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Each week, Amanda Campbell interviews amazing people, who will share their inspiring stories of resilience. Amanda dives deep into 40-minute DNM’s with guests, exploring their stories of how they have overcome adversity in their lives professionally and personally.
00:00:00:17 - 00:00:32:23
Unknown
Welcome to the Bend Like Bamboo Podcast. I'm your host, Amanda Campbell, kinesiology resilience coach and author who knows what it feels like when your body betrays you or burnout nearly breaks you. This podcast is for those healing from chronic conditions and autoimmune disease and also for leaders navigating burnout and overwhelm. You're about to hear real stories of transformation, the messy middle, the breakthrough moments, the science and practical tools that actually work.
00:00:33:00 - 00:00:59:02
Unknown
Because resilience isn't about being unbreakable. It's about learning to bend without breaking. Let's dive in. And I'm just doing it. Doing all I was doing. So it was time. So my body actually was the thing that stopped me. I ended up having an 11 centimeter tumor and it was a five right on top. It removed. Luckily, it was benign, but I believe that was my little stress, baby.
00:00:59:04 - 00:01:30:04
Unknown
For me, it's about awareness now, you know. How do you become resilient? I think it's about awareness and on deep kind of honesty with yourself. I am so excited to introduce today's guest. Laura Connected Duncan. So Laura is the founder and CEO of Champion Women, a seasoned business leader with over 20 years of experience and a passionate advocate for women in business and gender equality.
00:01:30:06 - 00:02:01:14
Unknown
But what makes Laura's stories so powerful is that she's lived it. Originally from Scotland, Laura immigrated to Sydney in 2012 to support her husband's career. And while raising two children without a nearby family or community, she juggled leadership roles across sectors from arts organizations, nonprofits, local governments, NDIS providers and three national associations. And often she was the only woman in the boardroom.
00:02:01:16 - 00:02:29:10
Unknown
Laura has faced burnout. She's battled perfectionism. She's navigated the pressure to prove she could do it all. And there was a breaking point where she almost didn't make it through. But here's what changed everything. Laura took control and designed a life that was so much better for her. And now, as a certified empire business coach, career coach, ICF trained, professional and graduate of the Australian Institute of Company Directors.
00:02:29:16 - 00:02:58:18
Unknown
She helps other women in business do the same. Laura offers business coaching, leadership, coaching, career coaching, grounded in lived experience and proven frameworks. And she also partners with businesses to create diversity, equality and inclusion strategies that actually work. Not just ticks ticking the boxes. And her mission is to champion women in business through empathy, strategy and strength. Laura, welcome to the Men Like Bambi podcast.
00:02:58:20 - 00:03:20:01
Unknown
Wow. Thank you. Sometimes it feels like your life flashes before your eyes and then you're like, I've done all that. Yes, I have. I know. It's nice to hear it out loud, and you deserve that. You've achieved a lot. And you know, I've had a few chats with you already. We've had a chat prior to this, and I really warmed to you.
00:03:20:01 - 00:03:45:21
Unknown
You've got a beautiful personality and energy, and I'm just thrilled to to have you here this morning. Thank you. I appreciate that. Yeah, I've enjoyed talking to you. Thank you for having me on. That's okay. So whereabouts are you coming from? Where's home for you. Home for me? Of the last 14 years as northern beaches and Sydney. And I do laugh because I actually live in what was the old forest area of the northern beaches.
00:03:45:21 - 00:04:05:05
Unknown
So, no, I'm not on the beach. But where? No northern beaches Council that I get to see that. But it's a lovely little quiet spot. We've got National Park and I'm not far from the city or with it or anywhere really, so I feel very privileged and lucky to be able to have left to raise my children here for the last 14 years.
00:04:05:10 - 00:04:32:13
Unknown
Now, it's a beautiful spot, isn't it? Yes. Oh, wonderful. Let let's dive in. I've got so much to ask you. So let's start with the breaking point. I wanted to ask you, you said something really vulnerable when we first connected that you'd been there and the breaking point, which almost took everything, and you were juggling their leadership roles, raising the kids in a new country without family support.
00:04:32:13 - 00:05:09:18
Unknown
And often the only woman in the boardroom probably battling perfectionism and the pressure to prove that you could do it all. Can you take us back to that moment and what did that breaking point look like for you? Yeah, so I thought there was one breaking point. But as I reflect and the more work that I do with more women, I realized it was probably mini bar notice before a big bar now, but it was just the constant 20 years of raising children away from a support network and family.
00:05:09:20 - 00:05:28:19
Unknown
And my identity was very much tied to my career. But we've come with my husband's work and he was traveling, being a male and being an I.T. he earned a lot more than I did and the kind of not for profit sector, and I was in the arts. So the what happens to a lot of women is the mental ward was with me.
00:05:28:19 - 00:05:46:16
Unknown
The children, you know, when they were sick. It was me that took the day off when they needed to be picked up and taken to activities and, you know, school assemblies. And it was with me. And we do not we I think as women, we have an instinct to care. And these are children. And I think it comes from fear and protection.
00:05:46:16 - 00:06:11:08
Unknown
So some people might say that we always think, but it's that protective kind of instinct where we're just always on and caring and then trying to hold it down. So running from place to place and working every hour to get the work done to prove your worth that you can be, you know, a businesswoman and a mother, but feeling like you're maybe feeling at all.
00:06:11:10 - 00:06:29:13
Unknown
And I realize some of that had to do with just me in my natural the way I was. And the older I go and I work with other women, I realized it was ah, and yes, it was perfectionism. Did I have boundaries? No, Probably. Nor did I say yes to everything. Yeah. Did I want to do really, really well?
00:06:29:13 - 00:06:58:04
Unknown
Everything. And I wanted to prove myself and show people that I was, you know, intelligent and capable and. But at what cost? And then obviously we live through COVID and I work for NDIS organizations. And you can imagine 300 adults with intellectual disabilities complex needs housing, a royal commission mandated vaccines looking after these 300 adults in their families, 100 staff.
00:06:58:06 - 00:07:17:02
Unknown
I lived through that, and I think that was my first kind of mini bano. And then being in a very male dominated environment, I was the first female who was and, you know, executive rule, who's in the boardroom, who's too nice to see you. I was traveling. I was doing everything children have become more complex. They have needs.
00:07:17:02 - 00:07:39:03
Unknown
We know, you know, psychology, anxiety, ADHD, all of the things that we're living now. And I, I was and I think after being home in Calvert, I realized when I was in the office, I was so old that I was exhausted when I left. And I thought, if you're in the office and this is so exhausting, then it's performative.
00:07:39:03 - 00:08:10:05
Unknown
You're putting on a mask, it's not aligning with you. F It's so exhausting. So yeah, I actually, I realized I was I wasn't looking. I wasn't well, I wasn't sleeping. I had headaches every day. I was clenching my jaw and I put on we, I, everyone said it was menopause. I looked like I was pregnant and I was frustrated at just giving and giving, giving for 20 years and not getting a lot back, I think.
00:08:10:05 - 00:08:31:21
Unknown
And then you're, you know, am I doing this? I am. I planned. But it was it was circumstance that kind of led to frustrations as well of a glass ceiling and and just doing doing all I was doing. Okay so it was time. So my body actually was the thing that stopped me. I ended up having an 11 centimeter tumor and it was a five.
00:08:31:21 - 00:08:53:16
Unknown
Roy died to have it removed. Luckily, it was benign, but I believe that was my little stress baby, and that was everything altogether. So I did always have in my head that this giving everything working constantly. Yeah. Had to stop at some point. How long could I could I go for another five years. Going to go for another ten years.
00:08:53:16 - 00:09:15:01
Unknown
Am I going to have to work till I'm 17? Keep working like this. So I did have this small little thing in the back of my head that by the time I was 50, I would be on boards and I would have my own business or be my own boss and be able to implement for myself and all my workers an actual culture that was good for them rather than just business driven.
00:09:15:03 - 00:09:37:06
Unknown
So yeah, that was it. I was 18 months ago and I, I had the operation. I, you know, left the job. I decided what was I going to do with this 20 years of experience. And I wanted to share that knowledge with people. And I realized that I needed a certain kind of support that I didn't get or I didn't ask for, I wasn't aware of.
00:09:37:08 - 00:09:55:16
Unknown
And I want to be that person. I want to share that knowledge, but I really want to bring in the balance of being human. And yes, we can do strategy in organizational development and people and culture, but really we have to look after each individual. And if we can help women be leaders and sustainable leaders, that's that's my goal.
00:09:55:19 - 00:10:19:03
Unknown
Yeah, absolutely. And that I really resonate with that for I thrive clients who are women leaders in business. It just the resilience coaching and the leadership work is not enough. It is also about nervous system regulation and getting to the cause of what is causing stress. How do we balance that? How do we get you out of that fight or flight stress response?
00:10:19:03 - 00:10:52:06
Unknown
And and what's unique to everybody is what drives them to perfectionism. And I really resonate with the word you used performative because when we're so on and exhausted you said we become performative. Tell me more about what you mean by that and what does that look like when we're performative and then what's the opposite to that? I think I noticed I was that exhaustion, you know, all went and I would back to back meetings and meetings and meetings and I would begin to like, I just need to go for a walk around the block and the tweep, I was like, Oh, so relieved when I got out of the office.
00:10:52:06 - 00:11:15:22
Unknown
But when I was there and I had one of these lovely and goldfish bowl executive offices, honestly, you don't know what that does for people. Like I would rather be out with them. You're kind of behind a glass bubble, you know? And then you're leading meetings after meetings and you're running from from one to the next, and then you're doing the work at night as well as delegating.
00:11:15:24 - 00:11:38:21
Unknown
So, yeah, I could really feel that as soon as I walked out and went for those little mental breaks, even going to the bathroom was like, Oh. And then I realized this is draining me more than it used to. And that's when I began to realize, Am I as that performative? Is that No, not at all. And I knew I wasn't being the best version of me, if that felt so much like just on the line to me.
00:11:38:23 - 00:12:04:23
Unknown
On a full off part performative in Chinese medicine, there is an emotion that comes up called false pride, and that's where we're out of balance and we're trying to be proud of the busyness and, you know, trying to be successful and you're trying to be something so much that it becomes performative and we lose our authentic self. We lose touch with who we really are and sometimes how we feel at all.
00:12:05:00 - 00:12:30:21
Unknown
And that disconnect is also what creates that stress response, where we're not aligned in the mind body and the soul journey. Yeah. So then what's the opposite to that, do you think? Because that's obviously the knowledge that you share with your clients, you come out of that. Yeah, absolutely. So as part of my business coaching and I did a certification, I needed a life raft to hang on to and people were like, Lori, you've businesses for 20 years.
00:12:30:21 - 00:12:51:24
Unknown
What are you doing? Doing a course to become certified. And I was like to build a whole course on a framework. And so senpai was great for me in the sense that I had a framework and I had the content and I had a community of other women who were who were like me. So one of the things that I actually hadn't ever done in 20 years of leadership, believe it or not, was values.
00:12:51:24 - 00:13:15:08
Unknown
Like, we didn't talk about value based and all of those things. So it was really digging deep and that work and lies and going, it's not just business as person. And so becoming really clear and doing that deep exploration of what are my values, what brings me joy, kind of going back to my childhood as well, and what did I want to be and wanted to enjoy and what have I lost in this journey?
00:13:15:08 - 00:13:38:05
Unknown
And so, yeah, the values based work helped helped me, still helped me. And I revisit that and I talk about all the time my clients and I even realize in organizational development we should be hiring. And in terms we wouldn't have a lot of the problems that we have if we did value based work with who we brought into our business and whether we're blind.
00:13:38:07 - 00:14:02:04
Unknown
Yes, So that alignment piece is huge for me is just being really aligned and then also being really clear about what's not for sale, what you can't buy. So you can't buy my health, you can't buy, you know, time with my family. You can nothing is worth absolutely nothing. And, you know, I live in Sydney, beautiful part of the world, extremely expensive, which is why people do it.
00:14:02:04 - 00:14:21:18
Unknown
But I kind of wanted to say to people there is another way to live and we do waste so much money and we think we have to keep up. So I stepped all of that back and just went, Oh, we can survive without. We thought we couldn't survive without the salary. We absolutely can. We can live a different way and actually are happier.
00:14:21:18 - 00:14:40:18
Unknown
We're more aligned. We I can be more present. So it was about and I talked about the nervous system. I just have to go back. Amanda and my clients see this to me now, and I know that people used to see this to me. Then as I would talk fast, my nervous system was up here so people would sit because my I was go, go, go, go, go.
00:14:40:18 - 00:14:58:04
Unknown
I was doing so much my you know, I was just on all the time and I would meet some girlfriends, you know, these girlfriends you've had for ten years, they might meet for a coffee every six months. Yeah. And sometimes they be like, Whoa, that was your law. Like, even at the weekend after a yoga class, I was on and I was nervous System was.
00:14:58:04 - 00:15:27:18
Unknown
So that's not good for anyone being in that constant firefight flight. So yeah, I rebuilt that life and I made priority when I had no sunlight and my office I was in for two years by That's a huge thing, like lack of vitamin D, you know, these things that we don't take seriously really affects the wellbeing so that Mindy deficiency so I just got healthy prioritize me I had a fantastic business coach myself and she gave me the permission to heal.
00:15:27:18 - 00:15:49:10
Unknown
She was like, You're going to have to heal from the bano and it can have a hangover on, it can easily be triggered and come back. So she was like, If you do one thing good today, and I say this to my clients, now that's enough, you know, to have that clarity where you're going far slowly. And she would say, once you've done one good thing, I'd say, I'm so tired to say, well, go to bed A and up.
00:15:49:14 - 00:16:30:01
Unknown
It's okay. Yeah. You know, I had to rebuild it. Totally. Yeah. That's amazing. And so when we're not performative on and exhausted because I'll say that deep in a frustration when it's not reciprocal and you don't you give you given so much output, not enough input that also creates that stress and a bruise on the inside, which affects the liver and all sorts of different aspects of the body when yeah, that especially that anger and frustration just because we don't realize what causes stress and it's just the stuff that we bury and push down.
00:16:30:03 - 00:16:55:06
Unknown
And so the opposite of that would be a alignment. When I'm not in that on stage, I call it a return to self and it feels like you're in your body, not out of your body. And we get very used to functioning, split off and disconnected because it can be very difficult to acknowledge the grief and the anger that's actually going on inside of us.
00:16:55:08 - 00:17:18:00
Unknown
We can't sit in that pain. And then when we can regulate the nervous system and we're less stressed, we can then open the heart again and when we open the heart, we can be kinder to ourselves. And also, of course, within our relationships. How do you describe the opposite feeling to performative? Yeah, thank you. I loved how you put that.
00:17:18:00 - 00:17:49:07
Unknown
That was so well put. Yeah. The opposite to that I think, is that it is calming the nervous system. Like I actually speak slower, I walk slower, you know, I enjoy every moment. I have clarity about where I'm going and what the steps are, and I give my self permission to not not do under an unrealistic deadline. I suppose that's the joy of creating your own business in your own world.
00:17:49:07 - 00:18:06:13
Unknown
And how are you going to walk? Can I get to work in this beautiful space with other people to see how do we set boundaries and how do we how do we do things our own rhythm and and really take the time to stop and think about why we doing something and whether it saves songs or whether it's on We step from our life.
00:18:06:14 - 00:18:30:06
Unknown
Yeah, but if you get really clear on that and do the foundational work is easy to visit and remind yourself as you get off talk, I find. Yeah. So for me, I mean what it feels like in real terms as I'm not screaming up my cans, I'm not thinking about getting divorced. Like, yeah, that's a good point because they're the pain points of my clients that come and see me at the very start.
00:18:30:12 - 00:18:57:10
Unknown
I'm grumpy, I'm screaming at the kids. Yeah, relationships, suffering. And these are the byproducts and the consequences, aren't they? I didn't have capacity, you know, and I wasn't prioritizing that. I wasn't prioritizing me and I wasn't prioritizing the relationships that really mattered. So I wasn't turning up anywhere, really. I think even at work. Well, I was trying to be really caring about people and being the best, you know, leader I possibly could.
00:18:57:12 - 00:19:19:02
Unknown
It would mess align at times towards the end, you know, it wasn't there was something misaligned, but it's a lack of support, I believe. I think if I had had the knowledge and the support I have now, I could have sustained that career probably, you know, through not that I don't you know, things happen for a reason and I love it and I'm able to help other women.
00:19:19:02 - 00:19:41:11
Unknown
But it's not to say we all have to leave corporate. It's actually that we need support, the support that we need if we do want to stay in the corporate job. Yeah, I believe I mean, I truly believe what I give, but it's what I needed. So it's someone who, as you can trust, who blurs the lines of, yes, it's leadership coaching or yes, business coaching.
00:19:41:16 - 00:20:13:22
Unknown
But is life as human as women to women support where you can talk about everything because it's part of it. We can't not talk about the manage the children, the you know it's bringing those other places and but I kind of I go between a mentor, a trainer, a court, but that kind of someone who's lived experience of, you know, how it feels and you've also made the change You know it's possible like, you know, I know it's possible I'm a different person so it's not.
00:20:13:22 - 00:20:36:23
Unknown
And I you know, I liken it to actually part tiny bit of my journey was my kind of personal trainer. My nutritional list. But it's a very similar relationship. What you go to someone and go, Oh, I'm amazed what they're doing. They go, Right, let's slowly let's do this. And just day by day and it takes time. And I've watched that change like becoming stronger and, you know, walking and lifting when I feel like odd.
00:20:36:24 - 00:21:05:02
Unknown
Yeah. No. Yeah. And it had so many and thinking I was paddy menopausal putting all the cream on, having the night sweats do not need to know actually. I mean Torchwood that it was Yeah. A lot of that think was stress and just so stripping all of that back those issues don't feel like they're there or they're not as extreme but as a accountability partner and you know someone to the way that I cultures.
00:21:05:04 - 00:21:31:11
Unknown
I when I first started, I wanted to help everyone and give them all my knowledge and talk to them and talk at them and take all this. Now I really realize having done, you know, the deeper coaching in training is yes, I can help and I can give that information, but it's much more impactful if it's questioning and it's deep thinking and reflection from the client and you're guiding them, really.
00:21:31:11 - 00:21:46:19
Unknown
But the the half, the answer has to come from them, the cloud. It has to come from them. And because, you know, I'll write you an action plan, most people won't do it. You have to kind of I have to help you write your own action plan, but you're going to come and see me each week or each fortnight so that we can.
00:21:46:19 - 00:22:17:08
Unknown
You've got that accountability and it's like, Oh, I have to do this because I'm going to see and I have to upload the workbook and talk. I love the integrated approach that you take because. That's right. It's not just about teaching something and so creating that a space for transformation for your client. And it's that penny drop, it's that epiphany and that thought and thinking and mental and emotional process change is the biochemistry which can shift someone out of that fight or flight stress response in and repair.
00:22:17:10 - 00:22:43:11
Unknown
And that's why I use kinesiology in my coaching, because it's that deeper subconscious nervous system regulation that integrates the change and facilitates the opening of the mind. And it's a soul journey. It's, it's, you know, it's it needs to be supported by exercise, nutrition mindset. But yeah, you're assisting people to, to recognize what's next. And that's why revisiting your values is really important because they change.
00:22:43:11 - 00:23:01:14
Unknown
When you go through something like this, you're not feeling well. You know something needs to change. So revisiting values is part of that. And it's also like, what is that support? It's not just me. Like when I have those conversations with people, I'll see, Oh, you know, they've not even heard of kinesiology. What I can tell them about you or within, it's when it's the right time.
00:23:01:14 - 00:23:22:23
Unknown
So, yes, marriage counseling, it might be a good idea. A psychologist might be I. Why don't you know? But also, yeah, letting people know there are other supports and that's why, you know, so many other things that are completely unaware that there's so much out there to try to find their right thing. That's right. Yes. There's not a one is not.
00:23:22:23 - 00:23:47:04
Unknown
I will be their only partner. It's it's going through that journey of exploration of what works for them. Yeah. Yeah. And that's why I do these podcasts so I can share amazing specialists like you that where someone's going to need more your work. And we're all so we're multi-dimensional beings. So what works for one person may not be the exact formula of what the other person's going to need.
00:23:47:06 - 00:24:13:02
Unknown
And if we can just all work together and, and, you know, to help women. I think that's what your mission is, isn't it? Yeah, absolutely. And it's like your story and your experience and your expertise is completely different from mine. And there's lots of people out there, so they might come to me at one point in the journey because they need something from my bucket of tools and then, you know, yeah, go to you because you have something else.
00:24:13:02 - 00:24:34:09
Unknown
So I love that and that's what it should be about. And as that's going back to the kind of champion women as let's not compete with each other as women, let's, you know, tell them not let's support each other. Let's learn from one another. That's what the kind of old women circle as of kind of sharing the stories and the wisdom and passing on from women to women to generation to generation.
00:24:34:09 - 00:24:54:09
Unknown
Yeah, Yeah. So, well, let me ask you about resilience, because this is the juiciest part of the podcast. And I know you've spent 20 years working across lots of industries and, you know, when you were only the only woman in the boardroom. But there's something I think really important to hear about what resilience might mean in those spaces.
00:24:54:11 - 00:25:19:06
Unknown
And for many of my Thrivers listeners, women leaders, executives and founders, they're not just dealing with the normal pressures of leadership, but they're also navigating being underestimated, being the only woman in the boardroom and having to prove themselves over and over. So what did resilience look like for you in those environments and how did you learn to bend without breaking when the pressure was really up?
00:25:19:08 - 00:25:40:03
Unknown
Yes, this is this is a good one, as you know, as a leader of people as well. It was something we talked about a lot, which is they need to be more resilient. But how do you teach people resilience or how do you, you know, like positive for resilience? And I actually I had a self-belief that I was very resilient.
00:25:40:05 - 00:26:04:14
Unknown
I was kind of born with that culturally. You know, we're Scottish, we're tough. I have family who were miners. And, you know, my dad was say, I went down the mines eight years old, cleaned cups and did the milk grown? Did it? You know, we don't have any problems in this modern world where we you know, we have a lovely home and, you know, so I wore that like I Amazonian I was raised with that self-belief.
00:26:04:14 - 00:26:30:13
Unknown
That's how I spoke to myself was I prided myself on my kind of toughness and resilience and to say yes to everything and just do it and get it done and don't complain, you know, kind of mentality. And I have an amazing role model who's my mother who I am now realize that to be more than, you know, every day I realize she gave me the self-belief.
00:26:30:13 - 00:26:51:03
Unknown
It was that mindset. So when I was younger and I was mildly dyslexic, my mum was a teacher and she was like a very intelligent high IQ, you know, did lots of different things, but she was like, You can do anything and this is your superpower. Before we knew it was a superpower and Richard Branson's and and divergent mind, you know, she made me feel you get on the stage and I did that thing.
00:26:51:03 - 00:27:30:19
Unknown
And she was like, well, you've got all these fantastic attributes. So I mindset is how you talk to yourself. But life happens, you know, And we we do, I think for a lot of women and if you do have that self-belief, self-doubt can start to to creep in. And then I realized just because my mum also was, you know, very successful business women who are 24 seven and this kind of wore this tape like a superwoman, we can all go 24, like be amazing mothers and, you know, work 24 seven and not look after herself and just give, give, give, give, give.
00:27:30:21 - 00:27:58:13
Unknown
It's it's not possible. And that's okay. So I think for me, resilience has become something else. And resilience for me is about awareness. Now, you know, how do you become resilient? I think it's about awareness and a deep kind of honesty with yourself. You need to do, you know, the fill the bucket scenario. So it's not about the tough person who goes 24 seven and does that.
00:27:58:13 - 00:28:31:04
Unknown
Everything. It's it's it's about we're all individual and we're all unique and we all have different levels that we need of self care and balance and working out what we need to do to look after ourselves physically, emotionally and mentally and to be able to have resilience is sustainability. How do you continue to do what you want to do moving forward bit by bit without these unrealistic expectations and pressures and not at the cost of you and everything else around you for a business?
00:28:31:06 - 00:28:59:15
Unknown
Exactly. I love your new definition of resilience, awareness and honesty and feeling those buckets. You know, we live in a world of polarity, so it's okay to lose ourselves completely and to go in the other direction because then it's that purpose perfect comparison of, Oh, actually this is the way that aligns more. And learning both sides is, is the point, I think, of how the universe works here on planet Earth.
00:28:59:15 - 00:29:27:06
Unknown
Up, down, right, left, joy, despair. How do we know one without the other? And there's a lot of suffering that goes into that. And I think the other point there and why we love what we do is how to provide that support through those most difficult moments when it is harder before you've come and seen the lot and life's better and you're able to meet on the other end of that transformation, you know, the middle part before it's happened.
00:29:27:06 - 00:29:57:00
Unknown
But you're you're sort of letting the old you go is very difficult. And also when you're in the crux of at the very start where it's exhausting, but you have no awareness yet, that's so difficult and support is so key. I think back to so many moments right? I know things would have been vastly different if I had had more support, which is why I think that I'm a kinesiology coach because I just love giving that others.
00:29:57:00 - 00:30:21:18
Unknown
It's life changing. Yeah, Yeah. And I think we, as you this story but you know, we all go through something and I think that's why we get into this. But it's also to see, you know, I'm not a finished product and I definitely don't know. All I think is the fact that I'm still on that journey every day.
00:30:21:20 - 00:30:43:19
Unknown
I'm still I'm very I've always been curious. I've always loved to learn. I've always been open minded. So I'm listening to things and reading things for myself and for my clients and sharing it. And Growing Day by day by day. But we are in that space, aren't we? So not that I suppose that's the luxury as well, is that we get to that and then share that with other people like I love.
00:30:43:21 - 00:31:08:08
Unknown
Yeah, I love listening to something. You're learning about someone new and then thinking, Oh, that really helped me. I can't wait to tell my clients and my community, my friend, you know, about this, this teaching that I've, I've learned or something new that I've tried. Yeah. And, you know, there's so much support out there. It's there. It's just it comes into our awareness when we stop believing in that.
00:31:08:08 - 00:31:39:06
Unknown
And that's why podcasts and community and getting together and having it in the forefront of our brains, which is what I'm wanting to develop next in Bend Like Bamboo. And we were just talking about that before. I love podcasting, but I think what I want to do next is in my band together community is create more regular weekly live podcasting in a community where we can all, you know, mates, beautiful specialists, just like you and learn from you and have an opportunity to ask questions.
00:31:39:06 - 00:32:04:06
Unknown
And then we're all more connected together. We're all, yeah, you know, I might meet someone this week in clinic and. No, no, you need Laura's help. And. And that's, that's not such valuable work. And I think unfortunately for for a lot of women, it's the overwhelm of there's so much out there and not knowing who to trust or who to listen or where to start.
00:32:04:12 - 00:32:30:23
Unknown
Yeah, I would just say start anywhere. Start with someone you know, that can that can open the door and introduce you on the on that journey. And I do remember this. I think this is really important. I really remember putting the children first in the bills and the family and feeling touching on like finding a court or doing something for myself and thinking I couldn't.
00:32:31:00 - 00:32:55:15
Unknown
It would be selfish of me. Like we know, you know, I think how crazy that sounds, you know, I know there's lots of women out there that just like there is no one more important than the than you get in this life. And even if you're like me, where you were raised to give back and look after all those, you have to look after yourself first, because you can't you can't do anything.
00:32:55:17 - 00:33:21:13
Unknown
Well, unless we start with ourselves. Absolutely. Even if it's just once a month, you you touch base with someone that you trust and you know, and nothing but good comes from that. That positive change. And you're putting yourself first. And all the learnings that will happen in in the work you do with someone. And then the universe will provide in a way that will help accelerate that if that's what's supposed to happen.
00:33:21:13 - 00:33:49:04
Unknown
But just starting and saying yes and coming out of victim and choosing empowered decisions like that is is actually probably half of the work. Yeah. Yeah. Well, let's talk about the your method. So you found a champion women to support women in business with empathy, strategy and strength. And I love that you describe your approach as person centric using best practice and continual improvement.
00:33:49:06 - 00:34:17:11
Unknown
And I know your you offer business coaching and leadership coaching, career coaching, and you also cross over into the wellness space, which is where our work really aligns. Can we talk about your approach and what it looks like when a woman comes to you in burnout feeling overwhelmed, maybe like she's failing at both work and at home? How do you help her design a life and business that aligns with who she actually is, not who she thinks she should be?
00:34:17:13 - 00:34:54:15
Unknown
Yes. So the first breakthrough is when women recognize that they need support, when they want change. And it tends to happen at a time of a time. Or it can be, you know, women who are in leadership and are realizing I haven't made time for a partner or to have a child by always that was something that I wanted or whether it's women who have a business and then, you know, being successful young women, then had a child or whether it's a women whose children are going off to university and they find themselves.
00:34:54:15 - 00:35:14:04
Unknown
And that was kind of my point was I've done 20 years, I got them through school, I've done everything, and now it's, you know, time for me. And is this really is this what I was this the life that I want? So the first the first thing is that they have a little bit of awareness around about that and they're searching for something.
00:35:14:04 - 00:35:42:24
Unknown
Often they don't know what they're searching for. So it's finding a course that you just resonate with because we're all different. I will appeal to certain people and you will, you know, on different courses, will appeal to different people wherever they are. They are on their journey. So finding someone that you just feel that you resonate with, that you can relate to them and you think you can have a trusted connection with because you're building a partnership of trust.
00:35:42:24 - 00:36:10:13
Unknown
You know, we we, we do go deep. And I have some clients who start with me on business and they want to talk strategy. And it's very, you know, what we do but you and business oriented very very quickly within a few sessions we will get down to the crux of that, you know, and relationships and life and being human and being a women and menopausal hormones or whatever their journey has been with fertility, it will come into the equation and as a very important part of the equation.
00:36:10:13 - 00:36:45:09
Unknown
So being in the trusted space, but often is also bar. Now I'm thinking they've become a little bit disconnected from themselves. Yeah, I'm not I don't love my arm whether it be your clunky with the cats or you're you know you're not the relationship is not what your soul are and you know you find yourself a little bit intolerant of people that go slow at work because you're going so fast or so it's the awareness of going, This is unsustainable and I need to do something about this.
00:36:45:10 - 00:37:03:09
Unknown
Yes. And then I will help them realize some people will think they'll come to me so that I can just tell them what to do. And I have had that. And it's it's making them realize that needs to come from them because it really won't. They need to be committed, you know, they need to be willing to put the work in.
00:37:03:13 - 00:37:25:04
Unknown
They need to be willing to prioritize themself. And let's walk to see the change. And it doesn't happen straight away. It's a process, but it's a process that you have to trust and have faith in. And it does work. And that's the time frame for you, typically. Do you think where the change happens when they're doing the work they're applying themselves?
00:37:25:06 - 00:37:44:22
Unknown
What does that timeline look like? Yeah, I think to see a real change because we know it takes time to set new habits. Yeah, you know, it doesn't happen overnight. It takes time and, and it can take a while to really, truly, deeply explore and not just do, Oh, these are my values. Write them down, move on, Let's do the next.
00:37:44:22 - 00:38:05:04
Unknown
But it takes time. So six months, I would say minimum, but six months to a year. Yeah. As we are people. And then, you know, people will stay as well and want to do more or they'll understand that process and it's actually a growth cycle that they can then do with other practitioners or with other areas in their life or they can self apply.
00:38:05:10 - 00:38:26:20
Unknown
Yeah, You know, so that's the toolbox of the they can see is that real clarity and direction, which takes time and then, okay, so what are the steps I need to take to get there? What do I need to learn? What kind of support do I need, what growth I need? And then let's pack it down. But also I do I do a three.
00:38:27:00 - 00:38:45:18
Unknown
So I, I think if you do anything more than three, it's overwhelming. Yes. I tend to break it down like, you know, what are your three goals or what are the three actions you're going to take? Yes. And just work on them at a time. At one at a time. And again, I'm learning as how I can best serve my clients.
00:38:45:24 - 00:39:14:16
Unknown
So like Cassie, in the beginning, I was keen just to give information and give people good value for money and let's do sex sessions and I'll teach you all about business. It doesn't work that way. It's much more impactful when it's a slow, steady, considered process. Right? I love that. Absolutely. Great. So I end yeah, the deeper transformation with my work too, would be at least six months.
00:39:14:18 - 00:39:39:00
Unknown
Sometimes I start with two months just to solve a problem, to build that trust and to introduce my type of coaching and what kinesiology means. And then once you've experience that mental or physical shift, then you can then understand the work to go deeper. And I've seen clients monthly for ten years back to back. You know, that Amazing.
00:39:39:00 - 00:40:04:10
Unknown
And then my favorite regular is obviously because you become so close, you go through so much together and it's such an honor to walk someone through that journey. It's very vulnerable and they trust you to hold that space. And it's it needs to be on it. Yeah, absolutely. Absolutely. Yeah. I mean, it is it's hard because for people that don't know, you want to give them a flavor of it, do it.
00:40:04:14 - 00:40:31:00
Unknown
So I have. Yeah, I have definitely, you know, started with six sessions, but it's my boundaries as well and it's what's really good for them and what the Yes, they will get a taste and they will get a flavor and I'll do the same all my clients, six or, or 12 so it might be worth three months and then yeah you know, if it's, if it's a good alignment then it can, you know, it's on good.
00:40:31:00 - 00:41:02:15
Unknown
Totally. Yeah. It's often takes a little bit of customization too, don't you think. Yeah. We're all very different and people need different approaches. Yeah, I'm as both a champion women kind of method and the way that I do things as, as bespoke and, you know, as adaptable because we are all slightly different. And that comes back to my kind of studies and interest and psychology and managing lots of people and realizing, you know, we're all different and understanding how different people need a slightly tailored approach.
00:41:02:19 - 00:41:28:07
Unknown
Yes. Yeah. So they'll come in and they'll, you know, reestablish their values with you. You'll you'll do a deep dive into their personal lives as well. And there's an opportunity to do some business strategy. Absolutely. I mean, I've run businesses for 20 years as a team and an office manager, so that was 360 of the business. And I sat on boards today and I manage leaders in that organizational development consultancy that I like to see.
00:41:28:09 - 00:42:03:05
Unknown
Also, knowing what the business needs by empowering women with skills as well and knowledge. And I absolutely love marketing because it's the and that's the creative side and we all need to and I love doing my own marketing, but you know, strategy, culture, risk the whole place that customer service, technology, transformation events, whatever it might be and that that's what keeps me on my toes and it keeps me across over that, you know, current trends and what's happening.
00:42:03:05 - 00:42:32:01
Unknown
And I really love that to be able to kind of pull on that broad skill set for people. And we can quite easily go down that path if someone's having an entire issue within their business or it's PR communication risk and by all comes up to that top level, like when I'm on a board, the governance piece, yeah, what I really do that keeps my kind of business intellectual brain going.
00:42:32:01 - 00:42:54:09
Unknown
So I enjoy that. And I it's, it's not one role. I think that's the thing. I did that for so many years and I left the person at the door. Yeah, but what I love now, as I've always had this and I like to be really honest, like, you know, I love to just to be really honest and bring this human honesty to the conversation and say that's all well and good.
00:42:54:09 - 00:43:15:22
Unknown
But at the end of the day, it's people that are behind business as well. Yeah, yeah, absolutely. Oh, I'm so glad to have found you. I know so many of my clients that need your help and now you're part of the community. It's so great. It's so great. Yeah. I would love to finally touch on your work with gender equality.
00:43:15:24 - 00:43:37:24
Unknown
And I know that you help companies attract and retain and support women and diverse people. I think it's so important because we can't just tell women to be more resilient in broken systems. We have to fix the systems. And based on your 20 plus years of experience across sectors, what are the biggest mistakes you see businesses make when it comes to supporting women and what is real gender equality?
00:43:37:24 - 00:44:05:10
Unknown
Look like in practice? Not just policies on paper, but actual cultural change? Yes, Well, I mean, this really does come down to this is within me from, you know, from a child like a mother who was born in the 1970s, who ended up, you know, being in government and an executive role on. And that would have been quite unusual then.
00:44:05:10 - 00:44:27:09
Unknown
But the and I talk to you about the way that she had to walk to do that. You know, there was so many sacrifices and what she had to do to prove that. And then my own experiences and I ran women's development programs all around industry. We are hundreds and hundreds of women and listening to their everyday experiences, basically a male dominated rules.
00:44:27:11 - 00:44:57:22
Unknown
I just can't believe it's 2026, to be honest. You know that we're actually talking about this, that we're still living in a world that is designed by men for men. I'm just going to say it. It really is, You know, and there is, you know, women as we go back to women rule as to have children, domestic chores, do all the the caring and having all financial freedom.
00:44:57:22 - 00:45:20:22
Unknown
And then I think, well if women can't earn the same because like me, I had you know, I had children. I took time off work. When you take time off work, you're not learning anything. When you're trying to work and to work, you're then, you know, going in to pull a lesser role because it has to be part time or flexible or you have to go with children, then you don't have your super and then there's lots of vulnerable.
00:45:20:22 - 00:45:42:02
Unknown
It puts a very vulnerable position. And I watched my mother experience the exact same thing and it put her in a very vulnerable position, particularly when my parents ended up getting divorced. Absolutely. Yeah. So yeah, it takes me right and I think all within a modern society and we think we're living somewhere, but we're not we're not talking about the fact.
00:45:42:02 - 00:46:10:09
Unknown
What it really means is society's structured, not affluent than some other societies that we would raise our eyebrows on that women don't get to, you know, without permission. But we're living in a world where women don't have their own financial freedom, therefore they don't have freedom. If you don't have freedom, well, are we We're trapped. We're powerless. Yeah.
00:46:10:11 - 00:46:33:08
Unknown
You know, so that's I just want to put that at the front. And I know that that sometimes I wouldn't always have that conversation. Like nowadays, the way that things are going with the world, you can't even see gender equality. You can't see diversity, equity and inclusion have become dirty words that companies are dropping. You know, we now have to go under the bigger umbrella of organizational development.
00:46:33:10 - 00:47:10:01
Unknown
We're battling for. So how can we be in 2026 where the workplace isn't and innovative enough to think about how do we have women and men equally in the workplace? How can men spend more time with the children and do more, you know, how could there be flexibility? And we're only talking about women, which I'm a little bit embarrassed about, because we're not even talking about other, you know, other genders or, you know, have we can't even accept women into leadership roles.
00:47:10:03 - 00:47:35:23
Unknown
Yeah. How trans or any other kind of genders or any other kind of diversity or race I've experienced, oh, here in Australia unfortunately in the last 14 years. And it's very hard to get inside the mind of someone that I can't I can't relate to people who, you know, so often embarrassingly, people would say, Oh yeah, we've got loads of girls in the office.
00:47:36:00 - 00:47:54:02
Unknown
That's not okay. That's not an answer. I'm embarrassed for you that you just said that. Yeah, you know, and I and people do have that conversation quite often again. So yes, we have lots of women in our business. Well, what positions are they in that, in law, paid positions, How many women do you have in leadership and they don't.
00:47:54:02 - 00:48:19:15
Unknown
So when are the pathways? Where does the support? And really, if you look at companies who have diversity of thought and leadership, which represents the diverse world that we live in, if you're really money, you know, money business person actually shows their to their doing better when they when they have more diversity of thought and innovation and acceptance and they're more like the world out there.
00:48:19:17 - 00:48:42:12
Unknown
The bottom line does better. So if that's the motivation that you need, the facts are there and the evidence is there, but also from a society in a moral and ethical point of view, we just need to be more open minded, really, and we need to not allow the bias. And sometimes you do need to enforce policy training.
00:48:42:12 - 00:49:06:20
Unknown
And what even if you don't understand, it, is just not accepted. You know, in the workplace. There's just there's so much work to do within the space. It's it's but unfortunately, we're having to go round the back door and the side or with a different excuse five, I can go in and listen one way. So it's not going to make a difference, but that's how I have to get in.
00:49:06:20 - 00:49:24:01
Unknown
Then that's how we do things. Then I'm there for that. It was one woman, one leader at a time. Then I'm therefore one of this woman. And our career, I'm they are. However, what I can do and what I love to do is actually Gwen and work with leaders, organizations, boards, CEOs, and actually do a film on when are we.
00:49:24:01 - 00:49:47:13
Unknown
Let's look at the facts because many women and I've experienced it will get given that senior role as watered down as paid less and the responsibility sometimes if you outperform, you actually get responsibility taken off. You. I don't know if it's a threat. I don't know if we're human and there's a threat to of course, we need the jobs to pay for the roof and the food and the water and our families.
00:49:47:15 - 00:50:21:24
Unknown
And that. But let's not be that. We surely have evolved beyond that. Absolutely. What and really important topic I'm really passionate about this because, yeah, I've watched my mum really suffer as a consequence of yeah, losing her power in this situation. But also you raised another point where, you know, not only do businesses do better with more diversity, but homes would do better with more diversity.
00:50:21:24 - 00:50:57:14
Unknown
With the mum and dad sharing the responsibility of raising the kids. And it's just better all rounded. And I think you can make an enormous difference by one leader, one business at a time, supporting more women in leadership roles and talking about this. It's uncomfortable, but it's really important topic and I'm all for uncomfortable. Yeah, and listen, I've been in rooms where I have had male allies, fantastic men who have said, I'm a bit embarrassed to say it, but I'm a feminist too, and I'm like, Just take that.
00:50:57:14 - 00:51:19:23
Unknown
I'm embarrassed to say it. Feminism is not a dirty word. It's just means equality, you know? And the more men that see, I'm a feminist like my husband and men in my life, and those men that were in powerful positions that were supporting women in leadership programs or development programs, there are some fantastic tech allies that we need.
00:51:19:23 - 00:51:44:16
Unknown
We need the allies. We need to do it together. Yeah. Yeah, absolutely. Oh, Laura, this is wonderful. And thank you for sharing your beautiful wisdom with everyone today and for spending this morning with me. I really appreciate it. Yeah, no, thank you. I appreciate that. And I will be following and supporting and thank you for the invitation to be part of that in your community.
00:51:44:16 - 00:52:06:10
Unknown
That you one. Yeah. Thank you, Don. So thrilled I'm building something. It's so slowly unfolding. I want to have a specialist just like you within the community to, you know, to offer his help to, you know, women that are going through that that need coaching, whether it's in their personal lives or within their business. And it's so great that you do both.
00:52:06:10 - 00:52:33:16
Unknown
And so if anyone wants to find you it's champion women dot com that are you that's me that's on LinkedIn Facebook and a little bit of Instagram videos and all of your links in the show notes and I'll write a blog and share this wonderful podcast. So everybody listening please remember that with a flexible mindset, we can adapt and transform our story and reimagine what can be possible.
00:52:33:18 - 00:52:58:16
Unknown
Thank you again, Laura. I'll see this soon. Thanks. Thanks for listening to the Bend Like Bamboo podcast. If this conversation resonated, please share it with someone who needs to hear it. And if you're ready to go deeper, whether you're managing chronic symptoms, leading through burnout or seeking guidance and community, I'd love to welcome you into the Bend like Bamboo Family.
00:52:58:18 - 00:53:25:11
Unknown
Don't forget to subscribe and I'm here to support you wherever you are right now. Book a clarity chat with me and let's just talk about what's happening in your body, your work and your life, all the links to join our community, and also how to get in touch with our guests in the show notes. Remember, with a flexible mindset, we can adapt, transform our story, and reimagine what's possible.
00:53:25:13 - 00:53:26:21
Unknown
I'll see you next time.