For over 30 years, I lived behind a mask.
I could’ve won an Oscar for how well I pretended—pretending everything was fine, pretending I had it all together. On the outside, I smiled. On the inside, I was falling apart.
I did everything I was told a woman should do: stay quiet, keep the peace, be the good daughter, the loyal wife, the dependable sister. But behind closed doors, I slowly disappeared.
Nineteen years in a marriage that wore me down. Emotional abuse became normal. I told myself that’s what love was. Add to that years of school bullying and the painful truth of being sexually molested by someone I trusted; truth in my mind buried to protect me. I didn’t remember it until I began healing.
But something inside me refused to stay silent. A flicker. A whisper. A spark.
On my 40th birthday, I asked myself, If I only have 20 years left, how do I want to live them?
The answer was clear: I want to be happy. I want to be loved and valued for who I am.
That moment gave me permission to walk away from the pain, the silence, and the version of me that no longer felt alive.
I decided to get a divorce and began the journey of self-development. It wasn’t easy. But it was necessary.
As I rebuilt myself, I knew this journey wasn’t just mine. It was for every woman who had been told to stay small, to stay silent.
That’s when my mission became clear:
- No woman should ever suffer in silence.
- I made a promise to turn my pain into purpose. To use my voice and story to help other women rise and remember who they truly are.
- That promise led me to become Director of Yeah The Girls 40 Plus Australia. What began as a Facebook group is now a powerful, national community of over 35,000 women.
- From this sisterhood came the Celebrating Women Expo & Awards—events created not just to gather, but to uplift.
- The Expo is more than market stalls. It’s connection.
- Over 60 women-led businesses come together in a space of joy, learning, and belonging. We run workshops on confidence, wellness, and purpose. We celebrate each other, not just for what we do, but for who we are. We sold out stalls in three weeks. That’s not just success, it’s a sign of how ready we are to rise, together.
The Celebrate Women Awards & Gala is our night of gold and grace. It honours the quiet achievers—the mums, the healers, the small business owners who’ve been holding it all together behind the scenes. Many don’t think their story matters. But it does.
These awards aren’t about titles. They’re about transformation. They reflect strength, courage, and the beauty of becoming.
None of this would be possible without the people who’ve stood beside me—our volunteers, stallholders, sponsors, speakers, and every woman who has shared her heart.
To you reading this, if you’re still finding your way, still rising from the ashes, please hear You are not broken.
You are becoming.
And you deserve to be celebrated, not because you’ve done it all perfectly, but because you kept going.
Today, I run a successful business. I’ve been with my loving partner for five years. I have found my life, my purpose, my light, and my hope.
This is only the beginning.
My vision is to grow the YTG40+ community into an empowering empire—an educational platform where women, rich or poor, can access real expert advice, not just opinions from the next-door neighbour. A place where every woman feels supported, seen, and safe to rise.
From pretending to power… this journey was never just mine.
It’s ours.
With love and light.
Martha Mok is the Founder, Super Confidence Coaching Director of Yeah The Girls 40 Plus Australia.
