In honour of AFL Women’s Round this weekend, the West Coast Eagles sat down with an inspirational woman behind one of our players.

They say behind every good man is a good woman, and in the case of Beau and Hannah Waters, this theory couldn’t be more true.

As vice-captain of the West Coast Eagles, a 2006 premiership player and recently playing his 100th game for the club, Beau has achieved great success on the footy field. But one could argue that Beau’s greatest achievement to date has been ensuring that WA is graced with the presence of his wife, Hannah.

With Beau originally hailing from Happy Valley in South Australia and Hannah from Albury in New South Wales, the pair met whilst both visiting Melbourne. But with Beau settled in Perth playing for West Coast, Hannah eventually made the choice to leave the east coast and head west. The pair wed in October of 2010 and since then, it has become evident that the vice-captain has most certainly struck gold.

Labelling Hannah a wonder-woman would be an understatement of epic proportions. As the owner of her own boutique recruitment consultancy, committee member of the Young UN Women Australia Perth Committee, Chinese medicine practitioner, Masters of Business Administration (MBA) student and triathlon competitor, you could be forgiven for thinking that under her exterior of shiny blonde hair and sparkling eyes lies an Energizer bunny that never ceases to stop.

But Hannah insists that she is one hundred percent human, and takes all this hard work in her stride. And at only 29 years of age, she has accomplished more than most do in a lifetime, proving she is truly one of the most inspirational women in WA.

“I have just launched my company called RecruitShe in February, it’s a boutique recruitment consultancy that specialises in women,” Hannah explains.

“It was started by myself, and my business partner, Kelly, who I’ve been friends with since we were growing up in Albury. We have both been in management positions in traditionally male-dominated areas, and we just realised there was a massive gap in the market for women in management and also so many talented women out there that could add value to organisations. So that’s how RecruitShe was born.

“It is a passion for Kelly and I. We’re not out there just to put hundreds of bums on seats, we’re really about finding quality candidates and making a difference in the diversity space.

“We’ve had an incredibly positive response to our business, especially from large companies who have to do equal opportunity reporting, they have identified where they have gaps in their workforce and have to demonstrate how they are putting strategies together to achieve diversity in their organisations.”

Someone who has given the company its biggest positive response is in fact Beau, who is well and truly behind his wife’s business ventures. And proving that he is adept at more than just football, the vice-captain has even become part of the RecruitShe management.

“Beau is our Business Development and Strategy manager. I recently gave him his own email address,” Hannah says with a smile.

“It works really well because we’re out there trying to break down stereotypes and promoting the benefits of diversity. A fair percentage of the companies we deal with have male CEOs, it works well if they’re talking to another male who is really believes in our business.

“And it ties in really well with Beau’s studies. He’s also doing his MBA at the moment, which is always handy when we have a joint assignment.

“Beau’s that real business-brain in terms of number crunching and really likes the process side of things. His grandfather was a mathematician so it comes so naturally to him.

“He’s currently working on our business plan, forecasting, client management systems and all the back end business development. So he’s kind of leading a double life at the moment. He’ll come and meet me on his lunch break for a meeting and change in to his suit in his car, and then change back in to his training gear and go back to the club.

"His support really has been unwavering, and I wouldn't have been able to achieve what I have without him."

While it does appear that her husband has an alter ego, one may argue that it is actually Hannah leading the double life - or even triple life, with the incredible amount of work she dedicates herself to.

On top of getting this innovative business off the ground, Hannah is also the Fundraising and Partnerships Coordinator of the Young UN Women Australia Perth Committee,  a sub-committee of the larger United Nations Entity for Gender Equality and the Empowerment of Women. And whilst currently studying her MBA, Hannah already has four degrees in Health Science, Occupational Health and Safety, Chinese Medicine and Sports Science.

“My background has always been health-related, I’ve always had a keen interest in it.

“We have a clinic out the back of our house where I do acupuncture. I had quite a few clients before and worked out of another clinic too with some physios.

“I started working in Occupational Health and Safety when I arrived in WA and started working in management in the construction industry. When you’re a manager, you’re recruiting people, so I started figuring out what I did like in working with recruiters, and what I didn’t like with working with recruiters.

“And then when I saw the gap in the market, and also realising the changes I wanted to make in recruitment, I just put the two and two together and that’s how the idea for RecruitShe came about.”

As if that wasn’t enough to keep her busy, Hannah also has her sights set on an ironman challenge.

“I like to make sure I get a balance of work and sport,” she says.

“I am training for the half ironman for the end of the year. I’m a member of the Stadium Triathlon Club, so I train maybe six or seven days a week, running, riding and swimming.”

Taking all of this into account, it really isn’t at all surprising that Hannah has married a sportsman, as one would have to have a considerable amount of stamina to keep up with this ever-ambitious young woman. Hannah’s vast array of achievements and success are a testament to her dedication, drive and hard-working nature, and she is most certainly an inspiration to women everywhere.