Welcome to Margie's Insights and Interviews

May 24, 2021
Trust your wings. You can do hard things.
Last week was an exciting week in our family. My oldest son Lachlan graduated university and my youngest son Matthew graduated high school. Matt’s graduation was all the more special given that of the four graduations in our family over the last 12 months (including
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Apr 16, 2021
Risk More Rejection
My daughter Maddy rang me last night while I was at dinner. “I’ve missed out on another summer internship,” she said, her voice flat with disappointment. This was not her first “We regret to inform you” letterand chances are, it won’t be her last. Tens of millions
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Apr 01, 2021
How To Regroup After A Bad Day Week, Month—Or Year
Today is the last Friday, of the last week of the month. I appreciate this is not particularly significant. However maybe you’ve had a bad day, or week, or month… or the entire last 12 months could be described as your ‘annus horriblis.’ Maybe you’re
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Mar 06, 2021
#ChooseToChallenge Gender Biases That Hold Women Back
Growing up on a small farm in rural Australia, my dad – who left school at 16 and milked dairy cows for 50 years – would tell me that he saw great things for me… like one day becoming a nun (Sister Margaret Mary) in
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Jan 27, 2021
Post Pandemic Growth: Bounce Forward Strong, Braver, Better
The old adage that what doesn’t kill you makes you stronger is a nice sentiment. Yet it's been often proven false. Some people don't rise stronger from adversity. Many are left stuck in blame or self-pity, unable to move on they live under a cloud
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Nov 25, 2020
Trust That Life Is Working FOR You
“Life doesn’t happen to you, it happens for you.” This was a chapter title in my book Brave. It’s also a maxim I’ve had to remind myself of many times in recent years as my well laid plans have derailed and I’ve found myself
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Aug 18, 2020
Lessons from life’s end: Dare to live the life YOU want
For eight years Bronnie Ware worked as a palliative nurse, taking care of people in the final days of their lives. She had so many profoundly illuminating experiences that she decided to write an article that went on to become a book. The Top Five
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Jul 24, 2020
Toxic Positivity: It’s Okay Not To Feel Okay
“Don’t worry. Be happy.” It’s a catchy tune but it can be lousy advice. In the midst of a tough time, being told to ‘focus on the bright side’ can just make you feel worse. Sometimes life is difficult. Disappointing. Hard. Frightening. Sad. Heartbreaking even. Can good
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Jul 06, 2020
Just take the next step: Lessons from climbing Kilimanjaro with my four kids
Grit. The dictionary provides two definitions: Small loose particles of stone or sand.Courage and resolve, strength of character. Given how much our ‘courage and resolve’ is being tested right now, it’s fair to ask how we can cultivate more grit when every day feels like
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Apr 20, 2020
Find Purpose In This Pandemic
There’s nothing like a global pandemic to make one step back and rethink life. So while this crisis has tilted our world on its axis, leaving many feeling ungrounded and off-kilter, it’s not all bad. A lot bad, yes. But not all. My own recent
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Mar 24, 2020
When Fear Runs High
Last Friday my husband went to the doctor. He had a mild fever and occasional cough. In ordinary times, he would have just pushed through. But these are no ordinary times. He had flown into Singapore two days earlier from the United States where three
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Mar 05, 2020
Fear Spreads Faster Than Coronavirus
“The only thing we have to fear is fear itself,” said Franklin D. Roosevelt during his inauguration address in 1933. I agree… and disagree. Fear is the singular greatest barrier we must overcome to thrive and rise in our lives. However, fear also serves a
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Jan 20, 2020
Strength In Adversity
Let’s face it, sometimes life can throw us curve balls. Big ones. The devastating fires that continue to burn across large swathes of Australia are a case in point. For me, and for so many others. Two weeks ago, while visiting my parents in East
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Dec 17, 2019
2020 Vision: Set Your Life Compass!
Growing up on my parents' small dairy farm, the vision I had for my life extended little further than the back paddock. I knew there was a lot of world out there but it was just impossible to imagine all the possibilities it held. Since
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Dec 06, 2019
Be Brave In Your Conversations
When I was in my twenties, I left what could have been a promising job (and career path) largely because I was too afraid to confront an issue that was weighing me down. It was all just too hard, too scary, too awkward. So I
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Sep 13, 2019
Courage Amid Grief
It’s often said that no parent should have to bury their child; it defies the natural order of life. Yet, to bury your own child after they have been brutally murdered by their own father inflicts a primal wound on the heart beyond what most
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