From 200 metres under the sea in a submarine to the mountains of Afghanistan, Elizabeth Broderick has spent years gathering stories.
And despite stepping down from the position of sex discrimination commissioner after eight years, she's not done yet.
But as she gets back down to work, the NSW Australian of the Year has picked up another accolade for her human rights and family violence advocacy - appointed an Officer (AO) in the Order of Australia.
Ms Broderick finished up as commissioner in September last year and will soon return to her gender equality mission.
"It's work that feeds my soul, makes my heart sing," she told AAP.
From 2011 to 2014, Ms Broderick conducted a major review into the treatment of women in the country's defence force following the Skype sex scandal.
Four of her reports were later tabled in federal parliament.
Ms Broderick is now turning her sights to increasing women's representation in the Australian Federal Police, where less than 35 per cent of its members are women and less than 20 per cent are in leadership roles or uniformed positions.
"I'm really excited about that work, it builds off my experience with the military," she said.
The 55-year-old has also spent years advocating for paid parental leave, something she says was a "pipe dream" when she first became commissioner.
She has worked extensively with business to end sex discrimination in the workplace and created projects to encourage men's participation like the Male Champions of Change strategy.
"I've seen the magic happen when men get on board," she said.
Ms Broderick believes if Australia wants to be a great nation it needs the talent and creativity of everyone and that begins with gender equality.
"It's so beautiful when I hear people say 'after I heard you, I found the courage to speak out'."
Catch up on Insight's look at how women deal with sexual harassment in the workplace here:
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