ABOUT DI
“I interrupt self-abandonment.
I name what you already know but haven’t felt safe to say.”
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Di Kersey is a writer, speaker, and performer who is a passionate advocate for Gender Equity and has worked and studied in both male- and female-dominated fields for over three decades. She has worked as a Pool Technician, Kitchen Planner, and Renovator, interspersed with an Entertainment career as a Singer, Stage Performer, Host and Presenter.
Di’s early work life encompassed male-dominated fields such as the swimming pool maintenance industry, where she learned to assert her knowledge in the face of dismissal by most men, through to stage performance, where her worth seemed not just based on skills but also on appearance. Her father, Doug, made sure to pass on his workshop skills to his daughters, and Di has used his instruction in refurbishing and renovating multiple properties, some lived in and some as a business with her sister Vicki.
Di has a Bachelor of Communication from Griffith University Gold Coast, a Diploma of Building Design from TAFE QLD, and a Certificate IV in Training and Assessment from Tasmanian Skills Institute.
Over on Substack
I created this work because I realised how much of myself I had archived.
I also know the freedom of stepping back into my voice, presence, and influence.
It’s free to subscribe. What will it cost you to ignore how you feel?
#betheecho #unarchived
MORE ABOUT DI
Di was working as a pool technician, while studying song and dance and dreaming of performing. She began her performing career at a local theme park, hosting shows, street theatre and chaperoning characters, before taking on a 6-month overseas contract in a stage show. Living and working in Japan at the age of 20 was eye opening, living in an environment where both language and gender were barriers. Afterwards, she returned home, and to the theme park where she spent the next 5 years as a presenter and vocalist.
To try something new, Di achieved a Diploma in Business Administration and tried to ‘work in an office’. It was a difficult transition, so she decided to spend 2 years on a working holiday in the UK instead. She taught performance as a group leader at a children’s camp, sang in holiday parks, did office temping and housekeeping to fund her travels, and travelled solo whenever she could.
Over the next several years, Di gained a university degree while working as a Vocalist, and at Bunnings Warehouse. She got accepted into QANTAS flight attendant training just as they were laying off staff, so she headed off to the Bahamas with Royal Caribbean instead as Cruise Director’s Staff, hosting shows and running events. Coming home to Australia meant a change of scene, and she landed a job as a pool light manufacturer before planning kitchens at IKEA for a couple of years.
After renovating several personal properties, she renovated professionally for a couple of years during and after gaining her Diploma of Building Design. Give her a hammer or a microphone; it makes no difference to her!
Di has a Bachelor’s Degree of Communication (Communication & Mass Media) from Griffith University Gold Coast, a Diploma of Building Design from TAFE QLD, and has a Certificate IV in Training and Assessment.