Both of us were running our own businesses, both juggling family life, and both craving connections that felt genuine. The conversations online were helpful, but we wanted more. We wanted to meet people who understood what it was like to work from home, to build something meaningful while also managing life, and to do it all without having to put on a show.
So we met for coffee.
That catch-up turned into an honest conversation about how many women we knew were feeling the same way, running incredible businesses but often feeling isolated, unseen or unsure where they fit. We realised that most local events either did not suit our schedules or did not fit our style. They were too formal, too structured, too focused on selling instead of connecting.
So we created the thing we were looking for.
We started small, a few casual coffee catch-ups with other local women in business. No name badges. No scripts. Just real conversations. From there, something special grew. Women showed up, they shared openly and they kept coming back. Word spread, and before long, Secret Women’s Collab became more than our idea, it became everyone’s space.
A community built by women, for women, where we all come exactly as we are and grow together.
What it Means to Us PersonallySecret Women’s Collab is not just a project or a brand to us. It is deeply personal.
It represents everything we both needed when we first started our own businesses, a place to be understood, to belong and to grow without judgement or pressure.
For Emma, it’s a reminder that business does not have to be lonely. It’s proof that connection creates momentum, that structure and support make space for ease, and that women can build sustainable businesses when they have the right network around them.
For Ash, it’s about community and culture, seeing women lead with heart, build teams with purpose and cheer each other on instead of competing. It’s a space that reflects the kind of workplaces and relationships she has always believed women deserve.
Together, SWC means friendship, courage and connection. It’s a space we have built from the ground up, with heart and intention, to make sure no woman ever feels like she has to figure it all out on her own.
It’s where we all get to breathe a little easier, laugh a little louder and remember that we are never doing this alone.
We are not standing at the front of the room. We are sitting right there beside you, laughing, learning and growing too. The Collab is as much ours as it is yours. Every woman who shows up helps shape what it becomes next, and that is what makes it so special.
Our BeliefsWe believe in authenticity: that real conversations matter more than polished introductions.
We believe in collaboration: that we rise by lifting each other up.
We believe in connection: that trust and belonging are the foundation of everything.
We believe in inclusion: that every woman deserves access to spaces that work around real life.
Our community is built on these values. Every coffee catch-up, coworking day, and event is designed to help women in business feel connected, capable, and confident.
Our VisionWe see a thriving southern corridor where women-led businesses are recognised as a vital part of our local economy. A region where collaboration flows across council lines, where small business owners are supported by their community, and where every woman feels confident to lead in her own way.
We are building more than a network. We are building an ecosystem, one conversation, one connection, and one shared moment at a time.
And the best part is, we’re building it together.
Join UsIf you have ever wanted to find a space where you can connect, grow and be yourself, we would love to welcome you to Secret Women’s Collab.
Come along to a coffee catch-up, join a coworking day, or be part of one of our signature events. However you choose to start, you will be met with warmth, understanding and a community of women who genuinely want to see you succeed.