Alexandra Brunswick obtained her law degree in 1995.   She worked as a solicitor in NZ, before moving to the Sunshine Coast in 2000.  After having two babies, Alex continued practising law part-time.  Then in 2016, she met Sue Frost, who had started the Women’s Lifestyle Expo in 2009.  Alex had always wanted to run my own business but was never sure what she wanted to do.  When she came across the expo, she was passionate about it straightaway, as it provides education and empowerment in a fun setting, as well as support for local businesses.  It is win/win/win for everybody involved and that is very rewarding.

Alex, you wear a number of hats in your career at the moment – tell us a little bit about what you do and how you make it all streamlined to work for you as you are obviously a busy woman?

I was lucky to score the in-house family lawyer position at the Suncoast Community Legal Service a few years ago.  This role has allowed me to run my business during evenings and on my days off.  They are very flexible at the Service and I manage to fit it all in, including my two busy teenagers.

What made you decide to purchase The Women’s Lifestyle Expo?

One day, a couple of years ago, I took out my wheelie bin and I got chatting to Darryl, Sue Frost’s husband. He told me that they were looking at selling the Women’s Lifestyle Expo.I could not stop thinking about it for days and then knocked on their door to make them an offer.

How important is networking and bringing business women together?

I actually believe that the right networking can be extremely helpful. At the end of the day, we are all people and we like to connect. We then develop relationships and loyalties, which is very supportive for us, as women, as well as for our businesses. I think if we are genuinely connecting, people can feel it, rather than turning up to events purely for a business transaction.

Tell us about some of the success stories of the Expo and how this has impacted the local community?

This is one of my favourite “side effects” of the expo.I love hearing about collaborations that happen after the expo and continue on. For example, between a photographer and a magazine, or between different types of health industry exhibitors.I sometimes see these collaborations on Facebook that I had no idea about.The expo also provides a lot of exposure, which leads to all kinds of opportunities and more exposure later, such as in papers, the radio or even the evening news.Often it does not happen until a few months after the event.

And what’s next on the agenda for Alex Brunswick?

I always have lots of ideas that I need to finetune. At this stage, there will be a brand-new Babies and Children Lifestyle Expo in October on the Sunshine Coast. And next year, who knows? Follow us on FB and you will be the first to know.

Favourite book and why? 

I love reading and books.  So, that’s a hard one.  One of my favourites is “The Book of Tomorrow” by Cecilia Ahern, because I love to get lost in fiction with a bit of magic.

What do you do in your spare time? 

Work on the expo – lol.  Or meet friends to catch up over a cuppa or wine.

Who do you look up to and admire? 

I admire most of my friends.  I usually see something in each of them that I admire and strive towards, whether that is how they interact with people, how they run their business or how they parent their children.

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