Seize the Yay

Well, I think I’ve held up pretty well so far on the show – it’s not easy to leave me speechless, but this week’s guest cracked me. I’m always so impressed and inspired by everyone’s self-awareness, reflection and honesty, but Jake Edwards is just on another level.IMPORTANT NOTE – This is a little heavier than usual and we do touch on suicide in the context of Jake's incredibly inspiring recovery. A conversation about yay in any depth has to acknowledge how severe the challenges can be for some among us. You’ve likely realised I’m an advocate for open albeit difficult conversations around mental health to help us normalise it and continue to spread awareness about the support available, helpful strategies and how you can absolutely still find your yay (Jake’s story being the perfect example). I always marvel at the timing of the universe and it’s perfect that this one worked out just when we’re all facing challenges to our routine and structure so probably need it most.I usually do a more detailed intro, but I think Jake tells his story so well, especially with the added layer of later reflection with hindsight, a lot of work and brutal honesty with himself. For some quick context, he followed his father, grandfather and great grandfather into the AFL but faced a mental health spiral after being delisted and losing the only identity he’d ever cultivated for himself. You’ll hear about the depths of rock bottom that he hit but has since built himself back up from to found Outside the Locker Room, his incredible charity providing critical mental health education and welfare support to community sporting clubs across Australia. He’s also co-founded Speak Clothing that you’ll hear about in the show. It’s no surprise to me that he is an Australian Mental Health Prize Nominee in recognition of his amazing work. I’ve known Jake for years and am as moved now as I was the first time I heard this – his is a truly incredible story that I hope you gain as much from as I did.PLEASE REACH OUT IF YOU ARE STRUGGLING:Lifeline 13 11 14BeyondblueOTLR+ Follow Jake 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 podcast guest and I both love rambling as much as each other and we go all over the place in what I was humbled to hear was perhaps the most honest chat she’s had, particularly with all the time we’ve had recently for reflections. You’ve almost certainly seen the work of the wonderful Lana Wilkinson – Australia’s most beloved celebrity and fashion stylist behind the best dressed at the Logies, Brownlow, Races, TV and everything in between – as well as founder of her very own shoe line – By Lana Wilkinson. You’d be forgiven for thinking it was all glitz and glamour (which of course sometimes it is) but I love how Lana embraces every opportunity to show the other side of her work and and life. She is incredibly hard working, reflective, thoughtful and never takes life too seriously. Also please excuse a few glitches from Zoom where one of us laughing blocks out the other’s words… there’s was A LOT of laughing so I hope you enjoy getting to know Lana a bit more and have a laugh with us along the way.+ Follow Lana 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 feel like March went for a year and April has gone in the blink of an eye. Hope you’re all continuing to adapt to #iso and, as our last guest Harlan Coben described, bringing your own weather to the picnic. Meanwhile, I’ve got another wonderful lockdown chat for you with the absolutely delightful Abbey Gelmi as part of what she affectionately refers to as #DowntimeAbbey. If you haven’t already seen her work although millions of you have, Abbey is making waves in the world of TV as a Channel 7 sports presenter for racing, Cricket, AFL and the ultimately-postponed Olympics as well as host of the latest season of House Rules.Despite her booming career amidst the glossy world of the media (note Abbey is also a host of the Brownlow and no stranger to glamour), I love that her inner suburban Perth girl lives on. As always we dive into the overnight-success-a-lifetime-in-the-making, she is so hard-working, appreciative and endearingly humble about how far she’s come. We chat impostor syndrome, the woes of blue vs black pen, and even welcome a delivery man to the show – isolation is such a fun time, I love how every Zoom call gives such a more authentic insight into people’s day to day lives. And Abbey shares hers openly which I absolutely loved – hope you enjoy.+ Follow Abbey 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 so excited about this week’s episode because, as most of you know, I’m a die-hard crime fiction reader so I’m fangirling a bit over our guest - the wonderful Harlan Coben. As much as I consume crime novels, movies and TV shows, I’ve never actually met or spoken to one of the many authors I admire so I was bowled right over when Harlan agreed to join the show from New Jersey. To many of you, he probably needs no introduction, but if you didn’t already know, Harlan is the #1 New York Times author of thirty one novels with over 70 million books in print worldwide published in 43 languages around the globe. If you haven’t watched Netflix hits Safe or The Stranger yet, they’re up there with my favourite shows and both are from Harlan to add to the many other screen adaptions of his work. As part of his 14 book deal with Netflix, he has another series coming, The Woods, so keep an eye out for that. I just finished his latest book too, The Boy From The Woods, in one day - I couldn’t put it down - and was thrilled to hear from the man himself about the many years it took to make it as an author, his process for writing, his dinners with American Presidents and his normal New Jersey life as a dad. I hope you enjoy!+ Follow Harlan 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 back beautiful people, hope you’re all keeping safe and well. I’m so glad to be joined this week by absolute legend, Moana Hope, to share her totally refreshing approach to life, undying dedication to her family and appreciation of the little things.She has such an incredibly interesting story and such wise words for us all on embracing what makes us different, especially in a world where we so often feel pressured to be the same or do the same as others. I found our chat to be the most delightful distraction at this crazy time, covering everything from growing up as one of 14 children, balancing her AFLW career with full time work, marrying the love of life, caring for her amazing sister Vinny and of course her recent success on Survivor All Stars.I’ll let her tell you the rest and apologise in advance for the slightly crackly audio in parts – I’m still experimenting a bit with using video and audio and how to maintain the same quality so appreciate your patience. I’m finding so much joy in keeping bringing you a dose of yay in lots of different forms, so hope this brightens your week.+ Follow Moana 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 hope you’re all keeping safe and well and getting through iso. I’ve got another episode that was recorded before things ramped up, so again, I hope it gives you a lovely little break from these crazy times. I’ve heard this story SO many times but it never gets old, I literally met Kate when I fangirled all over her way back at a women’s event before I’d even graduated. I never imagined I’d get to speak alongside her or chat with her on a podcast, but that’s just another example of how things might not always end up how you expect them – they often end up better.Kate started her online store, Adore Beauty, pretty much before e-commerce was even a word back in 1999 at just 21 years old after working the Clarins counter at a department store and getting frustrated with how intimidating the beauty experience was. She has now grown Adore from a garage in Murrumbeena to a hugely successful multimillion dollar beauty destination with over twenty years under her belt. She is an expert in resilience and constant innovation, with Estee Lauder saying no for FOURTEEN years before she locked them in and continues to blaze a trail in the beauty industry. She tells it straight and I absolutely love her for it – introducing, Kate Morris.+ Follow Kate here+ Visit Adore Beauty 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.

Another week of craziness, I can’t believe how quickly things are changing. I hope you are all looking after yourselves and finding ways to get through physical distancing and time at home. While it is a very grave time for so many of us, I have been finding so much comfort in laughter and focusing on the things we still have to smile about. So, I’m going to keep bringing you as much as yay possible and you might have seen I started on Wednesday with a little yay filled humpday live lunch hour with the wonderful Gemma Watts.After a few hilarious technical hiccups, we managed to go live on Instagram although we didn’t make it to the Facebook group AND the comments didn’t work so we couldn’t even interact as we had hoped (which is half the fun of lives) but here is the resulting audio. Gemma is an absolute hoot (and totally refreshed me with our giggles), host of her own fabulous Glow Journal podcast, creative director at Glow Journal Creative with a STUNNING new website you can check out here, copywriter, MC and so much more. I’ll let her tell you the rest – Hope you enjoy!See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

I can’t believe how much has changed just since our last episode. First and foremost, I just want to send out waves of love and support into your ears – we are all being impacted in different ways, but it’s a challenging time for everyone and these either bring out the best or the worst in us so let’s all focus on looking after ourselves and one another as best we can. I still think it’s hysterical that anyone needs to be reminded to wash their hands but stay vigilant in those small ways we can contribute to protect everyone. One of the things I can still do is put little doses of yay out there for you to consume, so hopefully that keeps you from going stir crazy if you’re staying at home.This and the next few episodes were recorded before things really ramped up so we didn’t get the chance to address coronavirus or how people are coping, but perhaps after we publish these we can do a dedicated episode if that’s what you feel would help you yay. In the meantime, here’s my second chat with an absolute ray of sunshine, Rachael Finch, about female empowerment, fashion, and the dreaded self-doubt. Rach was the very first guest I ever recorded with so if you’ve got some spare time head back to our first episode for background. And then catch up on how she now has four businesses, has renewed her Myer ambassadorship, launched one of those businesses into Myer just a few weeks ago and somehow continues to be such a positive role model for balance, motherhood and appreciating the little things.+ Follow Rachael 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.

International Women’s Day is coming up this Sunday 8th March and I thought we’d dedicate both this episode and next to two women who embody female empowerment, equality and achievements. To be fair, every woman AND man who has generously come on the show has been incredible in a different way making it pretty much impossible for me to ever have themed “special guests” – they’re all so special. But particularly as a woman who has grown up taking the dialogue about women’s rights largely for granted and benefiting from the fight of earlier generations like my Mum’s, I always take a moment to appreciate International Women’s Day and, even if there is still work to do, how far we’ve come towards gender equality.So, who better to join us this week than Emirates pilot, Dominique Cotte? Growing up in a town of 180 people, aviation isn’t exactly the industry you’d expect her to gravitate towards but her first flight had her hooked. The thing is, she was set on being an air hostess until her school friends suggested she set her sights on the cockpit surprising her one birthday with a flight lesson. She’s never looked back and is now an absolute boss flying for Emirates across the world.As you know, I get SO fascinated by the details of other pathways and I LOVED finding out about qualifying on different aircraft and the first time you fly a jet. Dom shares openly about the highs and lows including the huge financial commitment of becoming a pilot, the many challenges she faced as a female in an industry that lags behind in equal representation and going from trying to blend in to wearing her red lippy and make up to fly with pride. I hope you enjoy as much as I did+ Follow Dom 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.

If you were following our wedding last year, you probably saw the fun we had with our amazing wedding dance choreographer Jarryd Byrne who we then passed on to Samantha Gash and Mark Wales for their wedding. He very generously organised tickets for the four of us to the second episode of the new season of Dancing with the Stars on Channel 10 where he is the professional partner to Celia Pacquola and it was an absolute BLAST, it’s such an amazing show to watch and to see it in studio was even more impressive. I was lucky to follow up a few days later with one of the judges and fellow professional dancer, Sharna Burgess, for this week’s episode.Sharna is the fiery red head among the judges for this year but has also come from 12 seasons of Dancing with the Stars USA as a professional partner to a Backstreet Boy, an NBA player and everything in between, taking away the winning spot with Bobby Bones in season 27. Dancing since the age of five, she has lived and danced in the UK, the USA and now back home to Australia and is an absolute force to be reckoned with. She’s open, honest and refreshing reminding us yet again that things are rarely an overnight success with lots of despair, hardship and challenge along the way. But her way to yay has led her to the life of her dreams and I loved having her on to chat through it all. Hope you enjoy!+ Follow Sharna Burgess 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 guest is neither our first doctor nor our first guest who has experienced war zones, but is definitely our first war zone doctor to join the show. With 11 honorary doctorates, an order of Canada, and an incredible career as a physician and philanthropist, Dr Samantha Nutt is one of the most interesting and articulate people I’ve had the pleasure to chat with.From starting out in Somalia in her early 20s with UNICEF to founding War Child Canada to help children and women affected by war through education, economic opportunities, and legal support, Samantha is an absolute force to be reckoned with and I was so delighted to have met her on Necker Island with Business Chicks last year. If you’ve been listening a while, you’ll know my interest in crime is rivalled only by my quirky interest in war, so I have been fascinated by her career and, while war is a little anti-yay on its face, you’ll hear that her pathYAY is far from it.I also think it’s important to use the platforms we have to confront the biggest nays to yay for humanity and shine a light on those who are fighting against it so passionately. I hope you are as inspired and mobilised by Dr Nutt as I was.+ Follow Dr Samantha Nutt here+ Reading list 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 episode has been a long time coming, but I finally sat down with my wonderful manager and absolute girlboss, Genevieve Day, founder of her own trailblazing agency, Day Management. If you’ve ever wondered about how things work in influencer land, we cover it all in this episode right back from those very early days when the market was emerging and Gen saw an opportunity to jump right in leaving her PR career behind to start her own business. From one sole talent on her books to now a whole Day Management family, including Nic and myself, Gen has pioneered, pivoted and paved the way for incredible partnerships, campaigns and careers. There’s a lot about her way to yay that even I hadn’t heard before and plenty of behind the scenes nuggets about everything from self-doubt and the sceptics being so young and successful to buying the whole office building when things took off financially. I hope you enjoy as much as I did.+ Follow Gen 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 am SO excited about this week’s guest – I know I say that every week, but this one is truly still blowing my mind. I don’t think there are many people in Australia or anywhere for that matter who haven’t heard of the stunningly beautiful Miranda Kerr and it’s an absolute honour to have her join us from her home in LA. While she grew up in a small country town as a bit of a self-professed tomboy, Miranda started her modelling career at 13 when she won the Dolly Magazine model search in 1997 and quickly rose to prominence becoming a Victoria’s Secret Angel in 2007 as the first Aussie to earn her wings among many other career highlights that are too many to list here. In 2009, she stepped into her entrepreneurial shoes founding KORA Organics blazing a trail for over a decade now in natural beauty as well as having three beautiful children.You’ve probably noticed I’m a long-time customer of KORA with many favourites among the certified organic face and body care range. You’ll get a complete run down of how Miranda keeps her skin so stunningly beautiful in the episode, and also hear about one of the key ingredients of the range – Noni Extract whose juices and oils Miranda has been using since childhood. I was very lucky to get an early sample of the Noni Bright Vitamin C Serum, which I’ve been using for months but I’m delighted to share that KORA Organics has also launched its powerful night equivalent, Noni Night AHA Resurfacing Serum, just last week. I’ll let Miranda tell you the rest in more detail, hope you enjoy!+ See full show notes 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 episode has been a long time in the making and even longer since I’ve admired these two both separately and together. Guy and Jules Sebastian are two of the world’s biggest legends and the sweetest couple to have spent time with. With almost twenty years together, I thought they’d make the perfect guests for a power couple episode going all the way back to their teenage days when they met in little old Adelaide singing together. Yep, Jules sings too - one of many behind the scenes surprises - and while many of you know Guy as the winner of the first Australian Idol in 2003, he actually started out studying Medical Radiation before thankfully returning to his great gift for music.Since Australian Idol, Guy is the only Australian male artist to achieve six number one singles and nine of his singles have been certified multi-platinum including the 11x platinum Battlescars, the beginnings of which you’ll hear him sing in the show. He even holds a record that Ed Sheeran is yet to beat and yet remains incredible humble, warm and grounded as you’ll hear. Jules is equally as grounded (and grounding of their beautiful family) while also forging her own successful career as a stylist, presenter, host of Tea with Jules and an incredible philanthropist (something they enjoy pursuing together, with the Sebastian Foundation) – I have so admiration for her and as you’ll hear Guy does too. You’re in for a ripper almost hour and a half with some deep behind the scenes reflections, random tangents about family, Uber Eats and Guy’s original demo CDs and of course signature Seize the Yay cackles.Of course, knowing I would be recording this at their home studio with ALL the fancy equipment, I upgraded my usual set up with a new adapter so they wouldn’t have to share a microphone. The sound is a little different to usual – of course it happened with the Sebastians, I’m such a flipping noob – but hopefully you will enjoy it all the same.+ Follow Guy and Jules here+ See more on AMEX Platinum here+ Announcements on Insta at @spoonful_of_sarah+ Join our Facebook community here+ Subscribe to not miss out on the next instalment of YAY!Image credit: Who MagazineSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Welcome back to the second episode we recorded over in the West during our quick visit to Perth. In case anyone has been waiting for an example of someone who didn’t have to leave the law to find their yay, my dear friend Amy Barber is your woman. As you’ll hear, her legal career would have been my dream career if business hadn’t fallen into my lap and I am continually in awe of her resilience, open-mindedness and sense of social justice. While she too started out in corporate law at the same firm as two time Seize the Yay guest Samantha Gash for whom we were both recently bridesmaids, Amy shifted quickly towards the realm of international and humanitarian law to build one of the coolest careers I’ve encountered.Amy’s first step out of corporate was a dramatic one into the United Nations as a prosecutor in the International Criminal Tribunal for Rwanda. From there, she has worked in East Timor, Cambodia and Liberia and developed a keen interest in military law in the process. On returning home to Australia to settle down with her husband and start a family, she has also joined the Army Reserves part time as a legal officer (now officially Captain Barber) and works full time as legal counsel for the Australian Red Cross so also has some insights into the bushfire relief work the organisation has been doing. (In her spare time, she teaches yoga in a women's prison - I mean, seriously). She is endlessly fascinating and I hope you enjoy as much as I did.+ 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 to everyone around the world who participated in the Relief Run over the weekend. There were over 18,000 of us running in almost 200 countries and we raised over $1 million for the Red Cross Disaster Relief and Recovery fund. Special thanks to those of you who joined our Seize the Yay community runs, this yayborhood continues to blow me away with your generosity and spirit.This episode worked out with such perfect timing, I’m delighted to have our dear friend and legend Cam Cranley on the show to talk about his career as a firefighter. We’ve been trying to tee this up for months and months, but it worked out to align with a time when our interest in understanding the role of firies is more relevant than ever. I thought it would be good to get some understanding of what our firefighters have been facing, especially because we often take emergency services for granted until we need them most. And of course, we covered both the serious and the more lighthearted including Cam’s moment to shine as Mr May in the annual firefighters calendar and season 2 of the Bachelorette alongside former STY guests Georgia Love and Lee Elliott. Cam is basically a human Labrador and is one of the few people who talks as fast as me, so I hope you enjoy as much as I did!+ Follow Cam 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 hope you all enjoyed last week’s early first episode and that Lisa, Samantha and I weren’t too delirious for you to take something from it. Since then, the Relief Run has raised over HALF A MILLION DOLLARS for the Red Cross Disaster Relief and Recovery Fund with over 8000 people participating all over the world. Hopefully see some of you at our group runs this weekend, I’ll chat more about that at the end of the show.For now, this episode is 2020's original first one back with the wonderful Jeremy Muijs (the pronunciation of which you’ll understand better after you listen). Unlike many of our guests, I hadn’t met Jeremy before our chat but as you’ll hear, we got along like old friends. Neither he nor his brother, Keston, started out in beauty or wellness but in true Seize the Yay fashion their way to yay took many unexpected twists and turns leading them to co-found one of my favourite beauty brands, Grown Alchemist. Despite beginning way before wellness was really part of our daily vernacular and natural beauty had become the booming trend it is today, they pioneered a holistic scientific approach to skin and beauty creating their “bio-compatible beauty” revolution.With formulas based on a unique synergy between biology and cosmetic chemistry, they have made a name for themselves globally leading the way in anti-ageing technology with labs in London, Paris, Switzerland, Spain and Australia. I found Jeremy to be a wonderful storyteller and hope you enjoy hearing more through our chat.+ Find out more about Grown Alchemist hereRELIEF RUN + SEE ALL RELEVANT LINKS HERE+ SIGN UP TO RELIEF RUN 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.

We’re back a little earlier than planned, given what I’m sure wasn’t quite the start to the year most of you envisioned. Our beautiful Australia is burning and the effects of the bushfires have been devastating and widespread. People have lost their lives, loved ones and homes as well as millions of wildlife and hectares of land being destroyed.It’s been terrifying to see things unravel, especially as we have family in affected parts of Gippsland. If you’ve been directly impacted in any way, you have my deepest, most heartfelt sympathies. What has been uplifting to see though is the way the national and global communities have started to mobilise to offer as much support in as many ways as possible. Thank you all to everyone out there who is doing their bit in the best way they can.You’ll probably have seen we’ve been doing bits and pieces with our businesses, particularly with the Relief Run that my dear friend Samantha Gash and husband Nic have started. With the universe working its magic, Sam and I had planned an escape to Bangalow with our wonderful friend Lisa Messenger who has also been working furiously with Food Bank Australia and we ended up in throes of a non-stop bushfire relief working bee. As we have been struggling against the density of information despite the brevity of social media, I thought a podcast episode would give us a longer form chance to discuss what’s been happening but also to touch on some broader important themes on new beginnings, getting started and breaking through action paralysis. Lisa was our very first guest and Sammy joined last year, so it was a delight to get on the mics again to bump brains.Warning – It’s not particularly polished and there’s some delirium in the air, but hopefully there’s some useful parts and some lighter giggles too.+ SEE ALL RELEVANT LINKS HERE+ SIGN UP TO RELIEF RUN 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.

Last episode of the year, and what a year it’s been! I’m absolutely buzzing from all the amazing things we’ve done with Seize the Yay this year and every day I’m so grateful for you wonderful listeners for being part of the yay-borhood and making it possible. Not gonna lie though, I’m definitely feeling the exhaustion and am ready for a little bit of time off – don’t forget that a big part of seizing your yay is taking time to rest, rejuvenate and PLAY while you let your mind and body recover. So while I pushed through last year, we’re taking a little break for a few weeks but I’ve triple dosed over the last week so that should keep you going!Before we sign off, I’ve got one last episode with one of my dear friends and huge inspirations, Michael Ramsey. Like many of these chats, I’m not only honoured to be sharing his amazing story but also got to find out a heap of things I didn’t know before! You might have encountered Ramsey before through one of the six F45 studios he once owned including the world’s #1 studio in Port Melbourne. You could have also seen the buzz created by his amazing Journey retreats that have collaborated with the Keep It Cleaner Girls, Simon Hill from Plant Proof and many more to come next year. Or it could be his brand new venture, Strong, bringing the rowformer to Australia for the first time that caught your eye. And that’s only a few of the many facets of this fascinating human.But of course, there have been so many diversions and learnings along the way and as I always love to remind you the way to yay is never linear. Before he shot to fame in the fitness world, Ramsey started his career in the oil and gas industry and also had a boating technology start up among many other things that belied the success he’d later have in a completely different world. Such a great story to finish with showing again the patience and resilience it takes to finally find your yay. Hope you enjoy!!+ Follow Ramsey at @ramslegit+ Follow Strong at @strong and Journey Retreats at @journeyretreats+ 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 our second last episode of the year!!! As we approach the height of the silly season, you might be feeling like it’s all a bit too hectic so it’s the perfect time to introduce you to the wonderful Bloom App and its co-founders, Chloe Szep and Molly Jane. These two started off as country town girls but ended up riding the original waves of social media from the early days and crafting careers for themselves. While they both might have felt something was still missing, those initial careers led them to each other through Bondi Sands and ultimately resulted in the birth of their baby, the Bloom App. Designed to help you bloom into a better version of yourself, Bloom focuses on reducing stress levels, overactive minds, and positively impacting mental and physical health. It has guided meditations, movements, mindful colouring, journaling, music and so many other tools with much more to come – hope you enjoy finding out more!DOWNLOAD THE BLOOM APP HERE+ Follow Bloom App at @bloomapp and the girls at @chloeszep and @mollyjane+ 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.

Beautiful people, this is the audio from our first ever LIVE show, so for the first time you’ll hear some giggles from the audience. It was SO surreal but incredible to actually see some of you face to face, thank you all so much for coming and packing out Mercedes Me Melbourne for the occasion. I’m sure our guest needs no introduction, but just to reiterate, the gorgeous Olivia Molly Rogers won all our hearts when she was crowned Miss Universe Australia in 2017. Before you let any beauty pageant stereotypes creep in, Olivia is far from just a pretty face and is also a qualified speech pathologist specialising in paediatrics and an incredibly talented artist. She has also become a keen ambassador and advocate for body positivity and mental health awareness using her social media influence as a platform to create change for the causes closest to her heart. I’ll let our chat unveil the rest, so hope you enjoy!I can’t wait to do more of these next year, so if you missed out don’t worry we’ll be doing it again! I‘ll be sending around a follow up email with links for the Butterfly Foundation, the photos and more in the coming week.+ Follow Olivia at @oliviamollyrogers+ 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.

Even though we have our first ever live event this week, I’ve got a fresh new episode for you that I’ve had up my sleeve since my LA visit a few months ago. I was so lucky to catch our legendary friend, Lincoln Younes, for a chat about his amazing journey from country Victoria to the bright lights of Hollywood where he is fooling even his co-stars with his American accent. I recorded this almost straight off the plane after 24 hours of transit and was a little jet lagged so while I’m usually not terrible at managing time and guiding our conversation through each segment, I’d say I was a little less on the ball this one and got carried away in the way to yay more than usual (which is still fascinating and filled with chuckles) so apologies there. Linc is incredibly ambitious, switched on and humble and I hope you enjoy this chat as much as I did.+ Follow Lincoln at @iamlincolnyounes+ Shop Thankyou's Christmas range 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.

Having been a Carman’s muesli nut since back in my school days, it was such a pleasure to join the wonderful Carman’s Kitchen founder, Carolyn Creswell, at her offices for this instalment of yay. Especially since we entered the world of food businesses and FMCG with Matcha Maiden, Carolyn’s story has been an ongoing inspiration in our scale up. Despite the giant it is today, Carman’s began back when Carolyn was only 18 when she bought the hand-made muesli business for just $1000. Within a few years, she grew it to national ranging in Coles followed soon after by Woolworths and now it boasts over 1000 products in over 35 countries including 1000 outlets in China! As you will have heard before, I love seeing businesses grow to the point where they can use their network and influence to give back and Carman’s is doing this in a big way. This Sunday 1 December, the annual Carman’s Women’s Fun Run is back again seeing 6000 participants run, fun run or fun walk at Catani Gardens in St Kilda to raise funds for the Breast Cancer Network Australia. There are 5km, 10km and 21km options and I’ll be joining the 10km to get the running legs going again. See link below to join and I'll let Carolyn tell you more about it. Enjoy!+ Follow Carolyn at @carolyncreswell+ Join the Carman's Women's Fun Run here+ Buy tickets to our live event here+ See more on AMEX Rewards 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 I thought I’d experienced pinch me moments before, recording this episode redefined that concept for me. Not only was I lucky enough to spend a week on Necker Island with the incredible Business Chicks team, a bunch of other amazing women and Sir Richard himself (who you will know threw me a pretty outrageous bachelorette party), I got the chance to hear from and then sit down with the inimitable Laura Brown. There aren’t really words to describe this woman - Laura is an absolute force to be reckoned with making her way from a NSW dairy farm to Manhattan to take over the reigns of one of America’s biggest and most influential titles as Editor in Chief of InStyle magazine. She is truly one in a million with her vibrance, grandeur (or delusions thereof as she likes to say) and creative vision but also her humility, sense of humour and the inner Sheila that the US is unable to beat out of her.Despite a network that encouraged even Sir Richard to jest at her name dropping and the ability to rub shoulders with the world’s elite with ease, Laura is also incredibly easy to get along with and more down to earth than you’d expect as are most of our guests – I know I sometimes sound like a broken record but it’s something that stands out so much for me. We jump all over the place in this chat while enjoying the soothing sounds of the Caribbean ocean that we left in for your enjoyment, so there’s lots of random chatter and giggles but her crazy brain is why I love this woman so much – hope you love her too!+ Follow Laura at @laurabrown99+ Buy tickets to Business Chicks' 9 To Thrive+ 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.

Today’s guest is possibly the only other person who talks as fast as I like to talk so don’t worry about popping this chat on double speed. Priscilla Hajiantoni is the founder of hugely successful business, Bangn Body, known for its hero debut product Yellow Tube of Goodness but with several more exciting launches on the way. It’s one of those lovely full circle situations where I’d been stoked to read interviews with Priscilla where she names Seize the Yay as one of her favourite podcasts and then, months later we sat down to record her episode. In another wonderfully non-linear example of way to yay, Priscilla worked in hair and beauty, high end accounting and then business management before her business idea was even on the horizon but has taken to business like she’s never known anything else. Bangn Body exploded onto the scene closing a gap in the market for skincare for those with acne prone, inflamed or otherwise troubled skin and the results have been outstanding.This was recorded a few weeks before we got married so excuse the time specific giggles. Hope you enjoy this little ray of sunshine!+ 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.

Welcome to November beautiful people, this year has just flown by I can’t believe we’re already thinking about Christmas! Still on a total wedding high and getting used to the new name - we’re actually in Byron Bay this week for our mini moon so it seemed the perfect week to release this episode with Mullumbimby girl, Renée Bargh. I was lucky enough to record this one in Renée’s beautiful home in Venice Beach when I was in LA on the way to Necker Island a few weeks ago and she had literally just come out of the ocean, what an absolute goddess. Despite an incredibly successful career over in the US, she remains a down to earth, Aussie beach baby whose family and friends mean more to her than anything.Having always lived for the performing arts, presenting was not Renée’s first or even second love. After studying at Brent Street, Renée first set her sights on a career in dancing but then got picked up by Sony as part of a girl band (very originally called Girlband). It was a happy accident that got her into presenting with National Bingo Night on Seven then Surfari on Channel 9, followed by Channel V which then led her to her current position in LA as host on Extra TV alongside co host Mario Lopez and this is her ninth year on the job. Holding her own in Hollywood on the most fancy of red carpets, Renée’s charm and talents have won her TWO Emmy awards that you’ll hear I made her whip out during our chat. She speaks candidly about making it, homesickness and finding balance and I hope you enjoy as much as I did.+ Follow Renée at @reneebargh+ More about our videographers, Moon and Back Co+ 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.

Only one sleep to go until we tie the knot!!!Thank you all so much for submitting your questions and for getting so excited with us, we did our best to answer most of them and had a great giggle along the way.+ More about the American Express Platinum Card+ 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.

This guest is one of my favourite human beings who I’ve known since way back in our school days! You’re in for a solid hour or so of hysterical laughter - I was laughing out loud on the plane editing this, it is FULL of yay. There are many reasons why you might have heard of the beautiful Olympia Valance – her sister Holly, her four years on the iconic Neighbours, her incredible talents on Dancing with the Stars… but today we’re celebrating season two of PLAYING FOR KEEPS that starts TONIGHT (Oct 16th) on Channel 10 at 8:30pm. The first season kept us on the edge of our seats with the drama, affairs, and heartbreak of the wives and girlfriends of the fictional Southern Jets AFL club in Melbourne and, as you’ll hear Olympia spill, the next season is bigger and better than ever.After earning her stripes as girl-next-door Paige on Neighbours, Olympia absolutely nails her new role as the fiercely powerful, incredibly bitchy but, as time goes on, vulnerable Thalia – wife of the Captain of the team. I won’t bang on too much because this episode is longer than usual, but it was one of the most enjoyable hours I’ve spent finding out more about creating roles, her life outside of acting, the woes of having hobbit feet and everything in between.+ 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.

Hello beautiful people. You’ve probably noticed that this year has involved a big conversion from non-runner to running lover and I’ve had a lot of questions from fellow curious but reluctant runners about getting started and building up to finding the joy in running. So, I figured I’d turn to one of the experts to help out who also has a super interesting way to yay and is our first Kiwi on the show!I met the lovely Lydia O’Donnell through the Nike family just after she had WON the Surf Coast marathon. As well as being an elite marathon runner, she’s also a running coach AND qualified geologist of all things! As you’ll hear, one of the things I love about her is that while her elite level might seem very serious and intimidating (and she might have treated it that way at times), she ultimately came back to running purely for joy and for her mental health and she’s even founded her own running community, One Step is All It Takes, to raise awareness of the benefits of running and movement for anxiety and depression. We had such a fun chat in the Joyride lab at Nike HQ in Melbourne and she also shared some of her practical coaching wisdom to help us all get out and pound that pavement – hope you enjoy!+ Follow Lydia 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.

We’ve had a truly amazing 2019 so far and I didn’t think things could really ramp up much more, but the past few weeks have been a blur of excitement and I can’t quite believe where this episode is being published from. For the coming week, I’ll be on Necker Island in the Caribbean with Sir Richard Branson and twenty other amazing business women facilitated by the incredible team at Business Chicks. I won’t start gushing or I’ll take up the whole intro, but I don’t think you could seize more yay than that so I’m sure I’ll be bombarding you in no time.If you haven’t heard the Business Chicks story you can head back to founder Emma Isaacs’ episode to catch up and we’ve had several other wonderful members of the Business Chicks community on the show. Today’s is another one of those who I’ve been so excited about, as it’s our first medical professional to join for a chat. Yep, the wonderful Dr Nikki Stamp is our guest for this episode, one of Australia’s 11 cardiothoracic surgeons. Originally from Perth with dreams of being a performer, her father encouraged her to first complete a degree during which she fell in love with medicine and never looked back. Having completed the gruelling years of training to become a surgeon she is now not only saving lives on the daily but has also just released her second book the day we recorded a few weeks ago, Pretty Unhealthy, is a public speaker, mentor and passionate supporter of women in medicine. I’m a bit squeamish so couldn’t have hacked it in medicine but still have SO much curiosity about it as you’ll hear very clearly, and I hope you find it as fascinating as I did to hear about life as a surgeon.+ 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.

I know it’s a little late this week, so please excuse my travel brain - I released the wrong episode then didn’t have this one ready but it’s here and you’ll probably get another very shortly. I pinch myself during most Seize the Yay chats, but this one in particular felt like a beautiful full circle I never thought was possible. I’ve been a customer of Endota Spa for so many years now (since as far back as uni) but especially during my legal career when it was my absolute saviour and could never have dreamed I’d be sitting down with founder Melanie Gleeson at Endota HQ for a gasbag. Self-care didn’t come as naturally to me back then but an hour at Endota Spa would bring me back to life and my monthly Endota visit has endured to this day. It’s such a beautiful haven that started on the Mornington Peninsula when Melanie was just 26 and has now grown to a multimillion dollar network with over 100 locations and 1000 staff. It was a such a pleasure to hear about Mel’s way to yay from an exchange to Scotland, a career in theatrical hair and make-up before founding what was one of the very first day spas in Melbourne well before it was trendy. It’s also probably one of my favourite play to yay chats too where we discover some mutual quirky interests and spend the rest of the episode in hysterics. Hope you enjoy!+ Follow Endota 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’ve been so excited to put this episode out into the world since we recorded it a few weeks ago. If there wasn't already enough yay going on up until this point, we were lucky enough to head to Adelaide to record this one on location at Adelaide Zoo!!! Nic and I are both absolutely obsessed with animals and one of the jobs I’ve been super keen to showcase on the show is zoo-keeping, so I’m delighted to have Senior Zookeeper Michelle Birkett on the show to confirm that it is in fact the best job ever. And we didn’t just to get to record our chat, we spent a full day exploring and meeting the beautiful animals at the zoo beforehand.I loved meeting Michelle not only because she adores what she does, but also because it’s been something she’s wanted to do since she was younger and kept at it despite everyone telling her she’d “eventually grow out of it”. She’s also one of the first people we’ve had on who doesn’t struggle as much with the productivity pressure and relentless achievement conveyer belt that we’ve talked about a lot in prior episodes. It’s so refreshing to hear her perspective on ambition and how that doesn’t always have to go upwards. I also loved that she still squeezed in some time overseas and lots of different jobs along the way but nothing swayed her away from life at the zoo. Hope she lights you up as much as she did us!+ 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.

There are so many people who have contributed time, wisdom and hugs to getting me to where I am today, but this guest is one who I can absolutely say I wouldn’t have started without. In fact, Jess Hatzis might just be the first person I ever told about the idea for Matcha Maiden and I am forever grateful for her overwhelming love and support then and at every stage of the journey since. And it’s no wonder I continue to turn to her for wisdom being a co-founder of global skincare sensation, Frank Body, as well as trailblazing creative agency Willow & Blake and more recently, a new gym Frame Cremorne with her husband. She has been a business woman laying the groundwork for the entrepreneurial boom that was to come since before most of us had ever been exposed to start ups and leaving corporate jobs to follow dreams. It’s not often that your second job ever is your own business and even rarer than your second business then explodes just a few years later. Starting with $5000 and a production line of friends, family and whoever else they could get together, Jess and the four other co-founders of Frank Body grew the business to tens of millions of dollars of revenue in a few short years. Theirs is the ultimate social media start up sensation story and there are few corners of the world that Frank Body hasn’t reached. It was a delight to hear the journey again I can never hear it too many times and loved hearing what's happened since I heard it last. I have looked up to Jess for the longest time and am so grateful she joined the show to share some of her pearls of wisdom, biggest lessons and why Kipfler potatoes are the best. + 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.

This week, we welcome our first tri-citizen to the show who became an Australian citizen the day before we recorded. I always feel so lucky to have such incredible and supportive people around me and Kemi Nekvapil is one of the wisest and most empowering – how lucky Australia is to have her and if anyone has heard her speak before, you’ll no doubt agree. With British, Nigerian AND Australian citizenship, Kemi spent her childhood in five different foster families and her early adulthood with as many different careers covering stage and television acting, professional baking and yoga teaching before she even touched on her current calling as a coach, author, speaker and now podcaster! Through challenge, open mindedness and a lot of self-development, Kemi has developed a unique resilience, agility and power and I always leave her presence feeling enlightened and excited for human potential.In true Seize the Yay fashion, Kemi was an open and honest book and I loved exploring the concepts of cultural identity, self-acceptance, the marvellous workings of the universe and the incredible moment when you realise you have CHOICE with her in such depth. This is the perfect blend of serious, life-changing imparting of wisdom and hysterical laugher about nipple pinching, body hair, and home births... As you’ll hear, she’s starting her own podcast this week and the launch is only a few days away on 5th September, so if you’re in Melbourne I’ve popped the link for tickets in the show notes, she’d LOVE to meet you all. Hope you enjoy and are seizing your yay!+ 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.

I’m so excited to finally share the chat we recorded on our whirlwind trip to Seoul for the global Nike Joyride launch. It was such an incredible experience especially at the peak of my non-runner to running-lover conversion and so cool to head back to the motherland after 17 years (a long story that I’ll tell another day). After he hosted the global launch event, I was so lucky to sit down with Nike Senior Product Line Manager, Will Moroski, to chat in more detail about this incredible shoe as well as sharing his own amazing way to yay in the process. Another wonderful example of ending up exactly where you never expected but where you were absolutely meant to be.While nurturing a love for sport from very young, Will’s nerdy side also flourished through his journey. While competing seriously in track and field, he started college at UC Davis undeclared but then found himself in biomedical engineering. Loving it so much, while others took a gap year, Will headed to Oxford to do his Masters in Biomedical Engineering completing a casual thesis on Malaria in Pregnancy: Assessment of Effect Using Image Texture Analysis. This then took him to Thailand for field work and research followed by a clinical studies engineer position at pacemaker company Biotronik. It was Biotronik that moved him to Portland, the home of Nike HQ, where he found himself teaching spin classes to Nike staff who encouraged him to make the jump. Five years later, he’s working on world class innovation and changing runner’s lives with new technology. I’ll let him tell you the rest but hope you enjoy!!!!+ 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.

As promised last week, this week’s guest is the beautiful second half of the greatest power couple going around. Hearing Mark’s incredible story you’d be forgiven for thinking it’d be impossible to find a worthy match, but my dear Samantha Gash is just that and more. After meeting each other through mutual obnoxious eagerness in our first year of law studies, we’ve had a beautiful and enduring relationship for over a decade seeing each other through many different adventures, phases and careers. She may be small in stature but she’s a big personality and even bigger inspiration to myself and many hundreds of thousands of others who her story has touched and it’s no surprise our chat goes well over an hour and even closer to two so buckle in!Having united her early passions in a Performing Arts/Law degree, Sammy’s love for the extracurricular has been around a long time seeing her work in Texas on capital cases, in Indigenous communities throughout Australia and everything in between. Sport was never her strong point, and yet, in the first display of what has become a characteristic love for discomfort and challenge she randomly undertook the 100km Oxfam challenge and has never looked back. From there, she has continued to defy even our wildest imaginations leaving law to pursue her career as an elite ultra marathon runner and incredible public speaker starting by becoming the youngest person and first female to complete the four desert series – 4 x 250km races across the hottest, windiest, coldest and driest deserts in the world. She then ran 1968km across South Africa and 3253km across India both to raise awareness and funds for causes close to her heart. Nic and I have been so lucky to be part of her crew on a few different adventures as you’ll hear and she continues to open my mind every day. I could bang on forever but I’ll let her tell you the rest! Enjoy!!+ See 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.

This week’s guest was on the very first list of potential guests that I ever made for the podcast and while our crazy schedules full of travel and adventure mean it’s taken us a little while to coordinate, I’m SO excited to have Mark Wales on the show today and his beautiful fiancé Samantha Gash to follow next week. You might already know that Samantha is one of my dearest friends and soon to be bridesmaid and that Sam, Mark and their bubba Harry are pretty much family. And yet, somehow even after hearing both of their stories many times, I am still completely blown away by these powerhouses every single time and count myself so lucky to have them as friends. They are truly just another breed of human being and their stories add something very different to the yay we’ve seen so far. Starting off with Mark, you may know I’m almost as obsessed with the military as I am with crime (you can’t help what makes you yay) and Mark was not just in the army but an SAS platoon commander in special ops – SO COOL!!!! Having his eyes on the prize from year 9 when he first heard about the SAS, he made his way through the gruelling training to join the SAS and ultimately complete tours in East Timor, Afghanistan, Lebanon and more. Impressive enough as that is alone, his stellar career in the military was just one of many chapters on Mark’s way to yay who, after coming back to the academy to teach then retired and headed to New York. And not just for a gap year or gardening leave… oh no – he went to do an MBA at Wharton and become a Management Consultant at leading international firm, McKinsey. If you thought that was enough, you don’t know Mark and Sam. I can’t really imagine Mark in an office environment especially after being in combat and it turns out he felt much the same so tried out for Survivor Season 2 back in Australia. On the show, he met our beautiful Sammy and the two now have the most beautiful little boy, Harry, who absolutely lights up all our lives. On top of that, Mark also started his own business called Kill Kapture designing luxury streetwear to help the ex-military transition back into their lives with armour for their day. And quite understandably, he is now a coveted public speaker sharing his wisdom and knowledge from his amazing experiences along the way. I hope you enjoy this as much as I did!+ See 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.

Today's is one of those guests who I have admired from afar for many, many years (since way before I ever contemplated starting a business myself). So, I feel even more privileged and excited than usual to have sat down with the incredible Cyan Ta’eed, which is saying something. Cyan founded her first business just one year after entering the workforce but it’s her third, Envato, that propelled her onto the international stage.Envato is world's leading marketplace and community for creative assets and creative people and Nic has actually been a customer for over 10 years! You’ll hear all about Envato's crazy growth to over 7 million members and nearly $100 million of turnover and, for most people, that would be enough but Cyan went on to start a CHOCOLATE social enterprise called Hey Tiger, which is absolutely DIVINE (and which just released a bunch of vegan friendly flavours to its already delightful range of delectable choccies - think caramelised popcorn and balsamic strawberry).But most excitingly, this week her brand new baby Milkshake has launched, solving the age old frustration of only having one link in your Instagram bio and not being able to edit your website on your phone. Milkshake allows you to build your own Insta website to pop in your bio and bring ALL the boys to the yard making insta work harder for you. I’ll leave Cyan to tell you the rest and hope you enjoy!!!+ See 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.

I know I say this all the time and let’s be real, it would be impossible for me to ever choose one sole favourite episode, but I think this one really stands out for how much practical advice my wonderful friend Shelley Laslett generously imparts throughout. While we explore her way to yay and the non-linear nature of the journey like many other episodes, I love this one so much because she demonstrates at the same time why she is so incredibly brilliant at what she does and why she was meant to end up exactly where she has.While it took her a while to realise it, Shelley was born to be a neuroscience coach and this is a taste of the transformative work she does unlocking your best you, shifting mindsets and backing it up with the hardcore brain science. Honestly, it’s like getting free coaching so get your pens and paper out kids, you’re in for a rollercoaster ride! From politics and philosophy to advising start ups then a Masters of Neuroscience to founding her own coaching business, Vitae, Shelley is among the most articulate people I’ve had the pleasure of speaking too but still never without a good chuckle or two – you’ll hear us have a good laugh over cowboys, cowgirls and the more appropriate cowperson. I hope you take as much out of this as I did.+ See 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.

What a wonderful week it’s been, beautiful people, if you haven’t already seen we started a Seize the Yay facebook community last week and it is already brining me SO much joy every day. Thank you to the 200 of you who have already joined and started sharing the little things that make you smile. It’s also a lovely place to be able to leave any feedback or further questions for our guests that I can pass on and I’ll also share any new events or products there first so if you want to join, I’ll pop a link in the show notes.Remember it takes so little to make someone else’s day brighter, so why not try do it everyday. Little sneaky shout out before we start to Miah, Al, Jill and Alisha, four beautiful listeners who made MY day last week when they came over at a friend’s birthday to say hello and sang the WHOLE seize the yay sing off by heart. NOTHING brings me more joy than to meet you listeners and hear how you’re seizing your yay so don’t hesitate to share or reach out, it means the world! Because you’re not there when we record I always forget people are actually listening so I love being reminded, thank you so much ladies!Back to today’s episode, we’ve got a double dose of Sarah for you with the delightful Sarah Hamilton, co-founder of Bella box and more recently Sand and Sky. Bella box is Australia’s largest sampling service bringing 10s of thousands of subscribers the latest of everything trending in beauty. Sand and Sky is the original Australian pink clay mask that has gone viral tightening pores all over the globe and showcasing Australian natural botanicals to the world.You’ve probably seen me ramble on about both before as I’ve been a long time customer and admirer of Sarah and her twin Emily since many years ago when we first met at a speaking gig. From working the grill at McDonald’s to a career in finance overseas, I love that Sarah’s greatest successes weren’t even a blip on the radar until her 30s proving again that your way to yay is not only NOT linear but also not predictable. As always, there’s many a chuckle and I hope you enjoy our chat as much as we did.+ See 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.

It’s been a long time coming, but I’ve been working away on getting some awesome jobs into the mix and this episode is the first to kick us off with the fabulous Emma Lewis, an undercover cop (or covert cop as you will learn is the correct terminology) who also has an amazing side hustle called Canvast. Emma reached out earlier this year during a little social media hiatus which led her to find this and many other podcasts and I am so delighted to have connected to share her story – you’ve probably gathered I’m fascinated by crime and police so I nearly chewed her ear off. She is not only still a Queensland policewoman but has also created the beautiful Canvast planner – a dateless yearly planner reminding us all that you don’t need to wait for a new year or month to get started on your dreams. She shares some wonderful insights including that time she peed her pants in front of a sergeant, the kind of down to earth chuckles that you know I love so much!This also motivated me to finally get a Seize the Yay Facebook group going, so that even if only for a few of us, there is an easy, centralised place to share the things that bring yay to our day! Click HERE to join or search "SEIZE THE YAY COMMUNITY".+ Follow Emma 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 think you’ll agree that we’ve had some seriously impressive human beings share their ways to yay on the show, but I was completely blown away by our first guest for the new financial year. I’m always so grateful that our guests feel comfortable enough to show the lesser known sides of themselves (especially when it’s not often that they do), which is perhaps why I was so captivated by the gorgeous Jesinta Franklin this week.While I, like most of the country, am no stranger to Miss Universe 2010 and the striking looks that have carried her through a successful career as a model, brand ambassador and TV presenter I wasn’t as familiar with Jesinta’s eloquence, utmost professionalism and genuine care for others (that earned her the real life title of Miss Congeniality). As you’ll hear, she radiates warmth and honesty belying the fame that surrounds her both independently and together with husband and AFL superstar, Buddy Franklin.I feel very lucky that I got to steal her away this week for a delightful chat on the very day that her brand new self-funded, self-produced Jesinta App launched two days ago along with the new issue of Women’s Health Magazine with her on the cover. You’ll hear more about it in the episode and of course I’ll pop a link to it in the show notes. We also chat about everything from idyllic Gold Coast childhoods to meeting Donald Trump, and from WAG life to the five love languages. I hope you enjoy it as much as I did!+ See 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.

Very lucky that today’s guest squeezed me in during her recent visit to Australia for the amazing Business Chicks event, 9 to Thrive, in Sydney a few weeks ago. Miki Agrawal is the true definition of a game changer taking on some of society’s most taboo and unglamorous areas of life and shifting the way we think about and experience them. Born in Montreal and moving to the US with her twin for college and then a corporate career in investment banking, she experienced a transformative turning point in her life after a sliding doors experience on 9/11 and decided that life was too short not to live your dreams so she left banking to pursue three of them – start a business, play sport professionally, work on films. She excelled in all three of them, which you’ll hear about, and yet none of those pursuits are what really lit her trailblazing fire.It is the business she co-founded in 2011, THINX, that may ring more of a bell and that really allowed her to create change where it is most needed developing anti-microbial, moisture-wicking, absorbent, and leak resistant underwear. If it weren’t challenge enough to make period pants exciting, her latest venture is TUSHY, shedding light on the outdatedness and expense of toilet paper and the superior hygiene, convenience and sustainability of bidets. She’s one of the most fascinating person I’ve spoken to and I was captivated by everything she had to say. There’s so much more I wanted to ask but she’s written several books so I’ll pop links to those at the end as I’m sure you’ll want more by then like I did!+ See 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.

You have probably seen (and heard in the last episode) about the latest issue of Women’s Health that I am SO grateful to have been included in – super chuffed and still pinching myself at the experience and my family has bought every copy within a 100km radius. The same day, the Men’s Health magazine hit the shelves and both magazines are Nic and my go-to sources for anything new or noteworthy in health/fitness and wellbeing.Men’s Health readers may have noticed things being shaken up a bit for the better in recent times and it’s mostly due to legendary editor, Scott Henderson, who has taken a more holistic approach to what constitutes fit and inspiring than what tradition has dictated since taking over the reigns quite by surprise. I was lucky enough to sneak him away when I was in the office to chat to him about his pathway to get there, his love of matcha and what an editor actually does and it was an absolute blast!Such an interesting journey that didn’t actually start in journalism and crosses both founder life and working up a corporate ladder (with some spanish rapping in between). Hope you enjoy it as much as I did!+ See 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.

I’m sure I’m not alone in having been touched by this woman’s career at some point or another in one of the many stellar roles she has portrayed that have made her an Aussie household name. Kat Stewart is one of our most outstanding actresses winning many accolades for her talents including AACTA and the coveted Logie awards.But as you’ll hear today, despite her immense gratitude for the recognition she has earned, she is the ultimate professional and passionately dedicated to the art form in both TV and theatre and I love her attitude of just putting her head down and getting the job done well. Extremely down to earth and originally from Bairnsdale where my own family is from, she was such a pleasure to chat to and I loved her honesty about not only the fun and glamorous moments but the very nitty gritty parts of forming an acting career.You may recognise her as Roberta Williams in Underbelly or Billie Proudman in Offspring (with many TV and theatre roles in between) but what I’m so excited about is her new show Five Bedrooms on Channel 10. A comedy drama based on the disaster of buying property these days, it focuses on 5 different people who end up at the singles table at a wedding and eventually buy a house together with each episode narrated by a different character. At the time of recording, it was just before the first episode but at the time of publishing, TONIGHT is the first episode led by Kat’s character Liz. You’ll hear more about it in the episode and should absolutely tune in tonight (and all Wednesdays) at 8:40pm!+ See 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.

So much thought goes into the guests you hear from with my main concern being the YAY their story can instil in you (whether founders or not and whether big profiles or not). Today’s guest is a perfect example – yes, she’s a founder and has a big profile but she is definitely not same same!Tiff Hall is an exceptional human being in just about everything she turns her attention to – incredibly book smart but also infinitely creative, a master of several instruments, a linguist, a fitness expert with 20 years of experience, an elite athlete, an author, a TV personality, a businesswoman and a mother. While she sounds like the last person any of us can identify with, she comes from the humblest beginnings as a simple girl from Essendon growing up around the taekwondo centre her parents still own in Brunswick. And despite her incredible success since then, you’ll hear that her roots stay close to her heart. While many would have taken on the reigns of the family business and felt more than accomplished, Tiff is one of the most motivating people for her appetite for challenge. With Taekwondo as her first love, she is not only a black belt but a 6th DAN black belt. She has 20 years of fitness experience that she has channelled into a role on Gladiators, The Biggest Loser and now into her own amazing online fitness program TiffXO and has also joined Chris Hemsworth’s team on the Centre App. I could keep going and giving it away now but you’ll hear it all in the episode so I hope you feel as motivated by this one as I do!+ See 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.

So excited to introduce you guys to one of my unofficial mentors and role models, although I’m not sure she knows it. Rachel Kelly is one of the SMARTEST and most switched on businesswoman that I’ve been lucky to have met and while she is absolutely knee deep in business at all times, it hasn’t been by the founder route which I find really interesting. (You'll hear in the intro a few words about showing variety of life paths on the show, as I know things have been a bit founder-biased mainly because of their flexibility of time to record. Just know, I'm working away in the background on keeping things broad and diverse and thank you for all your submissions for guests - the pipeline is super exciting!)Rachel is a retail superstar having jumped from her own Red Earth franchise in Adelaide to climbing up the retail ladder and into executive mode in the Just Group to then taking the reigns as Global CEO of T2 and now looking after all of Sales at booming start up Afterpay. In between, she’s been an investor, start up advisor and executive mentor and is an absolute fountain of knowledge when it comes to helping complex businesses achieve growth, focus and longevity.I feel very lucky to have had her in my ear at some of the tougher times in our journey. She is an incredible leader and shares some incredible insights for any person owning, working on or in any business and I hope you gain some pearls of wisdom from our chat.+ See Rachel's website here+ See more on Afterpay 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’m so excited to welcome one of my favourite Aussie icons to the show for this episode – positively pinching myself to have the stunning Megan Gale here today. After winning a modelling competition at 18 years old in her hometown of Perth, Megan has had a stellar career as a fashion icon and become a household name gracing the covers of many a glossy magazine both in Australia and overseas, holding the longest fashion contract in Australia with David Jones, and becoming an ambassador for L’Oréal joining the likes of Beyonce and J.Lo. But she’s not just a pretty face (and smoking hot body), Megan has also enjoyed success in film and TV including Getaway, Australia’s Next Top Model and Project Runway. If that weren’t enough, she started her own swimwear range, Isola, in 2010 AND has also conquered motherhood with two beautiful children River and Rosie to fiancé Shaun Hampson (who is actually an old friend of mine!)For many, that would be more than enough to feel deserving of putting up the feet but Megan has added another incredible project to her repertoire. This May, she debuts Mindful Life, a conscious children’s skincare collection that’s been 5 years in the making. Made in Australia from ethically sourced, cruelty-free and naturally derived ingredients, the range is designed to nurture the relationship between parent and child and encourage presence in an endlessly busy world of stimulation and time paucity. I’m honoured to have her on the show to tell us a bit about the brand and the story that led her to this moment.+ See 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.

I know I always say each guest has an amazing story, but it’s because they’re all so interesting in such different ways. I’m so excited to have the amazing Erin Deering on the show today, co-founder of global swimwear giant, Triangl, which you’ll hear she has now exited but which is still very close to her heart. Hers is a fascinating story of going from eating tin soup to get the business off the ground to becoming a multimillionaire in less than a year and getting her swimwear onto the hottest bodies in the world including Kim Kardashian and Miley Cyrus and the rollercoaster that you can only expect came with it. We cover so many topics from having two children and dealing with her separation, the challenge of losing yourself in the scale up process of a booming business, eating disorders and control, the interaction between money and happiness and the process of learning to treat yourself with kindness.I’m so honoured that she spoke so openly about the challenges and journey along the way, and hope you enjoy getting to know her a little more.+ Follow Erin 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 finally convinced the mysterious Ang (spelling debated in the episode haha) to come on the show and tell her story. I’ve had so many requests to hear from Ang so here she is in all her hilarious glory. While we have heard from many incredible guests who are well on their way to seizing their yay, Ang is just 22 and at the very beginning of her journey so I thought it would make for something a little different to have a younger guest on the show. Having said that, she has nonetheless squeezed more into her life than people decades older than her which is part of what makes her so interesting.While she is studying physio full time at uni and absolutely loves all things science and anatomy, she has also built and recently sold her own food truck business, created a solo charity ride from Adelaide to Melbourne covering 800km on her bicycle to raise $22,000 for Stand Up Events combating homophobia and discrimination, started boxing from scratch and trained for her first fight where she won by technical knock out after just 1 and a half rounds, tried out for fun but successfully been listed in the VFLW for this year, worked across many different businesses and industries now going freelance in creative and digital marketing and that’s just half of it. You can see why she’s such a motivating and life loving person to be around.While we met through our businesses, she is one of our closest friends and a human ray of sunshine. You can tell we get a bit off track from time to time probably forgetting we were recording and not just chatting between mates, but hopefully you enjoy nonetheless.+ 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.