April 14, 2025 • 46 mins
What does it really mean to hold space for the modern woman? In this powerful episode, I sit down with Grace from Holding Space with Grace as we explore why creating intentional spaces for women is more important now than ever. We unpack the impact of environment, community, and what happens when you surround yourself with the right energy. If you’ve ever craved deeper connection, alignment, or a sense of belonging, this one's for you.
Together, we dive into what it means to create supportive environments for the modern woman—spaces where vulnerability, growth, and connection are not only welcomed but celebrated.
We chat about:💫 The power of intentional environments🤍 Why community and like-minded connection are everything🌿 How holding space can transform the way we lead, live, and show up
This episode is a reminder that you don’t have to do life alone, and that finding your people changes everything.
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Transcript
Episode Transcript
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SPEAKER_00 (00:00):
Welcome to this week's episode of Conversations
(00:02):
That Count.
I'm super excited to be joinedwith Grace here today from
Holding Space with Grace.
So welcome.
SPEAKER_01 (00:10):
Thank you for having me.
Long time coming.
SPEAKER_00 (00:13):
Yes, I'm so excited about where this conversation is
going and yeah, what will comeup and all of like the juiciness
of the conversation as well.
So firstly, like you held anevent over...
the weekend.
So maybe we start there.
So talk through Holding Spacewith Grace and what the event
(00:36):
that you held in Brisbane,because it looked incredible of
what you achieved.
So well done as well with it.
SPEAKER_01 (00:43):
Oh, thank you.
It was definitely one of ourmost unforgettable, deep,
expansive events that we've heldto date and there was 75 women
who came together and we madethe event all around self-love
and reconnecting to self.
We guided each of the womenthrough hypnotherapy,
(01:06):
understanding the subconsciousand the brain, through to guided
meditation, breath work, soundhealing, and then wrapped it up
with really an identity coachingsession in circle at the end of
the night.
So yeah, It was an experiencethat just went deeper and deeper
and deeper.
And to just see these womenunlock, connect and have this
(01:32):
time for themselves was a corememory in the holding space
journey.
SPEAKER_00 (01:37):
So what was your key takeaway from that particular
day and the transformation thatthese women experienced as well?
Beautiful question.
So...
SPEAKER_01 (01:50):
For me, the biggest takeaway would have been that
the modern world doesn't providethese spaces for women to
connect to self, to pause, toreflect and to shift.
I truly could just see everysingle one of them walking
through that door, how much theyneeded this and to be able to be
(02:15):
of service and to provide thisspace for them and to sit in
circle at the end of the nightand hear their words of release,
of feeling so seen, sosupported, so connected.
And to have them leaving in acompletely different state from
when they walked through, itjust gave me such confidence in
(02:40):
the work that we're doing.
SPEAKER_00 (02:41):
It's so beautiful.
And we spoke briefly about likebeforehand about the experience
as well is because you can go toevents like this and it's so
information heavy yet you don'twant to think about it you just
want to go there and have anexperience and to let go and not
necessarily say words as wellyou just want to be like I'm
(03:04):
here let's breathe or I'm herelet's you can let's go through
the hypnotherapy or likewhatever it might be um yeah
it's such a different experienceso what led you to more the
experience based because you doboth too don't you yeah
SPEAKER_01 (03:20):
the not only having the women to be reconnected to
self but to also be resourced.
I think there's a lot of reallyinspirational events or aha
moments that you can get, butfor me it's I want them to come
and to not only experience theknowledge and have an embodiment
(03:42):
of the knowledge, but then toalso leave with their own
toolkit to then take alignedaction once the event is over
because that's how you can trulyhelp these women and to really
shift their reality.
And so that's a really key part.
because we only retain 5% of theknowledge when we're listening
(04:03):
to a podcast or a book unless wewrite it down and then we
remember it.
But when you have somebody in aspace where they're learning and
applying that in community,where they're having an
emotional response to theinformation, applying it in real
time and then sharing it withtheir neighbour, that's how you
really embody it.
And for me, we don't have...
(04:26):
unlimited time and if I want toprovide the greatest value and
to really help people to shifttheir realities then I believe
this is the way that you do it
SPEAKER_00 (04:36):
yeah absolutely what's your you said
reconnection to self what doesthat mean to you and what does
that mean
SPEAKER_01 (04:43):
reconnection to self it's we are living in one of the
fast fastest moving noisy overstimulated worlds and women
don't have that time to pause togo inwards to connect with their
(05:04):
intuition to understand what'son their heart what do they want
and what do they need and thatpause and that reflection and
that relationship with self isyour north star and I think
there's a lot of people in thisworld that are struggling to
know what direction to go in howthey're lacking confidence
(05:26):
they're lacking in self-worthand they're feeling a lot of
fear and that is because there'sa disconnect to self and so a
big part of my mission is tobring them home and to help them
remember their innate power andto give them the tools and the
resources and to give them thecommunity that helps them be
mirrors of themselves and youknow Show me your friends, I'll
(05:50):
show you your future.
These spaces are filled withhundreds of women who are so
dedicated to self-inquiry and tomaking positive change in their
lives and to supporting oneanother.
And you just see that in thecommunity.
It's beyond just...
there is that connection to selfbut then there's the women who
(06:10):
have your back who help youintegrate the knowledge after
and you know we're so isolatedand so that this whole the
experience is really talking tothe whole self and so the
community have a huge part inthat as well so it's it's an
environment that is really rareto find and I feel just deeply
(06:33):
responsible to provide thesespaces for the modern woman.
SPEAKER_00 (06:37):
And you're creating it as well, right?
And I think spaces like this isso important because as women,
it's ingrained in us at such ayoung age that we can be and do
it all.
And so we go through life andthinking, okay, we have to do it
alone at the same time.
(06:58):
And Spaces like this is anopportunity for then women to
come and actually be supported.
by other women and to let go ofwhatever is coming up.
They might not even know.
They're like, fuck, something'sgot to change here.
I need to do something.
What is that something?
And then, you know, find spaceslike what you've created and
(07:20):
then like, okay, I'm just goingto go along to here.
What's this?
And then they connect on acompletely different level with
yourself or the other people inthe room as well.
And then there's that bond.
And then they're like, yeah,there is something more here for
me.
And how do I get more of that?
out of me at the same time.
SPEAKER_01 (07:35):
You are so correct.
And that for me is the modernwoman and the role of her in the
family dynamic has changedastronomically.
And society hasn't met thatmodern woman.
And so what was once a full-timerole of looking after the
(07:56):
children and the house, whichmade perfect sense if you now
see that women are working tohave a, there has to be a dual
income in the household.
So all of these responsibilitiesand this pressure have now been
put onto the modern woman.
And not only that, we're livingin an overstimulated environment
where a modern woman is, herstress levels triple what they
(08:21):
were 100 years ago.
And as a result of that, she issitting in a state of fight or
flight regularly.
And then we haven't adapted toproviding the tools, the
resources and the support thatthe woman needs.
And so that's what you talkedabout is the conditioning.
(08:42):
Yes, there's the conditioningand feeling alone, but this
woman now has got triple therole in the family dynamic.
And unlike the male dynamic,there hasn't been an evolution
like there has been for themodern woman.
And so it's really important Ijust look at it for mothers
(09:04):
especially, how isolated theyfeel.
traditionally our primal natureis that we grew in community now
we looked after each other'schildren we would you know all
do healing and helping andco-regulate each other's nervous
systems and we would releaseoxytocin when we were in
(09:25):
community and now you've got themodern woman more isolated more
under pressure than ever beforeand we've taken away the tribe
and we've taken away the supportsystem and then we wonder why
she's crying in her car whenShe's going home after getting
the groceries because she's justso overwhelmed.
But she should do better.
It's on her.
It's too much pressure.
(09:48):
We need to do something.
Yeah,
SPEAKER_00 (09:51):
it's very much in a doing mentality, right?
And I've been guilty of this inthe past at the same time.
It's like, okay, I wake up atthis time.
I go here.
I do this.
I do this.
Tick, tick, tick, tick, tick.
And then as women, we forgetthat there's also the being,
right?
And it's when you are being,that's when you tap into your
intuition.
That's when you, you know,listen to whatever is happening
(10:14):
for you at the moment, whetherthat's that internal dialogue or
you know that you need to changeand you're like, okay, well, how
do I change?
How do I move?
And it's creating that space andthat silence for you to actually
get the answers as well.
And when you're doingconstantly, yes, yes, yes, like
I've got to go here and thatexternal pressure that you just
mentioned, it doesn't allowspace for that at all.
So silence.
(10:35):
when you have dedicated time,like as you said, over the
weekend, you can just go and be,I don't have to do anything.
I can just rock up and you'retaking care of me.
Absolutely.
Which is great.
SPEAKER_01 (10:48):
Yeah.
And, you know, I asked that foryou, you, you've left a male
dominated industry and now goneon your own as a female
entrepreneur.
And I'm sure there's, you know,been such an identity shift in
going through that.
And then also there is thereality of, okay, so I've, left
this to go after my dreams.
But if you aren't doing thepodcast or you aren't around the
(11:10):
expanders or the mentors, it canbe extremely isolating.
SPEAKER_00 (11:13):
Yeah.
SPEAKER_01 (11:14):
And I just would like you to speak to, you know,
as a, as probably, you know,someone who attends the events
and who is someone that we wouldwork with to welcome in.
How have you navigated this newlandscape?
SPEAKER_00 (11:30):
It's a really great question and a big question at
the same time.
And, you know, I think it's justfeeling everything and then just
still moving and leaning intothe discomfort of it all and I
was so ingrained in living aparticular way and you know as I
(11:51):
said like I was doing the ticktick tick if you know the career
the the house the part like allof that stuff where you you grow
up thinking that that's howyou're going to live life and I
remember you know in my early30s going, what is this?
This is not for me at all.
And it's taken me a long time toactually go to places like yours
(12:16):
and others and just start tofigure out like what is that and
you peel back the layers and youstart to listen to that internal
voice to go do you know whatthis path isn't for me and it
took me a while to actuallyleave the corporate um space for
other reasons at the same timeand now navigating all that it's
just yeah as you said likesurround yourself with people um
(12:39):
that are on the same path as youand there's so many different
paths and it's just trying tofind the people that inspire you
and are one step in front of youand you learn from each other
and you've got that supportnetwork as well because when
you're going through change, thebiggest thing for you is
environment and the people thatare around you and if you don't
(13:01):
have that support network setup, then you'll have people, I
want to say hold you back andthat's not the right words but
do you know what I mean?
Environment plays such a bigpart so if you want something
different, start puttingyourself in different
environments.
Can I get you on the promo?
SPEAKER_01 (13:20):
I'm like, that is literally so perfect for Julie.
We
SPEAKER_00 (13:27):
can cut that
SPEAKER_01 (13:27):
part for you if you like.
UNKNOWN (13:29):
Okay, good.
SPEAKER_01 (13:30):
I like that.
Yeah.
It just is, it's...
environments are everything andwho you surround yourself with
and you're the median of thefive people and I just want to
honour you for being bravebecause what happens and keeps
so many people in fear is thatthere's no one around them
showing them the light forwardand there's no one around them
(13:53):
rallying or giving them evidencethat if they keep going that
this is possible and you have toseek that out and then the path
becomes illuminated and itdoesn't need to be as hard when
you put yourself in silo to tryand make these shifts.
And so that's the power ofcommunity and the power of what
(14:15):
we're creating here.
And it's so beautiful to hearhow you knew that early on.
You put yourself in the roomsand you may have stayed there
put you know held back onleaving corporate but you were
putting yourself in the roomsbefore you left which gave you
the inspiration to do
SPEAKER_00 (14:33):
so.
Exactly right and it's actuallywhat's inspired me to create
change is because I have been inthat environment for such a long
time and I've seen how it is andespecially being in a male
dominant environment for afemale as well that there are
certain challenges and I don'tbelieve that you know leaders or
necessarily team or companiesreally support that that well
(14:56):
and I it's, as I said, like, I'mlike, there's, there's something
missing here.
And I started going externally.
Then I was like, okay, there's agap there.
And that's, what's prompted meto actually create the corporate
company, um, as well to go backinto corporate, to create change
that way as well.
SPEAKER_01 (15:12):
You add love with this concept and something that
I'm so passionate about becausethat's why holding space was
created.
I was four, you know, four yearsin property, male dominant
industry.
And I was, was seeking theresources and the answers and
support because I knew thatsomething wasn't right and that
this couldn't be it and itdidn't exist and I thought if
(15:32):
there's if I'm sitting herebroken trying to figure this out
on my own how many other womenare sitting there in the same
position seeking exactly whatI'm seeking and yeah if I didn't
have that you know on my kneesmoment then I wouldn't be here
today because it was it was whatignited the fire.
SPEAKER_00 (15:52):
So what was that moment for you?
So like for, yeah, what was thatmoment that you got to a point
you're like, do you know what,something needs to change?
SPEAKER_01 (16:02):
I was in property and was following what I thought
success was.
It was the exact similar storyto you.
Had a great partner, living inMelbourne, in property,
successful, growing really highin my life.
real estate career and it was Iremember sitting around a table
(16:25):
and it was our weekly forecastswhere we share you know what our
projections are for the monthand that month I'd been
mentoring I had worked withseveral you know family
businesses to help them findtheir own leases and had been
going on above and beyond withreally passion purpose-led work
(16:46):
outside of um my role and Iremember the table and it was
okay so say your name and whatyour revenue is that you're
forecasting for the month and itjust dawned on me that you know
our value as a person at thatcompany only came down to a
figure and then when I lookedbehind the people who were
(17:08):
bringing in the most revenue orwhat I was aspiring to have
there was many facets of theirlife that were was sacrificed,
health, relationships,spirituality, you know,
leadership, philanthropy work.
Like it was, there was all ofthose things weren't a value and
they were a value of mine.
And then something really toxichappened to me in that work
(17:32):
environment.
And that was the moment where Isaid, what am I doing with my
life?
Why am I giving thisorganization, you know, my heart
and soul when I'm just a number?
And when it comes down to it,they're not going to protect me
or you know treat me like ahuman so that was the start of
(17:53):
the catalyst yeah yeah and it itwas also for me whilst I was in
that toxic environment I wasseeking out these community
events and you know women inleadership and business seminars
because I thought okay I'mstruggling here where do I go to
and that was when I wasattending them and leaving
(18:15):
feeling more isolated lackingthe knowledge or the tools or
the real conversations and sothe myriad came together at this
you know apex when I had thisyou know unfortunate situation
happen where I just walked outwith I was a woman on a mission
SPEAKER_00 (18:34):
sometimes it's like yeah that wake-up call isn't it
to say do you know what thisisn't for me I want something
different and then it's likeokay this is where I feel like
sometimes it's hard it's like Iknow that there's something
different I want somethingdifferent what is that because
you don't know anything elsethan that environment that you
were in as well
SPEAKER_01 (18:51):
yeah we're best positioned to serve our younger
self and oh my goodness Youknow, this was what I wish I had
in my 20s to go to this spacewhere there was inspiring
thought leaders giving me realworld knowledge, helping me make
decisions based on what's bestfor me and who I am and the
(19:14):
tools and community.
I just think what a gift to beable to have that earlier on
than, you know, to have to beconditioned by society on, what
success looks like, what our jobshould be, like our schooling
system.
It's so outdated.
SPEAKER_00 (19:31):
What was your journey from that point to now
creating Holding Space withGrace?
SPEAKER_01 (19:39):
Well, I did what any normal woman would do and I
burnt my whole life to theground.
So I moved from Melbourne and mypartner then and I separated.
I was 30 then.
And I had started working outwhat holding, like building,
(20:00):
holding space in the background.
And then I moved to my brother'sspare room in LA with his family
and just went through this wholeself-discovery period where I
sat with how can I help womenwho are sitting in similar
(20:20):
situations to what I am.
And I just refined it.
I think I did two events tobegin with.
And then from there, I reallytook the time to really finesse
what I wanted to create.
Every event started with ameditation or a breath work
before I went into the theorybecause I learned so much about
the subconscious and that youwant to only be able to receive
(20:42):
the information based on whereyour nervous system is in that
moment.
So I was integrating thisjourney.
The events became, you know,they were...
five hours long and it would benervous system reset, working
with the subconscious, givingthem modalities to help them
come into peace and to come intotheir parasympathetic nervous
system.
And so it was, yeah, it was areally, it became a focus about
(21:06):
almost like a half dayexperience because I knew that's
how you truly move the needle.
SPEAKER_00 (21:12):
So what made you want to create this space rather
than going to other people'sspaces?
Great
SPEAKER_01 (21:20):
question.
So for me, when I was attendingthese other events, I felt more
disconnected and uninspired thanwhen I'd walked in.
The women were sitting aroundtables with name tags.
We were staring at a stage forthree hours.
And then there was a coldbreakfast in front of us in a
(21:40):
dark boardroom.
And it was here to...
you know, inspire us to go withthe way forward and give us the
tools for change and connect uswith sisterhood and all these
things that I was getting likemarketed to.
And then I'd go there and I justwas like, is this a Ponzi
scheme?
Like what's going on?
I just, it just, it was reallyincongruent with what we were
(22:01):
being sold.
These event spaces would provideus.
And so, um, that was my mission.
I just couldn't believe thatthis was the only spaces that
were available for women.
And, you know, this was almostthree years ago.
So it's, the evolution has beenhuge and that has significantly
changed.
(22:23):
Have you ever attended?
Yeah.
SPEAKER_00 (22:24):
I love that you said that because like how I, how I
met you, maybe we haven't evenspoken to this.
So I, I, I, I'm big on personaldevelopment.
I literally, I just want to bethe best version of me ever.
And I know with that comespersonal growth, always stepping
outside my comfort zone and justlearning, absorbing and applying
(22:48):
as well.
And everything I learned, that'swhat then I...
teach others as part of mycoaching right and you popped up
somehow on Instagram and I waslike oh yeah this looks like a
great event I'm going to go toit and I came by myself I was
like you know what I'm verycomfortable in doing things by
myself because I feel like by meshowing up it makes me step
(23:10):
outside my comfort zone andactually meet new people.
and I came to your event lastyear and straight away you
greeted me and you gave me likethis massive big warm hug and
you were just like so warm andinviting which was incredible
and then the whole night wasvery intentional and what I mean
(23:32):
by that is like even with whenyou're Meeting people for the
first time, it can feel a littlebit awkward, like, hi, how are
you?
Like, you know, there's a littlebit of like shyness and there
were the connection cards.
So it opened up newconversations straight away
rather than talking about, youknow, how's your week been,
surface level conversations.
(23:53):
It opened it up to newconnections and deep connections
straight away, which you mightnot have had.
And then throughout the night,Thank you so much.
(24:23):
I think you had something therewhere it's like, hey, this is
who I am.
This is what I need.
And hey, this is who I am.
This is what I offer.
So again, it's creating adifferent style of connection
through that as well.
And that's what I really lovedabout your space.
And I've only, you know, out ofall the networking events I've
been to, I think that's the onethat has really stood out to me
(24:46):
from a connection perspective.
SPEAKER_01 (24:48):
I love that feedback.
It's so lovely to hear because,yeah, when you're, in it I when
I don't hear the takeaways orthe different experiences that
really hit home
SPEAKER_00 (24:57):
so you've created this like incredible space for
women to come so you can supportand guide them through whatever
it is that they need to to movethrough like how has this work
changed you on a personal levelat the same time and help you to
grow into the person that youare
SPEAKER_01 (25:17):
Such a beautiful question.
I have so much gratitude for thespaces that we create because
they are the catalyst for somuch of my own personal
development.
And I find that for me,particularly right now, it...
it requires so much from me.
(25:38):
I'm a one person band.
I have a tiny team and we'regrowing at a rate that can have
a lot of fear, a lot ofpressure, a lot of angst.
And especially after theseevents, there's so much
communication after thecommunity.
And so then it doesn't reallyend after the event.
And so for me, they can be theaftermath that requires so much
(25:59):
energy and focus when I can beburnt out.
So the tools for me are whatallow me to, get back into the
arena and to keep holding thespace whilst also protecting my
own.
And that looks like I try tofind the pockets of peace.
My breath, you know, workingwith hypnosis, having meditation
(26:21):
and taking those moments out inbetween the pressure cooker is
absolutely crucial and then tobe surrounding myself with so
many inspiring founders alsolearning through their journeys
allows me to have my ownguidance and my own mentoring
but out of everything it's themission and the purpose it's so
(26:44):
much bigger than me it's not forme and I feel such a
responsibility to give back tothese women and so it almost
dissolves those pressures orthat resistance because i just
know i have to move and this iswhat's needed and i feel of a
(27:05):
moral responsibility to keeppushing forward it's a blessing
and a curse
SPEAKER_00 (27:11):
it's it's such a great reflection because i feel
like when you're doing somethingthat you're passionate about and
you feel like you're giving backand it's purpose-led It's like
you get energy from that andyou're like, I can keep going
because I know the impact thatI'm creating and the ripple
effect that I'm creating at thesame time.
And it just gives you so muchmore drive to keep moving.
(27:37):
What is your greater mission?
What is it that you've got theevents and the day retreats and
multiple day retreats?
What is that end goal for youand what is that long-term
vision and mission that you'rewanting to create?
SPEAKER_01 (27:54):
It's big.
And it's really to have a placeof healing and hope and
inspiration and safety for theworld.
And so that looks like workingwith nature and having a
seven-day operation wheremothers can go there when
they're burnt out or seeking tobe surrounded by support or
receive the tools for their ownnutrition and their own mental
(28:16):
well-being and their ownphysical well-being.
And for founders to go there andto collaborate and to connect
and for people to understand thescience of their brain and how
their thoughts create theirreality and to learn about that
so they've got the tools toreally evolve and feel in
control of their own humanexistence.
And without knowledge, we don'tknow how.
(28:39):
And the biggest thing for me ishealing, knowledge, empowerment,
safety and community and to havea space that people can can come
to all year round depending onwhat their need is or the
problem that they're facing orwhat they're desiring that I can
facilitate that for them.
SPEAKER_00 (28:59):
So if I'm someone that's listening to this and
thinking I'm like everyone thatyou just mentioned like I'm
feeling burnt out and feelingstressed so like don't have I
don't know what my next step islike what's three tips that you
would give them that has helpedyou in the past as well?
SPEAKER_01 (29:18):
Beautiful.
For me, it has been goinginwards and peace and finding
that spaciousness because thathigh level of stress and
cortisol can come from, youknow, over rumination and
sitting in that space.
pressure that you're givingyourself as a response.
(29:39):
And so removing yourself fromthat environment, getting quiet,
going inwards, giving yourselfthe opportunity to self-regulate
and asking yourself thosequestions.
What do I need right now?
SPEAKER_03 (29:48):
What
SPEAKER_01 (29:50):
could make me happy?
Where am I self-sabotaging?
Where is the disconnect?
The answers are all within you.
And it's not in the podcast.
It's not in the biohack.
It's not in doing the self-helpinspirational conversation for a
minute.
It's internally and so thatwould be my first advice the
(30:12):
second would be find an expanderyou know find somebody who is
living doing whose mission orwork is something that you're
really inspired to have anddrawn to because that helps
illuminate the path forward foryou and you're able to see that
it's possible for them it'spossible for you And the third
(30:35):
thing would be surround yourselfwith like-minded people.
SPEAKER_00 (30:38):
Yeah, it's a big one, isn't it?
Huge
SPEAKER_01 (30:40):
one.
And, you know, connection iseverything.
We are hardwired to connect.
We are more disconnected fromself and disconnected from each
other.
SPEAKER_00 (30:49):
So are, aren't we?
Yeah.
And you really notice that,don't you?
Like when you're in this space,you just realise how many people
are disconnected from who theyare, what they want, and it's so
important.
Yeah.
SPEAKER_01 (31:01):
And that's exactly to the point of the first point,
which was to find the space.
It's that if you're constantlyconsuming and you're constantly
on the phone, you're constantly,your headphones are not like,
how are you going to receive thewisdom or the information or to
understand what you truly needfrom the inside?
And so that's where the spacecomes out.
It shouldn't be a luxuryanymore, but it is.
(31:23):
People are just sooverstimulated with information.
SPEAKER_00 (31:29):
Yeah.
UNKNOWN (31:30):
Yeah.
SPEAKER_00 (31:30):
really are and I think that the key part that you
mentioned there as well isaround nervous system regulation
and I know for me like whenbefore I started this work I
wouldn't have a clue what thateven meant because like it's so
normalized that stress andanxiety is just a part of life
where your nervous system isalways speaking to you and it's
creating that space to actuallylisten to it because it's giving
(31:53):
you a message so stress isn'tnormal.
Anxiety isn't normal.
Overwhelm isn't normal.
And when I say, yes, there arelevels that you need to have to
give you drive to do things,yes.
But if it's your everyday statusquo, in a sense, then no, like
you should be listening to thatand figuring out, okay, what's
(32:15):
the underlying root cause thereas well.
SPEAKER_01 (32:18):
It's so exactly.
We've got Anthea Todd coming onto the retreat next weekend and
she's doing a body systemdecoding and teaching us how our
body speaks to us and what thosemessages are.
And she's brilliant.
This is the work that we allneed to have in our schooling
system and our day-to-day lives.
(32:38):
And so, yeah, you're so right onthe importance of the nervous
system.
If anything, I would say it'snumber one.
And if you asked what I thinkmakes a successful entrepreneur
or mother or daughter or friend,it's somebody who's able to
self-regulate and to be able toregulate your emotions and to be
(32:59):
an observer.
is what brings you true peace inthis world.
SPEAKER_00 (33:05):
What's one of the best pieces of advice that
you've ever received?
Great question.
SPEAKER_01 (33:12):
You have the power to change.
You have the power to change anypart of your life.
Like you are the controller inso many of us.
feel as you know we're justconstantly reacting instead of
creating and I think helpingpeople to understand their
(33:35):
potential and that they canchange their circumstances and
their relationship to self ortheir inner critic or you know
their jobs or theirrelationships you you can change
that you have the power tochange that and so I think that
It's so simple, but it's somisunderstood.
SPEAKER_00 (33:55):
Oh, it's so powerful though, right?
It's like, okay, what's in mycontrol?
And do I have the ability tochange this?
And if I have the ability tochange it, I get to decide to
change it.
And then when I get to decide,it's like everything else kind
of appears at the same time.
And yes, you'll go throughmoments of self-doubt and all
(34:16):
the things that go through withchange, but it's like, okay,
what's on the other side ofthat?
And is it worth it?
in comparison to where I am now.
And so have that as yourdeciding factor at the same
time.
I
SPEAKER_01 (34:29):
love how you just articulated that because it's
also I'm no longer suffering.
I'm not the victim.
And that's what I think is soempowering to go out of, well,
this is just how it is.
No, it's
SPEAKER_00 (34:42):
not just how it is.
Do you know, one thing I hate iswhen people say that's just the
way they are and that's just theway it is.
And it...
I cringe at those two thingsbecause people aren't their
behaviours.
They're just doing the best thatthey can with the resources that
they have.
And so when people acceptpeople's behaviour because
(35:04):
that's just the way that theyare, it's a cop-out.
And every single person has theability to change who they are
if they want to.
SPEAKER_01 (35:13):
Their desire has to be there.
SPEAKER_00 (35:16):
Yeah.
You can change yourcircumstances and your situation
if you want to.
Yeah.
And so, yeah, like that'ssomething that, yeah, we all
have that same ability to createchange.
You just have to have that wantand that desire and to actually
do it.
SPEAKER_01 (35:34):
What are you desiring at the moment?
SPEAKER_00 (35:37):
So much.
Yeah.
I have a lot going on if I'mbeing completely honest in terms
of where I want the podcast.
So I really desire that and Idesire that because I love
conversations like this.
I love connecting with peopleand I get inspired by people
doing incredible things becauseagain, it's showing me what's
(35:57):
possible.
And that's one of the intentionsbehind the podcast as well is
that there's so many incrediblepeople doing incredible things.
And I want to share that messageas well.
Then also with the corporatecoaching is I really desire to
create change in the corporateworkspace because I come across
with so many entrepreneurs andbusiness minded people that
(36:18):
leave the corporate spacebecause they don't like that
environment and it's not a fitfor them yet.
if you have a look at the skillset that's required to be a
successful business person orentrepreneur, why not create a
space in corporate that supportsthat because they're awesome
skills to have and it will driveyour business even further.
But people leave because ofleaders, toxic workspaces that
(36:42):
you mentioned before where ifyou create change there, then
people are going to be happierin their workspace.
They will want to work harderfor you at the same time and
they'll want to work harder morewith with people in that
collaboration as well so Ireally desire to create the
change there as well and for mejust to be the best version of
me and I know that that probablysounds a little bit you know
(37:04):
like oh yeah everyone wants thatbut I just I'm always wanting to
lean into growth for myself andwhen I have conversations that I
don't believe they went asaccording to plan or something
came up or I'm a little bittriggered I lean into that at
the same time I'm like okaywhere's my growth there And so I
just desire that so much is justto have this purposeful and
(37:26):
fulfilled life and be surroundedwith people that I'm inspired to
be better and want to be betterwith as well.
SPEAKER_01 (37:32):
Yeah, Peter Crone says, you know, life will
present you with the people'scircumstances to help you
discover where you are not free.
And it's so powerful.
Yeah.
It really is.
Yeah, and that's curiosity.
I think that's a beautiful placeto be and that's somebody who
has a personal growth mindset.
That's the difference, Ibelieve, from somebody who's
(37:56):
stuck and somebody who leansinto it as a self-discovery and
curiosity.
SPEAKER_00 (38:01):
Curiosity is such a beautiful word, right?
How great would it be like weall meet each other in curiosity
and how much more freeing thatwould be And the different
levels of conversations that youwould have.
SPEAKER_01 (38:16):
Curiosity and compassion.
SPEAKER_00 (38:17):
There's
SPEAKER_01 (38:21):
more heart in this world.
That's the big thing is we'rereally becoming a more
head-focused environment and weneed to bring more heart into
it.
Yeah.
Get out of your head and intoyour heart.
Yeah, there's more...
There's more pieces ofinformation going up to our
brain than there is from ourbrain going to our heart, yet we
(38:43):
live in a world that, you know,asks us to shut down our heart
and think of our head.
So it's just...
Yeah.
There's an awakening happeningwhere it's more time to go
inwards and to stop living bysociety's way of, you know,
theory instead of
SPEAKER_00 (39:03):
intuition.
UNKNOWN (39:04):
Mm-hmm.
SPEAKER_00 (39:04):
And I think that comes back to your earlier point
as well.
It's creating the space foryourself to be in silence or
whatever that looks like foryou.
So then you actually are out ofyour head and into your body and
actually you're connecting toyour heart and what messages are
coming through for you at thatparticular time.
SPEAKER_01 (39:21):
Absolutely.
I
SPEAKER_00 (39:23):
love that.
I think when you start to becomemore self-aware and you start to
increase your consciousawareness, you notice...
it in other people at the sametime and you notice that there's
more of a shift.
And I believe youngergenerations are definitely
changing in comparison to whatit was like a couple of years
(39:43):
ago.
What's your thoughts on changeat the moment or the conscious
awakening or awareness that'shappening?
SPEAKER_01 (39:53):
It's a beautiful question.
I feel so passionate thatthere's a time where it's not
just about knowing It's aboutknowing how.
And it's a moment where we haveto have the right information
about ourself and what's bestfor our well-being and who we
are and what we need because wecan no longer rely on external
(40:19):
sources or figures to look afterour health care, our home life,
our bodies, what we'reconsuming, education system,
corporations.
Yeah.
And that is being displayed tous.
And so it's a moment where wehave to seek out to understand
(40:41):
what is best for self and equipourselves with the knowledge and
the resources so that we canhave our own autonomy.
And I think really it's aboutproviding spaces of light, of
hope, of joy, of inspiration.
And for me, that's needed morethan ever.
(41:03):
So
SPEAKER_00 (41:04):
how do you equip
SPEAKER_01 (41:05):
yourself with those tools and resources?
For me, a big one of that hasbeen understanding about the
brain and my nervous system andhow to self-regulate and
understanding, you know,patterns and behaviors that were
maladaptive, you know,protective mechanisms when I was
younger.
And if I want to change, it'sdoing...
(41:26):
understanding safely how to gothere and to, you know, dissolve
the memory and then have it aswisdom and then to be able to
show up as my best self.
And for me with nutrition andwhat does my body need and
looking at motherhood, okay, ifI want to keep working and
creating, holding space and stepinto motherhood, well, this is
actually what's available to meto support that.
(41:49):
How am I going to operate abusiness and be a mother?
What does that look like?
What is currently on offer formothers and who are
entrepreneurs?
Oh, my God, that is a wholepurpose-led mission for me,
100%.
So a lot of that has been whatcan I do to become the best
(42:10):
person for myself and what can Ido to allow these resources and
this knowledge to help equipother women to– be creators and
in control of their life and notto be influenced or to be in
fear and reliant on externalparties.
SPEAKER_00 (42:33):
So great that you said all of that and I feel like
it comes back to the curiositypiece, right?
Just get curious with everythingthat happens in your life and
what's one way of doingsomething that might have worked
in the past and might not be thebest way for you now.
And it's okay to get curiouswith that and lean into that as
well and ask questions.
SPEAKER_01 (42:54):
What's been the modality that's helped you so
much through your currentevolution?
SPEAKER_00 (42:59):
The biggest one for me is breath work and breathing.
Mindset, 100%.
And I mean, that's what mybusiness is surrounded by as
well.
I have done like lots ofdifferent modalities because
like I'm super intrigued by themind, the body, how it all works
as well.
(43:20):
And yeah.
you know, I lean into whateveris coming up at the same time or
whatever's around me, but ahundred percent, the biggest
transformations I've experiencedin my own growth would be coming
from breath work and alsomindset.
So through NLP, they're thebiggest things for me.
And
SPEAKER_01 (43:37):
what is a block that you're currently trying to work
through?
SPEAKER_00 (43:40):
The biggest thing for me, and I did a solo episode
of my podcast about thisyesterday.
It's like I know that I'm on theright path and in the right
direction.
And I still have this sense ofI'm holding myself back still.
Like I still fully haven'tstepped into it.
And so for me, it's like, okay,I need to...
have a voice and what does thatlook like that's what I'm still
(44:04):
working through at the momentand it's I've always been a
quiet achiever I've always justlike done things in the
background and like okay coolI'm gonna go do this now and for
me now it's actually abouthaving that voice and sharing
that as well because how manypeople are we're in the same
position or are in the sameposition and actually can learn
(44:24):
through my experience as welland so that's the biggest thing
for me and yeah
SPEAKER_01 (44:29):
What's one thing that's like the greatest advice
that you've ever received?
SPEAKER_00 (44:32):
It comes back to, I think, change as well.
Like it's in our, like, as yousaid, that's such a big thing is
that there's nothing permanentin this world and you can always
change whatever your situation,your circumstance, the people
around you, you, there's alwaysability to change.
(44:53):
You just want to, but I have towant to.
Yeah, that's the biggest piece.
I feel like we've gone down somany different paths with the
podcast and the questions aswell.
So I appreciate, I feel like wecould talk for a very long time
on different things.
I appreciate you really takingthe time and coming in today and
sharing your passion so much.
And I know after coming to oneof your spaces and also seeing
(45:18):
the success that you had overthe weekend that I'm excited to
come to something again of yoursas well and excited that There's
people like yourself that areactually creating this space,
beautiful spaces for women tocome to as well.
So I'm super excited where itall leads.
Thank you.
SPEAKER_01 (45:35):
That was such an authentic and just generous
compliment.
And for you too, you're walkingthrough the fire.
And, you know, you're doing thisto help others through using
your voice and your own livedexperience.
And this is the ripple effect ofpositive change.
Yeah.
And so I just want to honouryou.
And this was beautiful.
Thank you for everything thatyou're doing.
SPEAKER_00 (45:57):
Thank you.
Yay, I'm excited.
Welcome to this week's episode of Conversations
(00:02):
That Count.
I'm super excited to be joinedwith Grace here today from
Holding Space with Grace.
So welcome.
SPEAKER_01 (00:10):
Thank you for having me.
Long time coming.
SPEAKER_00 (00:13):
Yes, I'm so excited about where this conversation is
going and yeah, what will comeup and all of like the juiciness
of the conversation as well.
So firstly, like you held anevent over...
the weekend.
So maybe we start there.
So talk through Holding Spacewith Grace and what the event
(00:36):
that you held in Brisbane,because it looked incredible of
what you achieved.
So well done as well with it.
SPEAKER_01 (00:43):
Oh, thank you.
It was definitely one of ourmost unforgettable, deep,
expansive events that we've heldto date and there was 75 women
who came together and we madethe event all around self-love
and reconnecting to self.
We guided each of the womenthrough hypnotherapy,
(01:06):
understanding the subconsciousand the brain, through to guided
meditation, breath work, soundhealing, and then wrapped it up
with really an identity coachingsession in circle at the end of
the night.
So yeah, It was an experiencethat just went deeper and deeper
and deeper.
And to just see these womenunlock, connect and have this
(01:32):
time for themselves was a corememory in the holding space
journey.
SPEAKER_00 (01:37):
So what was your key takeaway from that particular
day and the transformation thatthese women experienced as well?
Beautiful question.
So...
SPEAKER_01 (01:50):
For me, the biggest takeaway would have been that
the modern world doesn't providethese spaces for women to
connect to self, to pause, toreflect and to shift.
I truly could just see everysingle one of them walking
through that door, how much theyneeded this and to be able to be
(02:15):
of service and to provide thisspace for them and to sit in
circle at the end of the nightand hear their words of release,
of feeling so seen, sosupported, so connected.
And to have them leaving in acompletely different state from
when they walked through, itjust gave me such confidence in
(02:40):
the work that we're doing.
SPEAKER_00 (02:41):
It's so beautiful.
And we spoke briefly about likebeforehand about the experience
as well is because you can go toevents like this and it's so
information heavy yet you don'twant to think about it you just
want to go there and have anexperience and to let go and not
necessarily say words as wellyou just want to be like I'm
(03:04):
here let's breathe or I'm herelet's you can let's go through
the hypnotherapy or likewhatever it might be um yeah
it's such a different experienceso what led you to more the
experience based because you doboth too don't you yeah
SPEAKER_01 (03:20):
the not only having the women to be reconnected to
self but to also be resourced.
I think there's a lot of reallyinspirational events or aha
moments that you can get, butfor me it's I want them to come
and to not only experience theknowledge and have an embodiment
(03:42):
of the knowledge, but then toalso leave with their own
toolkit to then take alignedaction once the event is over
because that's how you can trulyhelp these women and to really
shift their reality.
And so that's a really key part.
because we only retain 5% of theknowledge when we're listening
(04:03):
to a podcast or a book unless wewrite it down and then we
remember it.
But when you have somebody in aspace where they're learning and
applying that in community,where they're having an
emotional response to theinformation, applying it in real
time and then sharing it withtheir neighbour, that's how you
really embody it.
And for me, we don't have...
(04:26):
unlimited time and if I want toprovide the greatest value and
to really help people to shifttheir realities then I believe
this is the way that you do it
SPEAKER_00 (04:36):
yeah absolutely what's your you said
reconnection to self what doesthat mean to you and what does
that mean
SPEAKER_01 (04:43):
reconnection to self it's we are living in one of the
fast fastest moving noisy overstimulated worlds and women
don't have that time to pause togo inwards to connect with their
(05:04):
intuition to understand what'son their heart what do they want
and what do they need and thatpause and that reflection and
that relationship with self isyour north star and I think
there's a lot of people in thisworld that are struggling to
know what direction to go in howthey're lacking confidence
(05:26):
they're lacking in self-worthand they're feeling a lot of
fear and that is because there'sa disconnect to self and so a
big part of my mission is tobring them home and to help them
remember their innate power andto give them the tools and the
resources and to give them thecommunity that helps them be
mirrors of themselves and youknow Show me your friends, I'll
(05:50):
show you your future.
These spaces are filled withhundreds of women who are so
dedicated to self-inquiry and tomaking positive change in their
lives and to supporting oneanother.
And you just see that in thecommunity.
It's beyond just...
there is that connection to selfbut then there's the women who
(06:10):
have your back who help youintegrate the knowledge after
and you know we're so isolatedand so that this whole the
experience is really talking tothe whole self and so the
community have a huge part inthat as well so it's it's an
environment that is really rareto find and I feel just deeply
(06:33):
responsible to provide thesespaces for the modern woman.
SPEAKER_00 (06:37):
And you're creating it as well, right?
And I think spaces like this isso important because as women,
it's ingrained in us at such ayoung age that we can be and do
it all.
And so we go through life andthinking, okay, we have to do it
alone at the same time.
(06:58):
And Spaces like this is anopportunity for then women to
come and actually be supported.
by other women and to let go ofwhatever is coming up.
They might not even know.
They're like, fuck, something'sgot to change here.
I need to do something.
What is that something?
And then, you know, find spaceslike what you've created and
(07:20):
then like, okay, I'm just goingto go along to here.
What's this?
And then they connect on acompletely different level with
yourself or the other people inthe room as well.
And then there's that bond.
And then they're like, yeah,there is something more here for
me.
And how do I get more of that?
out of me at the same time.
SPEAKER_01 (07:35):
You are so correct.
And that for me is the modernwoman and the role of her in the
family dynamic has changedastronomically.
And society hasn't met thatmodern woman.
And so what was once a full-timerole of looking after the
(07:56):
children and the house, whichmade perfect sense if you now
see that women are working tohave a, there has to be a dual
income in the household.
So all of these responsibilitiesand this pressure have now been
put onto the modern woman.
And not only that, we're livingin an overstimulated environment
where a modern woman is, herstress levels triple what they
(08:21):
were 100 years ago.
And as a result of that, she issitting in a state of fight or
flight regularly.
And then we haven't adapted toproviding the tools, the
resources and the support thatthe woman needs.
And so that's what you talkedabout is the conditioning.
(08:42):
Yes, there's the conditioningand feeling alone, but this
woman now has got triple therole in the family dynamic.
And unlike the male dynamic,there hasn't been an evolution
like there has been for themodern woman.
And so it's really important Ijust look at it for mothers
(09:04):
especially, how isolated theyfeel.
traditionally our primal natureis that we grew in community now
we looked after each other'schildren we would you know all
do healing and helping andco-regulate each other's nervous
systems and we would releaseoxytocin when we were in
(09:25):
community and now you've got themodern woman more isolated more
under pressure than ever beforeand we've taken away the tribe
and we've taken away the supportsystem and then we wonder why
she's crying in her car whenShe's going home after getting
the groceries because she's justso overwhelmed.
But she should do better.
It's on her.
It's too much pressure.
(09:48):
We need to do something.
Yeah,
SPEAKER_00 (09:51):
it's very much in a doing mentality, right?
And I've been guilty of this inthe past at the same time.
It's like, okay, I wake up atthis time.
I go here.
I do this.
I do this.
Tick, tick, tick, tick, tick.
And then as women, we forgetthat there's also the being,
right?
And it's when you are being,that's when you tap into your
intuition.
That's when you, you know,listen to whatever is happening
(10:14):
for you at the moment, whetherthat's that internal dialogue or
you know that you need to changeand you're like, okay, well, how
do I change?
How do I move?
And it's creating that space andthat silence for you to actually
get the answers as well.
And when you're doingconstantly, yes, yes, yes, like
I've got to go here and thatexternal pressure that you just
mentioned, it doesn't allowspace for that at all.
So silence.
(10:35):
when you have dedicated time,like as you said, over the
weekend, you can just go and be,I don't have to do anything.
I can just rock up and you'retaking care of me.
Absolutely.
Which is great.
SPEAKER_01 (10:48):
Yeah.
And, you know, I asked that foryou, you, you've left a male
dominated industry and now goneon your own as a female
entrepreneur.
And I'm sure there's, you know,been such an identity shift in
going through that.
And then also there is thereality of, okay, so I've, left
this to go after my dreams.
But if you aren't doing thepodcast or you aren't around the
(11:10):
expanders or the mentors, it canbe extremely isolating.
SPEAKER_00 (11:13):
Yeah.
SPEAKER_01 (11:14):
And I just would like you to speak to, you know,
as a, as probably, you know,someone who attends the events
and who is someone that we wouldwork with to welcome in.
How have you navigated this newlandscape?
SPEAKER_00 (11:30):
It's a really great question and a big question at
the same time.
And, you know, I think it's justfeeling everything and then just
still moving and leaning intothe discomfort of it all and I
was so ingrained in living aparticular way and you know as I
(11:51):
said like I was doing the ticktick tick if you know the career
the the house the part like allof that stuff where you you grow
up thinking that that's howyou're going to live life and I
remember you know in my early30s going, what is this?
This is not for me at all.
And it's taken me a long time toactually go to places like yours
(12:16):
and others and just start tofigure out like what is that and
you peel back the layers and youstart to listen to that internal
voice to go do you know whatthis path isn't for me and it
took me a while to actuallyleave the corporate um space for
other reasons at the same timeand now navigating all that it's
just yeah as you said likesurround yourself with people um
(12:39):
that are on the same path as youand there's so many different
paths and it's just trying tofind the people that inspire you
and are one step in front of youand you learn from each other
and you've got that supportnetwork as well because when
you're going through change, thebiggest thing for you is
environment and the people thatare around you and if you don't
(13:01):
have that support network setup, then you'll have people, I
want to say hold you back andthat's not the right words but
do you know what I mean?
Environment plays such a bigpart so if you want something
different, start puttingyourself in different
environments.
Can I get you on the promo?
SPEAKER_01 (13:20):
I'm like, that is literally so perfect for Julie.
We
SPEAKER_00 (13:27):
can cut that
SPEAKER_01 (13:27):
part for you if you like.
UNKNOWN (13:29):
Okay, good.
SPEAKER_01 (13:30):
I like that.
Yeah.
It just is, it's...
environments are everything andwho you surround yourself with
and you're the median of thefive people and I just want to
honour you for being bravebecause what happens and keeps
so many people in fear is thatthere's no one around them
showing them the light forwardand there's no one around them
(13:53):
rallying or giving them evidencethat if they keep going that
this is possible and you have toseek that out and then the path
becomes illuminated and itdoesn't need to be as hard when
you put yourself in silo to tryand make these shifts.
And so that's the power ofcommunity and the power of what
(14:15):
we're creating here.
And it's so beautiful to hearhow you knew that early on.
You put yourself in the roomsand you may have stayed there
put you know held back onleaving corporate but you were
putting yourself in the roomsbefore you left which gave you
the inspiration to do
SPEAKER_00 (14:33):
so.
Exactly right and it's actuallywhat's inspired me to create
change is because I have been inthat environment for such a long
time and I've seen how it is andespecially being in a male
dominant environment for afemale as well that there are
certain challenges and I don'tbelieve that you know leaders or
necessarily team or companiesreally support that that well
(14:56):
and I it's, as I said, like, I'mlike, there's, there's something
missing here.
And I started going externally.
Then I was like, okay, there's agap there.
And that's, what's prompted meto actually create the corporate
company, um, as well to go backinto corporate, to create change
that way as well.
SPEAKER_01 (15:12):
You add love with this concept and something that
I'm so passionate about becausethat's why holding space was
created.
I was four, you know, four yearsin property, male dominant
industry.
And I was, was seeking theresources and the answers and
support because I knew thatsomething wasn't right and that
this couldn't be it and itdidn't exist and I thought if
(15:32):
there's if I'm sitting herebroken trying to figure this out
on my own how many other womenare sitting there in the same
position seeking exactly whatI'm seeking and yeah if I didn't
have that you know on my kneesmoment then I wouldn't be here
today because it was it was whatignited the fire.
SPEAKER_00 (15:52):
So what was that moment for you?
So like for, yeah, what was thatmoment that you got to a point
you're like, do you know what,something needs to change?
SPEAKER_01 (16:02):
I was in property and was following what I thought
success was.
It was the exact similar storyto you.
Had a great partner, living inMelbourne, in property,
successful, growing really highin my life.
real estate career and it was Iremember sitting around a table
(16:25):
and it was our weekly forecastswhere we share you know what our
projections are for the monthand that month I'd been
mentoring I had worked withseveral you know family
businesses to help them findtheir own leases and had been
going on above and beyond withreally passion purpose-led work
(16:46):
outside of um my role and Iremember the table and it was
okay so say your name and whatyour revenue is that you're
forecasting for the month and itjust dawned on me that you know
our value as a person at thatcompany only came down to a
figure and then when I lookedbehind the people who were
(17:08):
bringing in the most revenue orwhat I was aspiring to have
there was many facets of theirlife that were was sacrificed,
health, relationships,spirituality, you know,
leadership, philanthropy work.
Like it was, there was all ofthose things weren't a value and
they were a value of mine.
And then something really toxichappened to me in that work
(17:32):
environment.
And that was the moment where Isaid, what am I doing with my
life?
Why am I giving thisorganization, you know, my heart
and soul when I'm just a number?
And when it comes down to it,they're not going to protect me
or you know treat me like ahuman so that was the start of
(17:53):
the catalyst yeah yeah and it itwas also for me whilst I was in
that toxic environment I wasseeking out these community
events and you know women inleadership and business seminars
because I thought okay I'mstruggling here where do I go to
and that was when I wasattending them and leaving
(18:15):
feeling more isolated lackingthe knowledge or the tools or
the real conversations and sothe myriad came together at this
you know apex when I had thisyou know unfortunate situation
happen where I just walked outwith I was a woman on a mission
SPEAKER_00 (18:34):
sometimes it's like yeah that wake-up call isn't it
to say do you know what thisisn't for me I want something
different and then it's likeokay this is where I feel like
sometimes it's hard it's like Iknow that there's something
different I want somethingdifferent what is that because
you don't know anything elsethan that environment that you
were in as well
SPEAKER_01 (18:51):
yeah we're best positioned to serve our younger
self and oh my goodness Youknow, this was what I wish I had
in my 20s to go to this spacewhere there was inspiring
thought leaders giving me realworld knowledge, helping me make
decisions based on what's bestfor me and who I am and the
(19:14):
tools and community.
I just think what a gift to beable to have that earlier on
than, you know, to have to beconditioned by society on, what
success looks like, what our jobshould be, like our schooling
system.
It's so outdated.
SPEAKER_00 (19:31):
What was your journey from that point to now
creating Holding Space withGrace?
SPEAKER_01 (19:39):
Well, I did what any normal woman would do and I
burnt my whole life to theground.
So I moved from Melbourne and mypartner then and I separated.
I was 30 then.
And I had started working outwhat holding, like building,
(20:00):
holding space in the background.
And then I moved to my brother'sspare room in LA with his family
and just went through this wholeself-discovery period where I
sat with how can I help womenwho are sitting in similar
(20:20):
situations to what I am.
And I just refined it.
I think I did two events tobegin with.
And then from there, I reallytook the time to really finesse
what I wanted to create.
Every event started with ameditation or a breath work
before I went into the theorybecause I learned so much about
the subconscious and that youwant to only be able to receive
(20:42):
the information based on whereyour nervous system is in that
moment.
So I was integrating thisjourney.
The events became, you know,they were...
five hours long and it would benervous system reset, working
with the subconscious, givingthem modalities to help them
come into peace and to come intotheir parasympathetic nervous
system.
And so it was, yeah, it was areally, it became a focus about
(21:06):
almost like a half dayexperience because I knew that's
how you truly move the needle.
SPEAKER_00 (21:12):
So what made you want to create this space rather
than going to other people'sspaces?
Great
SPEAKER_01 (21:20):
question.
So for me, when I was attendingthese other events, I felt more
disconnected and uninspired thanwhen I'd walked in.
The women were sitting aroundtables with name tags.
We were staring at a stage forthree hours.
And then there was a coldbreakfast in front of us in a
(21:40):
dark boardroom.
And it was here to...
you know, inspire us to go withthe way forward and give us the
tools for change and connect uswith sisterhood and all these
things that I was getting likemarketed to.
And then I'd go there and I justwas like, is this a Ponzi
scheme?
Like what's going on?
I just, it just, it was reallyincongruent with what we were
(22:01):
being sold.
These event spaces would provideus.
And so, um, that was my mission.
I just couldn't believe thatthis was the only spaces that
were available for women.
And, you know, this was almostthree years ago.
So it's, the evolution has beenhuge and that has significantly
changed.
(22:23):
Have you ever attended?
Yeah.
SPEAKER_00 (22:24):
I love that you said that because like how I, how I
met you, maybe we haven't evenspoken to this.
So I, I, I, I'm big on personaldevelopment.
I literally, I just want to bethe best version of me ever.
And I know with that comespersonal growth, always stepping
outside my comfort zone and justlearning, absorbing and applying
(22:48):
as well.
And everything I learned, that'swhat then I...
teach others as part of mycoaching right and you popped up
somehow on Instagram and I waslike oh yeah this looks like a
great event I'm going to go toit and I came by myself I was
like you know what I'm verycomfortable in doing things by
myself because I feel like by meshowing up it makes me step
(23:10):
outside my comfort zone andactually meet new people.
and I came to your event lastyear and straight away you
greeted me and you gave me likethis massive big warm hug and
you were just like so warm andinviting which was incredible
and then the whole night wasvery intentional and what I mean
(23:32):
by that is like even with whenyou're Meeting people for the
first time, it can feel a littlebit awkward, like, hi, how are
you?
Like, you know, there's a littlebit of like shyness and there
were the connection cards.
So it opened up newconversations straight away
rather than talking about, youknow, how's your week been,
surface level conversations.
(23:53):
It opened it up to newconnections and deep connections
straight away, which you mightnot have had.
And then throughout the night,Thank you so much.
(24:23):
I think you had something therewhere it's like, hey, this is
who I am.
This is what I need.
And hey, this is who I am.
This is what I offer.
So again, it's creating adifferent style of connection
through that as well.
And that's what I really lovedabout your space.
And I've only, you know, out ofall the networking events I've
been to, I think that's the onethat has really stood out to me
(24:46):
from a connection perspective.
SPEAKER_01 (24:48):
I love that feedback.
It's so lovely to hear because,yeah, when you're, in it I when
I don't hear the takeaways orthe different experiences that
really hit home
SPEAKER_00 (24:57):
so you've created this like incredible space for
women to come so you can supportand guide them through whatever
it is that they need to to movethrough like how has this work
changed you on a personal levelat the same time and help you to
grow into the person that youare
SPEAKER_01 (25:17):
Such a beautiful question.
I have so much gratitude for thespaces that we create because
they are the catalyst for somuch of my own personal
development.
And I find that for me,particularly right now, it...
it requires so much from me.
(25:38):
I'm a one person band.
I have a tiny team and we'regrowing at a rate that can have
a lot of fear, a lot ofpressure, a lot of angst.
And especially after theseevents, there's so much
communication after thecommunity.
And so then it doesn't reallyend after the event.
And so for me, they can be theaftermath that requires so much
(25:59):
energy and focus when I can beburnt out.
So the tools for me are whatallow me to, get back into the
arena and to keep holding thespace whilst also protecting my
own.
And that looks like I try tofind the pockets of peace.
My breath, you know, workingwith hypnosis, having meditation
(26:21):
and taking those moments out inbetween the pressure cooker is
absolutely crucial and then tobe surrounding myself with so
many inspiring founders alsolearning through their journeys
allows me to have my ownguidance and my own mentoring
but out of everything it's themission and the purpose it's so
(26:44):
much bigger than me it's not forme and I feel such a
responsibility to give back tothese women and so it almost
dissolves those pressures orthat resistance because i just
know i have to move and this iswhat's needed and i feel of a
(27:05):
moral responsibility to keeppushing forward it's a blessing
and a curse
SPEAKER_00 (27:11):
it's it's such a great reflection because i feel
like when you're doing somethingthat you're passionate about and
you feel like you're giving backand it's purpose-led It's like
you get energy from that andyou're like, I can keep going
because I know the impact thatI'm creating and the ripple
effect that I'm creating at thesame time.
And it just gives you so muchmore drive to keep moving.
(27:37):
What is your greater mission?
What is it that you've got theevents and the day retreats and
multiple day retreats?
What is that end goal for youand what is that long-term
vision and mission that you'rewanting to create?
SPEAKER_01 (27:54):
It's big.
And it's really to have a placeof healing and hope and
inspiration and safety for theworld.
And so that looks like workingwith nature and having a
seven-day operation wheremothers can go there when
they're burnt out or seeking tobe surrounded by support or
receive the tools for their ownnutrition and their own mental
(28:16):
well-being and their ownphysical well-being.
And for founders to go there andto collaborate and to connect
and for people to understand thescience of their brain and how
their thoughts create theirreality and to learn about that
so they've got the tools toreally evolve and feel in
control of their own humanexistence.
And without knowledge, we don'tknow how.
(28:39):
And the biggest thing for me ishealing, knowledge, empowerment,
safety and community and to havea space that people can can come
to all year round depending onwhat their need is or the
problem that they're facing orwhat they're desiring that I can
facilitate that for them.
SPEAKER_00 (28:59):
So if I'm someone that's listening to this and
thinking I'm like everyone thatyou just mentioned like I'm
feeling burnt out and feelingstressed so like don't have I
don't know what my next step islike what's three tips that you
would give them that has helpedyou in the past as well?
SPEAKER_01 (29:18):
Beautiful.
For me, it has been goinginwards and peace and finding
that spaciousness because thathigh level of stress and
cortisol can come from, youknow, over rumination and
sitting in that space.
pressure that you're givingyourself as a response.
(29:39):
And so removing yourself fromthat environment, getting quiet,
going inwards, giving yourselfthe opportunity to self-regulate
and asking yourself thosequestions.
What do I need right now?
SPEAKER_03 (29:48):
What
SPEAKER_01 (29:50):
could make me happy?
Where am I self-sabotaging?
Where is the disconnect?
The answers are all within you.
And it's not in the podcast.
It's not in the biohack.
It's not in doing the self-helpinspirational conversation for a
minute.
It's internally and so thatwould be my first advice the
(30:12):
second would be find an expanderyou know find somebody who is
living doing whose mission orwork is something that you're
really inspired to have anddrawn to because that helps
illuminate the path forward foryou and you're able to see that
it's possible for them it'spossible for you And the third
(30:35):
thing would be surround yourselfwith like-minded people.
SPEAKER_00 (30:38):
Yeah, it's a big one, isn't it?
Huge
SPEAKER_01 (30:40):
one.
And, you know, connection iseverything.
We are hardwired to connect.
We are more disconnected fromself and disconnected from each
other.
SPEAKER_00 (30:49):
So are, aren't we?
Yeah.
And you really notice that,don't you?
Like when you're in this space,you just realise how many people
are disconnected from who theyare, what they want, and it's so
important.
Yeah.
SPEAKER_01 (31:01):
And that's exactly to the point of the first point,
which was to find the space.
It's that if you're constantlyconsuming and you're constantly
on the phone, you're constantly,your headphones are not like,
how are you going to receive thewisdom or the information or to
understand what you truly needfrom the inside?
And so that's where the spacecomes out.
It shouldn't be a luxuryanymore, but it is.
(31:23):
People are just sooverstimulated with information.
SPEAKER_00 (31:29):
Yeah.
UNKNOWN (31:30):
Yeah.
SPEAKER_00 (31:30):
really are and I think that the key part that you
mentioned there as well isaround nervous system regulation
and I know for me like whenbefore I started this work I
wouldn't have a clue what thateven meant because like it's so
normalized that stress andanxiety is just a part of life
where your nervous system isalways speaking to you and it's
creating that space to actuallylisten to it because it's giving
(31:53):
you a message so stress isn'tnormal.
Anxiety isn't normal.
Overwhelm isn't normal.
And when I say, yes, there arelevels that you need to have to
give you drive to do things,yes.
But if it's your everyday statusquo, in a sense, then no, like
you should be listening to thatand figuring out, okay, what's
(32:15):
the underlying root cause thereas well.
SPEAKER_01 (32:18):
It's so exactly.
We've got Anthea Todd coming onto the retreat next weekend and
she's doing a body systemdecoding and teaching us how our
body speaks to us and what thosemessages are.
And she's brilliant.
This is the work that we allneed to have in our schooling
system and our day-to-day lives.
(32:38):
And so, yeah, you're so right onthe importance of the nervous
system.
If anything, I would say it'snumber one.
And if you asked what I thinkmakes a successful entrepreneur
or mother or daughter or friend,it's somebody who's able to
self-regulate and to be able toregulate your emotions and to be
(32:59):
an observer.
is what brings you true peace inthis world.
SPEAKER_00 (33:05):
What's one of the best pieces of advice that
you've ever received?
Great question.
SPEAKER_01 (33:12):
You have the power to change.
You have the power to change anypart of your life.
Like you are the controller inso many of us.
feel as you know we're justconstantly reacting instead of
creating and I think helpingpeople to understand their
(33:35):
potential and that they canchange their circumstances and
their relationship to self ortheir inner critic or you know
their jobs or theirrelationships you you can change
that you have the power tochange that and so I think that
It's so simple, but it's somisunderstood.
SPEAKER_00 (33:55):
Oh, it's so powerful though, right?
It's like, okay, what's in mycontrol?
And do I have the ability tochange this?
And if I have the ability tochange it, I get to decide to
change it.
And then when I get to decide,it's like everything else kind
of appears at the same time.
And yes, you'll go throughmoments of self-doubt and all
(34:16):
the things that go through withchange, but it's like, okay,
what's on the other side ofthat?
And is it worth it?
in comparison to where I am now.
And so have that as yourdeciding factor at the same
time.
I
SPEAKER_01 (34:29):
love how you just articulated that because it's
also I'm no longer suffering.
I'm not the victim.
And that's what I think is soempowering to go out of, well,
this is just how it is.
No, it's
SPEAKER_00 (34:42):
not just how it is.
Do you know, one thing I hate iswhen people say that's just the
way they are and that's just theway it is.
And it...
I cringe at those two thingsbecause people aren't their
behaviours.
They're just doing the best thatthey can with the resources that
they have.
And so when people acceptpeople's behaviour because
(35:04):
that's just the way that theyare, it's a cop-out.
And every single person has theability to change who they are
if they want to.
SPEAKER_01 (35:13):
Their desire has to be there.
SPEAKER_00 (35:16):
Yeah.
You can change yourcircumstances and your situation
if you want to.
Yeah.
And so, yeah, like that'ssomething that, yeah, we all
have that same ability to createchange.
You just have to have that wantand that desire and to actually
do it.
SPEAKER_01 (35:34):
What are you desiring at the moment?
SPEAKER_00 (35:37):
So much.
Yeah.
I have a lot going on if I'mbeing completely honest in terms
of where I want the podcast.
So I really desire that and Idesire that because I love
conversations like this.
I love connecting with peopleand I get inspired by people
doing incredible things becauseagain, it's showing me what's
(35:57):
possible.
And that's one of the intentionsbehind the podcast as well is
that there's so many incrediblepeople doing incredible things.
And I want to share that messageas well.
Then also with the corporatecoaching is I really desire to
create change in the corporateworkspace because I come across
with so many entrepreneurs andbusiness minded people that
(36:18):
leave the corporate spacebecause they don't like that
environment and it's not a fitfor them yet.
if you have a look at the skillset that's required to be a
successful business person orentrepreneur, why not create a
space in corporate that supportsthat because they're awesome
skills to have and it will driveyour business even further.
But people leave because ofleaders, toxic workspaces that
(36:42):
you mentioned before where ifyou create change there, then
people are going to be happierin their workspace.
They will want to work harderfor you at the same time and
they'll want to work harder morewith with people in that
collaboration as well so Ireally desire to create the
change there as well and for mejust to be the best version of
me and I know that that probablysounds a little bit you know
(37:04):
like oh yeah everyone wants thatbut I just I'm always wanting to
lean into growth for myself andwhen I have conversations that I
don't believe they went asaccording to plan or something
came up or I'm a little bittriggered I lean into that at
the same time I'm like okaywhere's my growth there And so I
just desire that so much is justto have this purposeful and
(37:26):
fulfilled life and be surroundedwith people that I'm inspired to
be better and want to be betterwith as well.
SPEAKER_01 (37:32):
Yeah, Peter Crone says, you know, life will
present you with the people'scircumstances to help you
discover where you are not free.
And it's so powerful.
Yeah.
It really is.
Yeah, and that's curiosity.
I think that's a beautiful placeto be and that's somebody who
has a personal growth mindset.
That's the difference, Ibelieve, from somebody who's
(37:56):
stuck and somebody who leansinto it as a self-discovery and
curiosity.
SPEAKER_00 (38:01):
Curiosity is such a beautiful word, right?
How great would it be like weall meet each other in curiosity
and how much more freeing thatwould be And the different
levels of conversations that youwould have.
SPEAKER_01 (38:16):
Curiosity and compassion.
SPEAKER_00 (38:17):
There's
SPEAKER_01 (38:21):
more heart in this world.
That's the big thing is we'rereally becoming a more
head-focused environment and weneed to bring more heart into
it.
Yeah.
Get out of your head and intoyour heart.
Yeah, there's more...
There's more pieces ofinformation going up to our
brain than there is from ourbrain going to our heart, yet we
(38:43):
live in a world that, you know,asks us to shut down our heart
and think of our head.
So it's just...
Yeah.
There's an awakening happeningwhere it's more time to go
inwards and to stop living bysociety's way of, you know,
theory instead of
SPEAKER_00 (39:03):
intuition.
UNKNOWN (39:04):
Mm-hmm.
SPEAKER_00 (39:04):
And I think that comes back to your earlier point
as well.
It's creating the space foryourself to be in silence or
whatever that looks like foryou.
So then you actually are out ofyour head and into your body and
actually you're connecting toyour heart and what messages are
coming through for you at thatparticular time.
SPEAKER_01 (39:21):
Absolutely.
I
SPEAKER_00 (39:23):
love that.
I think when you start to becomemore self-aware and you start to
increase your consciousawareness, you notice...
it in other people at the sametime and you notice that there's
more of a shift.
And I believe youngergenerations are definitely
changing in comparison to whatit was like a couple of years
(39:43):
ago.
What's your thoughts on changeat the moment or the conscious
awakening or awareness that'shappening?
SPEAKER_01 (39:53):
It's a beautiful question.
I feel so passionate thatthere's a time where it's not
just about knowing It's aboutknowing how.
And it's a moment where we haveto have the right information
about ourself and what's bestfor our well-being and who we
are and what we need because wecan no longer rely on external
(40:19):
sources or figures to look afterour health care, our home life,
our bodies, what we'reconsuming, education system,
corporations.
Yeah.
And that is being displayed tous.
And so it's a moment where wehave to seek out to understand
(40:41):
what is best for self and equipourselves with the knowledge and
the resources so that we canhave our own autonomy.
And I think really it's aboutproviding spaces of light, of
hope, of joy, of inspiration.
And for me, that's needed morethan ever.
(41:03):
So
SPEAKER_00 (41:04):
how do you equip
SPEAKER_01 (41:05):
yourself with those tools and resources?
For me, a big one of that hasbeen understanding about the
brain and my nervous system andhow to self-regulate and
understanding, you know,patterns and behaviors that were
maladaptive, you know,protective mechanisms when I was
younger.
And if I want to change, it'sdoing...
(41:26):
understanding safely how to gothere and to, you know, dissolve
the memory and then have it aswisdom and then to be able to
show up as my best self.
And for me with nutrition andwhat does my body need and
looking at motherhood, okay, ifI want to keep working and
creating, holding space and stepinto motherhood, well, this is
actually what's available to meto support that.
(41:49):
How am I going to operate abusiness and be a mother?
What does that look like?
What is currently on offer formothers and who are
entrepreneurs?
Oh, my God, that is a wholepurpose-led mission for me,
100%.
So a lot of that has been whatcan I do to become the best
(42:10):
person for myself and what can Ido to allow these resources and
this knowledge to help equipother women to– be creators and
in control of their life and notto be influenced or to be in
fear and reliant on externalparties.
SPEAKER_00 (42:33):
So great that you said all of that and I feel like
it comes back to the curiositypiece, right?
Just get curious with everythingthat happens in your life and
what's one way of doingsomething that might have worked
in the past and might not be thebest way for you now.
And it's okay to get curiouswith that and lean into that as
well and ask questions.
SPEAKER_01 (42:54):
What's been the modality that's helped you so
much through your currentevolution?
SPEAKER_00 (42:59):
The biggest one for me is breath work and breathing.
Mindset, 100%.
And I mean, that's what mybusiness is surrounded by as
well.
I have done like lots ofdifferent modalities because
like I'm super intrigued by themind, the body, how it all works
as well.
(43:20):
And yeah.
you know, I lean into whateveris coming up at the same time or
whatever's around me, but ahundred percent, the biggest
transformations I've experiencedin my own growth would be coming
from breath work and alsomindset.
So through NLP, they're thebiggest things for me.
And
SPEAKER_01 (43:37):
what is a block that you're currently trying to work
through?
SPEAKER_00 (43:40):
The biggest thing for me, and I did a solo episode
of my podcast about thisyesterday.
It's like I know that I'm on theright path and in the right
direction.
And I still have this sense ofI'm holding myself back still.
Like I still fully haven'tstepped into it.
And so for me, it's like, okay,I need to...
have a voice and what does thatlook like that's what I'm still
(44:04):
working through at the momentand it's I've always been a
quiet achiever I've always justlike done things in the
background and like okay coolI'm gonna go do this now and for
me now it's actually abouthaving that voice and sharing
that as well because how manypeople are we're in the same
position or are in the sameposition and actually can learn
(44:24):
through my experience as welland so that's the biggest thing
for me and yeah
SPEAKER_01 (44:29):
What's one thing that's like the greatest advice
that you've ever received?
SPEAKER_00 (44:32):
It comes back to, I think, change as well.
Like it's in our, like, as yousaid, that's such a big thing is
that there's nothing permanentin this world and you can always
change whatever your situation,your circumstance, the people
around you, you, there's alwaysability to change.
(44:53):
You just want to, but I have towant to.
Yeah, that's the biggest piece.
I feel like we've gone down somany different paths with the
podcast and the questions aswell.
So I appreciate, I feel like wecould talk for a very long time
on different things.
I appreciate you really takingthe time and coming in today and
sharing your passion so much.
And I know after coming to oneof your spaces and also seeing
(45:18):
the success that you had overthe weekend that I'm excited to
come to something again of yoursas well and excited that There's
people like yourself that areactually creating this space,
beautiful spaces for women tocome to as well.
So I'm super excited where itall leads.
Thank you.
SPEAKER_01 (45:35):
That was such an authentic and just generous
compliment.
And for you too, you're walkingthrough the fire.
And, you know, you're doing thisto help others through using
your voice and your own livedexperience.
And this is the ripple effect ofpositive change.
Yeah.
And so I just want to honouryou.
And this was beautiful.
Thank you for everything thatyou're doing.
SPEAKER_00 (45:57):
Thank you.
Yay, I'm excited.
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