MT Martha mum and sexuality educator Jenny Wood is being recognised at a national level for the quiet impact she’s making through her business.
She has been named as a finalist in two categories of the AusMumpreneur Awards including the Children’s Wellbeing and Wellness and the Children’s Online Education awards, which celebrate and support Australian mothers in business.
Wood’s nomination is for her work in running Justasec Education since 2022, which she founded after identifying a need among parents to assist them to speak more confidently with their children about sexuality and relationships.
She said thousands of parents had spoken of “knowing they had to speak with their kids but not knowing how — they couldn’t find the words they feel comfortable with to address tricky topics”.
They also wanted to know more about what the schools were teaching and wanted assurance that the material they were resourcing was accurate, she said.
“Research tells us that young people prefer to talk about relationships and sexuality education with their trusted adult but failing that, they will find the information elsewhere – often from unreliable sources,” Wood said.
“Furthermore, research also tells us that better outcomes are achieved when schools and parents work together in the education of their children.
“As a result, the Justasec resources are aligned with the Australian curriculum, are comprehensive in their content and can be distributed by schools to their parent community while teachers/educators are delivering this material in the classroom.”
Wood, a mum and grandmother, raised her three sons on the Mornington Peninsula with her husband Chris. She has worked in relationships and sexual education for most of her working life before launching her business.
Wood said 28 per cent of Australians experienced child sexual abuse and over 90 per cent of child victims knew their abuser, according to a 2023 study. “A common thread is that parents hadn’t spoken with their children about relationships or sexuality — they don’t know how,” she said. “As a society we must do better.”
Wood was proud to launch season one of the Justasec vodcasts this year in Brisbane at the World Association of Sexual Health, where she was invited to showcase this resource to delegates — both international and home grown.
Speaking of her award nominations, Wood was thrilled. “It has opened doors for Justasec Education that enables the more widespread distribution of our message,” she said. “Reaching this stage alone means a great deal to me and my vision for Justasec. In addition to this the associated Conference offers the opportunity to find connection, support and inspiration that is sometimes a challenge in a solo business.”
The AusMumpreneur conference and awards ceremony will be held 11–12 August in Geelong.
First published in the Mornington News – 29 July 2025
