Growing up in the housing commission blocks of inner Western Sydney to navigating through significant, challenging and at times tragic personal circumstances, to raising a family, to founding and building a successful business empire, Karen Lebsanft has lived a remarkable life.
A proud Burra Burra woman, Karen shares her lived experiences in a very powerful and emotional manner inspiring, empowering and showing just what is possible when you believe and never give up.
She has shown remarkable strength, courage, resilience and determination. never giving up and always believing eventually she would succeed.
And she has.
Through soaring highs and unimaginable lows Karen has experienced and dealt with an incredible array of as she describes it “lived experiences” and it is these true life “lived experiences” she shares with her audience, that inspire, empower and impact on those who hear her words.
She connects people and communities like very few can through her inclusive and relatable manner and has been the catalyst for many to change their lives for the better.
A direct descendent of well known Burra Burra warrior Murrandah, Karen draws great inspiration from the philosophy, beliefs and actions Murrandah was renowned for over 250 years ago, which saw him bestowed with one of the greatest honours of the times, presented with a golden breastplate under the orders of Governor Lachlan Macquarie.
Many of the messages Murrandah delivered in the 1800s are also evident in Karen’s stories and are as important and relevant today as they were all those years ago.
Resilience comes from facing adversities in life – and how you respond and react to those adversities.
Resilience has been the cornerstone of many of Karen’s “lived experiences” and her ability to not only pick herself up, dust herself off and bounce back but then also to flourish and thrive prove that even in the darkest of moments, there is always light, if you believe, look and never give up.
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Karen has experienced difficult, frightening and sometimes tragic moments and situations throughout her life.
Professionally and personally, she has found herself in the most challenging of circumstances, facing numerous obstacles and hurdles.
Her belief in herself gave her the confidence to pull herself up each time and continue with the same positive outlook and passion. Determined to never give up, she faced whatever was thrown at her. These challenges helped her growth and ability to forge ahead with purpose.
Karen shares her story with genuine honesty and emotion and shows how tapping into your inner strength and self belief can see you overcome and prosper. You never truly realise just how strong and resilient you really are until you have to be.
Inspirational and empowering she motivates through her lived experiences and shows others there is light and hope even in the most darkest of times.
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Murrandah is Karen’s Great, Great, Great Grandfather. A Burra Burra man that traversed the Gundungurra nation.
The parallels between the lives of Karen’s Great, Great, Great Grandfather Murrandah and her own are extraordinary and remarkable. Murrandah was a fierce warrior and leader among his people in the 1800’s and travelled between Camden and the Blue Mountains taking on the important role of conduit between the indigenous natives of this area and the newly arrived white settlers.
Karen has inherited many of Murrandah’s strengths and passions and continues to foster understanding, cooperation and opportunity between indigenous and non indigenous people and communities.
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What is leadership? Leadership means different things to different people. For Karen leadership is all about empowerment.
“To be a leader is to empower” is a phrase she uses often, describing how much of her professional success has been a result of her believing and trusting her people and empowering them with the belief and opportunity to contribute.
Growing, challenging and supporting them as individuals which flowed on to developing a strong, positive and vibrant culture across all her business operations and was a crucial component to her impressive business success.
Karen leads by example, still getting her hands dirty, but gives the belief and trust to her team that has continued her impressive business growth and success
She is a respected community and business leader, and the leadership style and philosophy she has developed have been the result of her lived experiences and the lessons learned she shares with her audience.
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From an initial team of two people in 1993, to today employing over 35.
Starting out producing 1,200 bite size pieces of Lavosh to now having a production line generating over 1.2 million pieces a day and being stocked on all major supermarket shelves right across Australia.
Karen’s amazing story of her journey to success will amaze and astound.
As Co-Founder and CEO of Kurrajong Kitchen, Karen faced numerous hurdles and obstacles and found herself at the precipice on more than a few occasions. Each time however, she overcame with dogged persistence, determination and unwavering self belief.
Proudly Australian made and owned, Kurrajong Kitchen retains its core values which include supporting Australian wheat farmers by ensuring only Australian wheat is used in all its products and utilising Australian sourced ingredients, where available and possible.
Kurrajong Kitchen is a classic Australian business success story and Karen has been its inspiration and driving force and continues to be so.
Start a conversation with KarenFor Karen, Community plays a crucial role in life.
She is adamant, Community gives purpose to life. It is our hub. It is the place we go to and feel comfortable in. Community is our home.
There are communities within communities and it is where we feel accepted and belong and where there is no judgement. There are different levels of community. Eg Schools, interests, Hobbies, Groups, Race, Religion, Beliefs, Culture.
Communities change and evolve and you have to find your right Community.
The Community you are born into or are familiar with is not necessarily the right one for you.
Karen has been and remains a big part of many communities and her observations and experiences help others identify and find their ideal Community and realise there is a place for them to belong.
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To start a conversation with Karen simply complete the online form or contact her via email.