On August 31, 2024, The Weekly’s inaugural Health Summit took place.
Held at the picturesque Museum of Contemporary Art in Sydney, and brought to you by Priceline Pharmacy, together with Jean Hailes and McKenzie’s Foods, we discussed all things health – more specifically, women’s health – with our 150 guests.
Hosted by our Editor Sophie Tedmanson and emceed by the fabulous Jessica Rowe, our guests were treated to several informative panel discussions, interactive installations and delicious but healthy food!
In case you missed The Weekly’s Health Summit (or if you did attend and just want to relive the day), here’s a rundown of everything that happened!
Jessica Rowe opened The Weekly’s 2024 Health Summit
It all began with our emcee Jess Rowe taking to the stage and welcoming everyone.
The 54-year-old immediately had everyone in stitches thanks to her quick wit and candid admissions (like “I’m now 54 and I love getting older. I think being older is fabulous”).
Ultimately, Jess set the tone for what turned out to be a lovely day.
Ali Skiba led a sound bathing mindful meditation
Talk about relaxing! Ali Skiba, sound healer, vocal empowerment coach and breathwork facilitator, took to the stage and led us all in a sound bathing meditation.
Through breathwork, sound healing and voice activation, the audience became very serene listening to Ali work her magic.
Jelena Dokic tuned in
The Weekly’s September cover star Jelena Dokic sadly couldn’t be at our Health Summit in person. However, she tuned in from afar and gave the audience a lovely message.
“I would have loved to be there but I’m covering the US Open at the moment,” she said before sharing what health means to her…
“Health is extremely important and for me there are three things. It’s mind, body and spirit.
“I also think it’s very important to talk about body image, body positivity and body shaming because it is all around us … It’s very important to embrace who you are. Everyone is different. Be proud of yourself.
“We’re imperfectly perfect; we’re all different, but we’re all amazing.”
The first panel of the day discussed mental health
Special guests Julie Godwin, Dr Liz Dale and Jodi Gordon discussed all things mental health with Jess.
It was incredibly moving to hear all of our panellists share their experiences with mental health; especially Julie who shared the poignant story of how she realised she needed help.
She was sitting down by the water and a young couple approached her and said she looked like she needed some company.
Ultimately, that led Julie to tell her husband that she was not feeling okay and needed some help; she was in treatment that very afternoon!
Effie Zahos talked all things financial health
Health isn’t just diet and exercise; your finances are also important! The Weekly’s resident finance and money expert Effie Zahos educated us all about investing, superannuation and more during the Health Summit.
She also answered any questions the audience had; including Jess Rowe’s question of whether it’s better to pay off your home loan or credit card first… The short answer according to Effie is the credit card!
Sophie Tedmanson and Priceline Pharmacist Melissa Gannon took to the stage
Our Editor Sophie had a Q&A session with pharmacist Melissa Gannon on stage and it was incredibly informative.
Melissa shared the three most common issues women face in their later years: urinary tract infections (UTIs), menopause and hypertension (high blood pressure).
Michelle Bridges whipped everyone into shape
Michelle Bridges candidly shared how she discovered she was perimenopausal before sharing multiple things women can do to help manage their perimenopause and menopause symptoms – from wearing a weighted vest to using resistance bands and dumbbells.
The second panel of the day discussed menopause
Special guests Alison Daddo, Myf Warhurst and Dr Sarah White made up the menopause panel, which was moderated by Dr Ginni Mansberg.
The four women discussed everything to do with menopause – even hormonal replacement therapy.
Our Food Director Fran Abdallaoui led a healthy cooking demonstration
To end the day, The Weekly’s Food Director Fran Abdallaoui led a healthy cooking demonstration.
Fran taught us how to make a Cannellini Bean, Oven Dried Tomatoes and Avocado Hummus Salad, a Chickpea Tabbouleh and Choc-Ginger Cookies, all while Jess hilariously interjected making sure these dishes could be prepared by anyone, even “crap housewives” like her.
The Weekly‘s 2024 Health Summit also featured Priceline Activations
All throughout the day, there were two Priceline Activations our guests could take part in at any time. One was the ‘Take A Chance Wall’, which allowed guests to pick an envelope from the wall and potentially win a prize!
The second was a 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.
All in all, and if we do say so ourselves, we believe our inaugural Health Summit was a roaring success and hope to do it all again next year!
