How Bec Ware became a champion for women in business

When she looks to Ballarat's future, she hopes there will be more industries that realise the benefit of being a part of our city.

"We're starting to slowly see them in [the Ballarat West Employment Zone]," she said.

"I'm hoping we see [BWEZ] buzzing, and that the airport and transport links connect us to the rest of Australia."

Ms Ware grew up in Daylesford and studied commerce management, but she "didn't like any of it - not enough people, too many numbers", she said.

Working in the employment space, Ms Ware said she loved being able to have a direct positive impact on people's lives.

"Everybody needs a job to be secure and everybody deserves the opportunity to be financially secure," she said.

Ms Ware said she is driven by the desire to make the community she calls home a better place for her three children and others.

Through her work with Sovereign Knights Basketball as secretary, she is able to offer support.

"It is a really fun way to engage them and teach them some of those work-ready skills, but also to connect them to a community," she said.

"Some of the skills that you learn from playing sports are so transferable to the workplaces ... if you can train somebody to do a layup you can train them to do anything."

Ms Ware said these types of communities are also important to help build resilience around mental health.

"We had young men in that club that had lost four or five people in the span of five weeks," she said.

"My daughter is that age and I couldn't imagine waking up to a phone call like that. She has been to more funerals than she has been to 18th birthday parties."

Outside of support work with the basketball, Ms Ware is a producer for film being made in Ballarat aiming to raise awareness about youth suicide.

Ms Ware has been a part of the Ballarat Business Women community for six years and vice-chair for four.

When she first connected with the group she was seeking some mentoring or opportunities to improve herself.

"I went there because there was a group of empowered women that I thought I could learn from," she said.

"But what I actually got out of it was a platform to connect with other people."

Ms Ware said she had seen the group change during the time she has been involved.

The group is a supportive network aiming to empower women in both their professional and personal lives.

Ms Ware said they have now turned their focus outwards to see how they make a positive impact on the community.

One example of this is the creation of a local arm of empowering our communities which she is chair of.

The group builds on the work Kylie Johanson is doing with her organisation, the DV Collective by spotlighting existing support services, introducing more resources, and enhancing capacity through fundraising and events.

"[Ms Johanson] is working at a national level to help support, advocate and showcase services that are supporting women and children escaping or recovering from domestic violence," she said.

"The opportunity to do something local, that empowers women, is something that is close to my heart because I've had a lot of women and men in the community empower me to be the leader that I am today and I just want to give that back."

If you or someone you know is in need of crisis support, phone Lifeline 13 11 14.

Help is also available, but not limited, via the following organisations. The key message is you are not alone.