About Brave Feminine Leadership (and The Brave Group)

Brave Feminine Leadership (BFL) was founded in 2021 on the back of Melissa Hamilton's Brave Feminine Leadership podcast.

Curiosity around why aren't there more female CEOs led Melissa to have over 250+ conversations with global leaders on that topic and the state of leadership more over, and why now more than ever there needs to be a balance of masculine and feminine energy in leadership. Melissa continues to pose questions on this topic, to amplify the conversation today.

Brave Feminine leadership has two clear missions. Firstly to Inspire women to take the next intentional step in their career and secondly to mentor CEOs to build inspiring and engaging workplaces for the future. Melissa and her business partner Kelli Hayes, firmly believe that the world will be a better place when the incredible privilege of leadership is equally shared.

They know it can be and they want to help.

In October 2021 Melissa and Kelli (both former global CEOs and now Company Directors and Executive Coaches), formed the Brave Group, BFL's corporate sister.

Today BFL is the podcast, YouTube channel, home to the leadership blog and the vehicle from which Masterminds are run for senior female leaders and female CEO's looking to activate their impact quickly! Alternately The Brave Group works with corporate clients on designing and running both off the shelf and bespoke programs to help accelerate and retain female talent. Brave Group also provides coaching, consulting, finance, strategy and leadership programs that are non-gendered and inclusive of all. You can find out more about Brave Group and the team here.

Melissa Hamilton and Kelli Hayes

Two former global CEOs. One mission.

To ignite the senior women and CEOs who are already changing the world - with the influence, the mechanics and the peer-level thinking to do it faster, further and on their own terms.

Why Brave Feminine Leadership exists

It started with a question nobody was answering.

In 2021, after years leading at CEO level, Melissa Hamilton started asking a question she couldn't shake: why aren't there more female CEOs? Not as a rhetorical exercise — as a genuine investigation. She started interviewing global leaders. Then more. Then more. 240+ conversations later, Brave Feminine Leadership was born. Not as a coaching business. As a mission. The world will be a better place when the privilege of leadership is equally shared — and Melissa and Kelli are here to make that happen faster.

Melissa Hamilton

Founder, Brave Feminine Leadership | Executive Mentor | Company Director | Podcast Host


Melissa spent 8 years as CEO of an international company scaling to over 5,000 employees across multiple markets. Under her leadership the business achieved [key metric if available] and Melissa was recognised with the Deloitte Women in Leadership Award.

She now works as an executive mentor and thinking partner for senior women leaders and CEOs — drawing on 240+ interviews with global leaders, her own experience in the seat, and frameworks built from real operational complexity.

She is also a Company Director, podcast host of the Brave Feminine Leadership podcast (50K+ listeners, 220+ episodes), and co-founder of The Executive Shift and INFLUENCE Mastermind programs.

Former CEO | 5,000+ employees | Deloitte Women in Leadership Award | 240+ leadership interviews | 50K podcast listeners

Kelli Hayes

Co-Founder, The Executive Shift & INFLUENCE Mastermind | Former Global CEO | Executive Coach | Company Director


Kelli Hayes brings decades of experience leading multinational companies to her work as an executive coach and mentor. As a former global CEO, Kelli understands the specific complexity of leading at the top — the decisions that don't come with a playbook, the isolation that comes with the role, and the inner game required to lead with clarity under pressure.

She co-leads The Executive Shift and INFLUENCE Mastermind with Melissa, and works with senior executives through 1:1 coaching engagements.

Former Global CEO | Executive Coach | Company Director | Co-Founder BFL

Looking for corporate programs?

BFL's corporate sister — The Brave Group Co

Brave Feminine Leadership's individual programs sit alongside The Brave Group Co — a corporate leadership and consulting practice working with organisations to accelerate and retain female talent. From bespoke programs to strategy and coaching, The Brave Group Co works with leadership teams across Australia and internationally.