#KatieTalks with Helen McCabe — Power, Dignity & the Future of Strategic Storytelling

#KatieTalks

What happens when more than 70,000 women get to shape the life of one fictional character? You spark a national conversation that’s part data, part dignity — and 100% insight.

In this episode of #KatieTalks, I speak with the formidable Helen McCabe, Founder and Managing Director of Future Women, about the powerhouse campaign Choose Her Own Adventure — and why it resonated so deeply across generations of Australian women. We unpack how the campaign blended content, advocacy and audience participation in a way that made people feel before they analysed — and what that signals for leaders, marketers, and organisations trying to cut through.

From gendered assumptions about money to digital engagement that actually works, Helen doesn’t hold back.

“This campaign was about freedom. Being able to make your own decisions — and be the owner of your own destiny.” – Helen McCabe

In this conversation, we explore:

• The strategic architecture behind Choose Her Own Adventure — and what made it more than a viral moment
• Why women voting for Anna made such “sensible decisions” — and what that says about how we frame advice vs how we act
• How Future Women’s Jobs Academy succeeded by “creating the community first” — and what marketers can learn from that model
• The future of newsletters, online communities, and targeted content ecosystems
• What too many brands still get wrong about professional women (“Stop thinking about women in terms of their age or whether they watch YouTube or read Vogue. Think about the decisions they’re actually making.”)
• What marketers can learn from FW’s reach and resonance without traditional media: “We’ve built a brand through the pureplay of Instagram and LinkedIn.”

For marketers and communicators, Helen’s advice is clear:

“Brands are desperate for this level of sophistication... Where you add narrative, emotional connection, and it feels like it’s about you. That’s the Holy Grail.”

She also offers a call to rethink how we segment female audiences — not by age or media consumption, but by decision-making power, professional identity, and influence.

And for leaders wondering what’s next, her own Choose Her Own Adventure moment? Retirement — or reinvention with a view of Provence. She's not sure yet. But she’ll be taking the call — rosé in hand.