About Us

Jennifer Emmett has over 25 years of experience working in the Community Sector and founded The Village Leaders in 2020 as a vehicle to collaborate with other community leaders to deliver services and programs that increase community leadership and provide higher education, mentoring and linkages for future community leaders. 

Jennifer has experience in organisational leadership and governance, community & affordable housing, employment and training, community arts, event management and performance. 

Jennifer has a particular interest in using technology to support organisational management service delivery and community development. 

Jennifer is an Author, Speaker, Leadership Coach & Community Consultant. 

Learn more about Jennifer at www.jenniferemmett.com.au

 Dr Anne Butcher is a professional social worker with over 30 years of experience working in the social welfare fields of Community Development, Youth Development, Youth Justice, Child Protection and Disability Services. She has also gained extensive working experience when managing domestic violence and sexual assault counselling services, and women's health and wellbeing programs. 

Dr Anne Butcher is an Author, Speaker & Community Consultant. 

Learn more about Anne at

www.drannebutcher.com

Deb Rae is an accomplished consultant, author and coach who is committed to helping people create and maximise opportunities for growth. 

Whether working with you as an individual, or with your organisation, Deb provides results-driven coaching, training and consulting services based on your identified objectives and particular needs.

Deb has also published  Getting There, Grief to Peace for Young Widows, a resource to support people who are grieving, their families and professionals wanting to understand the world of a grieving person.  Deb's aim is to change the way we think about grief, so it is less fearful, more appreciated and easier to deal with in our society.

Deb holds a number of academic qualifications and extensive experience in organisational, professional and personal development, and has worked with

people in both urban and regional locations

Learn more about Deb at

www.debrae.com.au

Paperback Book by Jennifer Emmett

 Have you ever had the feeling that you were supposed to be doing something different with your life, but you can’t quite put your finger on it?
Do you sometimes feel unsettled and question why you are really here?
Do you have a longing for something to change but have no idea what it is or how to go about it?
For many of us, life is something that has ‘just happened’ rather than happening by our design, but the great news is that there is something you can do about it.   In Beyond Possible, author Jennifer Emmett provides you with the opportunity to discover the things that bring a sense of purpose and fulfilment to your life.  In this eye-opening and sometimes confronting book, Jennifer guides you through a very actionable set of steps to create the life that you want for yourself, not one that you have to settle for. Jennifer’s courage, honesty and passion to share how she has purposefully made a path for herself when there wasn’t one to follow will inspire you to do the same. Let this book guide you to live your ideal life and connect with a deeper purpose, one that you might have been striving to find your whole life.  

Paperback Book by Dr Anne Butcher 

This memoir is the true story of an ordinary Queensland girl who grew up quickly in the heady, hippie, cultural revolution times of the 1970s to become an extraordinary woman who, despite the odds being against her, has excelled in her own life.

Hers is a story of grit, guts and determination to never give up or give in until she reached her potential and achieved her goals. Through significant early childhood adversity and a traumatic adolescence, she demonstrates to all, and to herself, that it is possible to achieve personal goals, dreams and aspirations if we do not accept negative parental messaging, social stigma, innuendo, or destructive gossip which others cast upon us.

And importantly, if we can find those people in life who willingly share of themselves—their time, their knowledge, their skills and their patience—they will support and guide us in the right direction, and with their guidance and a leap of faith on our part, we can achieve more than we could ever have imagined.

Paperback Book by Deb Rae 

Deb’s book Getting There: Grief to Peace for Young Widows is ground-breaking, well-researched, courageous and uplifting.  There has never been anything written with so much sincerity, honesty or usefulness for young widows going through their own life-changing experience.  It’s also vital reading for family, friends and professionals wanting to understand the world of a grieving person and know how to support them. 

 Deb’s husband was killed in a random accident while they were overseas.  In an instant, she lost her best friend, her home, her job and her dreams. In her words, Deb sucks as a widow.  She kicked, screamed, ran away.  She felt alone, overwhelmed and that she’d never be happy again.  With wit and wisdom, Deb walks with you through minefields like:
•   How do I calm my crazy brain?
•   Where’s the guidebook?
•   What do I tell my kids?
•   How do I get through anniversaries and birthdays?