I'm Shelly McElroy and I'm from Dublin, Ireland, with a Bachelor of Science in Communication. As a Culture and Leadership expert, I have years of experience in hospitality, leading teams of up to 120 members. Passionate about people, communication, and fast-paced environments, I founded and serve as the CEO of Dream Culture, using my warmth and charisma to help leaders reach their highest potential.

I have successfully helped countless companies and leaders create sustainable cultures, develop high-performing teams, and master and elevate their communication skills. With a firm understanding of workplace interactions, I am a trusted mentor and go-to guide for C-suite executives, small business owners, and everyone in between.

I'm the CEO and Founder of Dream Culture.

I created Dream Culture in February 2023, leveraging my strengths to understand and exceed client expectations while collaborating with renowned clients like Christian Dior, Momofuku, Coca-Cola, and Macquarie Bank. Dream Culture's mission is to elevate leaders by enhancing their confidence and capability, delivered through 1:1 and group coaching.

I am a strong advocate for sustainability and community involvement. Dream Culture's projects emphasize eco-friendly practices and social responsibility, actively engaging with local communities through educational workshops on mental health, mentorship programs, and partnerships with the Waverly Council’s Women’s Advisory Board.

My leadership has fostered a culture of innovation, sustainability, and community empowerment. My ability to integrate diverse cultural experiences from global travel with creative leadership makes me a deserving candidate for this award, celebrating my outstanding contributions to leaders, business, and community partnerships.

We are primarily focusing on the hospitality industry at the moment due to the poor reputation it holds around culture. We are focusing on elevating a cultural safety standard to enable businesses to commit to stronger base line so all staff can feel welcome, safe, respected and valued.

We are incredibly humbled and still in shock, to be honest. Looking at the caliber of leaders globally that we now sit beside, this has boosted our confidence and efforts to do more.

We have some international clients; however, this strongly positions us as experts in our field. We hope it creates introductions and helps elevate awareness of the brand we would love to build beyond Sydney, Australia.

This is our very first award entry, so we found it challenging to back ourselves into entering. The questions are thought-provoking, and we found the process helpful in creating meaningful insights about our business, goals, and achievements.

Dream Culture was created after experiencing a toxic work environment and bullying firsthand. I witnessed the effects not only on my mental well-being but also on my work, my friends, and, most importantly, my family.

I made the decision that my purpose would be to help businesses do better. Often, there's a "stick your head in the sand" mentality because we don't know where to start. Dream Culture has created a unique offering that makes the complex simple and transforms the simple into something compelling. We now have evidence of the impact we are having on individuals, teams, business metrics, and sustainable culture change, of which we are incredibly proud.

We work off a very simple four-step process: LEARN – COMMIT – DO – REVIEW. We identify what's working, what's not, and what could be better if… This keeps us on our toes, ensuring the utmost presence and collaboration to co-create the best results with a win-win mentality.

When we reach into our untapped potential, we can all become titans. Sometimes, we just need someone to believe in us.

Our dedication to a growth mindset, being always open to feedback, and firmly believing that "none of us are as smart as all of us" helps us bring the power of the collective at all times. We stand out in hospitality, as we have over 50 years of experience working on the ground in that sector, and we believe we can transfer our skills to any industry.

We are creating a culture competency which is groundbreaking innovation for the industry and hopefully something the world should get ready for.

It wasn't in existence back then, but what I did learn was to slow down to move fast—to focus on what's truly important. To prioritize being a parent, and that business ideation began. I now know that business is built on the analogy of a surfboard—you need to focus on what's in front of you, be present and focused, be fit at your game, and learn to stand on an unstable surface.

Helping teams and individuals improve gets me out of bed...There is a need for "hospitality to do better," and we are ready to be that platform to help elevate.

There is no excuse not to learn with technology at our fingertips—Spotify, Blinkist, online learning, working circles, asking questions of your team... the list goes on and on.

Keep your mind open... ask for recommendations, listen to podcasts, and intentionally connect with other business owners.

You need people who support you and, equally, people who challenge you. The business bible for me has been 'The 7 Habits of Highly Effective Leaders'.

There is no excuse not to learn with technology at our fingertips—Spotify, Blinkist, online learning, working circles, asking questions of your team... the list goes on and on.

Keep your mind open... ask for recommendations, listen to podcasts, and intentionally connect with other business owners.

You need people who support you and, equally, people who challenge you. The business bible for me has been 'The 7 Habits of Highly Effective Leaders'.

My husband and my two beautiful children are my favorite people and my greatest inspiration. They give me true happiness, remind me to play and have fun, stretch my patience, and believe in me, which makes me a better person.

Stay humble, remember your core roots, and be true to yourself. If you think you can, or you think you can't—you're right.