Style Article CALEXICO MUSE: BARB MADDEN
CALEXICO MUSE: BARB MADDEN
A Woman of Substance
Smithfield Cattle Company | Goondiwindi, Brisbane, and the world
There are conversations that stay with you. This was one.
Barb Madden is the owner of Smithfield Cattle Company - a 100-year family business producing first-class protein for families around the world. She's a board director, a mother of three, and someone who has built a life that moves easily between the bush, James Street and international cattle markets, without compromising who she is in any of them.
Barb wears the...
For the latest in our Muse of the Month series, I asked Barb about authenticity, style, family, and the advice she wishes women in business would stop being given.
Her answers, below - in her own words.
From cleaning troughs in school holidays to running the boardroom - what's stayed the same about you, and what's changed beyond recognition?
Being an authentic person has stayed the same. Treating people the same, regardless of their status or background. Being open and transparent, including sharing all the highs and lows along the way.
What has changed beyond recognition is my confidence and belief in myself, and the wisdom to know boardrooms thrive with diversity of thought.
From Goondiwindi to Brisbane to international cattle markets - three very different worlds. What has each one taught you about people?
Despite people coming from different worlds, I've learnt that you treat people the way you want to be treated — with kindness, and an authentic interest in wanting to learn more about who they are. I want to bring a genuine curiosity to every conversation.
Barb wears the...
Amelle Dress in Cara Floral Devour Blue
Classic Duchess Linen Blazer in Ballet
Style in the bush vs style in the city - what stays, what changes?
Style knows no geographical boundaries.
I spent most of my young adult life making my own clothes, with some gentle guidance from my amazing Mum. She taught me so much about style, creativity, fabrics, form and technical sewing skills — some of my happiest life memories. She had such a distinct personal style and always put effort into what she wore.
I have taken this into my own fashion journey, making an effort whether I'm on the farm, on James Street, or in the boardroom.
The most overrated piece of advice given to women in business?
That you have to modify yourself to fit in.
Often the most interesting things about you are the innate qualities that also set you apart and bring depth to a room or a conversation.
Barb wears the...
Forte Forte Habotai Silk Shirt in Burlesque
Forte Forte Habotai Silk Pants in Burlesque
Three children, a 100-year family business, a husband in the same operation - what's the real skill no one tells you about?
Believe in what you do.
We produce a first-class protein to feed families around the world. Belief that the food we produce is nutritious, delicious and trusted. Our purpose is to nurture the cattle we have in our care every single day of the year.
Understanding your why is a very powerful and motivating force.
What did your parents model for you that you now find yourself passing on to your own children?
I was blessed with amazing parents who have taught me so much. The key lesson was that family is everything - and to be grateful, and nurture the relationships with the people you love.
A meal, a place, a song that means home.
This instantly brings tears to my eyes.
My Mum's famous lasagne at our home property, surrounded by family and so much love and laughter - with Walking in Memphis playing on the CD player Mum bought in the early '90s.
Finish the sentence: "A woman of substance always…"
…lives by her values through meaningful action.
Barb wears the...
Lemlem Leila Plunge Dress in Zefeni Fuchsia
There's a thread running through everything Barb shared. The trough-cleaning teenager and the international board director are the same woman. The girl sewing alongside her mother and the leader who walks into rooms in Goondiwindi, Brisbane and beyond - same woman.
That's what substance actually looks like, I think. Not reinvention. Not modification. The quiet discipline of bringing your whole self into every room you walk into and trusting that the things that make you different are the things that make you valuable.
Thank you, Barb.
With love, Nicky x
