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In today’s episode, the Merrymaker Sisters Emma and Carla Papas share their take on making healthy choices. Startup founders are used to pushing themselves to the limits, but are you making healthy choices. For your mind to work at peak capacity, your body needs some lovin’ as well! The Merrymakers share how to get started and how to make it easy and fun! We even do a plank live on the show! Highlights Part 1: -Do you struggle with making healthier choices? If you do, you’re not alone. Even the way you get out of bed in the morning can influence how you feel. -According to an article in Psychology Today, you are more inclined to make less healthy choices when you know what’s in your food, when government campaigns and fitness experts try to convince you of the error of your junk food eating ways and when you’re hungry and the options before you are less healthy ones. -The article also points out that if you make the default choices healthy ones, you will be more likely to make healthier choices. -Every time I go into the kitchen I take something out of my cupboard that doesn’t need to be there and put it in the box. -If you just park a little further away from the shops and take the stairs instead of the elevator, that will help to get you started in changing your exercise habits. Part 2: -“high vibes” — new term for me -Changing our lifestyle changed our lives in so many ways -Our overall message is everyone’s healthy is a little bit different. Feel empowered not guilty. -Find a healthy choice that is energising, fun and brings joy to your life. -When you remove the friction from a decision, it’s an easy decision. One is the food that we eat. We believe that healthy food should be delicious, and easy to make. -Set yourself up for wins. When you achieve it you’ll feel so good. -You can start really basic: meat and vegetables and gradually add variety and spice. -For exercise, we just make sure we love what we do. -A lot of the time people think there’s a right way to exercise. What’s the point in doing something you hate. -What if you don’t enjoy exercise? -Start with really small goals. Start with a 5 minute walk and you’ll feel better. -It’s about reframing your feelings around exercise. If you can connect exercise to another one of your values or goals, that’s another thing you can do. -Connect exercise with another value or goal to motivate you. -If you meet a friend for coffee, how about you meet a friend for a

Today's show is about choosing happiness, even when you don't feel happy, even when you don't want to be. The reality is, though, happiness is not defined by your circumstances or by what happens to you, and nobody knows this better than today's guest, author of bestselling book The Miracle Morning, Hal Elrod. Hal and I dig deep into happiness and Hal shares his amazing and inspiring journey with The Miracle Morning. This was one of the most inspirational interviews I've done on this show. If you're in a funk or you just could use a little inspiration, listen in now! Highlights: -Happiness is an emotion. There are many thought leaders that would say that the ultimate purpose of life is happiness. I don’t necessarily disagree with that but I think there are lots of layers. -The greatest lesson I ever learned was what was the fundamental cause of our unhappiness. -They are all self-created. Any negative emotion we’ve ever felt, they are all self-created. -It’s not the thing that causes emotional pain, it is our level of resistance to that thing. -Hal shares about the time he died in a car crash at 20. -It’s okay to be negative when things go wrong, but only for five minutes. After that, there’s no point because you can’t change it. You can’t go back in time and change it. -You get to choose what your emotional response is from that point on. -If you can’t change something, you put yourself through self-torture if you spend your time wishing things were different. -What’s your wheelchair? What is the circumstance that is out of your control but you allow it to cause you to feel negative emotions. -I learned that you can be the happiest you’ve ever been, even amidst the most difficult experience of your life. -Acceptance is key. -Hal shares about his rock bottom — it wasn’t dying. -It’s hard to accept things when they spiral downwards. -I didn’t know how to accept the worse case scenario and then have it get worse. -Hal shares about how thrown into the mix was an addiction to Adderal, which he was prescribed for ADHD. -Your success rarely outstrips your level of personal development. Quote from Jim Rohn -By applying the Miracle Morning practice, in one day he turned his depression around. -If you’re not a morning person it’s only because you aren’t used to it. You’re not born one way or another. -Hal walks us through the six things you can do to get started. -There are six practices (SAVERS): --Silence (meditation/prayer) -

There are simple things anyone can do to make a difference and as a business owner, you don’t need a lot of money or even time. Just look for the small opportunities to give and pay it forward all around you. In today’s episode, Khierstyn Ross and I talk about making a difference through crowdfunding. May today inspire you to see where you can pay it forward to a new startup or a cause that matters to you! Don’t forget to check out today’s challenge in the show notes. Highlights: Part 1: -When money is tight and people are cynical about giving money to big charities, it can feel hard to give or that your giving will make a difference. Yet, giving is in your nature. -Neuroscience studies show that when you give to others, it releases feel-good hormones into your bodies and the atmosphere around you. -Author and researcher Peter Singer identified 6 reasons why people don’t give in his book The Life You Can Save: How to do your part to end world poverty (2010). —-People don’t like to give to strangers. —-People tend to give more to causes closest to home. —-A sense of futility. —-The assumption that someone else will take care of it. —-A sense of fairness. —-Ironically, being wealthy. Part 2: Interview: -There are better tools available now to make it so that anyone can launch something online -Crowdfunding levels the playing field. Crowdfunding allows you to do a marketing campaign on a crowd funding platform and if people love your idea they can support your product. -Raise money around a goal -Mentions Tesla car launch -Mentions the 4 Hour Work Week by Tim Ferris -Khierstyn’s first crowd funding campaign was a disaster but they rejigged the campaign and the second time around it was a huge success, raising $600K. -Just don’t quit. -Mistakes— we made a bunch of assumptions. We didn’t talk to people and get their perspective. We alienated a lot of people. -We didn’t get enough eyeballs on the page. We had no audience to launch to. —It’s important to develop your audience early —You have to start somewhere. Start building your audience now. -You have to prove that people will have a need for the product you will sell -Define what you want to do with a crowd funding campaign -Be specific. -Next question: Why would people support something like this? Why would someone care about it? -Has anyone else done what you are doing? Analyse their campaigns. -Cas Mentions the crowdfunding campaign that saved the Tivoli Dr

Connecting with others in the business world can be daunting, especially if you’re an introvert. Today’s guest is one of the most adept connectors of people I know. Ironically his last name is Fairweather, but I would never consider Jock a fairweather friend. Jock shares how making genuine connections has been the bedrock of his success and how it can help you too! Jock Fairweather grew up between Papua New Guinea and the Philippines before jetting to Europe straight after high-school in Brisbane. The last Seven years have seen him travel across the globe socialising with some of the world's most famous fashion designers and building a women's luxury shoe label that broke records within the Fashion industry. After parting ways with his brand and a Swiss Equity Group - Jock is back in Brisbane building innovative businesses within a collaborative ecosystem where people from all walks of life use his spaces (Little Tokyo Two) to collaborate, innovate and succeed working on their own projects. Jocks life goal is to reinvigorate the entrepreneurial spirit of Brisbane and to take our passionate and talented community to support developing nations ... he's 26. Website - http://littletokyotwo.com and also www.jockfair.com Facebook - http://facebook.com/littletokyotwo Twitter - http://twitter.com/jockfair Linkedin - http://linkedin.com/jockfairweather Episode Highlights: *I’m of the belief that making new connections is worth the effort, even if the people you connect with are people you only see once a year at an event. *What you don’t need is people in your life who pretend to be genuine but are really just using you. *It’s important to be clear on your boundaries with others and not allow them to manipulate you to follow their agenda. *Tune into your intuition, and if it feels like the relationship is toxic in any way, address it, and if you need to, walk away. *Don’t hold on too tightly to relationships that aren’t mutual or that aren’t mutually beneficial. *You need to be in the right place at the right time, all the time *The value is in the connections, the community, the events,the education, the emotional benefits and personal development. *Create as many connections as possible to reduce the friction to success. *Find someone within the big four, it doesn't matter what position they are, who believes in you and believes in what you are trying to do. Build rapport and a friendship with that person, they can push your idea and make it

Do you view yourself the way your friends do? When someone gives you a compliment, do you immediately think of some reason why it doesn’t apply to you, or do you say “thank you!” with a big smile on your face. Today, Ann Peck and I unravel why it's important to be kind to yourself and how you can get into the habit of being your own best friend. Episode Highlights: * Thank goodness for friends who have the ability to cut through the crap * She stopped me in my tracks and said: “You’re just not ready. Nobody can see how awesome you are because you don’t know how awesome you are yet.” * Sometimes what we think is in front of us isn’t… We don’t know what we don’t know * “When I look at you, here’s what I see. I see a beautiful, strong, amazing woman who cares deeply about her kids and gives so much to others. I see a brave, kind and loving soul who is so talented, and I want to be more like you.” * My friend said all these amazing things about me and I thought, why aren’t I saying these amazing things to myself? * Most of us don’t talk about it because we think everyone thinks the same way we think, and it’s a vicious cycle. * People do stuff out of brokenness * It’s about progress not perfection * Daily reminders ("I am" habits) o Saying outloud: “I am Enough” o Morning pages: the importance of freewriting, not necessarily journaling but just writing 3 pages and getting thoughts out o Meditation o Self check-in o Compassion – Showing mercy and understanding to yourself and then to others * As women, we have a tendency to take care of everyone and everything else around us before we take care of ourselves. * Being kind to yourself is where you need to start. You can’t give away what you don’t own. * When you are unkind to yourself or have low self-esteem, you tend to over compensate by giving more of yourself than you probably should. * When you begin to like yourself more and realize this is your journey, you are able to give from the heart more. * “She could never go back and make some of the details pretty. All she could do was move forward and make the whole beautiful.” -- Terri St. Cloud * Through active appreciation, you find ways to be kind to yourself no matter what negative situation you face. * You’re worth it! Your life can be so much bigger and better if you become your own best friend. Day 7 Challenge: If you were your best friend, how would you describe you? Spend at least 5 minutes toda

Book coach Azul Terronez jumps into the Marketing Kazspa hotseat to talk about how to stand out from the crowd when you put together an online course or program. Highlights • Publishing a book builds authority, establishes credibility and even gives notoriety (in some cases) • Books tend to be the constant for people who are serious about growing their businesses • Azul shares that he wants to build relationships and reach people without being “spammy," and wants to know how he can successfully transition from delivering one-on-one coaching into delivering a group coaching program. • Building relationships is key to not being "spammy"• Start with the “tribe” you already have • Create a subscriber incentive with an enticing lead magnet • Find out what your audience needs and what would be of most value to them • Use challenges to grow and engage your audience • Create the value and the content before asking people to invest in you (Give away something you would normally sell - Cheat sheet/checklist or Getting Started Guide) • Make progress by creating content in small chunks • People get frozen by their fear of a task that seems too big • Once you have established a mailing list, make the value of staying connected with you clear • Create a method or system to communicate continuous content (Blog or podcast) • Key elements to dominating your own unique niche: o Decide WHO you are trying to help o Determine what characteristics make up your core audience o Build authority and credibility by networking and collaborating with those who are already established o Be specific with your message (Don’t be a generalist) o Relate to your audience. They need to feel like you are speaking to them directly • People relate to people, not businesses or things • Have a deep understanding of your audience: o Likes/Dislikes o Approach possible objections from your core audience directly and proactively o Explore possible reasons your audience might object to your message. Explore that topic and address objections through a blog post or podcast • Use your “about me” section to tell a story so people feel like they are getting to know you personally • Be direct and honest about what you offer and how you can help • Build trust with your audience before pitching a product or service • Effectively find and market to your core audience o Create content that meets a need before they start the course o Create blog posts surrou

Are you curious about different places and people? Do you long to meander the streets in a far off exotic place? Today entrepreneur and podcaster Kevin Rizer and I unpack and share about our newfound love of wanderlusting. Wanderlust is when you feel compelled to live and breathe different cultures in far flung corners of the world. A wander luster travels to experience and drink in life from locals’ perspective, to be challenged on every front and to expand their knowledge and experience of life. About Kevin: Kevin Rizer is the host of the Private Label Podcast, co-founder of ZonSquad and a self-described serial entrepreneur. He has created from scratch multiple seven figure brands, and loves teaching and inspiring others to do the same. Prior to launching his first private label business in 2014, Kevin spent time in the healthcare and television space. http://privatelabelpodcast.com http://facebook.com/plpodcast http://twitter.com/privatelabelpod https://www.linkedin.com/in/kevin-rizer-95537829 Episode Highlights: • Travel has truly been my greatest teacher. All my life I wanted to live like a gypsy. I even used to dress up as a gypsy at school dress up days. • Time, money and the rhythm of life raising three children seemed to make it too hard to do anything else, but then I started to meet others who managed to create a gypsy life. • If you long to visit far-flung places, don’t let your circumstances weigh you down. Keep dreaming and keep planning. • There are many ways to travel on a budget including camping at Rainbow Gatherings, going on a working holiday picking fruit, and helping out on farms. • Travel isn’t for everyone, traveling for business can expand your outlook on life and beyond. • Traveling on your own can be daunting, but well worth the experience. • Adjusting to different cultures, food and environments can be uncomfortable but will lead to great experiences. • Wanderlust: A strong desire or impulse to travel the world. Literally, a lust for wandering. • It wasn't till I got out of my comfort zone and left home, that I started to grow. • How to successfully run multiple businesses while traveling: --Don't do it unless you can make it work. --Develop a team and a system to allow your business to continue to thrive as you travel. --Plan your travel around your business. What things will need to put in place ahead of time, in order to maintain the flow of your business and team? --Don't wait ti

In today’s show Adam Franklin and I chat about the power of kindness and how it can be contagious. When you are kind to someone, they often feel compelled to pay that kindness forward, and thus begins the creation of a kinder, more humane world. Highlights: • Even if you feel triggered by different situations, you have the power to respond differently. • Kindness starts with you and how you respond to the world. Treat yourself and others with respect and love and you will start to see the ripple effect. • Tips on being kind even on your “off” days. - Accept your bad days, don’t beat yourself up for not feeling at your best. Go for a walk, read a book, or phone a friend to help you snap out of it. - Be mindful and conscious of what’s going on other people’s lives. Don’t get caught up in the façade portrayed on social media. • How people can express kindness for others in a business context. • Suggestions for being aware of yourself and your surroundings during stressful times. • Creating rituals and scheduling time in your week to show kindness. • Being thoughtful of others and recognizing the value of connecting people together. • Life is bigger than our world, and we can make an impact by being kind and generous. • We have the ability to change how business is done with the power of kindness. Show notes: http://yourbrilliantuncareer.com/ybuc47-31-days-to-biztopia-day-5-be-kind-feat-adam-franklin/

If you were to take a snap shot of your life right now, would the picture show you doing something you truly love? Are you following a path that inspires you? It took me many years to realise that just because I could do something, it didn’t mean I should do something. I first had to learn how to tune into my inner why. I used to think that being unemployable was a curse, something to be ashamed of. I envied girls who seemed to be able to slot into any job with ease. I’ve realized since that I was never meant to work in a regular job. Highlights * Many people see work as functional, a necessity and a chore, but what if you could view work differently? * It can take a long time to have that ‘aha’ moment, that moment when you realise your life’s purpose was staring you in the face the whole time. * In school I was never very good at following rules. I didn’t consider myself to be a rebellious child, just a misunderstood one. * At the age of nine, I started my own business making bookmarks and toys out of scrap felt. What started out as a few cents here and there, quickly became a thriving enterprise that saw profits of up to $20 a week. * As I grew older, I forgot the joy that came with making something new and lost my entrepreneurial spirit. The outer world took over and I started to follow the same path as everyone else. * As a teenager, following the corporate mandate to put on a smile every day and serve highly processed food just didn’t inspire me. * I had a string of jobs ranging from being a silver service waitress at a five star restaurant, to working as an executive at a large international corporation. I was hired and fired, quit some jobs and sabotaged others. * I was bullied, harassed and labelled emotionally immature, self-centred and unemployable * Some have said that my inability to conform was partly because I was labelled as having ADHD or being ‘a bit Aspie’. * I actually prefer the term AHAIG = Accelerated, Hyper-Aware, and Incredibly Gifted. * As someone who is naturally pretty hyper, I was born with great capabilities; however most employers and teachers saw those capabilities as distractions, faux pas and fundamental flaws. * I used to think that being unemployable was a curse, something to be ashamed of. * I simply did not fit into a corporate world where you had to do your time and work your way up the corporate ladder. * After years of trying and failing to fit in, I quit trying to be employable and started workin

Sometimes just making a decision at all can be difficult. It can be tempting to put aside decisions you don’t want to deal with, but sometimes not making a decision can cause you more pain and heartache down the line. Being decisive helps people to know where they stand with you and it helps you move forward. In today’s show Cate Richards and I dissect decision-making and give you some tools to help you be decisive. If you find you’re constantly sitting on the fence, this show is for you! And don’t forget to check out today’s challenge in the Show notes. Interview Highlights (more in the show notes): * Struggling with decisiveness is common in many business journeys * Fast and Good vs. Fast and Bad (decisions) * There are 3 types of decision makers: -The over thinker: Too rational, suppresses gut instinct and settles only with logic. -The emotional and impulsive: Rely on heart and gut instincts without considering consequences. -The Avoider: Prefer not to make decisions hoping it will change on its own * Procrastination can occur when something feels off (in your gut) and there is too much pressure to decide. * Being placed in a position where you are forced to make a big decision and you're not in full control. * How to properly use outside resources, networking and paid services to make decisions. * Learning to communicate when you're not ready to make a big decision. (It's ok to give yourself time). * Figure out what you don't know - and get specific advice on that topic. * Learn to listen to your instincts. * A great decision often leads to a string of good decisions. * Having a strong vision of where you want to be in 3-5 years can be used as a baseline to make smaller decisions (Reference point). *Determine if it's time to update or refresh your vision board (or if you need to create one). * Daniel LA Porte - The Desire Map: What you need to aim for in life is emotional well-being. Some decisions require you to consider what areas in your life need tending to. * One decision can change a number of areas of your life (Snowball affect) - Consider consequences. * Don't let security of material things keep you in a negative or indecisive place. Identify the areas that you covet and find other ways to obtain them for yourself. * Decision Making Framework: -Know your strengths and weaknesses in decision making. -Generate options - There is always more than one choice. -Play out/consider the consequences. -Stop Loss: Knowing when

Cas McCullough and Karen Hardie discuss marketing faux pas, issues and trends in this new segment—The Marketing Kazspa! In today’s show we discuss the wrong and the right way to approach people with your brilliant new idea or product via email, common sense marketing, the power of vulnerability and how to make things right when you royally stuff up your marketing. Highlights: - When we’re in our heads and in our own businesses we think we can bypass the pleasantries - The important thing is to not assume that people 1. get the product and 2. get you. - There’s a whole questioning process that you can go on with an email sequence. - Even if you feel, as a business owner, you’ve nailed it, there’s still this piece of convincing your customer base that you understand them and that you get them. - People make mistakes. Let them know so they can correct their course. - None of us like to hear negative feedback but it can help them. - It’s really important to make it right. - When someone tells you you could approach things in a different way, that’s an opportunity to take important feedback on board. - It’s never too late to start building your audience - If you’ve got good quality content, reach out to other podcasts, blogs etc to share your knowledge and expertise and add value to others’ audiences. - Spamming people gets them offside - Gain the trust first and have the conversation on shared property then bring them back to your property before going into sales mode. - If people don’t trust you they won’t touch your product with a barge pole - Admit your mistake and make it right. People like hearing that. People like being heard. - We shouldn’t be too harsh with people. We all make mistakes. - The days of broadcast marketing are well over. When you’re vulnerable, people like that and warm to that. - Common sense marketing: How would you like to be treated yourself? - Would I like to receive this? - Sometimes we are too close to our own brands - Collaborating is awesome! Show Notes: http://yourbrilliantuncareer.com/ybuc44-marketing-kazspa-how-to-make-things-right-when-you-royally-stuff-up-your-email-marketing/

Do you take time to stop and think about all the blessings in your life? Do you take time to notice all the wonderful things before you? Today’s show features a conversation with author and family lawyer Kathryn Hodges. Kathryn keeps a public gratitude journal and not matter how life is going, she puts out what she is grateful on Facebook every single day. We unpack gratitude to help you stop and smell the roses. Don’t forget to check out today’s challenge! Highlights: • Gratitude helps you to be happier. • If you’re feeling depressed, nothing lifts you out of a funk like listing all the things you are grateful for in your life. • People spend a lot of time thinking about what they don’t have and trying to acquire those things. They also spend a lot of time comparing themselves to others. Gratitude puts a stop to that kind of thinking. • Lastly, being grateful helps you to be more present. It helps you notice everything around you savour it. • Life is too short not to take pleasure in what’s around you. • Gratitude was the first signpost I took to get out of the mire • Having a gratitude journal forced me to stop and look at what I could be grateful for in that day. • In 2011 Kathryn committed to publicly share her gratitude challenge, every single day. • Lawyers spend all day every day worrying about what might go wrong. • You can simply decide to change your outlook • You do the bit that you can do. You let the rest go. You see the good that’s around you and you look for the magic in life. It’s still there! • Sometimes the challenge is finding the middle space in life rather than going from one extreme to another. • Gratitude has been a muscle I have had to learn to develop. • There is power in accountability. There is power in a commitment to a certain period of time. • Mentions The 4 Tendencies (Gretchen Rubin) • What’s going to be the strategy that best helps you move that dial? Show notes: http://yourbrilliantuncareer.com/ybuc43-31-days-to-biztopia-day-3-be-grateful-feat-kathryn-hodges/

In the first of our Snippet series, I share my thoughts on women and entrepreneurship straight from the pages in my book Your Brilliant Un-Career: Women, Entrepreneurship, and Making the Leap. In a world that is becoming increasingly geared toward independent enterprise and technology, it’s entrepreneurship that affords women the greatest autonomy and scope to leave their legacy. * Much has changed for women in the past few years. * It was as if being a mother excluded me from fully participating in the corporate world. * There are a lot of women out there who are struggling to meet their personal goals and needs. * A US study on successful women entrepreneurs showed that women-owned businesses are less likely to attract funding, less likely to be scaled into larger businesses and less likely to survive beyond two years. * According to the 2013 Amex Open Forum study on The State of Women-owned Businesses, only 2% of women-owned businesses have broken through the one million dollar profit barrier. * Very few women are establishing high tech businesses, despite a boom in information and communication technology start-ups in the past few years. While women have experienced success in the corporate world in greater numbers than ever before, few are finding entrepreneurial success. * In a world that is becoming increasingly geared toward independent enterprise and technology, it’s entrepreneurship that affords women the greatest autonomy and scope to leave their legacy. * As older business models fade away, the future of the global economy could well rest in the hands of the woman entrepreneur. * There is a global movement towards entrepreneurship, and women are forging their own paths forward in this new economic era. * Despite ever-present gender discrimination, women have entered a new era of empowerment, and are redefining work, employment, the small business lifestyle and, indeed, success. * Unemployment continues to be a major problem in developed nations, and those at the pointy end of economic instability are looking, in greater numbers, towards having more control over their work life. * Since the start of the GFC, there’s been a growing trend towards low-growth, small scale ventures or micro businesses. * For those working in these businesses, it means more perceived control and more flexibility. * Entrepreneurial thinking is starting to gain a foothold, even in large bureaucratic organisations and corporations. * The more governme

If there’s one thing everyone seems to lack it’s time. Even though technology has automated so many tasks and you can buy virtually anything online, people in developed countries are more time-poor than ever before. According to The Economist, it’s actually a problem of perception. It’s argued that you actually have more time on your hands than ever before, but if this is true, why do you feel so rushed and overworked? Today we explore the issue of time from a startup business perspective. What can you do to make more time so you can launch and what can you launch to make more time for what’s important in life. And be sure to listen in for today’s challenge. ##Highlights:## * People in developed countries, in particular, waste a lot of time on screen time, whether that be phones, computers or TVs. * The problem with a TV is when it’s there, it’s usually on and through its power of distraction, it can become a massive time suck. * How long do you spend each day scrolling the Facebook newsfeed or catching up on emails? * If you knew when you were going to leave this Earth, and it was soon, wouldn’t you stop frittering away the time you had left and start doing all the things on your bucket list? * When you’re working in someone else’s business, you’re building someone else’s business * You’ve got X years experience. Somebody wants what you have. * You don’t always have to look too far outside of what your skill set is, to find what you can do to make money as an entrepreneur * Private Labelling: Find a product that is already selling and have it private labelled. * There’s only 24 hours in a day. Everyone gets the same 24 hours. It’s what you do with it that is important. * In that transition phase, it’s always important to have a strong sense of why you’re doing what you’re doing and who it is for? * When you’re going through a transition, make sure you are going towards something and not running away from something. * Everybody goes through phases where it’s difficult to be motivated. * If you’re making a transition from working for someone else to working for yourself, a big mindset shift is setting up a company. * No matter what you are doing as an entrepreneur, understand your business and what you’re selling and find a platform that helps you scale that. * There are some individuals that are not in a mindset to change their station in life and change what they do, despite being unhappy. * If you’re

In Part 2 of my interview with Theresa Vigarino on Growing in Awareness, we sink our teeth into some big issues around spirituality, belief-systems, connection and identity. The conclusion we came to is that your identity is not wrapped in the external factors of your life— your circumstances, nor the things that have been done to you. Awareness is about understanding yourself in relation to everyone else but it is also about understanding your place in the universe as well. You have the ability then to take that awareness to a new level and invite forgiveness, joy and love into your life. This will help you better connect with others both in business and life and let go of the things that hold you back. Highlights -We wrap up our identify with what we have achieved. We use all of these outside, external things to create our identity, when, in fact, that’s all just false. -The ultimate awareness is self-actualisation. When you become so aware of the divine inside of us, that’s our true identity. -When we do we realise there’s no separation between you and me. We all come from the same place and are made from the same stuff. -When you realise we’re all connected, we have more empathy. -We spend so much time dwelling on how we’re different. Every person on earth has emotional wounds they are trying to overcome. -The tendency to blame is what we’ve been brought up with. -Mentions Victor Frankl -The bridge to this awareness is in our mind. -Where we stay trapped and suffering is in the invisible boxes in our mind. -When I changed how I felt about myself I even changed how I felt God viewed me -The journey is the destination and it’s about adopting a new way of being -The revelations in our lives help us move forward. -In the Aha moments you feel this little moment of joy physically! You feel that elation and yet it’s still there. That is the way to experience deep inner peace and knowingness. -There’s no greater way to acknowledge our lives than to live a life of joy. -In those moments that we get triggered, that is the moment you create the new one. -Writing down the new belief is very important neuro-scientifically. It will help create new neuro-pathways. -Really, we’re a work in progress. Our job individually is to really become the full expression of the greatness that can come through us but we can’t do that if we have limiting self-beliefs. -It’s such a waste not to live up to your potential. **Mentions** The Miracle Morning b

How aware are you of what’s going on around you? How tuned in are you to others’ body language, behaviour, and words? Growing your awareness is an artform. Today I explore awareness of self and others and invited life coach Theresa Vigarino back onto the show to share her take on how to develop your awareness so that you can breakthrough the barriers that are holding you back in life and business. Be sure to catch today's challenge as we kick off the 31 Days to Biztopia challenge in this episode. Listen in every week for a fresh challenge to help you work towards a more successful and meaningful business and life. -Growing your awareness is an artform. You need to practice it daily and get in the habit of stopping yourself in your tracks. -Awareness is just understanding yourself, understanding the world around you and understanding what is real and intentional and what is just ideology and habit. -Once you develop your sense of awareness you open yourself up to more possibility, happiness and health. You stop blaming others and you start tuning in to and deconstructing your behaviour and patterns. -There are some amazing podcasts that are all about how to become an enlightened, aware being and there are podcasts that simply give you everything on a topic you’re interested in. -Meditation is also a great way to strengthen your awareness. -If emotions stir, sit with them and explore them. Being aware means tuning into the discomfort you may feel when sadness, anger, and anxiety rear up. Once you explore their presence you can peacefully send them on their way. Day 1 Challenge: Subscribe to a podcast on mindfulness. If you don’t have iTunes, simply look up Stitcher Radio or Audioboom and you should be able to subscribe to podcasts via those platforms so long as you have a smartphone or computer. If you don’t have a smartphone, computer or tablet, buy a book on mindfulness from your local bookstore. After the Break: Interview with Theresa Vigarino -Our lack of awareness can keep us from living our best life. -Not being aware, can be something that holds you back. -We all have deeply embedded belief systems that keep us from our potential. -The first key is looking at your life without judgement. Oftentimes when we reflect, along with that comes a lot of self-criticism and self-loathing and there’s a lot of self-judgement. Well that just keeps some of those limiting beliefs activated. -The first step is looking at your life without the j

I learned a lot at Chris Ducker’s Tropical Think Tank this year, but the big lessons were not what I expected they would be. In this episode, I share some of the key life lessons I took away from the event. Other attendees have done an amazing job of summing up what each of the speakers had to offer, so I wanted to focus on some of the more personal reflections that came up as a result of being surrounded by 60 like-minded, high vibe entrepreneurs for 13 days! If you are feeling overwhelmed, lacking in self-confidence or just need some inspiration to create a bigger life for yourself, this episode is for you. -To avoid growth-based burn out you need to build a great team around you and occasionally take a break. -What do you want to get out of business events? A great question to ask before you commit to any. Big is not always better. -What defines happiness is not about whether your grass is perfect or whether you have a beautiful house or live a life of luxury. -Sometimes I think if we are present to our own reality and realise that happiness is not that thing over the end of the rainbow, but something we’re meant to be living in each moment and living in gratitude for each moment, we’d be happy now. -On unworthiness: When you have a low opinion of yourself it gets in the way of building relationships with other people because you always have this sense that you don’t deserve that. -There are lots of things that happen in our lives that cause negative underlying beliefs that can create the behaviour we’re hoping to avoid. -Our default isn’t necessarily to criticise. Generally, we want the best for others. -If you’re feeling unworthy, or you’re feeling like you’re not good enough, I want to encourage you to look at yourself the way others do. -You’ve got to learn to say “no” for your own self-preservation. -If you’re not going with your flow, you’re going with someone else’s flow and being taken off on another agenda. -Life can be so much bigger. We tend to cocoon ourselves and live in a bubble. -I’m going to banish self-doubt. As entrepreneurs, we need to deal with all that internal conflict that comes up because it effects us in how we perform, and in how we relate to others. -If you don’t back yourself, how can you expect anyone else to back you. -Don’t hold yourself back. Just address what’s getting in the way, and move forward. -Be strong in your boundaries. Mentions: Hal Elrod, The Miracle Mornin

Cas shares her story about how she won up to $100K in seed funding for her new startup Writally. Be inspired to share your ideas and stop holding yourself back and self-sabotaging your success! -When people ask you questions it means they’re interested in the project. -The one thing that was holding me back was that I couldn’t do it all myself. -If I really wanted to I could learn how to program, but I just don’t want to. -The idea fires me up, the idea of having it developed. -If you don’t create compelling content nobody is going to buy from you. If they don’t see your vision, they won’t buy. -Preparation is key when you’re preparing to pitch. -Even if you just do these things as a learning experience, it’s amazing. You learn so much. -It’s funny how we always err on the side of “I suck.” -We go “there are all the reasons why I can’t do this.” -JK Rowling was a single, broke mother who became a billionaire. -Just embrace that it’s happening. -I just know that so many people out there have idea and visions and they diminish them. If you have an opportunity to share, please do. You don’t know what can happen. -Don’t ever trip yourself up and think that your ideas are any less worthy than anyone else’s. -If there are things distracting you from your vision, cut them loose. I just want to acknowledge the judges, my advisor Brett from BlueChilli, BlueChilli, CCIQ, Suncorp, and Microsoft for giving me the opportunity to pitch at the Collaborate Competition. Show notes: http://yourbrilliantuncareer.com/if-you-have-an-idea-share-it-solo-episode-with-cas-mccullough/

A couple of years ago Darren Rowse made a small change that created a big impact on his life and business. He went for a walk. Listen in as Darren and I talk about keeping a balance between work and family in your lifestyle business, how exercise can help you come up with brilliant ideas and how doing something transformative can keep you motivated, even when the going gets tough. We also talk about Problogger, blogging, blog revival and overcoming performance anxiety. If you need encouragement and inspiration to create a lifestyle business that is in harmony with your family and your own wellbeing, this is the episode for you! Highlights: -Since I started a business I’d been putting things on hold and spending less time on exercise and less time on me. Walking made me feel better. -It’s very easy to get distracted on and obsessed to the point where the things we know we should be focusing on, we let slip. -I felt really guilty about taking a walk every day at first, so I just basically said, ‘I’m going to start working while I walk.’ For me that was about listening to podcasts and audiobooks and getting some inspiration and input. -I’m at my best when I allow myself a little bit of white space to do nothing, to rest, watch television and have mind numbing time. -I write best when I’m inspired and it just flows out of me wanting to talk and communicate. A lot of my ideas come from readers. Probably for me where I get the inspiration from, the drive to write the content is more from the live interactions I have with people, so running an event is a big source of inspiration and motivation for me. -I definitely find the temptation is to spend time looking at the tools. There’s something in it where you just want to be involved in every conversation. I think it’s just that you fear missing out on something. -People’s thirst for useful content needs to be front and centre of my mind as a blogger. -The two blogs that Darren has stuck with are the ones he was most interested in. -You do need to stick at things and I had to stick at things for a few years before I hit that tipping point. But sometimes you need to give up. There’s different reasons to give up early so there’s definitely a place for it. -On his podcasting journey: I need to monitor my energy levels quite a bit but when you’re podcasting you’re talking into a microphone so it doesn’t take up as much energy. -I slip into a different mode when on stage. I discovered I

• All of a sudden I thought to myself, “I’ve always wanted to do a triathlon. Why wait? What am I waiting for? Life can change in a moment. • There was very little information, support, guidance and advice for women my age (to train for a triathlon. This massive void of discovery opened in front me. • Women are left behind when it comes to caring for heart health. We spend a lot of money on breast cancer and breast health but Cardiovascular disease kills more women than breast cancer, by far. And it also is much more debilitating. It’s not that hard to look after yourself. You just need to understand what you are doing. • I wished I hadn’t left it so late. I wished I’d been brave enough to do it 20 years ago because it takes a lot of courage but there were so many social constructs that stopped me or that I thought stopped me. • It is quite a lonely journey establishing your own business. • When I was a CEO I’d ask for something to be done and it would get done. Now, when I ask a company to do something, they may or may not do it particularly in IT. It’s because you’re not the boss anymore, that’s the trouble. That’s been a big learning for me. • If you are freelancing, why aren’t you treating your customers like they’re the boss? • Being an older woman as well I find there’s a bit of agism and sexism when you’re dealing with organisations. • You need to look past the person and get to the issue of what they need. • Our message to women on White Ribbon Day: Don’t minimise any kind of violence if it’s happening to you. That includes intimidation, power and control, manipulation and not just physical violence. Reach out and seek help because that’s where physical violence begins. • Jennifer shared that her own personal experiences in life influenced her to not do the things she wanted to do when she felt she should have. • I can really understand the barriers that are there for women at this age to make changes at home. If your self esteem is not in tact, it’s really easy to go with the flow and not put yourself first. • It’s not about being selfish in a bad way, it’s about being selfish in a good way. Your health’s important to everyone around you. • Look after yourself. It doesn’t have to cost money. Knowing first, being mindful and actioning small things at a time. • James Schramko - If you want life to be different change something. • We tend to think: If we want to change someth