Celebrating The Push Mentees Starting Their Industry Journey This International Women’s Day

This International Women’s Day, we’re shining a spotlight on the next generation of women shaping the future of Australia’s live events and music industries! Through our ongoing partnership with The Push, a leading youth music organisation dedicated to empowering young people through hands-on mentoring and career pathways, we’ve had the privilege of supporting a remarkable group of emerging professionals.

This year, we’re celebrating four inspiring women that worked at Moshtix as part of The Push’s Mentoring Program — Jessica, Alexandra, Alyssa and Charlie. Their journeys reflect the power of mentorship and community: Jessica, who completed the program, now works with us as a Client Manager, and Alexandra has since joined the Mosh team in Client Support.

We asked each of them to reflect on their experience with The Push, the women who inspire them, and what giving back means to them as they continue forging their paths in the industry.

What is your involvement with The Push mentee program?

Jessica: I discovered the mentee program through The Push with Moshtix and was placed in their Sydney office, where I spent time across multiple areas of the business. It gave me the chance to learn how each team operates and how every role contributes to the bigger picture. At the time, I was 20 years old, in my final semester of UNI, completing my Bachelor of Music and Performing Arts and still figuring out what direction I wanted to take.
Through the program, I worked on events like Listen Out and Ministry of Sound, and since the program I’ve been part of shows and festivals including Yours & Owls, StrummingBird, Hot Dub, and Oktoberfest. That experience not only cemented my passion for live music but also gave me the foundation and confidence to take on bigger responsibilities and continue growing within the industry.

Alexandra: After completing a Diploma in Event Management I spent more than four years trying to break into the music industry. My involvement with The Push was the turning point that changed everything. With their amazing guidance I secured and completed a 6 month internship at Moshtix (Brisbane) as a Client & Event Management Assistant. This truly accelerated my dreams. I had the chance to work at massive music festivals (Spilt Milk, Strummingbird, Wildlands) and it opened my eyes to not just events but the music industry as a whole. The Push is a beautiful community of people, and without their support, along with the team at Moshtix, I wouldn't be able to say that I now work in the music industry in a full-time paid role!

Charlie: I undertook an internship through The Push with Moshtix at their Brisbane office, as a business operations all rounder. My placement was at the start of 2024, as an 18-year-old fresh from graduating high school, and I had the opportunity to work across various roles at festivals, including CMC Rocks and Bluesfest, and some of my favourite local venues, including The Triffid. I gained practical skills both on site at music events and behind the scenes with ticketing, getting a glimpse into how my favourite events worked from a professional perspective after years of being on the fan side!

Alyssa: I was part of The Push mentee program last year working with Moshtix as a marketing assistant in the Adelaide office. Under my mentor Nicole Davey as well as the other lovely people I met in the marketing team I helped with the national website administration and updates, ticket builds, curating the weekly gig guide and announcement emails to every state, created posts for social media, liaised with client managers, and an array of other odd jobs.  

Which women inspire you?

Jessica: Honestly, my biggest inspiration is my mum. She’s navigated some really difficult chapters in her life, and I hope the strength she’s shown throughout her life is something I carry with me every day. I could also name plenty of female artists whose creativity and careers I admire, but I really want to highlight the women who work behind the scenes. Not every powerful woman in music stands on a stage. Across festivals, labels, and ticketing companies in Australia, female managers, event directors, and artist managers are reshaping what leadership looks like. I can’t list everyone and every role, but the women around me deserve recognition! They’re the ones who show me what it means to lift each other up, and that’s the energy I live for.

Alexandra: Below are a handful of the most inspirational women to me along with some of their qualities that are what I strive for in my everyday.
Yoko Ono - Visionary, Avant-garde, Fearless, Optimist, Artistic Genius
Greta Thunberg - Inspirational Leader, Persistent, Uncompromising, Determined
Dolly Parton - Resilient, Generous, Unapologetic, Fashion ICON
Judy Dench - Titan, Dedicated, Passionate, Witty, Talented
But hands down my biggest inspiration has and always will be my mum. I even did a whole report in high school with her as my 'hero'. There are not enough words to describe her but her independence and unimaginable resilience is something I try every minute to live up to.

Charlie: Many of my leading inspirations throughout my career are the women I grew up seeing in media spaces, including Bridget Hustwaite and Myf Warhurst. Creatives including Jack River (Holly Rankin) inspire me to be an advocate for my beliefs, community, and those around me, and the powerful women surrounding me at Moshtix (including my mentor Lauren Armstrong), The Push (including Kate Duncan and Aarti Desai), and my fellow mentees are overall inspirations in my career pursuits.

Alyssa: Narrowing it down to woman in Australia first, two women that come to mind are my past uni department head and The Push board member Chrissie Vincent, as well as Ellie Robinson, co-director of grassroots initiative TRANSGENRE. Outside of Australia, a big inspiration of mine is Lauren Sullivan who is one of the co-founders of REVERB, a company that partners with touring artists to make it a more environmentally sustainable practice, including getting fans involved. This organisation has inspired me a lot as through my life I have been debating either going into music or conservation and I've learned through them that I can combine my passions and make a big difference. 

This year’s International Women’s Day theme is Give To Gain – what does this year’s theme mean to you?

Jessica: To me, Give to Gain captures the heart of both womanhood and the music industry. Nothing here happens by itself. The music, the events, and the careers we build all rely on people showing up for one another. The way we show up for each other is what keeps this industry moving, and it’s what I value most. I genuinely believe in creating opportunities where I can, even in small ways, because the industry is stronger when we all contribute to each other’s growth. I understood the meaning of “Give to Gain” more deeply when I entered the music industry through the mentoring program. I gave what I could: my time, my curiosity, and my willingness to learn. I showed up prepared, asked questions, and leaned on the mentors who were there to guide me. Just as importantly, I was surrounded by other mentees who were supportive rather than competitive. We shared advice, celebrated each other’s achievements, and reminded one another that there is space for all of us.

From that environment, I gained far more than I expected. I gained confidence, clarity, and a strong sense of community. “Give to Gain” reminds me that real growth comes from contributing and collaborating, not from holding opportunities tightly. The more we lift each other up, the stronger our industry becomes.

Alexandra: In the music industry, the idea of Give to Gain feels especially true. More than many other fields, music thrives on collaboration, generosity, and community. Throughout my studies, work, life, and internship experiences, one thing has become extremely clear: music simply wouldn’t exist without people helping each other. Creativity grows through support, shared knowledge and connection. Even in moments when I feel like I have nothing to give, I’m reminded that everyone holds a unique perspective. One that can inspire or uplift others, even if it isn’t obvious right away.
Connecting with each other is not optional, it’s essential. The relationships we build behind the scenes directly shape the connection we’re ultimately able to create with an audience. When we give to each other time, encouragement, collaboration, opportunity, we gain stronger art, stronger communities, and stronger careers. Ultimately, we become stronger women.

Charlie: Give To Gain is a reminder that we need to stick together as a strong community, sharing our time and resources and looking out for each other. Being a powerful woman in your field means surrounding yourself with fellow women and making space for you to all succeed alongside each other, whilst also lending your support to typically marginalised voices including those who are younger or fresh in the space, or identify as LGBTQ+, POC, First Nations, disabled, or neurodiverse. Whether you're 'giving' time, resources, knowledge, space, or more  - a workplace and field with more diverse perspectives is a place where more women can feel supported and succeed. 

Alyssa: The theme Give to Gain resonates a lot with me and especially with The Push's program. I gained such a wealth of experience and knowledge from my time in the program and with Mosh, and felt supported and encouraged in my career path in a way that I had never felt before. Having a mentor and a team that was passionate in giving me every opportunity they could went a long way and really contributed to my advancement in the industry.