29 Life lessons

Life lessons

Aimee Pickles has learnt to trust her instincts when it comes to life. Aimee sat down with Catherine van der Meulen as part of the Entrepreneurial Women with Purpose podcast Holistic Success series to talk about how she makes life work for her.

Words: Paula Hulburt

David James

Reaching for her water bottle, Aimee Pickles took a welcome gulp and a few deep breaths as she blinked the sting of perspiration from heavy eyes. It was and still is, one of the proudest moments of her life.

It is with an innate sense of self that Aimee explains what she has learned in her 30 years of life so far, her wins, both professional and personal, and failures, have all contributed. One of her biggest successes, she explains with a laugh, came in the form of burpees – and lots of them. Battling fatigue and muscle cramps while completing a 36-hour burpee challenge is not for just anyone. But for Aimee, putting her hand up to help a close friend raise money for breast cancer charities, was an easy decision. Physically, it was the hardest thing she had ever done. “He knew I was a sucker for a challenge so I did that one with him so that, I guess, I hold relatively highly because it was the hardest thing I’ve ever done. “His mum was going through treatment at the time over in the UK and he wasn’t able to get over there, so it was his way of kind of sharing some of his suffering with her.” Originally from the small farming town of Duntroon in the Waitaki District, Aimee is energetic, welleducated, and well-travelled. She is not afraid of hard work or success. Seeing success through a different perspective has been life-changing, she explains. “I’ve travelled a lot and studied and love everything about well-being and holistic health. I’m plant-based and not very good at staying in the same place for very long. I like change, new experiences and I love new challenges – I love to work. “I think dropping that preconceived idea of success or what people have told you success is, or what you’ve seen to be successful, and then going back to be really clear on who you are and what you want matters.” While she took her dad’s advice to find a job she loved so she never had to work a day in her life, her work ethic, instilled from a young age, rarely let her relax. Being busy, she explains, was how she viewed achievement.

“…myself and my brothers were taught a lot about work ethic and if you want it, then you work for it.” A shift in mindset sees Aimee rely more on her team these days; the key to success now, shenow she says, is working smarter, not harder. “I can still have an influence on people by not being super outspoken and bythat actually taking a step back and removing my ego and letting my team come forward and actually be better than me. “It’s okay not being the best all the time and it’s okay that you always need to be learning and that there’s always someone you can learn from,” she says. The move has also helped Aimee make more time in her life to follow her heart.

3 The energetic F45 gym owner also works part time with the Graham Dingle Foundation’s Career Navigator programme and with youth development programme CACTUS (Combined Adolescent Challenge Training Unit and Support). Helping young people achieve their best and bridge that gap between school and work is hugely fulfilling, she explains with a smile. Three days a week she dons her sneakers again and joins Marlborough Youth Trust’s successful CACTUS initiative. It is a natural fit for a woman who insists she “can’t stay still.” “I’m teaching them how important our physical health is and how connected it is to our mind.

“I feel a real sense of purpose in that kind of work,” Aimee says. While most of her days are people-orientated, Aimee needs time on her own to recharge. Overseeing her time is vital, she says. “I make sure I’m really clear about what I want as I can so easily be pulled in a lot of different directions and end up feeling lost. “At the end of the day you need to decide for yourself what holistic success means to you, not your friends or your family or your friends on social media. ‘I am very aware that work isn’t who I am but it is what I love to do, and getting to that point, it’s actually okay that I like to work, I think just because I’m really clear on who I am and what I want. “It’s having the ability to recognise that’s okay.”

Listen to more about Aimee’s story on the Entrepreneurial Women with Purpose podcast. entrepreneurialwomenwithpurpose.com/ registration/aimee-pickles/

Aimee is styled by the talented Michelle Bradley using quality brands from Thomas’s. This was Michelle’s opportunity to challenge Aimee outside her comfort zone and try something new. The key was finding the right styles to suit Aimee’s personality for both work and lifestyle, especially with her new role at the Graeme Dingle Foundation. Special thanks to Tiffeny at Style Sisters, for makeup and hair styling. Photo 1: Kate Sylvester Petra Coat, Tan Kate Sylvester Elissa Trouser, Tan Kate Sylvester Alice Skinny Rib, Mahogany Deadly Ponies Mr Sling Micro, Yuzu Photo 2: Taylor Draped Sequence Jacket, Halite/Halite Taylor Unfolded Cogent Pant, Halite Taylor Undone Tunic, Ivory Mesh Deadly Ponies Orion Bag in Black Photo 3: Ksubi Oversized Jacket, Brown Sugar Leo + Be Run Run Top, Black Leo + Be Bolt Pant, Black

Photo 4: R.M. Williams Maya Boot, Mid Brown Deadly Ponies Crush Tote Mini, Terracotta Shona Joy Paloma Balloon Sleeve Mini Dress, Olive/Multi