These five Dubbo women are making 'outstanding contributions' in their field

The have been named as finalists in the 2023 Altitude awards.

The finalists are Rochelle Olsen from The Baby Loss Mentor, Melissa Woodward from Fearless Health, Liza Twohill from Liza Twohill Holistic Health, Kirin Pittin from Killara and Associates and Louise Mathieson from The Administration Agency.

Held by Women with Altitude, the awards acknowledge those who have made outstanding contributions as business owners, volunteers, employees, creative thinkers and leaders.

Women with Altitude founder Andrea Turner-Boys said each finalist was chosen "for their outstanding contributions in their field".

The winners will be announced on Friday, December 8.

Ms Pittin is a finalist in the Summit Seeker and Emerging Leader award categories.

Killara and Associates initially began in Penrith but three years ago Ms Pittin moved to the Central West for love and transition her business here.

The conveyancer said she "absolutely loved" property and from a young age was always interested in property prices.

She's also passionate about women's empowerment. In 2019 she spoke at the Deli International Women's Day forum on the topic and in 2020 she spoke at the International Women's Day event in Penrith.

"I've found in my own personal journey when women support each other we help each other grow. There's not enough of that," Ms Pittin said.

"When I opened my business someone gave me the analogy of chocolate cake. There's enough chocolate cake for everyone, we don't need to steal a piece of another person because there's plenty to go around."

Ms Twohill is passionate about improving health outcomes. She's a naturopath and has been running a holistic health practice in Dubbo since 2004.

Ms Twohill - who is in the running for the Pioneering Achievement Award - works with people who have chronic health disease. She focuses on the reason why people are having an issue, to help people's bodies work and function better.

It's a role Ms Twohill said she loves, and every day she is happy to go to work.

"I enjoy the challenge of assisting people find solutions to their health problems, particularly with gut problems and food and understanding the power of healing," Ms Twohill said.

"I love the holistic look at health, particularly with chronic health and I love the gut microbiome - I'm a bit of a science nerd. But I also love working with people."

Ms Twohill said she grew up going to herbalists and naturalists from a young age. In her mid-20s she was going to go to America on a sports scholarship but when that didn't happen she decided to start studying holistic health.

Ms Mathieson said it was "quite surreal" to be recognised in the awards, although she said it was not her achievement but her team's recognition.

"I am nothing without the people that are in my team and that support me. We have a great culture at The Administration Agency and are a family. We work hard for our clients, but we also work hard for each other," she said.

Ms Mathieson is a finalist in the business excellence category.

The Administration Agency started in 2019. Within six weeks, Ms Mathieson said she knew she could really make something out of the virtual assistant business while also helping others along the way.

"I networked with other women, predominately mums who were in the transition of being home with kids or waiting for their kids to go to school but not wanting anything full time, and brought them onto our team," she said.

"We have grown beyond belief and been received very well, it's humbling."

Ms Woodward is also a finalist in two of the awards categories. She's in the running for the business excellence and emerging leader awards.

She started Fearless Health in Sydney nine years ago to provide accessible fitness and massages to families. For the last 18 months she's been based in Dubbo.

Ms Woodward said over the years she has focused on supporting women through pregnancy and post natal recovery because she herself felt like there wasn't anyone she could trust to guide her along the way.

"I became the person I needed for myself and now use that to support women through these significant physical, mental and lifestyle changes that come with parenthood," she told the Daily Liberal last month.

The Baby Loss Mentor is in the running for the Purpose Driven Award and the Inclusivity and Impact Award.

Like Ms Woodward, Ms Olsen's own experiences have shaped her business.

She founded the Baby Loss Mentor and Bush Blossoms programs after the loss of her son, Edward, at just seven hours old.

Her programs - built around her own lived experience and training she received in loss mentoring - aim to support other country women who have been through pregnancy or infant loss, experiences that can be "incredibly isolating and traumatic" for women who go through them.

"The point of it is to find the people within your community that are understanding of it and who will support you and make you feel safe and understood," Ms Olsen has previously said.

Her goal is to provide a safe space for baby loss parents and families to express there emotions while also getting tools and resources they can use to help them through their grief.