nch u a L e Issu
Bringing the behind-the-scenes to the highlight reel. The new magazine for trailblazers
Featuring Sophie Marshall managing the tidal wave of success
What is Candid? Bringing the behind-the-scenes to the highlight reel. We are constantly bombarded with media that says it’s all about perfection. The business world favours the hard working, confident, driven entrepreneur. We see success all around us – and it all seems so magical. We are inspired by those who have reached the sky. But we want to know more about what it’s really like for them. What is really happening behind the scenes. To know the secret sauce behind the success. CANDID Magazine is here to showcase the hard work behind the success. The good, the bad and the ugly. It’s not a how-to magazine. It’s not the place to learn the nuts and bolts of how to run a business, start a blog or get a promotion. Instead, we want to show you how to manage the emotional, spiritual, heck, the life challenges you face when aiming for the stars. Be inspired by the very, raw and candid stories behind the trailblazers that are paving the way towards their big, bold dreams. Use these examples to remind yourself that you are just like these trailblazers. Welcome to The Candid Class.
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Kate Toholka is a Holistic Health & Life Coach, Occupational Therapist and the author of the #1 Amazon Best Seller, ‘Healthy Habits: The Busy Women’s Guide to Boosting Productivity, Health and Happiness’. After becoming disillusioned working in the mental health industry, Kate sought to use her unbridled passions for holistic living and psychology to empower women into their dream business and lives. She is known for her raw honesty and ability to help women to tap into their unlimited potential.
Kate
Kate believes in the power of community, selflove, inspired action, the natural order and your phenomenal worth. Connect with Kate on her Blog, Facebook, Twitter and Instagram @kate_toholka. .
THE TEAM Richelle Johnson has been dabbling in design for a few years. Contributing these talents to her full time work, friends needs and personal projects. Richelle is now focusing her spare time on building and refining her knowledge and skills as a graphic and publication designer. Even though there is no diploma or degree on the wall, her creative flair, passion and dedication to the field are at a premium.
Richelle
Richelle lives in sunny Brisbane, Queensland with her Partner Joel and their Staffy – Melvin, of course named after the band – The Melvins. Richelle loves painting –‘nothing like getting lost in a canvas’. Experimenting with photography, going to a see a band, getting out and feeling the sun, taking Melvin for a walk or to the beach.
Contributors& Alice Nicholls - The Whole Daily
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As Director of the Authentic Health Advice website, The Whole Daily - Life transformation coach, writer, inspirational speaker, and creative - Alice has had the amazing and humbling opportunity to be featured on globally published health and wellness platforms and global business platforms (though of course, nothing eclipses the opportunity to support amazing women like you). Alice created a global eCourse Life Transformation Project, a Four week eCourse which supports women to ‘Screw Beige’ while sharing tools on Living, Healing, Eating and Self-Loving Better. thewholedaily.com.au
Alice Shepherd - She’s a Wildflower
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Alice Shepherd is a Florist living in Barwon Heads, Victoria. After completing a Business Degree, Alice moved into the Event Management industry and found a passion for the social events where she was able to use hercreativity and decorate the hell out of venues. This triggered herlove for flowers and brought about a new career as a Florist. Now, Alice is a fully qualified Boss Lady, Event Manager and Florist, and you’ll find her in King of the Castle Cafe, handing out flowers alongside delicious cups of coffee. Facebook: @she’sawildflower
Harriet Birrell - Natural Harry
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Harriet is the co-founder of Natural Harry, a vintage caravan built to house an all organic Smoothie and raw desserts bar in the seaside town of Barwon Heads. With a background in Art and Design she has since immersed herself in the world of wellness, become a holistic health coach and lives her dream every day creating healthy alternatives to conventional food that is not only amazing for the body but the environment too with a strong Organic and sustainable focus, Natural Harry raw desserts and smoothies have become a highly sort after treat to be enjoyed wholeheartedly.
Elise Carver - Little Bantam
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A fitness trainer that specialises in surf-style training, core strength and stretching, Elise is moulding the bodies of future champion surfers in the surfing mecca of Australia, Bells Beach. Elise works closely with her clients to create a strong, balanced and harmonic body through private training, group classes and workshops. An avid walker of her talk, Elise is also a fitness model and you can find her at littlebantamhealthandfitness.com.au
& Contents Gen Claringbold - Satellite Marketing Genevieve works creatively and strategically with businesses, to help create a strong brand, implement results driven digital strategy, and craft fruitful marketing campaigns. No jargon, fluff free – and with a proven track record of working on successful projects across the tourism, music festival, education, clothing apparel, health and film production industries.
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Sophie Marshall - Neontide Swimwear
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Sophie Marshall is the founder and director of the breakout swimwear line, Neontide Swimwear. A veteran in the fashion and surf industry, Sophie launched Neontide in July 2014 which is now available in over 20 accounts including Myer, Surf Dive N Ski and Surfstitch. Outside of work, you can find Sophie with her energetic son and fence-jumping dog exploring the beautiful coast line of Torquay, or travelling the world seeking inspiration for the next Neontide range. neontide.com
16 Body Edit 18 Sophie 24 Soul Edit 26 Nourish 30 Home Edit
Tess Willcox - Ames Collective
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As the founder of Ames Collective, Tess has built an authentic brand identity and loyal following through original, unique content and designs. Rooted in the desire to restore a balance and simplicity to our lives in the concrete jungles, Tess draws on both her artistic upbringing, and 10 year career in the Marketing / PR industry, to drive the concept and vibe of the brand. A self taught designer with a degree in Journalism and Marketing, she is an advocate for the importance of brand marketing in conjunction with unique and soul driven designs. Tess lives and works on the Gold Coast, but is a vagabond soul who travels the globe and continues to source inspiration throughout the world. amescollective.com
32 TMI? 36 Break Edit 38 MOVE 40 Mind Edit 42 Wanderlust 47 Style Edit 48 Confidence & Self Love
We are dreamers. Grand schemers. Fuelled by passions and driven by desires. We hustle with heart. We sing with soul. We ride the rollercoaster. All day, every day.We are the new movement. We are raw, honest, vulnerable. We are making a change in the world no matter how hard it can be. We don’t shy away from the truth. We don’t hide behind a highlight reel. We embrace our FLaws, our hiccups, our lessons. We savour our joys, our achievements, our wins. And we wouldn’t want it any other way.
#We are the Candid Class
Hey Trailblazer, Welcome to the launch edition of the new online magazine, Candid Mag. This baby has been a hustle in the making for a little while now. It brewed as an unwavering longing in the back of my mind. Too long I listened to my mean girl telling me, "There’s no way you could create a magazine, let alone a successful one". Hell mean girl, you sure know how to crash the party. I’ve always loved writing. I never thought I was good at it but I didn’t let it stop me. After blogging for almost 18 months now, I figured I’m getting better at it. It felt like a natural transition for me to create a magazine. So I told my mean girl to zip it, and started creating it. I had no idea what this magazine was going to look like. What it was going to focus on. Until I started listening to my dear readers. My inbox would fill with emails from aspiring trailblazers like yourself seeking advice on how to manage the emotional side of business and career. It was gobsmacking! I blogged about holistic living and finding purpose in life and you want advice on how to manage a business without losing your sanity? It blew my mind. Our very own cover girl, Sophie Marshall from the breakout success Neontide Swimwear, was one of the first to reach out. So I listened. And I started sharing my very own trials with my business. And you guys listened and nodded and said, ‘oh gosh, me too!’ I don’t know about you, but I felt a real sense of connection with each and every one of you. I could feel you high fiving me from behind the computer screen. I loved it because not only did it help me, it was helping you. I knew I was onto something. There was a huge gap out there that I was meant to fill, bringing the behind-the-scenes to the highlight reel. There are hundreds of women business blogs, books, thought leaders and so forth. But nothing specifically about the personal battles that business brings with it. Thus, the Candid Magazine was born. Every month, it’s going to showcase some amazing women who are rocking their goals and brave enough to share with us what really goes on behind the scenes. It will be packed with some helpful tips, practical ideas, and some real fun edits. I imagine this magazine will evolve over time. You will no doubt influence the evolution. I implore you to let me know what you want to see in this magazine. It is for you after all. I’m only an email away. Finally, I just wanted to say thanks for being here. I trust that Candid Mag will keep you company when the going gets tough and I hope it inspires you to push your limits when things are going well. Live out loud,
Quick 5
with Harriet Birr My biggest inspiration is... Solving the world’s current health crisis. It may sound a little daunting but this is what drives me to do what I do. Little by little, offering healthy alternatives in the form of whole, nutrient dense food. Not to mention all the amazing glowing and driven people I have met in the wellness industry. They all stand as wondrous examples of self-care and conscience living for me.
With nothing stopping me, tomorrow I would...
Start a MASSIVE organic and biodynamic farm. Completely self sustainable and carbon neutral with a community holistic health centre with yoga, workshops and an amazing Organic Natural Harry cafe and store with beautifully deigned recycled and organic cotton clothing and home wares. To top it off a community garden with live music.
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My number one stress busting tool is... Moving my body outdoors. Yes, even in winter. If it’s raining, I go for a swim at the local pool or a yoga class if it aligns. If not, a run or walk along the beach. If I find myself getting stressed I have learnt to acknowledge it, and take action straight away if possible. Taking yourself out of the situation and getting some perspective in nature is an amazing tool.
Biggest lesson you have learnt in business.
I can’t live without...
Paying more attention to my intuition (or “inner knowing”). From trial and error and upon reflection of situations and decisions I have found that my initial instincts and what I am naturally drawn towards is pretty fail proof in terms of the right choices. I believe if you are living in alignment with your bigger “why” and making decisions connected to this purpose there will be an ease in the actions following these decisions. I have also learnt to feel the fear of some changes and growth in the business and do it anyway.
My boyfriend and business partner Fraser, sunshine, friends, my family, fruit and vegtables, the beach, dreams and laughter.
Maya Angelou
We delight in the beauty of the butterfly, but rarely admit the changes it has gone through to achieve that beauty
•3 tin stacking set 9.99 Office Works
•To Do List pad 7.95 kikki-k.com
o f f i c e EDIT
Danielle LaPorte 2015 Day Planner: Plan your year with soulful intention. 34 Pre-order at daniellelaporte.com
•Typo Luxury Tablet cover 19.95 cottonon.com
Make your work, actually…work.
When was th you treated yo Flow In your time of giving or receiving flowers, have you ever witnessed someone screw up their nose in disgust? Or hear them mention how horrible they are? Or even worse – cry with sadness rather than happiness? No! Ok, well I’ll be honest – if someone handed me a bunch of Gerbera’s I might just do all of the above, but that’s because they are my least preferred flower – I have a lot of favourites if that makes up for it? I digress! I have a feeling that you may have answered “no”
to these questions, and for good reason. Who on earth could not and would not smile or show some sign of happiness after being given a bunch, posy, bouquet or arrangement of sorts? No one, and that’s because flowers are to be enjoyed whatever the occasion may be – to celebrate happiness in ones life be it a new born baby, or to celebrate a life once lived. But why do we feel that we should only buy flowers to make someone else happy? What
he last time yourself with wers? happened to looking after numero uno in the happiness department? As a florist, it brings me great satisfaction when customers buy flowers for themselves as a form of reward. We shouldn’t wait to be given flowers by our partners for cleaning the house, because lets face it – they don’t even notice its clean in the first place! Think about this: if they don’t notice your wonderful cleaning, are they going to notice the $20 missing from their wallet that contributed
to the bunch of flowers sitting on the kitchen table?! And if it makes you happy, you know it’s going to make them happy too. We all owe it to ourselves to be happy and share this feeling with others. So, next time your passing the local florist, swing in and buy yourself and a lucky loved one a stem, a bunch, a posy, a bouquet, or half the shop - anything to make yourself smile in utter happiness. Alice Shepherd - She’s a Wildflower
B O D Y
Butter London Molly Coddled toxic-free nail polish 21.90 peachyclean.com.au
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Ere Perez Correcting Calendula Powder Foundation Medium 39.90 ereperez.com
Chamomile and Walnut scrub 42 jacquelineevans.com.au
Indah Organics Dreamland Body Butter 39 indahorganics.com.au
Shower your body in love
Sophie Mar
NEON
rshall
NTIDE
Let’s start with a big congratulations on being nominated for The 2014 Australian Startup Business of the Year for PRODUCT OF THE YEAR! Amazing! How do you feel? We are so stoked. It was such a shock initially as I had forgotten that we entered, I nearly didn’t as the first application form crashed. Im glad I took the time on the last day of entry to re do it ! How did Neontide come about? Neontide came about us all taking a chance and following what we believe in. Angela we had met through product development within the industry and Jen + I had worked together at Roxy for a long time . Due to Globalisation of the Roxy design team, I had to make my local design redundant including Jen. My health was suffering from all the travel overseas (I was away 120 days) It forced me to
look at life and make some tough decisions
with my career. All I wanted to do was to work with Jen (who is the most talented designer I’ve worked with) and along with another highly regarded female within the industry: Angela, to create a amazing product and a new brand we would be all proud of. On the outside, it all looks fabulous. What really happens behind the scenes? Behind the scenes there is lots of commiuncation as we are all live remote. Jen’s in Sydney, Angela is in Melbourne and Shanghai and Im in Torquay. Jen has a 7 month year old, I have a 5 year old so usually on skype our kids are always making an appearance. We spend hours skyping, planning, designing, emailing, sales, online, marketing, social mediaour second partners are our MACs! >
What have been the biggest challenges for you personally in launching Neontide? Im not going to sugar coat this!! My biggest challenge personally would be going from earning a good wage to not having a steady income – I have learnt to downsize and be resourceful and have some trust in the process. I would say anyone that is going to do start a small business is to have savings behind you. I sold my house and allowed me to invest in Neontide and create another side business to help pay the bills.
rollercoaster! The best way I dealt with any self doubt was to remember that if I did it to for other brands I could do it for us and that if are all true to our vision and loving what we do then others will to. I also have a wonderful lifecoach I can reach out too for support as well as al Womens small business group that has also helped me in a lot of ways . Trust in the process is key. And of course patience also helps!
If you could, what would you do differently next time? I actually don’t think I would change anything as
all the mistakes we have learnt are lessons and you know not to make that againsmall and big.
Im always triple checking my online orders! How about your confidence – has this experienced made you feel more sure of yourself? Or have you found it has challenged your confidence? Along with challenge with not having an income the confidence in myself was massively challenged. Its so easy working for someone else for a period of time than for yourself. It’s also long wait from concept to product (12 months) so doubt does creeps in “ Will it work?” “will everyone love this print like we do?” “will the stores stock us?” . We have had many knockbacks along the journey and then some wins, it’s a
How do you manage a rising business, a 5 year old, a travelling husband and everything else in between? If I stop and think about it, I sometimes ask myself that. But I have had a crazy hectic previous job that took me away from my family for up to 3 weeks at a time so I am appreciating the flexibility of now being a working mum that’s around more. Im super organised, a night owl and I am the best multi tasker I know. I have been more disciplined in making time for myself -40 mins a day for the
gym in the morning and from this and eating good food I haven’t been sick in over a year which is rare. My partner and I spend a lot of time on Skype and we try and travel with him where we can. If you could give one tip for the aspiring trailblazer, what would it be?
Always follow your instinct, your first thought is always right.
What’s next for neontide? We have some big plans for Neontide with the brand making plans to venture into the UK and US markets and expand the kids brands – Fins + Stones is our boys/kids brand that launches OCT! What’s next for you? To enjoy this journey of watching Neontide grow, to surf with my son and to travel to a new place every year with my family!
R E M M U S S Y A E R W E L H A W S E ’ IT SOM
neontide.com
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Oracle Cards 29 thelittlesage.com
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‘Confidence’ Mandela Ring 88 thefifthelementlife.com
‘Spirited’ by Tara Bliss and Rachel MacDonald 29 inspacesbetween.com
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Honour the spirit, explore the metaphysics.
‘Sunset’ K-Grip yoga mat 129 kamuka.com.au
JANE AUSTIN
I hate to hear you talk about all women as if they were fine ladies instead of rational creatures None of us want to be in calm waters all our lives
NOUR Poached Pears In Spiced Red Wine 4 pears, peeled. (bosc pears hold their shape very well) 2 cups dry red wine 3 tbls maple syrup 1 cinnamon stick 1 star anise 1/2 tsp vanilla bean paste or 1 vanilla bean, split in half and scraped out. Place the wine, maple syrup, star anise, cinnamon and vanilla (or vanilla bean) in a medium saucepan over medium heat. Add the peeled pears and bring to the boil. Reduce the heat as low as possible and simmer, turning occasionally, for 40 minutes or until pears are tender. Use a slotted spoon to transfer pears to a bowl. Increase heat to high and bring the remaining syrup to the boil. Cook, stirring occasionally, for five minutes or until syrup thickens a little. Pour over the pears and serve with thick cream or coconut cream. These are also delicious served cold.
RISH Alice Nicholls thewholedaily.com.au
Self-Saucing
Chocolate
Pudding
Pudding
1 cup (250ml) buckwheat flour sifted 2/3 cup almond milk 1/3 cup raw cacao powder 1/2 cup rice malt syrup 1 egg lightly beaten 1/2 tsp baking powder 1/4 tsp bicarbonate of soda 1 tsp apple cider vinegar (this activates the bicarb and helps the pudding to rise)
Sauce
1 1/4 cups boiling water 1/4 cup raw cacao powder 1/3 cup rice malt syrup 2 tbls honey (optional, I like the rich flavour honey gives as rice malt syrup is very plain but you can omit if you like)
Preheat oven to 180C Mix all pudding ingredients together thoroughly until it forms a batter and pour into one greased 20cm baking dish or 4 smaller ramekin dishes. Stir all sauce ingredients together and, using a large spoon or spatula so you don't damage the pudding batter, carefully pour the chocolate sauce over the back of the spoon or spatula into the baking dish over the the batter*. Bake in the oven for 20-30 mins depending on your dish size until the center of the pudding is firm. Take out and dish up. The chocolate sauce will float on top and as the pudding cooks it sinks to the bottom of the baking dish It's worth laying a tray under the rack that the baking dish is on to catch any sauce drips that may bubble over the side so you don't end up with them burnt to the bottom of your oven. I couldn't release this sweet book without including this pudding recipe. This recipe is a re-worked classic that I ate every week as a child. Wonderful memories around this pudding flood back every time I get a whiff of its heady chocolate scent. Although nearly every traditional ingredient was substituted to make way for a "real food" recipe, I think you will agree that this is still an absolute winner in the chocolate stakes, and pretty easy to whip up as well.
Alice Nicholls
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Cushion: Hand Woven Ikat cushion 79 tabletonic.com.au
Candle : Love Ludie 34.95 loveludie.com
Art: ‘Flamingo Pop’ 195 colourandskulls.bigcartel.com
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Flowers A posy to brighten your home Facebook.com/shes-a-wildflower
Add a little love to your home, to add a little (more) love to your life.
Creating confident and connected women
? I M T #
brand. r u o y e g a m a d how it can d n a ’ e r a h s r The ‘ove What are people saying about you and your business when you’re not in the room?
The questions you must ask yourself before you post are;
What are people saying about your brand based on what they see from your social feeds?
Does this post reflect the essence of my brand? Does this post serve my audience?
In our highly connected and uber-social world, it’s important to ask the question:
How much is too much to share on social networking platforms? Alright, so we’ve all been there: you’re scrolling down your Facebook timeline, Twitter or Instagram feeds and you come across content that you just can’t believe someone posted. If you haven’t had that moment then you’re probably the one over-sharing.
Am I utilizing the most effective platform for my brand and my audience? Firstly, let’s talk ‘brand’. The word ‘brand’ itself is confused, and with new global reach and the accessibility of social, it has somewhat evolved. You see, your business brand and your personal brand are interconnected; they are one and the same. You cannot truly have one without the other.
So, how much is too much information? How will I know if it’s going to be negative to my brand?
Your ‘brand’ must always have a dialogue that explains, “this is what I am, and this is what I’m trying to tell you”. We all have a personal brand (regardless of whether we are aware of this, we all have one!), and as business owners, we need to start managing it to leverage and take control. We all know that branding can be powerful (or not!), however, your ‘personal brand’, (who you are, how you are perceived, what you
understand who your audience is and how you will most effectively engage and communicate with your people. When you consider the following influential people – you immediately identify with what they stand for, and the power, or essence, of their personal brand; do, where you work, what your business is, who you associate with) is valuable and often overlooked, and can be beneficial or, equally detrimental to your business success. Brand is understanding and having absolute clarity on what you stand for: Your values + your essence = the total experience of working with you. So, now that you have an understanding of ‘brand’, you must ensure it is being beneficially represented through all elements of your business – your visual brand, your website, your voice online, your social media, your advertising, how you deal with customers and colleagues – they are all each a piece of your brand puzzle. How cohesive is the picture of your brand once these are all in place? What are you posting on your social networks that could confuse your brand?
“The web is like your Hollywood agent: it speaks for you when you’re not around to comment” Chris Brogan and Julien Smith, authors of Trust Agents.
Steve jobs = innovation – ‘think differently’ Oprah = educating and empowering women Lorna Jane = move nourish believe Ghandi = whether or not he understood that he had a personal brand, he reflected non-violence and equality. Now, consider other influential brands – Richard Branson, Lady Gaga, Madonna, Ellen – they all have strong personal brands. They own their personal brand; they live and breathe who they are. Global reach via social networks now also ensures they have even more value. These personal brands are ranked in the kaaaaazillions. As Oprah has been quoted, “If I lost control of the business I’d lose myself–or at least the ability to be myself. Owning myself is a way to be myself.”
“Your brand is what people say about you when Clarifying the essence and you’re not in the room” value of your brand can guide you to formulate and
When you consider what you stand for,>
(Jeff Bezos, Founder of Amazon).
>you may think you’re about ‘empowering women’, ‘creating beautiful spaces’, ‘inspiring healthy choices’, ‘getting people moving’, ‘creating stunning products’, ‘educating’, but what do you REALLY stand for? Simon Sinek was famously quoted in his TED talk -“People don’t buy what you do, they buy why you do it”.
So, why do you do, what you do? This is an important element of your brand. You cannot expect to build a relationship with people unless you understand the essence and values of your brand. Secondly, you cannot expect to be able
The three questions you must consider are:
1. Do I have clarity on the essence of my brand?
2. Who am I communicating my brand to? 3. How will I connect with my audience?
Understanding this will help you craft a brand and a message that is meaningful for your audience (or tribe, or avatar, or target market, or community, or whatever you want to call ‘your people’). It must always come back to why you’re doing it, and what you stand for. For some brands, that may mean sharing everything on social, from your breakfast, right through to your late night antics and the toilet paper you use.
? I TM Perhaps. It all comes down to what you stand for.
You are your brand. to connect with your audience if you don’t first understand what problem you are solving for them. Finally, if these two elements are not in place, then how can you elicit how you will effectively communicate your message (that is, your essence and values) to your audience?
Play it how you want, and have fun with the process. As ‘the man’, Seth Godin commented, “The cost of being wrong is less than the cost of doing nothing.”
Genevieve Claringbold Satellite Marketing
B r e a k EDIT
Luna Sea Malliot one-piece 99.99 neontide.com
Valley Eye Wear Limited Edition Leather Series 299.99 valleyeyewear.com
Signature of All Things by Elizabeth Gilbert 23.95 booktopia.com.au
The Beach People Marjorelle Roundie 99 thebeachpeople.com.au
Reinvigorate your life with a break.
Want to
feature in an edit?
Contact admin@katetoholka.com for advertising opportunities.
UPPER BODY S Chest & Pecs
Find a wall, post or corner to do this one from. Always make sure your elbow is inline with your shoulder before you push forward away from your elbow. Repeat on both sides. This can also be done with an extended arm variation, placing your hand on a wall just under the height of your shoulder.
Supraspinatus
You can do this with your arm extended or bent, keep it parallel to your shoulder joint & avoid hunching over. Pulling your stretching shoulder down. Repeat on both sides.
STRETCHing Lateral Flexion Neck
Make sure you flex the hand that is by your side, pointing your fingers outwards. Hold this stretch for a long 5 seconds Repeat on other side.
Lateral Flexion Back of Neck
Similar to the above stretch just till your chin toward your armpit, sending the stretch through the back of your neck. Hold for a long 5 seconds and repeat on other side.
This sequence of shoulder and chest stretches can be done at your desk (though I suggest to stand up!) to release those stiff muscles, increase blood flow and open your heart space. Run through this routine 3 - 5 times per day and again before bed if you can. The aim is to hold all stretches for 15 seconds (30 seconds for the night stretch).
cRISS JAMI
To share your weakness is to make yourself vulnerable; to make yourself vulnerable is to show your strength
Healthy Habits A guide quipped with stress management strategies and the low down on what ‘stress’ really is Available in the-happinesshub.com
m i n d EDIT
Smiling Mind app A modern meditation resource ideal for those new to meditation. It is a unique web & App-based program, designed to help bring balance to your life. Free at smilingmind.com.au and in the App store.
Sacred Self Radiance alchemical oil 49 sacredself.com.au
Debunking Stress ecourse A two-hour lesson in everything you need to know about how stress works and how you can minimise its impact. Pre-sale available now at debunkingstress.com
Tools to reduce your stress and make peace with your mind.
I LOVE your soul decks. How did this gem of an idea come about? The concept for Soul Decks came about one afternoon when I was visiting my best friends in Noosa. We were sitting around their Mango tree making skateboards and spraying surfboards in the backyard. We had the best weekend ever, and it was in the midst of what had been quite a turbulent time for both of us, so I wanted to capture it. Essentially the driving force behind the idea, was to pour my heart out into something that inspired women. Something that reminded them of their beauty, of their uniqueness, of their ability to
What a blessing that journey was! We travelled to London, the South of France, all around Spain, and Morocco. We met so many incredible people, and made so many insane memories. We laughed our way through each day and made the most
wander -lust ‘get the heck up and live that life’.
Something that spoke to their soul. It just
ox c l i W Tess Ames ive t c e l l Co
so happened that I was sitting there with blank decks all around me, and having been a pavement slider since before I can remember, the idea for Soul Decks was born.
of absolutely every situation. It really was the trip of an absolute lifetime.
You recently got back from an overseas adventure. Where did you go?
I am a big believer that the people you meet will shape your experience. So I wonder if my favourite places are highly influenced by the awesome people I met there! Biarritz in the South of France blew me away. I just absolutely loved it. Malaga in the South of Spain just stole my heart! The grilled sardines on the beach, the sangria, the sun, the carefree European attitude.
I did! I went on the trip of a lifetime! It was my 3rd time to Europe, but the first time I have been with a best friend, and never have I been presented with so many serendipitous moments in my life.
What was your favourite place to visit?
Melt! Any crazy stories to share? I bet there’s a few... Haha SO many crazy stories. It was one of those trips where inhibitions flew out the window (actually that’s pretty normal for me). On 2 separate occasions we randomly met 2 guys road tripping around the area we were travelling, and got invited on the road.
They were the best times, cruising around the South of Spain just living the dream.
There were so many moments where I would say ‘seriously, life could not get any better right now’ only to have the universe test that theory five minutes later and deliver something that made our experience even more RAD!
For me, 75% of my business is online marketing. So as long as I was being semi pro-active online, and keeping my audience engaged, then I was happy. Running your own business is both wonderful and tough. I am still trying to catch up from that time that I lost, and trying to get momentum back in my orders and my routine. I wouldn’t change that experience for the world, but
Were you able to do any work on your soul decks whilst overseas or did you close up shop? I basically closed up shop. The original plan was to work on them from the van on our road trip. But life stepped into play and our van idea fell through (it seemed the universe had something even more awesome in store for us). So I shut down orders for 2 months and had a much needed fun filled break enjoying every glass of wine and every plate of tapas possible. Either way, how did you manage the business?
coming home and trying to re-capture the market and get orders back on the board is a mammoth task. I actually was reading both TRAILBLAZER last night and a Neal Donald Walsh excerpt on keeping the faith in times when you feel like you are plagued with negative >
>thoughts. It’s so important to train your mind to handle the tough times. I feel as though I have been so blessed for the past 6 months with a constant flow of opportunities and orders.
Facing challenges is our biggest test, and I am making sure my mind is well versed with the right thoughts and readings to keep on track at the moment. You made a MASSIVE life decision when you got home, didn’t you? Want to share it with us? I sure did, sista! I had been so happy and so comfortable with my beautiful and insane blessed life in Currumbin, that I knew this trip was going to be a catalyst for change. I wanted it to put the fire under me to try something new, and to leap into the unknown. Someone once said to me,
‘you will not be enriched unless you go to where the outcome is uncertain’.
This trip changed my life. Actually I feel like even calling it a holiday would not be doing
the experience justice – it was a wonderfully enriched journey. I knew the second I flew out of Barcelona to come home, that I had made the decision to move to Europe. I got home, sat down with my group of best friends and asked their advice. Next thing I knew I was packing up my house and making the transition to move the HQ to Barcelona, while setting up residence in London. So, here I am, in the midst of the move, 6 weeks to go, and absolutely as nervous as all hell. But nervous in that way that makes you SO excited to see what life has to offer, and who it is going to bring into my path. How do you think this will impact on Ames Collective? Right now I am hoping that I can tap into my European market a little more. I have quite an even spread of clientele across the world so I am lucky that way. This is something that I LOVE doing more than anything. I love being in a studio, working with wood, having music blaring, pouring my soul onto a
black canvas. I want to make it work from that side of the world, and I know the market is there. Maybe it will take a little longer to hit the right market, maybe it won’t. I have never been without opportunity though, and I know either way, life will be kind and deliver amazing things. So, what’s your big bold dream for Ames Collective? I want it to grow from strength to strength as a brand. Right now the focus is on the Soul Deck part of the business, but it is also a lifestyle/accessories brand. I want it to be the epitome of style and of soul. A brand that people look at and go, ‘Oh yeah, that’s Ames. That’s awesome’. I am working on the new line of shoes to be released shortly, and constantly releasing new Moroccan homewares and leather accessories. It’s all about organic growth. But style and soul, that’s where it’s at for Ames! I am slowly collecting a rad little gang of soul sliders as ambassadors for the brand, which is super exciting. As long as I can keep this brand alive and lucrative, then I will be living the dream.
Now back to wanderlusting, what’s next on the bucket list?! Well next stop is obviously London – YAY! From there, who knows! Hopefully snowboarding somewhere awesome for Christmas, or Lapland to see the Northern lights. The world is my oyster from London and Barcelona. I don’t often plan my wanderlusting, I just see where the ol’ road takes me. Finally, what 5 tips would you give to the travelling entrepreneur?? Don’t wait until your product is ready to start marketing your brand. Be ahead of the trend and market the vibe of your brand. Take the leap – if you’re waiting for the right time, here it is Have faith – in yourself, your brand, your product Let SOUL be the driving factor behind what you’re doing. If it doesn’t sit right with your gut, don’t do it Have a damn good time Being an entrepreneur is both the greatest and toughest thing you will ever do
Wunderlust
S T Y L E
Fashion bloggers to watch
EDIT
Lisa Hamilton seewantshop.blogspot.com
Tash Sefton and Elle Ferguson theyallhateus.com
Reflect your confidence in style
CONFIDENCE & SELF LOVE EXPLAINED Self-love is all the rage right now. I’m definitely not complaining about this because if the world needs anything right now, it’s a big dose of lovecharged warriors shaking the ground. But what is self-love really? The popular bloggers and thought leaders are telling us that it’s simply about loving ourselves for who we are. It’s about having a daily affirmation practice, believing in miracles, loving our flaws and treating ourselves like we are our own best friend. It’s all great, but it’s all a bit... fluffy. Self-love is a lot more than simply loving ourselves.
It’s having the belief in ourselves to do the things we aspire to. It’s the fuel that drives our lives into meaning. It’s the starting gun that turns knowledge into inspired action. There is absolute nothing in the way we think, feel, decide and act that escapes the influence of self-love. To really understand what self-love is and how it will radically improve our lives, we need to understand how
self-confidence + self-efficacy + selfesteem = self-love. Self-psychology 101
In 1977, Albert Bandura, a psychologist, released his a paper titled ‘Selfefficacy: Toward a Unifying Theory of Behavioural Change’. Sounds boring but this unwittingly kick started a huge interest with this topic becoming one of the most studied topics in psychology. For good reason too. Self-efficacy can have an impact on everything from the way you behave to the way you feel. “The belief in one’s capabilities to organize and execute the courses of action required to manage prospective situations.” In other words, self-efficacy is a person’s belief in his or her ability to succeed in a particular situation. Bandura described these beliefs as determinants of how people think, behave, and feel” – Albert Bandura (1994) Self-efficacy
ties closely to selfesteem. It’s easy to mix the two but the key difference is that self-efficacy is your assessment of your ability to perform a certain task or face a specific situation. It’s a strong belief in your own ability to succeed at all odds.
Self-esteem
on the other hand, is the opinion one has about them. It’s a general statement about you as a
whole. It could be “I’m not very good at anything” or “I am generally, pretty freaking awesome if you ask me.” Self-confidence
differs from selfefficacy in that it refers to the strength of a belief, whether it is negative or positive. Self-love encompasses all of these three. It is an opinion of yourself (self-esteem), a judgement of your ability (self-efficacy) and the strength of belief in yourself (self-confidence). Whenever I mention self-love in this book, I’m talking about the interplay of these three definitions. So, is confidence just part of self-love? It is, but I use the term separately to
really drive home a very important point. A lot of us are conditioned to believe self-love is just about having a loving relationship with ourselves. I want you to remember that it’s also about having the confidence to take the leap into fear. To be bold. To be brave. To hold your head high and unapologetically, compassionately stand defiant. The Missing Link to your Success
There’s a fair chance you are reading this because you not only want to improve your confidence, but you want to transform your life. We don’t simply strive for a better relationship with ourselves to simply say ‘I love myself’. No, we are all individuals who have very unique aspirations. We have lists of things we want to do, wish to do, plan to do. We want to actually do things – at our very core, we are beings that turn our thoughts and feelings into action. And it is that action that builds on our self-love. As I said before, and will say over and over again:
“There is absolute nothing in the way we think, feel, decide and act that escapes the influence of selflove.”
If you aspire to be a world-renown singer, you need to be confident in your ability to sing, approach talent scouts, record a song, and tell everybody about your next gig. If you aspire to be a successful fashion blogger, you need>
>to be confident in front of the camera, build relationships with brands, introduce yourself to PR companies, and approach the media. If you aspire to be the best mum you can be, you need to be confident in your ability to nourish your child, in your d e ci s i o n s , to seek guidance when you need it and to spend quality time with your child. You have a definition of success inside you. I discuss this in the book ‘Happy in 10 Ways’ (available for free at katetoholka.com). The success you are striving for, no matter how big or small it is, fundamentally requires a hefty dose of self-love to turn it into a reality. I desire success in the terms of ‘occupational freedom’. I strive to work for an income on my passion, on my own terms, in my own hours, from anywhere in the world. That to me is my ultimate definition of success. The day I am making a comfortable living from my passion is the day I start living my success. I wholeheartedly believe I’m on my way to this and it’s this belief and confidence in myself and my ability that I can do this. Without it, I wouldn’t take the fearful first step into the many unknowns in my journey. I wouldn’t have asked my idol Lisa Messenger to do the foreword for
my book if I didn’t believe in myself. I wouldn’t have got up on stage and spoke to over 100 corporate bigwigs if
I didn’t believe I could do it. I wouldn’t have written this book if I didn’t believe I could add value to your life.
Every fearinducing step was taken with a big dose of self-love behind it. You too will encounter those times where you’d rather curl up in a ball and hide. It will be your level of selflove that will dictate whether you do that, or if you leap into the unknown with courage.
*An excerpt of ‘I am a Trailblazer’, available at katetoholka.com
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