Wise Women

Wise Women · Katherine Sabbath

At the week’s end we share our final instalment of Wise Women – in celebration of International Women’s Day 2017.

A high school teacher turned cake creative, Katherine Sabbath is a self-taught bake-aholic who has amassed a cult following (374k instagram followers and counting!). The Sydneysider offers up support on quoting the true worth of your work, and embracing your heritage.

Katherine Sabbath will be appearing at a special event in Brisbane this coming Thursday March 16th, along with our editor Lucy Feagins (!), hosted by ELLE magazine and H&M – more info here.

Written
by
Katherine Sabbath

Cake creative and teacher Katherine Sabbath. Photo – Nikki To for The Design Files.

Writer
Katherine Sabbath
12th of March 2017

Wise words from cake creative and teacher Katherine Sabbath.

On the best part about working in a predominantly female industry…

Working with other women encourages really emotionally intelligent conversations, but in saying this, having a balanced dynamic of men and women is more suited to my personality. I think being a woman is an asset to how I manage my business, as I strive to inject passion and style into everything that I do!

On challenges of being a woman in the workplace…

 The gender pay gap is a big issue, as this instantly diminishes the value of a woman’s worth at an institutional level. There are positive signs of change though, which is hopeful.

Technology has allowed both men and women to access the same opportunities and find resources to support their passions.

My advice is to never stop improving your skill set and continually embrace change.

On the best advice…

My Mother, Yen, has always instilled in me the value of being confident and resilient.

On inspirational women…

My best friend and photographer, Nikki To, is a constant source of inspiration for me. She’s highly intelligent, a social and environmental activist, driven, and always supportive of others.

She also has fantastic style and a wicked personality to boot! I honestly think just being around her makes me a better person. (Team TDF totally agree; Nikki has shot these, and so many more amazing photos for us over the years!)

On ‘Mum’s always right’…

My Mum always told me how important it was to be proud of my culture. I hate to admit it, but I was embarrassed about being different from everyone else and other kids knowing I spoke to my family in Vietnamese. Now I love this part of my cultural identity… but my Vietnamese language skills are appalling!

On girl power…

 When I started high school teaching, I asked if I could train in the gym with the other male staff members at my school. Six months and three kilos worth of muscle later, I completed my first Tough Mudder alongside my male colleagues and have since completed another five.It’s messy, it’s painful, AND it’s rewarding. I made life-long mates after those testing experiences!

On what I wish I always knew…

I wish I sought more guidance and advice from others, particularly when it came to confidently quoting what my work was worth and translating lengthy contracts. I also wish I played team sport in high school.

On achieving greater gender equality…

The gender pay gap needs to be history and this needs to start now.

Katherine Sabbath will be appearing at a special event in Brisbane next week, along with our editor Lucy Feagins, hosted by ELLE magazine and H&M!  Join Katherine, Lucy and other inspiring career women at H&M’s Queen St, Brisbane store on Thursday March 16th – more info here.