SHE TALKED….

Tonight’s “She Talked” is no doubt going to leave you wanting to hear more from this amazing lady – I actually sent her a note saying “I cant wait to meet you in person and hear more of your story!”. The good news for anyone living in Adelaide – she has a fabulous gig happening at the Fringe so jump on over and learn more about her show and business. Its all about the JOY factor x x Lisa

What is the best thing in your life that takes up most of your “thought” life?

http://www.thejoyprotocol.com.au – The Joy Protocol: synthesising my comedy coaching and training to teach people how to get the best from life, because it’s not difficult, it will benefit them and their loved ones and using the ripple effect it will spread positive influence around the world.

If you could go back and tell your 15yr old self one thing, what would it be?
Trust your instincts.

What is the most helpful piece of advice anyone has given you?
In my late 20s after a bit of a breakdown I was undergoing Counselling. For the first six months I seemed to do nothing but cry during the sessions and I asked my Counsellor if I would ever stop. She told me that when you delve into the depths of your sadness and it feels like you’ll never get out, not to worry and keep going. She said it is like jumping into a swimming pool and going down down down, but one day your feet will touch the bottom of the pool and you will push up up up to the surface, and if you’ve done the work properly, you will never have to go to those depths again. I have found that to be so true, and a comforting knowledge to take with me through life.

If you created a bumper bar sticker what would it say?
“I’m upright and breathing – everything else is a bonus” – my way of saying ‘no excuses’

What do you do to relieve stress?
I watch Coronation Street with a G&T

What is one tip you would give for balancing your personal and professional life?
Accept that when you are passionate about something you will probably not have balance in life. Negotiate with your loved ones on that and when you are with them be fully present and loving.

Famous five you would invite to your place for dinner?
Jane Austen
Banjo Paterson
Emma Thompson
Clive James
Peter Capaldi

When I look back on my life I wish…
I’d written my thoughts and feelings down a lot more. I’m fascinated looking back at old diary entries, but I wasn’t consistent with them.

When you are down in the dumps how do you get yourself back up?
I work out why I feel that way and give myself time to feel the feelings. Then after the allocated time I work out what parts of the situation I have any control and influence over. I then fix what I can and engage gratitude, positivity and action, to get back on an even keel.

What couldn’t you live without?
I actually find this question really difficult to answer! There are a lot of things I love to have (great coffee, quality gin, a nice place to live) but one of the things that the events of my life has taught me is that barring death and fatal illness I can live and survive without most of the things we take for granted – I find I’m not attached to anything so much that I couldn’t live without it.

What is one of the proudest moments of your life?
I’m lucky that I have a few, so I can’t pick just one! They would be; when my son was born, marrying my beautiful husband in 2009, when we won the Adelaide Fringe People’s Choice award in 2007 for Titters! and the day I became an Australian Citizen – I had lived here when I was a teenager but my parents decided to take me back to Scotland when I was 16 without taking out citizenship. I was heartbroken. The day I became a citizen on 17 July 2001 was the day I felt complete. I will always be Scottish, and I will now always be Australian too.

What is your definition of success and/or failure?
Success – when it’s a win for everyone and ecological (good for self, loved ones and the world in general).
Failure – no such thing as failure, only feedback!

What is one of the most challenging seasons of your life and what got you through?
When I was eight months pregnant with my son a policeman came to our flat one morning and handed over a warrant for my then-husband’s arrest. That day I found out that our entire life together was a tissue of lies, the flat we lived in was not owned by him, we did not have an investment property, he was in debt, he had no job (even though he had been leaving the house every morning) and so on. I was terrified and distressed and he was so contrite I didn’t leave.

Then when my son was three months old my mum passed away. My body shut down in so many ways and I underwent a kind of breakdown. My period, which had just started after the pregnancy stopped again. I walked past a travel agent one morning and they had an unusual poster in their window – a large plain sheet of paper written on in black marker pen and it said “Fly To Adelaide”. I looked at it and decided I would. My sister still lived here and I knew this was a healing place for me.

We were totally skint – didn’t even have the money for the bus fare home from town – but I managed to borrow some money and book flights for us so that four months later we landed here for a month’s R&R. My feelings that Adelaide was a healing place for me proved true when my period started again four days after arrival. I regained my strength, stamina and resolve here, and went back to Glasgow to create a better life for myself, my son and my widowed dad. I emigrated here with son, dad and ex four years later – the month I paid off the loan I took out for that initial trip!

What gets you fired up?
Cruelty – especially to vulnerable beings – animals, children and the elderly. We have no right to be cruel. We do have a responsibility to care for them.

Which three things would you take on an island for one week?
Assuming food, shelter etc. is taken care of I’d take a copy of Stephen Mitchell’s translation of the Tao Te Ching (I use that book a lot!), a G&T kit (Tanqueray and Schweppes) and pen and paper.

What book are you reading at the moment?
Flourish by Martin Seligman. Love it!

What has been your favourite travel destination and why?
Glencoe in Scotland. I have to go there every time I’m back in the UK. Ancient mountains in a deep glen with a haunting history. I reconnect with a part of my soul up there in the Western Highlands.

What character of a movie would you LOVE to play?
Shirley Valentine! I love Willy Russell’s writing – he writes so well for women. And Shirley’s story is the story of so many men and women who have got into a rut and lost their passion for life. The story shows how it can be regained and how it is possible to revitalize long term relationships. And it’s very funny. Quite perfect, really!

In your business, what is the most rewarding experience?
Watching clients take what they learn and running with it. One coaching client came to me just over a year ago wanting to switch careers to work with and for children. She worked hard at her coaching homework and this week commenced work as the CEO of one of SA’s largest Children’s charities, and that’s just one story amongst the many. Very proud of my lovely clients!

What is something not many know about you?
I’m a qualified hairdresser, a trained actor, and I wrote the copy for the advertising for the first sponsored television program in the UK!

For more information on Maggie’s upcoming Fringe show jump on over:
The Joy Protocol

She Talked…………….

Well this week’s She Talker is the definition of a pocket rocket, an enormous force in a small body.

This girl gets things done at a rapid rate, her energy and enthusiasm for life and people is infectious.

She is a girl you just want to be around!  That’s why many of the members of her Step into Life training groups travel so far, because Carly and Shannon are different from other group outdoor personal training organisations, they love what they do, they care about people and their health and they will go the extra mile for you.  I seriously contemplated driving from Moana to West Lakes just to be a part of their sessions because they are so full of life.  Carly Thompson- Barry is wife to Shannon and a Mumma to gorgeous 2 year old Rylan.  She is the owner of Step into life West Lakes & North Haven, the Founder of The Sass – Adelaide Women in Business and the joint owner of Mind Heart Body a wellness weekend designed especially for women.  Phew …….. I am worn out just from the intro and she lives it, find out where she got her appreciation for life below.

1. Define yourself in 3 words.

Nurturing, Determined and a Doer (which probably borders on impatience!)

2. Tell us about your business in a few sentences

Our businesses Step into Life West Lakes & North Haven provide Group Outdoor Personal Training.  I think our point of difference is the environment we have within our group, such a friendly, family feel. Everyone is so encouraging of one another. They support and motivate each other to achieve their fitness goals, just as much as we help and guide them along. We get to spend our days helping people change their lives and feel better in themselves.

Mind Heart Body is a new project launched with a brilliant friend, that is a weekend designed for women to have some ‘SHE Time’, a chance to get away and focus on just themselves (because when do we ever do that!?) and reconnecting the mind, heart and body to come away refreshed and ready to tackle the world!

The Sass is a new addition to the scene, a group formed for Adelaide Women in Business to connect, support and motivate one another in an environment that has become a real sisterhood full of inspiring female entrepreneurs!

3. What is the best thing about owning your own business

The flexibility of everyday life and being home with our son during the day (albeit often working on and off!) has been great. But I think really it’s the passion. There is nothing that compares to hearing from one of our members that we helped change their life.

4. If you could go back and tell your 15yr old self one thing, what would it be?

That life is short and to spend as much time with your family as possible, that you will meet your soul mate at the end of the year and that year 12 isn’t the be all and end all. Also that missing out on Law, would be the best thing that happened to you and that you will grow to be passionate about something you would never have imagined!

5. What is the most helpful piece of advice anyone has given you?

In business, it has to be to have a good support team

eg. Accountant, financial planner, mentor etc.

In life, to stop and savour the moment occasionally as time goes so fast!!

6. When you are down in the dumps how do you get yourself back up?

Talking about it with a friend or my hubby (I LOVE to talk!), finding a good quote (I have over 300 saved at the moment) that relates to what I am going through and heading out to a session with my Step into Lifers. I never leave there without a smile and a good giggle!

7. What couldn’t you live without?

My family. My husband would probably say my iphone!!

8. What is the quality you love most about your partner/husband?

We are high school sweethearts. I love that he has stuck by me through some really rough times. He inspires me with how hard he works and his calm personality helps balance me!

9. What is one of the proudest moments of your life?

We set ourselves a couple of goals in 2010, we achieved both of these in 2011, the proudest being the birth of our son, followed by receiving the National Step into Life Franchise of the Year Award – all in one month!

10. What is one of the saddest moments of your life? And what helped you get through it?

My Dad got diagnosed with cancer when I was 18, we were told it was the ‘best cancer to have’ as it was so treatable. 8 months later he had died. It was unexpected and so hard and I will never ever forget the moment mum had to tell me. I had to watch my Mum suffer through grief and the loss of her soul mate, while trying to sort through all the stuff that follows. I had to really grow up and look after her and my younger sister, I became the Mum in the family for a little while. Then 3 years ago my Mum had a stroke, we didn’t know and it happened the day before she went overseas. I suspected things weren’t right (lesson – listen to your gut!) and while she was over in Thailand her symptoms got worse, I had her on the next flight home in business class (as that’s all we could get!) and took her straight to hospital upon arrival back in Adelaide where she was diagnosed with a stroke. Months of rehab followed, but she is now pretty much fully recovered and extremely lucky. It was the scariest time of my life to think I could lose her too. It was that year I decided to not wait any longer to have a child. My husband was there through it all by my side, I couldn’t have got through it without him. After the loss of my Dad I also spoke to a psychologist which helped deal with some of the feelings I had built up (never underestimate grief and its affect). I truly believe this helped me get through the time with my mum. I also believe my son came to us from my Dad, he was born on the same date my dad passed away and at around the same time of day. It is now a day that symbolises the end of one life, and the beginning of another, and it helped me move forward.

11. What gets you fired up?

Money. It really irritates me when people are so focused on money, that they lose sight of the bigger picture. Life isn’t about how much money you have or make. It’s about the lives you can touch. Life is short, focus on family, a roof over your head and food on the table, anything else is just a bonus.

12. Favorite quote?

I’m a quote girl and I couldn’t decide so I created my own!  Life is too short to be anything but happy, live it with passion, live it with purpose, take chances, escape your comfort zone and believe that everything happens for a reason.

13. What’s the #1 most played song on your iPod?

At the moment it is Clarity by Zedd.

14. What sound do you love?

My sons Belly Laughs. Nothing compares to the giggles that comes from him when he is being tickled or finds something hilarious!

15. What was the last experience that made you a stronger person?

Recently we had a staff member resign, it was a breaking point for me and after a day of moping, I picked myself back up more determined than ever. Since then, things have gone from strength to strength. I am more confident, am taking more leaps in a business and a personal sense and feel like I have more control. I believe all our events in life shape us, and this was one that just kicked me up another notch.

Rebecca Paul is a Principal Counsellor at Eshé Counselling. She has been counselling for over 10 years and is passionate about helping individuals achieve the best LIFE possible. Rebecca specialises in all things “she” related including marriage and relationships and provides the space and expertise for women navigating through a variety of issues. You can see her website here http://www.eshecounselling.com.au or book an appointment by calling her on this number 0433 792 705