Live Immediately with mike campbell

You have that love of travel, always trying to grab every opportunity to get away and explore. Travel is part of your DNA. And then you start a family. You become a parent. You push that travelling spirit aside and try not to listen to it every time it starts to get a little restless. In this episode I am chatting to a couple, Megan and Peter Richardson, who didn’t push their adventurous spirit aside, they embraced it with their young family. Megan and Peter hopped on the plane for a yearlong family adventure through Europe and South East Asia with a 4 month old and a 2.5 year old. The majority of their planning for the trip happened while Megan was pregnant! Megan and Peter hit the road on a budget. They were frugal and saved before their trip, and to save money while travelling, they saved on accommodation by house and pet sitting. They talk about how your travels are so much richer when you house and pet sit, than simply saving money. We dive into their initial fears, how they overcame them, and moved from travelling being an idea or wish, to taking steps and planning their family adventure. And the big step of asking Peter’s boss for a year off. Megan and Peter are a beautiful example, that our kids don’t stop us from doing things, as parents, we get in our own way. Children are born with wonder. Lead them through an adventurous life. I hope you enjoy x www.liveimmediately.com

If you have a teenage girl, or a girl who will become a teenager, you definitely need to know about my beautifully fun guest today, Liv Phyland. The majority of my guests are parents, as the majority of you are parents. And we all know that doing something new or creating change in your life, is even more challenging when you add children into the mix. However, I wanted to chat to Liv today, because even though she isn’t a parent yet, Liv is such a wonderful role model for our young girls and is doing beautiful work through her Girls Who Glow workshops. Liv talks about how teenagers are being influenced by social media, feeling like they need to be someone different to who they are. Through her workshops, Liv helps girls to find their inner glow. The cornerstones of these workshops are nutrition, exercise, body image, social media, healthy relationships and mental health. Liv and I also chat about how a girl from the country finds herself as a presenter on channels 10’s music show “The Loop”. Being optimistic, saying yes, and learning as you go. Accepting who you are, being yourself, and owning it. The art of simply playing, dealing with self-doubt, and filling your day with things that make you happy. Liv is beautifully intense, passionate about life, full of play, and helping our girls to navigate an emotional part of life by starting a conversation full of love. I hope you enjoy x www.liveimmediately.com

What is the type of life you want to live? How do you want to raise your kids? What kind of community do you want to live in? What do you truly value? Have you ever sat down and spent the time to answer such questions? What do you think your answers would look like, and what changes would you need to make to the way you’re living now? I sat down with Sophie Brunton, a mother of three, who has dedicated the time to answer these questions, and take the courageous step to make changes to her life. After the initial idea two years ago, working through the ups and downs of change, Sophie and her family are about to relocate to the country town of Murwillumbah, 50 minutes north of Byron Bay, NSW, Australia. And it is not just a tree change that Sophie was looking for, it was a community that shared her values, where the schools took a holistic view, a community of connection and generosity, an environment where her boys could evolve into men with love, care, and surrounded by nature. Sophie and I dive deep into her philosophies around education, simple living and choosing family over things, parenting and Sophie’s deliberate choice to be a full-time mother, and technology. I admire Sophie as she is making changes to her life that aligns with her values—changes that aren’t always easy but are worth trying. I hope you enjoy x www.liveimmediately.com

Who were you before kids? It is an interesting question and one that I had never really thought about. But what did you want to achieve before you became mum or dad? Are there aspirations, hobbies, or things you truly enjoyed, that you have stopped since becoming a parent? Today I chat with the inspiring Lauren Branson, a fun mother of five and start-up business owner. I am fascinated by how Lauren manages to run her business and five kids under eight, while still making time for herself. There is often this parent’s guilt that we place on ourselves if we are spending time doing something for ourselves. But as I discuss with Lauren, you need to carve out time for yourself, so that you can look after others. And even with five kids and a business, Lauren still manages to do this. How? Lauren prioritise what is important and makes time for what she values. Lauren is passionate about eating healthy and local food. Her business, Your Food Collective, is an online farmers market that connects busy parents to local growers. And meal time with five kids was a hot topic on this episode, and Lauren explains how she is quite regimented when it comes to meal time. There are set times for meals with one option for everyone. Lauren explains that she needs to be strict like this so that she isn’t feeding little humans all day and has time to give to other areas of her life. As you would expect, Lauren has learnt a lot since child number one—to enjoy and not sweat the small stuff, that stress doesn’t change the outcome, and that you need time each day for yourself. I hope you enjoy x www.liveimmediately.com

“What screws us up the most is that picture of what we believe it should be, and we’re not open to what it could be—but what it could be, could be infinitely better.” Katie Dean My guest this week is the courageous Katie Dean, and I love this chat with Katie as it is beautifully raw. Katie opens up about the challenges of being a solo Mumma and how she made the decision while being seven months pregnant and having a toddler. Katie talks about living with a low level of panic, the importance of internal observation, getting out of your head and into your body, and to “check yourself before you wreck yourself”. We also dive into the topic of fear and how you need to lean into fear to become brave, how there are no negative feeling, just uncomfortable ones, and the different, beautifully messy, phases of parenthood. I hope you enjoy x www.liveimmediately.com

Jeff Sandquist really needs no introduction to the Live Immediately family, as this is the third time I have had the privilege to interview Jeff. Jeff has become a close friend and he was the host of the brilliant Intentionally Wandering Podcast that literally changed my life. But over the past year, Jeff has been going through some changes in his own life, assessing what is improving his life, what isn’t, and what things in his life have simply run their course. This has lead Jeff to do something that many people might think about, but struggle to make the final decision. Jeff has deleted all of his social media accounts. He has also stopped his podcast and blog. In this episode I really dive deep into why Jeff felt the need to pull back from the digital world and how he feels about not being as connected anymore. And his answers might surprise you. This isn’t an episode about social media bashing, it is about knowing yourself, knowing when to quit, knowing when things in your life stop benefitting you, and the importance of experimenting in your life. Jeff allows his curiosity to lead his life. Sometimes it is through the unknown, and sometimes it is back to the beginning. I hope you enjoy x www.liveimmediately.com

This is an episode that demonstrates why I love long form interviews. Time allows me to penetrate deeper into the heart and mind of people I have the privilege of interviewing. My guest today, Abby Lewtas, is a world traveller and host of The Wanderlusters Mind Podcast. I imagined that our conversation would centre on travel and adventure. How travel is this wonderful teacher, as the lessons are taught before an adventure, during the adventure, and when you arrive home from your adventure. Abby and I do discuss such lessons like having the courage to leave a comfortable routine, being vulnerable and stepping out of your comfort zone, and becoming more open-minded and curious. Abby also talks about intuition and paying attention to the little, adventurous, voice inside you that tries to nudge you down new paths. That if you don’t listen to what your body is trying to communicate to you, then you will feel stuck and nothing will ever change. But where this conversation takes a beautiful turn is when I ask Abby what she is most fearful of in her life right now. I could feel Abby breathing into her heart. Abby lead with the rawness of her vulnerability, and her answer could be echoed through the soul of many people today—the struggle to find human connection with so much technology in our life. When our heads are down in the palm of our hands, how can we see the beautiful faces of the world trying to connect with us? I hope you enjoy x www.liveimmediately.com

How did you arrive to where you are today? How did you find yourself on this particular path? And is this path the one that you want to continue on? My guest today, Shannon Meyer, asked herself similar questions when she started to feel like she was managing her life, but not living it. Shannon was going through the daily admin and coordination of juggling family life and working mum. While Shannon was succeeding at work, it was pulling her away from her family and she started to worry that her three kids would look back on their childhood and not have many experiences with their mother. I guess the real questions Shannon was asking herself were—what is all this for, why am I doing what I am doing, and is this what I truly value? Shannon decided to make some courageous changes in her life that enabled her to spend more time with her family. Shannon left her corporate job, her family sold everything they owned, and they decided to travel around North America in an Airstream. But what I admire even more is how Shannon and her family decided to live after they got off the road. They opted for the smaller house, with a smaller mortgage, less rooms, and less possessions. They worried less about what other people thought and less comparisons. This gave them more time to spend as a family, more connection, and more experiences. You have to ask yourself the questions to create change. Sometimes something crazy like a family adventure is a small part of the solution, but the change you create to your daily life will have the greatest impact. I hope you enjoy x www.liveimmediately.com

True change starts within, and my guest today, Chelsea Pottenger, has gone through a complete life reboot that started when she dedicated time to her internal wellbeing. Chelsea was living the face-paced corporate life until her baby girl was born and Chelsea was slammed, hard, with severe Post Natal Depression. And as you will hear in the interview, sadly, Chelsea was just hanging on. Through her adversity though, Chelsea discovered the importance of working on her inside self. Her “post traumatic growth phase” as Chelsea calls it. Chelsea went back to university to study a Doctorate of Psychology & Neuroscience, a Diploma of Positive Psychology & Wellbeing, and became an internationally accredited mindfulness and meditation teacher. Through her experience and studies, Chelsea is now helping individuals and organisations to focus on their internal fitness and feel the beautiful benefits of mindfulness. This is such an important episode, as what Chelsea and I discuss can have such a fundamental impact on the quality of the life you live. And what I love is all the science and research that Chelsea has that support the benefits of mindfulness. Chelsea and I talk about reconnecting with life so you are really living and thriving, how burnout is not an indicator of success, creating boundaries in your life, and being connected as a parent. Chelsea also talks about constancy over intensity when it comes to meditation and how as little as three minutes per day can start anyone on a mindfulness path. Chelsea is also an ambassador for the Gidget Foundation, which is a not for profit organisation supporting the emotional wellbeing of expectant and new parents to ensure that those in need receive timely, appropriate and supportive care. It is an organisation that I know is very dear to Chelsea’s heart, and if you, or someone you know, are experiencing a challenging time emotionally since the birth of a child, then please reach out to the Gidget Foundation and their wonderful supportive and talented team. I hope you enjoy x www.liveimmediately.com

Today I’m chatting with a very special man, Matt Linnert, who is a thinker, a questioner, a listener, and a doer—who strives to make the world more compassionate by being a beautiful example through his work and daily actions. This entire conversation is quite deep, as Matt and I discuss some interesting topics that often left me with more questions than answers. Matt talks about creating change in his life that was guided by not what he was meant to be doing, but how he was meant to be living. We discuss the power of self-enquiry to release a lot of our ego and fear, letting go of our need for control, asking questions that encourage change, and living life with compassion as the driver. Matt also runs a wonderful charity called Collective Heart that brings ordinary people together to do extraordinary things within local communities and communities in need abroad. I hope you enjoy x www.liveimmediately.com

What does it take to cycle from Alaska to Argentina with your husband and twin ten year old boys? Well this is exactly what I chat about with Nancy Sathre-Vogel. I learnt it takes over 27,000 kilometres (over 17,000 miles), 1,018 days, and 15 countries. It takes pushing through snowstorms and waking at 3am to ride through the desert before the sun becomes unbearable. But more importantly, it takes the desire to want to do something different, the motivation to change, the willingness to fail, and the courage to live a life that you want to live. Nancy and I do talk about her family adventures, the countries she visited and schooling her boys on the road. However, we also dive into the challenges of finding your passion, the difficulties in doing something that is different to how you were raised, and the craziness in not trying. Nancy has a beautiful outlook on life where she lives each day while staying focussed on the bigger picture. I hope you enjoy x www.liveimmediately.com

So much of life, what happens around us, is out of our control. The only part of life that is within our control is the attitude in which we approach it. My guest today, Talon Windwalker, is a wonderful man who approaches life with a caring soul and who lives by the motto of “no regrets”. I reached out to Talon, as I wanted to learn about his life as a single parent, travelling the world indefinitely with his adopted child. But as you’ll hear, the lessons and stories that Talon will tell are about so much more than travel. Talon is an author, writer, hospice chaplain, Zen monk, ultra runner, snowshoer, endurance cyclist, certified endurance running coach, scuba instructor, photographer, and lover of travelling, languages, and cultures. In our conversation, Talon talks about death and life as a hospice chaplain, being 300 pounds, losing weight and becoming an ultra marathon runner, being a single man and adopting a child, travelling to over 30 countries and world schooling his child, and the addictive experience of scuba diving. Talon also talks about the moment his son announced that he was transgender identifying as a female while they were in Budapest. A situation I am sure no parent is prepared for, but I admire and love the honest and beautiful way Talon responds and supports his daughter through this journey. Talon is a selfless, kind and compassionate father, who is making sure he packs as much living into his life as possible. I hope you enjoy x www.liveimmediately.com

Parenthood is more about the lessons we learn than the ones we teach. And ideally, when we enter the uncharted waters of parenthood, we do so with the love and support of a partner. Unfortunately for my guest today, Alex Brown, that wasn’t the case. Alex was only 20 when she became a mother, and her abusive partner of four years left when Alex wouldn’t terminate the pregnancy. Simultaneously, Alex needed to navigate motherhood and relearn how to take control of her life. This conversation takes many twists and turns, but when you’re trying to create a fresh start, perhaps that is exactly what you need to do. Alex is quite open as she talks about her abusive relationship, how she had no control over her time or money, and the moment when she thought becoming an escort was her only way out. Alex is learning to take control of her life by taking control of her money, and through the process Alex has learnt how her financial health is interlocked with her physical health and emotional health. I wanted to share Alex’s story as I admire her strength in trying, her willingness to change, and her love to be the best mother she can be. I hope you enjoy x www.liveimmediately.com

“I have more respect for someone who has tried and failed, than someone who has never tried.” – Nerida Bint There are some people in the world that lift you up and leave you in a better place than where you were before. My guest today, Nerida Bint, is definitely one of those beautiful people. What I love about Nerida is that she has taken all the knockdowns in her life, all the times she was pushed away, and every moment she wasn’t included and was forced to be alone, and turned them into a positive force that is helping countless women to change and grow. Nerida is the founder of Lissome, a women’s only gym that provides so much more than a space to exercise. Nerida is all about helping women to become the absolute best that they can be. Nerida has created a community that is welcoming, empowering, and calls bullshit on judgment. There is so much in this episode, as Nerida and I discuss dealing with shame and working through the struggle, the need to change if you want things to be different, learning through failure, burying the fearful phrase “I can’t”, and the importance of believing in yourself. Nerida is a giver and believes that everyone can change and improve their life—all you need to do is simply to try. I hope you enjoy x www.liveimmediately.com.au

Sometimes you can be on the conveyor belt of life and not realise it until it is too late. Or perhaps you’re heading down a life path because you feel it is what you’re supposed to do. We are told to get a good job, a 30 year mortgage, keep your head down, and then enjoy a handful of years when your hair is a little greyer and your body a little sorer. We push all the things we truly want to do, off to another day, later down the track—to a day that never arrives. My guest today, Pat Seyrak, has decided to try something different. He has turned his back on the old Australian dream of home ownership shackled with a 30 year mortgage, and is heading towards financial freedom and retirement before he is 40. The way Pat is doing this is through the stock market, but this podcast is not about shares and it is definitely not financial advice, so please do not take it as advice. Pat’s way, is simply one way. What I love about how Pat is living his life, and what this episode is all about, is that Pat is thinking about how to live his life. He has taken himself off that mindless conveyor belt, and is intentional with how he chooses to live. Pat beautifully describes money as simply your life force converted into a tangible physical thing. That we give our life energy in exchange for money. And when you look at money in this way, before you purchase something, even a house, you ask yourself, do I want to exchange my life energy for this item? What are you spending your life energy on, and does it align with your values? I hope you enjoy x www.liveimmediately.com

Hitting the open road with the wonders of the world out your window, pulling up and resting your heard wherever you park your van. It sounds so beautiful, and it is what my guest today, Jared Melrose, and his sweetheart of ten years, Ash, do as they both live in a van together. In this episode we touch on the functionalities of living in a van—the cost of fitting out a van, doing laundry, cooking, and the use of public toilets. Or “shining beacons in the night” as Jared calls them. We also dive into some deeper topics, and what I love is how honest Jaded is about some of the realities of van life and the dichotomy of the lifestyle. There is freedom in mobility, but not always freedom with space. Jared talks about initially dealing with the change in comfort, crossing the bridge of other people’s expectations, and confronting his relationship with Ash, as there is nowhere to go, shut a door, and have your own space. As Jared says, “Everyone has got compromises that they are dealing with.” And for Jared, the lack of a comfy couch to chill out on, or the ability to shut a door on an argument, is what he is willing to compromise for everything else the #vanlife has to offer. Jared talks about living in a world with no fences, being in the moment and learning to deal with issues as the arise, building a community all over the world, and connecting with people and nature. Jared is also one of the guys behind the hugely successful website vanlife.com.au and Van Life Diaries. Through his website, Jared organises gatherings in Australia and North America, for van lifers to connect in person and to welcome other people to the community to see what it is all about. I personally cannot wait to head along to one. For me, this episode isn’t simply about living in a van. It is about looking at how you live your life, and if the way you live your life enables you to love and connect with people—especially strangers. I hope you enjoy x www.liveimmediately.com.au

My guest today, Erin Carey, is, as she explains, your average wife, mother to three young boys, overworked, stressed and tied, who lives in suburbia in South Australia, nothing special. And Erin describes herself like this so when you listen to her story, you realise that you can do it too, that you can “get out there and do whatever your dream may be.” One of the biggest takeaways from this episode is the power in making the decision. Erin and her husband made the decision that they wanted to take their boys and sail around the world for a few years. They didn’t know how they were going to make it happen, but they made the decision. Erin and I go quite deep on a number of topics—the confidence in finding other people that have already achieved what you’re hoping to do, the importance of having a common goal, how ideas change and evolve over time, learning new skills along the way, and how time allows you to discover more qualities about your kids and loved ones. Erin also talks about how she saved to make this adventure a reality, because when she made the decision Erin had eight grand of credit card debt and no savings. I know you will love some of the things that Erin did to save money. What I really love about what Erin did is that she made changes to her daily life so her daily life could change. This is an episode that will inspire you to make the decision in your life, to create change, and dare to dream big. I hope you enjoy x www.liveimmediately.com

Death is a natural part of life. It will touch us all throughout our life, and ultimately at the end of our days. For my guest today, Garth Ashford, the unforgiving hands of death choked his life in a way that is unimaginable for any parent. Thirty years ago, at the age of twenty-nine, Garth held his nineteen-month-old baby girl Samantha in his arms, as her weak heart took its final beat. An experience that Garth will live with until his final day. As much as this episode is about death and grief, it is about life and living. Garth shares his story of grief and how this changed his perspective on life, learning through the experiences and going within himself to find the answers, and the beautiful awareness and contentment in which he lives each day. Garth’s journey has lead him to open The Soul Embrace, where he assist those who have suffered a loss in their lives to recover, rebuild and readapt. Garth helps people to embrace their soul. Life’s lessons have cut deep into Garth’s soul, but this peaceful, beautiful, content human has embraced them, and strives to help others do the same. I hope you enjoy x www.liveimmediately.com

This is a special episode as it is actually an episode where I am interviewed by Abby Lewtas for her recently launched podcast The Wanderlusters Mind. I know you love travel stories so it is safe to say that you will love Abby’s podcast as she takes you on an adventure into the minds of globetrotters. Abby and her guests share their travel stories, navigating their return home and stepping into their inspired adventurous life. This episode is all about my little family adventure, slow travelling through the United States for a year, the people we met, the time spent growing as a family, arriving back home, looking at life differently, and being comfortable with the unknown. Abby is a caring and courageous woman, and if you like what you hear then add The Wanderlusters Mind podcast to your playlist. I hope you enjoy x www.liveimmediately.com

In this episode I welcome back a good friend Cait Flanders to the podcast. Cait and I originally spoke back in episode 19 about Mindful Budgeting, which I have linked to in the show notes. I wanted to have Cait back on the podcast for many reasons, but also as she has recently written a book titled - “The Year Of Less – How I stopped shopping, gave away all my belongings, and discovered life is worth more than anything you can buy in a store”. As you’ll hear me say a number of times during our chat, I absolutely loved reading this book, and it is so much more than Cait’s year of no shopping. It is a heartfelt story about a women discovering herself and battling a few demons along the way. Cait and I cover so much in this episode. Some of the big takeaways for me were around the importance of starting—how you don’t need (and will never have) the answers to everything before you start something new, but starting is exactly what you need to do. The use of experiments to change habits—how we build a little more confidence every time we step out of our comfort zones, and how big change comes from small decisions. And the fundamental importance of positive self-talk—that kindness is often what we need from ourselves. Cait is a wonderful person that has created positive change in her life by changing how she lives her life. I hope you enjoy x www.liveimmediately.com

I am so excited to welcome back Canna Campbell to the podcast. It was way back in episode two when I spoke to Canna about Minimalism and Money. If you haven’t listened to that episode, I have linked to it in the show notes below. Canna is a financial planner, has been running her business for over 11 years, and is the wonderful woman behind Sugarmamma.tv, with millions of views across her YouTube channel. The reason Canna connects with so many people from all over the world is that she simplifies all things finance, she understands the goal is lifestyle, and she helps people to improve their own financial wellbeing. In this episode we discuss the importance of setting financial goals and educating yourself about money, building passive income, Canna’s brilliant “$1,000 project”, and her new Sugar Budget App that helps you stay on top of your money. We also talk about all things motherhood—the struggle to juggle motherhood and business, the learnt skill of distraction when dealing with kids, the disaster of trying to multitask motherhood and work, and the importance of being present and slowing down. I hope you enjoy x www.liveimmediately.com

Taking the leap, that step into the unknown, leaving the security of predictability, is difficult to do. That first step, that very first decision, is often the thing that holds so many people back. Because to do it, you need to step over and through your fears and self-limiting beliefs. But taking that leap to follow his heart is exactly what my guest today, Tobias, did. Tobias tells stories about growing up on the Sunshine Coast hinterland, how during his teenage years he was lost due to the death of his mother, and how music saved him through the dark periods in his life. And it would be that music that Tobias takes the leap for, or “taking the drop” as Tobias puts it. You see, when a close friend passed away Tobias saw how fragile life is, and how short it can be. He asked himself the tough question, “What do you really want?” To play music and be a travelling musician was what his heart answered. So Tobias packed up his design and architect career to follow his heart into music. Tobias and I chat about learning to push through fear and self-doubt, learning from mistakes, and learning from life. Tobias also talks about taking risks, and that if you are going to take a risk then you should, “Take a risk on being alive.” I love learning about how people are living their life deliberately and to their own beat. This is definitely one of those beautiful stories. I hope you enjoy x www.liveimmediately.com

Massive decisions like selling the family home, packing up the kids, and embarking on a beautiful family adventure—to live, travel, and explore a different continent, don’t happen over night. Heck, they don’t even happen in a matter of weeks or months either. For my guest today, a Live Immediately Podcast alumni, Ben McAlary, his vision, wishes, dreams and idea of this family adventure has been a topic of conversation with his wife Brooke, for over five years, and I am beyond happy for the McAlary family that they are literally days away from boarding the plane. I loved this chat with Ben as we discuss some deep topics about preparing for a trip with so many unknowns. Cutting the logistical and emotional ties by selling the family home instead of renting it out, bringing your children into the decision process, the hard work involved to make things happen, and the joy and anticipation of discovering a new daily rhythm. Ben talks about how his motto at the beginning of 2017 was “to take more risks”, how he was generally risk-averse, but once he started taking risks he felt the intoxication of them and learnt to embrace being risky—and this family adventure, with no end date, is one of the biggest risks he has ever taken. Ben isn’t calling it a trip or an adventure. He calls it an experiment. That it’s not about getting things right all the time—but trying and seeing what happens and unfolds. A beautiful way to truly live life, and one that I am sure will shape his kids. I hope you enjoy x www.liveimmediately.com

In this final episode of the summer series I bring you my chat with Natalie Walton. I have had the pleasure of meeting Natalie in person a number of times since our chat and I absolutely love the “give it a go” attitude that Natalie has. Natalie manages to juggle a couple of businesses, four children, and a new property in the hinterland of the Central Coast in Australia. Natalie talks about co-parenting, her love of simplicity, and her communal way of dishing up dinner. I know life isn’t always easy for Natalie, but what I love is easy isn’t what Natalie is striving for. It is a life lived, where her children can watch and learn from their parent’s hard work. I hope you enjoy x www.liveimmediately.com

On the Summer Series this week I bring you a great conversation with Anthony Ongaro. Anthony is behind the website Break The Twitch and I wanted to include this episode as Anthony had a lot of twitches in his life. Little things that he’d do, and by themselves didn’t add up to much, but over time, collectively they did. You see, Anthony used to simply purchase, with one click, small, under $30 items from Amazon. Amazon has just launched in Australia and I hope we can learn from this episode and the mistakes Anthony made so we don’t do the same—mindlessly purchasing items we don’t really need. Anthony and I also chat about your ideal or perfect day and what it might look like and how it aligns with your values. I think any time of year is the right time to think about your values and to consider if how you’re spending your days aligns with them. But as it is a fresh new year, now is even a better time. How do you want to spend your days in 2018, what does your perfect day look like, who are you spending it with, what are you working one. What changes can you make to your life so your days are more aligned to your perfect day? I hope you enjoy x www.liveimmediately.com

On the Summer Series this week I bring you a conversation I had with a very special friend of mine, Tom Glafcke, who I met while my family and I were housesitting a log cabin in the north woods of Wisconsin a couple of years back. I loved learning from Tom’s stories, and his deliberate yet simple ways. Tom has lived life with contentment, happiness, and love. He has this beautiful optimistic personality that invites you along for the ride. One of the reasons I wanted to include this conversation in the Summer Series is the connection Tom makes between aliveness and struggle. As he says, “It is in the struggle where the excitement is.” It is something that I personally think about a lot when things might not be going the way I had planned, or I feel like I am in the middle of struggling with something. I think about this conversation with Tom, and that it is in that struggle that I truly feel alive, that I’m learning and growing. Tom has helped me see the beauty in the struggle. Tom has lived a deliberate life, gained wisdom that only time and experience teaches, he is a lover of nature, and a beautiful human and friend. I hope you enjoy x www.liveimmediately.com

First in the Summer Series is my great chat I had with Angela Lockwood. Angela is an occupational therapist, speaker, mother and author. I absolutely loved her recent book - Switch Off: How to Find Calm in a Noisy World. And switching off is exactly what I am doing over the Christmas break. I’m switching off from all social media and most technology. Even with the Summer Series of the podcast, I have pre-recorded everything, pre programmed each episode, and I’m not promoting them across social media. I am not on social media that much and I already batch my time on social media, however I am going to enjoy this digital detox for a few weeks over Christmas. So with that in mind I couldn’t think of a better episode to start the Summer Series than this one. Hopefully it will encourage you to switch off a little too. In this conversation with Angela we speak about topics that are close to my heart - The importance of slowing down, how we spend our time, creating boundaries around technology use, supporting children’s growth with our time, creating a habitat for health, how our behaviours are teaching our children, and so much more. I loved this episode, as it is fun and packed with tips and knowledge, just like Angela’s book Switch Off. Definitely worth the read if you haven’t already. I hope you enjoy x www.liveimmediately.com

Living smallish can sometimes be a challenge, as you need to intentionally think about each item you have and be considerate to which new items you bring into your life. It is even more of a challenge when you throw a husband and four children into the mix. But that is the beautiful challenge my guest today, Evelyn Rennich, lives each and every day. I love Evelyn’s story, as her minimal way of life is one that started from a financial need, but became one she fully embraced. Evelyn and I dive into many topics in this episode; learning through difficult times, the work involved with being intentional, and how living minimally can help with that feeling of being buried by the pace of life. We also discuss family and the affect a cluttered home has on our children, cluttering up our calendar, gift giving at Christmas time, protecting the white space in your life, and holding onto things loosely, a phrase I absolutely love. Evelyn is a loving mother who works things out the best way she can for her family. I hope you enjoy x www.liveimmediately.com

What does freedom mean to you? What does it look like? How could you inject more freedom into your daily life? My guest today, Natalie Sisson, is all about creating freedom in business and adventure in life. For the past seven years Natalie has been living out of her suitcase, while running her business and travelling to over 70 countries. In this episode Natalie talks about building a business that supports your lifestyle not one that takes over it, the importance of taking action to get past the first hurtle, minimal living, and the future of work. But don’t be confused, this episode isn’t purely about business or about travel. It is about cultivating personal daily freedom and aligning your values. How ever that might look for you. Natalie is obsessed with freedom and is on a mission to help you simplify your life, feel connected, live mindfully and develop personal freedom. As 2017 draws to a close and we start thinking about how we want 2018 to unfold, Natalie has created the “How to Plan Your Ideal Freedom Year Workshop”. If you’d like to set your vision for 2018, map out your quarterly, monthly and weekly actions, have access to Natalie’s 6-step daily success plan, and so much more, then you should check it out. You never know where your freedom could take you. Natalie definitely walks her talk, and has done across many countries, she lives life to the fullest, and takes action to create personal daily freedom. I hope you enjoy x www.liveimmediately.com

This episode had a huge impact on my life, and I know if you listen to it, do the work, it will change yours too and have a beautiful rippling affect. Shawn Askinosie is the founder and CEO of Askinosie Chocolate, a small business based in Springfield, Missouri. Their chocolate is world-renowned, award winning and Forbes recently named them as “One of the 25 Best Small Companies In America”. But this episode isn’t about chocolate, it’s about chocolate. (something that you’ll understand once you’ve listened). You see, the way Shawn does business is the way it should be taught in business school. Shawn’s beautiful business model is all about direct trade with farmers of coco beans in the Philippines, Tanzania and Ecuador, about open book management, profit sharing, reverse scale, kinship and community. Shawn and I dive into all of those topics and how his company sustainably feeds thousands of children who were once malnourished, without donations, simply giving money or charity. We talk about the notion of enough, and to ask ourselves, “What is enough”. That individually and in business is it easy to get caught up in the striving for more, but enough is where we can do the work we love with people we love. Towards the end of the podcast Shawn talks about and guides you through a visioning exercise. It is something that he does, and something that he has his chocolate university students, his farmers, and the school students he works with in other countries do. It is powerful and if you want to create personal change in your life, I recommend you do it as well. Shawn has recently written a book, with his daughter Lawren, titled - Meaningful Work: A Quest To Do Great Business, Find Your Calling, And Feed Your Soul. I don’t recommend many products but I can’t speak more highly of a book than this one. I personally purchased the audio book version through Audible and I loved hearing Shawn narrate each word and tell his story. I have links below in the show notes to where you can purchase it. If you’re thinking of a little something for someone for Christmas, or even better for yourself, I highly recommend it. And make sure you reach out to Shawn and let him know what you thought of the book. I know he’d love to hear from you. Shawn is a beautiful human who has crafted a way to do meaningful business and live life with love and passion. I hope you enjoy x www.liveimmediately.com

Krista O'Reilly-Davi-Digui is the beautiful writer behind the website - a life in progress. I admire Krista, as her writing is so honest, on both sides of the coin. Krista rips down the curtains and bares the beauty in the rawness, in a way that is comforting and helpful to others. We go quite deep in this episode as Krista opens up about attempting suicide three times before she was 18 and then deciding to choose to live life over death. Krista shares stories about how joy and pain can coexist and how you don’t find joy by trying to eliminate pain, how she has realised the beautifulness in the messy and not striving for perfection, and learning to forgive herself by showing up each day with compassion and love. Our conversation takes a wonderful turn when we start discussing parenting, how each child is unique in many different ways, and the importance of understanding ourselves when parenting with compassion and curiosity. Krista said something that really resonated with me. “Be a student of your children.” That as parents we need to learn about and understand our children’s needs, personality, how they learn, so we can tailor our parenting style to suit them so they can flourish and grow. Krista has battled her way through many moments, but she is a beautiful life in progress. I hope you enjoy x www.liveimmediately.com

“Could we change our lives to become an outdoor family?” This was the question Hannah Alexander asked herself before embarking on a year experiment with her family—to spend at least three hours each day outside for a year. This is such a cool experiment and one that has fundamentally changed Hannah, her kids, and her family as a whole. Hannah and I discuss the benefits of nature in regards to child development, how children are designed to be outside, the beauty in unstructured time and how nature is the perfect place to play. Hannah also shares stories of how she changed her habits over the year, potential barriers of getting outside, and how we can easily modify our indoor activities to do them outside. During the year experiment, Hannah also had a month of no screens for entertainment, and a separate month where she packed away the majority of her children’s toys. I absolutely loved this chat and I hope Hannah’s story inspires anyone who has children in their lives to do more activities with them outside. I hope you enjoy x www.liveimmediately.com

So often you can feel stuck in the overwhelm of life, feeling like you don’t have any option to change your situation. In this episode I talk with a wonderful woman, Amanda Lee, about the power of intention and getting clear on what you want, that is coming from your heart. Listening to your heart and not your head is a recurring theme in this episode. Amanda and I discuss how many of our decisions are based in fear, the need for fulfilment and purpose, cutting the struggle, creating space, and meaningful alignment. Amanda also talks about five key steps to getting in the flow and she uses the acronym LifeRAFT. LIFE - See life in a new picture. Recognise that everything, including you, is just energy, and that you have the ability to work with this in a very powerful way. R- Reveal your real choices. Get clear on what you really want, coming from your heart, not your head. A - Align yourself energetically with what it is you choose. This includes your thoughts, words and actions. F - Free the flow. Remove the blocks within you that are holding you back and stopping you from being in the flow. T - Trust. Deliberately and systematically build your own trust about living in the flow. Become your own laboratory and your own evidence. There is so much in this episode today, and I’ll start by saying, some of the topics might be a little left of centre. But then on the other hand, who wants to live in the middle anyway. This is also a long episode as both Amanda and I go off on some tangents, but there are some great thought provoking gems along the way that I know you will love. I hope you enjoy x www.liveimmediately.com

As sure as the sun will rise in the east, our days start when we wake up and get out of bed. Today I am talking everything mornings with Craig Kulyk, who runs the website creategoodmornings.com. Taking control of my mornings has been a big game changer for me, and the catalyst to so much change in my life. To be honest, without working on, testing, tweaking my mornings, I don’t think Live Immediately would be where it is today and you might not be listening to this podcast Craig and I discuss how to create your own good morning and things to consider when starting out, the importance of doing something you want to do and changing things up or experimenting with your mornings, and focussing on small wins. We also dive into how your mornings are all about building habits, the benefits of tracking your habits, and how your evenings are just as vital as your mornings and how the two are so strongly linked. When you have little ones running around, the thought of owning your mornings can feel like a utopian dream. I completely get it. But once you put a few pieces in place, and understand not every morning will go to plan, it will feel like you’re living a new rejuvenated life. I hope you enjoy x www.liveimmediately.com

Today on the podcast I’m chatting with Hugh Culver—husband, father of two, business builder and adventure lover. I have always admired Hugh as he moves from work, family and fun each day with the same excited and optimistic step. In this episode Hugh and I discuss the different phases of parenthood and how time commitments change and evolve as your children get older, creating habits in your day that turn into discipline, and cultivating change in your life. We also talk about the importance of one-on-one time with your kids and involving them in the decision process. At the end of the episode Hugh asks everyone to, “look at one simple habit that you can do everyday that’s going to make you feel better.” I’d love for you to email me or leave a comment on Facebook or Instagram and let me know what your one simple habit was. Hugh is a fun guy that works at filling his life with things that he enjoys. And to me, that is something worth working at. I hope you enjoy x www.liveimmediately.com

Changing your life is always difficult. Throw kids and a family into the mix and it is no wonder that many people stop before they start. Today on the podcast I’m with Zoe Kim, who is a mother of four, the author of the new book Minimalism For Families: Practical Minimalist Living Strategies to Simplify Your Home and Life, and the voice behind TheMinimalistPlate.com. Zoe and I chat about minimalism for families, the challenges when bringing new ideas into the household and how to get your kids and significant other on-board, letting go of sentimental items, the fear of missing out, and the importance of taking action. Zoe also touches on an essential point—that in the beginning of any change, things will be challenging and uncomfortable, but we need to allow ourselves to be uncomfortable with our feelings to progress, grow, and allow the change to take place. This is a great chat and one I know many people have been waiting for. I hope you enjoy x www.liveimmediately.com

Mental health and suicide are not comfortable topics that we naturally gravitate towards. Which is all the more reason why we should. October is Mental Health month in Australia and on the podcast today I am chatting with Mettie Spiess, an award-winning mental health educator, international keynote speaker and full-time stigma crusher. Mettie empowers students, educators, and parents with skills to safely support individuals who are in crisis to prevent suicide. In this episode Mettie shares her story of how she lost both of her brothers to suicide, how she dealt with battling her own demons, and how we need to help stop people from suffering in silence. Mettie shares tips for parents and the importance of noticing the warning signs, how to help yourself mentally, and dealing with the inner critic and self-talk. This is a powerful episode with a beautiful woman, making it her life’s work to prevent suicide and to crush the stigma around mental health. I hope you enjoy x www.liveimmediately.com

“Be patient with yourself, it does take time.” - Brooke McAlary I am excited to have friend, teacher, and all round beautiful human, Brooke McAlary, back on the podcast this week. Brooke and her husband Ben are the wonderful souls behind the hugely influential Slow Home Podcast, and are two people that have helped, guided, and encouraged Inga and I in many of the big life decisions we have made over the past few years. Brooke’s latest book SLOW has recently been released in Australia and New Zealand. It is part memoir, part practical companion, and provides a fascinating insight into the benefits of slowing down. It will inspire you to forget about the Joneses and create a life filled with the things that really matter to you. Brooke will be doing an Author Talk in my hometown of Newcastle on Wednesday September 27 from 6.30pm at the Hunter Design School. It is set to be a fun evening and I hope to see you there if you’re in the neighbourhood. In this episode Brooke and I really dive deep into this notion of slowing down, being more intentional about your life, and aligning your life with your values. Brooke talks about how she turned her life around to a destination of simple, and how the process is messy and individual for everyone, but how being patient and having faith in the process is fundamental. We also discuss being emotionally available for our children and the people we love, self-worth, and a powerful exercise Brooke did by writing out her eulogy in three sentences. It might sound morbid but it really has nothing to do about death, but everything to do with how you are living, or should be living, your life. Brooke is a kind, insightful, passionate women on a mission to help people change the way they live life—slowly, of course. I hope you enjoy x www.liveimmediately.com

The big questions are often the most important but the hardest to ask, especially when you’re asking yourself. My guest today, Emily Ehlers, started asking herself the big questions—What do I value? What is important to me? — When her mother in-law passed away from brain cancer. My conversation with Emily takes many twists and turns as we discuss parenthood and allowing our children to grow, values and realigning our true north, and the numbness of drifting through life. Emily is an eco warrior and we talk about moving towards zero waste, how we need to be gentle with our partners when bringing new ideas into the household, and Emily also shares some great tips when starting out towards zero waste. We also talk about how we, too often, are chasing that imaginary finishing line—waiting for a magical day to arrive where we can be happy and fulfilled. But how that day we have been waiting for, is today. Emily shares a brilliant Less/More exercise where you write down what you want less of in your life and what you want more of, and I share the art of smiling, which is a simple but powerful exercise I do to help change or improve my mood. I hope you enjoy x www.liveimmediately.com

The home is so important when it comes to living a simpler life as it depicts many of our daily habits. My guest today is the lovely Angela Foong, one third of the sister trio behind the beautiful High Tea With Mrs Woo label. Angela and her architect husband Matt have built a small home on what used to be their neighbour’s garage plot. This deliberate home is more than a roof over their family’s head, it was a home built to create behavioural change. Angela looked inward and asked the very important question, “What would you like to be doing every day?” Spending time with her family, exploring, camping, cooking, getting outside, creating. So she built a home to allow all that to happen. Angela and I touch on so many topics in this chat; being thoughtful about money, family values and providing a better future for our kids, simple living and being thoughtfully frugal, and Angela’s wonderful empty pantry pot-luck dinner parties. I personally can’t wait for the next one. Like many of us, Angela is on the journey to finding the simple life that works for her. The big takeaway here is that Angela has dedicated the time to think about what is important to her, what she values, and then has gone about designing a life, and a home, to complement it. I hope you enjoy x www.liveimmediately.com

Personal debt gradually tightens its grip around us, slowly building up and weighing us down emotionally. This is exactly what happened to my guest today, Elesha Piper. It didn’t happen over night but she accumulated $15,000 in credit card and personal loans—a large amount of money, but an amount that is so easily achievable. In this episode Elesha describes how personal debt isn’t a topic we generally like talking about as there is so much shame attached to it. And she hopes that by talking about her debt and how she overcame it, she can help and encourage other people to do the same and free themselves from the emotional rollercoster that debt delivers. Elesha talks about how she decluttered her finances first and then decluttered her stuff, tips when decluttering and where to start, and we discuss the notion of why women tend to be more affected by clutter than men. Stuff and money go hand-in-hand. If you’re holding one you generally have less of the other. I hope you enjoy x www.liveimmediately.com

Our body is communicating to us all the time but too often we don’t listen. My guest today, Matthew Bate, spent a decade playing Australian Rules Football at the top level for the Melbourne Football Club. For many years he tried to mask what his body was trying to communicate to him by using pharmaceutical drugs, painkillers and sleeping pills, which transformed into an addiction. Life now looks and feels very different for Matthew, as he has reconnected with his body through food. This episode is about holistic health and how being healthy allows you to do the things you love with the people you love. Matthew and I talk about seasonal eating, fitness, and being aware of what we eat. Along with anxiety and stress, vulnerability, shame, following your heart, and dealing with the unknown with big life decisions. Matthew is a wealth of knowledge when is comes to health and food and how our body responds to what we put into it. I hope you enjoy x www.liveimmediately.com

Simplifying your own life is one thing, but we all know things start getting challenging when we bring our kids and family into the equation. Today I chat with Denaye Barahona about all things to simplify your family. As a Clinical Social Worker with a specialty in Child and Family Practice and a Ph.D. in Child Development, Denaye is also the voice behind the information packed website simplefamilies.com We dive into many topics in this episode as Denaye and I talk about simplifying your family in terms of clutter, letting go of difficult items, Denaye’s brilliant Toy Detox Program and the difference between open and closed toys, and not over scheduling our lives and our children’s lives. We also chat about how kids learn from their parents, positive discipline in the household and the “first then” principal (works wonders), building confidence in our kids by stepping back and not hovering, and one of my favourites—family meal time. If you have difficulties with food and your little ones eating you might want to try how Denaye feeds her children. Denaye is a wealth of knowledge when it comes to simplifying your family and this is an episode full of great tips and ideas touching on many different topics. I hope you enjoy x www.liveimmediately.com

My guest today is the lovely Rachael Kable, who is a mindfulness mentor, blogger and host of the wonderful Mindful Kind podcast, where she shares great tips and her journey into mindfulness to help people around the world to live more mindfully. If you’re new to mindfulness, feel like you are always busy being busy, or suffer from anxiety, then I think you will really enjoy this episode, as Rachael opens up about her journey into mindfulness and shares some wonderful tips and resources to help people getting started. In this episode Rachael and I dive into the inner talk that we all have, how we can find ourselves constantly thinking about the future, and planning on always trying to be better. One of the tips I really loved was the Breathing Waltz, which is where you breathe in for three, hold for three, and breathe out for three—so simple but yet so powerful. Rachael is a fun thinker and I love it that she doesn’t take herself too seriously. I hope you enjoy x www.liveimmediately.com

The road less travelled isn’t always an easy one to walk, but it does do wonders for your soul. My guest today, Joe Fairleigh, is a father, surfing guide, and a student of life. I gravitate towards Joe, as I love his outlook on life, the type of questions he asks himself, and the way he approaches parenthood. This is a deep conversation on many levels, and in this episode Joe and I get stuck into many interesting topics including; health and happiness, teaching kids to tackle fear and learn life skills via sport, scaring yourself when you start to feel numb, the simpleness to asking yourself big questions, letting go of control, the importance of movement, the maintenance of physical possessions, and the beautiful lessons of fatherhood. If you have ever asked yourself the question, “What is this life all about?” then I think you’ll really like this episode. You never know, the answer might be quite simple. I hope you enjoy x www.liveimmediately.com

Simple living looks different for everyone. What does it look like for you? In this episode I chat with Clare Short who is a wife, mother of two, and someone that is navigating her way through simple living. If that description sounds very similar to you, well that is exactly why I wanted to have Clare on the podcast today. To share the ups and downs, little strategies and resources which have helped her and hopefully will help you. Clare talks about how she first eased her way into simple living by doing the 40 bags in 40 days challenge, a fun game and something I hadn’t heard of before. We also chat about decision fatigue when we don’t know where to start so we just don’t start at all, simple living and parenting, and that natural progression from living more with less to simplifying our food and being more mindful about our waste. Clare also shares many of the resources that she turns to for inspiration and motivation including Marie Kondo, Joshua Becker, Courtney Carver and her project 333, the wonderful Slow Home Podcast and the book Simplicity Parenting by Kim John Payne. This is an episode to really let you know you’re not alone, and however you are personally doing simple living, is the best way. I hope you enjoy x www.liveimmediately.com

One of the easiest ways to learn is to listen to people that have done it before you. We often do this when it comes to learning new skills for a profession—we do an apprenticeship, attend university or have a tutor. So why don’t we listen to people about living life, as it seems to be one of the most challenging adventures we are all trying to navigate through. My fun conversation today is with Emrys Westacott, who is the professor of philosophy at New York’s Alfred University. Emrys’ most recent book is titled The Wisdom of Frugality, where he examines why, for more than two millennia, so many philosophers and people with a reputation for wisdom have been advocating frugality and simple living as the key to the good life. In this episode Emrys and I discuss how simple living has changed over the centuries, the role our expectations play, simple pleasures, and holding our materialistic desires in check. Along with the importance friendship has on our happiness and one of Emrys’ classes, Tightwaddery: The Good Life on a Dollar a Day. I thoroughly enjoyed this conversation and tapping into all of Emrys’ wisdom. I hope you enjoy x www.liveimmediately.com

What changes can you make in your life today that will enable you to live immediately? That is really the essence of the episode this week. My guest today is Ricki Coleman, a man, who at his heaviest, weighted 130 kilograms. Ricki lost his father at a young age, he turned to excessive eating and alcohol to numb the feeling, to the point where his weight had paralysed him from living the life he truly wanted to live. But Ricki’s story is so much more than lost kilograms. It is about taking control of your life, making the decision to change and allowing that change to slowly happen. Ricki talks about the importance of a support network, getting back on the pushbike to clear his head, and learning patience. The change we need to make can often be simple, but that doesn’t make it easy. Every change will come with its own challenges, it will push us and make us question if we really want the change to take place, even if we know we will benefit from the outcome of the change. We might not all have 45 kilograms to lose, but I am sure we all have self-limiting beliefs or fears that are holding us back just as much. What change will you make today? I hope you enjoy x www.liveimmediately.com

My guest today, Frances Trussell, is one of the leading mindfulness and meditation teachers in the UK and I personally had an absolute blast chatting with her. We cover so much in this conversation including, mindful eating, being mindfully happy, how we always wait for the perfect conditions in life, travelling through life with our blinkers on, and the relationship between mental health and mindfulness. Frances gives some great mindfulness tips when dealing with teenage kids, mindfulness and being a parent, and how our bad days filter through to our kids. We also touch on Paradise Syndrome, which is when we achieve everything but we’re still not happy. If you are new to meditation or simply want a different guided meditation, then please check out Frances’ podcast, Mindfully Happy, in the show notes below. She has a bunch of little series and in each there are five and ten minute meditations.  I love my morning meditation with Frances. There are so many great takeaways in this episode and Frances has such a beautiful and fun vibe. I hope you enjoy x www.liveimmediately.com

Money is an interesting element in our society—we seem to work so hard to acquire it, often not knowing why we want it, and simply believing we need more of it. In today’s episode I have a wonderful chat with Samantha Doove about the rich life and how money is only a small ingredient of it. We cover a lot in this episode as Sam and I discuss the real cost of things, not just the money cost but also the time and mental costs, the balancing dance between money and time, the benefits of experimenting and testing things in your own life, and the juggle between kids and work. Sam also touches on this notion of knowing your number, that financial dollar amount that you need to live on each year, that once you know “the number” it can help with making other life decisions. Sam also talks about the importance of recording what you spend, analysing what you spend your money on, and then comparing that with your values. This was a fun chat and I love it that Sam has made some financial decisions that might not have been the best financially but they have allowed her to enjoy her kids again, which is the best kind of decision in my book. I hope you enjoy x www.liveimmediately.com

If you are a long time listener of the Live Immediately Podcast or even if you’ve only listened to a handful of episodes, I am certain that you’ve heard me say, many times, that “time is the true currency”. It really is the cornerstone of Live Immediately. That we only have this moment, right now, to do the things we love with people we love. Many people have asked me about this notion of time, as they continuously feel busy. Through all their questions, the underlining theme is, “How can I reclaim some of my time back.” In this episode I talk about three simple ways to take back your time, three simple techniques that I learnt, or was forced to lean, that have been huge game changers for me. All three of these techniques are free and you could implement them into your daily life starting today. Let me know how you go and what you end up doing with all your additional available time. I hope you enjoy x www.liveimmediately.com