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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 - 00:00:55:17
Unknown
Because resilience isn't about being unbreakable. It's about learning to bend without breaking. Let's dive in. I'm so excited to welcome back a very special guest to the Bend Like Bamboo podcast, Colleen Callander. Colleen, it's wonderful to have you here again. And for those who didn't catch Colleen's first episode, let me tell you why her story is so inspiring.
00:00:55:19 - 00:01:17:05
Unknown
Colleen left school at just 16 years old and started on the shop floor of a retail store, and that summer job became the foundation of a 30 year retail career that saw her rise to become one of Australia's most influential female CEOs, leading two of the country's most iconic fashion brands spots Girl and Suzanne for over a decade.
00:01:17:07 - 00:01:49:18
Unknown
But what makes Colleen truly remarkable isn't just her impressive career. It's her leadership philosophy. She defines leadership as one life impacting another in a positive way. And she believes that you don't need a title to do that. Since we last spoke a few years ago, so much has happened. And Colleen is an award winning CEO, a best selling author and the founder of Mentor Maine Women, a platform making mentoring accessible and affordable to women of all ages and all walks of life.
00:01:49:20 - 00:02:20:00
Unknown
She's mentored executives, moms, startup founders, students, young women starting their careers, senior leaders and teachers. Colleen wrote Leader by Design, sharing her journey from the shop floor to the CEO office. And now she has a brand new book launching in January 2026 called The Power of Confidence. Rewrite your story, overcome self-doubt and step into your Power. And what I love about this book, it's not just the theory.
00:02:20:06 - 00:02:54:06
Unknown
It includes a 30 day confidence transformation, a practical day by day journey with reflections, actions, tips, and affirmations to help you build confidence from the inside out. Beyond her business achievements, Colleen is also an ambassador for the Children's Cancer Institute and a Starlight Advisory Board member for what she considers her most important role is being wife to Nick, mother to Jake Trenton Macy and showing women everywhere that you can lead with kindness, humility, self-awareness.
00:02:54:09 - 00:03:17:07
Unknown
And people put people at the heart of everything that you do. I love everything that you stand for. Colleen, thank you so much. And welcome back on the Bend Like Bamboo podcast. Hello, Colleen Callander. Welcome back to the Bend like Bamboo Podcast. This is your second time here. Oh, hi there. Thank you so much for having me back.
00:03:17:07 - 00:03:45:04
Unknown
It's just great to be back here with you and see your gorgeous face again. Oh, thank you. I love your energy. I love everything that you're about. I'm so excited about your new book and there's just so much to catch up on. So let's just do it. Let's just do it. So let's dive in because last time you were here, we touched on your incredible journey, and I'm thrilled to have you back because you left school at 16 and you started it on the shop floor.
00:03:45:06 - 00:04:23:07
Unknown
And that summer job became a 30 year retail career that led you to become a CEO of two of Australia's most iconic fashion brands. But I imagine there were moments along the journey where you doubted yourself, where being the youngest or not having traditional qualifications might have made you question whether you belonged. But can you just take us back to that pivotal moment where you realized your path and even though it looked different to everybody else's, what was yours, superpower, and what would you say to someone right now if they felt like they didn't have the right background or credentials to step into leadership?
00:04:23:09 - 00:04:46:00
Unknown
Well, thank you for that. Great question. And gosh, when you say 16, you know, I was 16 when I finished school and and went on a very different path to all of my friends and in fact, probably a very different path to what everyone else was doing at that time. And to be really honest, a different path to where I thought I would go because, you know, my parents had never been able to have an education themselves.
00:04:46:00 - 00:05:11:11
Unknown
And my mom finished school at 13 and my dad at 14. And they worked very, very hard to put myself and my brother and my younger sister through school. It was something that was very, very proud of. And so for me to change that direction after that worked so hard and for me to come home after I'd completed this summer job at the age of 16 at my local just chain store and tell them how much I love fashion retailer.
00:05:11:11 - 00:05:34:20
Unknown
And I wasn't going back to school to finish my final year of year 12. I was walking into this exciting world of retail. The look on their face, Amanda was just absolutely gobsmacked, right? As you can imagine. And I'll never forget that moment and the words my father said, and these words have become my mantra for life with work hard, be passionate, love what you do and never give up.
00:05:34:20 - 00:05:57:13
Unknown
And I really are the words I think about every day still today. You know, this is close to 40 years on. I'm just about to turn 55. And this was at the age of 16. And it feels like those words were said to me yesterday because I have recited them every day of my life. So I was very fortunate for for those words and to take those through.
00:05:57:13 - 00:06:26:01
Unknown
But as you said, it was a very different path. But I was exceptionally passionate about retail and I was really passionate about people, and I think that's really my secret sauce is being just so connected with people, loving people, wanting to really create environments where people thrive and shine. And that was certainly, you know, what I tried to do from those early days, really realizing that people were my greatest asset.
00:06:26:03 - 00:06:59:16
Unknown
I'd up to becoming a CEO of two iconic fashion brands, which, you know, when I joined Sports Girl in 1999, I really didn't think I'd spend 20 years of my career there and 13 of those years as CEO. But it was such an incredible journey with incredible people along the way, and it just taught me so much. It's such it speaks to the company that they were, you know, and their leadership qualities where they empowered you to be able to step out of because the retail versus the head office, that's that's a big transition.
00:06:59:22 - 00:07:25:12
Unknown
And for them to see your talent, which is so obvious, but you know, it's not always recognized and it just I think it really shows merit is sports. Go on, Suzanne, that they did recognize yours. I was really lucky that I had an incredible sort of lead that I was able to be mentored by. And she was my area manager, actually, when I was in those first early days of my career.
00:07:25:12 - 00:07:44:05
Unknown
And I remember when she offered me my first managerial job and I was only 18. And this sort of comes back to your a bit of your question. You know, I'm 18 and I get offered this managerial job, and the first thing I told myself was, I'm not good enough, I'm not old enough. People are better than me, and created all these stories in my head.
00:07:44:07 - 00:08:06:06
Unknown
And you know that in a critique that we all have and the words that she said to me, her name was Vivian, the words she said to me was, I believe in you, and now you need to believe in yourself. And that was a real turning point for me, because for someone to say to me, I believe in you, that really allowed me to think about something very different in what she was saying.
00:08:06:06 - 00:08:32:17
Unknown
And for me it wasn't. I just believe in you and fluffy words. It was I believe in you. I'm going to be here to support you. I will pick you up when you fall over. That's really what she meant. And those words, as I said, really changed my life. And it has certainly been something that I've tried to take through my journey is believing in other people, because often we just need that one person to believe in us before we start believing in ourselves.
00:08:32:19 - 00:08:55:00
Unknown
Yeah, hence why you created mentor me. I can totally see that. That I've had little moments like that too, where I've had when I was really young, I used to work in fashion in the head office helping designers and in wholesale for Sabatini, and she done couture. And I remember my first job going from the shop floor into the back office, and I did the same thing.
00:08:55:00 - 00:09:14:07
Unknown
I was like, No, I can't do that. I'm not good enough. I don't know anything about that. And I had a really amazing recruiter in in well, she was working for the business and she said, Yes, you can, and I will teach you everything that you need to know. I don't accept your know. You have to say yes to this job and it changes your life, doesn't it?
00:09:14:09 - 00:09:33:02
Unknown
Yeah. And I think the other message, too, in that which I love is, you know, for women, we often we do self-sabotage and we do play small and we do hold ourselves back. And what you just sit there is just say yes, what's the worst thing that can happen? You know, we we say no. And then think about the what the real consequences may be.
00:09:33:02 - 00:09:53:18
Unknown
But let's just say yes. You know, let's have I talk about confidence is the willingness to try, you know, because when we try something new, we succeed or fail or somewhere in between. There's nothing else that can really happen. Right. But we say, yes, what we're doing is opening the doors to possibility is slightly. Absolutely. And that's what we all want at the end of the day, don't we?
00:09:53:20 - 00:10:13:14
Unknown
You know, we can suffer in different ways. The pressure can be about avoiding and then not getting anywhere or pushing ourselves, but actually, you know, experiencing and achieving so much. Yeah, absolutely. And it really starts you know, people talk about confidence and leadership and resilience and all of those things, but at the end of the day, everything starts with us.
00:10:13:14 - 00:10:43:24
Unknown
Everything starts internally with us. The way we see ourselves, the way we speak to ourselves, the way we treat ourselves. And so, you know, I always say let's not look anywhere else for external validation and for people to lift us up and build us up. Let's actually look internally and build out our own set of confidence skills that allows us to have that willingness to try and change that story and say, yes, Oh, I love that you just said that because, yeah, it's great having a mentor, but it can't just be external validation.
00:10:44:05 - 00:11:07:12
Unknown
It has to be built from the inside out and and I imagine that's what your new book is all about. It is. I'm super excited about my new book, Barry's There, The Power of Confidence. Love it. And I really wrote this is my third book, but when I wrote my first book, there was a chapter in there called The Power of Confidence, and it always held this really, really special place for me.
00:11:07:12 - 00:11:28:05
Unknown
And I always knew I wanted to turn that into a book. And a big part of that has been my journey. So my book I wrote my book last year, but it's not a book about last year. It's a book about my life, my life journey, my ups, my downs, my fall overs, my picking myself back up. And it really is about building confidence.
00:11:28:05 - 00:11:58:07
Unknown
And for me, you know, in my career journey and my life journey, you know, I've worked with thousands of women and, you know, women that are really on the external view of things, confident. You know, they're they're beautiful, they're intelligent, they're experienced, But they second guess themselves. They sell themselves short, they self-sabotage, they have self-doubt. And I've watched this play out for decades.
00:11:58:07 - 00:12:21:19
Unknown
And so for me, this book really is about changing the story, rewriting your story, overcoming self-doubt, and really stepping into the power that is already in you. We have everything we need already inside us. We just need to unlock it. We just need to build that confidence muscle. And what I love about this book, Amanda, is that it's not just a book you read and put away.
00:12:21:21 - 00:12:43:06
Unknown
There's actually a 30 day transformation in there. So every single day the reader can do something to build on that confidence, because often we think in life with everything, I've got to make big, sweeping changes to have, you know, a good outcome. And I talk about small actions, big outcomes. So it's the little things that we do every day.
00:12:43:06 - 00:13:09:19
Unknown
It's the rituals we're building, it's the habits we change, it's the self-talk that we address. It's the little things that we can do every day that actually build that confidence. So I'm just so excited about this book. And it is one of Wiley's lead books for International Women's Day, So that makes me feel super duper proud because, you know, women in leadership and leading their own lives is something that I've dedicated my most of my life to.
00:13:09:19 - 00:13:32:21
Unknown
So to see it come alive in this way is really, you know, really joyful for me. It's so you, the concept, the topic, the color. You know, it is just the most authentic aspect of you now expressed and I think over one's career, we can explore what that is and we always come back and return to self. And this is what this is for you.
00:13:32:21 - 00:13:51:16
Unknown
And I'm so excited for you. Thank you so much. And I really love it. I'm really proud of this book. Yes. And then after the 30 days and, you know, you know, going through that journey of transformation, your book, what do you think? You know, what can someone expect from after after going through that? What do you think would change for them?
00:13:51:18 - 00:14:14:10
Unknown
Oh, it's so much will change. In fact, I think this book will be life changing for people. You know that confidence is a muscle, right? And the more you use that muscle, the stronger it becomes. But you need the tools, the practical tips and the know how to build that on a consistent basis. Yeah, you know, particularly women, we often put ourselves at the bottom of the wrong.
00:14:14:10 - 00:14:35:21
Unknown
We're so busy all the time. Everyone else is more important, particularly moms, working moms. So this book is really about saying you are the most important person in the world, and the more you invest in yourself, the more you work on your confidence, the stronger it becomes. I think about it like going to the gym, you know, we can't go to the gym once and think, I'm done.
00:14:35:21 - 00:14:57:10
Unknown
I never have to go back again. Have a look at me. I'm ripped. You know, I'm flexible. I'm ripped exactly how I want to be. You have to keep going. You have to be consistent and intentional about going every day and working on whatever it is you might be working on, that you build real strength. This how you build real confidence by working on yourself every day.
00:14:57:16 - 00:15:17:11
Unknown
Yeah, because there's a thing in Chinese medicine when I'm working with my clients is it's beautiful to acquire new awareness and knowledge, but it's also about integrating that knowledge into a new way of being. And that's why I love how you've written this book, where it's about the theory, but then then step by step, 30 day transformation. What a great idea.
00:15:17:13 - 00:15:33:09
Unknown
Yeah, and it's easy, you know, it's something you can do every morning. It's some things can take a few minutes, some things might take a bit longer. And it's really, really practical and easy. And I think that's the beauty. When we make life too hard, we do it for a day or two and then throw it in the bin, right?
00:15:33:14 - 00:15:57:07
Unknown
So I think a bit like New Year's resolutions, you know, not many of them last, and I'm not a big fan of them. So, you know, this is something that is lasting and life changing if you want to put in the work. Yeah, you can tell when you're in the presence of someone that is expressing a performative type of confidence versus someone who really, really is confidence.
00:15:57:07 - 00:16:17:15
Unknown
And that's how I felt when I was in your company. Even meeting through friends of friends, just walking along the beach, down by the sea, you were just so approachable, you know, obviously knowing how much you've achieved. You know, once I realized who you were, I was like, Oh my God. But then you were just so lovely to me and you didn't make me feel that way at all.
00:16:17:15 - 00:16:40:23
Unknown
You were just girl next door. We could talk about anything. And that's why I love you. Oh, that was just such a beautiful meeting and has led us on many years of conversations and catch ups here and there and podcast. Right. And feeling's absolutely mutual. And I always think, Amanda, when I meet people, it's never about your title, your role, your status, your that just doesn't come into it for me.
00:16:40:23 - 00:17:04:01
Unknown
I love meeting like minded, passionate women who are really authentic. And you know, when we met we just connected very much on that level. And and it was it was a beautiful meeting of two two women. And it's something that has grown and got stronger over the years. So I feel very blessed to have you in my life for me to thank you for all the cups of tea and chat.
00:17:04:01 - 00:17:32:00
Unknown
So I have really appreciated your advice on many different chapters of my life. And yeah, I also, you know, thankfully got to experience the Mentor Me program that you offer for women and I'd love to talk about that next. So you created this amazing platform that makes mentoring. It's accessible and affordable to women of all ages and all walks of life from executives to moms to students to senior leaders.
00:17:32:02 - 00:17:56:00
Unknown
So what inspired you to make accessibility such a core part of this mission? What have you learned from mentoring such diverse women, and what are women across all these different stages of life struggling with the most? Do you think it mental May Women was a really interesting, interesting one because it started in COVID and it was one of those things that just kind of came out of the blue out of nowhere, really.
00:17:56:02 - 00:18:18:06
Unknown
It was lockdown. And we know in Victoria there was a lot of lockdown time and, you know, women were really struggling. I mean, everyone was struggling, right. But, you know, women, they were really struggling. So I had all of these calls and some women I knew, some women I'd never met in my life. I was getting emails, Instagram, DMS, really saying what can I do?
00:18:18:06 - 00:18:41:19
Unknown
I'm really not coping well in this situation. And so I decided to start Mental May women because I didn't have the time to do as many one on ones. You know, we only have X amount of hours in the day so I started mentor women mental me women. And as you said, my real mission was to make mentoring affordable and accessible to all women because most women don't know where to go to find mentors or coaches.
00:18:41:19 - 00:19:03:10
Unknown
And often they very, very expensive. Right? So I thought about for May during my life as a CEO and all the women that had worked for me, what were the key things that I thought were the real recipes for success or challenges? And so I broke it up into four parts, which is the power of self, the power of leadership, the power of confidence and the power of values and purpose.
00:19:03:10 - 00:19:30:16
Unknown
So I found what I thought was a really, really important fundamentals that I felt every single woman needed in their own lives to be able to live ladened love in a different way. And so I mentor me. Women started. It's been a huge success. Hundreds and hundreds of women have been through the program. And again, it's a really practical it's full one hour sessions because again, we don't have three weeks to go away and do a course, most of us.
00:19:30:18 - 00:19:58:05
Unknown
So it's full one hour sessions every week. So there's beautiful momentum. And it really is a space where women can come together, do the work on themselves, but also share with each other. It's this really beautiful community. Yeah, that's what I loved about it, is, you know, you'll you're surrounded by a beautiful, intimate circle of some pretty exceptional women and you get to hear their values, what their purpose, you know what you're defining all of this together, what your purpose is.
00:19:58:05 - 00:20:30:17
Unknown
You know, sometimes we need to redefine our values. And that's what I was going through at that time when I went through the program, is I needed to come back and reassess, publish. I dug out the notes of when I did the course and I recognized my values were inspiration, achievement, authenticity, my health, and to have fun and family, something I hadn't focused on for a long time because I've been a workaholic for so long and obsessed with achieving and, you know, I really got so much about out of your program.
00:20:30:19 - 00:20:50:22
Unknown
And it was funny because then in the leadership section, you asked a question three years from now, what would you regret if you didn't have the courage to action this today? And I wrote Having a family or finding the love of my life, buying a house and investing in my future and finances and going at it with all I've got with Ben like bamboo.
00:20:50:22 - 00:21:12:19
Unknown
And then the three things that I've finally feel like I'm there and I'm doing that. And your program really helped me to define that. That's actually what was important to me. Oh, that's so wonderful. Both of those things, like the village section, it's just so wonderful that you're sitting there today. You have probably three years on, maybe since you did the mental Me brand and you have your values sitting there.
00:21:12:19 - 00:21:30:21
Unknown
And what values do is give you clarity in all of your decision making in your life. So and we define this in mentor me women. I say, if you make decisions in line with your values, you are going to have great clarity and confidence because those are the things that we deem most important the way we live, work and love again.
00:21:30:21 - 00:21:54:17
Unknown
So it's so important that we live by those values. And when you talk about, you know, what you sort of thought you would wanted to do that you didn't want to regret in three years, you know, one, you put it out to the universe, which is fabulous. But to you then stepped into intentional behaviors every day. And I think that's the big thing is sometimes, as I said, we have it all in us.
00:21:54:18 - 00:22:14:09
Unknown
We just sometimes need to step outside of our comfort zone a little bit and do something like this, but also take the time to look inwards and ask ourselves, what do I really want? And a lot of women forget to do that. We are just on this treadmill of life all the time. We're so busy, so we need to stop and ask ourselves what's important?
00:22:14:09 - 00:22:33:09
Unknown
What do I really want from my life? What makes me happy, and what is my purpose? We need to fill up our own tanks and the only way we can do that is by asking ourselves questions and then start to live intentionally. Definitely. And revisiting it through all the different cycles that we go through. That's so great. I'm so happy.
00:22:33:09 - 00:22:55:18
Unknown
That just makes me just so joyful when I hear that, you know, the program has made a difference to you and your life. And, you know, I always say no matter what I do, if it's one person that can make a difference in their life and change the way they really live and lead and think about themselves and particularly their confidence, then, you know, my job is done.
00:22:55:20 - 00:23:25:12
Unknown
Absolutely. Absolutely. Well, let's talk about resilience, because this is, you know, the topic of my podcast and what I love to ask my guests about the most. And if we think about bending like bamboo without breaking, I think that's such a powerful connection between resilience and confidence. And you've navigated a 30 year career through challenges, built a business, raised three kids, and you've talked openly about burnout yourself.
00:23:25:14 - 00:23:45:16
Unknown
And looking back on those moments when life was bending you or even when the pressure was intense, what do you think Confidence? What did confidence play as a role in your resilience and how did you learn to distinguish between the voices telling you to push harder and the wisdom telling you it was time to more pause and redesign your life?
00:23:45:18 - 00:24:05:18
Unknown
Oh, I love this and I love your bend like bamboo. It doesn't break us, it shapes us and we need those moments in life. If life was smooth sailing and everything was great, we'd never be growing all learning. So, you know, I mean resilience. When I think about resilience and confidence and leadership, again, it all starts with self.
00:24:05:18 - 00:24:26:13
Unknown
It all starts with us. And a lot of what happens in life is built through our experiences, our successes, our failures, our fees, our setbacks, our wins, our achievements. Right. So and resilience for me, I think is exactly the same. I don't personally believe you can teach anyone to be resilient. I think resilience is something you learn as you go through life and experience new things.
00:24:26:19 - 00:24:49:06
Unknown
Definitely, there's a really important conversation about it and for me, my big, resilient moment or building resilience, was my experience with burnout and burnout. I talk today about it and it really was a big part of my gift of life. You know, it was a gift I didn't realize I needed at the time, but I did because burnout made me slow down.
00:24:49:06 - 00:25:09:09
Unknown
It made me reassess my life. It made me set boundaries. Is it really allowed me to think about May as the asset versus me as serving everybody else? Because at the end of the day, we have to set ourselves before we serve anyone else. We can only be good to other people when we're good to ourselves first, and that does in what area of our lives.
00:25:09:09 - 00:25:33:23
Unknown
It's in every area of our lives. So for me, resilience was really built through that burn out moment. And, you know, I was 36. I had an incredible career. I had three young children, but I didn't have an off button. I had no I hadn't built the mechanisms into my life to allow me to thrive at a high performing level without burning out.
00:25:33:23 - 00:25:53:07
Unknown
So it's something I'm very, very passionate about today. And talking to women about is what are the tips and tools and things that we need to build into our lives to make sure that we don't get on that burnout train because it's not a fun place to be. And and and I really do think that that also falls in line with confidence.
00:25:53:07 - 00:26:15:01
Unknown
So they all intertwine. This is the thing, right? This is why we have to be really working on ourselves all the time, because all of these things intertwine and the more we work on them, the stronger each one of them become. And, you know, it's kind of like foundations, right? I talk about foundations of your house. If you don't build strong foundations of your house, the house isn't going to be standing for too long.
00:26:15:03 - 00:26:43:14
Unknown
Cracks will appear and it will fall over. Right. And as humans, we are exactly the same. If we don't build based solid foundations for ourselves. And resilience is one that we're learning as we go along through the journey of life and confidence, then we will really struggle when tough situations come our way. Yeah, absolutely. I totally agree that it's entwined because there's one set of confidence that pushes us to to give it a go and get out of our comfort zone.
00:26:43:14 - 00:27:01:12
Unknown
And we just want to take the world on and we want to see what's possible and what we're capable of. But then there's like more of a soft, more feminine receiving confidence that we learn once we go, okay, now I need to balance all of that. And you know, it's not all about output. What is input even main And it takes you know, yeah.
00:27:01:14 - 00:27:23:11
Unknown
Confidence and self-worth to make those changes because we're not taught that in our generation. We talk about it so much now, there's so much information and beautiful podcast where we're more aware of these topics. But my mom, my grandma, I don't think they were talking about it. No, they weren't. They weren't talking about values or leadership or resilience or confidence or self-sabotage or any of those things.
00:27:23:11 - 00:27:45:17
Unknown
You know, I do think the beauty of this and the beauty of these conversations that you're creating, it's been like bamboo, is that we can have these conversations today. And if we can help one person, then as I said, our job is done. So I think it's really fantastic. And I think women have to move past the fact that, you know, things like self-care is selfish.
00:27:45:17 - 00:28:09:04
Unknown
It's the story I told myself for so long. You know, if you're doing something for yourself, then you're not caring for someone else. You're not caring for your family, your team, your husband, whoever it might be. So all of these things, self-care, boundaries, resilience, we're talking about them today. And the more we talk about them, the more we're supporting not only this generation, but the next generation to think and live differently.
00:28:09:06 - 00:28:31:04
Unknown
Definitely. Definitely. Oh, I love it. Colleen, thank you so much for sharing your wisdom. This is so great. And what's next for you now that you've got this book out? You've written a few books and I know you've got mental me. You've got so many wonderful roles on boards and you know you've got so much. But what what's, what's next for you this year for 2026?
00:28:31:07 - 00:28:53:16
Unknown
Yeah, I'm really excited about this year, but I'm always excited about the year. Every year is a new year and every year brings new opportunities and I am very excited and super excited about sharing my book because as I said, if we can, you know, if I can change one person's mindset, one person's way they speak to themselves, one person's in a critique that self-sabotage is.
00:28:53:16 - 00:29:11:08
Unknown
And then, you know, that's really changing the way people can live their lives. So I think the book is is really fabulous. And, you know, it's out now. It's in all good bookstores. It's in all of the airports, which is fabulous in its own right. And I've had so much great feedback already. So that's that's a big part of my year.
00:29:11:10 - 00:29:30:20
Unknown
And being keynote speaking around that book and really making a positive impact. And of course mentor me women. I'll do a couple of programs this year. The next one's in March and you know, the board rolls. I love that because I'm meeting and talking to different people all the time, so I'm really excited. I'm also going to do a bit of travel this year.
00:29:30:20 - 00:29:54:04
Unknown
I'll take a month off mid-year, which I did last year. I took a month off last year and went to Spain and Italy and Monaco, France, which is lovely. I'll do the same this year. I'm going to take a month off and go to Italy, which is where my father's from. So I'm very excited to do that. My husband and I so, you know, travel for me and experiences, you know, we can talk about all the achievements we're going to do this year.
00:29:54:06 - 00:30:13:06
Unknown
You know, we're going to we're going to write books and we're going to do programs or we're going to play notes and we're going to. But for me, you know, I turn 55 this year, so I'm super proud of that as well. And I really want to make this year one's one that's really special. And that is also about not just working hard and ticking boxes.
00:30:13:06 - 00:30:45:03
Unknown
Achievements are one of my values. So when you're an achievement junkie, you just like to keep ticking boxes. But for me this year, you all the same. I know, but this year, you know, I want to make sure that I'm still ticking those boxes because that's that's how we operate. Right? But I also want to tick other boxes, which is connection and family and friends and health and well-being and all the things that are super important to me because that's really how we function at our best is when we have all of those other things that are working beautifully for us.
00:30:45:05 - 00:31:09:00
Unknown
I've got tears. He's saying that it's so beautiful. I so agree. And thank you for helping me to build that in my life. Over the last few years, speaking achieved to achieve. I just I wanted it so desperately, but I didn't know how to let that in. And and, you know, I, I got there in the end and got married literally just at the end of last year and couldn't be happier.
00:31:09:00 - 00:31:25:20
Unknown
And I'm so glad you said that because you remind me that, yeah, this year is not just about all the things that we want to achieve. It's also about reconnecting with out within our relationships and within ourselves. Absolutely. Absolutely. You had a fabulous year and that was just the beginning. This year is going to be amazing for you.
00:31:26:00 - 00:31:54:04
Unknown
Thank you, Colleen. And for you, I'm going to put all your details in the show notes. If you want to find Coleen calendars, information and her book. Her website is colleencallandar.com.au. Thank you, Colleen. It's just so great chatting with you again. So wonderful to chat as always, sending you so much love and to you, thanks for listening to the Bend like Bamboo podcast.
00:31:54:06 - 00:32:23:04
Unknown
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00:32:23:06 - 00:32:38:13
Unknown
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. I'll see you next time.