Hosting With Heart

Childhood friends Mitch Forbes and Dan Kroenert are no strangers to rolling their sleeves up and getting their hands dirty.

After a 7 month council approval process, the pair, who both live in the neighbouring region, decided to build a sustainably-focused cabin for two on a 13 acre block belonging to Mitch's family, in Crackenback, New South Wales, about 5 minutes outside Jindabyne.

Aptly named 'Crafters Cabin' in honour of their efforts, this paired-back yet visually stunning luxury couples retreat has been designed in a way that masterfully respects the natural environment in which it sits, employing a host of energy-efficient principles and design features to enable it to operate completely off-grid.

The guys have also brought on partners who share their sustainable ethos to equip the property, including the likes of Cultiver linen and Leif body products, creating a mentally and physically nourishing sanctuary for guests to truly unwind in.

It was an absolute pleasure chatting with Mitch and Dan a couple of days ago and I've no doubts you'll also enjoy our chat today.

In this special episode, Jen talks in depth about why she created the new Hosting With Heart website, the ups and downs of getting the site off the ground, who the site is for and how it aims to significantly change the landscape of hosting.

She also discusses how to become a member of the site, including approval criteria and costs, along with outlining her plans and goals for the site going forward.

For all the hosts out there who share Jen's purpose-driven ethos, this is an episode not to be missed.

Perth-based Kim Swinyard is no stranger to adversity. Having for many years dutifully performed the role of primary carer for her chronically ill Mum, she sadly also endured the premature passing of her Mum several years ago, prompting her to re-evaluate her life's priorities.

With that perspective in tow, Kim and her long-term partner Jeff established their building design practice, Studio Atelier, in 2012, and have since accumulated an incredible portfolio of projects, with a focus on working with existing structures and upgrading them rather than demolishing and starting over.

It was only in recent years that Kim and Jeff decided their significant design and renovation experience might well lend itself to the set-up of a holiday property, so after quite an arduous, at times drama-filled search, they in 2021 purchased a sizeable plot of land with a modest shed on it in Western Australia's Denmark region, now known as Stillwood Retreat.

In the months to follow, with two young kids in tow and at all times closely informed by their commitment to sustainability, they painstakingly converted the shed into a luxury adults-only retreat, running solely off rainwater, using upcycled / secondhand fittings and furniture wherever possible, integrating natural stone offcuts into the design and much more.

And it all paid off, with Stillwood now enjoying a 100% occupancy rate only 4 months after opening and 80% of bookings being made directly.

I enjoyed every moment of my chat with Kim last week and I'm sure you will too.

If anyone knows the real value of wholehearted hosting, it's Tracey Northcott.

Having relocated to Tokyo several years prior, Aussie expat Tracey first dipped her toes into the short-term rental water in 2010.

With a baby son in tow, her two bedroom apartment was no longer ample for hosting friends and family and so a new plan was efficiently engineered: she would rent another apartment for them to stay in when visiting and the rest of the time, let it out on Airbnb.

This model proved so successful, that at one point some years later Tracey found herself managing a short-term rental business comprising 23 properties, with 6 staff and a 7-figure annual revenue. And these properties weren't just in Tokyo, but all over Japan.

In recent years however, Tracey's priorities have changed and she's since downscaled, now managing a more modest portfolio of properties and focusing on coaching other short-term rental hosts about how they can not only grow their profits, but do so in a way that is purposeful, socially responsible, creative and sustainable.

Tracey is one of the most articulate and insightful guests I've had on the podcast to date and it was an absolute pleasure catching up with her a couple of weeks ago. Please enjoy our chat today.

True to the form of so many of our region's most successful property hosts, Newcastle-based Sheriden Rhodes is a wildly talented multi-tasker.

As a creative child who yearned to become a journalist, she went on to do exactly that, spending her young adult years cutting her teeth working for the local newspaper before ultimately branching out as a freelance travel writer.

Since then, she has written for some of the country's most celebrated media including The Sydney Morning Herald, The Age, QANTAS Magazine, Good Weekend and The Robb Report.

In more recent times, Sheriden and her husband Tom, along with daughter Ella, purchased, renovated and styled a potential-filled cottage in the as-yet relatively undiscovered NSW Hunter Valley hamlet of Morpeth, not far from Newcastle.

Now known as the River Haus and having been open for guest stays for coming up to a year, Sheriden has repeatedly drawn on her professional background to secure a coveted array of press for the property, including a feature in Country Style's recently published 'Dream Stays' magazine, House&Garden and more.

As I predicted, my chat with Sheriden a couple of weeks ago was a super enjoyable one that I know you'll get a lot out of. Please enjoy.

Ingrid Daniell is an artist, an empath and all-round creative visionary who in 2019, following a chance discovery by her graphic designer husband Clifton, bought a rustic shack right by the water in the tiny seaside hamlet of Falmouth, Tasmania.

After a modest renovation that aimed to be as sensitive to the 1980's design sensibilities of the property's original owner - and to the planet - as possible, Ingrid and Clifton, whose permanent home with their two teenage sons is on Victoria's Surf Coast, opened the property to guests in early 2020.

Since then, this truly unique, enveloping property that seems to capture the imagination of everyone who sights it has received widespread media coverage, including features on The Design Files and in lauded American architecture publication Dwell.

On a personal note, Ingrid is an artist whose work and career I have followed with great interest for many years. It was the most wonderful coincidence to recently realise she was the owner of Whale Song and no doubt an absolute pleasure to catch up with her a week or so ago. I hope you enjoy our chat.

Chantelle Pears is one brave woman. Currently working as a nurse in an indigenous community in remote Western Australia, she and her fiance Matt purchased Flagstaff Estate, a 6 bedroom, 3 bathroom sprawling property in Tasmania's Lindisfarne, approximately 8km from Hobart, in early 2020.

Following their purchase, they planned to relocate back to their home town of Hobart, but the hard COVID borders made this impossible with their work commitments, so they instead decided to undertake an ambitious renovation with the ultimate aim of launching it as a holiday property for large groups.

The renovation was largely coordinated by Chantelle and her experienced and resourceful sister-in-law, Emily who managed the process while Chantelle and Matt were stuck in Western Australia.

Now, having been open for approximately 18 months, all of which have been with Covid looming large, Chantelle and Matt, who is an engineer, have mastered the art of automating nearly every possible function at Flagstaff, enabling them to seamlessly manage the day to day running of the property from nearly 5000km away.

I am often blown away by how industrious hosts can be when it comes to remote management of properties, but Chantelle and Matt have pipped anyone else I've ever met embarking on a similar journey at the post. They have a system for absolutely everything.

I loved my chat with Chantelle a few weeks back and I'm sure you'll get just as much out of it too. Enjoy.

Amber Tyrrell may be the first guest I've had on the podcast that I can say in every possible way exemplifies 'the heartful host'. I hope she won't be the last.

Along with her husband Patrick, Amber runs the wildly successful Valley Views Glamping in New Zealand's stunning Waitaki Valley, located approx 2hrs north of Dunedin on the South Island.

After growing up on farms in New Zealand and South Africa respectively, Amber and Patrick met in Israel about 30 years ago, married, had children and went on to buy their 40ha property at the end of 2007.

Their vision was simple - to build an off-grid home with a view, some trees and a creek and to live a sustainable lifestyle.

Some 15 years later, they are now running a multi-award winning, thriving glamping business that utilises 6 geodesic domes and a central, shared 'lodge' which includes kitchen, dining and bathroom facilities.

They utilised as many reclaimed, recycled materials as they could during the build and run the property using only solar power and spring water sourced from the neighbouring mountains.

The property also caters to disabled guests, with one of the geodesic domes and the lodge being fully accessible.

I came away from my chat with Amber feeling quite moved that I'd managed to meet such a holistically thoughtful host. I hope she'll inspire you as much as she did me.

Amanda Stevens is a perfumer, scent designer, artist & shop owner.

Her unique way of storytelling through scent can be found in properties and brands across Australia, and her online store explores a retail experience of handmade, bespoke aromas and collaborations with other artisans.

After spending time working for international cosmetic companies, Amanda realised that the world of perfumery had lost its spark to a world of mass-production. Believing that scent should be an individual experience, born from the trade itself, she works with others to strengthen their brand and create their own scent based on their own story.

Now Principal Scent Designer for a myriad of hosted homes, brands and stores, with works published in Australian & international magazines, and a thriving online store, Amanda's distinct style and true artisan approach is changing the scent landscape.

Amanda is such a treat to chat with, I came away from our discussion a few weeks back feeling as though I'd just had a therapy session. I hope you walk away from this episode feeling likewise.

Like many of the world's most celebrated creatives, Michelle Crawford wholeheartedly embraces the unpredictable adventures that taking risks can bring.

With no jobs and only a credit card to keep them afloat, Michelle, husband Leo and their then infant daughter Elsa moved to Tasmania in 2004, in search of a simpler life more connected to the land.

After going on to welcome a son, in 2007 Michelle started a blog named after her two kids, Hugo and Elsa, aimed at documenting her new life in the countryside, which would ultimately go on to attract a significant community of followers.

Once her kids were at school, Michelle was free to pursue an array of creative and culinary-focused interests, leading to a host of collaborations with some of Tassie's most acclaimed chefs and food critics including Matthew Evans, Sally Wise and Ben Milbourne.

During this time she also established herself as one of the country's leading voices on all things food, authoring four books and numerous articles featured in the likes of Country Style, Galah, Graziher, Jetstar Magazine, Feast Magazine, Inside Out and Lunch Lady Magazine.

More recently, she has started the process of gently restoring an old bank known as 'The Bowmont' in the idyllic village of Franklin in Tasmania's Huon Valley, which she and Leo bought a few years ago.

True to form, she has many grand plans for this history-filled building and I was thrilled to be able to catch up with her about them - and so much more - a few weeks ago.