Kindness to others and looking out for people who don’t seem included.

These were Petty Officer Jess Elliott’s key takeaways from the recent Women UNLIMITED Leadership Summit in Sydney, which featured big-name speakers like Hillary Clinton and Julia Gillard.

With a physical training instructor background, these are not the events she would usually attend.

But she scored an invite in her current role as Assistant Staff Officer Navy Women, alongside Deputy Fleet Commander Commodore Anita Williams.

“It was big on the brain, that’s for sure,” she said. 

“I was super humbled to be there, to listen and learn.

“It was two days of incredible speakers and, for me, it all came back to kindness. You never know what’s happening in someone’s life and don’t realise the impact you can have simply by being kind.

“Julia Gillard spoke about that a lot – that you never know what people are carrying.”

Having returned from maternity leave and with two “little cyclones” to care for at home, being alert to people’s circumstances resonated with Petty Officer Elliott, whose Navy career spans 13 years.

“So many of us leave the office and go home to our actual jobs, like caring for young ones or an elderly relative,” she said.

“My young son and daughter are the best and I am super grateful I can come back to work and balance that. Well, it’s not really a balance. I’ve got a serving spouse too, so it’s just a juggle trying to keep everybody happy.”

As one of the younger attendees, Petty Officer Elliott is conscious of supporting other young women.

“It made me think that, in Navy, we can all show leadership and values like compassion, which are key to being a good person.”