Critically Drinking

Today's episode is all about creating clarity about what content in the media is doing to our consumption habits and how it makes us feel. First, I need to make a confession. I got busy. Now busy isn't an excuse for anything, but busy was quickly followed by being overwhelmed. The messages in the media and the content I was consuming became more and more hateful during the lead up to the US election last year. I was saddened to discover that friends and relatives were trolls and in some cases full of anger and venom and that was something that I just couldn't take. So... I went dark. From social media and content creation to recording and publishing episodes of this podcast, I chose silence. What I forgot during this time of hiding my head in the sand was that the only way to slow down the hate and ugly in the world is to dilute it with good. If we take in good, that is what we start to see in the world around us. Things like bias and hate can only grow if their messages outnumber the great ones. "If we take in positivity and great hopes for humanity that is what we embody"-Erin Burrell It's time for us as content creators to share stories of inspiration and hope so that we can be a part of the world we know can exist. What I'm reading, watching, and listening to: Reading: The Color Purple by Alice Walker- a story of religion, triumph, and self-discovery On Competition by Michael Porter-one of the best business books of all time Watching: Brooklyn 99-laugh and enjoy Jane the Virgin- hard not to become consumed by a modern masterpiece Listening Finding Mastery with Michael Gervais-every episode takes you on a quest Personality Hackers- Myers-Briggs meets modern common sense Fly My Pretties-ensemble music that tells a beautiful story

Lucy O’Connor is a lot of things, but more than anything she is human. Giving up a day job with an approved career path and a secure income is not a luxury that all of us can afford, but it’s exactly what she did. I know that running off to chase a dream is something that a lot of us fantasize about doing, but are afraid of the ramifications. Almost a year ago Lucy quit her 9-5 to chase her dream of working in a new field all the while documenting her story on her Monday Hustle website and associated social media accounts. Telling her story with honesty and humility is what has caused her to not only create a connection with her readers, it has helped her to create a space where reflections on victories can be celebrated right beside stories of the hard times. The creation of her public persona has actually served to bring her even closer to her family as she shares her feelings in real time with the world. Unfortunately, not every day has been fun. Being lonely, losing friends, and being responsible for creating her own motivation to hustle is not as easy as it seems, but as she navigates each new challenge, Lucy’s story it helping people around her and she feels that using her strengths can fuel the energy of her readers. ”I love to make people feel empowered and I realised that that was my thing”.

The phrase madly in love with beer doesn't even begin to describe Ren Navarro. As one of the five founders of The Society of Beer Drinking Ladies, you would guess that she has been known to imbibe in fermented hops and barley from time to time, but she is so much more than just a gal who drinks beer. The Society is pretty focused on being a part of a fully inclusive environment and while they stand behind the ladies only until midnight rule it isn't a hard stop. "You identify as a woman, you like beer. Come on down". SOBDL is not just about beer either. They also are proud supporters of the Canadian Women's Foundation and as Ren puts it "Use their powers for good" by drinking beer and supporting the cause "how could you go wrong with that?" It's added up to a lot of support raising more than $10,000 for the charity since they started. "How is it that the beer industry says that women don't drink beer?" -Ren Navarro Telling us that her "inner artist likes the creation" of beer is just the beginning of the flavour notes that describe Ren. A passionate believer that you can crush stereotypes and try new things she advocates for the "just go on do it approach". Motivated by a curious mind and a love for all things beer and photography related she is filling her days with a long list of different creative pursuits that keep her excited about life. "Life is too short to be like: I just did one thing". "I feel like if I’d done it differently I wouldn’t have ended up here" Ren Navarro You can find Ren on Twitter or Instagram. Follow her, you won't be disappointed. Don’t forget to show some love submit a comment or review! Subscribe to get alerts on new episodes and more or find us on iTunes, Soundcloud, or Stitcher.

When you are introduced to Tesh Randall you are pretty sure that she is just another girl next door type who moved to a beach town, but then again we all know that first impressions are often wrong. Following a known path isn't what Tesh has done and she is quick to tell you that while she knows she might have missed out on some experiences she has no regrets about her unconventional route so far. Starting in childhood being home-schooled, she has certainly used a different map than most to reach success. Self publishing her first book at 19 and pushing on to create unconventional companies as opportunities present themselves Tesh and her partner are not wasting a minute. Leveraging every opportunity that comes their way has served to make her an enthusiastic supporter of other people's projects as much as her own, but admitting that "You can’t force your own enthusiasm and onto someone else", was the first step in realising that not everyone wants to be an entrepreneur.

Loni Davis is more than just a professor. This passionate lady decided to return to grad school to complete her Ph.D even though she already had a busy consulting business in organisational design. Despite having all of the academic credentials one might need to be an expert, Loni has remained passionate about staying engaged in her own personal learning journey. She says of her classroom experience that "It feels sometimes like I’m in a live lab because I’m learning. I’m learning so much." It's this desire to be both instructor and student that make her an exciting professor to watch and learn from. "I think a revolution needs to be started, even if it’s a quiet revolution of academics experimenting....I’d like to see myself and others....take more risks" -Loni Davis Ph.D While quick to admit that there is a luxury to moving into professional academics with a successful consulting practice, Loni credits curiosity and a desire to generally face challenges as a member of the working team as the foundation for her professional and personal achievements. Her resume is strong and because of this fact she tells us that "I don’t feel that I have to worry so much about pleasing....And actually I think when I take more risks it makes my teaching better." photo Live experience in the workforce has also taught her the value of theory being dosed with lots of reality in order to overcome difficult situations. "We have to start to get as complex as the problems we are trying to solve" "I think people need to attach their learning to problems...that problems don’t fall neatly into different disciplines...The really interesting problems in our world are multi-disciplinary"-Loni Davis Ph.D Don’t forget to show some love submit a comment or review! Subscribe to get alerts on new episodes and more or find us on iTunes, Soundcloud, or Stitcher.

When you talk to a guy like Will Dayble you think about his CV. You see a list of successful companies and imagine that the person you are about to chat with is going to be a poster boy for business school approaches. That is decidedly NOT the case. Yes, he (and his partner) have created a few really outstanding companies like The Fitzroy Academy which is revamping education and Squareweave which is doing digital ethically. Both businesses are blossoming under his leadership but it isn't his accomplishments that stand out when you speak with him. Instead, what you hear is a passionate guy with a pragmatic approach to problem solving. Truthfully, he is pretty hard not to like. Will advocates for doing socially responsible business with a profit first mindset. While he admits that "It’s a bit schizophrenic", that hasn't stopped him, and his bottom lines are proving that this is not the wrong answer. "Understanding that maybe there’s better definitions for doing good and making money that can cohabit and are useful together. And by realising that it’s easier to simply do both well than it is to split time between the two and put on a philanthropy hat one day and then a profit hat the other day."-Will Dayble Through his passion for getting shit done, Will has become a very busy guy, but that doesn't stop him from enjoying himself. Neither do regrets. "It’s inefficient to care about what might have happened". His focus on improving the planet and making the world better for tomorrow clearly fills his day, but when asked to reflect on advice for young entrepreneurs his philosophy of logic and reason come through clearly. "The first and best bit of advice would be to not take my advice"-Will Dayble It's clear that Will has mastered the power of the yes and no answer, but even that can teach us all a lesson about taking risks. No person can cut and paste a path to success, so maybe it's time to accept the idea of being a unicorn and make our own maps. Don’t forget to show some love! Submit a comment or review! Subscribe to get alerts on new episodes and more or find us on iTunes, Soundcloud, or Stitcher.

When you trip across a talented lady like Kathryn Burnett you think of all of the things that she has done. After spending more than a decade in writing for television, Kathryn has produced and written plays, designed and facilitated workshops and much more. As an individual her writing and production credits are impressive, but when you add that to the list of people she has helped create something of their own, you discover a talent that goes beyond the page. When asked about how sharing opportunities might limit the chances she has to be successful in such a competitive industry she tells us that "the biggest competitor I have is myself". This universal truth in the creative landscape comes through even more clearly when she discusses how there are always going to be more writers than occasions for getting the work seen. It's this idea that motivates her to keep working on projects new and old as it is critical "to have more than one project in the drawer" as this will help to be prepared when the opportunities arise. "Get to the page and do the damn work."-Kathryn Burnett Kathryn is inspired by people all around her. Both by friends and peers have been able to cheer her on in hard times and helped to maintain her momentum when things get good. I started getting support from people I really valued and that strengthened me. It was this support that taught her to begin to live a lifestyle of generosity and find inspiration and collaboration from the community around her. "People that have vision are intoxicating"-Kathryn Burnett Kathryn is an inspiring part of the New Zealand creative community and we are sure to see exciting things coming from her in the near future. Don't forget to find her on her website or over on Twitter in order to stay in the loop with her newest projects.

On what appears to be a life journey towards having tried her hand at everything, Deb Maybury proudly considers herself a Jack of all Trades. When asked how sometimes seemingly disconnected topics keep pushing her down new paths, she says "I’m following my skill sets, my interests, and what I love to do." When asked how she fits it all into her busy schedule, Deb tells us that priorities are critical to her success, and that sometimes something has to go in order for something new to come in. "It’s more about what I choose not to do I think." She talks candidly about how all of her passions are fuelled by her desire to never stop learning and tells us that "In order to be the best in anything you have to practice. And practice, and practice." No matter what though, we have to love what we do in order to discover mastery. "If you love it, it’s not work." Deb's desire to live a life "always being curious" has led her down a number of paths from taking on every sport she can, facilitating complex topics, writing two books, and completing her first studio album coming out in March. Her values and actions are in direct relation when you ask her about the importance of community and what it means to her to give back to the wold she lives in. “As a facilitator my job is to listen, first and foremost but also to point out how inspired I am by that person.”-Deb Maybury When asked about how her values might change another person's world she is quick to say that she does the best with what she has, but that we need to think about the impact we might have on others. “You never know how what you say is going to impact somebody else. Wouldn’t you rather inspire somebody?”-Deb Maybury Clearly Deb does not believe in limits and has spent her live breaking ground in everything from women's sport to the arts and from the looks of it she is just getting warmed up.

Joining today from Brunei is Kristin Bond an English as a second language teacher born in Canada and on her fourth country in less than a decade. Telling us that about her own evolution cannot be unwound from the countries that she has lived in or the friends she has made is just the start of her story. She quickly admits that "I am a much better person having moved abroad" because of the experiences and people that she has been exposed to who would have never crossed her path in her hometown of Nelson, Canada. Kristin explains that each country has had "unique challenges" to her Canadian roots, but that with the help of other global expats she has found her tribe. "You are all there for an adventure" she says when explaining why these people become friends and chosen family to her, "you find your people so fast". While acknowledging that it isn't always easy to be far from home Kristin tells us that the challenges of culture and language can be rewarding with the right attitude. As much as it can be frustrating in my day to deal with some of the cultural issues, I kinda like it....Wherever you go there's so many opportunities-Kristin Bond Making friends in a new place isn't easy, but she now has collected a network of friends across the world because of her experiences and has no regrets that she hasn't settled down yet. I acquire experiences and knowledge, that's what life is about-Kristin Bond Clearly she doesn't feel bad about not getting that dream house full of stuff and lives life in a simple way that means it will only take a few suitcases to pack on her way to her next adventure.

Being armed with the right skills is critical to face conflict without creating even more hurt feelings. Lane Sherman is an expert mediator and author who has focused his career on making functioning teams and fixing broken ones. His first book, The Keys to Collaboration released in 2015 and was the result of more than 20 years of industry experience. Despite this passion for heated situations, Lane remains calm in the most turbulent of environments. In this episode he discusses how elements as simple as communication and honestly can build trust and esteem among colleagues and team mates. Lane Laughing He also dives into what is causing conflicts among the most driven of us and talks about how structure can serve to take some of the sting out of a bad situation. The insights for those type A's among us come when he dives into the subject of the right way to get something done. ...most of the type A people that I come into contact with believe absolutely that they are right. That the way that they are suggesting or the way that they believe the team should go is the correct way to do it. And there is no other right way. That is the right way. And so often the breakthrough for those people comes when they begin to realise that there is no single right way... Working with teams and groups requires us to focus our attention to the final outputs and how we hope to create things across different resource sets. Most importantly for us as individuals is the ability to spend time reflecting on our own actions and how we respond to those around us. It requires our actions to be looked back on with a critical eye as "more often than not the bully did not see themselves as a bully". While we all want to be the hero in our own story, we need to be cognisant of who we are in the drama triangle. We can't all be the hero or the victim or there would be nobody left to be the villain. Regardless of the scenario, Lane tells us that most conflicts can be resolved if we put our hurt feelings away for a time and focus instead on being curious about how other people are facing issues. Investing the time in understanding another person's perspective will only serve to increase trust and offer a chance for them to become more open to the best ways to resolve issues and move forward.

Welcome to Episode 13, this was originally supposed to be a guest post, but they have some stuff going on in their world so instead I'm going to talk to you about a couple of things that I think are important instead and you will hear from them on another day. So what's the haps? The importance of asking for what you want and how to ask for and apply feedback are key parts of my life AND are showing me that the more I focus on each of them, the better my life gets. It doesn't matter if I'm asking for somebody to grab the door when your hands are full or if it's what you want for lunch, people CANNOT read your mind. However, if we use our words and really get specific about what we want we might just get it. Now just as important as asking is the preparedness of understanding that we might not get it. The more specific our description of a thing can be the more likely we are to actually get it. So what if someone says no? Really, nothing. We are no further ahead than before, but in the same respect we are no further behind either. Now what does this have to do with feedback? Ok, they seem disconnected, but when you set a specific goal we can also start to find the right words to ask for feedback. But feedback is a fickle beast, some people will hurt you. Yes. This is reality, but most people are not hurting you on purpose. Very rarely do people respond with the idea of attack, some just don't use the best words for you to feel good about it. Life is tough that way. Acknowledging that they likely weren't trying to hurt you will help you to apply that feedback anyway. Creating the loop: Once you ask for feedback, you need to start looping back to those people who offered you points to improve upon and ask them their thoughts on your application of it. This lets you identify with them if you really heard their thoughts and were able to apply it and if not they can provide you more ways to continue to improve. Criticism may not be agreeable, but it is necessary. It fulfils the same function as pain in the human body. It calls attention to an unhealthy state of things. ~Winston Churchill Don’t forget to show some love submit a comment or review! Subscribe to get alerts on new episodes and more or find us on iTunes, Soundcloud, or Stitcher.

Alphabet Advice A: Average is unacceptable: Don’t settle for good enough Redefine what greatness looks like and then work your butt off to become it. Surround yourself with great people and ideas. As you redefine what average means to you, you will constantly be levelling up and will soon reflect on what you used to call amazing as merely getting warmed up B: Be Braver: Life is too short to spend our time afraid of what lays beyond the next door. Bravery is not the absence of fear, but the acknowledgement of what may lie ahead being equal parts risk and excitement. Combined with the desire to move forward anyway, you will become braver than any hero in history C: Live life with a constant Curiosity. Look to each new challenge and person you encounter as a chance to learn something new D: Do the thing. It doesn’t matter if it’s snowboarding, or Nobel prize winning science. Do the thing that moves and motivates you E: Embrace the fear: much like bravery, fear teaches us caution but should only serve to motivate us, not to paralyze us F: Fail fast and fail often. Failure is a gateway to success. Let the lessons from your failures provide a road map that shows you how to get there, and the things that merit working hard for are worthy of the bruises to both our bodies and our egos G: Good relationships make us happier and healthier. Create high quality connections that are worthwhile and discover a longer more enjoyable life. Science shows this is true H: Hold yourself accountable. If you want something have determination to make things work, if you don’t, be honest with yourself about what is stopping you from committing Welcome to Twenty-Sixteen friends. I can’t wait to see what comes next.

Frank Bergdoll is a late-life academic, author, and instructor. He believes passionately that all learning is multi-modal and that it is critical to share knowledge sources as a part of a larger ecosystem. Working to formalise his own knowledge has motivated him to enrol in a Master of Arts program as a possible gateway to a Ph.D.. Despite this decided effort towards an academic path, when asked what is next he laughingly tells us that he won't rule out any possibilities. In his world of post-graduate teaching in technology hands on learning is critical. Students have to engage with tools in order to see how they fit personally. Frank touches on the software/technology world's demo or die approach where if you can do something that is all that matters, not being enough to have your resume put forward. He discusses the idea that without academic accreditation most employers won't even start a hiring conversation. You won't have conversations with people about what you can do, unless you have formal academics behind you.-Frank Bergdoll He acknowledges that technology is changing knowledge faster than educational designers can work and sees the future of many programs becoming about just in time education and questions what you can do today that delivers value rather than waiting for design to catch up with today's challenges and tools. Frank believes that learning is an ecosystem, so for himself and his students he works to focus on connections and the interconnectedness of learning and the acquisition of knowledge. His desire is to teach students how to get information rather than memorising facts is critical to his style. You teach the foundation and you walk them through the process of experiencing it so that they can continue to grow throughout their careers. Leveraging tools is a big part of how he incorporates student first learning in his style where he says that we have all of these technologies that can elevate us on our effort to learn and quest to constantly improve ourselves. Frank takes his job very seriously in his desire to support them (students) in learning how to navigate the landscape. His desire to curate learning and focus on his students has come through in his passion for eventual self realisation. Frank acts as a leader and advocate for learning as a lifestyle and for finding creative ways to incorporate the connections into real life. He is truly on a hero's journey of #lifelonglearning and we can't wait to see what is next.

Tren Christiansen is a pretty diverse guy. With a professional passion for risk, governance, and project management he faces problems with an analytical mindset. You can find him attacking the problems of the world through pop culture, literature, and sport through his Google + posts, but he is more than a sum of his skills and hobbies. He talks of the challenges we are faced in the corporate environment with sage wisdom and humour and discusses ideas like the value of experimentation in our lives. He tells us to "experiment as often as you can with the tools that you have" and that "if it doesn't work, try something else". Experiment! Try something! Change it up!-Tren Christiansen While he believes strongly in trial and error, he reminds us how important it is to "Trust your gut" because when we are doing something we love the creative spark and passion we display to others can't be lit by someone else. "It's gotta come from inside you!" We need to remember that egos will heal, but complacency only serves to increase as time moves on. Truly, failure is just a warm-up for victory. Don’t forget to show some love submit a comment or review! Subscribe to get alerts on new episodes and more or find us on iTunes, Soundcloud, or Stitcher.

Anna Gustafson is an entrepreneur, an advocate, and so much more. After years working full-time as a stand-up comic Anna decided to move to the other side of the stage to create and produce the SheDot Festival creating more opportunities to see North America’s most talented female comedians. While all she has accomplished in this area would be more than enough for most people, but this lady is not one to sit back and relax. What makes her inspiring is the realisation that Anna is so much more than just comedy, she spends her time writing, blogging about a wide variety of topics over at Too Convoluted, and even has time to work as an advocate and fundraiser for the Coast to Coast Against Cancer Foundation. It’s this unique blend of skills as a comedian and advocate that has Anna working to share the ideas she is most passionate about because “people hear better when a message is wrapped in humour”. As a keynote speaker extraordinaire, (see her Ted talk here) this lady will have you motivated to change the world in just minutes. If you are paying attention, doors open all the time-Anna Gustafson She talks about the balance of income and happiness and laughs as she tells us if I worked this hard and all the decisions were about money, I would be a really wealthy person because I work very hard. But instead of coveting money and despite her love for boots that fill the gaps in her self-esteem she tells us that there is a currency in happiness and that it adds more value to life than a bigger bank account. Her humility and power as a comedian come through as she discusses the quest for the next big thing if you think you have arrived, you are doing something wrong. Because...nobody every gets there really. Even with this fact firmly in place her desire to keep pushing her boundaries comes through as she admits that I gotta get braver and that the world is too small to burn a bridge. Clearly Anna Gustafson can do #allthethings and when I grow up I want to be just like her! This post is a part of the Ground Breaker Series on Critically Drinking. Give a listen to some of our other ground breakers here. Don’t forget to show some love submit a comment or review! Subscribe to get alerts on new episodes and more or find us on iTunes, Soundcloud, or Stitcher.

Allie Downes is on her third country in just over five years. Possibly on the eternal adventure of discovering new places, people, and experiences, Allie is a person you want as your friend. Originally from the UK, Allie and her husband moved to New Zealand on what she describes as an extended adventure vacation that lasted over four years. Today she joins us from Sweden where she is crafting a new life in a country where she not only had no network but also didn't speak the language. She shares insights on the scary bits of changing countries in an honest and charming manner that is not only inspiring but humbling. Acknowledging that changing countries is hard is a bit of an understatement for Allie, but each move and life she has created is another adventure for this passionate lady. Her pragmatic approach to life is refreshing. When discussing the research she began doing to prepare with her husband Nick she talks about being bombarded with stories of failure. The failures became overwhelming so instead of having hopes shattered, they traded researching for tickets and got on a plane. We just decided if we were going to do this....we would work really hard to make it work. This positivity goes beyond her approach to moving and extends into how hard she was willing to work for find a job in her field as well. "I worked really hard. Harder than I normally would." Spending more than 3 days prepping to get to know both her target organisation and herself paid off. After just a few months in Sweden, she has found a role in her field and seems to credit being lucky despite the concerted effort she put forth. Her tips for success as a new resident in any place include having the determination to make it work and asking for help and advice from everyone you meet. She also plans to be the person that will try and make life easier and point them in the right direction for those she meets who need a bit of support This post is part of a series on Citizens of the World. These citizens of everywhere and nowhere are choosing to craft the life of their dreams by making the place they live just a part of the story of their lives.

Petula Neale is a lot of things, but her passion sits in the role of movie advocate, fan, and critic. She runs an outstanding movie review and commentary site and podcast that can be found on In a Tiff. Petula Neale-Writer, podcaster, movie critic Petula Neale-Writer, podcaster, movie critic You can always translate what you take from a movie into real life-Petula Neale Today we talk about a few movies that pass the Bechdel test as well as some other guilty pleasures including musicals and ultra-violent picks. In the process of discussing movies, we also dive into the concept that movies are one of the only places a grown adult can really display their feelings. Movies allow you to feel along with them (characters) as a bit of an emotional surrogate. In real life, you are always blocked by what is ok to feel. As we slide down the rabbit hole we discover how the workplace can be blended with movies and come to realise that everyone in the room thinks they are Captain America and that their approach is the best one. However different each person's approach is we can reach the goal as long as people are all attacking the same way effectively becoming office Avengers. Additionally, we mention P's TIFF top five which can be found here

Inspired by the latest The Oatmeal comic talking about moving away from FOMO (fear of missing out) and over to being able to celebrate the choices we make to do or not do things with our friends and families. The truth is, IT GETS BETTER, there is life after the obstacles you are facing today. Making tough choices on how we invest our time can be suffocating to a lot of people. The reality is that once you do make a choice, good or bad, you become free again. Unfortunately, it is that time in purgatory when we feel like we need to be everything to everyone that inadequacy rears its ugly head. Be bold and mighty forces will come to your aid-Goethe The magic of making a choice for anything from what car to drive or if you should leave your partner, is the reality that life is a moving target and sometimes we hit and sometimes we miss. Celebrate the lessons you learn trying to hit it. Don’t forget to show some love submit a comment or review! Subscribe to get alerts on new episodes and more or find us on iTunes Soundcloud or Stitcher.

Originally founding her first company 2005 Senka Radonich is a serial entrepreneur. After creating her passion project, Adventure Girls in 2006 Senka put the company on the shelf to focus her career in marketing and corporate team building. Not feeling rewarded in her work had become status quo and when she lost her mother in 2013. Faced with an extraordinary wake-up call, Senka decided that life is too short to be unhappy and chose to forgo the safe route. In 2014 she decided to place her attention on being satisfied first and brought Adventure Girls back to life. Facing intimidating challenges has become the foundation of Senkas' portfolio. An NLP Coach and Practitioner this lady has walked away from her corporate persona with an enthusiasm one might credit a crazy person. Critically Drinking Senka Radonich Senka Radonich: the original adventure girl Now selling out every booking at Adventure Girls, Senka has added two new start-ups to her resume. This year she has successfully launched Your Ultimate Sisterhood and Conversations with Extraordinary Everyday Women to help push even more women out of their comfort zones, and into living their someday lives in the quest to fill their happy tanks. Crafting what she calls a life full of imperfect action, Senka asks the question what am I making (failure) mean about myself?. When failure means that you are creative and doing the shit you have always wanted to do shouldn't you just stop and celebrate all the cool stuff you just did instead of comparing yourself to someone else? Comparison can be a dream killer-Senka Radonich She offers us the insight and friendly reminder that we could be one of the people just sitting on the couch wishing instead of being someone who can claim the Tick! I did that! Clearly Senka Radonich is proving that doing things #likeagirl and #failingfast can be more rewarding than punching a clock any day! Here’s to a full #happytank for everyone!

In a world where we often celebrate our ability to never stop are we starting to sacrifice quality in the interest of adding more work to our days? Would we benefit from more time focused on rest and relaxation instead of hitting those 80 hour work weeks? Reflecting on the trend towards slowing down and making space, Home for a Rest asks if we were to focus on our time spent with loved ones over time spent at work that we might be happier and more satisfied.

Samara Pepperell is proving to be an unstoppable force in social media and this talented artist has a lot more going on than most. Designing apparel and sporting equipment are just two of the things that are driving this Kiwi forward. You can find her under her nom de rous (name on wheels alter ego) Lady Trample showcasing her talents on quad skates in skate parks and derby tracks across the planet. That is when she isn't too busy filling up your social media feeds with her awesomeness as a model and athlete. Samara is a member Team New Zealand Roller Derby and competed with the team in the 2014 Blood and Thunder World Cup. She is also an internationally sponsored athlete, advocate for youth in sport and crafting healthy body image for young girls, and finds time to run a start up at Chicks in Bowls with an impressive social media following. She manages to do all of this while being a highly sought after international coach in Roller Derby and Ramp Skating. Clearly she is a busy lady, but what makes her even more impressive is her age. At 24 Samara has already accomplished more than most of us will by the time we retire. She is also surprisingly insightful in regard to how it feels to fail and why failure is important in both sport and business. It's so easy to give up before you even try. She quips while telling us why that having a safe place to fail can change how you approach problems. Failure is just a hiccup on the road...dust if off and get out there. Her brand Chicks in Bowls has become synonymous with ramp skating and she discusses how important it has been to embrace the fear so you can look forward to the next hurdles you need to jump. Crediting her success as an athlete to her ability to surround herself with a fantastic skate team and business partnership she focuses on her desire to have them inspire each other to push boundaries in their individual performance. What is most surprising is her enthusiasm for getting more women and kids into skating in a healthy and inclusive community. She doesn't stop at the healthy lifestyle element either. After facing years of eating disorders she has started to celebrate the fact that the thick thighs she used to be bothered by now power her ability to do more tricks on the ramps. This passion for health body image leads her to advocate for the #ThickThighsSaveLives movement focused on strong over skinny bodies for young girls. The right body for you is the one you feel comfortable in...the body that allows you to do the things you want to do-Samara Pepperell Her desire is for the brand to showcase strong, capable, women, men, and kids getting out of their comfort zones and we think she is an ideal poster girl for the movement. Clearly Samara Pepperell is proving that doing things #likeagirl can be #prettygnarly and inspiring!

When we want something bad enough we are willing to walk through fire to get to it. Tackling a new skill or finding our personal best is hard. This is where failing fast is important for all of us. What is even more important when we stumble is admitting we were wrong. #dothething

Discussing the minimum viable product and the evolution of content based on feedback from the digital community, this podcast dives into the idea that creating something in a beta version and choosing to improve it is more important than questing for perfection and never putting it out to the universe. Ideas for the day are fueled and unfiltered by the outstanding Hallertau number four. A local favourite and fantastically flavoured schwarzbier.