Warrior Woman Foundation

Leah Kennedy

Newcastle Program Facilitator

Leah joined the Warrior Woman Team in 2025 and brings her warmth, authenticity and passion for building connections to her role as Newcastle Program Facilitator. Leah’s work within the program aims to ensure that all participants feel safe, valued and free to show up as their beautifully imperfect selves – just as she does!

As an experienced and accredited counsellor, Leah has a passion for walking alongside and celebrating women across their lifespan. She is continually inspired by the changes that occur when women support other women and is dedicated to living this value in both her personal and professional lives.

Leah holds a Bachelor’s Degree in Community Development and a Post Graduate Diploma in Counselling. She currently works in private practice and is excited to bring her skills, values and lived experience to her role within the Warrior Woman Foundation.

We provide a safe and welcoming space for young women to share, learn, heal and grow. Each young woman is connected with a mentor as well as a network of diverse community-minded women who provide ongoing support and share their life experiences, resources and opportunities:

  • Connection to a safe, stable, and socially inclusive network of female role models to turn to for advice and ongoing support for the duration of the six-month program.
  • Connection to a non-judgmental group of young women who are facing similar challenges.
  • Connection to Kindred Warrior Peers, young women who have experienced challenges in life and have gone on to achieve life success.
  • Weekly one-to-one mentoring sessions with a safe mentor.

We teach young women the life skills they need to succeed in everyday life. Our “teach a young woman to fish” approach gives them support and guidance at every step, knowing that true empowerment comes from them learning to do things for themselves. In particular, we focus on financial literacy and job readiness:

  • Life-skills workshops to build self-reliance.
  • A six-week Financial Literacy program (in partnership with MoneyGirl).
  • A four-week Job Readiness program.
  • Assistance in gaining and retaining meaningful employment.
  • Access to a range of vocational skills scholarships (e.g., Code Like a Girl) and internships.

Many young women experience trauma which negatively impacts their confidence, self-esteem and self-worth. We support and nurture the trauma healing process in safe psycho-educational workshops facilitated by experts. In these sessions, young women learn to engage with self-compassion, and to soften and contain threat-based emotions, such as fear and anxiety, anger, shame and self-criticism.