Red Jacaranda Group is driven by a passion for empowering individuals, teams and organisations with the energy and capability to transform and achieve their goals. Like the jacaranda tree, which sheds its leaves, renews, and bursts into a crowd-pleasing display of purple, all within a short span, Red Jacaranda Group thrives on impactful change. Inspired by this natural cycle, we help make work a better and enjoyable place to be.
Grounded
Down to earth, pragmatic solutions and support.
Connection
Compassion and understanding as we work together.
Energised
Passionate about people finding joy in what they do.
Meet our Founder
Melissa Mason
Melissa Mason is a seasoned People and Culture leader with over 15 years’ experience partnering with Project through to Executive Leadership Teams across infrastructure, mining, construction, and industrial services.
Melissa has led organisations through complex change, from major M&A transactions and large-scale restructures to DEI initiatives and leadership capability uplift programs and knows the impacts that organisational change can have on people, the good, the bad and the ugly.
Her experience spans corporate, alliance, government agencies, project and FIFO environments, where she brings agility, strategic insight, and a people-first approach that drives real results.
Melissa’s strength lies in demystifying culture, assessing the current state, identifying gaps, and shaping the strategy needed to support future growth.
Melissa’s mission is to support those who continually support others, by coaching HR professionals.
She holds a Master of Human Resource Management, a Bachelor of Social Science, and qualifications in facilitation, coaching, and board governance. She’s accredited in Whole Brain® Thinking (HBDI®), SLII® Leadership, and Level 1 Executive Coaching certification.
Melissa brings authenticity, warmth, and a strong bias for action, empowering leaders to lead well and build inclusive, values-led teams. Her belief is simple: let’s make workplaces where people want to be.
When she’s not shaping purposeful workplace cultures, Melissa is cheering on her kids, exploring Australia’s great outdoors, or planning her family’s next adventure.
- Master in Human Resource Management, Deakin University
- Company Director’s, Australian Institute of Company Directors
- Diploma of Human Resources, Australian Human Resource Institute
- Bachelor of Social Science, Majoring in Sociology, Macquarie University
- Cert IV Training and Assessment, AIM Management School
- Certified practitioner of HBDI® and Whole Brain® Thinking
- Level 1 Executive Coaching Certificate
- Certified practitioner of SLII®
Melissa is committed to normalising the reality that HR professionals are not always “ok”, and that this does not diminish their capability, value, or trustworthiness.
We are on a mission is to create a supportive space where HR professionals can lift each other up, reconnect with their humanity, and restore the energy needed to keep making workplaces better places.
Join my free community — The HR Reset Room → https://bit.ly/HRResetRoom
The HR Reset Room exists to acknowledge the emotional impact of HR work and to bring the human back into HR.
We create a safe, judgment-free space where HR professionals can pause, reflect, and share their experiences. A space where you can take off the stoic corporate mask, just for a moment, and tend to your own needs without compromising the capable, credible brand you’ve worked so hard to build.
Available for Public Speaking
Navigating Change Without Losing Yourself
In this reflective session, Melissa shares her personal journey through three years of relentless organisational change, including M&A, COVID-19, and large-scale projects mobilisations across the country, while repeatedly brushing up against burnout personally and with her team. With honesty and empathy, she explores why HR professionals, especially women, are most at risk of ignoring their own wellbeing while supporting others and offers practical strategies to sustain energy and humanity through change.
Session Takeaways
- Recognise the hidden emotional labour and burnout risks faced by HR professionals during change.
- Understand the importance of supporting People and Culture teams before, during, and after change, not just focusing on the wider organisation.
- Learn practical strategies to recover, reset, and keep going without losing yourself.