As our recent conversation progressed, I came to the realisation that Bel du Bois, co-owner of Queensland's Grain Shed Retreat, could almost be deemed the perfect heartful host.

Having a few years back moved to the Darling Downs region a couple of hours south-west of Brisbane, Bel fortuitously went on to reconnect with an old school friend Neil, a former dog trainer and behavioural therapist.

A highly experienced occupational therapist, Bel originally made the move in search of new adventures, but eventually got lured by the local community back into private practice.

All was not lost, however, as Bel and Neil made the decision to take advantage of Neil's incredible 900 acre property and open a multi-disciplinary health and wellness practice, Darling Downs Wellness Therapies, allowing their diverse client base to take advantage of their nature-based, holistic therapeutic approach.

One thing was missing though - the opportunity for clients to stay onsite, experiencing the benefits of a longer-term therapeutic retreat.

So with sustainability and accessibility at the forefront of their minds, Bel and Neil resourcefully converted the old grain shed on the property into self-contained accommodation that would go on to be crowned Airbnb's best regional stay in Australia in 2021.

Meeting people like Bel really does make my heart - pardon the pun - sing. I believe that her approach to hosting is truly pioneering. I was absolutely delighted to have a chat about her journey and hope you, too, will be left inspired and energised by this episode.