Live Immediately with mike campbell: Recent Episodes
mike campbell
We often get in our own way by creating stories in our mind that aren’t true. We think we can’t do something before we have even tried. We push our dreams and desires, our life, to tomorrow. But that day never arrives.
The Live Immediately Podcast is about taking control of today. I have conversations with people who are living life on their own terms. We dive into those big moments that have pushed them through the fears and self-limiting beliefs that hold so many of us back.
I hope these stories encourage people to start today. Everyone’s journey will be different, but there will be no journey if we don’t begin. None of us have control of tomorrow, so why not do something you love and enjoy today?
You have that love of travel, always trying to grab every opportunity to get away and explore.
Travel is part of your DNA.
And then you start a family. You become a parent. You push that travelling spirit aside and try not to listen to it every time it starts to get a little restless.
In this episode I am chatting to a couple, Megan and Peter Richardson, who didn’t push their adventurous spirit aside, they embraced it with their young family.
Megan and Peter hopped on the plane for a yearlong family adventure through Europe and South East Asia with a 4 month old and a 2.5 year old. The majority of their planning for the trip happened while Megan was pregnant!
Megan and Peter hit the road on a budget. They were frugal and saved before their trip, and to save money while travelling, they saved on accommodation by house and pet sitting. They talk about how your travels are so much richer when you house and pet sit, than simply saving money.
We dive into their initial fears, how they overcame them, and moved from travelling being an idea or wish, to taking steps and planning their family adventure. And the big step of asking Peter’s boss for a year off.
Megan and Peter are a beautiful example, that our kids don’t stop us from doing things, as parents, we get in our own way.
Children are born with wonder. Lead them through an adventurous life.
I hope you enjoy x
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If you have a teenage girl, or a girl who will become a teenager, you definitely need to know about my beautifully fun guest today, Liv Phyland.
The majority of my guests are parents, as the majority of you are parents. And we all know that doing something new or creating change in your life, is even more challenging when you add children into the mix.
However, I wanted to chat to Liv today, because even though she isn’t a parent yet, Liv is such a wonderful role model for our young girls and is doing beautiful work through her Girls Who Glow workshops.
Liv talks about how teenagers are being influenced by social media, feeling like they need to be someone different to who they are. Through her workshops, Liv helps girls to find their inner glow. The cornerstones of these workshops are nutrition, exercise, body image, social media, healthy relationships and mental health.
Liv and I also chat about how a girl from the country finds herself as a presenter on channels 10’s music show “The Loop”. Being optimistic, saying yes, and learning as you go. Accepting who you are, being yourself, and owning it. The art of simply playing, dealing with self-doubt, and filling your day with things that make you happy.
Liv is beautifully intense, passionate about life, full of play, and helping our girls to navigate an emotional part of life by starting a conversation full of love.
I hope you enjoy x
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What is the type of life you want to live?
How do you want to raise your kids?
What kind of community do you want to live in?
What do you truly value?
Have you ever sat down and spent the time to answer such questions? What do you think your answers would look like, and what changes would you need to make to the way you’re living now?
I sat down with Sophie Brunton, a mother of three, who has dedicated the time to answer these questions, and take the courageous step to make changes to her life.
After the initial idea two years ago, working through the ups and downs of change, Sophie and her family are about to relocate to the country town of Murwillumbah, 50 minutes north of Byron Bay, NSW, Australia.
And it is not just a tree change that Sophie was looking for, it was a community that shared her values, where the schools took a holistic view, a community of connection and generosity, an environment where her boys could evolve into men with love, care, and surrounded by nature.
Sophie and I dive deep into her philosophies around education, simple living and choosing family over things, parenting and Sophie’s deliberate choice to be a full-time mother, and technology.
I admire Sophie as she is making changes to her life that aligns with her values—changes that aren’t always easy but are worth trying.
I hope you enjoy x
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Who were you before kids?
It is an interesting question and one that I had never really thought about.
But what did you want to achieve before you became mum or dad? Are there aspirations, hobbies, or things you truly enjoyed, that you have stopped since becoming a parent?
Today I chat with the inspiring Lauren Branson, a fun mother of five and start-up business owner.
I am fascinated by how Lauren manages to run her business and five kids under eight, while still making time for herself.
There is often this parent’s guilt that we place on ourselves if we are spending time doing something for ourselves. But as I discuss with Lauren, you need to carve out time for yourself, so that you can look after others.
And even with five kids and a business, Lauren still manages to do this.
How? Lauren prioritise what is important and makes time for what she values.
Lauren is passionate about eating healthy and local food. Her business, Your Food Collective, is an online farmers market that connects busy parents to local growers.
And meal time with five kids was a hot topic on this episode, and Lauren explains how she is quite regimented when it comes to meal time. There are set times for meals with one option for everyone. Lauren explains that she needs to be strict like this so that she isn’t feeding little humans all day and has time to give to other areas of her life.
As you would expect, Lauren has learnt a lot since child number one—to enjoy and not sweat the small stuff, that stress doesn’t change the outcome, and that you need time each day for yourself.
I hope you enjoy x
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“What screws us up the most is that picture of what we believe it should be, and we’re not open to what it could be—but what it could be, could be infinitely better.” Katie Dean
My guest this week is the courageous Katie Dean, and I love this chat with Katie as it is beautifully raw. Katie opens up about the challenges of being a solo Mumma and how she made the decision while being seven months pregnant and having a toddler.
Katie talks about living with a low level of panic, the importance of internal observation, getting out of your head and into your body, and to “check yourself before you wreck yourself”.
We also dive into the topic of fear and how you need to lean into fear to become brave, how there are no negative feeling, just uncomfortable ones, and the different, beautifully messy, phases of parenthood.
I hope you enjoy x
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Jeff Sandquist really needs no introduction to the Live Immediately family, as this is the third time I have had the privilege to interview Jeff.
Jeff has become a close friend and he was the host of the brilliant Intentionally Wandering Podcast that literally changed my life.
But over the past year, Jeff has been going through some changes in his own life, assessing what is improving his life, what isn’t, and what things in his life have simply run their course.
This has lead Jeff to do something that many people might think about, but struggle to make the final decision.
Jeff has deleted all of his social media accounts. He has also stopped his podcast and blog.
In this episode I really dive deep into why Jeff felt the need to pull back from the digital world and how he feels about not being as connected anymore. And his answers might surprise you.
This isn’t an episode about social media bashing, it is about knowing yourself, knowing when to quit, knowing when things in your life stop benefitting you, and the importance of experimenting in your life.
Jeff allows his curiosity to lead his life. Sometimes it is through the unknown, and sometimes it is back to the beginning.
I hope you enjoy x
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This is an episode that demonstrates why I love long form interviews. Time allows me to penetrate deeper into the heart and mind of people I have the privilege of interviewing.
My guest today, Abby Lewtas, is a world traveller and host of The Wanderlusters Mind Podcast.
I imagined that our conversation would centre on travel and adventure. How travel is this wonderful teacher, as the lessons are taught before an adventure, during the adventure, and when you arrive home from your adventure.
Abby and I do discuss such lessons like having the courage to leave a comfortable routine, being vulnerable and stepping out of your comfort zone, and becoming more open-minded and curious.
Abby also talks about intuition and paying attention to the little, adventurous, voice inside you that tries to nudge you down new paths. That if you don’t listen to what your body is trying to communicate to you, then you will feel stuck and nothing will ever change.
But where this conversation takes a beautiful turn is when I ask Abby what she is most fearful of in her life right now. I could feel Abby breathing into her heart. Abby lead with the rawness of her vulnerability, and her answer could be echoed through the soul of many people today—the struggle to find human connection with so much technology in our life.
When our heads are down in the palm of our hands, how can we see the beautiful faces of the world trying to connect with us?
I hope you enjoy x
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How did you arrive to where you are today? How did you find yourself on this particular path? And is this path the one that you want to continue on?
My guest today, Shannon Meyer, asked herself similar questions when she started to feel like she was managing her life, but not living it. Shannon was going through the daily admin and coordination of juggling family life and working mum. While Shannon was succeeding at work, it was pulling her away from her family and she started to worry that her three kids would look back on their childhood and not have many experiences with their mother.
I guess the real questions Shannon was asking herself were—what is all this for, why am I doing what I am doing, and is this what I truly value?
Shannon decided to make some courageous changes in her life that enabled her to spend more time with her family. Shannon left her corporate job, her family sold everything they owned, and they decided to travel around North America in an Airstream.
But what I admire even more is how Shannon and her family decided to live after they got off the road.
They opted for the smaller house, with a smaller mortgage, less rooms, and less possessions. They worried less about what other people thought and less comparisons. This gave them more time to spend as a family, more connection, and more experiences.
You have to ask yourself the questions to create change. Sometimes something crazy like a family adventure is a small part of the solution, but the change you create to your daily life will have the greatest impact.
I hope you enjoy x
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True change starts within, and my guest today, Chelsea Pottenger, has gone through a complete life reboot that started when she dedicated time to her internal wellbeing.
Chelsea was living the face-paced corporate life until her baby girl was born and Chelsea was slammed, hard, with severe Post Natal Depression. And as you will hear in the interview, sadly, Chelsea was just hanging on.
Through her adversity though, Chelsea discovered the importance of working on her inside self. Her “post traumatic growth phase” as Chelsea calls it. Chelsea went back to university to study a Doctorate of Psychology & Neuroscience, a Diploma of Positive Psychology & Wellbeing, and became an internationally accredited mindfulness and meditation teacher. Through her experience and studies, Chelsea is now helping individuals and organisations to focus on their internal fitness and feel the beautiful benefits of mindfulness.
This is such an important episode, as what Chelsea and I discuss can have such a fundamental impact on the quality of the life you live. And what I love is all the science and research that Chelsea has that support the benefits of mindfulness.
Chelsea and I talk about reconnecting with life so you are really living and thriving, how burnout is not an indicator of success, creating boundaries in your life, and being connected as a parent.
Chelsea also talks about constancy over intensity when it comes to meditation and how as little as three minutes per day can start anyone on a mindfulness path.
Chelsea is also an ambassador for the Gidget Foundation, which is a not for profit organisation supporting the emotional wellbeing of expectant and new parents to ensure that those in need receive timely, appropriate and supportive care. It is an organisation that I know is very dear to Chelsea’s heart, and if you, or someone you know, are experiencing a challenging time emotionally since the birth of a child, then please reach out to the Gidget Foundation and their wonderful supportive and talented team.
I hope you enjoy x
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Today I’m chatting with a very special man, Matt Linnert, who is a thinker, a questioner, a listener, and a doer—who strives to make the world more compassionate by being a beautiful example through his work and daily actions.
This entire conversation is quite deep, as Matt and I discuss some interesting topics that often left me with more questions than answers.
Matt talks about creating change in his life that was guided by not what he was meant to be doing, but how he was meant to be living. We discuss the power of self-enquiry to release a lot of our ego and fear, letting go of our need for control, asking questions that encourage change, and living life with compassion as the driver.
Matt also runs a wonderful charity called Collective Heart that brings ordinary people together to do extraordinary things within local communities and communities in need abroad.
I hope you enjoy x
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What does it take to cycle from Alaska to Argentina with your husband and twin ten year old boys? Well this is exactly what I chat about with Nancy Sathre-Vogel.
I learnt it takes over 27,000 kilometres (over 17,000 miles), 1,018 days, and 15 countries. It takes pushing through snowstorms and waking at 3am to ride through the desert before the sun becomes unbearable.
But more importantly, it takes the desire to want to do something different, the motivation to change, the willingness to fail, and the courage to live a life that you want to live.
Nancy and I do talk about her family adventures, the countries she visited and schooling her boys on the road. However, we also dive into the challenges of finding your passion, the difficulties in doing something that is different to how you were raised, and the craziness in not trying.
Nancy has a beautiful outlook on life where she lives each day while staying focussed on the bigger picture.
I hope you enjoy x
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So much of life, what happens around us, is out of our control. The only part of life that is within our control is the attitude in which we approach it.
My guest today, Talon Windwalker, is a wonderful man who approaches life with a caring soul and who lives by the motto of “no regrets”.
I reached out to Talon, as I wanted to learn about his life as a single parent, travelling the world indefinitely with his adopted child. But as you’ll hear, the lessons and stories that Talon will tell are about so much more than travel.
Talon is an author, writer, hospice chaplain, Zen monk, ultra runner, snowshoer, endurance cyclist, certified endurance running coach, scuba instructor, photographer, and lover of travelling, languages, and cultures.
In our conversation, Talon talks about death and life as a hospice chaplain, being 300 pounds, losing weight and becoming an ultra marathon runner, being a single man and adopting a child, travelling to over 30 countries and world schooling his child, and the addictive experience of scuba diving.
Talon also talks about the moment his son announced that he was transgender identifying as a female while they were in Budapest. A situation I am sure no parent is prepared for, but I admire and love the honest and beautiful way Talon responds and supports his daughter through this journey.
Talon is a selfless, kind and compassionate father, who is making sure he packs as much living into his life as possible.
I hope you enjoy x
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Parenthood is more about the lessons we learn than the ones we teach. And ideally, when we enter the uncharted waters of parenthood, we do so with the love and support of a partner. Unfortunately for my guest today, Alex Brown, that wasn’t the case.
Alex was only 20 when she became a mother, and her abusive partner of four years left when Alex wouldn’t terminate the pregnancy. Simultaneously, Alex needed to navigate motherhood and relearn how to take control of her life.
This conversation takes many twists and turns, but when you’re trying to create a fresh start, perhaps that is exactly what you need to do.
Alex is quite open as she talks about her abusive relationship, how she had no control over her time or money, and the moment when she thought becoming an escort was her only way out.
Alex is learning to take control of her life by taking control of her money, and through the process Alex has learnt how her financial health is interlocked with her physical health and emotional health.
I wanted to share Alex’s story as I admire her strength in trying, her willingness to change, and her love to be the best mother she can be.
I hope you enjoy x
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“I have more respect for someone who has tried and failed, than someone who has never tried.” – Nerida Bint
There are some people in the world that lift you up and leave you in a better place than where you were before. My guest today, Nerida Bint, is definitely one of those beautiful people.
What I love about Nerida is that she has taken all the knockdowns in her life, all the times she was pushed away, and every moment she wasn’t included and was forced to be alone, and turned them into a positive force that is helping countless women to change and grow.
Nerida is the founder of Lissome, a women’s only gym that provides so much more than a space to exercise. Nerida is all about helping women to become the absolute best that they can be. Nerida has created a community that is welcoming, empowering, and calls bullshit on judgment.
There is so much in this episode, as Nerida and I discuss dealing with shame and working through the struggle, the need to change if you want things to be different, learning through failure, burying the fearful phrase “I can’t”, and the importance of believing in yourself.
Nerida is a giver and believes that everyone can change and improve their life—all you need to do is simply to try.
I hope you enjoy x
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Sometimes you can be on the conveyor belt of life and not realise it until it is too late. Or perhaps you’re heading down a life path because you feel it is what you’re supposed to do.
We are told to get a good job, a 30 year mortgage, keep your head down, and then enjoy a handful of years when your hair is a little greyer and your body a little sorer.
We push all the things we truly want to do, off to another day, later down the track—to a day that never arrives.
My guest today, Pat Seyrak, has decided to try something different. He has turned his back on the old Australian dream of home ownership shackled with a 30 year mortgage, and is heading towards financial freedom and retirement before he is 40.
The way Pat is doing this is through the stock market, but this podcast is not about shares and it is definitely not financial advice, so please do not take it as advice. Pat’s way, is simply one way.
What I love about how Pat is living his life, and what this episode is all about, is that Pat is thinking about how to live his life. He has taken himself off that mindless conveyor belt, and is intentional with how he chooses to live.
Pat beautifully describes money as simply your life force converted into a tangible physical thing. That we give our life energy in exchange for money. And when you look at money in this way, before you purchase something, even a house, you ask yourself, do I want to exchange my life energy for this item?
What are you spending your life energy on, and does it align with your values?
I hope you enjoy x
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Hitting the open road with the wonders of the world out your window, pulling up and resting your heard wherever you park your van.
It sounds so beautiful, and it is what my guest today, Jared Melrose, and his sweetheart of ten years, Ash, do as they both live in a van together.
In this episode we touch on the functionalities of living in a van—the cost of fitting out a van, doing laundry, cooking, and the use of public toilets. Or “shining beacons in the night” as Jared calls them.
We also dive into some deeper topics, and what I love is how honest Jaded is about some of the realities of van life and the dichotomy of the lifestyle. There is freedom in mobility, but not always freedom with space. Jared talks about initially dealing with the change in comfort, crossing the bridge of other people’s expectations, and confronting his relationship with Ash, as there is nowhere to go, shut a door, and have your own space.
As Jared says, “Everyone has got compromises that they are dealing with.” And for Jared, the lack of a comfy couch to chill out on, or the ability to shut a door on an argument, is what he is willing to compromise for everything else the #vanlife has to offer.
Jared talks about living in a world with no fences, being in the moment and learning to deal with issues as the arise, building a community all over the world, and connecting with people and nature.
Jared is also one of the guys behind the hugely successful website vanlife.com.au and Van Life Diaries. Through his website, Jared organises gatherings in Australia and North America, for van lifers to connect in person and to welcome other people to the community to see what it is all about. I personally cannot wait to head along to one.
For me, this episode isn’t simply about living in a van. It is about looking at how you live your life, and if the way you live your life enables you to love and connect with people—especially strangers.
I hope you enjoy x
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My guest today, Erin Carey, is, as she explains, your average wife, mother to three young boys, overworked, stressed and tied, who lives in suburbia in South Australia, nothing special.
And Erin describes herself like this so when you listen to her story, you realise that you can do it too, that you can “get out there and do whatever your dream may be.”
One of the biggest takeaways from this episode is the power in making the decision. Erin and her husband made the decision that they wanted to take their boys and sail around the world for a few years. They didn’t know how they were going to make it happen, but they made the decision.
Erin and I go quite deep on a number of topics—the confidence in finding other people that have already achieved what you’re hoping to do, the importance of having a common goal, how ideas change and evolve over time, learning new skills along the way, and how time allows you to discover more qualities about your kids and loved ones.
Erin also talks about how she saved to make this adventure a reality, because when she made the decision Erin had eight grand of credit card debt and no savings. I know you will love some of the things that Erin did to save money. What I really love about what Erin did is that she made changes to her daily life so her daily life could change.
This is an episode that will inspire you to make the decision in your life, to create change, and dare to dream big.
I hope you enjoy x
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Death is a natural part of life. It will touch us all throughout our life, and ultimately at the end of our days.
For my guest today, Garth Ashford, the unforgiving hands of death choked his life in a way that is unimaginable for any parent. Thirty years ago, at the age of twenty-nine, Garth held his nineteen-month-old baby girl Samantha in his arms, as her weak heart took its final beat. An experience that Garth will live with until his final day.
As much as this episode is about death and grief, it is about life and living. Garth shares his story of grief and how this changed his perspective on life, learning through the experiences and going within himself to find the answers, and the beautiful awareness and contentment in which he lives each day.
Garth’s journey has lead him to open The Soul Embrace, where he assist those who have suffered a loss in their lives to recover, rebuild and readapt. Garth helps people to embrace their soul.
Life’s lessons have cut deep into Garth’s soul, but this peaceful, beautiful, content human has embraced them, and strives to help others do the same.
I hope you enjoy x
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This is a special episode as it is actually an episode where I am interviewed by Abby Lewtas for her recently launched podcast The Wanderlusters Mind.
I know you love travel stories so it is safe to say that you will love Abby’s podcast as she takes you on an adventure into the minds of globetrotters. Abby and her guests share their travel stories, navigating their return home and stepping into their inspired adventurous life.
This episode is all about my little family adventure, slow travelling through the United States for a year, the people we met, the time spent growing as a family, arriving back home, looking at life differently, and being comfortable with the unknown.
Abby is a caring and courageous woman, and if you like what you hear then add The Wanderlusters Mind podcast to your playlist.
I hope you enjoy x
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In this episode I welcome back a good friend Cait Flanders to the podcast. Cait and I originally spoke back in episode 19 about Mindful Budgeting, which I have linked to in the show notes.
I wanted to have Cait back on the podcast for many reasons, but also as she has recently written a book titled - “The Year Of Less – How I stopped shopping, gave away all my belongings, and discovered life is worth more than anything you can buy in a store”.
As you’ll hear me say a number of times during our chat, I absolutely loved reading this book, and it is so much more than Cait’s year of no shopping. It is a heartfelt story about a women discovering herself and battling a few demons along the way.
Cait and I cover so much in this episode. Some of the big takeaways for me were around the importance of starting—how you don’t need (and will never have) the answers to everything before you start something new, but starting is exactly what you need to do. The use of experiments to change habits—how we build a little more confidence every time we step out of our comfort zones, and how big change comes from small decisions. And the fundamental importance of positive self-talk—that kindness is often what we need from ourselves.
Cait is a wonderful person that has created positive change in her life by changing how she lives her life.
I hope you enjoy x
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I am so excited to welcome back Canna Campbell to the podcast. It was way back in episode two when I spoke to Canna about Minimalism and Money. If you haven’t listened to that episode, I have linked to it in the show notes below.
Canna is a financial planner, has been running her business for over 11 years, and is the wonderful woman behind Sugarmamma.tv, with millions of views across her YouTube channel.
The reason Canna connects with so many people from all over the world is that she simplifies all things finance, she understands the goal is lifestyle, and she helps people to improve their own financial wellbeing.
In this episode we discuss the importance of setting financial goals and educating yourself about money, building passive income, Canna’s brilliant “$1,000 project”, and her new Sugar Budget App that helps you stay on top of your money.
We also talk about all things motherhood—the struggle to juggle motherhood and business, the learnt skill of distraction when dealing with kids, the disaster of trying to multitask motherhood and work, and the importance of being present and slowing down.
I hope you enjoy x
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Taking the leap, that step into the unknown, leaving the security of predictability, is difficult to do. That first step, that very first decision, is often the thing that holds so many people back. Because to do it, you need to step over and through your fears and self-limiting beliefs.
But taking that leap to follow his heart is exactly what my guest today, Tobias, did.
Tobias tells stories about growing up on the Sunshine Coast hinterland, how during his teenage years he was lost due to the death of his mother, and how music saved him through the dark periods in his life.
And it would be that music that Tobias takes the leap for, or “taking the drop” as Tobias puts it.
You see, when a close friend passed away Tobias saw how fragile life is, and how short it can be. He asked himself the tough question, “What do you really want?”
To play music and be a travelling musician was what his heart answered. So Tobias packed up his design and architect career to follow his heart into music.
Tobias and I chat about learning to push through fear and self-doubt, learning from mistakes, and learning from life.
Tobias also talks about taking risks, and that if you are going to take a risk then you should, “Take a risk on being alive.”
I love learning about how people are living their life deliberately and to their own beat. This is definitely one of those beautiful stories.
I hope you enjoy x
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Massive decisions like selling the family home, packing up the kids, and embarking on a beautiful family adventure—to live, travel, and explore a different continent, don’t happen over night. Heck, they don’t even happen in a matter of weeks or months either.
For my guest today, a Live Immediately Podcast alumni, Ben McAlary, his vision, wishes, dreams and idea of this family adventure has been a topic of conversation with his wife Brooke, for over five years, and I am beyond happy for the McAlary family that they are literally days away from boarding the plane.
I loved this chat with Ben as we discuss some deep topics about preparing for a trip with so many unknowns. Cutting the logistical and emotional ties by selling the family home instead of renting it out, bringing your children into the decision process, the hard work involved to make things happen, and the joy and anticipation of discovering a new daily rhythm.
Ben talks about how his motto at the beginning of 2017 was “to take more risks”, how he was generally risk-averse, but once he started taking risks he felt the intoxication of them and learnt to embrace being risky—and this family adventure, with no end date, is one of the biggest risks he has ever taken.
Ben isn’t calling it a trip or an adventure. He calls it an experiment. That it’s not about getting things right all the time—but trying and seeing what happens and unfolds.
A beautiful way to truly live life, and one that I am sure will shape his kids.
I hope you enjoy x
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In this final episode of the summer series I bring you my chat with Natalie Walton.
I have had the pleasure of meeting Natalie in person a number of times since our chat and I absolutely love the “give it a go” attitude that Natalie has.
Natalie manages to juggle a couple of businesses, four children, and a new property in the hinterland of the Central Coast in Australia.
Natalie talks about co-parenting, her love of simplicity, and her communal way of dishing up dinner.
I know life isn’t always easy for Natalie, but what I love is easy isn’t what Natalie is striving for. It is a life lived, where her children can watch and learn from their parent’s hard work.
I hope you enjoy x
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On the Summer Series this week I bring you a great conversation with Anthony Ongaro.
Anthony is behind the website Break The Twitch and I wanted to include this episode as Anthony had a lot of twitches in his life. Little things that he’d do, and by themselves didn’t add up to much, but over time, collectively they did.
You see, Anthony used to simply purchase, with one click, small, under $30 items from Amazon.
Amazon has just launched in Australia and I hope we can learn from this episode and the mistakes Anthony made so we don’t do the same—mindlessly purchasing items we don’t really need.
Anthony and I also chat about your ideal or perfect day and what it might look like and how it aligns with your values. I think any time of year is the right time to think about your values and to consider if how you’re spending your days aligns with them. But as it is a fresh new year, now is even a better time.
How do you want to spend your days in 2018, what does your perfect day look like, who are you spending it with, what are you working one. What changes can you make to your life so your days are more aligned to your perfect day?
I hope you enjoy x
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On the Summer Series this week I bring you a conversation I had with a very special friend of mine, Tom Glafcke, who I met while my family and I were housesitting a log cabin in the north woods of Wisconsin a couple of years back.
I loved learning from Tom’s stories, and his deliberate yet simple ways. Tom has lived life with contentment, happiness, and love. He has this beautiful optimistic personality that invites you along for the ride.
One of the reasons I wanted to include this conversation in the Summer Series is the connection Tom makes between aliveness and struggle. As he says, “It is in the struggle where the excitement is.” It is something that I personally think about a lot when things might not be going the way I had planned, or I feel like I am in the middle of struggling with something. I think about this conversation with Tom, and that it is in that struggle that I truly feel alive, that I’m learning and growing. Tom has helped me see the beauty in the struggle.
Tom has lived a deliberate life, gained wisdom that only time and experience teaches, he is a lover of nature, and a beautiful human and friend.
I hope you enjoy x
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First in the Summer Series is my great chat I had with Angela Lockwood.
Angela is an occupational therapist, speaker, mother and author. I absolutely loved her recent book - Switch Off: How to Find Calm in a Noisy World.
And switching off is exactly what I am doing over the Christmas break. I’m switching off from all social media and most technology.
Even with the Summer Series of the podcast, I have pre-recorded everything, pre programmed each episode, and I’m not promoting them across social media.
I am not on social media that much and I already batch my time on social media, however I am going to enjoy this digital detox for a few weeks over Christmas.
So with that in mind I couldn’t think of a better episode to start the Summer Series than this one. Hopefully it will encourage you to switch off a little too.
In this conversation with Angela we speak about topics that are close to my heart - The importance of slowing down, how we spend our time, creating boundaries around technology use, supporting children’s growth with our time, creating a habitat for health, how our behaviours are teaching our children, and so much more.
I loved this episode, as it is fun and packed with tips and knowledge, just like Angela’s book Switch Off. Definitely worth the read if you haven’t already.
I hope you enjoy x
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Living smallish can sometimes be a challenge, as you need to intentionally think about each item you have and be considerate to which new items you bring into your life.
It is even more of a challenge when you throw a husband and four children into the mix. But that is the beautiful challenge my guest today, Evelyn Rennich, lives each and every day.
I love Evelyn’s story, as her minimal way of life is one that started from a financial need, but became one she fully embraced.
Evelyn and I dive into many topics in this episode; learning through difficult times, the work involved with being intentional, and how living minimally can help with that feeling of being buried by the pace of life.
We also discuss family and the affect a cluttered home has on our children, cluttering up our calendar, gift giving at Christmas time, protecting the white space in your life, and holding onto things loosely, a phrase I absolutely love.
Evelyn is a loving mother who works things out the best way she can for her family.
I hope you enjoy x
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What does freedom mean to you?
What does it look like?
How could you inject more freedom into your daily life?
My guest today, Natalie Sisson, is all about creating freedom in business and adventure in life.
For the past seven years Natalie has been living out of her suitcase, while running her business and travelling to over 70 countries.
In this episode Natalie talks about building a business that supports your lifestyle not one that takes over it, the importance of taking action to get past the first hurtle, minimal living, and the future of work.
But don’t be confused, this episode isn’t purely about business or about travel. It is about cultivating personal daily freedom and aligning your values. How ever that might look for you.
Natalie is obsessed with freedom and is on a mission to help you simplify your life, feel connected, live mindfully and develop personal freedom.
As 2017 draws to a close and we start thinking about how we want 2018 to unfold, Natalie has created the “How to Plan Your Ideal Freedom Year Workshop”.
If you’d like to set your vision for 2018, map out your quarterly, monthly and weekly actions, have access to Natalie’s 6-step daily success plan, and so much more, then you should check it out. You never know where your freedom could take you.
Natalie definitely walks her talk, and has done across many countries, she lives life to the fullest, and takes action to create personal daily freedom.
I hope you enjoy x
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This episode had a huge impact on my life, and I know if you listen to it, do the work, it will change yours too and have a beautiful rippling affect.
Shawn Askinosie is the founder and CEO of Askinosie Chocolate, a small business based in Springfield, Missouri. Their chocolate is world-renowned, award winning and Forbes recently named them as “One of the 25 Best Small Companies In America”.
But this episode isn’t about chocolate, it’s about chocolate. (something that you’ll understand once you’ve listened).
You see, the way Shawn does business is the way it should be taught in business school. Shawn’s beautiful business model is all about direct trade with farmers of coco beans in the Philippines, Tanzania and Ecuador, about open book management, profit sharing, reverse scale, kinship and community.
Shawn and I dive into all of those topics and how his company sustainably feeds thousands of children who were once malnourished, without donations, simply giving money or charity.
We talk about the notion of enough, and to ask ourselves, “What is enough”. That individually and in business is it easy to get caught up in the striving for more, but enough is where we can do the work we love with people we love.
Towards the end of the podcast Shawn talks about and guides you through a visioning exercise. It is something that he does, and something that he has his chocolate university students, his farmers, and the school students he works with in other countries do. It is powerful and if you want to create personal change in your life, I recommend you do it as well.
Shawn has recently written a book, with his daughter Lawren, titled - Meaningful Work: A Quest To Do Great Business, Find Your Calling, And Feed Your Soul. I don’t recommend many products but I can’t speak more highly of a book than this one. I personally purchased the audio book version through Audible and I loved hearing Shawn narrate each word and tell his story. I have links below in the show notes to where you can purchase it. If you’re thinking of a little something for someone for Christmas, or even better for yourself, I highly recommend it. And make sure you reach out to Shawn and let him know what you thought of the book. I know he’d love to hear from you.
Shawn is a beautiful human who has crafted a way to do meaningful business and live life with love and passion.
I hope you enjoy x
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Krista O'Reilly-Davi-Digui is the beautiful writer behind the website - a life in progress.
I admire Krista, as her writing is so honest, on both sides of the coin. Krista rips down the curtains and bares the beauty in the rawness, in a way that is comforting and helpful to others.
We go quite deep in this episode as Krista opens up about attempting suicide three times before she was 18 and then deciding to choose to live life over death.
Krista shares stories about how joy and pain can coexist and how you don’t find joy by trying to eliminate pain, how she has realised the beautifulness in the messy and not striving for perfection, and learning to forgive herself by showing up each day with compassion and love.
Our conversation takes a wonderful turn when we start discussing parenting, how each child is unique in many different ways, and the importance of understanding ourselves when parenting with compassion and curiosity.
Krista said something that really resonated with me. “Be a student of your children.” That as parents we need to learn about and understand our children’s needs, personality, how they learn, so we can tailor our parenting style to suit them so they can flourish and grow.
Krista has battled her way through many moments, but she is a beautiful life in progress.
I hope you enjoy x
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“Could we change our lives to become an outdoor family?”
This was the question Hannah Alexander asked herself before embarking on a year experiment with her family—to spend at least three hours each day outside for a year.
This is such a cool experiment and one that has fundamentally changed Hannah, her kids, and her family as a whole.
Hannah and I discuss the benefits of nature in regards to child development, how children are designed to be outside, the beauty in unstructured time and how nature is the perfect place to play.
Hannah also shares stories of how she changed her habits over the year, potential barriers of getting outside, and how we can easily modify our indoor activities to do them outside.
During the year experiment, Hannah also had a month of no screens for entertainment, and a separate month where she packed away the majority of her children’s toys.
I absolutely loved this chat and I hope Hannah’s story inspires anyone who has children in their lives to do more activities with them outside.
I hope you enjoy x
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So often you can feel stuck in the overwhelm of life, feeling like you don’t have any option to change your situation.
In this episode I talk with a wonderful woman, Amanda Lee, about the power of intention and getting clear on what you want, that is coming from your heart. Listening to your heart and not your head is a recurring theme in this episode.
Amanda and I discuss how many of our decisions are based in fear, the need for fulfilment and purpose, cutting the struggle, creating space, and meaningful alignment.
Amanda also talks about five key steps to getting in the flow and she uses the acronym LifeRAFT.
LIFE - See life in a new picture. Recognise that everything, including you, is just energy, and that you have the ability to work with this in a very powerful way.
R- Reveal your real choices. Get clear on what you really want, coming from your heart, not your head.
A - Align yourself energetically with what it is you choose. This includes your thoughts, words and actions.
F - Free the flow. Remove the blocks within you that are holding you back and stopping you from being in the flow.
T - Trust. Deliberately and systematically build your own trust about living in the flow. Become your own laboratory and your own evidence.
There is so much in this episode today, and I’ll start by saying, some of the topics might be a little left of centre. But then on the other hand, who wants to live in the middle anyway.
This is also a long episode as both Amanda and I go off on some tangents, but there are some great thought provoking gems along the way that I know you will love.
I hope you enjoy x
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As sure as the sun will rise in the east, our days start when we wake up and get out of bed.
Today I am talking everything mornings with Craig Kulyk, who runs the website creategoodmornings.com.
Taking control of my mornings has been a big game changer for me, and the catalyst to so much change in my life. To be honest, without working on, testing, tweaking my mornings, I don’t think Live Immediately would be where it is today and you might not be listening to this podcast
Craig and I discuss how to create your own good morning and things to consider when starting out, the importance of doing something you want to do and changing things up or experimenting with your mornings, and focussing on small wins.
We also dive into how your mornings are all about building habits, the benefits of tracking your habits, and how your evenings are just as vital as your mornings and how the two are so strongly linked.
When you have little ones running around, the thought of owning your mornings can feel like a utopian dream. I completely get it. But once you put a few pieces in place, and understand not every morning will go to plan, it will feel like you’re living a new rejuvenated life.
I hope you enjoy x
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Today on the podcast I’m chatting with Hugh Culver—husband, father of two, business builder and adventure lover.
I have always admired Hugh as he moves from work, family and fun each day with the same excited and optimistic step.
In this episode Hugh and I discuss the different phases of parenthood and how time commitments change and evolve as your children get older, creating habits in your day that turn into discipline, and cultivating change in your life.
We also talk about the importance of one-on-one time with your kids and involving them in the decision process.
At the end of the episode Hugh asks everyone to, “look at one simple habit that you can do everyday that’s going to make you feel better.” I’d love for you to email me or leave a comment on Facebook or Instagram and let me know what your one simple habit was.
Hugh is a fun guy that works at filling his life with things that he enjoys. And to me, that is something worth working at.
I hope you enjoy x
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Changing your life is always difficult. Throw kids and a family into the mix and it is no wonder that many people stop before they start.
Today on the podcast I’m with Zoe Kim, who is a mother of four, the author of the new book Minimalism For Families: Practical Minimalist Living Strategies to Simplify Your Home and Life, and the voice behind TheMinimalistPlate.com.
Zoe and I chat about minimalism for families, the challenges when bringing new ideas into the household and how to get your kids and significant other on-board, letting go of sentimental items, the fear of missing out, and the importance of taking action.
Zoe also touches on an essential point—that in the beginning of any change, things will be challenging and uncomfortable, but we need to allow ourselves to be uncomfortable with our feelings to progress, grow, and allow the change to take place.
This is a great chat and one I know many people have been waiting for.
I hope you enjoy x
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“Be patient with yourself, it does take time.” - Brooke McAlary
I am excited to have friend, teacher, and all round beautiful human, Brooke McAlary, back on the podcast this week.
Brooke and her husband Ben are the wonderful souls behind the hugely influential Slow Home Podcast, and are two people that have helped, guided, and encouraged Inga and I in many of the big life decisions we have made over the past few years.
Brooke’s latest book SLOW has recently been released in Australia and New Zealand. It is part memoir, part practical companion, and provides a fascinating insight into the benefits of slowing down. It will inspire you to forget about the Joneses and create a life filled with the things that really matter to you.
Brooke will be doing an Author Talk in my hometown of Newcastle on Wednesday September 27 from 6.30pm at the Hunter Design School. It is set to be a fun evening and I hope to see you there if you’re in the neighbourhood.
In this episode Brooke and I really dive deep into this notion of slowing down, being more intentional about your life, and aligning your life with your values.
Brooke talks about how she turned her life around to a destination of simple, and how the process is messy and individual for everyone, but how being patient and having faith in the process is fundamental.
We also discuss being emotionally available for our children and the people we love, self-worth, and a powerful exercise Brooke did by writing out her eulogy in three sentences. It might sound morbid but it really has nothing to do about death, but everything to do with how you are living, or should be living, your life.
Brooke is a kind, insightful, passionate women on a mission to help people change the way they live life—slowly, of course.
I hope you enjoy x
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The big questions are often the most important but the hardest to ask, especially when you’re asking yourself.
My guest today, Emily Ehlers, started asking herself the big questions—What do I value? What is important to me? — When her mother in-law passed away from brain cancer.
My conversation with Emily takes many twists and turns as we discuss parenthood and allowing our children to grow, values and realigning our true north, and the numbness of drifting through life.
Emily is an eco warrior and we talk about moving towards zero waste, how we need to be gentle with our partners when bringing new ideas into the household, and Emily also shares some great tips when starting out towards zero waste.
We also talk about how we, too often, are chasing that imaginary finishing line—waiting for a magical day to arrive where we can be happy and fulfilled. But how that day we have been waiting for, is today. Emily shares a brilliant Less/More exercise where you write down what you want less of in your life and what you want more of, and I share the art of smiling, which is a simple but powerful exercise I do to help change or improve my mood.
I hope you enjoy x
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The home is so important when it comes to living a simpler life as it depicts many of our daily habits.
My guest today is the lovely Angela Foong, one third of the sister trio behind the beautiful High Tea With Mrs Woo label.
Angela and her architect husband Matt have built a small home on what used to be their neighbour’s garage plot. This deliberate home is more than a roof over their family’s head, it was a home built to create behavioural change.
Angela looked inward and asked the very important question, “What would you like to be doing every day?” Spending time with her family, exploring, camping, cooking, getting outside, creating. So she built a home to allow all that to happen.
Angela and I touch on so many topics in this chat; being thoughtful about money, family values and providing a better future for our kids, simple living and being thoughtfully frugal, and Angela’s wonderful empty pantry pot-luck dinner parties. I personally can’t wait for the next one.
Like many of us, Angela is on the journey to finding the simple life that works for her. The big takeaway here is that Angela has dedicated the time to think about what is important to her, what she values, and then has gone about designing a life, and a home, to complement it.
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Personal debt gradually tightens its grip around us, slowly building up and weighing us down emotionally.
This is exactly what happened to my guest today, Elesha Piper. It didn’t happen over night but she accumulated $15,000 in credit card and personal loans—a large amount of money, but an amount that is so easily achievable.
In this episode Elesha describes how personal debt isn’t a topic we generally like talking about as there is so much shame attached to it. And she hopes that by talking about her debt and how she overcame it, she can help and encourage other people to do the same and free themselves from the emotional rollercoster that debt delivers.
Elesha talks about how she decluttered her finances first and then decluttered her stuff, tips when decluttering and where to start, and we discuss the notion of why women tend to be more affected by clutter than men.
Stuff and money go hand-in-hand. If you’re holding one you generally have less of the other.
I hope you enjoy x
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Our body is communicating to us all the time but too often we don’t listen.
My guest today, Matthew Bate, spent a decade playing Australian Rules Football at the top level for the Melbourne Football Club. For many years he tried to mask what his body was trying to communicate to him by using pharmaceutical drugs, painkillers and sleeping pills, which transformed into an addiction.
Life now looks and feels very different for Matthew, as he has reconnected with his body through food.
This episode is about holistic health and how being healthy allows you to do the things you love with the people you love. Matthew and I talk about seasonal eating, fitness, and being aware of what we eat. Along with anxiety and stress, vulnerability, shame, following your heart, and dealing with the unknown with big life decisions.
Matthew is a wealth of knowledge when is comes to health and food and how our body responds to what we put into it.
I hope you enjoy x
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Simplifying your own life is one thing, but we all know things start getting challenging when we bring our kids and family into the equation.
Today I chat with Denaye Barahona about all things to simplify your family. As a Clinical Social Worker with a specialty in Child and Family Practice and a Ph.D. in Child Development, Denaye is also the voice behind the information packed website simplefamilies.com
We dive into many topics in this episode as Denaye and I talk about simplifying your family in terms of clutter, letting go of difficult items, Denaye’s brilliant Toy Detox Program and the difference between open and closed toys, and not over scheduling our lives and our children’s lives.
We also chat about how kids learn from their parents, positive discipline in the household and the “first then” principal (works wonders), building confidence in our kids by stepping back and not hovering, and one of my favourites—family meal time. If you have difficulties with food and your little ones eating you might want to try how Denaye feeds her children.
Denaye is a wealth of knowledge when it comes to simplifying your family and this is an episode full of great tips and ideas touching on many different topics.
I hope you enjoy x
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My guest today is the lovely Rachael Kable, who is a mindfulness mentor, blogger and host of the wonderful Mindful Kind podcast, where she shares great tips and her journey into mindfulness to help people around the world to live more mindfully.
If you’re new to mindfulness, feel like you are always busy being busy, or suffer from anxiety, then I think you will really enjoy this episode, as Rachael opens up about her journey into mindfulness and shares some wonderful tips and resources to help people getting started.
In this episode Rachael and I dive into the inner talk that we all have, how we can find ourselves constantly thinking about the future, and planning on always trying to be better.
One of the tips I really loved was the Breathing Waltz, which is where you breathe in for three, hold for three, and breathe out for three—so simple but yet so powerful.
Rachael is a fun thinker and I love it that she doesn’t take herself too seriously.
I hope you enjoy x
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The road less travelled isn’t always an easy one to walk, but it does do wonders for your soul.
My guest today, Joe Fairleigh, is a father, surfing guide, and a student of life. I gravitate towards Joe, as I love his outlook on life, the type of questions he asks himself, and the way he approaches parenthood.
This is a deep conversation on many levels, and in this episode Joe and I get stuck into many interesting topics including; health and happiness, teaching kids to tackle fear and learn life skills via sport, scaring yourself when you start to feel numb, the simpleness to asking yourself big questions, letting go of control, the importance of movement, the maintenance of physical possessions, and the beautiful lessons of fatherhood.
If you have ever asked yourself the question, “What is this life all about?” then I think you’ll really like this episode. You never know, the answer might be quite simple.
I hope you enjoy x
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Simple living looks different for everyone. What does it look like for you?
In this episode I chat with Clare Short who is a wife, mother of two, and someone that is navigating her way through simple living. If that description sounds very similar to you, well that is exactly why I wanted to have Clare on the podcast today. To share the ups and downs, little strategies and resources which have helped her and hopefully will help you.
Clare talks about how she first eased her way into simple living by doing the 40 bags in 40 days challenge, a fun game and something I hadn’t heard of before. We also chat about decision fatigue when we don’t know where to start so we just don’t start at all, simple living and parenting, and that natural progression from living more with less to simplifying our food and being more mindful about our waste.
Clare also shares many of the resources that she turns to for inspiration and motivation including Marie Kondo, Joshua Becker, Courtney Carver and her project 333, the wonderful Slow Home Podcast and the book Simplicity Parenting by Kim John Payne.
This is an episode to really let you know you’re not alone, and however you are personally doing simple living, is the best way.
I hope you enjoy x
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One of the easiest ways to learn is to listen to people that have done it before you. We often do this when it comes to learning new skills for a profession—we do an apprenticeship, attend university or have a tutor.
So why don’t we listen to people about living life, as it seems to be one of the most challenging adventures we are all trying to navigate through.
My fun conversation today is with Emrys Westacott, who is the professor of philosophy at New York’s Alfred University. Emrys’ most recent book is titled The Wisdom of Frugality, where he examines why, for more than two millennia, so many philosophers and people with a reputation for wisdom have been advocating frugality and simple living as the key to the good life.
In this episode Emrys and I discuss how simple living has changed over the centuries, the role our expectations play, simple pleasures, and holding our materialistic desires in check. Along with the importance friendship has on our happiness and one of Emrys’ classes, Tightwaddery: The Good Life on a Dollar a Day.
I thoroughly enjoyed this conversation and tapping into all of Emrys’ wisdom.
I hope you enjoy x
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What changes can you make in your life today that will enable you to live immediately?
That is really the essence of the episode this week.
My guest today is Ricki Coleman, a man, who at his heaviest, weighted 130 kilograms. Ricki lost his father at a young age, he turned to excessive eating and alcohol to numb the feeling, to the point where his weight had paralysed him from living the life he truly wanted to live.
But Ricki’s story is so much more than lost kilograms. It is about taking control of your life, making the decision to change and allowing that change to slowly happen. Ricki talks about the importance of a support network, getting back on the pushbike to clear his head, and learning patience.
The change we need to make can often be simple, but that doesn’t make it easy. Every change will come with its own challenges, it will push us and make us question if we really want the change to take place, even if we know we will benefit from the outcome of the change.
We might not all have 45 kilograms to lose, but I am sure we all have self-limiting beliefs or fears that are holding us back just as much.
What change will you make today?
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My guest today, Frances Trussell, is one of the leading mindfulness and meditation teachers in the UK and I personally had an absolute blast chatting with her.
We cover so much in this conversation including, mindful eating, being mindfully happy, how we always wait for the perfect conditions in life, travelling through life with our blinkers on, and the relationship between mental health and mindfulness.
Frances gives some great mindfulness tips when dealing with teenage kids, mindfulness and being a parent, and how our bad days filter through to our kids.
We also touch on Paradise Syndrome, which is when we achieve everything but we’re still not happy.
If you are new to meditation or simply want a different guided meditation, then please check out Frances’ podcast, Mindfully Happy, in the show notes below. She has a bunch of little series and in each there are five and ten minute meditations. I love my morning meditation with Frances.
There are so many great takeaways in this episode and Frances has such a beautiful and fun vibe.
I hope you enjoy x
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Money is an interesting element in our society—we seem to work so hard to acquire it, often not knowing why we want it, and simply believing we need more of it.
In today’s episode I have a wonderful chat with Samantha Doove about the rich life and how money is only a small ingredient of it.
We cover a lot in this episode as Sam and I discuss the real cost of things, not just the money cost but also the time and mental costs, the balancing dance between money and time, the benefits of experimenting and testing things in your own life, and the juggle between kids and work.
Sam also touches on this notion of knowing your number, that financial dollar amount that you need to live on each year, that once you know “the number” it can help with making other life decisions. Sam also talks about the importance of recording what you spend, analysing what you spend your money on, and then comparing that with your values.
This was a fun chat and I love it that Sam has made some financial decisions that might not have been the best financially but they have allowed her to enjoy her kids again, which is the best kind of decision in my book.
I hope you enjoy x
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If you are a long time listener of the Live Immediately Podcast or even if you’ve only listened to a handful of episodes, I am certain that you’ve heard me say, many times, that “time is the true currency”. It really is the cornerstone of Live Immediately. That we only have this moment, right now, to do the things we love with people we love.
Many people have asked me about this notion of time, as they continuously feel busy. Through all their questions, the underlining theme is, “How can I reclaim some of my time back.”
In this episode I talk about three simple ways to take back your time, three simple techniques that I learnt, or was forced to lean, that have been huge game changers for me.
All three of these techniques are free and you could implement them into your daily life starting today.
Let me know how you go and what you end up doing with all your additional available time.
I hope you enjoy x
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I had a blast talking at the Idea Bombing Newcastle event last week to kick off the Hunter Innovation Festival. It was exciting to hear so many ideas being passed around the room, and to meet a wonderful collection of people that want to create change.
The change I created in my life started when I purged the excess, the items and stuff that I mindlessly accumulated over the years. The interesting thing is, I didn’t start purging items to change, I didn’t start purging items so we could slow travel around North America for a year, I didn’t start purging items so I could spend more time doing the things I love with people I love. But all of that, and more, happened because I let go of things I didn’t need in my life. All those wonderful changes and experiences were bi products of living more with less.
I try to cover a lot in a short amount of time and there is a bit of background noise as the Edwards was quite full. But hopefully this talk will help you create change in your life.
Just send me an email if you have any questions or an event you’d like me to speak at. I’d be happy to help.
I hope you enjoy x
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Today I have a beautiful conversation with Hope Zvara, who has experienced the most heartbreaking of things any parent could go through. But what I truly admire about Hope is how she decided to learn the most wonderful lessons throughout her ordeals.
In this episode Hope describes the eating disorder she had during her younger years, the messages we observe in our childhood, and how the yoga mat became a safe place for her to practice how to live life again.
There are some things we should never experience, and having your child die in your arms would have to be at the top of that list.
As you will hear, I was moved deeply when Hope shared her story of her first daughter Faith and how she only lived in this world for twenty minutes. Something that I feel would be the hardest thing for any parent to go through.
But how Hope reframed this situation to herself, believing that “there has to be a reason for this”, is simply beautiful. Hope saw the death of her first child Faith as a sign. That Faith had sacrificed herself so Hope could fix her illness, look after her body, and go on and have a family of three healthy children.
I am sure the episode is going to touch many people in different ways. I know after I finished the interview I hugged and kissed Andy and Inga, very grateful that they are both healthy and part of my life.
I hope you enjoy x
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We have such a short-term memory when it comes to achievement. We easily forget all that we have done and allow self-doubt and fear to creep back in.
My guest today is fictional author Lauren Sams, and we discuss this notion, or otherwise known as impostor syndrome—the feeling that you’re not good enough or worthy of your accomplishment and worry that you’re going to be exposed as a fraud.
In this episode, Lauren shares her story about becoming a published author and growing through rejection, the selflessness that motherhood brings, and the importance of teaching our children to choose work they love.
We also discuss the philosophy of minimalism and how it has less to do with the amount of things you own and more about what you value in life. We also touch on being optimistic through adversity, and positively reframing the story we tell ourselves.
Like all parents, Lauren has moments where she feels crazy, busy, guilty, but she is mindful of being completely present when she is with her children. Something, I am sure we could all try to do more often.
I hope you enjoy x
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To me the “rat race” isn’t about working a 9 to 5. It is about living your life by default—simply going through the days, doing the things you do, without much thought. We often do this because we’re programmed to think that we are just one more purchase away from being happier, better, higher up the social platform.
But we all know this isn’t the case.
My guest today is Lisa Luken and we discuss this notion of living life by default and how when we simplify our life we can see what is truly important. We can make changes, sometimes big leaps of faith, in a direction where we are deliberately living—that we don’t need to wait until “someday”, that today can be that day.
Lisa and I also discuss the concept of easy. That often “easy is the default” that simple living isn’t always easy, but it does make you feel like you’re living.
This is an episode that will make you think and question what it is in your life that you truly want. Lisa decided to simplify her life so she can fill it with family travel memories.
What do you want to fill your life with?
I hope you enjoy x
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The death of a parent would be life altering at any stage of your life, but more so when it happens suddenly and you’re in your adolescence.
My guest today, Audrey Wanders, had the unfortunate experience of dealing with her father’s death when she was only fifteen.
The road definitely wasn’t easy as Audrey felt a lot of guilt, she would shut people out and she had to navigate the growing pains of youth without her father. But listening to Audrey’s beautiful story, her father left her with so many gifts and helped shape her life from the inside.
Audrey and I pack a lot into this conversation as we hold hands and jump into the deep-end from the beginning. We discuss growing in discomfort, the importance of reflection, minimalism and asking that important question, “does this add value to my life?”, Audrey’s 31 Days of Nature challenge, microadventures, building habits around mental health, putting passion before your paycheque, and so much more.
Audrey is creating her path and walking on it daily. Winding it around her passion of kids, nature and living more with less.
I hope you enjoy x
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The modern life is a busy one, and more often than not, it feels like we are being pulled in all different directions. We’re busy, but we don’t feel like we get anything done. Often thinking, am I succeeding at work, am I being the best parent, am I a good partner, am I simply good enough.
My guest today, Apryl Schlueter, wants to take you on a journey to the cheerful mind. Because Apryl was being pulled in all directions, was feeling overwhelmed, was getting angry and frustrated, complaining when things didn’t go the way she wanted them to as she had put in so much effort, and she was tied.
Until something completely changed her mindset. Apryl realised that “being happy is actually one of the ingredients to be more productive”. When she changed her thoughts on a situation her productivity levels changed too.
Apryl and I dive deep into this notion, of increased productivity through happiness, along with listening to our bodies, self-care, having a positive mindset, and the ridiculous guilt that we often put ourselves through.
I completely agree with Apryl when she says, “Have more fun, while getting stuff done.” And I really do hope that it is one of the lessons you takeaway from this lovely conversation with a beautiful and cheerful woman.
I hope you enjoy x
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We often hear from people that have succeeded, that have done something or gone through a process and come out the other side. But we rarely hear from people at the beginning of their journey—people who are going through the same issues that we are going through.
This is why I really wanted to chat to my guest today, Leigh Campbell, as she is at the beginning of her minimalist journey. She is going through all the struggles, battling a “hoarding husband”, and dealing with the challenges of changing her habits. Those same rocky hurdles that we all face and that we all need to get over at some point.
Leigh and I cover a lot in this episode: how everyone’s journey is different, fast fashion and the quick joy we get from shopping, decision fatigue, the link between physical clutter and mental clutter, along with the 30 day no shopping and no wearing the same outfit twice challenge that Leigh is doing.
Leigh is honest and open about how she stuffs up sometimes and that there are still areas in her life that she needs to work on. But that is the beautiful message in this episode—that we don’t need to be perfect or have things a certain way all the time. But we do need to be aware of our actions. Because when we do things on autopilot we numbingly fill our life up with things we don’t need.
I love it how Leigh is questioning the things she has in her life, and doing it in her own beautiful way.
I hope you enjoy x
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There are many things that we neglect in our life when we are busy being busy or when we are not mindful of what we are doing each day. In this episode my guest, Gary Ware, and I discuss one very important element that many people neglect, something that can have a huge effect on all areas of your life—play.
In this episode Gary and I discuss the relationship between happiness, success and choice, learning from play, the importance of play, growing through play, and living a life of gratitude.
Gary is charismatic, fun and someone who is going to power-up your day with a little play.
I hope you enjoy x
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Living more with less has been a real game changer for me and this deliberate way of living has had many beautiful consequences on my life.
Many people have been asking me what I think the benefits of living more with less are, and even though I believe the benefits of living more with less are individual for everyone, I have seen four fundamental benefits of living more with less in my own life that I fell would be quite universal to everybody.
In this short solo episode I discuss the four fundamental benefits of living more with less.
If you do feel that living more with less could be beneficial to you but you don’t know where to start, or you have some questions, then please reach out, as I would be more than happy to help you in any way I can.
I hope you enjoy x
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I am mixing it up a little bit in this episode as my good friend, Jeff Sandquist, is taking on the hosting duties. I interviewed Jeff for the Live Immediately Podcast way back in episode one, and I first met Jeff when my family and I were on our year adventure through North America.
I was on a Skype call with Jeff the other day and he suggested that he guest host an episode of my podcast and interview me. I had no idea what questions he was going to ask and it is quite free flowing.
Jeff starts off with a fast 20-question game to get to know me a little, and then he dives into this notion of FUN.
Fun is a big component of my life and my personality, and it is something that Jeff and I have been discussing a lot lately with each other. Even though fun has been part of my DNA for a long time, it was Jeff who raised it with me and really got me thinking about fun in a different way.
Some key takeaways from this episode would be, to start things with no expectations so whatever happens is going to be great and surprising, and to intentionally look for fun in everything that you do.
This was a fun episode to record and I am so thankful to have people like Jeff in my life that try to pull the best out of me and get me thinking about things in a different way.
I am sure you’re going to learn some new things about me, and I hope you look for and create a bunch of fun in your day today.
I hope you enjoy x
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I love being around people that inspire me and make me think. My guest today, Justin Smith, is definitely one of those people. Our paths only crossed a few weeks ago, at an event I was hosting in my hometown of Newcastle. Justin and I connected after the event and I simply loved that this guy, in his mid-twenties, was already asking some big questions of himself, and that he had the courage to make some changes in his life that meant detouring from the so called normal path.
In this episode, Justin and I discuss human connection, wearing multiple professional hats, work life integration, the importance of mentors, and adding value to the lives of the people around us.
Justin also goes into the five value pillars that he guides his life by. One point I really loved about this was his notion that the skill of contentment is so important when striving for growth and betterment. That we need to be happy with what we have, before we can grow and be better.
Justin grows, and helps the people around him grow, through the questions he asks himself and the changes he is willing to make.
I hope you enjoy x
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In a fast passed world of trying to be everything to everyone, my guest today, Brooke McAlary, has one word for you – Slow.
Brooke is the author of the new book “DESTINATION SIMPLE – Everyday Rituals For A Slower Life”, host of the hugely successful and #1 iTunes podcast, The Slow Home Podcast, and co-founder of the independent podcast company, Jack Rabbit FM, that she launched with her husband Ben a couple of years ago. Ben was also a guest on the Live Immediately Podcast way back in episode four. I have linked to his episode in the show notes. It is well worth a listen as Ben touches on his thoughts around the alignment of health, happiness and heart.
Brooke has had a massive influence on my life, as it was the lessons I learnt, from her conversations with her guests, that really helped me to shape my thoughts, start asking questions, and create beautiful change in my life over the past few years.
There is so much in this episode, I don’t know where to start. Brooke and I discuss postnatal depression, suicidal thoughts, being led by ego, comparing ourselves unfairly, the beauty in decluttering and the mental white space it brings, becoming present, and the importance of being comfortable with being uncomfortable.
Brooke also goes into detail and explains two words that have had a simple, yet enormous impact on my life – Rhythm and Tilting.
I love Brooke as she is carving out her own path - One that isn’t always easy, but one where she is paying attention and being present.
This is an episode you’ll want to re-listen to, and when you finish listening, I hope you find pockets of slow in your day.
I hope you enjoy x
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We often feel like we have ticked all the boxes of social expectation, but we still have this feeling of emptiness. We keep trying to chase that imaginary finishing line.
My guest today, Lynne Welch, is a girl from the suburbs of Sydney, who felt like she had ticked all the boxes of social expectation. That age-old question, “So now what?” came into her mind. But unlike many of us, Lynne decided to explore the world to see if she could find the answer.
Lynne, who feels more comfortable and at home in a foreign place, now runs two businesses in the Indian town of Ladakh, which is at the foothills of the Himalayas and has no road access for seven months of the year during winter.
Lynne and I piece together her epic travel adventures and discuss designing a lifestyle around flexibility, going into the unknown without expectations, working through cultural differences, and crowd funding a new school.
I love Lynne’s easy going, lets see what happens, caring attitude. And if you are anything like me, by the end of this podcast you will want to travel to the remote town of Ladakh to see its beauty and enjoy the simple things in life.
I hope you enjoy x
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Crossroads appear throughout our lives, some are created by particular moments, and others we go searching for. And that decision on which way to turn, is more challenging at some points than others, but it is that willingness and determination to change that enables us to grow.
My guest today, Will Ainsworth, has made some big, positive, and important changes in his life. After watching his father die by the bottle, and realising he was potentially walking a similar path, Will broke this vicious family cycle right before his first son was born. This positive change rippled throughout his entire life.
In this episode we discuss knowing your purpose, being forced to make a change, breaking habits by replacing them with better ones, and working on being optimistic.
I admire Will for being very open and raw on quite a personal and sensitive topic, and I love the life that he has designed for himself and his family.
I hope you enjoy x
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The universal language is love, and my guest today, Julie Muir, a city girl from Dublin, found hers while backpacking around South America. Julie’s journey of love carried her around the globe and eventually brought her to the sandy shores of Australia.
In this episode Julie and I discuss being open to new and different experiences, paying forward the goodwill you receive while traveling, learning to live with less, and the life lessons we learn by travelling.
Julie is a lover of love with a big heart. And if you are anything like me you’ll be mesmerised by her beautiful Irish accent.
I hope you enjoy x
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Let me start with one big ask. If you are a parent, please really listen to this episode, as it includes many important factors for raising our children.
My insightful, beautiful, and profoundly articulate guest today, Claire Dunn, is a student of nature.
Claire is the author of the book “MY YEAR WITHOUT MATCHES – Escaping the city in search of the wild”, where she spent a year off grid in a wilderness survival camp.
In this episode, Claire and I discuss her experience in living in the wilderness for a year, the mysterious pull that we feel, and the sacred order of survival.
But where my heart lies in this conversation is when we start discussing rewilding, where we need to rediscover our wildness, and the beautiful and very import notion of bringing up nature connected kids.
Claire is a deep thinker, but not simply in the back corners of her mind, but deep into her soul. I personally took so much away from this conversation and I know you will too.
I hope you enjoy x
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We have all had one of those days. You come home from the office and you start questioning everything – “Is this what I want to be doing?”, “Is there something more?”, “How can I make a change in my life?”
And then you throw out a crazy idea to your partner. ”Hey honey, why don’t we renovate a vintage trailer and travel the United States for a year?”
For most of us, we let that crazy idea pass and go about our normal evening.
But what I love about my guests today, Melissa and Carson, is that they ran with the crazy idea and did just that. They spent over a year renovating a 1968 FAN travel trailer, and then spent a year on the road with their Goldendoodle, Costello, spending each week in a different state, picking up local colour along the way.
In this episode we discuss going with the crazy idea, the beauty in planning and growing before the adventure has even begun, living with less, and taking the choice away from ourselves to build better habits.
Melissa and Carson are a bunch of fun and are very honest about their year in a Tiny House On Wheels.
I hope you enjoy x
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It is no secret that I love travelling and that it is a big part of my life. My family and I packed, donated or sold everything we owned in Australia to head off on a year adventure through North America, where we didn’t pay for accommodation.
This time last year, home for us was a log cabin, in the middle of the Northwoods of Wisconsin, in a town called Clam Lake, which has a population of 37 people.
We learn and grow so much when we travel, and this is what my guest today, Amanda Kendle, and I really dive into – those lessons on the road and how we can implement them into our daily life.
In this episode we discuss the beautifulness of short-term perspective, making changes in your life even when things are great, travelling slowly, and choosing the bigger life.
Amanda is the host of the Thoughtful Travel Podcast and also has the travel blog, Not A Ballerina, which she has run for over 11 years.
I hope you enjoy x
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We all too often are tangled in the web of life. Feeling like we are suffocating from the expectations of others and the ones we put on ourselves, our endless list of priorities, and that constant need to be connected.
In this episode I have a wonderful chat with occupational therapist, speaker, mother and author of the new book – Switch Off: How to Find Calm in a Noisy World – Angela Lockwood.
I loved this conversation so much as Angela and I go deep on a lot of topics that I feel so strongly about – The importance of slowing down, how we spend our time, creating boundaries around technology use, supporting children’s growth with our time, creating a habitat for health, how our behaviours are teaching our children, and so much more.
This is such a fun and knowledge packed episode, and one that I have been super excited to share with you.
Angela is such a beautiful person and someone who genuinely want to help people, especially kids, to grow and be happy and fulfilled in their lives.
I hope you enjoy x
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At this time of year we often look ahead, set a number of goals, resolutions, things we want to achieve and things we want to change. Usually these are centred on looking better, feeling better or getting more of something.
We attempt to map out the entire year looking at it as a whole entity, from a distance, like it is complete.
But our year isn’t complete, it has just begun. And our year, like our life, is simply made up of many days.
In this solo episode I talk about the exercise I did to determine my perfect day and discuss the importance of outlining our perfect day. How once we know what our perfect day looks like we can determine the changes we need to make with our current daily actions to align more closely with our perfect day.
I hope you try the exercise and discover what your perfect day looks like and the changes you need to make in your day to live it.
I would love to know how you go with it so make sure you flick me an email with your perfect day outline and if you have any questions I am here to help and I would be super excited to.
I hope you enjoy x
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Anxiety seems to be an issue that keeps surfacing through a lot of the conversations I have with people, this heaviness that some people are living with. But often that moment when they are diagnosed with anxiety and they start to take action to fix or manage it is a pivotal moment in their life.
My guest today is Kylie Aloi, is one of those people. Her journey of learning how to manage her anxiety lead her to a place where she now lives by following her values, understanding what is important to her, and living the life she wants to live and not one that she is expected to live.
In this episode, Kylie talks openly about understanding that anxiety is part of her personality, calling off her wedding four weeks out and the freeing feeling it created for her, being in tune with your values, along with some tips on how people can discover their own values.
I really appreciate how honest Kylie is during our conversation on a topic that isn’t always the easiest to talk about.
I hope you enjoy x
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“The rut”.
That feeling like you are continuously treading water, moving from one thing, to the next thing, to the next.
It is something we all get stuck in, and if we’re not careful or mindful of our situation, it can cause damage to all other areas of our life – relationships, health, time.
My guest today, Zoe Davis, found herself in one of those ruts, one that had been going on for many years, until her body finally said, enough is enough, and she was bed ridden for two weeks.
Zoe wasn’t able to do anything, but reflect on the situation she was in. Zoe hit a point in her life where she realised she needed to make some changes.
And this is a key point of this episode - Zoe had been stuck in her rut so deeply, that she had neglected health, neglected herself.
Why do we wait so long to make changes in our lives?
Zoe had a massive lump on her right hand, but she kept putting the x-ray off until the pain was too much for her to handle.
That lump, ended up being a Giant Tumour. The doctors had to blast it off and then cut bone from her hip and place it in her hand.
One of the things I love about listening to other people’s stories is that we can learn from them. One of the key things I learnt from Zoe is that we all wait too long to make changes in our lives.
Sometimes we wait until it is too late. We would rather be doing something that is harmful to our health, that is destructive to our lives, than to change - because change means doing things differently.
And that is a huge hurdle we all need to get over.
In this episode we discuss brining mindful of your health, setting goals that aren’t about achievement but purely for enjoyment and happiness, and not ignoring that nagging feeling.
I had the privilege of speaking to Zoe a week after she returned home from the hospital, and I absolutely love her attitude and this beautiful optimistic outlook that she now carries through every aspect of her life.
I hope you enjoy x
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This is a conversation I have really been looking forward to and sharing with everyone, as I believe we all need to have a hard look at our financial health.
I strongly believe that if people knew more about money, if they knew how it works, to live within their means, to not constantly live in a state of money stress, and money fatigue, then they could eradicate their money issues.
And if we eradicate our money issues, I believe we would also eradicate a lot of the family fighting, as a lot of the augments stem from money issues or money issues amplify other problems.
And if we could stop the family augments, this would mean more kids are growing up in families that aren’t fighting, more kids are growing up in happy families.
And to me, that is the end goal of everything. To raise kids with smiles on their faces. Because if we raise kids with smiles on their faces. They turn into adults with smiles on their faces. And adults with smiles on their faces don’t start wars - they are compassionate, they are caring.
And if that is not something we should strive for, then I’m lost.
Cait Flanders educates people about Mindful Budgeting, through the lessons she learnt from getting herself out of debt. Cait went on a two-year shopping ban and that was after she was out of debt and has completely turned her life in a different direction. That realisation that more money is not always the answer, but being mindful of where you spend your money and on what, is.
This is a big topic for me as “money” is often what people say holds them back from doing the things they really want to be doing, holding them back from living immediately. But I would argue that what they choose to spend their money on is the thing that holds them back.
Cait has some great tips and my one big ask for this episode is that you have a conversation in your household about money and write down what you spend your money on. You will be amazed at what you learn, and can easily change, from this simple task.
I hope you enjoy x
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Inga, Andy and I returned from our family adventure about a month ago, where we were house and pet sitting our way through North America for a year. It has been wonderful, being back in our little home in Newcastle, walking along the beach and catching up with family and friends.
One question that many people have asked us is, “How are you settling back into reality?”
This is an interesting question for me, so in this episode I thought I would answer it. I am sure there are many people who I don’t get to see face-to-face who would be wondering the same thing too.
I would also love to know what you think of this style of episode. If you like it, I will look at including more solo episodes where I discuss the lessons I have learnt and how I am using them in my own life.
I hope you enjoy x
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When you look back at the people who you have met during your life, there are some who always stick out from the crowd, they are in those fond and happy memories, and they helped nudge your life in a positive direction, where at the time, you didn’t even realise that the nudging was taking place.
My guest today, Kylie Martin, is one of those beacons in my life, as she played a pivotal role in my career into the music industry.
Kylie has had a very successful career in the music industry as head of publicity for leading independent and multinational record companies, starting her own publicity company, Martini Media, publicist for ARIA and their 30th Anniversary Awards, along with being Kylie Minogue’s publicist for umpteen years.
And as much as we do discuss Kylie’s journey through the music industry, we really dive deep when Kylie shares her journey into motherhood and discovering that her baby boy has autism.
Kylie is honest and frank, as only Kylie could be, as she discuses being fearful of her son’s future, how worrying can lead to life improvements, moving out of Sydney to help bring calmness to her son, being at her best when she is busy, and the definition of autism from a mother who has a child with autism.
Kylie is a stack of fun, and you can often hear her coming by the sound of her infectious laugh. My days are always better with Kylie in them, and I know yours will be too.
I hope you enjoy x
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I am a believer that the beautifulness in life is surrounded by the people you meet.
My guest today is a dear friend of mine, Tom Glafcke. Who I had the pleasure of meeting and becoming deep friends with, when my family and I were housesitting a log cabin in the northwoods of Wisconsin.
Tom describes his life as, “ordinary by many people’s standards”. But through the many conversations I had with him, the stories that he shared, and the lessons that I have learnt from him, I believe his life is anything but ordinary.
Tom is in his mid 60s, a lover of nature, solitude and people. This episode is full of life wisdom - lessons that you only learn through time, experience and actively living life.
Tom shares stories about living a deliberate life, walking through life with optimism, the aliveness that struggle makes you feel, and that love really is the answer.
There is a beautiful simplicity about the way Tom has deliberately chosen to live his life. And it is this simplicity, this rawness of happiness and love that draws me to this beautiful human.
I hope you enjoy x
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There are many things I dislike about social media, but one of the positives for me is how you can learn from someone else’s normal life.
My guest today, Natalie Walton, is far from normal as she juggles four children and just as many businesses. But her life, her day to day, her school runs, meal times, waking babies are all normal to her - but I have learnt so much from her experiences, through her photos and articles that she writes.
About a year ago, Natalie, her husband and now four children moved out of Sydney to the hinterland of the Central Coast. And from what I can tell, for no apparent reason. They weren’t leaving the city because they hated it, they weren’t moving for a career, the opportunity presented itself and it gave them a chance to simply try something new.
I thoroughly enjoyed this conversation as Natalie discussed her tree change and adjusting to the countryside, getting the kids involved and co-parenting, reasons for limiting the amount of toys her children have, and her love of meal time with her family.
Natalie is a creative in all areas of her life, and like all mothers she dreams of more sleep but still cherishes the morning wakeups from her little ones.
I hope you enjoy x
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We all have choices in our lives and often when we say we can’t do something, it is because we have already said yes to something else.
Just like that old saying, “You can have everything, just not all at the same time.”
My guest today, Evie Farrell, had been saving up to renovate her kitchen. And even though she had gone through the design process, flicked through countless magazines and walked through many showrooms, she just couldn’t bring herself to spend her money on a new kitchen.
Evie kept thinking, that in ten years time, her daughter would not thank her for giving her a new kitchen. But she would thank her for giving her the experience of traveling through Asia for 18 months with her.
So that is what she did. Evie packed up her life in Sydney and spent the kitchen money on an 18 month adventure through Asia with her 6 year old daughter.
In this episode we talk about stepping sideways in life, the material waste that we have in our lives, the joy of travelling with kids, and how making things happen isn’t as hard as people think it is.
Evie made the best decision in my mind as a beautiful kitchen table is determined by the people around it, and not the material it is made out of.
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One of the key elements of living immediately is to be deliberate with our actions, mindful of the direction we are heading in.
My guest today is Ben Gray, a great guy who loved life in Australia with his wife and two kids. But he also had this feeling that he didn’t want to be living the same day for the next 65 years. So a few years back he decided to spice things up a little and pack the family up in a motorhome and travel across North America.
As exciting as his adventure was, I personally gravitated towards Ben because of the way he has decided to live his life since his road trip. He has recently purchased a property in the countryside of Canada to allow his kids to grow surrounded by nature and to help instil his three C’s - Curiosity, Creativity and Courageousness
In this episode we discuss living a predictable life, chasing the imaginary finishing line, and the importance of setting a date to achieve your dreams.
Ben is as laidback as you’d expect any boy from the Sutherland Shire of Sydney to be, and a great father trying to guide his kids through life with as many experiences as possible.
I hope you enjoy x
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The fast pass of work and long hours in the office can have a huge affect on all aspects of your life. And this is exactly what my guest today, Stacey Clare, discovered after spending years working late and not thinking about the food she was putting into her body or how she was treating herself.
But that all changed after the birth of her first baby.
Having a baby is a joyful moment, a journey where a woman becomes a mother. And as joyful as it was for Stacey to have her first child, it was also full of complications that lead to her baby being born at 32 weeks and only weighing 1.38kgs.
The poor health of her baby meant that Stacey needed to do something that no parent should have to do. A month after bringing her baby home from the hospital, she found him not breathing in his cot. A heart wrenching sight for any parent to see. Stacey had to put her fingers around his little chest and push down, performing CPR on him to bring life back to his little body - Which, thankfully, she did.
But through all this, Stacey knew that she needed to change her ways by focussing on her health and the food she puts into her body, so she could raise her baby boy in a healthy way.
Stacey was so passionate about this change in her life that she dove deeper and studied nutrition, started her company Stacey Clare – A Healthy Mum, and is now a Health and Nutrition coach helping other mothers and families on their health journey.
We also discus something that I really loved - Family Gratitude Journal that Stacey does each evening at the dinner table with her family. It is something that I will be starting at our dinner table too.
The Skype connection is a little robotic in parts, but stay with it as Stacey is a bundle of joy that is teaching happiness through food, one plate at a time.
I hope you enjoy x
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We often want to do things in a particular way, but if that way means that we can’t do that thing until many years into the future, than maybe we need to make concessions with our dream so that it becomes a reality sooner.
And to make this happen my guest today, Tricia Leach, host of the Keep Your Daydream Podcast, proposes a simple question;
What can you do right now?
Through her podcast, Tricia shares inspiring stories of people who have left the so called normal life to pursue their travel dreams and unique lifestyle. When we embarked on our family adventure, to housesit our way through North America for a year, Tricia’s, Keep Your Daydream Podcast made me feel normal – knowing that there were similar people and families that had chosen to travel, to try something new, and to enjoy and learn from the travelling lifestyle.
I initially wanted to reach out to Tricia as, along with her husband Marc, they have decided to pack up their three kids and 16 year-old dog in an RV to hit the open road for six months, travelling around the United States.
I wanted to know how someone with teenage kids could design their life to enable that to happen.
But as I started to dig deeper into her story, I realised there was so much more to tell.
I discovered that there was a journey, of pushing through adversity, brought on by the global financial crisis. That Tricia and her family needed to, as she puts it, stop feeding the shredder.
In this episode we discus prioritising what is important, stepping out of the commercialised dream, transforming from putting value into things, to placing value on experiences, setting a date to make things happen and only having 18 summers with your children.
I thought I was going to talk about travel with Tricia, but she gave so much more. As travelling isn’t about seeing different places, it is about growing from experiences.
Tricia is energetic, warm and a mother who simply wants to rip the curtains open each morning to go exploring with her family, and to see what the world will teach her today.
I hope you enjoy x
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As many of you know, Inga, Andy and I have been attempting to house and pet sit our way through North America for a year. As much as people we meet say that it is such a wonderful idea and way to travel, we had never met another house sitter before in person.
That was until we met my guest today, Julie Preston, at a park in Frisco, Colorado, and we formed a friendship immediately.
There were so many similarities with our journeys. We were both traveling with a child, we love the variety and experiences new towns bring, and more importantly, we all adored animals.
But as our friendship grew over the months it became apparent that Julie and her husband Dean were doing this for different reasons to Inga and I.
Julie has been house and pet sitting, on and off, for over a decade, and it was something that she continued to do when she first met Dean. They paused for a few years until Dean was laid off from his work due to the crash in the economy, a week before their daughter Abby was born.
They started housesitting again, as they needed to reinvent the wheel for their family. Where Inga and I are housesitting so we can afford to travel for a year. Julie and Dean needed to house sit again so they could afford to live.
I admire Julie and Dean on so many levels. They have turned an awful life circumstance into a wonderful blessing, and one that allows them to travel and spend more time with their daughter, Abby.
It is not easy and there are many challenges that they face by choosing this lifestyle, but they understand, that for now, this transit lifestyle, the experiences, the education, outweighs the challenges.
We cover so much in this episode including housesitting due to the economy, life on the road with a seven-year-old daughter, finding stability, the challenges with a non-digital job on the road, finding free activities to do in each community and so much more.
Julie looks for the wonders in life, and she finds most of them in her family, or hiking through the mountains.
I hope you enjoy x
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Sometimes we don’t know we’re looking for something until we find it. And even then, we still need to act upon it.
Tosha Kowalski found a sticker on the ground at the SXSW festival in 2013 that read;
Quit your day job
See the world
Fall in love
Find yourself
Now this sticker was apparently everywhere at the festival and there would have been other people that saw it too - but it somehow resinated with Tosha. And since that day she has been designing her life and acting in a way that aligns with the message of that sticker.
In this episode we discuss taking that leap of faith and how the first step is always the hardest, how Tosha found herself on the Appellation Trail and how the 3,500km hike changed her, adjusting back to normality after being in the woods for four months, and curating a life where she sprinkles adventure with reality.
Tosha is a strong woman that navigates life via acute corners, wrong turns and dead ends.
I hope you enjoy x
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I am always intrigued with what some people can squeeze into each day. Not simply the amount that they can achieve but the way they go about juggling it all.
Lee Sutherland is one of those people that I admire with how she goes about her day and her commitment to delivering. It might not be textbook, but it is the way that works for her. And in my mind, this is one of the key principles of a life lived immediately – To be actioning now in a way that works for you.
Lee turned her obsession of health and fitness, from a side project that she was doing in her spare time, into a thriving community and business. And as that business, Fitness In The City, was expanding, she decided to launch her second business, the organic herbal tea company, Little Wildling Co, and give birth to her first child – Lee is a master juggler.
In this episode we discuss feeding your passion, creating the life you want to live, business and a baby, and growing in your life.
Lee is super fun and energetic, and if you are listening to this while walking, it will be impossible for you to not walk faster.
I hope you enjoy x
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What is your ideal day? What does it look like? What are the key things that you are doing? Who are you spending it with?
More importantly, did you do anything today that resembles your ideal day?
My guest today is Anthony Ongaro, and the essence of an ideal day is one of the topics we dive into, and it is a notion I have been thinking a lot about lately.
Anthony felt that he had a lot of twitches in his life. Little things that he would do, that by themselves aren’t that bad. But done over a long period of time, meant that his actions weren’t aligned with how he wanted to live and experience life.
Anthony broke these twitches and replaced them with healthier, more important daily habits. And similar to his bad twitches, his good habits by themselves aren’t life changing. But done over a long period of time, they have enabled him to live life that is more aligned with his ideal day and life vision.
In this episode we chat about the positive space that minimalism can leave, personal accountability, trying to find the equilibrium between our present self and our future self, and so much more.
I had a lot of fun with Anthony and he took our conversation to a lot of places I wasn’t quite expecting. But as always with Anthony, he invoked a lot of thought, but I left feeling far richer for the experience.
I hope you enjoy x
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You can think about something and put it off. But ultimately you need to just do it.
That is exactly what Matt and Alana did when they finally made the decision to travel the world for two years.
They are both former full-time world travellers, transitioning back into the U.S. way of life, making the most out of their vacation time and getting the best bang for your buck in America and also abroad.
It is the former full-time world travellers that really made me take notice of Matt and Alana, as we often hear about the pre travel excitement and all the new and wonderful things that we experience while travelling. But the coming home story and everything that goes with it, is often untold.
In this episode we dive into finding minimalism on the road, having a generic plan but leaving room for the unknown, putting a pause on the future and living for the now, and being at peace with coming home.
This couple learnt so much while exploring our great big globe.
I hope you enjoy x
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People come across our path every day. Some we notice and some we simply don’t even register. I definitely noticed Sarah Jensen when our paths crossed and I was drawn in by her rawness and honesty.
And in this episode, Sarah gets raw and honest right from the beginning in such a beautiful way, as she talks openly about her earlier struggles in life.
We chat about deserving love, changing the story you tell yourself, learning to love yourself, forgiveness and the best way to order at a restaurant.
Sarah is a passionate advocate for empowering women to get clear, get inspired and live their dreams. She is a sought after life coach, internationally published writer and creator of the popular Rock Your Goals online course and award winning Rock Your Goals workshops.
And if that is not enough, she is also the host of the Rock Your Goals Podcast.
Sarah is energetic and lovely in all sense of the word.
I hope you enjoy x
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Ben McAlary is the other half of Brooke McAlary, who is the wonderful host (and teacher) of The Slow Home Podcast.
Both Ben and Brooke have had quite an impact on my life, as it was many of the lessons that I learnt from their podcast and guests, that enabled my family and I to pack, donate or sell most of our belongings in Australia and head off for a year, attempting to house sit our way through North America.
I wanted to chat with Ben as it has been very interesting watching his journey through the podcast, and mainly, because in 2016 he left the security of his job to focus on the podcast and to launch the media company, Jackrabbit.FM.
The audio is a little patchy in some spots, as I recorded this interview from a log cabin in the middle of a national forest in the northwoods of Wisconsin, and Ben was in the mountains of Alberta, Canada - but stay with it as Ben shares his moments and stories, and how he took the leap to steer his life in a direction of meaning and purpose.
Towards the end he touches on the alignment of health, happiness and heart. It is beautiful and something I absolutely agree with.
Ben is a deep thinker with a kind heart.
I hope you enjoy x
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To afford life, the items we desire or the moments we choose to create, we can either make more money, which often leads to working more, increased stress and less time. Or we can reduce our expenses and modify our life. Which does come with its own sacrifices, but it can often lead to working less, reduced stress, more happiness and more available time.
My guest today is Brooke Tebbenhoff, and after spending years, pounding the flesh, at ad agencies in London and Sydney, she opted for the latter, when her partner Benny and her decided to relocate their life to a national park on the mid north coast of New South Wales in Australia.
In this episode we discuss the benefits of a slower life and how even though it is something you might want, it still takes time to be comfortable with the change. Moving at pace with large decisions once you have made them, so you don’t have time to second guess yourself or talk yourself out of it. And how they tackled the employment barrier by opening their own creative agency Heath & Hoff to help local business build successful brands.
I personally find Brooke so inspiring as she went with an idea and makes it work as she learns a long the way.
I hope you enjoy x
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Canna Campbell (no relation) empowers, inspires and educates people about financial wellbeing. She is the sole reason why my wife Inga is even slightly interested in money, investing and reducing debt.
And with over two million views on her Sugar Mamma YouTube channel, Canna is educating people across the globe.
Why is Canna so successful and how does she connect with so many people?
She breaks down the complexity of money into simple terms so anyone can digest it and understand it.
In this episode we discuss minimalism and money, meditation, letting your guard down, and something I really loved – 1800 Help Me calls to friends.
Canna also shares her four financial wellbeing tips, which are; Stay out of personal debt Create a life account Invest in your future Learn your retirement saving plan (super or 401K)
Canna is at the top of her game and she is reinventing the rules.
There are some big nuggets in this one.
I hope you enjoy x
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Jeff Sandquist is someone who took my family and I into a stormwater drain in Minneapolis when I first met him. He is also the host of the Intentionally Wandering Podcast, and someone who has been quite influential in my life over the past 18 months.
In today’s episode, Jeff shares the key dots in his life and the lessons learnt along the way. We discuss dealing with death from an early age, how curiosity creates change, having a flexible focus on life, letting go of control, living with less, and so much more.
I have learnt so much from Jeff, and when you listen to our conversation, you will understand why.
I hope you enjoy x
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We often get in our own way by creating stories in our mind that aren’t true. We think we can’t do something before we have even tried. We push our dreams and desires, our life, to tomorrow. But that day never arrives.
The Live Immediately Podcast is about taking control of today. I have conversations with people who inspire me, who have taught me something, who have helped me grow and who are living life on their own terms. We dive into those big moments that have pushed them through the fears and self-limiting beliefs that hold so many of us back.
I hope these stories encourage people to start today. Everyone’s journey will be different, but there will be no journey if we don’t begin. None of us have control of tomorrow, so why not do something you love and enjoy today?
I hope you enjoy episode zero where I tell you a little bit about myself, the podcast and what you can expect.
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