Stories that spark change
They told her she didn't belong.
So she built a world where she — and everyone else — belonged.
The woman who fought for love, fairness, equity, and women's right to lead.
The memoir of Avril Henry AM — from apartheid South Africa to the rooms where power is decided, and a lifetime spent opening doors for the women coming behind her.
With a Foreword by Ann Sherry AO
She was raised to stay in line.
She spent her life crossing it.
Avril Henry grew up in apartheid South Africa, in a society that assigned value by race, class, and gender. From a young age she was an observer — but never a bystander.
She saw exactly who the rules protected, who they harmed, and who they erased — and wherever she could, she pushed against them. At twenty-two she left with two suitcases and five hundred dollars, searching for fairness, freedom, and the right to speak honestly without surrendering her conscience.
In Australia she built a life on her own terms — teaching and coaching defence officers, diplomats, business leaders and public servants, and advancing equality not as a slogan but as a practice. She learnt how institutions resist change, how they absorb it, and how persistent, principled people can move them anyway. She was called difficult, disruptive, too direct, too much. She was also trusted, sought out, and invited into the rooms where decisions were made.
Along the way came a forbidden love, the courage of going it alone in motherhood, a cancer diagnosis, loss, and love found again — each one a threshold she crossed and came back from changed.
This is a memoir about what gets passed down across generations — and what we choose to transmit instead. It is a story of resilience and reinvention, and a quiet argument that one person really can shift the dial.
Straight from the page.
"I was called difficult, disruptive, too direct, too political, too much. I was also trusted, sought out, and invited into rooms where decisions were made."
"Awards are not the point. Impact is the point: systems changed, doors opened, voices amplified, and futures made less fragile for those coming behind us."
"I want my legacy measured by women who lead without apology, girls who know they are worthy of opportunity, and institutions more just than the ones I inherited."
Everything she was told she couldn't be.
Two continents. A career built in rooms that were never built for her. And a fight for fairness she never stopped waging.
The Courage to Leave
Walking away from apartheid South Africa at twenty-two with two suitcases, a forbidden love, and no plan to return — trading everything familiar for the chance at a fairer life.
The Making of a Leader
Four decades coaching generals, diplomats and executives — and being called "too much" in nearly every one of those rooms, right up until they listened.
The Fight for Fairness
A front-row role in the fight for gender equality and equity — and a lifetime spent making the case for women's right to lead without apology.
Love, Loss & Reinvention
Single motherhood, a cancer diagnosis, grief, and the hard-won joy of starting again — proof that a life can be remade more than once.
Read a taste before it's released.
Step straight into Avril's world with a free preview chapter — a first look at the voice, the wit and the fearlessness that run through the whole book, ahead of the October 2026 release.
Praise from those who lead.
A powerful testament to courage, resilience, and the extraordinary strength that emerges when we claim our own worth. Deeply personal and profoundly universal.
What a journey! A story of sweeping vision across continents, of gritty determination, and of the healing power of a loving relationship. I 'smiled out loud' with every page. What a life!
I read the entire book in two sittings; I couldn't put it down. So much wisdom and incredible insight from a truly remarkable person. No matter who you are, this book is a must read!
Trailblazer. Changemaker. Fighter for a fairer world. A reminder that one person really can shift the dial. Inspiring, raw, and utterly captivating.
Avril's ability to take unfairness and turn it into hope, optimism and determination... a reflection for the times, a journey to greatness, a life of love and loss and love again.
Avril Henry was destined to cause good trouble from her early years, choosing her voice over silence — every time. This gem of a book feels like advice from a trusted friend that lands like a warm hug.
Avril's life purpose and love of family have been a compass in her determination to right inequities wherever she sees them. This memoir gives exposition to her life's purpose.
Testimony to the power of action born out of deep compassion for injustice. Written with candour and clarity, it exudes conviction that is powerful, personal and deeply engaging.
Avril Henry
Avril Henry was born in Kimberley, South Africa, and left the country of her birth at twenty-two. In Australia she became a leading advocate and educator on equality, fairness and leadership — teaching and coaching senior officers, business leaders, diplomats and public servants over four decades.
She has been recognised in Australia and internationally, including appointment as a Member of the Order of Australia (AM) and being honoured as one of the 25 Global Women of Influence for 2025. She lives at Mollymook Beach, Australia. Not All Diamonds Are Worn is her memoir.
This memoir contains accounts of apartheid and racism, a forbidden relationship, single motherhood, serious illness, loss and grief — and a great deal of hope. Some names and identifying details have been changed to protect privacy.
For every woman who was ever told
she was "too much."
To be released October 1, 2026. Join the reader list and be the first to know the moment it's available.
No spam — just one note when the book is available. Prefer to start reading now? Download the free preview chapter.
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