Changing Lanes

Join our next retreat 🧘‍♀️ → https://www.thepilatesretreatclub.com.au/shop

Her husband was about to burn the newspaper. Then he spotted the ad.

In this episode of Changing Lanes, Rachel and Susan chat with Susan Dean, founder and CEO of Dean Publishing. Susan has done it all, from working in jobs that weren’t fulfilling, to mature age study to running businesses. 

Then came the newspaper ad. Four words, “do you like helping people,” torn out of the paper her husband was ripping up to build a fire. She rang the number and became the world’s first female Mars Venus coach for Dr John Gray.

In this episode, we cover:

• The newspaper ad her husband nearly burnt, and the career change that followed

• Becoming the world’s first female Mars Venus coach for Dr John Gray

• Going back to study as a mature age student after saying no to uni at 18

• Leaving a successful business because it wasn’t the one she wanted

• How to write a book when you don’t know where to start

• What stops people from writing their book, and the fears she hears most

• How to publish a book, and getting picked up by bookstores

• Losing everything and starting over when you can’t pay the mortgage

• The authors whose stories still stop her, years later

• Running a business around school hours, assemblies and small kids

• Working with her two daughters now they’ve come back to the business

CONNECT WITH SUSAN DEAN

Dean Publishing → https://deanpublishing.com/

Instagram → https://www.instagram.com/susandeanofficial 

CONNECT WITH US

Changing Lanes Instagram → https://www.instagram.com/changinglanesthepodcast

Pilates Retreat Club Instagram → https://www.instagram.com/pilatesretreatclub

The Pilates Retreat Club → https://www.thepilatesretreatclub.com.au

If you are a busy woman, mum or someone figuring out your next chapter, subscribe to Changing Lanes for honest conversations, real stories and practical encouragement to support you as you navigate change.

Join our next retreat 🧘‍♀️ → https://www.thepilatesretreatclub.com.au/shop

In this episode of Changing Lanes, Rachel and Susan chat with Marika about changing careers over and over again, including starting a science degree with a baby on her hip.

Marika is a functional nutritionist now, but she got there the long way.

She was living in New York when the GFC hit. She lost her job, her husband lost his. And with $13.67 in their account they came home. Built an e-commerce business out of her mum’s house, grew it into a store and a wholesale label, then sold it when she fell pregnant. 

They talk about everything from going back to uni as a mum, to losing almost everything during COVID, to her son’s autoimmune diagnosis.

In this episode, we cover:

• Going back to uni at 30 with a six month old, and finishing just after her second baby

• Why first year nutrition is chemistry, physics and anatomy, not cooking

• Changing careers in your 30s when you never thought of yourself as academic

• Starting over with $13.67 after losing your job in the GFC

• Building an e-commerce business from her mum’s house, and selling it when she fell pregnant

• What happened to their gym through the Melbourne lockdowns

• Working two jobs, homeschooling, and a day a week at the Royal Children’s

• Hitting rock bottom and self-medicating with coffee, alcohol and sugar

• Why failure is a step forward and indecision is the thing holding you still

• Testing a new career with a short course before you commit to a degree

• Being ambitious and a mum at the same time

CONNECT WITH MARIKA

Instagram → https://www.instagram.com/marika.ward.nutrition/?hl=en 

CONNECT WITH US

Changing Lanes Instagram → https://www.instagram.com/changinglanesthepodcast

Pilates Retreat Club Instagram → https://www.instagram.com/pilatesretreatclub

The Pilates Retreat Club → https://www.thepilatesretreatclub.com.au

If you are a busy woman, mum or someone figuring out your next chapter, subscribe to Changing Lanes for honest conversations, real stories and practical encouragement to support you as you navigate change.

Join our next retreat 🧘‍♀️ → https://www.thepilatesretreatclub.com.au/shop

You sent us your friendship breakup stories, and some of them left us speechless.

In this episode of Changing Lanes, we read the stories you sent in after last week's friendship breakups episode. A best friend who had an affair with a husband and is now the children's stepmum. A mum friendship that ended with an ultimatum at a train station and then silence. A friendship from school that fell apart over a bridesmaid fitting.

We couldn't fit every story into the episode, so the rest are on our Substack → https://changinglanesthepodcast.substack.com/p/the-friendship-breakups-we-never

In this episode, we cover:

• Losing a best friend to an affair, and what happens when she becomes your children's stepmum

• Why being ghosted is the hardest kind of friendship breakup

• How to get over a friendship breakup when you never get a reason

• Mum friendship breakups, and the kids who grieve their friends too

• A bridesmaid fallout that ended a friendship from school

• What happens when a friend apologises years later

• Why a repaired friendship is rarely quite the same

• One-sided friendships and a friend who became dependent

• How different life stages pull friends apart

• Noticing your other friendships get stronger after you lose the wrong one

CONNECT WITH US

Changing Lanes Instagram → https://www.instagram.com/changinglanesthepodcast

Pilates Retreat Club Instagram → https://www.instagram.com/pilatesretreatclub

The Pilates Retreat Club → https://www.thepilatesretreatclub.com.au

If you are a busy woman, mum or someone figuring out your next chapter, subscribe to Changing Lanes for honest conversations, real stories and practical encouragement to support you as you navigate change.

Join our next retreat 🧘‍♀️ → https://www.thepilatesretreatclub.com.au/shop

Losing a friend is a breakup too, and we don't talk about it enough.

In this episode of Changing Lanes, we get honest about friendships in our 30s and 40s. We talk about how friendships change through the years. What it means to outgrow friends and how it feels to be in a one-sided friendship. 

We both share friendship breakup stories and what it taught us. If you're going through something with a friend right now, this one's for you.

In this episode, we cover:

• How friendships change after 30 when kids and work take over

• Making friends as an adult through the school gate and kids' sport

• One-sided friendships and the little check-ins that keep friendships alive

• Why some friends aren't happy for you, and whether support has to be public

• Love languages in friendship

• Outgrowing friends when your life changes direction

• Why a friendship breakup hurts like the end of a relationship

• How to get over a friendship breakup when you never get the reason why

• Drifting apart from friends versus a sudden breakup

• Losing friends after 30 compared with your 20s

• How to be a good friend by listening, asking questions and being honest

CONNECT WITH US

Changing Lanes Instagram → https://www.instagram.com/changinglanesthepodcast

Pilates Retreat Club Instagram → https://www.instagram.com/pilatesretreatclub

The Pilates Retreat Club → https://www.thepilatesretreatclub.com.au

If you are a busy woman, mum or someone figuring out your next chapter, subscribe to Changing Lanes for honest conversations, real stories and practical encouragement to support you as you navigate change.

Music: 'Arise' by Tristan Barton on #Uppbeat https://uppbeat.io/c/tristan-barton

License code: RPCGEBG1TYCZS2IO

Join our next retreat 🧘‍♀️ → https://www.thepilatesretreatclub.com.au/shop

In this episode of Changing Lanes, Rach and Susan chat about the whys of life. These are the everyday habits that seem to come up with every woman they know. If you're a people pleaser who replays every conversation on the drive home, this one's for you.

They talk about everything from why we feel guilty when we rest and how hard it is to say no without feeling guilty, to why we downplay our achievements, compare ourselves to strangers on social media and keep waiting for the right time while feeling stuck. They also get into why we seem to care less about what people think in our 40s (they're blaming the hormones).

It's a fun, honest chat between two friends owning all their habits, and by the end they've decided everyone needs a little therapy.

In this episode, we cover:

• Why we're always running late, overcommitting and leaving no buffers

• Why women downplay their achievements and wait for recognition

• Why someone else's success can trigger us, and how to use it as inspiration

• People pleasing and why we want everyone to like us

• Wanting more from life when life is already good

• Saying no without feeling guilty, and why it's easier to say no to our own family

• Why we feel guilty when we rest

• Comparing yourself to others on social media and the highlight reel

• Why we overthink everything we say

• Why there's never a right time to make a change, and the truth about your 40s

CONNECT WITH US

Changing Lanes Instagram → https://www.instagram.com/changinglanesthepodcast

Pilates Retreat Club Instagram → https://www.instagram.com/pilatesretreatclub

The Pilates Retreat Club → https://www.thepilatesretreatclub.com.au

If you are a busy woman, mum or someone figuring out your next chapter, subscribe to Changing Lanes for honest conversations, real stories and practical encouragement to support you as you navigate change.

In this episode of Changing Lanes, Rachel and Susan chat about the reality of running a business and the things people don’t tell you before you start. 

They talk about everything from freedom and flexibility to long hours, boundaries and the moment you realise you cannot do it all. 

This is an honest and relatable chat about what it really takes to run a business.

In this episode, we cover:

• Running a business and what no one tells you

• The reality of business ownership

• Business freedom, flexibility and balance

• Phone boundaries and after-hours messages

• Always being switched on

• Outsourcing and business support

• Knowing your numbers

• Hiring the right people

• Business burnout and loneliness

• Remembering your why 

CONNECT WITH US

Changing Lanes Instagram → https://www.instagram.com/changinglanesthepodcast

Pilates Retreat Club Instagram → https://www.instagram.com/pilatesretreatclub

The Pilates Retreat Club → https://www.thepilatesretreatclub.com.au

If you are a busy woman, mum or someone figuring out your next chapter, subscribe to Changing Lanes for honest conversations, real stories and practical encouragement to support you as you navigate change.

In this episode of Changing Lanes, Rachel and Susan chat about the honest side of motherhood, from mum fails and school admin chaos to the guilt that comes with trying to remember everything.

They start with the funny side of mum life, sharing their own parenting fails, forgotten dress-up days, missing nappies, last-minute panic and the moments that remind us we are all just figuring it out as we go.

The conversation also touches on the invisible load of motherhood, the pressure to get everything right and why so many mums feel guilty even when they are doing their best.

This is a relatable episode about mum life, parenting fails, the mental load and the reminder that no one is getting it right all the time.

In this episode, we cover:

• Mum life and mum guilt

• Parenting fails and school admin chaos

• Book Week, dress-up days and last-minute panic

• Forgotten nappies and calling in support

• The invisible load of motherhood

• The mental load of trying to remember everything

• The pressure to get it right

• Trying to do it all as a mum

• Learning to say sorry

• Laughing at the chaos and dropping the guilt

CONNECT WITH US

Changing Lanes Instagram → https://www.instagram.com/changinglanesthepodcast

Pilates Retreat Club Instagram → https://www.instagram.com/pilatesretreatclub

The Pilates Retreat Club → https://www.thepilatesretreatclub.com.au

If you are a busy woman, mum or someone figuring out your next chapter, subscribe to Changing Lanes for honest conversations, real stories and practical encouragement to support you as you navigate change.

Music from #Uppbeat

https://uppbeat.io/t/evoli/floating-on-the-breeze

License code: LKFNI0WJSN8GFKWT

Music from #Uppbeat

https://uppbeat.io/t/soundroll/tea-pop

License code: WUHKVCQR8C6RAQZC

In this episode of Changing Lanes, Rachel and Susan are joined by Max Price, Comedy Writer and Director, for a Father’s Day conversation about fatherhood, comedy and building a career through change.

Max shares how making skate videos as a kid in Hong Kong sparked his love of filming and comedy. Years later, that passion became a career in TV, social media and live performance.

He also talks about becoming a dad unexpectedly and how fatherhood changed the way he worked. The chaos of everyday family life became some of his best comedy material.

The conversation also explores career setbacks and business failure. Max shares what he learned from choosing a clearer content lane and how he keeps going when things do not go to plan.

This is a funny, honest and refreshing episode about fatherhood, parenting, failure, creativity and finding your lane.

In this episode, we cover:

• Fatherhood and becoming a dad
• Parenting comedy and relatable family life
• Building a creative career
• Choosing a content lane
• Comedy writing and content creation
• Business failure and lessons learned
• Career setbacks and resilience
• The pressure to provide
• Being a present dad
• Work, parenting and family balance
• Finding the funny side of everyday life
• What success looks like as a parent 

CONNECT WITH US

Max Price Instagram →  https://www.instagram.com/maxprice3/

Changing Lanes Instagram → https://www.instagram.com/changinglanesthepodcast

Pilates Retreat Club Instagram → https://www.instagram.com/pilatesretreatclub

The Pilates Retreat Club → https://www.thepilatesretreatclub.com.au

If you are a busy woman, mum, professional, business owner or someone figuring out your next chapter, subscribe to Changing Lanes for honest conversations, real stories and practical encouragement to support you as you navigate change. 

In this episode of Changing Lanes, Rachel and Susan sit down with Abby Gilmore to talk about motherhood, co-parenting and life in the public eye.

Abby opens up about becoming a young mum, going through separation in the public eye and learning how to co-parent in a way that puts her children first.

She talks about the emotional reality of raising children after separation and how she learned to put their needs first while creating more peace for her family.

They discuss what it has been like to grow up online and deal with public judgement. Abby also shares how content creation helped her build a community and learn to show up with more honesty, stronger boundaries and self-trust.

This is an honest and relatable conversation about motherhood, co-parenting, public pressure and rebuilding your life through change.

In this episode, we cover:

• Becoming a young mum

• Motherhood in your twenties

• Separation and co-parenting

• Putting children first after separation

• Raising kids in the public eye

• Online judgement and public criticism

• Creating content from real life

• Building an online community

• The business side of content creation

• Setting boundaries

• Finding peace after a difficult season

• Redefining success around family, home and emotional safety 

CONNECT WITH US

Abby Gilmore Instagram →  https://www.instagram.com/abbgilmore 

Changing Lanes Instagram → https://www.instagram.com/changinglanesthepodcast

Pilates Retreat Club Instagram → https://www.instagram.com/pilatesretreatclub

The Pilates Retreat Club → https://www.thepilatesretreatclub.com.au

If you are a busy woman, mum, professional, business owner or someone figuring out your next chapter, subscribe to Changing Lanes for honest conversations, real stories and practical encouragement to support you as you navigate change. 

In this episode of Changing Lanes, Rachel sits down with Susan as she shares the story of her daughter Ella’s Type 1 diabetes diagnosis.

Susan talks about what life looked like before August 2025, when she was growing her business, building the retreat business and feeling like she was starting to get more freedom as her children got older. Then, one phone call from the doctor changed everything.

Susan shares what diagnosis day was like, from the early symptoms they nearly brushed off to the hospital stay that followed. She also reflects on Ella learning to inject insulin on her 11th birthday and the daily reality of managing Type 1 diabetes, including blood sugar, insulin, carb counting and glucose levels. 

The conversation also explores the mental load of Type 1 diabetes, the impact it has on the whole family, the misconceptions people still have about diabetes and the resilience Ella continues to show. 

This is for anyone wanting to better understand what Type 1 diabetes really looks like for families, and for any parent navigating a diagnosis, a new normal or a life-changing season with their child.

In this episode, we cover:

• Ella’s Type 1 diabetes diagnosis

• Early symptoms and diagnosis day

• Hospital, insulin injections and blood sugar

• Carb counting and glucose levels

• CGMs and insulin pumps

• The mental load of Type 1 diabetes

• Diabetic ketoacidosis and early diagnosis

• Common Type 1 diabetes misconceptions

• Parenting through diagnosis

• The impact on the whole family

• Ella’s resilience and strength

• Advice for newly diagnosed families 

CONNECT WITH US

Changing Lanes Instagram → https://www.instagram.com/changinglanesthepodcast

Pilates Retreat Club Instagram → https://www.instagram.com/pilatesretreatclub

The Pilates Retreat Club → https://www.thepilatesretreatclub.com.au

If you are a busy woman, mum, professional, business owner or someone figuring out your next chapter, subscribe to Changing Lanes for honest conversations, real stories and practical encouragement to support you as you navigate change.