Hosting With Heart: Recent Episodes
Jen Clark
In 2017, there were over 180,000 individual Australian properties listed on Airbnb. Not even taking into account the many other sites and accommodation providers that exist, that's a LOT of people hosting!
But is being an STR (short term rental) host everything it's cracked up to be and is it REALLY for you?
Hosting with Heart is a podcast for aspiring and existing short-term accommodation hosts and property managers in Australia and New Zealand.
Your host (pun intended), former short-term accommodation business owner and 11 x Airbnb Superhost Jen Clark aims to explore every nook and cranny of what it means to be a successful, responsible and innovative host in the 2020's and beyond.
My guest today on Hosting With Heart is Jodie McQueen, owner and operator of Paradise Road Farm, a two-cabin farm stay in Sheffield, the gateway to Tasmania's Cradle Mountain world heritage area.
With a diverse professional background including time spent working in Japan and Australia in a variety of communications, tourism and sustainability-focused roles, in 2016 Jodie and her then-partner determined it was time for a tree change and went on to purchase a 100 acre property in Tasmania.
By 2019 and then newly single, she embarked on a permanent move to the property and soon after got the wheels in motion on the build of two modest, sustainably-constructed cabins, supporting the small-scale, regenerative farm she had already established.
Having opened the doors to Paradise Road Farm to the public in October of 2020, she has since built a highly successful, adults-only accommodation business, all the while maintaining an operational ethos that prioritises the planet and encourages guests to leave their stay with an enhanced level of respect for the natural environment.
Vince Hunt and partner Angela Brickwell truly do personify what it means to be a heartful host.
After purchasing a 120 acre block of land in the idyllic town of Billinudgel on the northern New South Wales coast some years ago, they went on to construct two cabins - one of which is fully accessible - on the land, all the while indulging their passion for permaculture, regenerative farming and a philosophy that places the therapeutic value of getaways at the centre.
With a personal background in landscape design and art, complimented by Ange's skills as a kinesiologist, this hardworking and empathetic couple have experienced great success as short-term accommodation hosts in the four years they've been managing their property, now known as Rosalita's Rest.
It was an absolute pleasure speaking with Vince about their journey to date a few days ago and I think you'll really enjoy this episode today.
In this first episode of Hosting With Heart for 2024, host Jen Clark provides an update on the recent equity crowdfunding campaign for Heartful, a new short-term accommodation booking platform focusing on sustainability and inclusion, helmed by Jen, that will launch mid-year.
She also discusses her plans for season 8 of the podcast, which will move to a more flexible fortnightly format and have a focus on featuring guests who exemplify the ‘heartful hosting’ ethos, based both here in the Australia / NZ region and overseas.
It’s set to be another incredibly big and exciting year!
It’s the FINAL DAY of the Heartful equity crowdfunding campaign, with our public investment offer closing at 10pm AEDT on Thursday 2nd November, 2023.
As of 8pm AEDT on Wednesday 1st November, Heartful had welcomed 109 new investors, with a total of $119,392.00 raised, something Jen is extraordinarily proud of and of course, very excited about.
She touches on some of the recent successes of the campaign in this episode, delivered a little bit later than planned due to the extreme busyness of the past fortnight.
To ensure you don’t miss out on this incredible opportunity to invest in a purpose-driven, female-founded startup that aims to transform the Australian and New Zealand short-term accommodation sector into one that is more inclusive and sustainable, visit the Heartful Birchal campaign page at Heartful Group Pty Ltd - Reimagining the way we stay.
Once 10pm AEDT rolls around, sadly there will be no further opportunities to invest at this early stage. It’s time to seize the moment and put your hard-earned dollars where your values are!
Please follow Heartful on Instagram, Facebook or LinkedIn via the links below: Instagram -Instagram (@heartful.travel)
Facebook - Heartful
LinkedIn -https://www.linkedin.com/company/heartful.travel
Well, it’s CRUNCH time in the Heartful equity crowdfunding campaign, with EOIs closing on Monday October 16th at 10pm AEDT and Jen needing to raise $50K during the private offer period (that’s just 48 short hours!) in order for the public offer to go ahead.
The private offer period opens at 12pm on Tuesday October 17th and will run until 12pm on Thursday October 19th, following which the public offer will open if Jen meets that ambitious target.
If you didn’t manage to submit an EOI but still want to invest in the private offer period and take advantage of Birchal’s delayed payment terms, meaning you don’t have to pay for your investment until the public offer ends on November 2nd, please shoot an email to Jen at jen@heartful.travel and she’ll ensure you get sent an invite to the private offer.
To express your interest in investing in Heartful, request an invite to the private offer OR to invest now, visit the Birchal campaign page at Heartful Group Pty Ltd - Reimagining the way we stay.
Please follow Heartful on Instagram, Facebook or LinkedIn via the links below: Instagram -Instagram (@heartful.travel)
Facebook - Heartful
LinkedIn -https://www.linkedin.com/company/heartful.travel
This third instalment in our equity crowdfunding campaign mini-series is a re-recording of Jen’s recent presentation at the Heartful Investor Webinar held on October 4th, 2023. It contains a wealth of info about Jen and her personal / professional background, the backstory of Hosting With Heart, an insight into how the idea for Heartful originated, the many reasons the platform is needed and what Jen’s incredibly ambitious yet exciting plans are for building, launching and growing the platform over the coming months and into the longer-term future.
To express your interest in investing in Heartful, visit the Birchal campaign page at Heartful Group Pty Ltd - Reimagining the way we stay. Expressions of Interest will close on Wednesday October 11th and the no of EOIs we receive will determine if the investment offer goes ahead, so please get your EOIs in ASAP if you’d like to own a part of this groundbreaking new platform.
Please follow Heartful on Instagram, Facebook or LinkedIn via the links below: Instagram -Instagram (@heartful.travel)
Facebook - Heartful
LinkedIn -https://www.linkedin.com/company/heartful.travel
Check out the Startup Daily TV interview with Jen here at the 43min mark.
Or have a read of Jen’s recent interview about all things Heartful on the Peppermint Magazine website.
This second short and sweet episode of our Heartful crowdfunding campaign mini-series sees Jen talk about some recent wins in the press, reaching over 115 Expressions of Interest from potential investors in Heartful and her thoughts on why now is the time you need to embrace accessibility as a host.
To express your interest in investing in Heartful or register for our forthcoming Investor Webinar on Tuesday 3rd October at 1pm AEST, visit the Birchal campaign page at Heartful Group Pty Ltd - Reimagining the way we stay.
Please follow Heartful on Instagram, Facebook or LinkedIn via the links below: Instagram -Instagram (@heartful.travel)
Facebook - Heartful
LinkedIn -https://www.linkedin.com/company/heartful.travel
Check out the Startup Daily TV interview with Jen here at the 43min mark.
Or have a read of Jen’s recent interview about all things Heartful on the Peppermint Magazine website.
In this first episode of our 6-week podcast mini series documenting the equity crowdfunding campaign for the new ethical accommodation booking platform Jen is proudly launching in 2024, she talks about how the idea for Heartful was realised, gives an overview of what equity crowdfunding is and how it all works, and provides a general update on how things are progressing 30 hours after the campaign launch.
To express your interest in investing in Heartful, visit the Birchal campaign page at
Heartful Group Pty Ltd - Reimagining the way we stay. Please follow Heartful on Instagram, Facebook or LinkedIn via the links below:
Instagram - Instagram (@heartful.travel)
Facebook - Heartful
LinkedIn - https://www.linkedin.com/company/heartful.travel
In this milestone 100th episode of Hosting With Heart, Jen Clark and partner Kirstie Innes-Will reflect on almost four years of what has become a dearly-loved, phenomenally successful podcast and all they’ve learned along the way, along with Jen’s incredibly exciting plans to launch a new, ethical accommodation booking platform, Heartful.
For those who’ve followed the Hosting With Heart journey since day dot to those who’ve only recently discovered the podcast, online community and website, this episode is a must-listen for anyone interested in helping make the short-term accommodation sector more inclusive, sustainable and community-focused.
My guest on today's penultimate episode of season 7 of Hosting With Heart is author, travel writer and environmentalist Nina Karnikowski.
Having worked as a travel writer for the past decade, Nina now writes about travel that conserves, educates and uplifts more than it destroys, and aims to demonstrate how travel can help solve societal and environmental problems.
The author of three hugely successful titles, Nina has just released her fourth book, The Mindful Traveller, a stunningly written memoir about the ethics of modern travel.
In this unique and inspiring book, Nina takes an expedition to the very essence of travel, reflecting on the profound and transformative experiences to be had heading into the wild or just staying put, and demonstrating how to travel in a way that is as nourishing for the places we visit as they are for us.
Nina’s travel writing appears regularly in The Sydney Morning Herald’s Traveller, The AFR’s Life & Leisure, Condé Nast Traveller and more.
Nina mentors writers, teaches writing and creativity workshops and is also a mentor at The Conscious Travel Foundation.
It was an absolute pleasure discussing all things ethical travel with Nina a few weeks back and I have no doubts that you'll find this conversation an energising and inspiring one.
Having finished a journalism degree and set off on a post-graduation gap year abroad, Simone Williams eventually indulged her Mum's call to come back home to Australia and secure herself a job.
And that she did, although not as a reporter, but as a flight attendant for Australia's beloved Qantas - a career she anticipated might last a year at best but that ultimately morphed into a 30 year stint that would prove one of the most rewarding experiences of her life.
Yet despite the joys of constant travel, Simone had a yearning for a simpler life on a farm.
Newly married to now-husband Bruce, she spontaneously happened upon her dream property in Queensland's Currumbin Valley while scrolling the web one day during a stopover in Frankfurt.
Little did she know that sometime later, she and Bruce would serendipitously drive past that exact same property, Hillview Dairy, and find it once again for sale. The duo scraped together every last cent they could find and fortuitously, managed to make it theirs.
Since then, Simone and Bruce have welcomed three sons and have raised them on the farm, all the while chipping away at restoring both the homestead and more recently, the dairy, with the aim of one day welcoming guests to stay.
That day eventually arrived in January, 2020 and Simone hasn't looked back, having achieved an enviable 258 Airbnb reviews with an average score of 4.98, an expanse of press and a continuing 80-90% occupancy rate.
My recent chat with Simone about her journey to date and newly-hatched plans to restore the property's stables was a real pleasure and I'm sure you'll find this conversation equally insightful and entertaining. Please enjoy.
It was the acceptance that she had chronic fatigue syndrome (CFS) that led Sarah Williams to seek out a lifestyle and career that was more compatible with her health and values.
After many years working in the fast-paced, corporate-like higher education sector in urban environments, Sarah had to re-evaluate her work-life balance, or lack thereof.
A subsequent relapse of CFS drew a firm line in the sand, with Sarah ultimately deciding to return from Melbourne to her home state of Tasmania and to the property on which her grandfather had painstakingly built a timber cabin some 40 years prior in the idyllic town of Meander, in the state's central north.
Following her return, Sarah decided that hosting guests at the cabin might be an ideal way to combine her need for regular rest with generating a recurring income and accordingly, set out to complete some modest renovations to the cabin in preparation.
Since finishing the renos and opening the doors to what is now known as Cedar Cottage Meander some 3 years ago, she's had enormous success, with the property receiving consistently exceptional reviews and being named a finalist in 2022's Airbnb awards in the 'Best Nature Stay' category.
Sarah is a passionate advocate for the disability and chronic illness community, a multi-talented creative and technologist and a lover of sustainability and the natural environment. As I was speaking with her, I felt an immediate sense of kinship and solidarity. I really hope you get as much out of this chat today as I did.
As our recent conversation progressed, I came to the realisation that Bel du Bois, co-owner of Queensland's Grain Shed Retreat, could almost be deemed the perfect heartful host.
Having a few years back moved to the Darling Downs region a couple of hours south-west of Brisbane, Bel fortuitously went on to reconnect with an old school friend Neil, a former dog trainer and behavioural therapist.
A highly experienced occupational therapist, Bel originally made the move in search of new adventures, but eventually got lured by the local community back into private practice.
All was not lost, however, as Bel and Neil made the decision to take advantage of Neil's incredible 900 acre property and open a multi-disciplinary health and wellness practice, Darling Downs Wellness Therapies, allowing their diverse client base to take advantage of their nature-based, holistic therapeutic approach.
One thing was missing though - the opportunity for clients to stay onsite, experiencing the benefits of a longer-term therapeutic retreat.
So with sustainability and accessibility at the forefront of their minds, Bel and Neil resourcefully converted the old grain shed on the property into self-contained accommodation that would go on to be crowned Airbnb's best regional stay in Australia in 2021.
Meeting people like Bel really does make my heart - pardon the pun - sing. I believe that her approach to hosting is truly pioneering. I was absolutely delighted to have a chat about her journey and hope you, too, will be left inspired and energised by this episode.
Sunny South in so many ways epitomises what heartful hosting is all about. A former teacher, she and husband Brett have forged a deeply enriching life for themselves in the Hawkesbury River region about an hour north of Sydney, one that has been built around a love of art, creativity, community and hospitality.
With a background in restoring and renovating historic properties and having determined that - for a variety of reasons - the Hawkesbury was the right location for them to secure a holiday house, Sunny and Brett serendipitously happened upon a property that ticked all the boxes, going on to purchase it very fortunately without the involvement of real estate agents.
Over the 6 months that followed, with the added challenge of the house only being accessible by water, they worked hard to bring the property back to its former glory, replacing the roof and stumps but maintaining most of its original features and opting to retain a number of pieces of vintage furniture.
They subsequently named the property Riverbreeze and first welcomed guests in November of 2021, managing all of the housekeeping themselves and doing so with a focus on simplicity, efficiency and organisation - an ethos which has worked perfectly for them since day dot.
Sunny's passion for involving the local community in the running of Riverbreeze absolutely shines through in this episode, as does her respect for the natural environment and for the need to be continuously mindful about consumption.
I thoroughly enjoyed our chat and I'm positive that no matter where you might be in your hosting journey, you will get a lot out of it too.
Back in 2018, the town of Tanunda, located in the heart of South Australia's beautiful Barossa Valley, had no idea that two passionate Melburnians, Max Niggl and Neale Gerlach, were about to make it a central part of their life story.
With surprisingly similar personal backgrounds, Neale originally from South Australia and Max from Victoria, this enterprising couple met in 2013 in Melbourne, forging a life partnership where respect for history, the environment, the concept of place and for our diverse culture is central to their lives.
Max and Neale set out with the original goal of purchasing a simple set-and-forget investment property, however after further discussion decided that they actually wanted to be able to enjoy a second property from time to time, with a view of transitioning to rural life in the future.
This ultimately led them to the Barossa - a place that they shared a love of and one in which they fortuitously stumbled across and went on to buy a characterful circa 1900 house, a firm fixer-upper with a rich history.
Over the next three years, the duo planned and painstakingly restored the property with careful attention to detail, melding their own personal style with that dictated by its heritage. They subsequently named it Basedow Haus, in a nod to both the couple's and the area's German origins.
Max and Neale are people fervently dedicated to living with respect, compassion, grace and empathy, something that shines through in everything they do. It was an absolute pleasure chatting with them about their hosting journey to date and I'm sure you'll get a lot out of our chat today. Please enjoy.
Much like many others who have embraced and excelled at the practice of hosting, Madeleine Lawler wore many different hats prior to opening the doors to the completely captivating Tasmanian property now known as The Post Office, Waratah.
After early stints in the hair modelling and hairdressing sector, she moved to the UK for a period where she spent time working in Michelin-starred restaurants and at the helm of an energetic and innovative tech start-up.
Upon arriving back to Australia and having welcomed a daughter and farewelled her father in the intervening time, she and her partner Andy decided to indulge their long-held dream of purchasing a holiday shack.
When one day scrolling realestate.com.au they fortuitously came across a modest yet charming 110 year old post office for sale in the small hamlet of Waratah, some 400km north-west of Hobart. After a spontaneous one day trip to view it, they made an offer and the very next day it was theirs.
In this episode, enjoy listening to Madeleine tell me the story of the 7 month renovation that followed the purchase, including the challenges that both its heritage and location posed, but that ultimately culminated in a visually enchanting, wonderfully unique property that has already won many a guest's heart. Please enjoy.
When at its very best, hosting is an endeavour underpinned and driven by one core thing - empathy. And that's something my guest today, James Hudson, had in droves when it came to establishing his hugely successful Byron Bay eco retreat Blackbird.
After many years working in Sydney's fast-paced and often gruelling hospitality sector and with a young family in tow, James reached a point where he decided it was time to embrace a slower, less hectic way of life.
This ultimately led him to a former banana plantation in the Byron Bay hinterland, a property he'd go on to buy and - with an eye for innovation and sustainable re-use closely informed by his skills in industrial design - resourcefully convert into the critically acclaimed retreat now known as Blackbird Byron.
Since the property officially opened its doors to guests in 2018, James and his extended team have gone on to receive an enviable array of accolades and awards including a Master Builder's Award in 2020, finalist status in Network Ten's 'Hotels by Design' series and being named one of Tatler Magazine's top 101 hotels in the world.
With Covid only proving to increase demand for stays at Blackbird, James has gone from strength to strength and is now supported by a tight-knit and dedicated team of staff he views as family.
Please enjoy our chat today.
What do you get when you pair a talented illustrator and designer with an experienced and resourceful carpenter? The answer is simple - Mill Cabin, an understated yet wildly appealing bush retreat based in Crackenback in the New South Wales' Snowy Mountains.
Back in 2019, when owners Niki and Trent first secured the plot of land that would go on to house the cabin, formerly the site of a timber mill, their vision was to create something that was unmistakably in sync with - and sympathetic to - the natural environment.
Putting their combined skills and experience to use, the resulting structure is one that is a modern nod to the Australian stockman's hut, built using locally sourced timber and granite and furnished and fitted out with a range of handcrafted items painstakingly designed and assembled by this industrious pair.
Since opening the doors to the property in 2022, Niki and Trent have gone on to receive widespread media coverage and a coveted array of 5 star reviews, reinforcing the powerful way their uncompromisingly sustainable ethos has resonated with the travelling public.
Refreshingly, the couple have no plans to expand or multiply their current hosting operation, opting instead to work on regenerating the land on which the cabin sits where necessary, but largely leaving nature to do its own thing.
My catch up with Niki and Trent a week or so ago was a thoroughly enjoyable one which I know you'll also find fascinating.
If there's one word that sums up husband and wife team Michelle and Murray Prior's hosting ethos, it's respect. Respect for the environment, for history and for knowledge.
Having relocated to the Gundaroo area in the New South Wales Southern Tablelands region just over 5 years ago, this industrious couple and their two young daughters quickly set about turning the property's former standalone barn into a sustainably-minded, luxurious, family-friendly retreat.
The result is the property now known as The Barn at Nguurruu Farm, a visually striking, architect-designed, rammed earth building that can comfortably accommodate up to four guests across two bedrooms and a single bathroom.
'Nguurruu' is the Walgalu word for 'camp' and was chosen by Ngambri Walgalu custodian, Paul House out of respect for the many bush camps that have existed on the banks of the Yass River down through the ages.
Indigenous heritage and considered land regeneration are central to the way this family are managing the evolution of the 220 acre plot of land on which the barn sits. They've enlisted the help of scientist, author and regenerative farming pioneer Charles Massy to help guide them in the way they manage the land, all the while ensuring guests have the opportunity to gain an insight into its cultural roots and indigenous backstory.
I came away from this conversation with a very full heart in the knowledge that there were people like Michelle and Murray out there doing so much good in the world. I'm sure you'll feel the same way after listening. Please enjoy.
Kristy Plumridge and her husband Neil are a complementary match in more ways than one.
With Kristy's background in marketing and event management and Neil's background in finance and management consulting, it was with a creative yet strategic ethos that they approached the construction of a 10 year family plan that would ultimately herald a complete life change, moving from city to country.
Having taken the time to canvass multiple rural properties, it was in the end the first property they looked at that won their hearts and minds - a 150 acre farm in the Victorian town of Yarragon, a hidden gem only 90 minutes from Melbourne.
With a deep respect for the environment, they subsequently dedicated themselves to regenerating and nurturing the land, ensuring its future success as a thriving grass-fed beef and garlic farm.
They also built their future forever home and converted an older dwelling on the property into accommodation, now known as The Ridge House.
Their journey to date has garnered much attention from the media, most notably including a dedicated episode on ABC TV's acclaimed series, 'Dream Gardens.'
Now, Kristy and Neil want to share their knowledge and experience with others dreaming of their own tree change, recently launching a one-day workshop called 'Let's Buy A Farm', designed to guide and support individuals in navigating the process of transitioning to a sustainable and financially rewarding lifestyle.
I recently had the pleasure of speaking with Kristy - a conversation filled with many valuable insights and much inspiration.
Whether you're considering a tree change or are simply intrigued by the idea of sustainable farming, this episode is teeming with practical information and advice.
Please enjoy.
Intro file uploaded above for you. Please let me know if any issues.
Whether it's running one of Sydney's most famed pie shops or managing an award-winning, self-built cabin for guests in the stunning Blue Mountains region of New South Wales, Nicole Landgrebe is a woman who intimately knows the value and rewards of good, old-fashioned hard work.
Having made the decision to handover the reigns of their thriving Sydney-based small business to another owner, in 2019 Nicole and her husband David decided to purchase a property in Wentworth Falls, one of the country's most breathtakingly beautiful locations.
Their aim was to creatively and resourcefully design, build and furnish a self-contained cabin on the property to rent out to guests, all the while living onsite in the neighbouring house to manage it.
After many months of grit and tenacity, the property now known as Falls Rest was eventually realised and the couple opened it to guests, receiving a flurry of five star reviews and landing Nicole the title of Australia's Best Female Airbnb Host for 2022.
Nicole very kindly put her hand up to come on the podcast for a chat a few weeks back and it was a real pleasure learning all about hers and David's hosting journey thus far. I hope you enjoy our catch up today.
Edwina Bartholomew is no stranger to the art of juggling.
Along with her successful career as a journalist and newsreader with Channel Seven’s Sunrise program, she also has a flourishing side-gig as a short-term accommodation host.
In 2016, Edwina and her husband, Neil Varcoe discovered an original 1890s sandstone property on 100 acres in the New South Wales Capertee Valley. They have meticulously restored the house and transformed the property into a luxury accommodation business called Warramba.
Now, the next challenge. The couple recently sold their meticulously renovated Dulwich Hill home in Sydney to pursue their second, decidedly more ambitious project as hosts, the restoration of an guesthouse in the historic town of Carcoar, New South Wales.
Neil will run the project from Carcoar while Edwina will remain in the city with their two kids, Molly and Tom, who makes a charming cameo in this podcast. With the new hotel ‘The Victoria’ slated for opening in 2025, they have a busy few years ahead of them.
It was such a pleasure catching up with Edwina to learn all about their forthcoming plans as well as the enormous amount they've learned on their journey so far. I've no doubts you get a lot out of this chat today.
To me, there's a single word that immediately comes to mind when describing Clare Hillier's approach to hosting - 'artful'.
With a professional background working for various media platforms, along with running her own brand storytelling consultancy, Clare and her partner Sean in 2020 purchased a 70's era house in Blairgowrie in Victoria's ever-popular Mornington Peninsula region, with hopes to transform it into a one of a kind, design-led holiday retreat.
After a period of time camping out in the property to better understand its idiosyncrasies, they spent 18 months renovating and reconfiguring the home.
Following that, Clare lovingly crafted a brand framework that would go on to closely inform the way in which guests experienced the house, from the selection of original artwork adorning the walls to the way in which their now trademark welcome negroni would be presented. The name of the property, Camillo House, was another product of this creative process.
Clare has learned a great deal in her 6 or so months as a host thus far and it was an absolute delight catching up with her recently. I really hope you enjoy our chat today.
In life, there are two kinds of people - the sayers and the doers - and architect and leading climate adaptation specialist Digby Hall falls firmly in the latter camp.
Having spent 30 years in the Australian property sector as a sustainability specialist and advocate, Digby works as a consultant specialising in managing climate risk in property assets through design, sustainability, adaptation and resilience planning.
He also works confidentially with corporate executives to help them deepen their appreciation of the climate risk facing them, and to craft personalised strategies that help drive meaningful change within their organisations.
Outside of this, Digby and his wife Katherine host a number of properties in Tasmania, giving them a unique insight into the most effective actions that hosts can take to minimise their environmental footprint, especially in the areas of food waste, energy provision, the purchasing of goods and services, and reconnecting us all with nature.
It was an absolute pleasure chatting with Digby earlier today and I hope you get as much value out of listening to our chat as I did participating in it.
Like many before them, it was the discovery of and love for a particular oceanside plot of land in Brooms Head, New South Wales, that ultimately led to the realisation of a dream future forever-home for couple Katie Clarke and Matty Neeson.
Having early in their relationship stumbled across the land that would ultimately become the wabi-sabi inspired, self-contained house now known as Boketto - meaning to 'gaze into the distance without purpose' - Katie and Matty set out to create a property layered with meaning.
Having finished what was a somewhat laborious process involving the design and build of the property in 2021, the results are breathtaking.
Every living space and window in the home frames a view, and draws you into its natural surrounds. Much of the furniture in the home has been painstakingly handcrafted using reclaimed timber and decorative items sourced during the couple's travels.
And the considered nature with which this property has been realised is now starting to pay off financially as well, with Katie and Matty now enjoying a steady stream of bookings largely from repeat guests, most of whom have booked directly.
I've been following Katie and Matty on social media since they formally commenced their endeavour as hosts just over a year ago, and have frequently marvelled at what a visually disarming yet fundamentally simple piece of architecture they've managed to create. I really hope you enjoy us reflecting on their journey in this episode today.
When it comes to running short-term accommodation, outdoor spaces are almost always lower on the priority list than a property's interior, but award-winning, Victorian-based landscape designer and seasoned host Kathleen Murphy is determined to change that.
After a brief stint in the corporate world, Kathleen trained in horticulture in the Dublin Botanical Gardens in Ireland, completing further studies with the Royal Horticultural Society and Melbourne's Burnley University following.
Having relocated back to Australia in the subsequent years, she established Kathleen Murphy Landscape Design in 2006 and has been designing gardens with her small team ever since, maintaining a strong focus on linking the architecture of the house and buildings to the surrounding landscape.
Despite her foray into hosting starting with her holiday property Inlet House in the seaside Victorian town of Inverloch, she recently took this off the short-term rental market in order to move into it with her family full-time, transforming her former primary residence in the Macedon Ranges into a stunning, self-contained getaway.
I've long-admired some of the incredible gardens Kathleen has cultivated over her professional career and it was truly a delight to be able to chat with her for the podcast recently.
The Wiradjuri word Girragirra means to 'be well, happy and merry' and it was with this spirit in mind that fourth generation regenerative farmers Wendy Muffet and her husband Kim built their luxury eco retreat of the same name, located in the regional New South Wales town of Forbes.
With their children having all left home, Wendy and Kim embarked on securing a piece of land for themselves that they could realise the dream of custom building two fully sustainable pavilions on - one for them and one for visiting family and other guests.
Thanks to the prowess of the highly experienced, sustainability-focused architect they engaged, the resulting dwellings not only met but in many ways exceeded Wendy and Kim's brief for a home and lodging that had minimal environmental impact, maximum comfort and was low maintenance.
Not only this, but the buildings have since served as the perfect backdrop for the many other productive activities going on on the property, including the cultivation of a thriving permaculture garden and the hosting of occasional workshops focused on cooking and other aspects of green living.
It was a real privilege having the opportunity to chat with Wendy a couple of weeks ago about her's and Kim's journey and I'm sure you too will get a lot out of this chat.
By the time I'd finished chatting with Tess Astbury and Ben Slore, the incredibly resourceful and consciously-minded couple responsible for establishing Huntingdon Tier Forest Retreat in Dysart, Tasmania, I'd realised this pair were truly a couple of kindred spirits.
With an unflinching commitment to sustainability and repurposing of materials, Ben and Tess, via Facebook marketplace, procured a decommissioned school bus otherwise destined for scrap metal and relocated it to a picture-perfect plot of land in the Tasmanian Southern Midlands.
What followed was a process of painstakingly converting the bus and immediate surrounds into a truly one of a kind, minimal footprint getaway for two, utilising found and secondhand items. This included the property's hot tub, which after much trial and error Ben managed to eventually set up to operate using the process of thermosiphoning, or in layman's terms heating without a traditional pump.
Now almost two years down the track, Tess and Ben have accumulated 262 Airbnb reviews with an average score of 4.98 out of 5 and were last year named finalists in the Airbnb host awards for best unique stay.
With their future plans including the set up of another converted bus on the same site, this industrious duo have a bright and creative future ahead of them. I hope you enjoy hearing all about their story in this value-packed episode today.
We all know the saying 'when the going gets tough, the tough get going', however in Kerry Williams case, when the going got tough for her travel-loving Mum, who has Mutliple Sclerosis, she got busy starting a business.
Kerry discovered the hard way that there was an enormous gap in the market for genuinely accessible accommodation. She'd stayed with her Mum in short-term accommodation that claimed to have certain accessibility features but in reality didn't and came to the quick realisation that something tangible needed to be done about that.
That was four years ago and the business she subsequently founded is the now multi-award winning Accessible Accommodation, part of the broader company known as The Accessible Group, which also includes another arm known as Accessible Experiences.
Since launching The Accessible Group, Kerry has grown the business exponentially and now has a team of 9 staff, all of whom bring to the table different lived experience of disability.
The Accessible Accommodation website now features over 200 listings, from hotel and resort rooms to independently hosted accommodation, each ranked according to a three-tiered rating system, also developed from the ground up by Kerry.
This is a woman who is determined to make the travel sector more accessible and she is someone who I have utmost respect and admiration for. I can't wait to see what she does next and I was delighted to have a chat with her last week, which I know you'll get a lot out of. Please enjoy.
Like many before her, it was being a Mum that ultimately led to Tania Walker's foray into hosting.
Originally from Perth, she eventually moved to Melbourne where she met and married her husband Matt. When her daughter Tess was a toddler, she met a local mum at the gym who happened to run a leading Victorian holiday rental business, which Tania was fortunate enough to be able to help out with.
Fast forward a number of years and once again, via a discount voucher won at a Mother's Day lunch, she was able to take part in a group stay in Merrijig, a stunning small town located about 7km from the entrance to Mt Buller, one of Victoria's most popular skiing resorts.
It was on that stay that she fell in love with this relatively unknown and untouched riverside hamlet, eventually leading to her and Matt purchasing the property they've now been operating with great success as a short-term rental for two years, Hume House.
It was a delight having a chat to Tania earlier today, who given her firm and ongoing commitment to inclusivity and sustainability is also part of our Hosting With Heart advisory group. I hope you glean some value out of our chat.
Steph King knows a thing or two about Victoria's Bellarine Peninsula. After all, she's lived there for most of her life and is part of a fourth-generation family known for cultivating consciously-minded businesses focused on giving back to this beautiful coastal region.
About 8 years ago Steph and her landscape designer husband Jason landed their dream property in the delightful seaside town of Ocean Grove, complete with two self-contained cabins ripe for refurbishment.
Without overdoing it and while raising two young daughters in the process, they worked to respectfully overhaul the cabins by way of fresh styling and a moderate renovation, enabling them to open to guests in 2016.
Since then, they've gone from strength to strength, having seized every opportunity possible to support and showcase products from local businesses to guests, all the while educating them about the local wildlife and the town and property's heritage.
The Woods was last year named the winner of the Victorian Tourism Industry Council's award for self-contained accommodation, an accolade that involves embarking on a significant and prolonged application process.
Steph has been an active member of the Hosting With Heart community almost since day dot, having generously lent her advice and support to so many other hosts, including myself, on many occasions. It was a long held goal for me to get her onto the podcast and I am so thrilled that I finally did. I hope you'll get a great deal of enjoyment out of our chat today.
Renee Thurston epitomises, lives and breathes the term creative entrepreneur. This is a woman as industrious and hardworking as they come.
Having over her life run many businesses of varying scales and sizes, she's now finally landed where, as a child, she said she'd always land and that is in the world of professional photography.
Just prior to that, however, she had been operating a short-term property management service for a number of owners right across Tasmania and at one point had 14 properties on her books.
That said, the advent of Covid meant she had to downscale that business, which she successfully did, enabling her to focus on her burgeoning photographic career and to ultimately purchase and open her own short-term rental, now known as The Wilds in Zeehan.
Renee is both a powerhouse of ideas and a truth-teller. In all aspects of her life she firmly believes in keeping things both real and fair.
It was such a pleasure having a chat with her a week or two ago, which I'm sure you'll really enjoy.
It's fitting in more ways than one that my guest on today's episode of Hosting With Heart, Rachel Walters, named her property as a welcome gesture towards those she shares a kinship with, because following our chat I also felt a real kinship with her.
Rachel, owner and manager of The Kindred, a warm and stylishly decorated apartment based in the Canberra suburb of Braddon, is a Sydney based former scholarship director and long-time devotee of all things pre-loved.
Having been fortunate enough to secure a piece of prized real estate in one of Canberra's most vibrant localities, Rachel took the opportunity to use the property as a canvas for her to fully indulge her love of secondhand furniture, artwork and homewares, purchasing only the linen and towels for the property new.
And the resulting interior is phenomenal - and completely original - a testament to her steadfast dedication to sustainability and to avoiding at all costs contributing to the thousands upon thousands of tonnes of furniture waste generated by each of our capital cities every year.
It was not only a pleasure, but a true source of both inspiration and motivation speaking to Rachel a couple of weeks back. I hope you enjoy our chat and please also check out her newly published article on the Hosting With Heart blog about how you, too, can create a beautiful, unique home exclusively using pre-loved items.
Susan Weil is a true pioneer of the hosting space, having managed multiple accommodation offerings in and around her home town of Bellingen, NSW for 22 years.
A qualified marriage counsellor, Susan moved to the area with her daughter following the dissolution of her own marriage many years ago, and shortly following stumbled on the 8 acre property that would ultimately evolve into what is now known as Weilhouse Living.
Weilhouse Living comprises four unique dwellings that embody Suz and her family's love of nature, beauty and timeless simplicity, three of which are set on a biodynamic working farm and the fourth only an hour's drive away in a similar environment.
From the sprawling, beautifully rustic Bellingen Farmhouse to the cosy ambience of the Hernani Wilderness Hut, this is a host who has aimed to craft an accommodation offering for everyone.
Suz is an avid, unapologetic believer in repurposing, sustainability and the slow stays movement - a philosophy and values system that has directly informed her extensive use of vintage materials and furnishings throughout each dwelling.
I've been wanting to get Suz on the podcast for a chat for some time now and it was a real pleasure to finally do so last week. I'm sure you'll enjoy our catch up.
Jane Cay is an Australian entrepreneur and founder of the fashion retailer, Birdsnest.
She launched the company in 2004 from her hometown of Cooma in rural New South Wales, and it has since grown into one of Australia's most successful e-commerce businesses, with a strong focus on customer service, personal styling and body positivity.
In mid 2022, Jane and the team at Birdsnest opened Nest Stays, two lovingly renovated, sustainably-minded heritage terrace homes, each accommodating up to 6 guests, also located in Cooma.
The properties are designed to provide guests with a comfortable and stylish home away from home, drawing on Birdsnest's signature modern, understated aesthetic.
In a relatively short period of time, Jane has achieved more than most could expect to achieve in a lifetime, and it was an absolute pleasure to chat with her earlier this week.
In this season and end of year final episode, your host Jen Clark extends her thanks to all who have helped make Hosting With Heart the resounding success it's been in 2022, as well as outlining plans for the podcast, website and community in 2023.
Ally Oyston is a woman on a mission. The former lawyer turned disability advocate, along with her husband Matt, earlier this year purchased Bimbala Cottage, a 100-year-old, lovingly restored, meticulously decorated house located in Jervis Bay, New South Wales. Having purchased it from another highly successful host, Ally and Matt were fortunate enough to acquire all of the furniture in the property as part of the sale, making the process of marketing it and opening it to the public enviably expedient. Once they opened however, Ally's aims were way broader than that of an average newbie host. Having seen and experienced first-hand the rate of burnout amongst Australia's enormous community of full-time carers, she wanted to offer up the property as a place where they could take some much-needed time-out for themselves and properly relax and recharge. As part of this, she and Matt offer 'sponsored stays', whereby a short break at Bimbala can be purchased as a gift for a carer in particular need of respite. Ally is one of those people whose generosity and compassion knows no bounds. She is every bit the heartful host, and it was a total pleasure to have a chat with her recently.
In 2013, Sam Bloom, an avid traveller, keen sportswoman, nurse, wife and Mum to three young boys, was holidaying in Thailand with her family when in a literal split second, she fell six metres through the decayed railing of an observation deck fence, landing on concrete.
As a result of the fall, she suffered devastating injuries, including severe damage to her spinal cord that left her paralysed from the chest down.
The personal journey and unexpected bond with an injured magpie her sons named 'Penguin' that followed her accident went on to be documented in a hugely successful book named 'Penguin Bloom', photographed by Sam's husband Cam and written by acclaimed Australian author Bradley Trevor-Greive.
But what followed that went beyond Cam and Sam's wildest dreams. Actress Naomi Watts soon came calling, wanting to produce and star in a movie version of the book, which was released internationally in 2020 to critical acclaim.
If this wasn't enough to cultivate a prolific public profile for Sam, she also went on to take up kayaking and became a two-time World Parasurfing Champion.
I had the absolute pleasure of catching up with Sam about her experiences as a traveller both before and after the accident recently. Her insights proved to further fuel my drive to do as much as I can to increase the amount of high-quality accessible accommodation both here and the world over.
I hope you enjoy this very special chat between myself and Sam today.
Amanda Bertoldi-Ward and Gareth Ward have a mindset and approach to hosting that is thankfully becoming more and more commonplace as time goes on.
An architect and a carpenter respectfully, they started out with an ethos centered on sustainability, wellness, quality and charity, and have carried on in the same vein ever since.
Having started the building process of what would become the first two of Homeostasis Retreats' evolving stable of properties in 2018, Amanda and Gareth, along with their 3 young kids, eventually opened the doors to their house and cabin, situated in the lush surrounds of Queensland's Mount Tamborine, in late 2020.
Since then, they have created an adaptable property catering to both couples and families that enables guests to effectively tailor their own holiday experience, be it a health and wellness focused recharge, or simply relaxing, doing nothing and enjoying some local wines and Netflix.
It was a complete pleasure chatting with this warm and industrious couple earlier today. I hope you enjoy our chat as much as I did.
Liz Hayes and her husband Andy have created something so desperately needed in this ever-demanding day and age; a sustainable retreat that encourages guests to reignite their childhood sense of curiosity.
Set amidst the trees of Million Springs Farm, overlooking the glorious Hakataramea Valley, smack-bang in the middle of New Zealand's South Island, Nest Tree Houses is the realisation of a long-held dream for Liz, a qualified journalist and writer and self-confessed childhood treehouse lover.
Starting out with one treehouse, Liz and Andy opened their doors to guests just as Covid hit, which turned out to be a blessing in disguise given the vastly increased appetite for unique and remote local escapes that ensued.
Such was the level of success of their first treehouse, they sometime later decided to construct a second one, enabling them to develop a thriving accommodation business which is today fuelled entirely by direct bookings.
And if the treehouses themselves weren't enough of a treat, guests are able to explore the incredibly historic, six-generation old family farm and surrounds during their stay, including the option of heading to a neighbouring whisky bar by helicopter or milking one of the property's many resident cows.
Liz and Andy have cultivated such a rewarding life for themselves and their three kids and it was an absolute pleasure to hear about their journey when Liz and I caught up a short time ago. Please enjoy our chat today.
Yael Katz is one of those rare people that absolutely radiates strength and goodness.
Having spent her early life in Israel where she worked in training, she went on to travel to Australia where she ultimately wound up working with indigenous communities helping to establish new businesses, predominantly in the tourism space.
It is this shared passion and respect for Indigenous knowledge and culture, and love for the Australian bush, that brought Yael and future husband Rob together, eventually resulting in them realising their dream of embarking on an experiential nature-based tourism business of their own.
Flash forward a number of years and Yael, Rob and their two young daughters are now the proud owners of Ecopia Retreat, two luxuriously appointed rammed earth eco villas - and an occasionally available larger residence - situated on 60 hectares of pristine native bushland on Kangaroo Island off the South Australian coast, now classified as a wildlife sanctuary.
Since opening the doors to the retreat in 2018, Yael and Rob have experienced phenomenal success and an abundance of 5-star reviews, yet they've also had to endure an assortment of challenges, including withstanding the ups and downs of Covid and the threat of bushfires.
That said, this is a couple whose life and business is fiercely driven by their values and you can't help but think that for them, the best really is yet to come.
Please enjoy my chat with Yael today.
Carrie Donaldson has come full circle in her life more than a handful of times.
Having spent a couple of decades in the tourism, events and marketing sector, in Tasmania, Victoria and internationally, she has a masterful grasp on the various factors that need to come together to make a destination 'sing' to prospective travellers. She also knows how vital it is to involve and consult local communities in the process.
Flash forward to 5 or so years ago, when Carrie, her husband Luis and their teenage son found themselves with a small portfolio of properties on Yorta Yorta country in the Goulburn Valley region of Victoria.
Having recently embarked on Sarah Andrews' Hosting Masterclass, she went on “level up” two of these properties into phenomenally successful short-term rentals, with the second of the two - the captivating Storekeeper's House in the Victorian township of Tatura - going on to feature on the June, 2022 cover of Country Style magazine.
More recently, in response to floods that have permeated that same region, she opened up both properties to displaced local community members to take refuge in, a decision made in alignment with her ethos that what you give to your local region as a host or business owner, you ultimately get back.
Carrie has long been on my wishlist of podcast guests and it was a real honour and a privilege to chat with her last week. Please enjoy.
Gabi Thorn and Gabbie Gagne are the epitome of young, innovative, conscientious and hard-working entrepreneurs.
Arriving on the NSW South Coast from the UK about 7 years ago, Gabi Thorn quickly spotted a gap in the market for an eco-friendly, sustainable, high-end housekeeping service, so decided she would start one.
She wasted no time getting busy writing a business plan, cultivating a brand and getting word out about the business to the conglomerate of local holiday property owners, meeting her now Head of Operations Gabbie Gagne along the way.
Flash forward to today and the business, which Gabi named The Clarity Co, employs 19 staff in various capacities and has gone from strength to strength. So much so that the ladies have recently established a second complimentary business, Late Checkout, providing a tailored property management service to owners wanting to be as 'hands-off' as possible.
It was a total pleasure having a chat with Gabi and Gabbie earlier this week. I hope you get as much as I did out of today's episode.
Childhood friends Mitch Forbes and Dan Kroenert are no strangers to rolling their sleeves up and getting their hands dirty.
After a 7 month council approval process, the pair, who both live in the neighbouring region, decided to build a sustainably-focused cabin for two on a 13 acre block belonging to Mitch's family, in Crackenback, New South Wales, about 5 minutes outside Jindabyne.
Aptly named 'Crafters Cabin' in honour of their efforts, this paired-back yet visually stunning luxury couples retreat has been designed in a way that masterfully respects the natural environment in which it sits, employing a host of energy-efficient principles and design features to enable it to operate completely off-grid.
The guys have also brought on partners who share their sustainable ethos to equip the property, including the likes of Cultiver linen and Leif body products, creating a mentally and physically nourishing sanctuary for guests to truly unwind in.
It was an absolute pleasure chatting with Mitch and Dan a couple of days ago and I've no doubts you'll also enjoy our chat today.
In this special episode, Jen talks in depth about why she created the new Hosting With Heart website, the ups and downs of getting the site off the ground, who the site is for and how it aims to significantly change the landscape of hosting.
She also discusses how to become a member of the site, including approval criteria and costs, along with outlining her plans and goals for the site going forward.
For all the hosts out there who share Jen’s purpose-driven ethos, this is an episode not to be missed.
Perth-based Kim Swinyard is no stranger to adversity. Having for many years dutifully performed the role of primary carer for her chronically ill Mum, she sadly also endured the premature passing of her Mum several years ago, prompting her to re-evaluate her life's priorities.
With that perspective in tow, Kim and her long-term partner Jeff established their building design practice, Studio Atelier, in 2012, and have since accumulated an incredible portfolio of projects, with a focus on working with existing structures and upgrading them rather than demolishing and starting over.
It was only in recent years that Kim and Jeff decided their significant design and renovation experience might well lend itself to the set-up of a holiday property, so after quite an arduous, at times drama-filled search, they in 2021 purchased a sizeable plot of land with a modest shed on it in Western Australia's Denmark region, now known as Stillwood Retreat.
In the months to follow, with two young kids in tow and at all times closely informed by their commitment to sustainability, they painstakingly converted the shed into a luxury adults-only retreat, running solely off rainwater, using upcycled / secondhand fittings and furniture wherever possible, integrating natural stone offcuts into the design and much more.
And it all paid off, with Stillwood now enjoying a 100% occupancy rate only 4 months after opening and 80% of bookings being made directly.
I enjoyed every moment of my chat with Kim last week and I'm sure you will too.
If anyone knows the real value of wholehearted hosting, it's Tracey Northcott.
Having relocated to Tokyo several years prior, Aussie expat Tracey first dipped her toes into the short-term rental water in 2010.
With a baby son in tow, her two bedroom apartment was no longer ample for hosting friends and family and so a new plan was efficiently engineered: she would rent another apartment for them to stay in when visiting and the rest of the time, let it out on Airbnb.
This model proved so successful, that at one point some years later Tracey found herself managing a short-term rental business comprising 23 properties, with 6 staff and a 7-figure annual revenue. And these properties weren't just in Tokyo, but all over Japan.
In recent years however, Tracey's priorities have changed and she's since downscaled, now managing a more modest portfolio of properties and focusing on coaching other short-term rental hosts about how they can not only grow their profits, but do so in a way that is purposeful, socially responsible, creative and sustainable.
Tracey is one of the most articulate and insightful guests I've had on the podcast to date and it was an absolute pleasure catching up with her a couple of weeks ago. Please enjoy our chat today.
True to the form of so many of our region's most successful property hosts, Newcastle-based Sheriden Rhodes is a wildly talented multi-tasker.
As a creative child who yearned to become a journalist, she went on to do exactly that, spending her young adult years cutting her teeth working for the local newspaper before ultimately branching out as a freelance travel writer.
Since then, she has written for some of the country's most celebrated media including The Sydney Morning Herald, The Age, QANTAS Magazine, Good Weekend and The Robb Report.
In more recent times, Sheriden and her husband Tom, along with daughter Ella, purchased, renovated and styled a potential-filled cottage in the as-yet relatively undiscovered NSW Hunter Valley hamlet of Morpeth, not far from Newcastle.
Now known as the River Haus and having been open for guest stays for coming up to a year, Sheriden has repeatedly drawn on her professional background to secure a coveted array of press for the property, including a feature in Country Style's recently published 'Dream Stays' magazine, House&Garden and more.
As I predicted, my chat with Sheriden a couple of weeks ago was a super enjoyable one that I know you'll get a lot out of. Please enjoy.
Ingrid Daniell is an artist, an empath and all-round creative visionary who in 2019, following a chance discovery by her graphic designer husband Clifton, bought a rustic shack right by the water in the tiny seaside hamlet of Falmouth, Tasmania.
After a modest renovation that aimed to be as sensitive to the 1980's design sensibilities of the property's original owner - and to the planet - as possible, Ingrid and Clifton, whose permanent home with their two teenage sons is on Victoria's Surf Coast, opened the property to guests in early 2020.
Since then, this truly unique, enveloping property that seems to capture the imagination of everyone who sights it has received widespread media coverage, including features on The Design Files and in lauded American architecture publication Dwell.
On a personal note, Ingrid is an artist whose work and career I have followed with great interest for many years. It was the most wonderful coincidence to recently realise she was the owner of Whale Song and no doubt an absolute pleasure to catch up with her a week or so ago. I hope you enjoy our chat.
Chantelle Pears is one brave woman. Currently working as a nurse in an indigenous community in remote Western Australia, she and her fiance Matt purchased Flagstaff Estate, a 6 bedroom, 3 bathroom sprawling property in Tasmania's Lindisfarne, approximately 8km from Hobart, in early 2020.
Following their purchase, they planned to relocate back the their home town of Hobart, but the hard COVID borders made this impossible with their work commitments, so they instead decided to undertake an ambitious renovation with the ultimate aim of launching it as a holiday property for large groups.
The renovation was largely coordinated by Chantelle and her experienced and resourceful sister-in-law, Emily who managed the process while Chantelle and Matt were stuck in Western Australia.
Now, having been open for approximately 18 months, all of which have been with Covid looming large, Chantelle and Matt, who is an engineer, have mastered the art of automating nearly every possible function at Flagstaff, enabling them to seamlessly manage the day to day running of the property from nearly 5000km away.
I am often blown away by how industrious hosts can be when it comes to remote management of properties, but Chantelle and Matt have pipped anyone else I've ever met embarking on a similar journey at the post. They have a system for absolutely everything.
I loved my chat with Chantelle a few weeks back and I'm sure you'll get just as much out of it too. Enjoy.
Amber Tyrrell may be the first guest I've had on the podcast that I can say in every possible way exemplifies 'the heartful host'. I hope she won't be the last.
Along with her husband Patrick, Amber runs the wildly successful Valley Views Glamping in New Zealand's stunning Waitaki Valley, located approx 2hrs north of Dunedin on the South Island.
After growing up on farms in New Zealand and South Africa respectively, Amber and Patrick met in Israel about 30 years ago, married, had children and went on to buy their 40ha property at the end of 2007.
Their vision was simple - to build an off-grid home with a view, some trees and a creek and to live a sustainable lifestyle.
Some 15 years later, they are now running a multi-award winning, thriving glamping business that utilises 6 geodesic domes and a central, shared 'lodge' which includes kitchen, dining and bathroom facilities.
They utilised as many reclaimed, recycled materials as they could during the build and run the property using only solar power and spring water sourced from the neighbouring mountains.
The property also caters to disabled guests, with one of the geodesic domes and the lodge being fully accessible.
I came away from my chat with Amber feeling quite moved that I'd managed to meet such a holistically thoughtful host. I hope she'll inspire you as much as she did me.
Amanda Stevens is a perfumer, scent designer, artist & shop owner.
Her unique way of storytelling through scent can be found in properties and brands across Australia, and her online store explores a retail experience of handmade, bespoke aromas and collaborations with other artisans.
After spending time working for international cosmetic companies, Amanda realised that the world of perfumery had lost its spark to a world of mass-production. Believing that scent should be an individual experience, born from the trade itself, she works with others to strengthen their brand and create their own scent based on their own story.
Now Principal Scent Designer for a myriad of hosted homes, brands and stores, with works published in Australian & international magazines, and a thriving online store, Amanda’s distinct style and true artisan approach is changing the scent landscape.
Amanda is such a treat to chat with, I came away from our discussion a few weeks back feeling as though I'd just had a therapy session. I hope you walk away from this episode feeling likewise.
Like many of the world's most celebrated creatives, Michelle Crawford wholeheartedly embraces the unpredictable adventures that taking risks can bring.
With no jobs and only a credit card to keep them afloat, Michelle, husband Leo and their then infant daughter Elsa moved to Tasmania in 2004, in search of a simpler life more connected to the land.
After going on to welcome a son, in 2007 Michelle started a blog named after her two kids, Hugo and Elsa, aimed at documenting her new life in the countryside, which would ultimately go on to attract a significant community of followers.
Once her kids were at school, Michelle was free to pursue an array of creative and culinary-focused interests, leading to a host of collaborations with some of Tassie's most acclaimed chefs and food critics including Matthew Evans, Sally Wise and Ben Milbourne.
During this time she also established herself as one of the country's leading voices on all things food, authoring four books and numerous articles featured in the likes of Country Style, Galah, Graziher, Jetstar Magazine, Feast Magazine, Inside Out and Lunch Lady Magazine.
More recently, she has started the process of gently restoring an old bank known as 'The Bowmont' in the idyllic village of Franklin in Tasmania's Huon Valley, which she and Leo bought a few years ago.
True to form, she has many grand plans for this history-filled building and I was thrilled to be able to catch up with her about them - and so much more - a few weeks ago.
Lisa Booth is a firm believer that you really can have it all - a beautiful, comfortable, affordable home that’s also kind to the planet.
In 2016 Lisa and her husband Steve, aka Boots, built a home in Victoria's Ky Valley now known as Booken House. Lisa painstakingly designed and project managed the build of the home by drawing on her intimate knowledge of best-practice sustainability principles coupled with her experience in renovating.
Once completed, Lisa started posting photos of the house on social media, which somewhat unexpectedly resulted in a torrent of public and media interest in the project. This prompted her to start a business teaching others how to build their own similarly sustainable homes minus the exorbitant overheads.
The business is now known as Booken Blend, and in the intervening period has garnered Lisa, Boots and their blended family - on which the business name is based - some 45,000 followers on Instagram and an impressive array of press.
As a long-term fan of Lisa and Booken Blend, I was thrilled to have the opportunity to chat with her a couple of weeks ago. I know you'll come away from this episode feeling inspired to follow in her footsteps too.
Nadine Brown started her relationship with all things flowers as a teenager, scoring a job in a garden centre at the age of 15.
From there, she went on to volunteer at a local flower shop and study horticulture at TAFE before opening her own florist, Wildflower, at the age of just 23.
About 10 years later, due to the intense demands that came as a result of overwhelming success, Nadine sold the shop and transitioned the wedding and event side of her business to Nadine Floral Design.
She spent the next 17 years immersed in motherhood, facilitating up to 60 weddings a year and maintaining a career as a floristry teacher at TAFE. In 2019 however, it was time for another change.
Wild Flora Studio denoted the start of another chapter in Nadine's career, focusing on bespoke workshops and mentoring and a scaling back of weddings.
Like many, Covid prompted her to explore an online offering, giving members access to a huge library of professional tutorials, education, coaching & community. Recently rebranded as 'The Ivy Institute', Nadine now offers most of her resources exclusively online.
If this didn't leave Nadine busy enough, in 2021 she opened the doors to The Hut at Cedar&Fern, an off-grid rustic cabin built by her partner Rob using reclaimed materials and decked out with an assortment of family treasures.
Talking with Nadine was an absolute treat and I hope you get as much enjoyment out of listening to our chat as I did having it.
Alice Armitage is a young, energetic, creatively-minded entrepreneur with ideas in abundance. She's also recently become a host, opening up a 1 bedroom space within a property she not long ago bought in Moree, in north-west New South Wales.
Along with her newly forged role welcoming guests, she earlier this year launched Pandaemonium - an elegantly designed, quarterly newspaper that features stories of innovation in what Alice calls 'a decentralised Australia.'
The paper has long been a dream of Alice's, especially having authored and published a super successful book in collaboration with chef Luke Burgess, 'Into the Pandaemonium', back in 2019.
The second issue of the paper came out a month or so ago and was every bit as wonderful as the first - well living up to its goal to support and showcase innovators, creators, business builders and self-starters that live outside the traditional metropolitan mould.
Alice is someone I'm looking forward to watching go from strength to strength over the years to come and it was my absolute pleasure to chat with her a few weeks back.
If ever I was to meet a guest who personifies the saying 'don't let things happen, make them', it'd be Amanda Hogg.
Based in Port Lincoln, South Australia, Amanda and her eco-friendly plumber husband Tim started remote tiny house business 'Eyre Way' in 2021, launching their first fully sustainable, luxury off-grid tiny house, Yambara, in November of that year.
Since then, they've been almost fully booked and recently decided - only a matter of weeks ago, in fact - to dip their feet in the water again, launching tiny home #2, Maldhi.
Both houses are situated in remote locations on the stunning Eyre Peninsula coastline, enabling guests to enjoy a truly unique, immersive holiday experience in nature.
Through a very cleverly crafted strategy and great photography, Amanda has amassed an incredible 16,000 followers on Instagram since launching and she and Tim, along with their young kids, have further tiny homes firmly in sight.
Hosting With Heart has reached the incredible milestone of fifty episodes and accordingly, podcast host Jen Clark is interviewed by her partner Kirstie to reveal and reflect on what she's learned over that the past two and half years.
Jen and Kirstie also discuss their personal journey over the course of the last 12 months, along with unveiling what's in store next for the podcast and the broader Hosting With Heart community.
Katrina Chambers is a writer, serial renovator, stylist, DIY aficionado and more recently, holiday property host.
A prolific blogger since 2006, Katrina appeared alongside her sister Amie on Channel 9's The Block in 2011, an experience she fondly remembers and gleaned a wealth of knowledge from.
Currently, Katrina’s passion lies in all things blogging and she is now a significant presence in the digital/social world via her website 'Katrina Chambers Life & Design' and on Instagram, where she's amassed nearly 50,000 followers.
She's also developed an affordable, accessible and practical eCourse for aspiring renovators named Reno Rules.
Behind the scenes, Katrina lives day to day in the bustling regional NSW town of Wagga, is a Mum to three grown boys and a committed advocate for those suffering from Crohn's disease, something that she has been living with herself for 24 years.
There are people who give lip service to being sustainable and there's Louise Freckelton.
Along with her partner David Bray, Louise owns and manages Kestrel Nest, an off-grid, offline eco-retreat for couples, families and groups, situated on their broader property Highfield Farm and Woodland, based in Mt Adrah, New South Wales, about 60km east of Wagga.
Louise is a former foodie turned farmer and is uncompromisingly devoted to treading as lightly as possible as she can on the earth. She is passionately committed to honouring the rich cultural heritage of not only the various buildings on her property, but of the land itself, something that can often go unexplored and unacknowledged.
Since opening the doors to Kestrel Nest a couple of years ago, Louise and David have been featured in an impressive array of print media including Delicious, Escape, Qantas Food & Wine, Forte and Country Style, They were also a finalist in the 2022 Sustainable Tourism Awards.
Louise has long been on my list of dream guests. Her socially conscious, highly considered ethos is something I both admire and aspire to and it was an absolute pleasure to catch up with her recently.
Carly Baker-Burnham is not your average fourth-generation Queensland woman.
Along with running Bloodwood Cabin, a rustic holiday shack she and husband Grant originally built as an 'adult cubby' made from reclaimed materials sourced from their 20,000 acre cattle farm, Bonnie Doone, Carly is a photographer, artist, celebrant, regenerative farmer, skilled management professional and Mum to four.
In response to the public's increasing appetite for remote, sustainable getaways, inflated all the more by Covid, Carly decided to open the cabin, located near the town of Monto in Queensland's North Burnett Region, some 600 kilometres from Brisbane, for public bookings in July, 2021.
Since then, the incredibly unique, refreshingly rudimentary cabin has been almost always booked out. This is without doubt down to Carly's ongoing commitment to Monto's livelihood via her involvement in multiple, community-building initiatives, including restoring the old town theatre and co-leading a town makeover project.
Annabelle Hickson started her writing career as a news reporter for The Australian newspaper in Sydney and Brisbane before a handsome farmer in a small aircraft lured her out west to a grazing farm which they transformed into Australia’s second largest pecan orchard.
During this time, Annabelle wrote a regular monthly column at Country Style magazine, she co-created a podcast called Dispatch to a Friend that was named as one of iTunes Australia’s Top 10 podcasts for 2018 and published a book called A Tree in the House (Hardie Grant), which has been translated into German, Dutch and Chinese.
Now, Galah is her focus. Galah is an award-winning cultural magazine for people who care about regional Australia. Over three issues each year, Galah celebrates regional Australia and the creative, diverse and innovative people who live here.
Annabelle brings together a first-hand understanding of life in both regional Australia and the city, as well as proven expertise in journalism and community-building. And most of all, Annabelle brings passion to this project to tell diverse and exciting stories from regional Australia.
Chances are, if you're part of the Australian and New Zealand hosting community on Instagram, you've come across the account of host and shopkeeper Belinda Satterthwaite.
Owner of the renowned Tomolly homewares store in Carcoar, NSW, Belinda is also a short-term accommodation host, having established the stunningly beautiful Hargan's Cottage, located adjacent to her own home in an old, converted flour mill, a couple of years ago.
Day to day, Belinda spends her time sourcing independently crafted, locally produced homewares and facilitating guest comings and goings at Hargan's, managing all bookings old-school via a pen and paper calendar. No Airbnb, no Stayz, just good old-fashioned hospitality - and perhaps a loaf of home-cooked bread to boot - delivered from the heart.
Belinda is such a warm and inspiring person and it was my absolute pleasure to chat with her a few weeks back.
In 2017, Kathy Allen and her husband Adam Ryan were invited to take part in a new show on Australia's Seven Network called 'Instant Hotel', whereby 10 couples from around the country transformed their homes into short-term accommodation.
The couples then stayed together in each of the properties and scored each other according to various criteria, ultimately resulting in an overarching winner being hailed at the end of the series.
While Kathy and Adam unfortunately didn't emerge victorious, despite some incredibly positive feedback, the series put their Humpty Doo, Northern Territory holiday property, Tropical Oasis, firmly in the sights of prospective guests the world-over.
Since the show aired, they've been consistently booked out and have also added other properties to their short-term accommodation stable, all astutely managed by this very energetic duo.
Based in the small hamlet of Coolah in NSW, Kas Wren is a personal injury lawyer, photographer, writer and interior design enthusiast.
She is also a former accommodation host and passionate renovator, having opened the doors to two highly successful Blue Mountains-based short stays in the past 10 years.
More recently, her penchant for sharing refreshingly authentic photos capturing the very essence of life in regional Australia, always paired beautifully with eloquent, evocative prose, has garnered her an ever-growing legion of followers on Instagram.
In the past few years, Kas had gone through a personal metamorphosis of sorts and now finds herself cultivating a new, simpler life with a new partner and community in a town and neighbourhood previously unfamiliar to her.
She has a number of exciting projects in the works and on the horizon and it was an absolute pleasure to catch up with her recently.
Until her early forties, Leanne Watson was a typical, able-bodied, somewhat privileged wife and Mum to three kids.
However, in 2007, that all changed, when, after numerous attempts at having unusual symptoms explained, Leanne found a GP who took her seriously and discovered that she may have a form of muscular dystrophy. Two days later, after a muscle biopsy, her neurologist confirmed she did indeed have Limb Girdle Muscular Dystrophy (LGMD), a somewhat ambiguous form of muscular dystrophy that would progress in a relatively unpredictable way. She was told 'you won’t die from LGMD but you’ll die with it’.
Since then, Leanne's symptoms have advanced and she and her family have adjusted, compromised, sacrificed and fought hard to make living with a disability work for her.
Up until ten years ago, she could walk. Until six years ago, she could shower herself. Until five years ago, she could move from one seat to another. Until three years ago, she could turn in bed. Until two years ago, she could raise her arms.
She will never thank LGMD for the emotional and physical pain and limitations it has wrought on her. But she is grateful that these struggles have forced her to be part of a mix of impressive, tough, empathetic, resourceful, and intelligent individuals that are stakeholders of one of the largest marginalised groups.
In recent years, Leanne has cultivated a highly successful blog, Leanne's Wheel Life, about her journey as a disability advocate, with a particular emphasis on what everyone can do to make the world, including holiday accommodation, more accessible.
As someone who shares her passion for an accessible future, it was a real honour to chat with Leanne a few weeks back and I hope this episode inspires all who listen to it to make tangible, long-lasting changes to your properties to ensure everyone can enjoy them.
Bec Macdougall is one industrious woman. With a background in branding and marketing, she and her husband Angus moved from Melbourne to Molyullah in north-eastern regional Victoria back in 2018, after deciding the property they had originally purchased as a weekender, Dunmore Farm, would become their new permanent home. Since the move, Bec and Angus married on the property and welcomed a daughter, Emme, but they've also crafted a super productive life for themselves by way of their restored cottage, now a hugely successful luxury farm stay, have launched Dunmore Suppers - a series of collaborative long-table dining experiences hosted at the farm showcasing locally produced food and wine whilst also relocated their coffee business to the property including developing their own coffee brand Emme Mac Black. If that wasn't enough to keep them busy, the farm is also running Angus cattle and Bec is soon launching Dunmore Shoppe amongst other things.
Sam Walter is the founder of Heads on Pillows, a Melbourne-based, specialist digital marketing agency aimed at helping the accommodation and tourism sector increase direct bookings.
Hailing from a Victorian family who run their own accommodation business, Sam has experienced first-hand the impact that a purposeful digital marketing strategy can have on - as his business name attests - getting more heads on pillows.
He's incredibly passionate about assisting short-term property managers and tourism business owners to increase their revenue via stepping away from the dominant OTAs charging often exorbitant commissions and encouraging guests to book direct.
Elise Croker is a self-professed dreamer and creative visionary. Outside of her demanding daily life as a mum of four and an emergency department nurse, she has an avid fascination with history and architecture; one which she has come to indulge via the restoration and transformation of older properties.
In recent years, she's opened two highly successful short-term holiday properties in New South Wales' Southern Tablelands; Eldorado, a Scandinavian-inspired, sustainably restored farmhouse which sits on the same property as Elise and her family live, and Mister Munro, a late-1800's built former tailor shop, located in the neighbouring hamlet of Crookwell.
Elise is a positive force of energy and ideas and I could've chatted with her for hours a few weeks back. No doubt, you’ll love listening to our chat in this brilliant episode.
Now based in the tiny south-eastern Queensland town of Mount Glorious, Hannah Puechmarin's career had very humble beginnings. In the early stages of learning photography, she was drawn to telling the stories of homes and capturing people doing their ‘thing’.
Currently, she works for an array of leading interior designers, travels broadly to capture the essence of Australia's most unique and characterful hosted homes and works with a diversity of Australian brands.
Her stunning work has been published far and wide, including the likes of Country Style magazine, The Design Files, Home Beautiful, Australian Traveller, Frankie magazine and more.
Melissa Hobbs is a force of energy to be reckoned with. Based in northern NSW and having gone through a series of personal challenges in the years prior, she purchased a cabin in the small western Tasmanian town of Zeehan in early 2021, sight unseen.
In the year that followed, throughout the ups and downs of Covid and - more recently - the tumultuous floods, she travelled back and forth from her NSW home to the property that would become 'The Lazy Prospector', endeavouring to prepare it as best she could, with whatever resources she could summons, to ultimately open it up for guests to enjoy.
This process was certainly a character-building, somewhat unpredictable adventure but one that Melissa reflects on with great humour and humility.
Celeste Mitchell is a freelance travel writer based on Queensland's Sunshine Coast. Along with being a devoted Mum and partner, she is also one of three founders of the rapidly emerging platform Life Unhurried, a multifaceted travel blog and lovingly curated directory of slow and sustainable stays from around Australia.
As a giant nod to the incredible global appetite - further amplified by the advent of Covid - for slowing down and appreciating the little things in life, Life Unhurried was the brainchild of Celeste and co-founders photographer Krista Eppelstun and designer Katie Gannon.
With over 10,000 followers on Instagram and a growing collection of 70+ unique properties from each corner of the country, Celeste, Krista and Katie very excitingly have a book coming out later this year, along with grand plans for an expanded website, specialist travel guides and other new products.
Physiotherapist Shelley Kennedy and her engineer husband Tyrone have always liked to plan well.
In their early days together they got a foot into the Perth property market and worked like mad to get their mortgage paid down as quickly as they could.
This, in turn, paid off in spades, eventually enabling them and their two young daughters to secure and relocate to a rural farm in the picturesque coastal hamlet of Denmark, approx 5hrs south-east of Perth.
Since 2019, they've called the farm home and, after a brief but incredibly insightful apprenticeship managing another local holiday property, they went on to build their own architect-designed, sustainability-focused home and accompanying guest house, now known as Upland Farm.
Based in South Australia, sisters Emma Read and Sarah Hall are both stylists who have established their own creative business, Read & Hall, with the core aim of creating beautiful interiors, with an emphasis on accommodation spaces, for themselves and others.
In 2019, they opened their first holiday property, My Sister & The Sea, to great acclaim and a whirlwind of praiseworthy press, and more recently have launched their second property, a visually striking, completely enchanting pink beach house on the Yorke Peninsula which they appropriately named Love & Mutiny.
Despite originally forging careers as a social worker and a lawyer, these industrious, happy-go-lucky sisters are now thriving in their own business, meshing their love for history, family and design to craft a range of beautiful products and experiences for a diverse client base.
Jessica Bellef is a Sydney-based writer and stylist. After a long stint as the founding Head of Styling for Australia's largest online retailer of furniture and homewares, Temple & Webster, Jess has gone on to forge a successful career as a writer, most notably releasing her first stunning coffee-table book, 'Individual', published by Murdoch Books, in 2019.
In the last few years, she has also written for a number of leading design and lifestyle magazines including Home Beautiful, Inside Out, WellBeing and Country Style.
She now spends her time working on a mix of writing and styling projects from the 1970's-inspired home she shares with husband Beau.
In 2011, in part in an attempt to escape the stifling Sydney house prices, Georgie Stuart and her partner Matt purchased Bimlow Cottage, a historic 1890's rural property in a small town called Edith, on the doorstep of the Blue Mountains. Five years later, Georgie and Matt purchased another historic property for a mere $10K, relocated it to the same block of land as Bimlow, and started a 3-year renovation and nurturing process, gently converting the relocated property into their family home and Bimlow into a unique regional retreat for guests. Since opening the doors of Bimlow to the public in late 2019, the modest improvements Georgie and Matt have made to the cottage have rendered it a 'must-visit' destination for those looking for an authentic country escape with character in abundance and without any unnecessary gloss.
With her signature industriousness, Georgie has also recently converted one of the lockable rooms of the cottage into a small shop for her to sell many of her vintage finds and other favourite locally produced products to guests.
Born and bred Tasmanian Mary Jackson, along with her partner Dave, opened the doors to their breathtaking Dodge's Ferry holiday shack, aptly named Clifftop on Park, back in 2016 and since doing so, haven't looked back. In the five or so years they've been operating, they've managed to amass 510 Airbnb reviews, only 4 of which have been less than 5 stars. No mean feat as I am sure even the most seasoned of accommodation hosts will agree.
Mary puts this largely down to her ethos of creating a unique space that really reflects the history and passions of the owners, as well as the fine art of under-promising and over-delivering; a simple motto that in today's fast-paced world, seems to have been somewhat forgotten.
Jen has now closed down her last property, The Fox House, Kyneton, due in most to the financial pressure of Melbourne's recent fourth Covid-19 related lockdown. In this short episode, she shares some of her plans for the Hosting With Heart community forward, including the creation of a new directory website for members. She's also looking forward to hosting the first in-person Hosting With Heart catch up in Melbourne in July.
Lucy Scott is nothing short of a modern dynamo. Despite a background in remedial massage therapy, she wanted to try her hand at renovating - potentially even as a full time career - and after buying her first family home about 6 years ago, dipped her toe in the water.
What followed was a period of years gradually renovating the house, including the establishment of a self-contained studio, which Lucy would ultimately list on the short-term rental market. This helped Lucy and her husband Daz pay off their mortgage way more efficiently, while at the same time exposing their three young daughters to a diverse range of people from different cultural backgrounds.
Having pushed through the challenges of Covid, Lucy and Daz sold that same family home only a few days ago and Lucy is now at the beginning of an incredibly exciting new career chapter - one that will see her take on renovating homes professionally.
Beth Cooper, along with her partner Rod, owns Silvermere Coastal Retreat in Culburra Beach, New South Wales.
Following a number of years successfully buying, renovating and selling properties in New South Wales and Victoria, as well as going through a divorce, Beth, with her Dad in tow, finally came across the property that would soon be known as Silvermere in the midst of a search for a suitable fixer-upper in early 2020.
Despite Rod's initial reservations, the couple have turned the house into an impeccably styled, warm and welcoming coastal escape, one that's been booked out solidly almost since the word go. And Beth has managed this all while holding down a demanding full-time job in Sydney.
Jade Just is a highly experienced travel communications and marketing specialist, having spent over 12 years working for an impressive array of employers including Western Australia's Scoop Magazine and as a travel writer for Melbourne model, influencer and brand ambassador Bec Judd.
Since 2019, she's performed the role of Communications Officer for St John of God Health Care, a role that, given the advent of Covid-19 in Australia in particular, has proven in equal parts enormously satisfying and challenging.
To counter this, Jade is currently in the throes of renovating a beautiful, heritage-listed cottage in the southern Western Australian town of Quininup, known as Millars by the Lake. Millars is set to open in Spring, 2021, an event that Jade and her young family are hotly anticipating.
Tara Larnach is the owner and manager of Simpson Cottage in Bundeena, a stunning coastal village approx 1 hour south of Sydney.
Having stayed in the cottage with her family as guests in the late 2000's, a year or so later Tara became aware that the property they had all fallen in love with was for sale, and was fortunate enough to be able to purchase it, completely furnished, cleaner on board and ready to go.
The rest, they say is history and in this value-packed episode, Tara shares a wealth of generous and honest insights into her journey as the host of one of the most unique historical holiday properties in Australia.
Since Melbourne's hard lockdown ended in November, 2020, host Jen Clark's short-term accommodation management business Ranges Escapes has gone on a journey from being insanely busy and growing at a rate of knots, to in recent weeks winding down after she made the very tough - but necessary - decision to scale-back to managing only one property ongoing, The Fox House, Kyneton.
In this episode, Jen candidly shares how the death of her beloved 8-year-old rescue greyhound George, combined with total mental and physical burnout, led her to make the decision to simplify her life and focus on being more present for her young son Max in his last year before primary school.
Amanda Cochran is a Mum of three and lives in scenic Dunkeld, in Victoria's Grampians region, approx 3 hours west of Melbourne.
In 2016, she established The Grampians Goods Co., with a simple mission – to elevate everyday moments into opportunities for nurturing & connection through consciously made and thoughtfully curated products & gifts, including body products, aromatherapy candles and wool blankets.
After a few years running what has become an enormously successful business, in part through servicing the accommodation sector, Amanda set up her own short-term rental, Salt Creek Cottage, also in Dunkeld.
Impeccably styled by Lynda Gardener and Belle Hemming-Bright of Inside Story, the cottage has been an almost overnight success, enjoying an array of publicity and huge guest demand.
Peter Noble is an experienced entrepreneur, innovator, consultant, business and sales leader.
Until about four years ago, Peter ran his own highly successful marketing agency, Citrus, which was established in the late 1990's.
In 2016 however, like many who have been in business for themselves for some time, Peter felt the time had come for a permanent change in direction and, with great success, started managing his small portfolio of investment properties in Melbourne's inner southern suburbs on the short-term rental market.
What followed was the search for and subsequent purchase of what is now known as Fingal House, a meticulously designed 7 bedroom luxury property located in the heart of Victoria's scenic Mornington Peninsula.
Since opening to guests a few years ago, Fingal House was crowned the Best Family Friendly Holiday Home in Australia in the 2019 Stayz Awards.
Tim Clark is the owner and core practitioner at Time & Space Therapies, a counselling, psychotherapy and remedial massage business based in Melbourne's south-eastern suburbs. Full disclosure: he's also Jen's brother.
Tim is passionate about helping others maintain optimal mental and physical health through the spectrum of services he offers.
It is his wish that both massage therapy and psychotherapy will someday be viewed as commonplace treatments for depression and anxiety, and equally worthy of respect from the general public, the medical establishment and insurers, especially as the efficacy of both modalities is supported by empirical research.
Since Covid-19 became rife in Australia earlier this year, Tim has been proactively supporting his local community from afar by publishing relaxation and meditation exercises to his social media channels, and sharing a range of insights into how we can push through this challenging time with gentle acceptance, kindness and self-care.
Zoe Martyn is a community artist based in Western Australia and holds a Bachelor of Arts and Visual Arts from Monash University and a Graduate Certificate in Community Development from Murdoch University.
In 2017, Zoe made the move to the regional West Australian town of Nannup with her then partner to embark on the renovation of two dilapidated but richly historic properties, one of which housed the former local bootmaker's shopfront.
Sadly, just before the renovations were complete, the relationship ended and Zoe subsequently took up a career opportunity some distance away at Martumili, an indigenous art collective based in the Pilbara.
She then decided to open what is now known as The Bootmakers House as accommodation, managing it with huge success from afar by utilising a skilled group of Nannup locals to support her with day to day operations.
Mother of four Michelle Bishop has achieved more than most could dream of before the age of 40.
Along with qualifications in interior design and business administration, she not long ago qualified as a licensed estate agent in preparation for the long-awaited opening of her and her builder husband Tom's most ambitious property development project to date, the stunning Bangalay Luxury Villas and Restaurant in New South Wales' Shoalhaven Heads.
Now almost two years into overseeing the day to day management of Bangalay, she's widely viewed as one of the most successful short-term accommodation operators in the country, having attracted a spectrum of print and digital PR since opening Bangalay from the likes of Gourmet Traveller, Vogue Magazine and Urban List.
But it hasn't all been smooth sailing for Michelle. The devastating loss of her Mum 5 years ago necessitated the shelving of her life and career plans for a year, where she took some much-needed time out to travel around Australia with her family and reaffirm her priorities. A journey that ultimately cemented in her mind the importance of staying true to yourself.
Tony Blanch has over 30 years' international experience in innovation, marketing and a vast range of sophisticated and high-tech textiles and design.
His passion for developing a benchmark range of healthy, comfortable and unique bedding, using his vast knowledge, has ensured the success of his business microCloud bedding, a collaboration with Robert Weil in Melbourne in 2004.
By maintaining a focus on delighting and spoiling guests and closely involving the all-important hotel and short-term accommodation market, the pursuit of excellence in this field remains Tony's number one passion and priority.
His and Robert’s dedication has made microCloud – both the brand and product range – highly respected and sought after by clients all over Australasia.
Nicole Haddow is a Melbourne-based freelance writer, blogger and the author of 'Smashed Avocado, the story of how she cracked the Aussie property market (and how you can too)', published in 2019 by Black Inc Books.
Following a stark wake-up call not long after she turned 30, the process of buying her first home led Nicole to become passionate about helping people enter the property market.
In this episode, Jen talks in detail with Nicole about the various strategies anyone looking to get on top of debt and get their foot in the door of the Aussie property market could potentially employ, and what converting that property into a short-term rental might involve.
Jen has been off the airwaves for a few weeks due to a bit of burnout following a super busy autumn, but is back with an update on all things - personal and professional - that have been happening with her, including the surprise purchase of two properties and the re-launch of the website for her accommodation business, Ranges Escapes.
Christina Koullas is the Managing Director of Melbourne-based PR consultancy CK PR. She has worked extensively across lifestyle, travel, tourism and event brands in both communications and marketing roles.
Before setting up CK PR in 2011, Christina's career included roles with the Spirit of Tasmania, the City of Melbourne, OM DMC in Cyprus and Croatia and the Melbourne Convention Bureau.
She is passionate about working with individuals and small businesses in the Australian accommodation and travel sector and enjoys nothing more than being able to share their stories far and wide via carefully crafted, results-driven PR strategies.
Gabrielle Witter is a highly experienced, independent digital marketing consultant based in Newcastle, New South Wales.
Through her consulting business Digital Hunter, she works with small to medium-sized local service businesses to drive more qualified leads to their websites through search engine optimisation (SEO) and using several other digital marketing strategies.
Gab is also a newly minted short-term accommodation host, having opened her first property, Warialda, in Bungwahl, New South Wales, in early 2020.
As you'll glean, Gab is an absolutely bottomless well of knowledge when it comes to search engine optimisation and digital marketing. In this episode, she very generously shares some of her biggest tips for success.
Sydneysider and Mum to four boys, Simone Mathews can only be described as a design, renovating and entrepreneurial dynamo.
Before her foray into interior design, property ownership and accommodation management, Simone travelled widely and spent time working in the real estate and corporate sectors, including a senior role with Danish firm Velux Skylights, Windows and Blinds. On the side, she was building & renovating properties for both herself and clients.
A conventional career path was however not to be and, with her builder husband Ben and family in tow, in late 2015 Simone took the plunge and purchased a classic Australian farmhouse in the seaside village of Gerringong, about 1 hr south of Sydney.
Over the course of the next year, the house was painstakingly renovated and her first wildly successful accommodation venture, Soul of Gerringong, was born.
This also led way to Simone's now thriving interior design and education consultancy for holiday property owners (or 'HPO's' as she affectionately calls them), Soul Home, being established.
As I'm sure you'll agree, this is a woman who has a mountain of experience and expertise to share.
About 5 years ago, partners in life and business Adrian Hua and Charles Holland gave up their corporate jobs and city lives in Singapore to explore the prospect of living and working in regional Australia.
When they chanced upon the then for sale Dudley Hotel in Victoria's Hepburn Springs back in April 2017, they immediately fell in love with the house and soon after, found themselves packing their bags and settling down in the vibrant Daylesford region.
Almost a year ago, having identified that the original house no longer suited their growing businesses needs, they made the brave decision to purchase a new property and relocate the hotel. What ensued was a meticulous , months-long renovation and design process, leading them to re-open The Dudley's doors in a brand new location earlier this year.
Then, without a lot of warning, along came Covid-19 and this dynamic duo made the conscious decision to shut up shop temporarily, only weeks after reopening.
So where to now for The Dudley? Jen discusses this, and much more, in this value-packed episode with two of the industries most knowledgeable professionals.
With a background in tax and accounting, native Tasmanian Sam Lyndon decided to join her husband Michael's building company, Elysium Builders, in the role of Business Manager a few years back, furthering her love of all things property related.
What followed was the establishment of her first short-term rental property, Boho Cottage in White Beach in Tasmania's south, followed by Sarah's Cottage in the seaside hamlet of Stieglitz in Eastern Tasmania.
Having become hooked on the challenges and joys that property hosting brings, Sam has decided to take the plunge into full time short-term rental management, and plans to extend her stable to 55 properties within the next 12 months, under the umbrella of her new business name 'Storied Homes'.
She is currently in the throes of establishing a new website and fine tuning her marketing and acquisition strategy to achieve this ambitious goal in the wake of Covid-19 later this year.
In this episode, she discusses all of this and more with Jen.
In this episode, Jen interviews Canberra-based STR host Belinda Neame following the loss of her permanent job and the decision to close her short-term rental property down temporarily in the wake of COVID-19.
Belinda discusses everything from managing her mental health on a day by day basis to cultivating a sense of hope and optimism by making the most of forced downtime and planning for the future.
In this episode, Jen discusses the impact that the COVID-19 pandemic has had on her short-term accommodation business, as well as discussing strategies for moving forward and staying positive about the future of the short-term rental industry.
Emily Osmond is a marketing educator who through her online program, The Modern Marketing Collective, curated events, and her podcast “The Emily Osmond Show”, helps women to market themselves easily and authentically online and make more money doing the work they love.
Emily has a Master of Communications, with a thesis on social media, and after growing up England, then moving to regional Victoria, she is now based in inner northern Melbourne.
In this value-packed episode, Emily discusses how to get the most out of the ever-changing platform that is proving an absolutely essential tool for marketing any short-term rental property or business today.
Annie Brereton and her jack-of-all-trades husband Shane run Salvage Merchants, an innovative business based in Melbourne's south-eastern suburbs offering a comprehensive renovation and styling service to hosts, accommodation managers and property owners alike, working predominantly with salvaged materials.
In 2019, Annie and Shane purchased an historic church in the small hamlet of Lexton, in Victoria's western district, and have just spent several months transforming it into their first incredibly iconic Airbnb property, 'Grayling's Gift'.
In this first episode of season 2, host Jen Clark welcomes everyone back by discussing all of the recent happenings in her own short-term rental business, Clark-Will Short Stays, as well as unveiling a new business name and some other big wins.
She then presents her top 10 tips for securing those coveted but often elusive (particularly for those of us in regional areas!) mid-week bookings, with the aim of increasing both your occupancy rate and revenue.
In this final episode of season 1, host Jen Clark is once again interviewed by her partner Kirstie Innes-Will about her reflections on the first seven episodes of Hosting With Heart, recent happenings and (rather ambitious) plans for 2020 and beyond for Clark-Will Short Stays, Jen's own short-term accommodation business, and a taste of what's in store for podcast subscribers in season 2. A LOT to look forward to!
Narelle McKay relocated from Black Rock, in south-eastern Melbourne to the Macedon Ranges in the mid 2010's. Along with operating a small marketing, promotions and advertising business from home, a couple of years ago she commenced supplementing her income by working as a contract residential housekeeper.
In more recent times, she's turned her attention to short-term rental housekeeping and has since amassed a wealth of experience and insight into what factors really contribute to achieving and maintaining both 5 star guest reviews and, by implication, the coveted superhost status.
She currently works as 'head housekeeper' for Jen's short term accommodation business, Clark-Will Short Stays, and in this relaxed yet frank discussion, reflects on the do's and don'ts of truly exceptional housekeeping.
Sailor, stylist and entrepreneur, Sarah Andrews is the owner of Captain's Rest, a once desperately run-down but now fairytale-like, renovated shack located in the north-western Tasmanian town of Strahan.
After the breakdown of her marriage and a couple of serious health crises, Sarah took a gamble and purchased the shack on a whim - sight unseen - in the mid 2010's.
Although originally intended purely as a sanctuary for her, it has since become one of Australia's most in-demand short-term rental properties, commanding a nightly rate and occupancy levels most hosts can only ever dream of.
These days, Sarah runs 'The Hosting Masterclass' both online and in-person around Australia and has exciting plans to take the class to a global audience in 2020.
In this episode, Jen chats with former marketing consultant and one of the founders of Consortium Botanicus, a small collective of passionate flower farmers, Sandy Roy, about her unexpected journey to becoming a critically acclaimed short-term accommodation host and business owner.
In this episode, Jen speaks to Bernadette Janson, successful entrepreneur, career renovator, founder of Sydney’s School of Renovating and multi-property Airbnb host, about making a life and a living out of short term rental management in Australia.
In this launch episode of Hosting With Heart, your host, professional designer and short-term rental business owner Jen Clark, is interviewed by her partner Kirstie Innes-Will about all aspects of her hosting journey to date, recent treechange to country Victoria, goals for the podcast and much more.