On 9 August 2025, The Australian Women’s Weekly‘s Health Summit series kicked off with aplomb at the Hilton Sydney. This year, we are going national thanks to our sponsors: Priceline Pharmacy, together with Blackmores and Colgate. We covered all things health, specifically women’s health, with our more than 150 guests.
The Weekly Editor, Sophie Tedmanson, hosted the event, and Jessica Rowe emceed. Throughout the day, our guests were treated to several informative panel discussions, interactive installations and delicious healthy food!
In case you missed it (or if you did attend and want to relive the day), here’s a rundown of everything that happened. Plus, the best learnings from the panellists.
One-on-one with Edwina Bartholomew
The fabulous Edwina Bartholomew shared what it was like to go through her cancer diagnosis and treatment in front of the eyes of Australia.
She shared that she only discovered her diagnosis because she decided, on a whim, to get a health check-up. It was second nature for her to organise that for her children, but she rarely put herself first. At least, she did then.
Eddy also shared that she was so grateful that her cancer wasn’t as serious as it could have been. And, that her experience made her “cherish” those around her.
“I feel like I was in a car accident and left without a scratch.”
She advised everyone at the Health Summit to get regular check-ups (“It’s not selfish”) as you never know what you might discover. Furthermore, she said that we should all make time for ourselves. She’s an advocate for acupuncture, olive oil shots and bone broth. Eddy also said we should be consistent and not wait until we’re completely burned out to take care of ourselves.
“My [cancer treatment] tablet is a daily reminder of how lucky I am and how I need to prioritise myself,” she said. “I hate to say that ‘I’m blessed’, but it makes me think about how I’m going to live tomorrow, what my tomorrow will be like, and how I get to have one.”
Perimenopause Perigodmothers: Shelly Horton and Michelle Bridges
Friends and now perimenopause colleagues Shelly and Michelle took to the stage to share their experiences of perimenopause. And how they made it their mission to share the message across Australia.
After an “armageddon period” Shelly realised that something was not quite right down there. This started her on her journey of perimenopausal discovery.
“Health is a great equaliser,” said Michelle. “[You] need to become CEO of your own life.”
Their advice on what to look out for: Sleep and sleep health, lifting weights (“It’s gotta be heavier than your handbag, love,” advised Michelle), nutrition, and hormone health with your doctor.
They also made us jump for 30 seconds to get us started on our health and fitness journey!
Acronyms with Jana Pittman
The Australian Olympian, mother of six and junior doctor was a panellist on the mental health panel. She shared that she has a “boom or bust” personality. This served her well during her Olympian training, her parenting, and her medical studies.
But she also shared that you don’t always see the parts of the journey that flop. Athletes can often have difficulties reclaiming their identities after they retire. But she shared some acronyms that she lives by:
FAIL: First Attempt in Learning. Meaning that if you fail at something, that was just your first attempt. Learn from your setbacks and be patient with yourself.
FEAR: False Evidence Appearing Real. She asked us if there was something that we were putting off because we were afraid we wouldn’t succeed. She told us to imagine the worst-case scenario if you did do the thing you wanted to do. Is it actually that bad? Can it be laughed off? More often than not, it’s not as bad as we think it will be. So why not?
Focus on brain health
Exercise was consistently advised as a way to benefit our health. It came up on multiple panels from Jana Pittman to Michelle Bridges. Jana’s co-panellist, Professor Lee-Fay Low, who is a psychologist and dementia researcher, explained it further.
“Exercising is great for mental health, and something is better than nothing,” Lee-Fay said. She also advised us to rethink our mindset; it’s not about losing weight, it’s about building muscle.
She also advised us to have our hearing and eyesight checked, as they can have greater impacts on our brain health down the track.
Something else she advised is for us to “invest in our social capital”. Our happiness curve dips at 50, but then rises.
“It’s not a luxury, it’s an essential part of your mental health.”
Menopause Mythbusting with Mel Gannon from Priceline Pharmacy
Mel Gannon, expert Pharmacist from Priceline Pharmacy, joined the Menopause Mythbusting panel with Grace Molloy and Dr Ceri Cashell.
When Jess asked what some of the common questions that women come into Priceline and ask about when it comes to menopause are, Mel said it can vary widely, but that’s good in her opinion!
“So, a woman may have seen something on social media, she may have had a conversation with a friend, it could have been someone else, they could have picked up on the word,” said Mel. “I mean, clearly we all talk about hot flushes and, and you know, there’s a lot of recognition about that, but there’s even ranging right through to you know what, I’m getting some vaginal symptoms, I’m getting a little bit dry or irritated.”
She said that even though it can be different for everyone, Priceline Pharmacy can be a great resource for women going through this hormonal change in their lives.
“We want to acknowledge what’s going on because it is different for every single woman right from the start, actually, all the way through.”
Priceline Pharmacy has launched a new initiative called “Anything Menopause” to support women experiencing menopause. This program offers resources and guidance, including training for pharmacists and pharmacy assistants, to help women manage symptoms like hot flushes, mood changes, and vaginal dryness. It also includes access to services like the InstantScripts Menopause consultation service, which is a female GP-led initiative. Find out more here.
Healthy Food with Fran and Julie Goodwin!
Perhaps the most entertaining panel of the day! Women’s Weekly Food Director, Fran Abdallaoui, was joined by The Weekly‘s newest columnist and MasterChef winner, Julie Goodwin. They made a “pick-your-protein protein bowl”, and throughout their section, they gave some fantastic little tips for food:
- Test whether fresh eggs are still good by putting them in a bowl of water. If they stay at the bottom, they are good to cook and eat, but if they float, it’s best to throw them out. Julie also shared that there’s about 6g of protein in an egg, which is great for building muscle.
- Stems of silverbeet can be very fibrous, so Julie advised cutting them off for this recipe. But Fran added that you shouldn’t throw them away, as they can be used in soups and bolognese as hidden veggies.
- They both touted the benefits of olive oil, but advised that we purchase Australian olive oil from the supermarket: “In Italy, have the Italian, when you’re in Spain have the Spanish, but they aren’t exporting the best to Australia,” said Julie. She also went on to explain that the goodness in olive oil can dissipate after six weeks, so buy a smaller bottle.
- Quinoa has all nine amino acids, which is really rare for a plant food. Fran advised that the way to make it really delicious is by washing it really, really well and cooking it like absorption rice with water and bone broth.
- And what is bone broth? Julie explained that it is essentially a fortified stock that is made with bones and collagen.
- If you ever are in the position of giving Fran or Julie flowers, instead, opt for a bouquet of lemons! They always have a bowl of lemons at home.
- A bit of a controversy when Fran advised that she adds room-temperature eggs to boiling water and not cold water. Julie adds that she leaves her eggs in for five minutes, and then, if she’s using them in a salad, she will leave them in the shells so that the yolk gets jammy.
- On the topic of eggs, Julie doesn’t keep her eggs in the fridge! Of course, she said, for food safety, the ones in the supermarket are in the fridge, so it’s best to leave them refrigerated, but she has her own chickens who are about to start laying eggs!
- When testing the doneness of meat, Jess asked if there was a way to do that without cutting up the meat. Julie said there’s no problem with doing that, but you can also push into the meat and feel the difference; there is a lot more give in underdone meat.
- They also advised that you should always rest meat before eating it. And to ensure that the meat doesn’t cool down, Fran advised that you put the meat on a warmed plate and cover loosely with foil (don’t trap the steam in with the meat, as it will ruin the crust).
- Julie also said that for pasta, she pours boiling water into her pasta bowl before putting the pasta in; it dries instantly, and the plate heats up nicely!
- Fran also shared that your nose is the best test of whether something is safe to eat! If it smells bad, trust your nose and don’t eat it.
Both recipes they shared are available on Women’s Weekly Food: Stuffed dates and Protein Bowl.
Amazing activations
Attendees were able to get their health checked by a nifty gizmo, courtesy of Priceline Pharmacy. The SiSu Health Station, which in under 4 minutes provided our guests with their weight, BMI, blood pressure and whether they were at risk of diabetes.
Also, there was a super fun “Spin the Wheel” where guests could win luxury skincare items and more. It was so popular that the queue for it snaked around the floor!
Colgate was also on-site to share the benefits of brushing and Optic White; in fact, they participated in a Q&A with Women’s Weekly Health Editor Ashleigh Austen about the benefits of frequent dental check-ups.
Blackmores were also there to talk about the benefits of healthy supplements, and Naturopath Bianca Sheedy advised in a Q&A with Ashleigh on how best to add vitamins and minerals through your diet.
All in all, and if we do say so ourselves, we believe our first Health Summit of 2025 was a roaring success!
The next summit is happening in Melbourne on Saturday, 30 August at the Crowne Plaza. Buy tickets here and find out who the panellists are here.
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