Seize the Yay

Back after a short break while we were out in the Northern Territory hiking on country along the Larapinta Trail. Soooo much to share from our transformative week without signal or devices, but I probably need a bit longer to be able to find the right words, so I’ll kick off this week with a bit of a hybrid #yaysofourlives episode that we recorded before I left. While I know I just set you up with the three sections for this segment, this week’s guest is so fascinating that our interview was almost as long as a regular episode (and probably should have been), so today’s episode is all about the Yayborhood Watch. Our wonderful yayborhood member, Stephanie Ippel, submitted the most amazing nomination for her fellow Phillip Island local, Mat Bowtell.You may have seen the video already of our visit to his factory on social media (and if you haven’t, watch here), but Mat goes into more depth here about starting Free 3D Hands to make assistive hand devices using 3D printers at a fraction of the cost which he then provides FREE for children around the world. His aim is to make these items at 1/1000th of the cost changing the terrifying static that 90% of the over 1 billion people in the world who needed assistance devices aren’t currently able to access them. The factory is solar powered ad the printers use recyclable plastic, recently advancing to even producing a bionic arm that costs just $100 versus the $30,000 that some equivalents cost to make. And it all unravelled during a pivot from a redundancy - the best kind of yayborhood story. I hope you enjoy as much as I did!And thank you so much again Stephanie for the nomination, I’m relying on you all to dob in your local heroes (especially those who would never nominate themselves for the spotlight they and their work deserves), so keep your eyes peeled! Please email [email protected] with your nominations...+ Announcements on Insta at @spoonful_of_sarah+ Join our Facebook community here+ Subscribe to not miss out on the next instalment of YAY!See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

What a treat we have this week with the melodious voice of Julia Stone coming to your ears – even just her speaking is one of the most beautiful sounds. Unless you’ve literally been living under a rock, you will have definitely heard some of her work (even if you didn’t realise it) including, at the very least, the ubiquitous and ARIA award-winning single, Big Jet Plane, released with her brother Angus in the same year that they won five ARIA awards from nine nominations for their incredible work.But what I’m thrilled to be chatting with Julia about today is her brand-new album, Sixty Summers, and this episode starts with a snippet of one of the featuring songs, Break, which gives you a taste of vibrant and distinctly different sound. Thi sis her third solo album but first that wasn’t launched in between Angus and Julia releases and with the most striking departure into new styles, partnerships and even supporting visuals including a music video with Susan Sarandon and Danny Glover. You know I love getting into conversations about identity, different chapters, outgrowing your past definitions of success and finding new metrics for your happiness so what a perfect time to sit down with this wonderful artist just before this new album comes into the world. As always, it was so enlightening to hear more about the human being behind the household name - I LOVE that part of this show so much. Hopefully you all learn as much as I did about her that you might not have known and you’ll also get a juicy sneak peek of some of the music to come.JULIA'S RELEVANT LINKS HERE+ Follow Julia here+ Announcements on Insta at @spoonful_of_sarah+ Join our Facebook community hereSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

I’m thrilled to be joined by my dear friend, Melissa Ambrosini, to celebrate the launch of her FOURTH and very much needed book, Comparisonitis. In a time where the minute details of everyone else’s lives are more visible than ever, this book is MUST-have guide to arming yourself against the dangers of continual social comparison and self-doubt.Melissa is one of the absolute OG leaders in self-development and wellbeing growing from a Blogspot newbie over a decade ago to multiple bestselling author, podcaster with over 16 million downloads, TEDx speaker and very soon-to-be new mama. It’s quite lovely now that enough time has passed since my move out of corporate to have been able to experience multiple chapters and stages in the lives of people I have been lucky enough to connect with since the early days and I actually interviewed Melissa for her very first book just as she was at my very first speaking gig ever.Mel has taught me so much over the years particularly around self-awareness, boundaries and continual growth and she shares so many of those lessons today. We chat everything from her fascinating earlier days as a dancer at the Moulin Rouge to the weirdest health hacks we’ve tried, the challenges of getting pregnant, and trusting the process. I hope you enjoy!BUY YOUR COPY OF COMPARISONITIS HERE+ Follow Melissa here+ Announcements on Insta at @spoonful_of_sarah+ Join our Facebook community hereSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Our first co-hosted Yays of our Lives episode with two absolute legends Abbey Gelmi (ep 81) and Gemma Watts (ep 85) squeezed in during a girls night catch up that was filled with yay (so how could we NOT record all our musings?) Even in the time that has passed since their respective episodes of the show, many subsequent seeds have come to fruition in their lives so these two made the perfect guests to join us for a chat on patience, hard work and trusting the process.I initially thought this new segment would fall into quite a consistent routine like our regular interview scheduling, but I've actually really enjoyed how different each week has been and LOVED the pace and laughter of having co-hosts on board. As always, however, this is a yayborhood production so I'd LOVE to know if you enjoyed having a few different voices in your ear with some tangential banter (and, if so, I'll start lining up some more co-hosts for the coming weeks). Please never hesitate to flick me your thoughts by DM or email any time, you know I ADORE connecting with you all.+ Announcements on Insta at @spoonful_of_sarah+ Join our Facebook community here+ Subscribe to not miss out on the next instalment of YAY!See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Welcome back lovely yayborhood and thank you for always bearing with me when I take a little break leaving a longer than usually gap between episodes. We had a glorious few days in the countryside over Easter with family switching off completely and I can’t say how good it was for the soul. I think one of the most clarifying things for me over the past year has been to re-evaluate urgency and realise how many false deadlines I imposed on myself - I think I did 70 weeks in a row when we first started the show! I hope you enjoyed the re-release of legend Wim Hof's episode from last year to give you something in your ears, what an absolute hoot he is!I'm so glad I waited that extra week though as I got to record this week’s episode in person which feels a bit like a luxury these days having done so many on Zoom. After voraciously consuming Lucy Glade-Wright’s beautiful content last year to help get us through COVID particularly following her home reno very closely as we started our own, it was a thrill to actually see the results in person and record this in her lounge room. For any fellow homewares and home design lovers out there like myself, Lucy’s amazing business Hunting for George will need no introduction having made waves in the industry since 2010 but in case you haven’t already discovered its wonders, it’s my absolute go-to source for home, design and lifestyle with a growing number of facets including house tours, travel guides and even a renovation TV show.This is only the second time however that Lucy has jumped on a podcast to share the full story of how it has evolved through several earlier chapters from a retail store (which it was when we first met a random local government business dinner) to a product design business and now to a bustling platform for storytelling and it was an absolute delight. She’s another fabulous example of the many unexpected but amazing ways your why will evolve through many different hows if you just trust the process and give things a go. She’s such a good egg and we had some fabulous chuckles on her lounge room floor. I hope you enjoy!WATCH THE A + M HOUSE TOUR HERE+ Follow Lucy here+ Visit Hunting for George here+ Announcements on Insta at @spoonful_of_sarah+ Join our Facebook community hereSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

NOTE: Released May 2020, re-released in April 2021.I’m so excited to have something a little different for you this week – a JOINT podcast episode with Stef and Jess Dadon, the fashion entrepreneurs behind How Two Live, Founders of Twoobs and hosts of their own fabulous, How Two Live podcast. I’ve mentioned that one of the silver linings to come out of isolation this year is the new ways we’ve been finding to connect with each other and I was so stoked when these spectacular sisters reached out with the idea of hosting an episode together.As a solo host (for which there are so many perks which mostly include not making anyone else deal with my last minute antics for editing), I do miss out on the joys of banter with a co-host, so this was an absolute delight not least because the girls are total pros having hosted the likes of Meg Ryan, Erin Brockovich, Dita von Teese and so many more. Add to that the pleasure of a totally invigorating, energetic and overwhelmingly passionate guest like Wim Hof and you’ve got one of my most enjoyable chats to date.I’m so grateful to the girls for sharing this opportunity with me – you might have heard this quote in my episode with Harlan Coben a few weeks ago, nobody has to fail so I can succeed to which I added that success doesn’t halve when you share it, it doubles. I’m a big believer in collaboration and I hope you enjoy the result as much as we did. If you haven’t heard of Wim Hof and his eponymous breathing method that has taken the world by storm, Stef and Jess will give you a run down before we kick off – he is totally quirky but so much fun and an embodiment of seizing his yay. Like all people blazing a new and different trail, there are controversies around some areas of his work, but we focused on the practical, day to day takeaways of his method and on his incredible passion for controlling your happiness and health.He’s so excited about what he does that he shouts most of it the whole way through, which I ADORED! Hope you find him as fascinating as we did.+ Follow Wim Hof here+ Follow How Two Live here+ Announcements on Insta at @spoonful_of_sarah+ Join our Facebook community here+ Subscribe to not miss out on the next instalment of YAY!See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

How crazy but wonderful that we’ve made it to Easter already, I hope you’re all looking forward to a long weekend and have some play to yay scheduled in. This week I’ve got the second guest who was originally scheduled in for International Women’s Day who is an incredibly inspiring and powerful woman and who you’ll very soon hear is well worth the wait.If you’ve been listening long enough to know a bit about how my brain works, you’ll probably notice as quickly as I did how similarly Rey Vakili and I think, with many parallels earlier on in our story like starting studies in law to gratify our inner nerd. Rey, however, went off on an equally non-linear but completely different pathway that in a parallel universe would be my absolute dream life. I’ll let her tell you most of it herself particularly because it’s her VERY FIRST PODCAST, so It’s my privilege to bring you her fascinating story for the first time. But let’s just say, she’s an Ivy League Graduate from Yale University, worked in the International Criminal Court for Sierra Leone, has an MBA from Stanford, worked as ANNA WINTOUR'S ASSISTANT (the Editor in Chief of Vogue) living The Devil Wears Prada in real life, moved from NYC into start ups in London and has now moved back home but she’s just getting started.Buckle in for a serious dose of inspiration!Note: Rey's headphone batteries die at about 13 minutes in so the sound changes (but actually improves) for the rest of the episode.+ Follow Rey here+ Announcements on Insta at @spoonful_of_sarah+ Join our Facebook community hereSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Some birthday reflections on why ageing should be celebrated, not lamented as well as a celebration of the 90th year of the Good Friday Appeal. As we approach Easter, I thought it would be the perfect time to share some deeper insights into how it started, how it's grown over the past 90 years and the incredible impact it has had on children and their families visiting the Royal Children's Hospital. The Good Friday Appeal has raised close to $400 million since it began funding research projects like the Children's Cancer Centre Tissue Bank and Brain Tumour Clinical Trials, equipment like the Neurosurgery microscope and infant warmers for critical care and patient and family centred care focusing not only on physical but also mental health. The Royal Children's Hospital remains one of the top paediatric hospitals in the world. >> CLICK HERE TO FIND OUT MORE AND DONATE <<+ Announcements on Insta at @spoonful_of_sarah+ Join our Facebook community here+ Subscribe to not miss out on the next instalment of YAY!See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

I’m so excited to share one of the women whose praises I could sing over and over who was originally lined up for International Women's Day for the incredible impact she has had on my journey through many different chapters. Dr Alexandra Phelan was a few years ahead of me at Monash University and, as you’ll hear, has a very similar personality combination of "nerdburger vs arty farty" with a splash of languages and also started her career at the same law firm as I did which was one of the reasons I wanted to work there in the first place.While we both ultimately left corporate law. Alex is a glowing example of how you can stay within the law and find a niche that suits your strengths and interests and she has gone on to become a seriously impressive Member of the Center for Global Health Science and Security at Georgetown University School of Medicine, an Assistant Professor in the Department of Microbiology and Immunology, and an Adjunct Professor of Law at Georgetown University Law Center. Her Honours AND Doctoral theses both focused on International Law and the prevention of infectious diseases (including the possibility of measures like quarantine and border closures before they became as relevant as we know them to be), which has made her a leading global authority on health security and INCREDIBLY relevant to the world’s response to COVID-19.Alex is infinitely impressive, painfully humble and continues to inspire me every day - I’m so honoured she made time to join the show from Washington DC. She shares some fascinating insights on the more technical side to the challenge of a global pandemic like COVID-19 with her intellect and empathy shining through.+ Follow Alex here+ Announcements on Insta at @spoonful_of_sarah+ Join our Facebook community hereSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

I'm SO excited about this week's instalment of Yays of our Lives because I finally got on the road and headed to West Gippsland to record Yayborhood Watch IN PERSON. It's been so delightful heading back out into the real world to discover new yayborhoods, stories and unsung heroes and this trip was such an amazing place to start. I could have sat down with every single person we met, they were all so interesting and wise in different ways - hence this week's quote of the yay, as you'll hear. Probably lucky I didn't though as we already reached an hour just with the four LEGENDS I was able to record with and we barely touched the surface. These four amazing Gippslandians inspired me in such different and profound ways. To find out more about them: Find Joy here Find Brodie here Find Etch Sparkling here Find Gippsland Jersey here >> WATCH THE VIDEO OF OUR TRIP <<+ Announcements on Insta at @spoonful_of_sarah+ Join our Facebook community here+ Subscribe to not miss out on the next instalment of YAY!See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Back with another wonderful guest today – I’ve pushed this week’s Yays of our Lives episode back a little bit until the Gippsland video is ready to help you put faces to names, so that’ll be out next week. Content warning: this episode covers family violence. This week, I was lucky enough to sit down with Rosie Batty, 2015 Australian of the Year and passionate campaigner against domestic violence during a week where the alarming statistics surrounding violence against women have been brought back to the forefront of our attention. Rosie has turned the unfathomable personal tragedy of losing her son Luke who was murdered by his father in 2014 into a relentless fight to raise awareness of family violence and address the systemic and many other obstacles to positive change. The topic is a little heavier than usual, but I believe it’s such an important conversation to continue in order to amplify the fact that one woman a week is still killed by her partner or former partner. Rosie also has such powerful insights on rediscovering joy through the paralysis of grief, unravelling her identity from trauma which is not the totality of who she is and I loved also having the chance to get to know about the parts of her story that I hadn’t heard about in the media.Rosie is also an ambassador for L'Oréal Paris' new Women of Worth campaign and we also chat about some of L'Oréal's amazing Self-Worth Commissioned Research about the pervasive and destructive nature of self doubt and low self esteem among women. If anyone will inspire us all to combat the self doubt and continue to raise each other up, it’s Rosie. I hope you are as moved by her as I was.If you need any support or resources, please don't hesitate to contact the WHITE RIBBON HOTLINE on 1800RESPECT. + Announcements on Insta at @spoonful_of_sarah+ Join our Facebook community hereSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Re-releasing this beauty to celebrate the launch of Embrace on Netflix on March 5th!!! Three women who represent IWD to me had to postpone their recordings, but Taryn also inspires me everyday to embrace my womanhood so if you missed this back in 2019, what a perfect week to catch upToday’s guest is one of the people I admire most in this world who is the fiercely passionate thought leader behind The Body Image Movement and whose first film, the documentary Embrace, has reached over 100 million people with her message about learning to love your body. Taryn Brumfitt broke the internet in 2013 with an unconventional before and after photo where the after shot was heavier and HAPPIER than the leaner before shot taken during a body building competition when she was more restrictive, less balanced and less happy.After going viral all over the world and receiving over 7000 messages from women struggling with body confidence, she wrote a book and crowdfunded an incredible documentary, Embrace, that is set to become Australia’s highest grossing documentary ever. She is now in the process of raising money for the second film, Embrace Kids, and I couldn’t be more excited for the positive impact and contribution it will make to a comparative, competitive and sometimes overwhelming world that our children will grow up in. Not only is she making serious waves in the world, she also loves to play and doesn’t take life too seriously which I LOVE about her and the cackles are next level – hope you smile as much as I did during our chat!!!+ Full show notes here+ Announcements on Insta at @spoonful_of_sarah+ Subscribe to not miss out on the next instalment of YAY!See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Our fifth instalment of Yays of our Lives reflecting on collaboration over competition in honour of International Women's Day.As mentioned in Yayborhood Watch: Find Tobi Tobi here Find Lost In Love Photography here Find Moon and Back Co here >> COMPLETE THE SURV-YAY IF YOU HAVEN'T ALREADY <<+ Announcements on Insta at @spoonful_of_sarah+ Join our Facebook community here+ Subscribe to not miss out on the next instalment of YAY!See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Do you ever meet someone and just know in your heart that they are pure goodness all the way to their bones? If you know anything about Tim Conolan’s work you could probably already guess that he's one of those people, but meeting him in person last year absolutely confirmed it and I’ve continued to be in awe of him ever since.Tim is one of those people whose why has always been the same but whose how has evolved through MANY different amazing iterations (like all the best ways to yay do) from a fashion label all the way through to a decade long and very successful career as a DJ. You might not expect that he’d end up founding a children’s charity but once you see the common thread of his deep desire to make people happy, it all makes sense as it always does in the end.In 1998 he founded TLC for Kids after an incredibly moving encounter (that brings me to tears that you’ll hear about in the episode) seeing that many sick kids fell through the cracks left by other organisations. TLC now gives relief to sick children and their families with no restriction on particular illnesses or conditions and has created life changing Distraction Boxes to see children through uncomfortable or frightening procedures, an incredible TLC Ambulance and rapid response service that have been used over 8 million times.If you listen to Tim and don’t want to help him change the world and donate all your money to him I’d be surprised, and I hope that some of you do - he’s a truly extraordinary human recognised by so many accolades but also by the impact he’s making on millions of Aussies. I hope he inspires you as much as he inspires me.+ Follow Tim Conolan and TLC for Kids here+ Announcements on Insta at @spoonful_of_sarah+ Join our Facebook community hereSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Our fourth instalment of Yays of our Lives reflecting on time, pace and prioritising. As mentioned in Yayborhood watch: Find Vinspiration Foundation here Find Reid William waterbottles here >> COMPLETE THE SURV-YAY IF YOU HAVEN'T ALREADY <<+ Announcements on Insta at @spoonful_of_sarah+ Join our Facebook community here+ Subscribe to not miss out on the next instalment of YAY!See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Today’s guest was actually a yayborhood nomination from one of our most active contributors affectionately known as Dana Saurus or Dana Pham. Dana so generously sent a whole list of suggestions for guests a while back and this is one that has finally come to fruition. She is the founder of Junior Doctor’s Corner and is a doctor herself working to provide much needed support to junior doctors entering the world of medicine and discuss important topics that are often dismissed or taboo. JDC also has its own podcast so make sure to check that out if there are any other young doctors listening in.Her nomination also hails from the medical world but is not only a doctor, he is one of those rare species who has completed degrees in both medicine AND law – the holy grain combination that very few globally dare to tackle. And if that weren’t enough of a superhuman feat, Dinesh Palipana is also a quadriplegic and disability advocate becoming only the second person with quadriplegia to graduate as a doctor in Australia and the first with a spinal cord injury. Despite a life changing car accident in 2010, Dinesh now works in the Emergency Department of Gold Coast University Hospital and has co-foundedDoctors with Disabilities with two of his colleagues. He tells the story so beautifully himself so I’ll stop there but I hope you find his zest for life and indelible positivity as uplifting as I did.Ps The audio is a bit dicky at times – the joys of Zoom strike again – so excuse a few spots where it’s a bit muffled.+ Follow Dinesh Palipana here+ Announcements on Insta at @spoonful_of_sarah+ Join our Facebook community hereSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Third episode of Yays of our Lives this week and we have our first actual member of the yayborhood join us for a Yayborhood Watch chat. The wonderful Kate Rider shares her journey with Complex Regional Pain Syndrome (CRPS) which led to her founding The Orange Elephant to help her and others redefine productivity, success and the concept of "small" achievements.Getting more into a flow with this new yayborhood segment each week, thank you so much to everyone for your contributions - please keep them coming! I'm so used to writing and editing it all myself and it's been LOVELY having you all involved in editorial decision - I can't wait to watch this segment continue to grow.>> COMPLETE THE SURV-YAY IF YOU HAVEN'T ALREADY <<+ Announcements on Insta at @spoonful_of_sarah+ Join our Facebook community here+ Subscribe to not miss out on the next instalment of YAY!See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Hello lovely yayborhood, coming to you from back in lockdown but the yay lives on in your ears! So, glad you’re enjoying the first versions of Yays of our Lives, I can’t wait to see it blossom as a product of this beautiful community! Our plans have been a little delayed AGAIN now that I can’t be on the road this week recording some of our yayborhood heroes in person, but if these crazy times are teaching us anything, it’s to be flexible and open minded so we will get there in the end!Meanwhile, back with another guest, and this one was requested by several different people in the Surv-yay. And it was super convenient for me that you all wanted to hear from a ballerina because as many of you know I was a ballerina I my first life and have actually followed this particular dancer all through her career so it was pure joy to pick her brains about going pro. Yep, we are lucky enough to have Principal Artist, Amy Harris, joining us on the show - that’s the highest rank you can get at the Australian Ballet of which there are currently only 12 in total. You’ll probably be able to hear how magical it was for me to be transported back into the world of ballet and I hope you share some of the magic learning about its workings too.As always, I love to dive into a world that might be new to some of you and leave you with some new knowledge of how it works and terminology BUT I fear I may have slipped too easily back into some things forgetting that it’s not common knowledge so if I did leave anything out, please excuse me and shoot us any DMs to clarify. There's some footage of her dancing below too, so you can truly appreciate the absolute athleticism, grace and beauty of Amy dancing and really appreciate the art form that I can’t WAIT to see return to the stage this Feb. Assuming things go to plan, the Australian Ballet will be back for its first show in a year with Summertime at the Ballet on 25th Feb at Margaret Court Arena (so cool!!) - link to tickets is below. I hope you enjoy as much as I did!>>> WATCH AMY DANCING HERE <<<>>> BUY SUMMERTIME AT THE BALLET TICKETS HERE <<<+ Follow Amy Harris here+ Announcements on Insta at @spoonful_of_sarah+ Join our Facebook community hereSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Your second instalment of Yays of Our Lives (which is still taking shape week to week) chatting about the importance of baby steps and going gently on yourself in the process of something new (i.e. a pep talk to myself about getting a new segment off the ground).While we iron out the process of taking submissions for Yayborhood Watch and then collating those community hero stories to share with you, we also threw in a few uplifting stories from the news to keep the ball rolling. (Please send any submissions and requests to [email protected])And finally, another pulls-on-your-heartstrings Recommen-yay-tion that reminds you why humanity is so beautiful. If you're a fellow Melbournian and freshly back in lockdown this week, use it on this movie!>> COMPLETE THE SURV-YAY IF YOU HAVEN'T ALREADY <<+ Announcements on Insta at @spoonful_of_sarah+ Join our Facebook community here+ Subscribe to not miss out on the next instalment of YAY!See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Well, it’s our second episode back and the first one I recorded for this year and I can already say (like I’ve said many times before) that making the show has helped me so immensely that if none of you listened it’d still be so worthwhile. And that’s something I’ve found so liberating about podcasting not being so visibly measured as social media – you just make the content you find valuable and the engagement is a bonus rather than reverse engineering what you think will go well (which can be tempting to do)…EXCEPT for our guest this week who is one of my favourite people on the internet – mine and the favourite of 14 million other people in her community and for good reason. Without looking further into it and perhaps because of the way the landscape has evolved since she started out (back on blogspot in 2011, mind you), you might assume Emily Skye’s great success was overnight and accidental, but you’d be terribly mistaken. From the way she has navigated her still ongoing postpartum journey with her second child (but really from how she approaches everything she does), her refreshing approach to authenticity, balance and strength stands out from the rest (and has just been channeled into her brand-new postpartum program that you’ll hear all about). Diving a little deeper into her story reveals the decades of challenge, grit and hard work that has led her to where she is now.I was so fascinated by how much I hadn’t heard even after viciously scouring the Internet from her younger years in commission housing and severe bullying to the arsenal of skills she has across make up, hair, photography, editing and everything she uses in her business today and she laughed about how often she shares her earlier years, but how only the glossy later years seems to stick. So, I thoroughly enjoyed hearing more about her resourcefulness, endearing self-awareness and delightful self-confessed weirdness. She also happens to be the co-founder of James Cosmetics, my FAVOURITE EVER eye masks among the many over things she has going on. I hope you enjoy getting to know her as much as I did.USE THE CODE SEIZETHEYAY to get ONE MONTH FREE on Emily Skye Fit's appWell, it’s our second episode back and the first one I recorded for this year and I can already say (like I’ve said many times before) that making the show has helped me so immensely that if none of you listened it’d still be so worthwhile. And that’s something I’ve found so liberating about podcasting not being so visibly measured as social media – you just make the content you find valuable and the engagement is a bonus rather than reverse engineering what you think will go well (which can be tempting to do)…EXCEPT for our guest this week who is one of my favourite people on the internet – mine and the favourite of 14 million other people in her community and for good reason. Without looking further into it and perhaps because of the way the landscape has evolved since she started out (back on blogspot in 2011, mind you), you might assume Emily Skye’s great success was overnight and accidental, but you’d be terribly mistaken. From the way she has navigated her still ongoing postpartum journey with her second child (but really from how she approaches everything she does), her refreshing approach to authenticity, balance and strength stands out from the rest (and has just been channeled into her brand-new postpartum program that you’llSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

You may have seen we did a little SURV-YAY at the end of last year to make sure I could take into account your feedback, suggestions and requests during the break while planning this new year's show. It was so delightful to hear that a) most of you are happy with exactly what we're already doing and b) your favourite guests were all completely different proving my very point that seizing the yay looks different for everyone. Two things that did recur a few times though were requests for more community interaction and a few more stories of people earlier on in the journey or more locally focused. So, in addition to our regular schedule, a second YAYS OF OUR LIVES segment is coming to the yayborhood.While I got pretty bogged down working out the details and logistics, I realised the most important thing for a community episode is COMMUNITY INPUT - I really can't bring this segment to life without you guys being involved. So, instead of launching a completed concept, this episode is to run you through the ideas so far with a little preview of some of the sections to see what you think AND start getting your submissions. There's a QUOTE OF THE YAY, YAYBORHOOD WATCH and RECOMMEN-YAYTIONS all of which depend on you being involved. So please have a listen, take some notes, and flick them over to [email protected], via Instagram DM, or in the yay-borhood Facebook group to get this ball rolling!>> COMPLETE THE SURV-YAY IF YOU HAVEN'T ALREADY <<+ Announcements on Insta at @spoonful_of_sarah+ Join our Facebook community here+ Subscribe to not miss out on the next instalment of YAY!See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Welcome back lovely yay-borhood! I won't talk too much as we have the first of a new more conversational segment coming soon when I’ll have many more words for you about the new year, so allow me introduce our first guest for 2021, Donald Betts – our first guest with a political background as well as the first who moved TO law to seize his yay rather than away from it. We recorded just before the break last year and I’m so glad I waited to edit and release this one because I too needed to hear this (with fresh ears) to get my motivation back and I can’t wait for you all to as well.I am inspired by all of our guests in different ways, but occasionally I get truly bowled over and there are SO many reasons why I think Don will do the same for you – from his resolve to escape the life of gun violence and gang wars he grew up in (which very few of us can comprehend), to becoming the youngest Senator to serve in the history of Kansas, and from leaving politics to find his yay in law to the RIDICULOUSLY romantic way he speaks about meeting his wife…. But he tells it so beautifully himself with remarkable humility, self-awareness and the manners of an absolute gentleman, so I’ll stop myself there and let you listen for yourself.>>> LISTEN TO GREENLAND THE PODCAST <<<+ Follow Donald Betts here+ Announcements on Insta at @spoonful_of_sarah+ Join our Facebook community here+ Subscribe to not miss out on the next instalment of YAY!See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

RE-RELEASE - As you know, we're re-releasing a few crowd favourites from last year to keep you going during the break in case you missed them. So please ignore any time specific references, although most of our yay is evergreen so hopefully you enjoy as much as I did! >> COMPLETE OUR 2021 SURV-YAY <<I know some of you will be eye rolling when I say that this is one of my favourite chats to date, but I think you might agree once you actually have a listen. I’m going to have to cut myself short in this intro because there is SO much I could say about why Mark Manson is one of my favourite people in the world but the episode itself makes it clearer than I could here.Best known as the author of ground-breaking NY Times Best Seller, The Subtle Art of Not Giving A F*ck, I once mistook Mark’s refreshingly anti-self-help approach to life to be the opposite of seizing the yay. In fact, it’s not that he thinks we should give no fucks at all, but choose our fucks more carefully and it’s no surprise that his witty, no bullshit delivery has taken the world by storm. Like all our guests, however, Mark’s way to yay has been anything but predictable going from feeling misplaced in his Texan hometown, getting a compete ego breakdown at music school, starting his working life as a pick up artist all before becoming an author was even on the table. And yet, he’s now sold over 10 million books, changed millions of lives AND has been trusted with writing the autobiography and first ever full account of the life of Will Smith!!!Mark is a personality of so many contrast and facets and is open about every one of them including WAY more than I probably needed to know about his bodily functions. I dare you to listen without laughing, you can definitely tell we both lost our marbles more than a few times. In between the hilarity though, there are so many deep, insightful reflections on life that I hope are as groundbreaking to you as they were to me!+ Follow Mark here+ Buy Mark's books here+ Announcements on Insta at @spoonful_of_sarah+ Join our Facebook community here+ Subscribe to not miss out on the next instalment of YAY!See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Hello beautiful yayborhood, I can’t believe we’ve reached our FINAL episode for the year!!! I actually had one or two more up my sleeve but am trying to practice what I preach and not stick so rigidly to my own deadlines that were arbitrary anyway. I’m sure I’m not the only one who’s starting to fade away a little bit so I’m saving those episodes instead to come back with fresh and fabulous new year energy. I always say it but I need reminding myself that there’s no point going so hard that you don’t do it properly, so our lovely guest today will be our last for 2020.And boy does Jennifer Atilemile have a great message on wading through uncertainty, rejection and adversity to embrace all that makes her different and unique and make history in the process. This year, she’s gone from having no work for four months and wondering if she’d ever work again to becoming Australia’s first EVER curve model to star in a Victoria’s secret campaign. She is a passionate advocate for inclusion and diversity encouraged further by her mixed heritage with her father from the French Island of Reunion and her mother an Aussie of Irish/Danish descent. Moving from performing arts to double majors at university and then falling into modelling more recently, she has such wise words to share on the tangents of finding your yay, blocking out the noise to hear your intuition and finding where your voice can make its best contribution to this world. I hope you enjoy as much as I do.+ Follow Jennifer Atilemile here+ Announcements on Insta at @spoonful_of_sarah+ Subscribe to not miss out on the next instalment of YAY!>>> JOIN THE SEIZE THE YAY FB GROUP <<<>>> GET YOUR JERGEN'S NATURAL GLOW MOISTURISER HERE <<<See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Lovely yayborhood, we’ve got another dose of delight this week that’ll have you in stitches with the wonderful Tanya Hennessy. As you’ll hear her discuss in the episode, one of the greatest gifts you can give is a moment of laughter and a little escape from what’s been a shitshow of a year (not that anyone needs reminding) and she does that expertly leading her to become one of our most beloved comedians, presenters, authors, internet creators and campaigner for adults to be able to order children’s meals in pubs.You’ll hear from the get go how effortlessly witty, intelligent, empathetic and honest this woman is and how beautifully she combines self-deprecating, relatable humour with some serious and inspiring messages in between. She is a multi-platform multi-talented creative delivering us everything from the hysterical viral Everyday Makeup Tutorial to two nearly three fabulous books – Am I Doing This Right?, Help Self that just came out and a Children’s book to follow soon. I couldn’t help but fall in love with her and I’m sure many of you will too – be prepared for A LOT of loud laughter in your ears!+ Follow Tanya Hennessy here+ Buy her new book HELP SELF here+ Announcements on Insta at @spoonful_of_sarah+ Subscribe to not miss out on the next instalment of YAY!>>> JOIN THE SEIZE THE YAY FB GROUP <<<>>> GET YOUR JERGEN'S NATURAL GLOW MOISTURISER HERE <<<See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

It's been a hell of year for us all and something I’ve reflected on a lot over the past few months is resilience. And who better to join us to explore that further than the wonderful Jamila Rizvi who not only embodies the concept herself but has just published Untold Resilience – a collection of nineteen awe-inspiring stories of resilient women and the lessons they have for us in navigating this crazy time.It says something about Jamila though that my favourite of the stories is hers – one that has so many facets that I was quite nervous about this episode, wanting to do her justice. You may know her as an author, presenter and political commentator or Editor-at-Large of Future Women and former editor in Chief at Mamamia, but she’s also a mother, modern feminist, and Harry Potter lover who juggles it all while managing chronic illness and several brain surgeries over the past few years.Jamila is endearingly witty, articulate, honest and humble taking us through her health journey, the work we still need to do on supporting women returning to work post motherhood, her changing relationship to success and happiness, and so much more. I hope you are as inspired by her as I am.+ Follow Jamila Rizvi here+ Announcements on Insta at @spoonful_of_sarah+ Subscribe to not miss out on the next instalment of YAY!>>> JOIN THE SEIZE THE YAY FB GROUP <<<See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

If you’re a regular podcast listener, today’s guests probably need no introduction but if you haven’t already tuned in to Happy Hour with Lucy and Nikki I’m sure you will be after this. Their banter is absolutely UNMATCHED, I don’t think I’ve laughed as hard in an episode for a long time and it’s absolutely clear why they’ve grown a cult following across their joint account We the Wild Ones started in 2015 to follow their festival adventures, Jagger and Stone their booming fashion label kicked off with a bang in 2018 with an iconic shoot at Joshua Tree after Coachella and of course, their podcast that just took home silver at the Australian Podcast Awards.Lucy and Nikki have such a refreshingly different take on work/life balance to many of our past guests taking the party wherever they go but also building highly successful careers and businesses at the same time. Their straight-up approach to self-doubt and worst-case scenarios is also the example we all need of people who don’t let fear control their decisions and a reminder that two can achieve far more than one can alone. I had SUCH a great laugh - Lucy and Nikki are an absolute breath of fresh air with the perfect blend of self-deprecating and no f***s given and after a very serious year. Amazing reminder that life is far too short not to enjoy! I hope you love them as much as the rest of us already do!+ Follow We the Wild Ones here+ Announcements on Insta at @spoonful_of_sarah+ Subscribe to not miss out on the next instalment of YAY!>>> JOIN THE SEIZE THE YAY FB GROUP <<<See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

While last week Farah spoke of faraway places, this week’s guest is homegrown but has exported the Aussie experience through a booming business described as Aussie Made, Globally Loved. Blair James co-founded self-tanning disrupter Bondi Sands in 2012 to capture everything that makes Aussie summers iconic through what has grown to over 50 products in a whopping 30,000 retailers worldwide.Of course the business’ huge success, continual innovation and championing of sun safety and sustainability are incredible impressive and Blair shares many useful tips on brand building and scaling that had me furiously taking down notes. But, unsurprisingly if you’re a regular listener, I was more thrilled to explore his lesser known earlier years including his very small country hometown called – wait for it – YEA (pronounced "yay") – and that he didn’t excel in VCE nor did he finish university neither of which have hindered where he ended up. As always, there’s some hilarious fun facts in between – nothing humanises a person more than hearing them laugh especially about the joys of iso haircuts! As a businesswoman but also as a human, I love exploring the brains behind beloved brands and hope you do too.+ Follow Blair James and Bondi Sands here+ Announcements on Insta at @spoonful_of_sarah+ Subscribe to not miss out on the next instalment of YAY!>>> JOIN THE SEIZE THE YAY FB GROUP <<<See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

While last week’s episode was one of those chats you know I love that show a different side of someone you’ve probably already heard of, I equally love introducing you to people and stories you might not already know. And while sometimes, that’s because our guest is early on in their journey or in a niche, behind the scenes area, for Farah Mohamed it’s more the opposite playing on a global, life-changing scale beyond most of our day to day lives.We met during our incredible trip to Necker Island with Business Chicks last year where I first heard her story and was absolutely captivated by her every word as I’m sure you’ll be. You don’t often expect the guest speaker to then sit down with you for a chat afterwards, but Farah is humble and attentive in a way that belies the incredible way she is shaping our world for the better. She is interesting in so many ways from her own experience as a Ugandan refugee of Indian heritage and Muslim faith who fled to Canada in early life to serving as CEO of the Malala Fund, inspired by Malala Yousafzai, who survived an assassination attempt by the Taliban for going to school and became the youngest person ever to receive the Nobel Peace Prize.And she LOVES to laugh which left us in stitches many times in a beautiful, heart wrenching and warming blend of the serious and the silly. There’s so much in between but I won’t reveal any more here – hope you enjoy as much as I did.+ Follow Farah Mohamed here+ Announcements on Insta at @spoonful_of_sarah+ Subscribe to not miss out on the next instalment of YAY!>>> JOIN THE SEIZE THE YAY FB GROUP <<<See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

I’m excited to be back this week with another incredible guest whose name I’m sure you’ve heard before but who, like many of our guests, has so much more depth than their surface level media portrayal might suggest. You know I love peeling back the layers of a well-known name to explore the lesser known parts of who they are underneath and Ashy Bines got right on board for a juicy, thought provoking chat.Ashy’s huge success in the health and fitness world with a community of millions and now several businesses under her belt belies her humble beginnings on dairy farms the same way that her energetic positivity and confidence belies the negativity and narratives thrust upon her earlier in life. Having followed her for many years, I’d heard some of her story but she is stronger and more resilient than I ever knew and so generous in sharing her experiences with trolling, body image and motherhood so that others might feel less alone and better equipped for their own journey. I’ll let her tell you the rest and we cover A LOT of ground with so many nuggets that I hope you find as useful as I did. We recorded this before the restrictions in Victoria eased a bit so ignore those references as that's all I could talk about back then!+ Follow Ashy Bines here+ Announcements on Insta at @spoonful_of_sarah+ Subscribe to not miss out on the next instalment of YAY!See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Our last Q&A episode for the year to mark our first anniversary as Mr and Mrs Davidson (or should I say, YAY-vidson). Thank you all so much for your questions and for giving us a reason to sit down and reflect on what has been a tumultuous but transformative year.We got through as many as we could with a healthy dose of bagging each other out, soppy love dedications and lots of chuckles along the way. I always get a bit of a vulnerability hangover after these ones without the buffer of a new third party guest to take most of the spotlight, but I also love how they force me to reflect on questions I don't always otherwise make time for so I hope you enjoyed getting to know us a little better.BOOK YOUR BANNISTERS ESCAPE TODAY+ Follow Nic Davidson here+ Announcements on Insta at @spoonful_of_sarah+ Subscribe to not miss out on the next instalment of YAY!See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Few people actually end up living out their childhood dreams, either because the dream changes or life does. But, enchanted by the glossy pages of the first fashion magazines she ever read, Justine Cullen made it her mission to conquer the extremely competitive, coveted and convoluted ladder of the publishing world and ultimately landed her dream job as Editor in Chief at Elle Magazine. Her journey reinforces everything I love to say about being open to whatever pathway might get you to your dream and being patient with the steps along the way. But, it’s her journey from there and into her new role as Editor-in-Chief of Jones Magazine that I found most interesting in how it forced her to untangle her identity from the prestige, title and everything that satisfied her former self to build the next chapter for the new person she had become.As well as the existential crisis of success and the beauty of being a beginner, she also dishes up some juicy stuff that we all love to hear about how Editor life isn’t just swanning about and definitely isn’t always easy – I was a tiny bit satisfied by that. And as a Mum of four, she is more than qualified to share some words on priorities, balance and humility. I hope you enjoy this one as much as I did!>>> VISIT THE SKINNOVATION HUB HERE <<<+ Follow Justine Cullen here+ Announcements on Insta at @spoonful_of_sarah+ Subscribe to not miss out on the next instalment of YAY!See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

I hope you enjoyed our little throwback re-release last week and I promise the guest we had to postpone will be well worth the wait in a few weeks. As for today’s guest, if you haven’t heard of him personally, you will definitely know of some of his incredible work through one of the world’s great examples of using business success for good.And that in itself is one of the cleverest things about the Cotton On Foundation – that so many of you could have made a positive impact by shopping as you might have anyway and that it makes a philanthropist out of us all combing the power of all our purchases so we can make an impact without having millions of dollars. And Tim Diamond is the Foundation’s General Manager who has been there since its establishment and helped grow it to the incredible vehicle for change it has become today.You’ll be able to hear how Tim has absolutely found his purpose and see his own growth interweave with the foundation’s growth over the years. But like always, he didn’t just land there one day and I LOVE that there’s a signature right place, right time sliding doors moment in the mix as well. You’ll also hear how despite his very impressive role, he’s still a Torquay boy and a chiller dad at heart! I’ll let Tim tell you the rest and hope you are as inspired as I was.>>> VISIT THE FOUNDATION'S RANGE HERE <<<+ Follow Cotton On Foundation here+ Announcements on Insta at @spoonful_of_sarah+ Subscribe to not miss out on the next instalment of YAY!See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

If you’re a cricket fan, you’ll certainly appreciate how incredible today’s guest is but even if you’re not I have no doubt that you’ll understand how remarkably well adjusted, humble and untainted Ellyse Perry is for someone who has been an elite international athlete since the tender age of 16 when she made her debut into the Australian team. Whether you understand the sport or not, we all know that elite athletes in any field face incredible pressures and expectations as well as the ups and downs that fame and fortune can bring but I’m still taken aback by how level headed Ellyse has remained and how endearing her views on winning, being a role model and the importance of friends and family truly are.There are too many accolades to list but to give you some background, Ellyse became the youngest-ever Australian Test Cricketer debuting at the age of 17 and has amassed incredible statistics since mastering both the batting and bowling disciplines. Not only that, she played for Australia in BOTH Cricket AND Soccer until the growth of hers and the profile of both sports allowed athletes to go full-time and required her to choose one or the other and she has continued to absolutely flourish becoming a leading figure for the rising female presence in Aussie sporting culture. Despite her great success, she has such a refreshing attitude towards winning and competition AND I loved hearing that her closest friends know absolutely nothing about cricket keeping her feet firmly on the ground. I hope you enjoy getting ot know this Aussie legend as much as I did.+ Follow Ellyse here+ Announcements on Insta at @spoonful_of_sarah+ Join our Facebook community here+ Subscribe to not miss out on the next instalment of YAY!>>> LISTEN TO THE LATEST EPISODE OF BEAUTY IQ UNCENSORED <<<See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

It’s been a while since the last time we did this, but this episode is dedicated to one of our beautiful listeners who originally emailed to suggest three other women but it was HER story I was captivated by. I think I spend longer writing these intros than I do on the episode, because I always have so much more to say after re-listening and Kate Bridgman really epitomises so many things about this show.Firstly, she gives a name to something I’ve been bumbling around trying to express – duality. Things can be tough and beautiful so, while some episodes do cover heavier topics, it’s to show how adversity can be overcome and that yay can be one layer in a multifaceted experience. Secondly, that yay isn’t just starting a business and have a profile of some sort. It’s a privilege to show a different side to our more famed guests but also a joy to introduce you to those you haven’t like Kate and her intrapreneurial journey in education. Thirdly that our brains are incredibly complex, and we are constantly impacted by so many things – societal expectations, misconceptions, pride, worthiness, perfectionism and these conversations help me build so much self-awareness and hope some of you gain the same.There are so many other things I can say but I’ll let you soak it all up in our chat. Just a little warning, we cover some deep moments of Kate’s journey with perinatal anxiety and depression to help normalise and bring awareness to the topic. But her story is so beautifully reassuring about coming out the other end after breaking to rebuild and I hope it helps even one person feel more equipped, less alone and reassured in their own journey.If you need support, please reach out to Lifeline 13 11 14.Click here for Perinatal Anxiety & Depression AustraliaClick here for BeyondBlue+ Follow Kate here+ Announcements on Insta at @spoonful_of_sarah+ Join our Facebook community here+ Subscribe to not miss out on the next instalment of YAY!>>> GET THE SEIZE THE YAY BOOK HERE <<<See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

You've probably heard me rattle off the quote, "everyone you meet knows something you don't" and I reflected on that a lot during this episode. Creating this podcast expands my mind and world so much, but each guest teaches me something in a completely different way. Often I pull out specific nuggets or ideas that click in my brain as we're chatting a long, but with Fred Schebesta it was the way his brain works overall churning through concepts that I found most fascinating particularly because it's so different to my own and I could honestly never guess where his mind was going next. You'll be able to tell by how much we jump all over the place what a keenly curious mind he has, which is no doubt responsible for his incredible achievements, and while it definitely kept me on my toes we ended up peeling back more layers than I expected to wade through the depths of self worth, internal judgment and the complicated relationship we have with success. If you don't think you've heard of Fred, just conjure the Finder.com.au jingle (which everyone has heard) and he's the man responsible. With over 10 million visitors a month, Finder offers us easy access to resources that help us understand financial products in the Australian market and Fred has won just about every entrepreneurial award there is and justifiably too. I would never have guessed that he came from a medical family and lived out part of his childhood in a caravan at the back of the medical centre his parents built, nor would I have guessed that Finder had to make a come back a few years into its journey from a complete ban by Google (which makes me SHUDDER to think of the challenge that would pose). Like always, there's so much more to his way to yay than you'd expect and there are chapters we didn't even get to like his success in the wild world of cryptocurrency. It's a rollercoaster this one, so buckle in BUT there are so many great takeaways and a whole person, father and chicken-lover behind the title you see most...+ Follow Fred and Finder.com.au here+ Announcements on Insta at @spoonful_of_sarah+ Join our Facebook community here+ Subscribe to not miss out on the next instalment of YAY!>>> GET THE SEIZE THE YAY BOOK HERE <<<See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Hope you enjoyed this week’s bonus episode everyone and we’re chasing it up with a very appropriate chat for Women’s Health Week. The beautiful Lindy Rama-Ellis joined us from her home in Bali to tell us about her new business, Fig Femme, which is blazing a trail in breaking down the taboo surrounding a fundamental area of women’s health. Lindy is endearingly (and perhaps surprisingly honest about how challenging it’s been adding a bold new project to mothering four children juggled between two countries with a global pandemic added to the mix. Yes, there’s a bit of vagina talk, but in the way Lindy seems to deal with everything in life, it’s as classy and poised as ever.And of course, my favourite part of every story is that this latest chapter is preceded by so many others that revealed nothing about where Lindy would end up which we spend equally as much as time on. She is one of the perfect examples of someone whose title in the media creates a totally incomplete picture of who she really is – while she is indeed a Balinese princess through her paternal side, she was brought up as a Tassie girl by her mother back in Australia. We chat dyslexia, the identity struggle in divorce, the liberation of entering your 30s and 40s, motherhood, criticism and the elusive concept of balance. She’s known among friends for rocking a ballgown when required but being as down to earth as ever in every other moment and I think that shines through in this episode – hope you learn as much as I did.+ Follow Lindy and Fig Femme here+ Announcements on Insta at @spoonful_of_sarah+ Join our Facebook community here+ Subscribe to not miss out on the next instalment of YAY!>>> GET THE SEIZE THE YAY BOOK HERE <<<See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

I’ve got a little bonus episode for you this week, lovely yayborhood, with the wonderful duo from Shameless Podcast, Mich and Zara. I’ve been so lucky to share so much of the book-writing journey with these two culminating in our joint book birthdays on September 1, so we sat down that very day to get their freshest feelings on launching their incredible guide to your 20s, The Space Between.You might remember they joined Seize the Yay back in April 2019 (for episode 29) so we caught up on the explosive growth of Shameless, the highs and lows of the space between then and now – sorry couldn’t help myself – then dish up the behind the scenes dirt on what it takes to bring a book into the world. You probably also know that they hosted the Seize the Yay book launch the day after this chat, so we’ve had a lot of each other lately and it’s been as enlightening and enjoyable as always. We scrapped the normal episode structure for the occasion in favour of a juicy, honest chat about the rollercoaster of feelings we’re all going through right now. Add the extension of stage 4 in Victoria yesterday and I’m a bit all over the place to be honest so I won’t keep talking or I might open the floodgates but sending my fellow Victorians so much love and I hope this brings you a chuckle and a smile as you listen along.>>> BUY THE SPACE BETWEEN HERE <<<+ Follow Mich and Zara here+ Announcements on Insta at @spoonful_of_sarah+ Join our Facebook community here+ Subscribe to not miss out on the next instalment of YAY!See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Welcome to Spring everyone (or to Autumn if anyone is tuning in from the Northern Hemisphere). The new month and season also brought with it the birth of the Seize the Yay book which finally launched into the world yesterday – thank you so much to everyone for your lovely messages of support and for buying your copies. We’ll talk more about the book in due time, but today is all about our wonderful guest Jade Kisnorbo who you might have seen gave the yayborhood an incredible make up tutorial for Chits and Giggles last week. Over a thousand of you tuned in and it seemed many of you learnt as much as I do every time I chat to Jade – she’s technically an internationally renowned hair and make-up artist but I think a far better title for her is as a creator of confidence.Since we took an educational approach for our IGTV tutorial (which you can still watch I’ll be posting the full product list in the next few days), I thought this episode should focus more on the storytelling which you know I love so much. Some episodes truly unravel like a chat on the couch between friends and for most of this one I forgot we were recording just soaking up the lesser known backstory of how Jade made her way to yay. We jump around from balancing career priorities in a marriage, the freedom of the expat experience, the challenge of starting from scratch in an industry and what it takes to build a name for yourself as well as being a mother and businesswoman which is something I admire about Jade so much. There really is a bit of everything and most of this I was hearing for the first time along with you. I really cherish the openness some guests are willing to bring to these chats especially when they are well known professionally in the media or around town. I hope you enjoy as much as I did!>>> WATCH OUR BEAUTY TUTORIAL HERE <<<>>> SIGN UP TO JADE'S MASTERCLASSES HERE <<<+ Follow Jade K here+ Announcements on Insta at @spoonful_of_sarah+ Join our Facebook community here+ Subscribe to not miss out on the next instalment of YAY!See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

This is a guest I haven’t caught up with properly in a long time and I’m sure you’ll hear how much we both enjoyed connecting again. We only started recording after about 45 minutes of chatting and I still could have kept going forever. Em Toner is such a special sausage combining the precision of scientific psychological study with the depth of mindfulness and meditation practice. She is a nationally registered clinical psychologist with a research background in positive psychology and behavioural neuroscience but also a meditation and mindfulness teacher, speaker, musician and music producer and Medibank ambassador.She had me not only smiling and laughing but also reflecting deeply on the workings of our mind, my experiences with psychology and the concept of positivity. Her ability to put you completely at ease makes it unsurprising that I share a few things I hadn’t shared before (which you all know is pretty hard given what an over sharer I am). I hope she sparks some reflection in you guys as she does every time for me.FIND EM'S GRATITUDE MEDITATION HERE+ Follow Emily Toner here+ Announcements on Insta at @spoonful_of_sarah+ Join our Facebook community here+ Subscribe to not miss out on the next instalment of YAY!See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

This guest is one I’ve actually been meaning to get on since I started the podcast having been a huge role model and support for me in business and in life. Every time Erika and I run into each other, speedy catch ups seem to reveal that one or both of us is on the cusp of a revelation or new chapter leading to such interesting chats about ideas of success, personal development and joy. While you might have encountered Erika in her role as one of the co-founders of global e-commerce sensation, Frank Body, her story extends far beyond that in both directions all of which she openly explores with us today.Most recently, Erika is making waves with her fresh and fabulous Fluff Casual Cosmetics taking a bold new approach to beauty with refillable AND conversation starting packaging that’s up there with my favourite handbag essentials. As one of the cleverest people with words that I know, Eri tells it far better than I could so let’s jump right in – I hope you enjoy!+ Follow Erika here+ Announcements on Insta at @spoonful_of_sarah+ Join our Facebook community here+ Subscribe to not miss out on the next instalment of YAY!See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Thank you all so much for your wonderful, thought-provoking and well-considered questions, I had so much fun reflecting on them (and not so much fun listening back to my answers - even after all this time I hate listening to my own voice unless it's bantering with a guest). I can't properly express how grateful I am to everyone who has ever joined, listened or been part of the podcast in anyway - Seize the Yay brings so much depth and joy to my life and opens my mind in new ways each week to create it for you.I covered as many questions as I could in this one and, as I mention in the intro, I genuinely can't tell anymore if my answers makes sense, are useful or if it's all just nonsense but hopefully I've addressed at least some of your curiosity. I definitely missed some things, could have said some things better, and wanted to re-record as soon as I listened back, but I'm learning to take my own advice that "done is better than perfect", that self-doubt will always make you overly self-critical and that the essence of seizing the yay is sharing my real spontaneous answers, not the curated ones.The questions I answered in order are:The podcast Which have been your 3 most eye-opening interviews? Which interviewee surprised you the most? Why? What are the three biggest challenges you have faced since starting your podcast? Have you had any interviews that never went to air?! Any awkward interviews where it was hard to get the conversation flowing? How do you speak so eloquently on your podcast episodes? You practically never say "um" or "uh". What's your secret? What do you think you have learnt about YOURSELF since starting this podcast? Who would be your dream person to interview? How do you choose who you interview for your podcast? What’s the process How did you get into what you do and what’s the advice you’d give to others getting into the podcasting space? How do you find your topic, tone of voice, first guests? The book Can you give us a little sneak peak snippet of your book? Can you tell us a bit more background about the story behind it etc? What are the chapter headings? Personal life Top 3 achievements so far? Who’s your biggest inspiration? What did you wish you knew in high school or uni? How do you do it all? Do you have a virtual assistant or manager? Recommendations for coping with chronic fatigue or similar Are you medicated for anxiety? What's one piece of advice that has always stuck with you throughout your life? How did you know Nic was the one and what was your history of relationships prior? Have you been back to the town where you were born? Would you consider adopting a child, considering how blessed you feel you were to be adopted? What would be your last meal before you die!? Do you drink Matcha everyday? What is your absolute guilty pleasure to treat yourself? Favourite foods and cheat meal? On 2020 As you reflect on the volatility of 2020, what have you learnt about yourself? Maybe, have you noticed your values changing? How’s your mum coping with lockdown? What motivates you to keep going day to day? How do you get yourself out of a deep funk? How do you stay positive in iso? If you were single how would you have copied? What’s next? Will you be starting a Youtube channel? Do you plan on increasing the podcast production for other companies? Do you plan on growing MM? Or happy where it's at? What does the next year hold for you? I had to skip a few so tried to group them all by themes. Can't wait for hundreds more to come. Lots of love to you all xSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

We’re back with another guest whose episode couldn’t be more perfectly timed. You may have heard my chat with him on the TOM Organic podcast earlier this year and, if you did, you’ll know I refer to him as my spiritual guru but, if you didn't, you’ll very soon understand why. Manoj Dias has taught me so much of what I know about sitting with discomfort, understanding suffering and the deeply life-changing impact of meditation and connection. We explored some of this on the Taboo Podcast but went a whole lot deeper here, which I found enormously helpful particularly during this shit-storm of a year and I hope you do too.Although you might not be able to imagine it of either of us as we are now, it was not wellness that brought us together but our nightclub glory days before our ways to yay really began. That alone is a reminder of my favourite theme – the non-linear nature of life and the way it unravels in many chapters not just the one you know someone from. Born into the Theravada Buddhist tradition, you might think Manoj skipped logically and smoothly straight to his position now as a globally recognised meditation teacher, writer, entrepreneur & co-founder of Open Meditation... But, squeeze a successful corporate career, teenage fatherhood, a mental health breakdown, an eating disorder and an ensuing transformative healing journey in between and you’re getting closer to the real picture.Manoj shares all of the facets of himself so generously as well as busting some myths on meditation and I hope you enjoy our chat as much as I did.+ Follow Manoj here+ Announcements on Insta at @spoonful_of_sarah+ Join our Facebook community here+ Subscribe to not miss out on the next instalment of YAY!See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

This week’s episode is another one of many that’s been shuffled around and pushed back for various reasons, but that has ended up coming out just when I think our guest’s insights are most powerful. A big part of seizing your yay is acknowledging that both the best and worst times of our life play a role in our journey and If we ever needed some guiding words on turning adversity, uncertainty and grief into something positive, Liz Dawes is your woman.Like many of our guests, I loved diving into her earlier years because she had an entire life and career going from a small town in Wisconsin to travelling the world leading multi-million-dollar sales and marketing accounts BEFORE the chapter most of us know her from now as an adopted Melbournian and internationally recognised CEO and Chairman of a charitable foundation. Liz and her husband Scott had their world turned upside down when their son, Connor, was diagnosed with paediatric brain cancer – the #1 disease killer of young people – and passed away a few years later. We discuss the many different ways people process grief and how just a few short months later, Liz held the first Connor’s Run founding the Robert Connor Dawes Foundation which is now the biggest paediatric brain cancer foundation in Australia. As she puts it in her TEDx talk last year, Liz reframed, reimagined and reaffirmed her way forward and has now raised $7million impact dollars that’s helping fund research, care programs and so much more. Parts of this one are heavy but incredibly meaningful and with a beautiful happy ending (or happy beginning that's now eight years in) – I hope you are as moved as I am by Liz and the beautiful legacy she has created for Connor.SIGN UP TO CONNOR'S RUN 2020 HERE+ Follow RCD Foundation here+ Announcements on Insta at @spoonful_of_sarah+ Join our Facebook community here+ Subscribe to not miss out on the next instalment of YAY!See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Today I’m joined by a face many of you will know and love as I have since childhood, Dr Katrina Warren, an Aussie vet (along with her golden retriever Riley who had a great stare-off with Paul during the chat). You probably know Dr Katrina from Totally Wild or Harry’s Practice or even Animal Planet or Dancing with the Stars, and I’m sure she’s responsible for so many people’s love for animals. As the only person I know of who did sheep husbandry for their HSC, Dr Katrina is a qualified vet but didn’t take the conventional private practice pathway going into the media instead (with a fashion modelling career in Japan in the mix photos of which she has graciously shared with me for us to enjoy in the Facebook group!) She’s definitely not the first guest who ended up seizing a yay they wouldn’t have imagined in a million years, but she’s possibly the first who’s openly discussed the come down and disorientation of that yay abruptly ending pushing her to re-craft her identity and start her next chapter, which she’s now in the swing of and enjoying thoroughly with Wonderdogs, as a Snooza ambassador and so much more. Paul also interrupts a few times to chat with Riley about his opinion on the beautiful Snooza beds they both have now – the woes of working from home! Enjoy!+ Follow Dr Katrina here+ Announcements on Insta at @spoonful_of_sarah+ Join our Facebook community here+ Subscribe to not miss out on the next instalment of YAY!See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

I’m sure I’m not the only one who has been experiencing a lot of ups and downs with the uncertainty and chaos of this year so far and I can’t think of anyone better to give us some perspective and guidance on getting through adversity than the divine Elle Halliwell. Hers is a story I can never hear too many times that brings forth every ounce of emotion I have in admiration and awe and I’m so grateful she has shared it again today for the yay-borhood.Elle began in the world of journalism applying her incredible work ethic to climbing from making coffees to becoming a fashion editor at The Sunday Telegraph at just 21. She worked herself to the bone for almost a decade until just after her 30th birthday when her and her husband starting to think about having children. In the course of some preparatory blood tests, despite having no symptoms, Elle was diagnosed with a rare form of incurable Leukaemia. And, within the same 48 hours, she also discovered that she was pregnant leaving her with an impossible and unimaginable choice – to terminate and pursue treatment or continue with her pregnancy but risk not making it through.Rest assured, Elle’s story has a very happy and heart-warming ending – her beautiful boy Tor is now three and Elle is absolutely thriving with a glow that belies what she’s been through. She has since completely changed her life and direction and has also just started her first business, Auricle, which you’ll hear all about shortly. Elle speaks so eloquently about what her experience has taught her about uncertainty, self-belief and strength and I think we can all take so many lessons from her wisdom. I hope you enjoy listening as much as I did.+ Follow Elle here+ Announcements on Insta at @spoonful_of_sarah+ Join our Facebook community here+ Subscribe to not miss out on the next instalment of YAY!See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

You might know that this week is Men’s Health Week and while, of course everyone’s health is equally important, I really support the particular focus this week on the unique challenges faced by men in both their physical and mental health. As you’ll hear, men’s health outcomes often fall far behind those of women and they still face a lot of stigma around the perceived “weakness” of seeking help, so I think this is a wonderful way to remind men they’re not alone and to help women too understand how we can help change the dialogue for our partners, brothers, sons and friends.Men’s mental health statistics in particular always come as a shock to me and if you haven’t listened to our chats with Osher Günsberg and Jake Edwards, they share some honest and personal insights on their mental health journey that are well worth a listen. For this episode, I thought we’d get a medical expert’s perspective and who better to join us than medical doctor, psychiatry resident and mental health advocate, Dr Kieran Kennedy.You might have seen Dr Kieran on the latest cover of Men’s Health Magazine dedicated to the incredible efforts of healthcare workers through the COVID19 pandemic and that’s just one of the many challenges he generously opens up about in our chat. From humble, idyllic beginnings in rural New Zealand (you’ll hear ALL about the joys of what’s called Calf Club), Kieran is the embodiment of persistence and grit working his way through a Bachelor of Science into medical studies and is now six months off finishing his specialisation in Psychiatry AND fits his passion for fitness and a bodybuilding career in on the side.He is self-deprecating in a way that belies his success and he gives us such powerful insights into men’s struggles with societal views on manliness, hardening up and even on how much more widespread men’s battles with body image is and valuing themselves on how they look. This conversation opened my eyes up to so much and I hope it does the same for you too.PLEASE REACH OUT IF YOU ARE STRUGGLING:Lifeline 13 11 14Beyondblue+ Follow Dr Kieran here+ Announcements on Insta at @spoonful_of_sarah+ Join our Facebook community here+ Subscribe to not miss out on the next instalment of YAY!See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

It's been a little while since our last INTRApreneurial guest, but I'm delighted to have one of the best with us today - Jasmine Smith, Director of People and Culture from Swisse Wellness. You know I love a good non-linear way to yay, so I found Jasmine's story captivating from her nomadic and adventurous childhood to make up artistry, then a late entry to tertiary studies in behavioural science after her first child, a successful career in retail and sales and only after seven years at each of Mecca and T2, an eventual pivot into HR where she is working wellness wonders for the workforce at Swisse. She represents everything I love to share about life unravelling in chapters, the importance of self awareness and the shapeshifting nature of what your yay looks like over time.I think HR or, as it is known at Swisse, People and Culture, is another one of those areas of work that can absolutely make or break a business but that many of us barely understand and take for granted. You'll hear that Jasmine herself didn't know it was even a job she could do until years later, and those are the areas I LOVE to delve into - I learnt so much from this chat! I was reminded all about the many tools Swisse and other businesses use to help identify employees' strengths, weaknesses and passions - I tend to forget you don't have to learn everything on the fly, so if you're wondering how to figure out what your yay is, Jasmine shares a HEAP of useful hacks along with so much other wisdom about igniting human potential! Hope you enjoy as much as I did!+ Follow Swisse Wellness here+ Announcements on Insta at @spoonful_of_sarah+ Join our Facebook community here+ Subscribe to not miss out on the next instalment of YAY!See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

This week, we’ve got another way to yay full of twists and turns ending up nowhere our guest thought she’d be but exactly where she was meant to be. Nicole Liu started out on the very conventional “finance-y” pathway, climbing, (much like me) a ladder she thought she was genuinely passionate about.That was until a misdiagnosis of polycystic ovary syndrome and the similarly inaccurate news that she was necessarily infertile threw her world upside down and opened her eyes to the difficulty of wading through information on women’s health and how alone many of us feel trying to navigate it. Her experience led her to leave corporate to start her wonderful business, Kin Fertility, with the goal of raising standards for women’s reproductive health and opening up the heavily stigmatised conversation around fertility.I am continually baffled by how even a chronic oversharer of a modern woman like me can have lasted as long as I did without knowing much at all about my cycle or the fundamentals of hormones and fertility (especially being adopted!!) and loved chatting to Nicole about blazing a trail in the industry and opening up the dialogue. As the first of many services that Kin will offer, they currently run Australia’s first pill prescription service with the contraceptive pill being delivered to your door, letting you ditch the in-person doctor’s appointment, without compromising quality healthcare. I’m so excited for what else is to come and also loved her advice (which I have thus far been unable to offer anecdotally) on getting immigrant parents on board with a big move away from the stability of a corporate career, so for those asking, Nicole’s got your answer! Hope you enjoy!+ Follow Kin Fertility here+ Announcements on Insta at @spoonful_of_sarah+ Join our Facebook community here+ Subscribe to not miss out on the next instalment of YAY!See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

I’m not sure about you guys but these crazy times have definitely made me reflect on, among many other things, the way we communicate and connect with each other. What a perfect time to have today’s guest join the show to dive a little deeper into just that – I’m delighted to have expert communicator, TEDx speaker, and Emmy-award winning voice actress, Tasia Valenza, join from New York.You might not have realised, but you’ve almost definitely heard Tasia’s incredible voice (or voices) before as Poison Ivy in the Batman: Arkham Series, Venisa Doza in Star Wars Resistance, Shaak Ti in Star Wars: The Clone Wars, Sniper Wolf in Metal Gear Solid games… She has had an incredible career as an actress turned voice actress and has turned that passion into a business founding Give Great Voice to share her learnings on the impact of tone and expression with all of us. You already know I love exploring the stories behind pathways we take for granted in everyday life so I had so much fun learning about just how one becomes the voice in our ears behind so many different characters. I hope you enjoy and learn something about using YOUR voice along the way.+ Follow Tasia here+ Watch her TEDx talk here+ See The Haven App here+ Announcements on Insta at @spoonful_of_sarah+ Join our Facebook community here+ Subscribe to not miss out on the next instalment of YAY!See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.