Red Pencil founder

For Tatiana Cross, self-belief has come in spades for as long as she can remember.

So much so the Torquay business and career mentor has made it her mission to show women how they can step into their self-worth and value.

Tatiana is the founder of Red Pencil Consulting – a business that draws on her experience as a participant in the Fortune 500-US Department of State Global Women’s Mentoring Partnership program.

It was an unrivalled opportunity to connect with members of Fortune’s Most Powerful Women Leaders, including former Google vice resident and White House chief technology officer Meagan Smith and Smartsheet chief marketing officer Anna Griffin.

“These women mentored me, and I came back and decided: I can’t keep this to myself. I have to share it with other women,” she said.

“It wasn’t only learning about business, business culture, strategy, branding and client services, but I also watched how these women embraced themselves and how they connected with their value
and worth.”

After using her knowledge and skills to teach women in her home country of South Africa, Tatiana got married and moved to Australia with her two children to join her husband.

However, she felt she had lost her network despite her self-belief – which she attributes to her inspirational parents laying a solid foundation.

“I didn’t know of a poverty that we had in South Africa, and everyone seemed to have their stuff together here,” she said.

“But once I decided I was going to start working with women again, I found that women are disconnected with their self-worth and value. So I thought: that’s it. I am going to help women transform.

“Red Pencil Consulting works with women in business and in their careers to overcome ‘perfectionistic over-functioning’ (one who constantly strives to be perfect). It’s also to help mums understand they are valuable and worthy.”

Red Pencil Consulting is the latest addition to Inspired By Surf Coast – a Surf Coast Shire ouncil initiative that shares the stories of the many innovative businesses that call the Surf Coast home.

Tatiana was a Surf Coast Shire council COVID recovery grant recipient, inspiring women in a three-month #IAmWorth program to be the highest version of themselves and grow in confidence after being exacerbated by the pandemic.

She also launched Surf Coast Expat Women Connect to help female expats find their way in their new local community.

“It was difficult when I arrived here because I didn’t know anyone. The people were different, the culture was different, and there weren’t many people of colour,” Tatiana said.

So I want to empower expat women because I understood that when you come to a different country, you lose part of your identity in a sense.”

From offering a social outlet for expat women, teaching women to confidently negotiate a salary, to fostering much-needed connections for mothers – Tatiana thrives on helping, guiding and mentoring women.

Connect with her on Instagram and Facebook @Redpencil.consulting, or via redpencil.consulting. Surf Coast Expat Women Connect can be found on Facebook @Expatwomenconnect.
To find more inspiring stories of local women in business, head to inspiredbysurfcoast.com.au.