Janice
“Self-love is the most powerful tool you will need to equip yourself with. Honour yourself, use your voice even if it shakes and do not tolerate disrespect and unkindness from anyone, even if it is your own family.”
Janice is goal-oriented, hardworking and resilient. The pandemic forced her to remain in a toxic work environment where she was constantly taken advantage of. Even when she spoke up, she was penalised for it, which took a serious toll on her mental health. She knew she needed out - the chance of moving up in her career wasn’t worth a deteriorating wellbeing. So she took a step back, listened inward, and followed her heart right out the door. This led her into the unknown, but now she is thriving in her new role as a solicitor where she exercises her passions under an employer who values and respects her. Janice is a feminist, an empath and a legal practitioner who is determined to stand as a role model for women everywhere. Meet Janice. This is her story.
P: Please introduce yourself!
J: My name is Janice, I practise law for work, I enjoy strength training and I am obsessed about dogs. I was born in Malaysia and moved to Melbourne, Australia at age 11 and have been here for the better part of my life. I am also an active feminist and I do my part in reframing and quashing systemic beliefs of what a woman should be by just showing up as my best self in hopes to empower and inspire fellow women.
P: What is your favourite thing about yourself?
J: My empathy and kindness – I pride myself on these qualities and have gotten compliments on them too. I always put myself in someone else’s shoes before making a judgement.
P: Tell us a story. Have you had an experience that’s defined you or made you stronger?
There have been many experiences that shaped me to be the woman I am today, but I’ll share one.
After graduating from law school, I continued working as an Administrative Assistant while was attempting to land my “dream” job. The pandemic had just spiralled out of control and most parts of the world was in a lockdown, this meant I was struggling to get my foot in the Australian legal industry door.
I forced myself to stay in a toxic work environment that drained me mentally, emotionally and physically. I chose to stay because of the fear of losing any sort of an income. I did not have a safety net and I assumed I needed to secure a new job before escaping my current one.
Every day when I woke up, I had zero motivation or drive for the day. I knew my employers were manipulating me, dangling the carrot in front of me on promises that were never going to be delivered. I was underpaid, overworked and looked down upon.
When I used my voice to speak up for myself, I was subtly discriminated. This experience brought up past trauma in my life; it also depleted every other aspect of my life. I could not show up as my best self in my relationship, to my friends and family or even at job interviews.
However, after many months of tranquilising the demons in my head and practising a whole lot of self-love, I finally decided to end it. I quit my job, with no other opportunity lined up, put my mental health first, moved interstate with barely any savings in my account.
3 days later, I secured an internship and was retained as a solicitor. Now, I practise law in a wide range of legal areas, I am treated with utmost respect, I am valued by my current employer and I am thriving professionally and personally.
P: What is one piece of advice you would give to your younger self?
J: Self-love is the most powerful tool you will need to equip yourself with. Honour yourself, use your voice even if it shakes and do not tolerate disrespect and unkindness from anyone, even if it is your own family.
P: Who is one woman that inspires you? What would you say to her if she were here now?
J: As cliché as this sounds, my mother. I haven’t been the easiest child to raise in any way, yet she has been so patient with me and has always put my best interests first. She is so kind and will always go the extra mile for just about everyone (even sometimes to her own detriment).
Unfortunately, she lives overseas, and I have not been able to see her over a year. If she were here now, I would say: Thank you for showing up every day even when you felt like your walls were caving in. You concealed your struggles so well and growing up, I did not see the pain behind your kind, loving and cheerful smile. Thank you for raising me to be this independent, resilient and kind woman. If I can be half the woman you are, I would have lived a purposeful life. I cannot wait to have you here with me as soon as international borders open.