capital city of Queensland, Australia
POPULARITY
Categories
Neil Parker sets out on a casual hike just outside of Brisbane. It's a beautiful day, and he's enjoying working his way through the forested slopes, past the wild orchids and hibiscus flowers, the cockatoos and the koalas. But when he tries to navigate around a waterfall, the world crumbles beneath him. After a bone-crunching fall, Neil will have no option other than to attempt to crawl to safety. With debilitating injuries, plus tricky terrain and venomous reptiles blocking his path, it will turn into an epic slog… A Noiser podcast production. Hosted by John Hopkins. Written by Joe Viner | Produced by Ed Baranski | Assistant Producer: Luke Lonergan | Exec produced by Joel Duddell | Sound supervisor: Tom Pink | Sound design by Matt Peaty | Assembly edit by Rob Plummer, Dorry Macaulay | Compositions by Oliver Baines, Dorry Macaulay, Tom Pink | Mix & mastering: Ralph Tittley. For ad-free listening, bonus material and early access to new episodes, join Noiser+. Click the subscription banner at the top of the feed to get started. Or go to noiser.com/subscriptions If you have an amazing survival story of your own that you'd like to put forward for the show, let us know. Drop us an email at support@noiser.com Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
Growth does not break down because chiropractors lack passion. It breaks down because conversion systems and metrics are either unclear, slow, or unmanaged. Dr. Pete and Dr. Stephen break down the exact conversion and sales metrics that separate busy offices from scalable, profitable businesses, and why mastering them is no longer optional in 2026. They unpack how speed, clarity, and conviction drive patient commitment, how operational KPIs translate into real revenue, and why recurring metrics reveal the true health of your business. This conversation reframes conversion as belief transformation, sales as service, and growth as a measurable, repeatable outcome.In This Episode You Will:Break down which conversion numbers actually matter and which ones are noiseWalk through the five KPIs that determine whether patients commit or disappearUnderstand why speed, timing, and follow-up now decide conversion outcomesSee how recurring revenue reveals the true health of your businessIdentify the knowledge gaps that quietly cap your growthEpisode Highlights01:15 – Why this episode marks the shift from marketing conversations into conversion and sales as the next growth constraint08:09 – How ROI should be evaluated through lifetime value, not short-term expense09:33 – The financial reality of stagnation and why not growing creates compounding problems10:26 – Redefining success benchmarks and why three million has become the new one million14:37 – The core truth that frames the episode: you can only help the people you convert15:02 – Reframing sales as care, conviction, and responsibility rather than persuasion18:05 – Breaking down attraction, conversion, and retention as a sequential operational system25:28 – Introducing the Rule of 72 and how speed now determines conversion outcomes30:14 – What actually drives Day One to Day Two follow-through and patient commitment36:15 – Translating conversion into business health through recurring and reactivated revenue Resources MentionedLearn more about the TRP Remarkable Business Immersion March 6 - 7, 2026 in Phoenix, AZ and March 20 - 21, 2026 in Brisbane, AUS - https://theremarkablepractice.com/upcoming-events/Golden Ticket Giveaway to the Upcoming Immersion - DM the words ‘Podcast Business Immersion' on The TRP Instagram page - https://www.instagram.com/theremarkablepractice/To learn more about the REM CEO Program, please visit: http://www.theremarkablepractice.com/rem-ceoBook a Strategy Session with Dr. Pete - https://go.oncehub.com/PodcastPCPrefer to watch? Catch the podcast on YouTube at: https://www.youtube.com/@TheRemarkablePractice1To listen to more episodes, visit https://theremarkablepractice.com/podcast or follow on your favorite podcast app.
Our Goals for 2026: Jess is gonna finish a novel.Sarina is going to figure out what she wants a long haul writer career to looks like.KJ is going to write this book as hard as she can and for as long as it takes.Jennie is going to claim her authority in the writing space.Our Words of the Year are …Meanwhile: Fan of Heated Rivalry? You'll want to read these books by Sarina Bowen!Ready to talk about your own goals and words? COME ON IN. We are here for that!Hey - if you've been curious about becoming a book coach, Jennie'd like to invite you to a live training she's doing on February 4th, at 5pm PST / 8pm EST. She's going to be talking about how to become the kind of book coach writers love to pay. You can sign up at bookcoaches.com/liveWOTYs … in the episode! If you want to know what was so funny, you'll have to listen.Transcript Below!If you love us enough that you got this far…SPONSORSHIP MESSAGEHey, it's Jennie Nash, and if you've been curious about becoming a book coach, I'd like to invite you to a live training I'm going to be doing on February 4th, at 5pm PST, which is 8pm EST, and I'm going to be talking about how to become the kind of book coach writers love to pay. You can sign up for that at bookcoaches.com/live. That's bookcoaches.com/live. (bookcoaches.com/live) I'd love to see you there.EPISODE TRANSCRIPTJennie NashHey everyone, it's Jennie, and this is the Hashtag AmWriting Podcast, the place where we help you play big in your writing life, love the process, and finish what matters. All four of us are here today to talk about our Word of the Year for 2026 and our goals. This is one of our favorite episodes to do, and we've all been kicking our words around, and we're ready to share them with you. So Sarina, do you want to go first?Sarina BowenOkay!Jennie NashI just know you are kind of ready.KJ Dell'AntoniaRight off the diving board. No throat clearing, no chit chat. Yeah, we're just alrighty.Sarina BowenAll right, so I'm Sarina, and I write novels, and pretty much that is all I write. So my goals tend to look kind of the same from year to year, but my, but how I feel about them, changes. So in 2026 I plan to write two to three books, and when I do, I will be rolling off of two contracts with two different publishers. So that means that the other part of my 2026 is really asking myself what I want to do next. Because, you know, finishing energy is a really hard thing, but I'll be like extra super finishing energy here, because I'm finishing a commitment. And, you know, I used to have goals, like, I'm going to write more books. I'm going to write all the books. And I don't anymore, because there were, there was a while there where I only wrote books, and then last year, I did a really nice job of meeting my goals that I would also go and have more fun and take more vacations. And it worked. I did that. It turns out that planning fun takes a lot of energy and time. Oh my goodness, it was I, you know, I so I was either off having a wild time, or I was like, you know, nailed to my desk, and, yeah, so I need to do a slightly better job of that this year. Although looking at the schedule, it's a little hard to see how, because I'm spending a big chunk of March and part of April in Australia and Hong Kong, and then...Jennie NashWait you can't just throw that in and not say why. [laughing]Sarina BowenOh, well, I'm, I'm visiting. I'm doing four reader events in Brisbane, Sydney, Melbourne and Perth.Jennie NashIt's so exciting, so exciting.Sarina BowenAnd you know, time will tell if accepting this invitation was, in fact, a good idea. When I get home, I will be—it'll be June, and I will be launching my second book of 2026, which is a romance and so, but, but then, you know, I will have turned in half of what I'm turning in this year, and I will be able to have big thoughts about what I do next. And that is the thing that is going to be hard about this year, not turning in files, but, you know, deciding what does it mean to me? And also a thing that I realized last year, while balancing my busy life is that in this job, there is no summit. It's not like you climb that big hill and then you stand there and you hear an angel choir, and then you know that the only thing that greets you after writing a big novel is that you will pretty soon, eventually write another one. So you have to enjoy the hike itself. And I am really working on that.Jess LaheyI actually have just—I have just to address what you just mentioned Sarina, I have put in my calendar in June. Since we love to—I happen to love the mid-year check-ins on goals. I put a little note to self, to future Jess to revisit Sarina's goals at mid-year so that we can talk about maybe what that second half of the year, what comes next, stuff is going to look like. So, expect that to come back around.Sarina BowenOkay, I hope there's some clarity by then, so I'll get right on that.Jess LaheyWell, and I would also like to mention that you mentioned, you know, all the work you're doing and doing fun and stuff like that. You also went back to skating this year, and you, I have loved watching you learn, relearn something fairly new, and gain skills and get determined to like, be able to do that. What's it called, when you change the side of the blade you're on? When you turn?Sarina BowenYeah, all that edge work...Jess LaheyIt's very exciting.Sarina BowenAnd those three turns. Yeah. So that is part of my leave the house and have fun plan, and that has worked out really well. It—when you do something that's so outside of your usual, like, we could just stipulate by now that I'm pretty good at writing a novel, because I have turned in a number of them and sold a number of them, but I am really not good at skating. So when you take yourself so far out of your element, and you do something that is so foreign to you, you learn, relearn all those weird little tricks about how you learned anything, and the fact that last year I could not do a three turn to save my life, which is where you turn around on one foot. And I tried and I tried and I tried and I tried to trick myself into it. And I'm like, okay, I'll take off on two feet, but land on one. I just every single thing didn't work. And then this year, now I can do it. And also, I woke up at four in the morning once and thought I could do a waltz jump tomorrow, and then the next day I did, in fact, just do a waltz jump. And I hadn't even been thinking about it. It wasn't even on my list of things I was going to try that week. So learning something really, really new is really just great for your brain and your attitude. And I don't know what the next thing that I do like that will be, but, yeah, I'm a fan.Jennie NashBut I must reflect back to you that a few years ago, you were, I think the goals had to you were working so hard and just, you know, book to book to book to book and, like, look at you now .You're going on all these trips, and you're learning to ice skate, and I know you and KJ are learning Mahjong.KJ Dell'AntoniaMahjong, yes.Jennie NashAnd you write in coffee shops like, you've kind of really changed that, that vibe. It's cool.Sarina BowenI have! I did it right? Like I said, I'm going to have more fun. I'm going to learn to write out of the house. Like I sat in a room and said to you that this was going to happen. And I did, right? But the, but then, but then, writing the actual books, it magically did not get easier. So I am having more fun, but it's still hard, and that's how I'm coming to this new realization that, like you know, I need to stop being surprised that the actual job is hard, but it's just like a piece of the fun that I'm having, and if and I can only write books that I'm probably going to enjoy, because it's still hard and it still takes a lot of hours.Jennie NashThat's amazing. I feel compelled to ask you, what are you most enjoying about what you're writing right now?Sarina BowenWell we are at maximum finishing energy, because I am finishing a revision, which is scary, right? Because then you're sending it off into the world of telling yourself that it's done. And I have to say, I have not enjoyed it all that much. This has been one of the more one of the more stressful weeks. But, yeah, I—but there are moments as I look through this manuscript, because I've just reached that point where you hate every living word of it, right? Where I read a line and I laugh, and then that's just a good sign.Jennie NashLike I'm so clever, look at me.Multiple Speakers[all laughing]Jess LaheyI actually just, just for fun. I just dropped—I got to go—I traveled an hour and a half to go so that I could go sit in a coffee shop and work with these guys, because I miss them so much. And I took two pictures of Sarina while she was working there, and in one, she had this look on her face... I just dropped it in our group text just now, where she's got this look on her face like this is the hardest, worst thing I've ever done. And then I also took one of her smiling and looking like her usual happy self. But it was—I love having those two pictures together on my phone, because it's so representative of the slog. How there are these moments of really having fun and engaging with the book and loving it, and then there's those moments of editing where you're trying to just finish it and get all the words in the right order.Sarina BowenYep, it's, it's, you know that the push and pull and the trick to liking this job is that when you're in that trench of I have to be finished with this. I have to love it, and I have to set it free. You have to remember that the other side is out there. That like the drafting happy, I haven't made any big mistakes yet, I haven't sealed off all the x's yet, like that's waiting for you on the other side of it. You know, if you get too deep in one place or the other, so that you can't remember, the other one is out there for you. Then, then that's a trap. It makes the job harder.Jennie NashWell, thank you for that. Jess, do you want to go next?Jess LaheySure! Yeah, so last year, last year was weird. Last year, my, my, I'm going a little bit into what my word was last year; it was ‘amplified' because it led, it sort of guided a lot of my goals last year, which had to do with just reaching more people, but during the year, during the course of the year, reaching and educating more people on the topics that I feel really strongly about, like mental health wellness, the specifically substance use prevention, as it relates to things like self-efficacy in kids and feelings of competence in kids. I realized sort of part way through the year how much more I was enjoying and feeling engaged when I was talking to the kids, and how much more impactful I felt when I was talking to the kids, and that shouldn't be surprising. But, if you're not a speaker, and if you don't spend your time speaking to adults and kids and especially teens, you should know it takes, you know, maybe three to four times as much energy to talk to the kids as it does to the adults. In fact, yesterday, I was trying to explain to someone why a virtual event to a lot of kids, doesn't work. I can't project that much energy through a screen to captivate a big room of kids. It's just it's really hard to do. And anyway, so I realized about halfway through the year that I really wanted when I when I thought about the word amplify and expanding on the number of kids that I reach per year, and the depth to which I am able to reach some kids in particular, it comes it comes down to not just people, but just kids specifically. So I talked with my agents, and we've agreed that I'm going to try to incorporate more kids this year. That even if it's more exhausting for me, it's more fulfilling, and so that's one of my big goals for this year, is to figure out how—yes, I still have to talk to adults, and I have to help them understand how to talk to their kids about substance use and mental health and how to see, know, love, support the kids you have, and not the kids you wish you had and all that stuff. But when it comes down to it, I have to figure out ways to get in the room with kids more and...KJ Dell'AntoniaYou're a kid-travert!Jess Lahey[laughing] Apparently.KJ Dell'AntoniaWhich some people get their energy from being with people, and some people get, you know, it takes—that's extroverts and introverts. So you're a kid-travert, you get your energy from talking to kids. That's delightful!Jess LaheyIt's in the moment. In the moment, it's much more exhausting. But there was a—I spoke at a school in Los Angeles. It was one of the best days I had in front of kids. And the number of emails I got afterwards explaining why it was meaningful to them. You know, I love when the kids, anytime a kid reaches out, it's this huge honor, because, you know, I'm, who am I? I'm some adult that comes into their school because their teachers say that, and now their teachers say they have to listen to this bozo. They don't know who this person is. But over time, I've figured out ways to help them trust me a little bit more, even before I get there. Like creating these videos where I introduce myself ahead of time. So I'm trying to figure out all the ways in to getting being a trusted adult, becoming a trusted adult to more and more kids, is something that's incredibly important to me, because that's where the great education stuff lies. So that amplify word changed for me over last year, and it's reflected in this year's goals as well, which is, get in front of more kids. I track those numbers really carefully. Last year, I was in front of just shy of 10,000 people generally, and a couple of 1000 kids. And I just want to change that ratio a little bit so that it's have more heavily in the kid direction and less heavily in the adult direction. Just because it's fun and really interesting and challenging. That's the other thing is, when you've been doing something for a long time, there are some talks I can do in my sleep, because I've done them so many times, and I don't want to do that, like, why would you want to come and spend time with someone who's asleep in front of you? But you know, they look good and it sounds good, but they're not totally invested. And I think everybody can feel that. So I've had to find ways to change things up, to reevaluate my content from other angles, so that I'm not getting sick of myself, and so that I can be fresh and new and useful to people. So, and then, like, I have small goals, you know, Sarina was just talking about her skating and looking, you know, trying to do something completely new that makes you a little nervous. You know, the beekeeping thing still makes me super nervous. And as I mentioned in another episode, I think Tim saw me emotionally preparing to do something I needed to do with the bees and he said I have never seen you so nervous and so doubting yourself about your ability to do something, and I realized how good that is for me. And so we will see at the end of this winter if my bees actually made it through the winter, and if they did, I'll have a hive of bees to deal with, and if they don't, I'll have to get a new hive. But that's been really, really good for me. Sarina, did you want to add something?Sarina BowenI have a question.Jess LaheyYes, ma'am.Sarina BowenDo we have a writing goal for this year?Jess LaheyYes, we do. And that's actually at the bottom of my list, because it's new. So I've been attending this weekly, really interesting virtual Blueprint for a Book Fast Track. What is it? Jumpstart you guys? With Jennie Nash, this really great book coach and founder of Author Accelerator, and KJ Dell'Antonia and I have been actually writing—working on this novel that I've been working on for ages and ages and ages and thinking about at a minimum once a week, and I'm going to finish it this year. 100% I'm going to finish it this year. And I'm really grateful to Jennie and KJ, because being in that, in—being in there, is forcing me to ask me all kinds of questions about, why am I even bothering to stick with this thing that has stymied me for over a decade? Like, why bother if it's been that hard and I haven't ever gotten it done, why am I even doing it? And I love asking myself those questions. It's been really fun. Plus, there's like 100 other people in that virtual session asking themselves the same questions and coming up with really cool answers for why they're even writing something in the first place. And it gets at all these fundamental questions of why we do what we do. So yes, I will be, I'm researching a nonfiction thing still. I have a—I'm looking at a stack of books behind me, and but I'm going to finish this YA novel this year period, full stop, it's going to happen..Multiple Speakers[Unintelligible] [several speaking at once]Jennie NashWell what's cool is, is, I mean, YA is not children, but it's young people. So that's kind of cool. It goes with your other thing.KJ Dell'AntoniaThere's a trend there.Jess LaheyYeah. And it was funny, because when you were asking the why the other night, and one of my things was, oh, because these characters speak to me, blah, blah, blah. And KJ mentioned, oh, I do know what Jess is talking about. And maybe it's, you know, she wants to write a coming of age story, and that's 100% it. I think I have, I have. I very much love that coming of age space and the struggles that middle school and high school kids go through in that coming of age space. And I think I have an interesting insight into it, and an ability to, an ability to make it come alive on the page. And I, for me, really want to do that. I really want to see it on the page, and I'm really excited about it.Jennie NashYou do have such a compassion for that age and what people are going through and how hard it is and it's...Jess LaheyAnd I love these characters. And I said I love these characters, and I want to do right by them. And that's true too. I do love these characters, and I can't stop thinking about them.Sarina BowenThat is the best reason to finish any piece of fiction. You know?Jess LaheyYeah, no, I really it's like they're stuck until I help them get to the other side. And I would hate to leave them there. I would it would make me feel really bad.Jennie NashI love it. Well you know, committing to something that you've been working on for that long, that's a that's a big deal.Jess LaheyYeah, it's also one of those. I know it's going to feel really, really good when I finish it. It'll be like, oh my gosh, I've been harping on that for whatever it is now 12 or 13 years, and I finally finished it. So I know it's going to be one of those. I'm going to be very, very glad I did it when it's done. And is it super hard? Yes, I've, you know, bitched and moaned about this in the past, that fiction is really hard for me and dialog is so hard for me, but that's what I'm writing right now.Jennie NashThat's another, another learning edge, right?Jess LaheyYep. Yep.Jennie NashAwesome. KJ, what about you?KJ Dell'AntoniaMy only goal this year with respect to writing is to write this book as hard as I can for as long as it takes. That's all I got. I got a couple other goals. I'd like to get my Christmas tree down at some point during the year. It seems like a plan. I was pretty excited about the Valentine's Day concept a few years ago, but I don't know, people have been really negging on it. Easter also, apparently not tree material. I mean, come on the fourth? I'm seeing it. No one else is. So there's that. No, my and my big life goal is to leave more white space for myself in my day and in my calendar, to do things, to not do things, and for the unexpected things, both good and bad things. I have a real tendency to be like from 11:30 to one I'm doing this, and from 1:30 to 2:30 there's this, and hey, at three there's this. And that is, in fact, an excellent description of my day. And sometimes I like it, but I just do it to myself constantly, and I need to stop.Multiple Speakers[all laughing]Jennie NashThat's all? Okay. Mic drop. I'm just thinking about that white space. What? What happens when you have white space?Sarina BowenYou know what happens to me when I have white space, because I'm actually pretty good at keeping it in my calendar, is that I get an email that's like, and today, we will be choosing among these eight narrator auditions. And then you will decide who is the narrator for this book that you haven't been thinking about for four months since you last did the copy edits, and then my whole day just explodes in a little puff of admin, like trying to get out of my own inbox is killing me. So, yeah, I don't, I don't. It's not even that I planned it. Other people are making this my, my problem, and I wish I had a 2026, goal for how to fix it.KJ Dell'AntoniaYeah, there's that. I mean, to some extent, I think that's my point. Is that I would like to stop doing it to myself, because I mean it through exactly the thing it is was not my was not my idea, nor was the thing, the unexpected event at eight o'clock this this morning, or the one when I walked in from the expected thing from nine to 10. I need to do a little less of it for myself, to allow for the fact that the other things in my life, I think, and I did this to some extent last year too. My final kids have actually all left for college this year, which is great, but there's still a lot of trouble. And also I have a lot of pets, and also just, there's a lot going on. So I sort of thought, and I really made this mistake in the Fall pretty hard. I thought, oh, I should probably fill like I should put some things on the calendar because I might feel sad. A, I still felt sad, and that was okay. And B, I put way too much on the calendar, given the number, amount of time I had to spend on... I'm just yeah, and here I am thinking I didn't do it in the spring, and I didn't, but I sort of am doing it on a daily basis, like, oh, look. And some of that is just that this was, what am I wrong? Was this the longest holiday season ever in the history of holiday season? Like it was still Christmas on January 17, I swear to God. And so a lot of it, I think, is I'm feeling a little dejected, because my days are really packed, because I had the sense not to put everything in the week of January 6, but I put a lot of things this week and last week. So hopefully I'll, but, but having done that, and now feeling it, I think, I hope, will inspire me to block off more time that, no doubt, will get filled with things. But that's better than it getting filled with things and my having already filled it.Jennie NashYep.KJ Dell'AntoniaIt's not going so great.Jennie NashI get that. Okay, so, so for me, I made some really big moves in my business in 2025 and they worked, and that was great. And I made a decision toward the end of the year to make even bigger moves, and did some thinking about, I wouldn't say, an exit strategy or a succession plan, but I'm 62 this year, and I'm working really, really, really hard in my business day to day, running, you know, pretty big small business, and I really want more time to create. To create curriculum, to, I just like making things. You know, to work on the podcast, to work on my own book, and I'll talk about that in a minute. And so I made a training plan to teach my team to take over the things that they are fully capable of taking over, if I just get it out of my head and onto a page to teach them how to do it. So it's a really big move for me, and kind of a terrifying move. It means trusting people. It means handing over some things. It means there's some ego-y things involved in that, the idea that nobody can do it as well as I can. And so, yeah, that's, that's big. It's big mindset. It's big actual shifting of duties. It's, it's kind of the white space idea writ large. What, what would it look like for me to have more white space? And it is, it is not retiring, it's not stopping. It's just, can I do more of what I want to do and less of the—of the day to day of this business? I am constantly surprised by the thing I have made. Author Accelerator has more than 375 certified book coaches now, and it's this huge community, and they're having a huge impact. And a lot of my coaches are becoming huge their own selves and doing really well, and just we're becoming known. And all of that takes time to manage, like the, I don't know, I wouldn't call it the brand, it's, it's the community. It just takes a lot of time to manage and the kinds of inquiries that we get and that sort of thing. And I, it's a thing that needs care, and I'm the one to give it that care. So just meeting the moment, I guess, is what my goal is for the year, and as part of that, the Write Big Sessions that I've been doing here at the podcast are my stepping into that space of thought leadership and creation, content creation in a different way. And haven't talked about this a lot, but I am writing a Write Big book, and I went out and found myself a brand new agent. I did my search from scratch. I did it cold. I tried to find the perfect agent for this book, rather than somebody that I knew, because I know a lot of agents, and I don't want to, I don't want to talk about a lot of specifics at the moment about who that person is, or what's happening really, but I will say that it's taken a little minute to get it together, because that's how it happens sometimes. But the book is out on submission, even as we speak, and I was telling KJ, this agent does something that I've never heard of and never seen, and I love it so much, which is that she shares a spreadsheet of the submissions and puts the responses right in there so I can log in, you know, 10, 12, 25 times a day and...Multiple Speakers[all laughing]KJ Dell'AntoniaJust normal, healthy behavior, right?Jennie NashWhich is so fantastic. Rather than, like, why isn't she telling me, or how come we haven't heard or whatever? But it's very, very early days, and so all that's coming in are the no's, because that's, that's what happens. But the no's are so great. I love them so much. They're totally boosting me up. Because, like, people know me. They know my work. They like my work. Like I, I don't know. I'm just so delighted by the nature and quality of the no's, which is just a funny place to be, but that is, that is where I am so...Sarina BowenJennie, it's a fantastic place to be. Like I have never heard another author say the no's make me happy. Like that is not a sentence I have heard in my life. And I know a lot of authors, so the fact that you know that that's, I just have good, good feelings and good thoughts about this project, and you are amazing.Jennie NashWell, thank you. And that is not by accident. That's what Writing Big means, right? It's like I own this idea. I'm not waiting to be picked; I'm not waiting to be anointed. I'm not waiting for somebody to say, you know, good job. But, when they do, and you know, these no's are just indications, like I self-published the Blueprint Books and I sort of think of them as this little thing that I made. I made them for my coaches to use in their coaching, and I made them to, it's a model that I teach. I didn't ever think of it as a thing, but I've sold more than 20,000 copies of the Blueprint Books my own self, and, but I just didn't think like editors would know what they are. They would use them with their own authors. They would know my company. They would know my coaches, and that's what all the no's are showing me. And that I'm just, I'm just like, when do you get a mirror into your impact? It feels like the no's a mirror into my impact, and I feel, I feel like there's no doubt that something great is going to happen with this book. I have no doubt. So bring on the no's and have them be awesome, because I know good things, great things are coming, and whether, who knows what path that is going to be, but that, that is where I am, and that sharing of the spreadsheet that this agent has done is just feeding right into, I mean, for other people, it might be the biggest disaster in the world, but for me, I'm like, this is so fun. I love it. My goal is for the year to lean into this bigger vision of what I can be.KJ Dell'AntoniaThat's a good goal.Jennie NashThank you. Well, I'm going to share my word first, because it just goes so well with what I've just been saying, and it's so obvious, and it's so great. And my word of the year is ‘play big'. Play big.KJ Dell'AntoniaThat's two words.Jess LaheyThat's two words.Sarina BowenI get two words.KJ Dell'AntoniaShe's allowed to have two words because she's playing big.Multiple Speakers[all laughing]Jennie NashAll right, we have to go in reverse order then so KJ, what's your, what's your word?KJ Dell'AntoniaOh, my word of the year is, is ‘alive'.Jess LaheyOh, dear. Okay, that's a... quite a goal you got there missy.KJ Dell'AntoniaIt's a good word... laughingJennie NashCan you explain?!Sarina BowenShe can't, because she's laughing really hard right now.KJ Dell'AntoniaUm, it was going to be enthusiast, because I wanted to be sort of a welcoming both the challenges and the excitements of my life. But I really just feel like, and then it was going to be relish, but, but that's pickles, and I hate them. And then I'm just, I just feel really good about just letting it all come and, and being a part of it.Jennie NashOkay, good word.Jess LaheyOh, Sarina?Sarina BowenI've used a lot of the words.Jess LaheyOh, not yet. Sorry.KJ Dell'AntoniaShe said, reverse order.Jennie NashI'm laughing so hard that I'm crying.Jess LaheyOh, she said, reverse order. That's right.Sarina BowenWe have done this so many times, and we have never laughed all the way through it. Okay, okay.Jess LaheyKJ is right though we have used all of the words, I actually considered reusing one of my words this year, but then I thought maybe that was a cop out. So I did come up with a new word.Sarina BowenI considered it, and then I was too lazy to go look them up.Jess LaheyThat's quite a statement there, Bowen.Sarina BowenI know!Multiple Speakers[all laughing uncontrollably]KJ Dell'AntoniaI know I had savor before, that was kind of where I was going, but...Jennie NashI can't stop laughing.KJ Dell'AntoniaI don't know I feel very gritty about my... [unintelligible]Jennie NashI'm like snort laughing over here at the idea of I'm never going to not hear relish and pickles. [laughing uncontrollably]Jess LaheyI know, I know, I like it so much. I love it.Sarina BowenWell, she really doesn't like pickles. KJ is that friend where if she is served a pickle with her lunch, you can take it.Jess LaheyYeah. Absolutely.KJ Dell'AntoniaAnd the bit of bread that it touched.Sarina BowenOkay Jess? Jess, I don't know how you're going to follow this, but do you have a word?Jess LaheyI do have a word, and I'm really excited about this word, because years ago, when I did a really cool conference in Abu Dhabi, I met this woman that I was shocked I hadn't met before. But her name is Elke Govertsen, Elke, and she has a Substack. Her Substack is just, it's @ Elke, is her. She managed to snag @ Elke. She has a newsletter. She has something called Open Nesting. She's got older kids. Anyway, I subscribed to her Substack. I love it. She's one of those people that when she walked down on stage to give her talk, she just glowed from inside, like she was one of those people that you just, I felt really drawn to. So I started following her and her year, her word for this year I really liked, although I thought about it in a different way than she did. Her word for the year is ‘allow'—a, l, l, o, w—and so that is my word for the year, to allow myself to do some things. For example, finishing this book, and just realizing, allowing myself to be really bad at it and hoping that I can pull it off, allowing myself to look really dumb doing stuff like the beekeeping, allowing myself some grace about the fact that I'm probably killed my bees this winter because they're not insulated enough, all of the things. But I just really liked her word allow. So that's where I am. That's my word. I was going to redo evaluate, because I really did like that one, because that the emphasis there was, like, figure out what's valuable to you, but whatever, I've used that one before, so I'm going to give credit out to Elke and go with allow.Jennie NashOkay, Sarina, what about you?Sarina BowenWell, you know, I picked a word, and I usually really struggle with this, and I never feel quite comfortable with it, but I pick something, or it just picked me one day, and that word is ‘esteem'. And my little job, my little job is having a strange little moment of esteem, because there's this show that's at the tippy top of HBO right now called Heated Rivalry. And Heated Rivalry is a book that is a queer hockey romance, which is something that I have also written since 2014, and it has; strangely, some of my best performing books ever over the last decade fall into what I thought was a niche. So I write this niche thing, and people read it and they love it, but you know, it has always stayed in its corner until now. And Rachel Reid is the author of the book called Heated Rivalry, from which this TV show was made very faithfully. And Heated Rivalry is a fantastic novel, by the way. Fantastic conflict, and an interesting story structure. So it has been quite a revelation to watch her book and story reach an audience that I did not feel it was capable of. And there is something about that, that really spoke to all the parts about my, of my business, where, for example, sometimes I have to do research. And early on, I almost felt apologetic about asking an orthopedic surgeon to talk to me about something for a romance novel, because I just assumed that they would roll their eyes. I did it anyway. Thank you, Mark, Dr. Mark, for explaining knee surgery to me. But um, so esteem is a couple of different things. It is choosing projects that I esteem and that I care about, not because I think they'll sell, but because I love them, and also just realizing that the esteem that comes to various things that we do is not always predictable or measurable or something to rely upon. So I have to esteem it all on my own before I commit the time to do that. And that is how I ended up picking this word that I that I really like. It's kind of a quiet word. It doesn't, it isn't sexy, I guess is, is a word I would describe it, not really, but, um, but it is a, it's like asks you to pause and measure how we feel about something before we commit. And that is how I ended up there.Jess LaheyI love that meaning to the word. I love it.Jennie NashSomething that also occurs to me is you spoke with such esteem about this other author and the work that that she's done, and that's something that you often do, and you lift up all the writers in lots of different ways. And that esteem you have for the process of writing and the publishing business and the hard work of it comes across as well. So I like that meaning too.Sarina BowenWell thank you. I had an interesting conversation with my 22 year old son, who is quite a reader. Right now he's trying to get to the end of Crime and Punishment before his semester really kicks in. And he asked me over drinks, on a trip to Boston that I was making time for, so go me, if I could write like anyone, like if I could suddenly have the skills of any author, dead or alive, who would I pick? And I instantly gave him a couple of names in contemporary fiction that he has never read and never will, because there are people who write books that are not for 22 year old nerds. And, um, and he, he sort of blanked and he's like, no mama, like you could have, you could be Tolstoy, you know, like you could pick anything. And I'm like, no, I'm serious. I have esteem for the things these people are doing in contemporary fiction. And it's like that, um, that George Michael quote, like, when are you going to make some serious music? And he says, you don't understand, I'm very serious about pop music. And you know, it's my right to esteem whatever I choose. And I really do choose this. It's not; it's not a runner up thing for me. This is my interest, and I'm going to value it.Jess LaheyHell yeah,Sarina BowenYeah. Woohoo!Jennie NashI feel like we should end on that.Jess LaheyYeah. I think that's a good place to stop.Jennie NashThat was some power, power language there. We would love our listeners to share in the chat your goals for the year, your words for the year, how you feel about pickles and their touching a bread. [laughing] We would love to hear all the things from you, and until next time, keep your butt in the chair and your head in the game.NarratorThe Hashtag AmWriting Podcast is produced by Andrew Perrella. Our intro music, aptly titled, Unemployed Monday, was written and played by Max Cohen. Andrew and Max were paid for their time and their creative output, because everyone deserves to be paid for the This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit amwriting.substack.com/subscribe
This is a companion podcast for this morning's mantra. In a world of constant consumption, simplicity becomes a powerful act of care. Today’s meditation explores how reducing excess — both external and internal — restores balance, clarity, and ease. Through gentle awareness, we ask what is truly enough and allow simplicity to create space to breathe. Your Morning Mantra: Choose simplicity Jennifer Cray is a life coach, meditation teacher and yoga teacher for Living Lit Up, based in Brisbane. You can deepen your meditation practice with her on Insight Timer. Insight TimerSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
A Brisbane woman discovered a massive carpet python coiled on her chest in the middle of the night, handled it herself like a true Australian, and admitted she would have been more terrified if it had been a toad.READ or SHARE: https://weirddarkness.com/python-chest/WeirdDarkness® is a registered trademark. Copyright ©2026, Weird Darkness.#WeirdDarkness #WeirdDarkNEWS #Python #SnakeInBed #Australia #CarpetPython #WildlifeEncounter #StrangeNews #TrueStory #CaughtOnCamera
During my recent trip to Australia, I learned that navigating a foreign country can feel normal but different all at the same time. On the one hand, my family and I enjoyed the familiar experiences of being on vacation, such as unplugging from our daily routines, relaxing on a long flight, seeing the sights, and spending time with loved ones. But once we arrived in Brisbane, we had to get used to a new landscape and a new set of rules. The huge time zone difference. Driving a "ute" (utility vehicle) on the left side of the road and overtaking (passing) on the right. Calling "French fries" chips and our friends "mate." Keeping an eye out for wild kangaroos. Retirees may feel like they're facing a similar "familiar but different" financial landscape this tax season. While many of the strategies my team at Keen Wealth are discussing with folks are tried-and-true, some rules and details are changing due to new legislation that's going into effect. Your financial plan, and your financial team, need to be ready to adapt to these new rules so that you don't miss a key deduction and pay more in taxes than you really owe. On today's show, we discuss the One Big Beautiful Bill Act's changes to the tax code and some specific provisions that require thorough proactive planning before you file your taxes in April.
This is a companion podcast for this morning's mantra. As one cycle closes and another gathers momentum, today’s meditation focuses on conscious transition. Drawing on the transformative energy of the Year of the Horse, we’re invited to release what would slow us down and align with what truly matters — preparing ourselves to move forward with clarity and intention. Your Morning Mantra: I prepare for transformation Jennifer Cray is a life coach, meditation teacher and yoga teacher for Living Lit Up, based in Brisbane. You can deepen your meditation practice with her on Insight Timer. Insight TimerSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
In a world of constant consumption, simplicity becomes a powerful act of care. Today’s meditation explores how reducing excess — both external and internal — restores balance, clarity, and ease. Through gentle awareness, we ask what is truly enough and allow simplicity to create space to breathe. Your Morning Mantra: Choose simplicity Jennifer Cray is a life coach, meditation teacher and yoga teacher for Living Lit Up, based in Brisbane. You can deepen your meditation practice with her on Insight Timer. Insight TimerSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
Weather update for major cities across Australia in Nepali. This update features tomorrow's forecast for the following cities: Broome, Perth, Adelaide, Melbourne, Hobart, Albury-Wodonga, Sydney, Newcastle, Brisbane, Townsville, Cairns, Darwin and Alice Springs. - अस्ट्रेलियाका १५ मुख्य शहरहरूमा भोलि मौसम कस्तो होला? यस अपडेटमा निम्न स्थानको मौसमी पूर्वानुमान समावेश छ: ब्रूम, पर्थ, एडिलेड, मेलबर्न, होबार्ट, अल्ब्री-वडङ्गा, क्यानबरा, वलङगङ, सिड्नी, न्युकासल, ब्रिसबेन, टाउन्सभील, केर्न्स, डार्विन र एलिस स्प्रिङ्ग्स।
After the undercurrents is a new exhibition bringing together the work of two senior painters, Australian artist Gordon Bennett and Tāmaki-based Emily Karaka, opening tonight at Artspace Aotearoa. Gordon Bennett was a Brisbane-based artist who is widely recognised as one of Australia's most significant and critically engaged contemporary practitioners. His practice moved between these different phases – from often more abstract forms, to his conscious appropriation of Basquiat to create these cross-cultural dialogues, to the work made under the name of ‘John Citizen' as a means to question identity and politics of categorisation in Australian art – seeking to map alternative histories and question the status quo through these various forms. His work has been paired with Tāmaki-based painter Emily Karaka whose practice draws on the personal and political through these diverse art making traditions, vibrant colours, and historical narratives that guide her. Grounded in the cultural and political landscape of Aotearoa, her work articulates emotional intensity and her unique perspective, speaking to her long-standing advocacy for kaitiakitanga and mana motuhake. In After the undercurrents, with both artists drawing on their respective narratives of place and indigenous worldviews, the pairing allows the viewer to contemplate Artspace Aotearoa's annual question for 2026: ‘Which history?' Sof had a kōrero with Kaitohu Director of Artspace Aotearoa, Ruth Buchanan, about the show and Gordon Bennett and Emily Karaka's respective practices.
In this episode of the Talk Design podcast, host Adrian Ramsey welcomes 8-time US National Champion and international cyclist Eddie Huntsman to the Wellness Edit. At just 23 years old, Eddie is a cornerstone of the US National Team, currently training for the 2028 Los Angeles Olympics and looking ahead to Brisbane 2032.The conversation dives deep into the psychology of elite performance, the evolution of an athlete, and the radical discipline required to compete at the world-class level. Eddie shares his unique perspective on why "mastery" is a moving target and how his upbringing in Australia and California shaped his approach to the sport.Key Highlights include:The Mastery of Learning: Why Eddie believes you cannot master an evolving sport, but you can master the formula for learning and adapting to it.Chess on Wheels: An inside look at the Madison, a high-octane track event involving physical slings, tactical aggression, and "counting cards" at 60km/h.The "Team Eddie" Philosophy: The importance of a supportive ecosystem—including coaches, parents, and mentors—and why the "sun cannot see its own light" without external perspective.Radical Recovery: Eddie's "injured athlete" mindset for recovery, prioritizing immobilization and metabolic rest over high-tech gadgets.The Olympic Mindset: A candid discussion on the "selfish" commitment required for 2028, where training takes priority over social life, education, and secondary relationships.Whether you are an aspiring athlete, a parent of a young sportsperson, or someone interested in the mechanics of a high-performance mindset, this episode offers a masterclass in dedication and the pursuit of excellence. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
This is a companion podcast for this morning's mantra. Letting go is not loss — it is completion. Today’s meditation creates space to reflect on what has reached its natural ending, allowing old skins, outdated identities, and heavy emotions to gently fall away. With gratitude and awareness, we release what no longer moves with us. Your Morning Mantra: I release what is ended Jennifer Cray is a life coach, meditation teacher and yoga teacher for Living Lit Up, based in Brisbane. You can deepen your meditation practice with her on Insight Timer. Insight TimerSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
As one cycle closes and another gathers momentum, today’s meditation focuses on conscious transition. Drawing on the transformative energy of the Year of the Horse, we’re invited to release what would slow us down and align with what truly matters — preparing ourselves to move forward with clarity and intention. Your Morning Mantra: I prepare for transformation Jennifer Cray is a life coach, meditation teacher and yoga teacher for Living Lit Up, based in Brisbane. You can deepen your meditation practice with her on Insight Timer. Insight TimerSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
Weather update for major cities across Australia in Nepali. This update features tomorrow's forecast for the following cities: Broome, Perth, Adelaide, Melbourne, Hobart, Albury-Wodonga, Sydney, Newcastle, Brisbane, Townsville, Cairns, Darwin and Alice Springs. - अस्ट्रेलियाका १५ मुख्य शहरहरूमा भोलि मौसम कस्तो होला? यस अपडेटमा निम्न स्थानको मौसमी पूर्वानुमान समावेश छ: ब्रूम, पर्थ, एडिलेड, मेलबर्न, होबार्ट, अल्ब्री-वडङ्गा, क्यानबरा, वलङगङ, सिड्नी, न्युकासल, ब्रिसबेन, टाउन्सभील, केर्न्स, डार्विन र एलिस स्प्रिङ्ग्स।
Jane Musgrave grew up on the outskirts of Brisbane, Australia. She endured a troubled childhood that led her to seek an escape in alcohol. What began as a coping mechanism quickly grew into an all-consuming addiction, shaping decades of her life and leading to a series of difficult choices. She details those struggles and her recovery in her terrific book, "My Journey Out of the Bottle: Four Rehabs and a Recovery." Visit Jane on Facebook and her book is available on Amazon. The State of Wisconsin's Dose of Reality campaign is at Dose of Reality: Opioids in Wisconsin. More information about the federal response to the ongoing opiate crisis can be found at One Pill Can Kill. The views and opinions of the guests on this podcast are theirs and theirs alone and do not necessarily represent those of the host or Westwords Consulting. We're always interested in hearing from individuals or organizations who are working in substance use disorder treatment or prevention, mental health care and other spaces that lift up communities. This includes people living those experiences. If you or someone you know has a story to share or an interesting approach to care, contact us today! Follow us on Facebook, LinkedIn, and YouTube. Subscribe to Our Email List to get new episodes in your inbox every week!
SpaceTime with Stuart Gary | Astronomy, Space & Science News
Sponsor Link:This episode is brought to you with thanks to Squarespace. Bring your stories to life with Squarespace, the easiest way to create an exceptional website, blog, portfolio, or online store. To take up our great offer and help support the show, just visit www.squarespace.com/spacetime or use the Promo Code SPACETIME at checkout.SpaceTime with Stuart Gary Gary - Series 29 Episode 11In this episode of SpaceTime, we dive into the latest astronomical events, including a record-setting solar storm impacting Earth, the historic Artemis 2 mission preparing to return astronauts to the Moon, and groundbreaking evidence confirming an ancient asteroid impact in the North Sea.Record-Breaking Solar Storm Strikes EarthPlanet Earth has recently experienced a massive geomagnetic storm triggered by an X1.9 class solar flare, followed by a coronal mass ejection. This event produced stunning auroras, visible as far north as Sydney and Brisbane. We discuss how such solar storms can affect technology on Earth and in space, including potential disruptions to communications and navigation systems, as well as the impact on satellites in low Earth orbit.Artemis 2: A Historic Return to the MoonNASA's Artemis 2 mission is gearing up to send astronauts back to the Moon for the first time in over 50 years. The crew will embark on a 10-day journey, orbiting the Moon and traveling further than any humans have before. We explore the mission's objectives, including testing spacecraft systems, practicing docking procedures, and conducting deep space science experiments, all while preparing for future lunar landings.Proof of an Ancient Asteroid ImpactA decades-long debate over the origins of the Silverpit Crater in the North Sea has been resolved with new evidence confirming it was formed by an asteroid impact 43 to 46 million years ago. Utilizing seismic imaging and microscopic analysis, researchers have established this crater as a significant impact site, shedding light on the history of asteroid collisions on Earth and their implications for our planet's geological evolution.www.spacetimewithstuartgary.com✍️ Episode ReferencesNature CommunicationsNASA ReportsBecome a supporter of this podcast: https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/spacetime-your-guide-to-space-astronomy--2458531/support.(00:00:00) Record solar storm strikes Earth(00:12:30) Artemis 2 mission prepares to send astronauts back to the Moon(00:25:00) Evidence confirms asteroid impact in the North Sea(00:35:15) New insights into Earth's climate from ancient geological events.
What if marketing worked like architecture, not guesswork? Do you know what's actually driving your marketing results?In this episode of The Business Ownership Podcast I interviewed Emiliano Giovannoni. Emiliano Giovannoni is a global-minded marketing executive and consultant based in Brisbane, Australia with twenty years of marketing management experience working for international organizations ranging from ASX and NASDAQ listed multinationals – to VC-funded digital start-ups in the United Kingdom, Europe, and Singapore, including leading the Social Media Marketing function for the APAC region at Microsoft.He is the creator of the FAPI Marketing Framework™, a marketing organizational management method featured in the University of Queensland MBA program. The framework is designed to help businesses better rationalize and control their marketing functions.He is the author of multiple marketing planning and management publications, including ‘Digital Marketing Planning,' ranked one of the top 100 digital marketing books in 2020, and ‘Modern Marketing Architecture.'As a UQ Strategic Marketing MBA Alumni, Certified Agile-Scrum Master, and an Associate Fellow of the Australian Marketing Institute (AFAMI CPM), Emiliano is committed to continuous professional development and learning.His commitment to the development of the marketing profession includes Judging panelist for the yearly AMI Australian Marketing Institute Marketing Awards and participating as an industry mentor at UQ University BEL Career Mentoring Program.Are you guessing with your marketing—or planning for results?Check this out and rethink your approach.Show Links:Chasefive Website: https://www.chasefive.com/Emiliano Giovannoni on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/emilianogiovannoniBook a call with Michelle: https://go.appointmentcore.com/book/IcFD4cGJoin our Facebook group for business owners to get help or help other business owners!The Business Ownership Group - Secrets to Scaling: https://www.facebook.com/groups/businessownershipsecretstoscalingLooking to scale your business? Get free gifts here to help you on your way: https://www.awarenessstrategies.com/
The PRACTICE is the Clinical Entity that exists to deliver better health outcomes for the PATIENT.The BUSINESS is the Economic Engine that exists to drive Profit for the Owners and the Team. Dr. Stephen and Dr. Pete kick off a powerful five-part series that reframes growth through a clear distinction most owners struggle with: the difference between a remarkable practice and a remarkable business. And this struggle is costing them in terms of impact, income - and sleep!Using MARKETING data, KPIs, and real-world examples, they unpack how your practice ATTRACTION operations drive patient impact while your business's MARKETING metrics determine sustainability, profitability, and freedom. This MARKETING conversation sets the foundation for 2026 by showing how aligning teams not just with purpose, but with financial clarity, becomes the true growth accelerator. When the practice and business work together, momentum follows.In This Episode You Will:Understand the difference between a remarkable practice and a remarkable businessLearn why practice success does not automatically create business healthSee how KPIs clarify accountability on both sides of the coinDiscover why teams must understand profit, not just purposeClarify how practice metrics and business metrics drive different outcomesEpisode Highlights00:57 – Learn why this episode serves as the foundation for a five-part series separating the responsibilities of the practice from the realities of the business.01:43 – Discover how assigning clear KPIs becomes the fastest path to clarity, accountability, and meaningful traction.04:32 – Recognize why elevating business understanding across the entire team is essential for the future of chiropractic.06:37 – Reflect on how leadership is tested when personal loss intersects with professional responsibility and organizational culture.09:28 – Understand why emotional resilience and relationships are as critical to sustainability as systems and strategy.14:31 – See the defining distinction between the practice as a clinical entity and the business as an economic engine.16:44 – Clarify how financial alignment transforms team motivation by connecting effort to shared outcomes.18:15 – Discover why owning both sides of the practice and the business reshapes leadership and team engagement.23:57 – Learn how operational systems drive patient outcomes while business systems determine financial performance.35:20 – Recognize how mastering a small set of business metrics replaces marketing anxiety with confidence and peace of mind. Resources MentionedLearn more about the TRP Remarkable Business Immersion March 6 - 7, 2026 in Phoenix, AZ and March 20 - 21, 2026 in Brisbane, AUS - https://theremarkablepractice.com/upcoming-events/Golden Ticket Giveaway to the Upcoming Immersion - DM the words ‘Podcast Business Immersion' on The TRP Instagram page - https://www.instagram.com/theremarkablepractice/To learn more about the REM CEO Program, please visit: http://www.theremarkablepractice.com/rem-ceoBook a Strategy Session with Dr. Pete - https://go.oncehub.com/PodcastPCPrefer to watch? Catch the podcast on YouTube at: https://www.youtube.com/@TheRemarkablePractice1To listen to more episodes, visit https://theremarkablepractice.com/podcast or follow on your favorite podcast app.
Brisbane teacher and author, Sita Walker on the strong matriarchs who have helped her weather the storm of family tragedy, divorce and the beauty of a new love.Sita grew up in Toowoomba in Queensland, descended from five powerful women — three aunts, her grandmother and her mum.They were Baha'i women who came to Australia via Iran and India.Tragedy struck the family when Sita was a child, and her matriarchs descended on the home — to cook, clean, and comfort.Sita always saw herself as good Baha'i girl, and she went on to marry a good Baha'i boy and start a family. When things started to unravel, Sita found herself drifting away from her nightly prayers and accounting for her deeds, and it took a divorce and a new love for her to admit to herself, and her parents, how things had changed.This episode was produced by Alice Moldovan. The Executive Producer was Nicola Harrison.It explores faith, grief, religion, Baha'i, grandmothering, losing a sibling, evil eye, Queenslander, youth camp, marrying young, nightly prayers, falling in love, leaving religion, girl dinner, To binge even more great episodes of the Conversations podcast with Richard Fidler and Sarah Kanowski go the ABC listen app (Australia) or wherever you get your podcasts. There you'll find hundreds of the best thought-provoking interviews with authors, writers, artists, politicians, psychologists, musicians, and celebrities.
Join Lauren, Adrian and Jules as they discuss what has been hitting their tables. The whiting is on the wall - Jules is hooked on trick taking, with Fishing. Lauren has been trying out less fishing and more fission, snipping wires in Bomb Busters. Adrian is grabbing his windbreaker and doing his best Al Capone impression in Chicago 1875: City of the Big Shoulders. To top it off we look forward in our question of the pod, and finish off with what has us fired up! Question of the Pod: What are your 2026 board game predictions? Timestamps: Games we've been playing [0:05:15] Fishing [0:29:44] Chicago 1875: City of the Big Shoulders [0:36:15] Bomb Busters [0:50:57] Question of the Pod [1:01:18] Fired Up [1:20:47] Here's all the games we spoke about: Veiled Fate - https://boardgamegeek.com/boardgame/315695/veiled-fate Nana: Christmas Edition - https://boardgamegeek.com/boardgame/401168/nana-christmas-edition Tumblin' Dice - https://boardgamegeek.com/geeksearch.php?action=search&objecttype=boardgame&q=tumblin%20dice Seas of Strife - https://boardgamegeek.com/boardgame/225482/seas-of-strife A Fake Artist Goes to New York - https://boardgamegeek.com/boardgame/135779/a-fake-artist-goes-to-new-york Hansa Teutonica - https://boardgamegeek.com/boardgame/43015/hansa-teutonica Botswana - https://boardgamegeek.com/boardgame/398/botswana Lands of Amazement - https://boardgamegeek.com/boardgame/434865/lands-of-amazement Hyperstar Run - https://boardgamegeek.com/boardgame/430611/hyperstar-run Windmill Valley: Blooming Sails - https://boardgamegeek.com/boardgameexpansion/434507/windmill-valley-blooming-sails Fishing - https://boardgamegeek.com/boardgame/419195/fishing Chicago 1875: City of the Big Shoulders - https://boardgamegeek.com/boardgame/214880/chicago-1875-city-of-the-big-shoulders Bomb Busters - https://boardgamegeek.com/boardgame/413246/bomb-busters Check out our Eventbrite page for all of our upcoming Game Days: https://www.eventbrite.com.au/o/board-game-bbq-32833304483 SPONSORS Our podcast is proudly sponsored by Advent Games and More Than Meeples. Advent Games is an Australian online board game store based in Sydney, NSW. http://www.adventgames.com.au/ More Than Meeples is an Australian retail and online game store based in Brisbane, QLD. https://morethanmeeples.com.au/ PATREON Hey there, BBQ fans! Guess what? We've got a Patreon! By joining, you'll unlock exclusive content, gain access to a members-only section of our Discord where you can help shape the show, and so much more. Plus, your support will help us grow and bring some awesome new projects to life in 2025. At the Board Game BBQ Podcast, we're passionate about what we do and promise to keep the fun and shenanigans rolling. We're so grateful for your support! Joining our Patreon is totally optional, and we ask that you don't contribute if it'll cause financial stress. But if you'd like to chip in from just USD$5 a month, click the link to check out our Patreon page. Thanks a million for being amazing! We're committed to creating a welcoming and inclusive community, and you all make it special. See you at the BBQ!! https://www.patreon.com/BoardGameBBQ SOCIALS Support the podcast and join the community! https://linktr.ee/BoardGameBBQ LISTEN ON APPLE PODCASTS https://podcasts.apple.com/au/podcast/the-board-game-bbq-podcast/id1515192971 LISTEN ON SPOTIFY https://open.spotify.com/show/4VZjYJV1E3AWND62urWlP9
Letting go is not loss — it is completion. Today’s meditation creates space to reflect on what has reached its natural ending, allowing old skins, outdated identities, and heavy emotions to gently fall away. With gratitude and awareness, we release what no longer moves with us. Your Morning Mantra: I release what is ended Jennifer Cray is a life coach, meditation teacher and yoga teacher for Living Lit Up, based in Brisbane. You can deepen your meditation practice with her on Insight Timer. Insight TimerSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
This is a companion podcast for this morning's mantra. As one cycle draws to a close, today’s meditation invites us to slow down rather than rush ahead. Inspired by the wisdom of the Year of the Snake, we pause to reflect, acknowledge what has been revealed, and honour the clarity that comes from stillness at the end of a cycle. Your Morning Mantra: I slow down to reflect Jennifer Cray is a life coach, meditation teacher and yoga teacher for Living Lit Up, based in Brisbane. You can deepen your meditation practice with her on Insight Timer. Insight TimerSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
Weather update for major cities across Australia in Nepali. This update features tomorrow's forecast for the following cities: Broome, Perth, Adelaide, Melbourne, Hobart, Albury-Wodonga, Sydney, Newcastle, Brisbane, Townsville, Cairns, Darwin and Alice Springs. - अस्ट्रेलियाका १५ मुख्य शहरहरूमा भोलि मौसम कस्तो होला? यस अपडेटमा निम्न स्थानको मौसमी पूर्वानुमान समावेश छ: ब्रूम, पर्थ, एडिलेड, मेलबर्न, होबार्ट, अल्ब्री-वडङ्गा, क्यानबरा, वलङगङ, सिड्नी, न्युकासल, ब्रिसबेन, टाउन्सभील, केर्न्स, डार्विन र एलिस स्प्रिङ्ग्स।
For two years, Lexi Kitchin worked in the office of the German Honorary Consul in Brisbane. The Australian discovered her enthusiasm for the German language back in high school and has retained it to this day. In an interview, she talks about her experiences, formative moments and highlights. - Zwei Jahre lang war Lexi Kitchin im Büro des deutschen Honorarkonsuls in Brisbane tätig. Die Australierin entdeckte bereits in der High School ihre Begeisterung für die deutsche Sprache und hat sie bis heute bewahrt. Im Interview spricht sie über ihre Erfahrungen, prägende Momente und besondere Höhepunkte.
With the world so full of not only misinformation and disinformation, but also bananas headlines and censorship – how do we know where to look to get our news? Journalist, presenter, and co-founder of ETTE Media, Jan Fran, is here to give you a crash course in the current media lanscape. She's got tips on how to work out who you can trust, practising some healthy skepticism and the four things you can use to move through the world. Jan Fran and Antoinette Lattouf's tour It's A No From Me kicks off in Melbourne on Feb 1st – then off to Sydney, Brisbane and Canberra. An evening of sharp, frank and funny witticism and criticism in a world turning to shiticism. https://fane.com.au/whats-on/ette-media-live-its-a-no-from-me/ LINKS Follow Jan Fran on IG @jan__fran Learn more about ETTE Media https://www.ettemedia.com/ Follow ETTE Media on IG @ette.media Listen to We Used To Be Journos https://podcasts.apple.com/au/podcast/we-used-to-be-journos/id1823491652 Watch full episodes of We Used To Be Journos on YouTube https://www.youtube.com/@ettemedia Follow We Used to Be Journos on IG @weusedtobejournos_pod Check out @itsalotpod on IG at https://bit.ly/itsalot-instagram Review the podcast on Apple Podcasts https://bit.ly/ial-review Follow LiSTNR Entertainment on IG @listnrentertainment Follow LiSTNR Entertainment on TikTok @listnrentertainment Get instructions on how to access transcripts on Apple podcasts https://bit.ly/3VQbKXY CREDITS Host: Abbie Chatfield @abbiechatfield Guest: Jan Fran @jan__fran Executive Producer and Editor: Amy Kimball @amy.kimballDigital and Social and Video Producer: Oscar Gordon @oscargordon Social and Video Producer: Justin Hill @jus_hillIt's A Lot Social Media Manager: Julia ToomeyManaging Producer: Sam Cavanagh Find more great podcasts like this at www.listnr.com/See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
This is a companion podcast for this morning's mantra. Forgiveness can feel expansive — or impossibly hard. In today’s meditation, we explore how mercy and compassion soften what feels rigid, helping us step beyond fear and into shared humanity. Through gentle reflection, we’re invited to consider how understanding others can become an act of freedom. Your Morning Mantra: Choose mercy and compassion in forgiveness Jennifer Cray is a life coach, meditation teacher and yoga teacher for Living Lit Up, based in Brisbane. You can deepen your meditation practice with her on Insight Timer. Insight TimerSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
As one cycle draws to a close, today’s meditation invites us to slow down rather than rush ahead. Inspired by the wisdom of the Year of the Snake, we pause to reflect, acknowledge what has been revealed, and honour the clarity that comes from stillness at the end of a cycle. Your Morning Mantra: I slow down to reflect Jennifer Cray is a life coach, meditation teacher and yoga teacher for Living Lit Up, based in Brisbane. You can deepen your meditation practice with her on Insight Timer. Insight TimerSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
Weather update for major cities across Australia in Nepali. This update features tomorrow's forecast for the following cities: Broome, Perth, Adelaide, Melbourne, Hobart, Albury-Wodonga, Sydney, Newcastle, Brisbane, Townsville, Cairns, Darwin and Alice Springs. - अस्ट्रेलियाका १५ मुख्य शहरहरूमा भोलि मौसम कस्तो होला? यस अपडेटमा निम्न स्थानको मौसमी पूर्वानुमान समावेश छ: ब्रूम, पर्थ, एडिलेड, मेलबर्न, होबार्ट, अल्ब्री-वडङ्गा, क्यानबरा, वलङगङ, सिड्नी, न्युकासल, ब्रिसबेन, टाउन्सभील, केर्न्स, डार्विन र एलिस स्प्रिङ्ग्स।
Topics:Australia DayHate Speech BillCrikey – Michael BradleyBradley AgainAG RowlandEffectively, it means …Note by commentatorAU PoliticsCoalition ImplodesFrom Inside Story – Peter BrentKeane in CrikeyTrump's AmericaCanadian Prime Minister Admits Rules Based Order is OverToo Stupid Even for Trump?Don't Cry for Denmark – They Didn't Cry for Gaza or Iran or VenezuelaNATO useless against other NATO memberA Solution the Greenland ProblemTrump Regime Mercenaries Execute Another AmericanHastie AffrontedTrump's Board of PeaceEconomicsNobel Prize in EconomicsDignity of the Nobel PrizeTo financially support the Podcast you can make:a per-episode donation via Patreon or one-off donation via credit card; orone-off or regular donations via Paypal orif you are into Cryptocurrency you can send Satoshis. We Livestream every Monday night at 7:30 pm Brisbane time. Follow us on Facebook or YouTube. Watch us live and join the discussion in the chat room.We have a website. www.ironfistvelvetglove.com.auYou can email us. The address is trevor@ironfistvelvetglove.com.au
Many of the features on the Moon are named for astronomers. So are features on Mars and other planets and moons. And hundreds of asteroids are named for astronomers as well. But you won’t find many features named for astronomers here on Earth. Quite a few streets and schools are named after them. But when it comes to major features, the list is pretty thin – especially in the United States. One of the few is Mount Langley, a 14,000-foot summit in California. It’s named for Samuel Pierpont Langley, who was a long-time director of the Allegheny Observatory. To see more features named for astronomers, though, you need to head south – to Australia, New Zealand, and even Antarctica. In Australia, for example, a river and an estuary are named for Thomas Brisbane, an early governor of the state of New South Wales. And so is the city of Brisbane, the capital of Queensland. In addition to his government duties, Brisbane was an astronomer. He set up Australia’s first major observatory. In New Zealand, several peaks in a large mountain range are named for astronomers, including Galileo and Copernicus. And an entire range is named for Johannes Kepler. In Antarctica, many features are named for James Ross, an early explorer. But Ross himself named several features for astronomers, including Cape Smyth and Mount Lubbock – down-to-earth features named for men who studied the stars. Script by Damond Benningfield
Welcome to Citipointe Church Online. We love that you're joining us for our online experience.Two Gardens | Ps Karolina GrantJanuary 25th - 10:15am ServiceTo connect with or contact us, visit https://citipointechurch.com/connnectTo GIVE online, visit https://citipointechurch.com/givingIf you have made a decision today to follow Jesus, please let us know by filling out the form found here: https://citipointechurch.com/i-have-decided/Citipointe Church exists to unmistakably influence our world for good and for God.
Welcome to Citipointe Church Online.We love that you're joining us for our online experience.The Love of God | Ps Ronan PaulosJanuary 25th - 5pm ServiceTo connect with or contact us, visit https://citipointechurch.com/connnectTo GIVE online, visit https://citipointechurch.com/givingIf you have made a decision today to follow Jesus, please let us know by filling out the form found here: https://citipointechurch.com/i-have-decided/Citipointe Church exists to unmistakably influence our world for good and for God.
Forgiveness can feel expansive — or impossibly hard. In today’s meditation, we explore how mercy and compassion soften what feels rigid, helping us step beyond fear and into shared humanity. Through gentle reflection, we’re invited to consider how understanding others can become an act of freedom. Your Morning Mantra: Choose mercy and compassion in forgiveness Jennifer Cray is a life coach, meditation teacher and yoga teacher for Living Lit Up, based in Brisbane. You can deepen your meditation practice with her on Insight Timer. Insight TimerSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
Weather update for major cities across Australia in Nepali. This update features tomorrow's forecast for the following cities: Broome, Perth, Adelaide, Melbourne, Hobart, Albury-Wodonga, Sydney, Newcastle, Brisbane, Townsville, Cairns, Darwin and Alice Springs. - अस्ट्रेलियाका १५ मुख्य शहरहरूमा भोलि मौसम कस्तो होला? यस अपडेटमा निम्न स्थानको मौसमी पूर्वानुमान समावेश छ: ब्रूम, पर्थ, एडिलेड, मेलबर्न, होबार्ट, अल्ब्री-वडङ्गा, क्यानबरा, वलङगङ, सिड्नी, न्युकासल, ब्रिसबेन, टाउन्सभील, केर्न्स, डार्विन र एलिस स्प्रिङ्ग्स।
Join host Sue Rose Minahan and Australian astrology guest Melissa Elvira Billington for a potent fireside chat: "Ixion Dwarf Planet Passion." The Dwarf Planets orbit beyond Neptune and Pluto in the Kuiper Belt. Like Pluto, Ixion orbits in a 2-3 resonance with the orbit of Neptune. However, Ixion's elliptical orbit cuts through the ecliptic path of the Sun, spending time mostly above in the ‘upperworld' of our consciousness.The Greek myth gets pretty heavy, but essentially it suggests that broken promises lead to retribution of being outcasted. Ixion squandered a 2nd chance and was then expelled. As the mythological father of the Centaurs, Ixion represents our raw nature. Can we transform irreverence into respect for boundaries and relationship agreements – to truly live passion on our own terms. To make the most of life and create change!Joining Talk Cosmos founder and evolutionary astrologer Sue Rose Minahan of Kailua Kona, Hawai'i will be special guest Melissa Elvira Billington, of Brisbane, Australia. Join the Journey.Catch new weekly episodes and subscribe to TalkCosmos.com plus YouTube channel @TalkCosmos to access the latest content through YouTube, Facebook, radio, and podcast platforms.MELISSA ELVIRA BILLINGTON has worked in the creative and healing arts internationally since the mid 1990's. As an actor in film, theatre, and standup comedy, she's written and performed two one-woman shows: PocaHauntUs—Shapeshifting History into HerStory and Heaven On Earth–love comes first. In the healing realm, Melissa has been a yoga teacher since 2001, teaching in many contexts and with an online presence since 2015. You can find her signature series MYOGA Freedom on YouTube and via her Substack Trust the Longer Journey: melissaelvirabillington.substack.com Melissa taught astrology with Alan Clay at the Dwarf Planet University and co-authored DPU books on Haumea, Makemake, and Eris.Graduated in environmental studies at the University of Queensland in Brisbane, Australia, Melissa may work on a Ph.D. As Managing Editor, Podcasts for Science Write Now. Giving Melissa a platform for connecting with those at the intersection of creativity, science by adding activism to their 2026 series. It supports her aim to bridge between current consciousness levels towards where we need to be in order to preserve our place on our one precious planet. Website: melissaelvirabillington.substack.comSUE ‘Rose' MINAHAN: Evolutionary Astrologer, Consultant, Writer, Workshops, Speaker, Mythology enthusiast. Dwarf Planet University graduate; Vibrational Astrology Student, Kepler Astrology Toastmaster. Wine Country Speakers. Associate of Fine Arts Music Degree, & a Certificate of Fine Arts in Jazz. Artist, musician. Founder of Talk Cosmos weekly conversations awakening heart and soul consciousness since 2018. Website: TalkCosmos.com and YouTube.com/@TALKCOSMOS.#ixion #dwarfplanet #2026 #talkcosmos #sueroseminahan #melissaelvirabillington #MYOGA #substacktrustthelongerjourney #sueminahan #facebooktalkcosmos #youtubetalkcosmos #kknwam1150 #astrologycycles #astrologywisdom #astrologyinsights #astrologypodcasts #youtubeconversation #converesationsdeep #kknw #saturnconjunctneptune #AriesSee Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.
Gavin sits down with Brisbane’s Matt Lancashire to unpack what it takes to build an elite sales career, how to scale a business, and sustain performance over the long term. From starting broke and nine months without a sale to leading a multi-office operation and breaking Brisbane auction records, Matt unpacks the mindset, systems, and bold decisions that shaped his journey, and the personal frameworks he uses to balance family, health, and business at the highest level. Episode Breakdown 00:00 – 05:00Introduction to Matt Lancashire; career overview; family life, Brisbane market momentum, and the growth of his multi-office business. 05:00 – 10:00Business structure and partnerships; splitting operational and performance leadership; scaling with the right people and systems. 10:00 – 15:00Early career struggles, running out of money, and lessons from financial pressure: building resilience and self-belief. 15:00 – 20:00Learning from top performers, meeting high-performing agents, simplifying success into repeatable fundamentals. 20:00 – 25:00The pivotal case study that changed everything: marketing conviction, bold risk-taking, and owning market visibility. 25:00 – 30:00Creating competitive tension; trust with vendors; why marketing is an investment, not a cost. 30:00 – 35:00Client selection criteria: saying no to the wrong business; focusing on fewer listings for higher performance and satisfaction. 35:00 – 40:00Team consolidation, simplifying operations, and achieving record results through focus and clarity. 40:00 – 45:00Balancing family, health, and business using Matt’s three-bucket framework; managing energy, burnout, and longevity. 45:00 – EndPractical advice for agents today: brand presence, auctions, structured prospecting, hard work, and returning to process when momentum stalls.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
Weather update for major cities across Australia in Nepali. This update features tomorrow's forecast for the following cities: Broome, Perth, Adelaide, Melbourne, Hobart, Albury-Wodonga, Sydney, Newcastle, Brisbane, Townsville, Cairns, Darwin and Alice Springs. - अस्ट्रेलियाका १५ मुख्य शहरहरूमा भोलि मौसम कस्तो होला? यस अपडेटमा निम्न स्थानको मौसमी पूर्वानुमान समावेश छ: ब्रूम, पर्थ, एडिलेड, मेलबर्न, होबार्ट, अल्ब्री-वडङ्गा, क्यानबरा, वलङगङ, सिड्नी, न्युकासल, ब्रिसबेन, टाउन्सभील, केर्न्स, डार्विन र एलिस स्प्रिङ्ग्स।
Melissa Lucashenko grew up on the outskirts of Brisbane, where her Aboriginal mother grew plants and her Russian father built an improbable number of sheds in the backyard. Melissa worked as a motorcycle detailer, a house painter, a prison advocate, and a game show contestant before finding her way as a writer. Her novel, Edenglassie, imagines life in colonial Brisbane in the 1850s. In it, she tells the story of the Aboriginal warrior Dundalli who was the last man to be publicly executed in Queensland. But Melissa also explores contemporary Brisbane, highlighting what she calls the "double vision" of Aboriginal people.Edenglassie is published by the University of Queensland Press.This episode of Conversations was produced by Nicola Harrison. Executive Producer is Carmel Rooney.It explores colonial Brisbane, Indigenous history and culture, Russian culture, Edenglassie, karate, prison reform, writing, Aboriginal warrior Dundalli, game show contestant, reality tv, house painter, public execution, 1850s Brisbane, history, mixed race families, growing up mixed race.To binge even more great episodes of the Conversations podcast with Richard Fidler and Sarah Kanowski go the ABC listen app (Australia) or wherever you get your podcasts. There you'll find hundreds of the best thought-provoking interviews with authors, writers, artists, politicians, psychologists, musicians, and celebrities.
The Tamang Community of Queensland celebrated its first Sonam Lhosar event on Friday, January 16, marking the end of the Year of the Snake and welcoming the Year of the Horse. SBS Nepali spoke with organisers and participants about celebrating the new year away from home, strengthening cultural connections, and passing traditions on to the next generation. - क्वीन्स्लयान्डको राजधानी ब्रिसबेनमा तामाङ सोसाइटी अफ क्वीन्सल्यान्डले शुक्रवार, ज्यानुअरी १६ मा सोनाम ल्होसार कार्यक्रम आयोजना गर्दै घोडा वर्षलाई स्वागत गरेको छ। उक्त कार्यक्रमका आयोजक तथा सहभागीहरूसँग ल्होसारको महत्त्व, सांस्कृतिक पहिचान र दोस्रो पुस्तालाई ग्यान हस्तान्तरण गर्ने विषयमा एसबीएस नेपालीले गरेको कुराकानी सुन्नुहोस्।
Weather update for major cities across Australia in Nepali. This update features tomorrow's forecast for the following cities: Broome, Perth, Adelaide, Melbourne, Hobart, Albury-Wodonga, Sydney, Newcastle, Brisbane, Townsville, Cairns, Darwin and Alice Springs. - अस्ट्रेलियाका १५ मुख्य शहरहरूमा भोलि मौसम कस्तो होला? यस अपडेटमा निम्न स्थानको मौसमी पूर्वानुमान समावेश छ: ब्रूम, पर्थ, एडिलेड, मेलबर्न, होबार्ट, अल्ब्री-वडङ्गा, क्यानबरा, वलङगङ, सिड्नी, न्युकासल, ब्रिसबेन, टाउन्सभील, केर्न्स, डार्विन र एलिस स्प्रिङ्ग्स।
On this week's News Time we'll head to the Australian Open to meet some people making a racquet!We'll also meet an endangered parrot that's in a total flap, and in our Wow of the Week, we'll visit a supermarket that's been quite wild and woolly lately!If you'd like to be a News Time Listener Legend, all the details are here.Quiz Questions1. What was one of the most-borrowed books in Brisbane last year?2. What is the name of Australia's grand slam?3. Finish this sentence: The kākāpō is the world's only flightless WHAT?4. Where does all the money go that's raised through auctioning lost luggage?5. In which country was there a herd of sheep in a supermarket?Bonus Tricky QuestionThe male kākāpō makes a booming noise that sounds like what?Answers1. WeirDo, Wings of Fire, or Cat Kid Comic Club2. Australian Open3. Parrot4. Charity5. GermanyBonus Tricky AnswerA cello string being plucked.
Off the back of their seventh studio album, Simon from DZ Deathrays dials in with Sam and Max. They cover how two different EPs led to the record, how they're making room backstage for new acts, and a drunken run-in with Chris Lilley.Connect with DZ Deathrays on Instagram and TikTok, and listen to "Easing Out of Control" on Spotify and Apple Music. For tickets to their "Easing Out of Control" Tour, head to their website.Discover more new music and hear your favourite artists with 78 Amped on Instagram and TikTok. Watch episodes on our YouTube channel and don't forget to like and subscribe.
In occasione del Giorno della Memoria, l'attrice Diana Höbel, accompagnata dal pianista Federico Nicoletta, porterà in scena il melologo "Gerarchia e privilegio" all'Istituto Italiano di Cultura di Sydney. Il direttore dell'Istituto ci ha dato un'anticipazione su questo e altri eventi per il 2026.
The Michael Yardney Podcast | Property Investment, Success & Money
Everywhere you look, people are talking about the Brisbane property market. The Olympics are coming, property prices have surged, and there's this growing belief that Brisbane is the place to be for investors right now. In fact, it's not just Brisbane, but a whole swag of new and let me call them inexperienced buyers agents are suggesting buying in regional areas of northern Queensland. But history tells us something interesting - when everyone's talking about a market, it's often already too late. So, is Brisbane still a smart investment play, or has the boat already sailed? To help unpack that, I'm joined by my business partner and National Director at Metropole, Brett Warren, who's based in Brisbane and has been studying this market for decades. Despite being a proud Brisbanite, Brett's going to share why he believes now might not be the best time to be chasing growth in Brisbane, and he's here to tell us why. In this conversation, we discuss the current state of the Brisbane property market, the implications of the upcoming Olympics, and the importance of strategic investment. The discussion also highlights Melbourne's potential as a new investment opportunity, contrasting it with Brisbane's current market dynamics. The conversation concludes with practical takeaways for investors looking to navigate the property landscape effectively. Takeaways · Brisbane's property market has seen significant growth but may be reaching its peak. · Understanding property cycles is crucial for making informed investment decisions. · The upcoming Olympics may not significantly impact the property market as expected. · Investors should look beyond Brisbane for opportunities, particularly in Melbourne. · Melbourne is currently undervalued compared to other major cities in Australia. · Quality locations with proven demand are essential for long-term investment success. · Investing strategically and based on data is more effective than following trends. · The local economy and job growth are key drivers of property demand. · Investors should be cautious of inexperienced agents pushing regional properties without solid economic foundations. Chapters 01:47 – Why the Brisbane Boom May Be Peaking 03:59 – Olympics Hype vs Real Property Cycles 06:43 – The Risks of Chasing Regional Queensland 09:03 – Affordability Ceilings and Slowing Momentum 13:11 – Why Crowd-Chasing Fails and What to Do Instead 15:48 – Melbourne's Rebound and Sydney Apartment Opportunities Links and Resources: Answer this week's trivia question here - http://www.propertytrivia.com.au/ · Win a hard copy of Michael Yardney's Guide to Investing Successfully. Everyone wins a copy of a fully updated property report. Get a bundle of eBooks and Reports at: www.PodcastBonus.com.au Get the team at Metropole to help build your personal Strategic Property Plan. Click here and have a chat with us Brett Warren - National Director of Property at Metropole Michael Yardney – Subscribe to my Property Update newsletter here. Also, please subscribe to my other podcast Demographics Decoded with Simon Kuestenmacher – just look for Demographics Decoded wherever you are listening to this podcast and subscribe so each week we can unveil the trends shaping your future. Or click here: https://demographicsdecoded.com.au/
2026 Sydney, Brisbane & Melbourne Tickets: https://linktr.ee/billy.darcy Check out my stand-up special 'Gamble Responsibly': https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3HDlhDBPWMw&t=33s Watching tennis for a month straight before never watching it again Pubs playing constant NBA replays for no reason smh Michael Zerafa ruined my Friday night I was on news.com.au lol I experienced a new sneaky dating tactic women are using in 2026 Is Lachie Neal a bad bloke? Is Zac Lomax a bad bloke? Talking Big Bash but trying to come across less psychotic UFC returns this Sunday and so does emotional betting See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
Weather update for major cities across Australia in Nepali. This update features tomorrow's forecast for the following cities: Broome, Perth, Adelaide, Melbourne, Hobart, Albury-Wodonga, Sydney, Newcastle, Brisbane, Townsville, Cairns, Darwin and Alice Springs. - अस्ट्रेलियाका १५ मुख्य शहरहरूमा भोलि मौसम कस्तो होला? यस अपडेटमा निम्न स्थानको मौसमी पूर्वानुमान समावेश छ: ब्रूम, पर्थ, एडिलेड, मेलबर्न, होबार्ट, अल्ब्री-वडङ्गा, क्यानबरा, वलङगङ, सिड्नी, न्युकासल, ब्रिसबेन, टाउन्सभील, केर्न्स, डार्विन र एलिस स्प्रिङ्ग्स।
What if the most transformative thing you can do for your writing craft and author business is to face what you fear? How can you can find gold in your Shadow in the year ahead? In this episode, I share chapters from Writing the Shadow: Turn Your Inner Darkness Into Words. In the intro, curated book boxes from Bridgerton's Julia Quinn; Google's agentic shopping, and powering Apple's Siri; ChatGPT Ads; and Claude CoWork. Balancing Certainty and Uncertainty [MoonShots with Tony Robbins]; and three trends for authors with me and Orna Ross [Self-Publishing with ALLi Podcast]; plus, Bones of the Deep, Business for Authors, and Indie Author Lab. This show is supported by my Patrons. Join my Community at Patreon.com/thecreativepenn Joanna Penn writes non-fiction for authors and is an award-winning, New York Times and USA Today bestselling author of thrillers, dark fantasy, and memoir as J.F. Penn. She's also an award-winning podcaster, creative entrepreneur, and international professional speaker. What is the Shadow? The ‘creative wound' and the Shadow in writing The Shadow in traditional publishing The Shadow in self-publishing or being an indie author The Shadow in work The Shadow in money You can find Writing the Shadow in all formats on all stores, as well as special edition, workbook and bundles at www.TheCreativePenn.com/shadowbook Writing the Shadow: Turn Your Inner Darkness Into Words The following chapters are excerpted from Writing the Shadow: Turn Your Inner Darkness Into Words by Joanna Penn. Introduction. What is the Shadow? “How can I be substantial if I do not cast a shadow? I must have a dark side also if I am to be whole.” —C.G. Jung, Modern Man in Search of a Soul We all have a Shadow side and it is the work of a lifetime to recognise what lies within and spin that base material into gold. Think of it as a seedling in a little pot that you're given when you're young. It's a bit misshapen and weird, not something you would display in your living room, so you place it in a dark corner of the basement. You don't look at it for years. You almost forget about it. Then one day you notice tendrils of something wild poking up through the floorboards. They're ugly and don't fit with your Scandi-minimalist interior design. You chop the tendrils away and pour weedkiller on what's left, trying to hide the fact that they were ever there. But the creeping stems keep coming. At some point, you know you have to go down there and face the wild thing your seedling has become. When you eventually pluck up enough courage to go down into the basement, you discover that the plant has wound its roots deep into the foundations of your home. Its vines weave in and out of the cracks in the walls, and it has beautiful flowers and strange fruit. It holds your world together. Perhaps you don't need to destroy the wild tendrils. Perhaps you can let them wind up into the light and allow their rich beauty to weave through your home. It will change the look you have so carefully cultivated, but maybe that's just what the place needs. The Shadow in psychology Carl Gustav Jung was a Swiss psychologist and the founder of analytical psychology. He described the Shadow as an unconscious aspect of the human personality, those parts of us that don't match up to what is expected of us by family and society, or to our own ideals. The Shadow is not necessarily evil or illegal or immoral, although of course it can be. It's also not necessarily caused by trauma, abuse, or any other severely damaging event, although again, it can be. It depends on the individual. What is in your Shadow is based on your life and your experiences, as well as your culture and society, so it will be different for everyone. Psychologist Connie Zweig, in The Inner Work of Age, explains, “The Shadow is that part of us that lies beneath or behind the light of awareness. It contains our rejected, unacceptable traits and feelings. It contains our hidden gifts and talents that have remained unexpressed or unlived. As Jung put it, the essence of the Shadow is pure gold.” To further illustrate the concept, Robert Bly, in A Little Book on the Human Shadow,uses the following metaphor: “When we are young, we carry behind us an invisible bag, into which we stuff any feelings, thoughts, or behaviours that bring disapproval or loss of love—anger, tears, neediness, laziness. By the time we go to school, our bags are already a mile long. In high school, our peer groups pressure us to stuff the bags with even more—individuality, sexuality, spontaneity, different opinions. We spend our life until we're twenty deciding which parts of ourselves to put into the bag and we spend the rest of our lives trying to get them out again.” As authors, we can use what's in the ‘bag' to enrich our writing — but only if we can access it. My intention with this book is to help you venture into your Shadow and bring some of what's hidden into the light and into your words. I'll reveal aspects of my Shadow in these pages but ultimately, this book is about you. Your Shadow is unique. There may be elements we share, but much will be different. Each chapter has questions for you to consider that may help you explore at least the edges of your Shadow, but it's not easy. As Jung said, “One does not become enlightened by imagining figures of light, but by making the darkness conscious. The latter procedure, however, is disagreeable and therefore not popular.” But take heart, Creative. You don't need courage when things are easy. You need it when you know what you face will be difficult, but you do it anyway. We are authors. We know how to do hard things. We turn ideas into books. We manifest thoughts into ink on paper. We change lives with our writing. First, our own, then other people's. It's worth the effort to delve into Shadow, so I hope you will join me on the journey. The creative wound and the Shadow in writing “Whatever pain you can't get rid of, make it your creative offering.” —Susan Cain, Bittersweet The more we long for something, the more extreme our desire, the more likely it is to have a Shadow side. For those of us who love books, the author life may well be a long-held dream and thus, it is filled with Shadow. Books have long been objects of desire, power, and authority. They hold a mythic status in our lives. We escaped into stories as children; we studied books at school and college; we read them now for escape and entertainment, education and inspiration. We collect beautiful books to put on our shelves. We go to them for solace and answers to the deepest questions of life. Writers are similarly held in high esteem. They shape culture, win literary prizes, give important speeches, and are quoted in the mainstream media. Their books are on the shelves in libraries and bookstores. Writers are revered, held up as rare, talented creatures made separate from us by their brilliance and insight. For bibliophile children, books were everything and to write one was a cherished dream. To become an author? Well, that would mean we might be someone special, someone worthy. Perhaps when you were young, you thought the dream of being a writer was possible — then you told someone about it. That's probably when you heard the first criticism of such a ridiculous idea, the first laughter, the first dismissal. So you abandoned the dream, pushed the idea of being a writer into the Shadow, and got on with your life. Or if it wasn't then, it came later, when you actually put pen to paper and someone — a parent, teacher, partner, or friend, perhaps even a literary agent or publisher, someone whose opinion you valued — told you it was worthless. Here are some things you might have heard: Writing is a hobby. Get a real job. You're not good enough. You don't have any writing talent. You don't have enough education. You don't know what you're doing. Your writing is derivative / unoriginal / boring / useless / doesn't make sense. The genre you write in is dead / worthless / unacceptable / morally wrong / frivolous / useless. Who do you think you are? No one would want to read what you write. You can't even use proper grammar, so how could you write a whole book? You're wasting your time. You'll never make it as a writer. You shouldn't write those things (or even think about those things). Why don't you write something nice? Insert other derogatory comment here! Mark Pierce describes the effect of this experience in his book The Creative Wound, which “occurs when an event, or someone's actions or words, pierce you, causing a kind of rift in your soul. A comment—even offhand and unintentional—is enough to cause one.” He goes on to say that such words can inflict “damage to the core of who we are as creators. It is an attack on our artistic identity, resulting in us believing that whatever we make is somehow tainted or invalid, because shame has convinced us there is something intrinsically tainted or invalid about ourselves.” As adults, we might brush off such wounds, belittling them as unimportant in the grand scheme of things. We might even find ourselves saying the same words to other people. After all, it's easier to criticise than to create. But if you picture your younger self, bright eyed as you lose yourself in your favourite book, perhaps you might catch a glimpse of what you longed for before your dreams were dashed on the rocks of other people's reality. As Mark Pierce goes on to say, “A Creative Wound has the power to delay our pursuits—sometimes for years—and it can even derail our lives completely… Anything that makes us feel ashamed of ourselves or our work can render us incapable of the self-expression we yearn for.” This is certainly what happened to me, and it took decades to unwind. Your creative wounds will differ to mine but perhaps my experience will help you explore your own. To be clear, your Shadow may not reside in elements of horror as mine do, but hopefully you can use my example to consider where your creative wounds might lie. “You shouldn't write things like that.” It happened at secondary school around 1986 or 1987, so I would have been around eleven or twelve years old. English was one of my favourite subjects and the room we had our lessons in looked out onto a vibrant garden. I loved going to that class because it was all about books, and they were always my favourite things. One day, we were asked to write a story. I can't remember the specifics of what the teacher asked us to write, but I fictionalised a recurring nightmare. I stood in a dark room. On one side, my mum and my brother, Rod, were tied up next to a cauldron of boiling oil, ready to be thrown in. On the other side, my dad and my little sister, Lucy, were threatened with decapitation by men with machetes. I had to choose who would die. I always woke up, my heart pounding, before I had to choose. Looking back now, it clearly represented an internal conflict about having to pick sides between the two halves of my family. Not an unexpected issue from a child of divorce. Perhaps these days, I might have been sent to the school counsellor, but it was the eighties and I don't think we even had such a thing. Even so, the meaning of the story isn't the point. It was the reaction to it that left scars. “You shouldn't write things like that,” my teacher said, and I still remember her look of disappointment, even disgust. Certainly judgment. She said my writing was too dark. It wasn't a proper story. It wasn't appropriate for the class. As if horrible things never happened in stories — or in life. As if literature could not include dark tales. As if the only acceptable writing was the kind she approved of. We were taught The Prime of Miss Jean Brodie that year, which says a lot about the type of writing considered appropriate. Or perhaps the issue stemmed from the school motto, “So hateth she derknesse,” from Chaucer's The Legend of Good Women: “For fear of night, so she hates the darkness.” I had won a scholarship to a private girls' school, and their mission was to turn us all into proper young ladies. Horror was never on the curriculum. Perhaps if my teacher had encouraged me to write my darkness back then, my nightmares would have dissolved on the page. Perhaps if we had studied Mary Shelley's Frankenstein, or H.P. Lovecraft stories, or Bram Stoker's Dracula, I could have embraced the darker side of literature earlier in my life. My need to push darker thoughts into my Shadow was compounded by my (wonderful) mum's best intentions. We were brought up on the principles of The Power of Positive Thinking by Norman Vincent Peale and she tried to shield me and my brother from anything harmful or horrible. We weren't allowed to watch TV much, and even the British school drama Grange Hill was deemed inappropriate. So much of what I've achieved is because my mum instilled in me a “can do” attitude that anything is possible. I'm so grateful to her for that. (I love you, Mum!) But all that happy positivity, my desire to please her, to be a good girl, to make my teachers proud, and to be acceptable to society, meant that I pushed my darker thoughts into Shadow. They were inappropriate. They were taboo. They must be repressed, kept secret, and I must be outwardly happy and positive at all times. You cannot hold back the darkness “The night is dark and full of terrors.” —George R.R. Martin, A Storm of Swords It turned out that horror was on the curriculum, much of it in the form of educational films we watched during lessons. In English Literature, we watched Romeo drink poison and Juliet stab herself in Zeffirelli's Romeo and Juliet. In Religious Studies, we watched Jesus beaten, tortured, and crucified in The Greatest Story Ever Told, and learned of the variety of gruesome ways that Christian saints were martyred. In Classical Civilisation, we watched gladiators slaughter each other in Spartacus. In Sex Education at the peak of the AIDS crisis in the mid-'80s, we were told of the many ways we could get infected and die. In History, we studied the Holocaust with images of skeletal bodies thrown into mass graves, medical experiments on humans, and grainy videos of marching soldiers giving the Nazi salute. One of my first overseas school field trips was to the World War I battlegrounds of Flanders Fields in Belgium, where we studied the inhuman conditions of the trenches, walked through mass graves, and read war poetry by candlelight. As John McCrae wrote: We are the Dead. Short days agoWe lived, felt dawn, saw sunset glow,Loved and were loved, and now we lie, In Flanders fields. Did the teachers not realise how deeply a sensitive teenager might feel the darkness of that place? Or have I always been unusual in that places of blood echo deep inside me? And the horrors kept coming. We lived in Bristol, England back then and I learned at school how the city had been part of the slave trade, its wealth built on the backs of people stolen from their homes, sold, and worked to death in the colonies. I had been at school for a year in Malawi, Africa and imagined the Black people I knew drowning, being beaten, and dying on those ships. In my teenage years, the news was filled with ethnic cleansing, mass rape, and massacres during the Balkan wars, and images of bodies hacked apart during the Rwandan genocide. Evil committed by humans against other humans was not a historical aberration. I'm lucky and I certainly acknowledge my privilege. Nothing terrible or horrifying has happened to me — but bad things certainly happen to others. I wasn't bullied or abused. I wasn't raped or beaten or tortured. But you don't have to go through things to be afraid of them, and for your imagination to conjure the possibility of them. My mum doesn't read my fiction now as it gives her nightmares (Sorry, Mum!). I know she worries that somehow she's responsible for my darkness, but I've had a safe and (mostly) happy life, for which I'm truly grateful. But the world is not an entirely safe and happy place, and for a sensitive child with a vivid imagination, the world is dark and scary. It can be brutal and violent, and bad things happen, even to good people. No parent can shield their child from the reality of the world. They can only help them do their best to live in it, develop resilience, and find ways to deal with whatever comes. Story has always been a way that humans have used to learn how to live and deal with difficult times. The best authors, the ones that readers adore and can't get enough of, write their darkness into story to channel their experience, and help others who fear the same. In an interview on writing the Shadow on The Creative Penn Podcast, Michaelbrent Collings shared how he incorporated a personally devastating experience into his writing: “My wife and I lost a child years back, and that became the root of one of my most terrifying books, Apparition. It's not terrifying because it's the greatest book of all time, but just the concept that there's this thing out there… like a demon, and it consumes the blood and fear of the children, and then it withdraws and consumes the madness of the parents… I wrote that in large measure as a way of working through what I was experiencing.” I've learned much from Michaelbrent. I've read many of his (excellent) books and he's been on my podcast multiple times talking about his depression and mental health issues, as well as difficulties in his author career. Writing darkness is not in Michaelbrent's Shadow and only he can say what lies there for him. But from his example, and from that of other authors, I too learned how to write my Shadow into my books. Twenty-three years after that English lesson, in November 2009, I did NaNoWriMo, National Novel Writing Month, and wrote five thousand words of what eventually became Stone of Fire, my first novel. In the initial chapter, I burned a nun alive on the ghats of Varanasi on the banks of the Ganges River. I had watched the bodies burn by night on pyres from a boat bobbing in the current a few years before, and the image was still crystal clear in my mind. The only way to deal with how it made me feel about death was to write about it — and since then, I've never stopped writing. Returning to the nightmare from my school days, I've never had to choose between the two halves of my family, but the threat of losing them remains a theme in my fiction. In my ARKANE thriller series, Morgan Sierra will do anything to save her sister and her niece. Their safety drives her to continue to fight against evil. Our deepest fears emerge in our writing, and that's the safest place for them. I wish I'd been taught how to turn my nightmares into words back at school, but at least now I've learned to write my Shadow onto the page. I wish the same for you. The Shadow in traditional publishing If becoming an author is your dream, then publishing a book is deeply entwined with that. But as Mark Pierce says in The Creative Wound, “We feel pain the most where it matters the most… Desire highlights whatever we consider to be truly significant.” There is a lot of desire around publishing for those of us who love books! It can give you: Validation that your writing is good enough Status and credibility Acceptance by an industry held in esteem The potential of financial reward and critical acclaim Support from a team of professionals who know how to make fantastic books A sense of belonging to an elite community Pride in achieving a long-held goal, resulting in a confidence boost and self-esteem Although not guaranteed, traditional publishing can give you all these things and more, but as with everything, there is a potential Shadow side. Denying it risks the potential of being disillusioned, disappointed, and even damaged. But remember, forewarned is forearmed, as the saying goes. Preparation can help you avoid potential issues and help you feel less alone if you encounter them. The myth of success… and the reality of experience There is a pervasive myth of success in the traditional publishing industry, perpetuated by media reporting on brand name and breakout authors, those few outliers whose experience is almost impossible to replicate. Because of such examples, many new traditionally published authors think that their first book will hit the top of the bestseller charts or win an award, as well as make them a million dollars — or at least a big chunk of cash. They will be able to leave their job, write in a beautiful house overlooking the ocean, and swan around the world attending conferences, while writing more bestselling books. It will be a charmed life. But that is not the reality. Perhaps it never was. Even so, the life of a traditionally published author represents a mythic career with the truth hidden behind a veil of obscurity. In April 2023, The Bookseller in the UK reported that “more than half of authors (54%) responding to a survey on their experiences of publishing their debut book have said the process negatively affected their mental health. Though views were mixed, just 22%… described a positive experience overall… Among the majority who said they had a negative experience of debut publication, anxiety, stress, depression and ‘lowered' self-esteem were cited, with lack of support, guidance or clear and professional communication from their publisher among the factors that contributed.” Many authors who have negative experiences around publishing will push them into the Shadow with denial or self-blame, preferring to keep the dream alive. They won't talk about things in public as this may negatively affect their careers, but private discussions are often held in the corners of writing conferences or social media groups online. Some of the issues are as follows: Repeated rejection by agents and publishers may lead to the author thinking they are not good enough as a writer, which can lead to feeling unworthy as a person. If an author gets a deal, the amount of advance and the name and status of the publisher compared to others create a hierarchy that impacts self-esteem. A deal for a book may be much lower than an author might have been expecting, with low or no advance, and the resulting experience with the publisher beneath expectations. The launch process may be disappointing, and the book may appear without fanfare, with few sales and no bestseller chart position. In The Bookseller report, one author described her launch day as “a total wasteland… You have expectations about what publication day will be like, but in reality, nothing really happens.” The book may receive negative reviews by critics or readers or more publicly on social media, which can make an author feel attacked. The book might not sell as well as expected, and the author may feel like it's their fault. Commercial success can sometimes feel tied to self-worth and an author can't help but compare their sales to others, with resulting embarrassment or shame. The communication from the publisher may be less than expected. One author in The Bookseller report said, “I was shocked by the lack of clarity and shared information and the cynicism that underlies the superficial charm of this industry.” There is often more of a focus on debut authors in publishing houses, so those who have been writing and publishing in the midlist for years can feel ignored and undervalued. In The Bookseller report, 48 percent of authors reported “their publisher supported them for less than a year,” with one saying, “I got no support and felt like a commodity, like the team had moved on completely to the next book.” If an author is not successful enough, the next deal may be lower than the last, less effort is made with marketing, and they may be let go. In The Bookseller report, “six authors—debut and otherwise—cited being dropped by their publisher, some with no explanation.” Even if everything goes well and an author is considered successful by others, they may experience imposter syndrome, feeling like a fraud when speaking at conferences or doing book signings. And the list goes on … All these things can lead to feelings of shame, inadequacy, and embarrassment; loss of status in the eyes of peers; and a sense of failure if a publishing career is not successful enough. The author feels like it's their fault, like they weren't good enough — although, of course, the reality is that the conditions were not right at the time. A failure of a book is not a failure of the person, but it can certainly feel like it! When you acknowledge the Shadow, it loses its power Despite all the potential negatives of traditional publishing, if you know what could happen, you can mitigate them. You can prepare yourself for various scenarios and protect yourself from potential fall-out. It's clear from The Bookseller report that too many authors have unrealistic expectations of the industry. But publishers are businesses, not charities. It's not their job to make you feel good as an author. It's their job to sell books and pay you. The best thing they can do is to continue to be a viable business so they can keep putting books on the shelves and keep paying authors, staff, and company shareholders. When you license your creative work to a publisher, you're giving up control of your intellectual property in exchange for money and status. Bring your fears and issues out of the Shadow, acknowledge them, and deal with them early, so they do not get pushed down and re-emerge later in blame and bitterness. Educate yourself on the business of publishing. Be clear on what you want to achieve with any deal. Empower yourself as an author, take responsibility for your career, and you will have a much better experience. The Shadow in self-publishing or being an indie author Self-publishing, or being an independent (indie) author, can be a fantastic, pro-active choice for getting your book into the world. Holding your first book in your hand and saying “I made this” is pretty exciting, and even after more than forty books, I still get excited about seeing ideas in my head turn into a physical product in the world. Self-publishing can give an author: Creative control over what to write, editorial and cover design choices, when and how often to publish, and how to market Empowerment over your author career and the ability to make choices that impact success without asking for permission Ownership and control of intellectual property assets, resulting in increased opportunity around licensing and new markets Independence and the potential for recurring income for the long term Autonomy and flexibility around timelines, publishing options, and the ability to easily pivot into new genres and business models Validation based on positive reader reviews and money earned Personal growth and learning through the acquisition of new skills, resulting in a boost in confidence and self-esteem A sense of belonging to an active and vibrant community of indie authors around the world Being an indie author can give you all this and more, but once again, there is a Shadow side and preparation can help you navigate potential issues. The myth of success… and the reality of experience As with traditional publishing, the indie author world has perpetuated a myth of success in the example of the breakout indie author like E.L. James with Fifty Shades of Grey, Hugh Howey with Wool, or Andy Weir with The Martian. The emphasis on financial success is also fuelled online by authors who share screenshots showing six-figure months or seven-figure years, without sharing marketing costs and other outgoings, or the amount of time spent on the business. Yes, these can inspire some, but it can also make others feel inadequate and potentially lead to bad choices about how to publish and market based on comparison. The indie author world is full of just as much ego and a desire for status and money as traditional publishing. This is not a surprise! Most authors, regardless of publishing choices, are a mix of massive ego and chronic self-doubt. We are human, so the same issues will re-occur. A different publishing method doesn't cure all ills. Some of the issues are as follows: You learn everything you need to know about writing and editing, only to find that you need to learn a whole new set of skills in order to self-publish and market your book. This can take a lot of time and effort you did not expect, and things change all the time so you have to keep learning. Being in control of every aspect of the publishing process, from writing to cover design to marketing, can be overwhelming, leading to indecision, perfectionism, stress, and even burnout as you try to do all the things. You try to find people to help, but building your team is a challenge, and working with others has its own difficulties. People say negative things about self-publishing that may arouse feelings of embarrassment or shame. These might be little niggles, but they needle you, nonetheless. You wonder whether you made the right choice. You struggle with self-doubt and if you go to an event with traditional published authors, you compare yourself to them and feel like an imposter. Are you good enough to be an author if a traditional publisher hasn't chosen you? Is it just vanity to self-publish? Are your books unworthy? Even though you worked with a professional editor, you still get one-star reviews and you hate criticism from readers. You wonder whether you're wasting your time. You might be ripped off by an author services company who promise the world, only to leave you with a pile of printed books in your garage and no way to sell them. When you finally publish your book, it languishes at the bottom of the charts while other authors hit the top of the list over and over, raking in the cash while you are left out of pocket. You don't admit to over-spending on marketing as it makes you ashamed. You resist book marketing and make critical comments about writers who embrace it. You believe that quality rises to the top and if a book is good enough, people will buy it anyway. This can lead to disappointment and disillusionment when you launch your book and it doesn't sell many copies because nobody knows about it. You try to do what everyone advises, but you still can't make decent money as an author. You're jealous of other authors' success and put it down to them ‘selling out' or writing things you can't or ‘using AI' or ‘using a ghostwriter' or having a specific business model you consider impossible to replicate. And the list goes on… When you acknowledge the Shadow, it loses its power Being in control of your books and your author career is a double-edged sword. Traditionally published authors can criticise their publishers or agents or the marketing team or the bookstores or the media, but indie authors have to take responsibility for it all. Sure, we can blame ‘the algorithms' or social media platforms, or criticise other authors for having more experience or more money to invest in marketing, or attribute their success to writing in a more popular genre — but we also know there are always people who do well regardless of the challenges. Once more, we're back to acknowledging and integrating the Shadow side of our choices. We are flawed humans. There will always be good times and bad, and difficulties to offset the high points. This too shall pass, as the old saying goes. I know that being an indie author has plenty of Shadow. I've been doing this since 2008 and despite the hard times, I'm still here. I'm still writing. I'm still publishing. This life is not for everyone, but it's my choice. You must make yours. The Shadow in work You work hard. You make a living. Nothing wrong with that attitude, right? It's what we're taught from an early age and, like so much of life, it's not a problem until it goes to extremes. Not achieving what you want to? Work harder. Can't get ahead? Work harder. Not making a good enough living? Work harder. People who don't work hard are lazy. They don't deserve handouts or benefits. People who don't work hard aren't useful, so they are not valued members of our culture and community. But what about the old or the sick, the mentally ill, or those with disabilities? What about children? What about the unemployed? The under-employed? What about those who are — or will be — displaced by technology, those called “the useless class” by historian Yuval Noah Harari in his book Homo Deus? What if we become one of these in the future? Who am I if I cannot work? The Shadow side of my attitude to work became clear when I caught COVID in the summer of 2021. I was the sickest I'd ever been. I spent two weeks in bed unable to even think properly, and six weeks after that, I was barely able to work more than an hour a day before lying in the dark and waiting for my energy to return. I was limited in what I could do for another six months after that. At times, I wondered if I would ever get better. Jonathan kept urging me to be patient and rest. But I don't know how to rest. I know how to work and how to sleep. I can do ‘active rest,' which usually involves walking a long way or traveling somewhere interesting, but those require a stronger mind and body than I had during those months. It struck me that even if I recovered from the virus, I had glimpsed my future self. One day, I will be weak in body and mind. If I'm lucky, that will be many years away and hopefully for a short time before I die — but it will happen. I am an animal. I will die. My body and mind will pass on and I will be no more. Before then I will be weak. Before then, I will be useless. Before then, I will be a burden. I will not be able to work… But who am I if I cannot work? What is the point of me? I can't answer these questions right now, because although I recognise them as part of my Shadow, I've not progressed far enough to have dealt with them entirely. My months of COVID gave me some much-needed empathy for those who cannot work, even if they want to. We need to reframe what work is as a society, and value humans for different things, especially as technology changes what work even means. That starts with each of us. “Illness, affliction of body and soul, can be life-altering. It has the potential to reveal the most fundamental conflict of the human condition: the tension between our infinite, glorious dreams and desires and our limited, vulnerable, decaying physicality.” —Connie Zweig, The Inner Work of Age: Shifting from Role to Soul The Shadow in money In the Greek myth, King Midas was a wealthy ruler who loved gold above all else. His palace was adorned with golden sculptures and furniture, and he took immense pleasure in his riches. Yet, despite his vast wealth, he yearned for more. After doing a favour for Dionysus, the god of wine and revelry, Midas was granted a single wish. Intoxicated by greed, he wished that everything he touched would turn to gold — and it was so. At first, it was a lot of fun. Midas turned everything else in his palace to gold, even the trees and stones of his estate. After a morning of turning things to gold, he fancied a spot of lunch. But when he tried to eat, the food and drink turned to gold in his mouth. He became thirsty and hungry — and increasingly desperate. As he sat in despair on his golden throne, his beloved young daughter ran to comfort him. For a moment, he forgot his wish — and as she wrapped her arms around him and kissed his cheek, she turned into a golden statue, frozen in precious metal. King Midas cried out to the gods to forgive him, to reverse the wish. He renounced his greed and gave away all his wealth, and his daughter was returned to life. The moral of the story: Wealth and greed are bad. In Charles Dickens's A Christmas Carol, Ebenezer Scrooge is described as a “squeezing, wrenching, grasping, scraping, clutching, covetous, old sinner.” He's wealthy but does not share, considering Christmas spending to be frivolous and giving to charity to be worthless. He's saved by a confrontation with his lonely future and becomes a generous man and benefactor of the poor. Wealth is good if you share it with others. The gospel of Matthew, chapter 25: 14-30, tells the parable of the bags of gold, in which a rich man goes on a journey and entrusts his servants with varying amounts of gold. On his return, the servants who multiplied the gold through their efforts and investments are rewarded, while the one who merely returned the gold with no interest is punished: “For whoever has will be given more, and they will have an abundance. Whoever does not have, even what they have will be taken from them.” Making money is good, making more money is even better. If you can't make any money, you don't deserve to have any. Within the same gospel, in Matthew 19:24, Jesus encounters a wealthy man and tells him to sell all his possessions and give the money to the poor, which the man is unable to do. Jesus says, “It is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than for someone who is rich to enter the kingdom of God.” Wealth is bad. Give it all away and you'll go to heaven. With all these contradictory messages, no wonder we're so conflicted about money! How do you think and feel about money? While money is mostly tied to our work, it's far more than just a transactional object for most people. It's loaded with complex symbolism and judgment handed down by family, religion, and culture. You are likely to find elements of Shadow by examining your attitudes around money. Consider which of the following statements resonate with you or write your own. Money stresses me out. I don't want to talk about it or think about it. Some people hoard money, so there is inequality. Rich people are bad and we should take away their wealth and give it to the poor. I can never make enough money to pay the bills, or to give my family what I want to provide. Money doesn't grow on trees. It's wasteful to spend money as you might need it later, so I'm frugal and don't spend money unless absolutely necessary. It is better and more ethical to be poor than to be rich. I want more money. I read books and watch TV shows about rich people because I want to live like that. Sometimes I spend too much on things for a glimpse of what that might be like. I buy lottery tickets and dream of winning all that money. I'm jealous of people who have money. I want more of it and I resent those who have it. I'm no good with money. I don't like to look at my bank statement or credit card statement. I live off my overdraft and I'm in debt. I will never earn enough to get out of debt and start saving, so I don't think too much about it. I don't know enough about money. Talking about it makes me feel stupid, so I just ignore it. People like me aren't educated about money. I need to make more money. If I can make lots of money, then people will look up to me. If I make lots of money, I will be secure, nothing can touch me, I will be safe. I never want to be poor. I would be ashamed to be poor. I will never go on benefits. My net worth is my self worth. Money is good. We have the best standard of living in history because of the increase in wealth over time. Even the richest kings of the past didn't have what many middle-class people have today in terms of access to food, water, technology, healthcare, education, and more. The richest people give the most money to the poor through taxation and charity, as well as through building companies that employ people and invent new things. The very richest give away much of their fortunes. They provide far more benefit to the world than the poor. I love money. Money loves me. Money comes easily and quickly to me. I attract money in multiple streams of income. It flows to me in so many ways. I spend money. I invest money. I give money. I'm happy and grateful for all that I receive. The Shadow around money for authors in particular Many writers and other creatives have issues around money and wealth. How often have you heard the following, and which do you agree with? You can't make money with your writing. You'll be a poor author in a garret, a starving artist. You can't write ‘good quality' books and make money. If you make money writing, you're a hack, you're selling out. You are less worthy than someone who writes only for the Muse. Your books are commercial, not artistic. If you spend money on marketing, then your books are clearly not good enough to sell on their own. My agent / publisher / accountant / partner deals with the money side. I like to focus on the creative side of things. My money story Note: This is not financial or investment advice. Please talk to a professional about your situation. I've had money issues over the years — haven't we all! But I have been through a (long) process to bring money out of my Shadow and into the light. There will always be more to discover, but hopefully my money story will help you, or at least give you an opportunity to reflect. Like most people, I didn't grow up with a lot of money. My parents started out as teachers, but later my mum — who I lived with, along with my brother — became a change management consultant, moving to the USA and earning a lot more. I'm grateful that she moved into business because her example changed the way I saw money and provided some valuable lessons. (1) You can change your circumstances by learning more and then applying that to leverage opportunity into a new job or career Mum taught English at a school in Bristol when we moved back from Malawi, Africa, in the mid '80s but I remember how stressful it was for her, and how little money she made. She wanted a better future for us all, so she took a year out to do a master's degree in management. In the same way, when I wanted to change careers and leave consulting to become an author, I spent time and money learning about the writing craft and the business of publishing. I still invest a considerable chunk on continuous learning, as this industry changes all the time. (2) You might have to downsize in order to leap forward The year my mum did her degree, we lived in the attic of another family's house; we ate a lot of one-pot casserole and our treat was having a Yorkie bar on the walk back from the museum. We wore hand-me-down clothes, and I remember one day at school when another girl said I was wearing her dress. I denied it, of course, but there in back of the dress was her name tag. I still remember her name and I can still feel that flush of shame and embarrassment. I was determined to never feel like that again. But what I didn't realize at the time was that I was also learning the power of downsizing. Mum got her degree and then a new job in management in Bristol. She bought a house, and we settled for a few years. I had lots of different jobs as a teenager. My favourite was working in the delicatessen because we got a free lunch made from delicious produce. After I finished A-levels, I went to the University of Oxford, and my mum and brother moved to the USA for further opportunities. I've downsized multiple times over the years, taking a step back in order to take a step forward. The biggest was in 2010 when I decided to leave consulting. Jonathan and I sold our three-bedroom house and investments in Brisbane, Australia, and rented a one-bedroom flat in London, so we could be debt-free and live on less while I built up a new career. It was a decade before we bought another house. (3) Comparison can be deadly: there will always be people with more money than you Oxford was an education in many ways and relevant to this chapter is how much I didn't know about things people with money took for granted. I learned about formal hall and wine pairings, and how to make a perfect gin and tonic. I ate smoked salmon for the first time. I learned how to fit in with people who had a lot more money than I did, and I definitely wanted to have money of my own to play with. (4) Income is not wealth You can earn lots but have nothing to show for it after years of working. I learned this in my first few years of IT consulting after university. I earned a great salary and then went contracting, earning even more money at a daily rate. I had a wonderful time. I traveled, ate and drank and generally made merry, but I always had to go back to the day job when the money ran out. I couldn't work out how I could ever stop this cycle. Then I read Rich Dad, Poor Dad by Robert Kiyosaki, a book I still recommend, especially if you're from a family that values academic over financial education. I learned how to escape the rat race by building and/or accumulating assets that pay even when you're not working. It was a revelation! The ‘poor dad' in the book is a university professor. He knows so much about so many things, but he ends up poor as he did not educate himself about money. The ‘rich dad' has little formal education, but he knows about money and wealth because he learned about it, as we can do at any stage in our lives. (5) Not all investments suit every person, so find the right one for you Once I discovered the world of investing, I read all the books and did courses and in-person events. I joined communities and I up-skilled big time. Of course, I made mistakes and learned lots along the way. I tried property investing and renovated a couple of houses for rental (with more practical partners and skilled contractors). But while I could see that property investing might work for some people, I did not care enough about the details to make it work for me, and it was certainly not passive income. I tried other things. My first husband was a boat skipper and scuba diving instructor, so we started a charter. With the variable costs of fuel, the vagaries of New Zealand weather — and our divorce — it didn't last long! From all these experiments, I learned I wanted to run a business, but it needed to be online and not based on a physical location, physical premises, or other people. That was 2006, around the time that blogging started taking off and it became possible to make a living online. I could see the potential and a year later, the iPhone and the Amazon Kindle launched, which became the basis of my business as an author. (6) Boring, automatic saving and investing works best Between 2007 and 2011, I contracted in Australia, where they have compulsory superannuation contributions, meaning you have to save and invest a percentage of your salary or self-employed income. I'd never done that before, because I didn't understand it. I'd ploughed all my excess income into property or the business instead. But in Australia I didn't notice the money going out because it was automatic. I chose a particular fund and it auto-invested every month. The pot grew pretty fast since I didn't touch it, and years later, it's still growing. I discovered the power of compound interest and time in the market, both of which are super boring. This type of investing is not a get rich quick scheme. It's a slow process of automatically putting money into boring investments and doing that month in, month out, year in, year out, automatically for decades while you get on with your life. I still do this. I earn money as an author entrepreneur and I put a percentage of that into boring investments automatically every month. I also have a small amount which is for fun and higher risk investments, but mostly I'm a conservative, risk-averse investor planning ahead for the future. This is not financial advice, so I'm not giving any specifics. I have a list of recommended money books at www.TheCreativePenn.com/moneybooks if you want to learn more. Learning from the Shadow When I look back, my Shadow side around money eventually drove me to learn more and resulted in a better outcome (so far!). I was ashamed of being poor when I had to wear hand-me-down clothes at school. That drove a fear of not having any money, which partially explains my workaholism. I was embarrassed at Oxford because I didn't know how to behave in certain settings, and I wanted to be like the rich people I saw there. I spent too much money in my early years as a consultant because I wanted to experience a “rich” life and didn't understand saving and investing would lead to better things in the future. I invested too much in the wrong things because I didn't know myself well enough and I was trying to get rich quick so I could leave my job and ‘be happy.' But eventually, I discovered that I could grow my net worth with boring, long-term investments while doing a job I loved as an author entrepreneur. My only regret is that I didn't discover this earlier and put a percentage of my income into investments as soon as I started work. It took several decades to get started, but at least I did (eventually) start. My money story isn't over yet, and I keep learning new things, but hopefully my experience will help you reflect on your own and avoid the issue if it's still in Shadow. These chapters are excerpted from Writing the Shadow: Turn Your Inner Darkness Into Words by Joanna Penn The post Writing The Shadow: The Creative Wound, Publishing, And Money, With Joanna Penn first appeared on The Creative Penn.
Welcome to the Christian O'Connell Show. In this episode, Christian chats about the show's journey to becoming Australia's first national breakfast show. He shares how the show's growth from Melbourne to Sydney, Adelaide, Brisbane, and Perth has been a collaborative effort, involving listeners from all over the country. Christian acknowledges that getting used to a new show can be tough, especially in the morning when time is scarce. He invites listeners to join the show and get to know the team, promising a fun and engaging experience.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
SEVERE STORMS AND BUSHFIRES PLAGUE AUSTRALIA'S CHAOTIC SUMMER Colleague Jeremy Zakis. Zakis describes a tumultuous Australian summer featuring severe storms on the east coast and dangerous bushfires in Victoria. Shifting winds from the desert and Antarctica have exacerbated fires near the Great Ocean Road, threatening rural agriculture and tourism while forecasters predict continued unpredictable weather patterns.1913 BRISBANE
BRISBANE WOMAN WAKES TO FIND 8-FOOT PYTHON ON CHEST Colleague Jeremy Zakis. Zakis recounts a shocking story from Brisbane where a sleeping woman mistook an 8-foot python curled on her chest for her dog. Her husband alerted her, and a snake catcher removed the heavy, non-venomous intruder, which likely entered the home through plantation shutters seeking warmth and comfort.