Interview with Laura Racky, Big Group Hug Chairman

Laura Racky, Big Group Hug Chairman

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As International Women’s Day approaches, we spoke with Laura Racky, Chairman of Big Group Hug, about leadership, responsibility and what it means to “balance the scales” for women and children in our community. From her first visit to the warehouse as a donor, to stepping into a governance role, Laura shares powerful reflections on women in leadership, values-driven decision-making, and why collective action matters more than ever.

a Big Group Hug volunteer holding a box of essential aid
How did you first become involved with Big Group Hug? What drew you to the organisation and what made you want to step into a leadership role here?
My second child was about six months old, and something came across my Facebook feed about a reverse advent calendar at Christmas time – a list of all the items the organisation really needed.
My husband and I were accustomed to spending a lot of money every year on client hampers, champagne, and gifts at Christmas. We decided that rather than do that, we’d mobilise our clients to collect for the advent calendar instead. We let all of our clients know that we’d come around and pick up whatever their team had donated, and we’d also purchase products and items on behalf of their organisations as our Christmas gift to them.
So one day in December, over six years ago now, we filled two cars and drove to the warehouse in Bundoora. We had both kids with us. And when we started unpacking everything and looking around, the sheer volume of what was being done, the energy, effort, enthusiasm, and the care that the volunteers were putting into everything, and then the rows and rows of boxes ready to go to kids in our community – well we were both just struck.

We called Angela and Geraldine that week and said, what can we do? What can we offer? How can we contribute and be part of this?

Laura Racky, Big Group Hug Chairman
This year’s International Women’s Day theme is “Balancing The Scales.” What does that mean to you personally?
For me, “Balancing the Scales” starts with an honest acknowledgment that the scales are tipped. And not in our favour. As women, we know that. We live it.
But what I’ve learned is that balancing them doesn’t have to be this enormous, abstract thing. Sometimes it starts at home. Sometimes it starts with one box of nappies or one pram.
A mother and her son hug in their kitchen, they look troubled
Through Big Group Hug, I get to tip the scales, even just a little, in favour of women who are stressed, stretched, and worried for their kids. When we can get essential items to children who really need them, we take something off that mum’s plate. We take a worry away. And when that happens, she’s freed up to be the mum and person she wants to be. For example, a pram can be life-changing for a mum that otherwise would not be able to get out and about with a little one.
That’s what balancing the scales looks like to me. It’s women finding ways, big and small, to be there for each other and for our broader community. It doesn’t have to be global. It just has to be real and impactful. Less talk, more action. 
a mother and her baby
As a woman in a leadership role, what has shaped your leadership style?
I’ve worked with good leaders, bad leaders, and everything in between. And I took something from all of them. What shaped my style more than anything is understanding the impact a leader has on everyone around them. It’s enormous, and I don’t think enough people really appreciate that.

For me, it comes back to leading by example. Have high standards. Work hard. Know your values and live them. But also be honest about the fact that you’re fallible, that you’re still learning, still open, still figuring things out. You can put all the energy in the world into developing the people around you, but the most powerful thing you can do is set the example yourself. I really think that’s where you have the biggest impact and influence.

How do you personally maintain work/life balance while carrying leadership responsibility?
I’ll be honest, I don’t really believe in work/life balance. Not in the way it’s traditionally framed, where there’s this neat line down the middle and everything sits tidily on one side or the other.
When you’re fully committed and you bring real intensity to your work, it becomes part of your life (hopefully because you love it). And your life becomes part of your work. It’s all intertwined. So the balancing act for me isn’t about keeping them separate. It’s about letting them move and dance together in a way where one doesn’t feel like one part is slipping at the expense of the other.
My life stuff, being a mum, being a wife, running a household, who I am as a person feeds into my work and makes me better at it. And my work makes me a more enriched and rounded person, which feeds right back into how I parent and how I live. They’re not competing. They’re driving and complimenting each other.
You regularly introduce Big Group Hug to people in your professional and personal networks. What motivates you to do that, and what have you learned about inviting others to support a cause?
It’s my strong conviction that the work this organisation does is hugely important and deeply necessary. And that every single contribution, whether it’s volunteer hours, passing on a cot that’s no longer needed, clothes your little one has grown out of, or a corporate donation, has an immediate impact on a family and, most importantly, on children in our community.

This isn’t fluffy stuff. This isn't talk and rainbows and unicorn. These are real families. Real kids who need our help. And we all have some capacity, in our own way, to contribute to people around us that we don’t know. I genuinely believe we have a responsibility to one another.

Laura Racky, Big Group Hug Chairman
So I’m motivated and excited to bring people into the Big Group Hug fold, because once they’re in and they see what they’re capable of doing as just one person or one organisation, it’s monumental. The more people and organisations that get involved, the more children we can support. I wish we didn’t need to exist. But we do. And these kids need us.
One thing I’ve learned is actually how beautiful and generous people are. Working in a cutthroat industry can leave you feeling like people are myopic, focused on money and the bottom line, not really concerned with the greater good. But every single time I’ve asked someone in my network to pitch in, donate, or get involved, people gladly roll their sleeves up. It just reminds me how magnificent humanity is.
What advice would you give to women considering stepping into leadership or board roles?
I have way too much advice and way too many things to say on this one. But the biggest thing I’d tell any woman is to understand her ‘why’. Why do you want to lead? Why do you want to be on a board? And make sure that why is coming from a deep, real, authentic place within yourself. Not something that was planted there by someone else.
When you know what you want and why you want it, anything is possible.
young child holding a Big Group Hug material aid pack box
When you reflect on the impact Big Group Hug has on women and children, what makes you most proud?
It’s the collective effort. The way all of these people have mobilised and are able to do this together. That’s what I’m most proud of.
And the dedication and pride our team and volunteers have when they’re fulfilling a request. Every single person we serve is treated with respect and love. Every package that goes to a child is full of beautiful, good quality items, impeccably packed, meticulously put together. Only the best of the best for our recipients. I love that pride our team has. It says everything about who we are.

Want to turn leadership and action into real impact for children in need? Join us for Double Donation Day on Wednesday 18 March 2026 and help put essential aid into the hands of local kids. Every dollar you donate will be doubled, making your support go twice as far. Get involved today and lead the way.

DOUBLE your donation

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Rachael Alden August 19, 2026

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