On Sunday I decided to ‘show up’ at the starting line for the Melbourne half-marathon (21 kms, 13 miles). I’d been on the fence about whether to go ahead with it as, in between all my recent travels, I’d fallen off the rails with my training. But show up I did with...
Need to find some "Tall Poppy Courage?" If you live in Australia, or have ever travelled here, you’ll have heard of the Tall Poppy Syndrome. It may sound like a medical condition, but it’s actually a cultural one, whereby people who become too successful (or aspire to...
Growing up my mum always told me, "Margaret Mary, never compare yourself to others. It makes you either vain or bitter." It was good advice but, like all good advice, far easier said than done. Let’s face most of we mere mortals can be a bit insecure in our own worth...
I’ve clocked up a lot of air miles over the last six months and stayed in more hotel rooms than I care to count. I didn’t plan it that way but I’ve had some amazing opportunities (like the chance to spend a week with Richard Branson) that I just couldn’t turn down. A...
I recall once holding on to a pair shoes that made my feet ache every time I wore them for no other reason than I paid a lot for them. In hindsight, it was pretty stupid. I only remember thinking, “I need to get my money’s worth!” What about you? Ever stayed the...
“Your children are not your children. They are sons and daughters of Life's longing for itself. They come through you but not from you. And though they are with you yet they belong not to you. You are the bows from which your children as living arrows are sent forth....
Over the last week I've been traveling around Australia speaking at numerous events - to bankers and realtors and, just this weekend, at the Business Chicks Movers and Breakers Conference in Australia's outback at Uluru (I posted some pics to Facebook yesterday - it...
I’ve just spent the last week travelling around Australia speaking at different conferences, including one with Business Chicks at Uluru in Australia's outback (I posted some pics to Facebook yesterday - it was pretty spectacular!) A common thread that weaves through...
• Stay or go? • Expand or consolidate? • Rent or buy? • Have a baby or get more sleep? • Wait or act? • Say nothing or speak up? • Android or iPhone? It’s long been said that any decision is better than no decision at all. But decisiveness, like so many admired...
You and I have been born into a time where we have more opportunity and choice than ever before in history. But with the benefits of abundant choice comes with the responsibility to make wise choices – ones that enable us to live deeper and richer lives, not just more...
Change is never easy, even change for the better. It’s why so many people choose to stay in jobs they loathe, in relationships that chip away at their self-confidence or sticking to habits that rob years from their life, rather than embrace the uneasiness, uncertainty...
It’s Mothers Day this weekend and hopefully my four children have remembered (with a little reminder from their dad) to at least get me a card. But as I reflect on this day dedicated to celebrating motherhood, I can’t help but think of the less important lessons I’ve...
I’ve made it a focus of my life to teach others how to be braver. Courage and bravery aren’t fixed qualities about yourself that can’t be changed. Much like building muscle, you can learn to have more courage and build your “bravery muscles.” Just imagine in your own...
Walk with people who make you think bigger, feel bigger and act bigger. Yesterday I had the privilege of dining with movie director Oliver Stone at a Game Changers Symposium in Melbourne. If you're under the age of 30, like my kids, his name may not ring a bell. If...
Twenty five years ago this week I embarked on a year long trip around the world with little more than my backpack, some travelers checks and a sense of adventure. First stop USA, then Europe and, then on through India and South East Asia. I recall a tumult of intense...
A friend recently shared with me how she'd heard via her teenage son that one of his friends had been dabbling with drugs. She knew his parents would want to know but was nervous about how they'd react. She considered sending a text - it seemed easier. But the brave...
“There is no passion to be found playing small – in settling for a life that is less than the one you are capable of living." Nelson Mandela One of the many things I’ve learned over the years, whether from the adversities I’ve faced or the challenges I’ve taken on,...
It’s five years today since my brother Peter died. Five years of life he never got to live. Five years of milestones and experiencing the many things that make life worth living. And for those of us he left behind, five years of sitting with our sadness and coming to...
Yesterday my 15-year-old daughter Maddy emailed me to say she’d just received a rejection letter from McDonald's where she’d applied for part time work. She was feeling deflated. I emailed her right back. “Maccas Shmaccas,” I said. “One day you’ll look back on this...
We are all prejudice is some way. Every single one of us. All of us hold conscious and unconscious beliefs about other people - particularly those who are different from us in some way. Different heritage or ethnic background Different social class Different religion...
