WELL-BEING WEDNESDAY
EPISODE 13
Lisa Keedle
Disaster Management Professional – Yarra Valley VIC
Shownotes
In this episode we will meet Lisa Keedle, from Yarra Ranges Council’s Emergency Management team. Hear how she copes with natural disasters in the country’s most at-risk region for bushfires.
Lisa has a background in Agriculture and Community Engagement, which has led her to somehow work in the Emergency Management sector for the past 15 years.
Lisa has been with Yarra Ranges Council for over six years, serving in the Emergency Management team. Yarra Ranges has the highest risk in the country for bushfires. To ensure community safety, Lisa has worked on a number of EM projects, including response, relief and recovery activities, with a strong focus on community-led recovery, community emergency management planning and a strengths-based approach. She works collaboratively with other Local Governments, agencies and organisations in the eastern metropolitan region to build capability and capacity in emergency management.
Currently leading the largest local govt. EM team in the State, Lisa loves working with the communities of Yarra Ranges in partnership with emergency services and agencies to strengthen community disaster resilience across the municipality. Working in the Yarra Valley and Dandenong Ranges has to be one of the best work locations.
In her time at Yarra Ranges she has been deployed to LaTrobe Valley and Wye River to support and mentor other Council staff in Relief & Recovery efforts.
Most recently Lisa was seconded into Red Cross, to take a state lead in co-ordinating immediate relief (food, water and pharmaceuticals) and psychological social support in response to the 2019/20 Victorian bushfires. In that role she worked on the multi-agency air return of evacuees into Mallacoota.
A seminal moment in her personal and professional life, during the 2009 bushfires, Lisa was working and volunteering with CFA focussing on community bushfire education. She reviewed and re-wrote significant community information and education doctrine including, Farm Management Guidelines “On the Land”; Community FireGuard and Bushfire Planning programs using lessons learnt from 2009 Bushfires; a full circle moment occurred in 2019 when Lisa and her team lead the 10th anniversary commemorations for Yarra Ranges. The Yarra Glenn MEMO Hall was filled with people, memories and moments of reflection along with renewed hope.
In her downtime online yoga and her newfound ISO pastime of bike riding on trails, is her go to relaxation. Baking is also her zen space for those days she just can’t get outside. Lisa’s family has recently adopted a rescue dog (Jack Russell cross, named Bella) who they call their in-house counsellor. During ISO Lisa has supported her daughter through Year 12 schooling from home and tried to remain calm.
Lisa’s top well-being tips:
Lisa calls this her well-being first aid trilogy. Can you find 10 minutes two or three times a day?
- Embrace the power of a power nap! Even a 10 minute quick nap can really help to restore your brain and your body. Lisa first started this when she had young kids and it’s something she still does regularly.
- Yoga. A salute to the sun (full body stretch) three times a day has an amazing effect on your body and your mind.
- Eat well. A 10-minute meal that is healthy and that you can prepare quickly will set you up well.
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Your Hosts
Cynthia Mahoney
Cynthia is a facilitator, coach, mentor, speaker and author with a passion for personal disruption, neuroscience, positive psychology, courageous conversations, human performance and well-being. Her mantra (taken from the latest neuroscience research) is that “Happier people are higher performing,” and she strives to help leaders and teams achieve this in the workplace
Cynthia is passionate about working with people to develop their life and leadership skills and to increase diversity and participation in decision-making in industry, government and the community. She’s a strong believer in bringing people together to identify issues, exchange ideas and develop solutions that work for them, their business or organisation, their family and community.
Louise Thomson
Louise Thomson is a confident, courageous, and enthusiastic women who contributes her experience and wisdom to those who aspire to be better leaders. With three decades in leadership positions within corporate Australia, NFPs, and her own Leadership Development Practice, Louise has experienced most situations faced by leaders.
She was once described as an outstanding ‘blank canvas’ facilitator; enabling groups to learn from each other while providing dedicated support and expertise in leadership development. Louise also mentors’ future business leaders, hosts several leadership programs and enjoys the larger audience to present her ideas about how to make leadership easy.
