Over the Back Fence

This week Nicola and Di chat with the hilarious and fun Claudia Bursill aka Miss Double Bay. Miss Double Bay is Claudia’s alter ego and she’s best known for her take on the Eastern Suburbs of Sydney and influencer culture and her razor sharp memes and deadpan humour. She’s the queen of satire and is also the co-host of the popular podcast, Certified Yappers, with her friend Roj. 

In this chat we hear the funny story of how Miss Double Bay started, when a mouldy avocados review that Claudia did as part of a university assignment went viral and earned her the nickname, Miss Double Bay. Claudia talks about how she started the instagram account a couple of years later and it began to really gain popularity during covid. Initially the account was completely anonymous and nobody knew who Miss Double Bay was, but after a couple of years, as things were really taking off, she decided to come clean and reveal who she was. 

We have a good laugh about the latest trends in this episode. From personalised dog harnesses, to what’s happening on the dating scene with run clubs, and communal ice bath sessions - Aussie culture at its finest. Claudia also tells us about her other Instagram account where women submit the cringe worthy things they see and hear on the dating app Hinge - she shares a few voice notes with us in the studio, which we hope you’ll find as funny as we did. 

We also talk about our philosophies on life - having a good laugh, not taking things too seriously, treating people kindly, having positive energy, an attitude of gratitude and a focus on fun! This conversation made us laugh so hard and we hope you enjoy listening to the silliness. 

Follow Miss Double Bay on IG here

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Listen to Claudia’s podcast - Certified Yappers - here

Buy your own Miss Double Bay Water Bottle here

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This week Nicola and Di chat with the wise and encouraging Dr. Kristin Neff. Kristin is an Associate Professor of Educational Psychology at the University of Texas and is one of the world’s leading experts in self-compassion. Kristin was the first person to conduct research on self-compassion more than 20 years ago and she created a scale to measure it, which is used by thousands of practitioners all over the world. She’s written numerous academic articles as well as several books on the topic and has been recognised as one of the most influential scholars in the field of psychology. Well over 5000 studies have been conducted on self-compassion by various scholars since her ground-breaking articles were first published in 2003. She really is a trailblazer in this field. 

In this conversation, Kristin describes what self-compassion actually is, the benefits of practising it in your life, and she shares some simple yet powerful tools which you can use to build your self-compassion. 

She talks about the important difference between self-pity and self-compassion, and why self-compassion is actually a gift that benefits everyone. Despite being known as self-compassion, as Kristin explains, it’s not all about the self, it’s actually a powerful force that connects us to other people and acknowledges our common humanity. 

Kristin gives some really practical tips for how you can get started and the good news is - the benefits can be felt immediately. Our producer Sam also shares with Kristin how her work on self-compassion changed her life. There were tears in the studio that day. We are so grateful to Kristin for this conversation and we hope you love this episode as much as we did. 

Follow Kristin on IG here

Find out more about Kristin’s work and access free self-compassion tools here

Take the free self-compassion test here

Order Kristin Neff’s books here

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This week Nicola and Di chat with the always fun and entertaining Leanne Nicol and we have an exclusive giveaway for one lucky Over The Back Fence listener, so stay tuned to hear all the details. Leanne is a former school principal, now certified Master Coach, who you may remember from our first chat with her, 100 First Dates . In that episode, Leanne shared with us the story of finding love again in her mid-forties and the funny highlights from all the dates she had to go on to ultimately find her husband. 

In this bonus episode, we hear the story of what happened after Leanne left the podcast studio that day. She was feeling inspired by the energy in the room, so arranged to grab a coffee with our producer Sam, and that conversation led to a career change for Leanne, and one she is truly loving. 

Leanne tells us about the coaching work she’s doing through her business, Fierce Hearts, and how she loves empowering people to be the best version of themselves. We talk about the benefits of coaching, some simple tools to help you make a mindset shift and we also discuss the differences between coaching and therapy or counselling. 

And of course, because it’s Leanne, we couldn’t help but chat about the latest dating trends. 

You’ll also hear in this episode about our exclusive competition which you can enter. Leanne has generously decided to give away one place in her upcoming Jump Start Your Fierce Heart coaching program to one of our lucky listeners, to help kick start a positive change in your life. Could it be you? You’ve got to be in it to win it! 

Jump Start Your Fierce Heart - Exclusive Giveaway - Competition Details

How to Enter:

1️⃣ Follow both @overthebackfencepodcast and @fierce_hearts on Instagram
2️⃣ Tag 1 friend
3️⃣ In the comments tell us the positive change you’d like to make to your life in the next 3 months

What You’ll Get:

• 1 x Discovery call

• A small group program with 3 x 1.5-hour weekly Zoom sessions

• 3 x Accountability check-ins

• 1 x Workbook - that includes group session details, action plans and reflection and consolidation exercises

• Coaching by a certified Master Coach

• A safe, supportive space with like-minded people

• Be challenged, supported, and held accountable    

Value: $990

Entries close: 14 November 2024. Winners will be announced on our Instagram story and contacted by us to arrange the prize.

Follow Fierce Hearts on IG here

Follow Nicola and Di on IG here

Listen to our first interview with Leanne - 100 First Dates here

 

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This week Nicola and Di chat with the wise and inspiring Chip Conley. Chip is an entrepreneur, speaker and New York Times best-selling author. Chip spent the first part of his career in the hospitality industry - he founded Joie de Vivre Hospitality in 1987, which became the 2nd largest operator of boutique hotels in the US. After selling his company in 2010, Chip went on to become the global head of strategy for Airbnb, transforming it from a fast-growing start-up to the world’s most valuable hospitality brand. His next step was to follow his new passion to reframe the concept of ageing, and help people navigate midlife with a renewed sense of purpose and possibility. He founded the world’s first midlife wisdom school, Modern Elder Academy (MEA). He is also a loving father to his two sons. 

In this conversation, we hear how Chip had a near death experience that made him question the way he was living his life, and he decided he wanted to do something new in the second half of his life. He became dedicated to helping people navigate midlife in a new way, shift their mindset to be pro-aging and realise their best years are ahead of them. 

Chip shares some great advice for what people can do to find more meaning in midlife, the importance of being willing to learn new things, be a beginner again and how to focus on having a growth mindset. We also hear about the fun things that people get up to at his MEA schools in Baja and Santa Fe - we can’t wait to get there. 

Chip is so inspiring and fills people with so much hope that the best is yet to come. We absolutely loved chatting with him and we hope you enjoy this conversation as much as we did. 

Follow Chip on IG here

Find out more about the Modern Elder Academy here

Buy Chip Conley’s book Learning to Love Midlife here

Find out more about Chip’s work here 

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This week Nicola and Di chat with the entertaining and multi-talented Tottie Goldsmith. Tottie has been part of the Australian performing arts industry for 4 decades, with an incredible career that spans music, film, television, radio and theatre. In the 80s, Tottie became known as Melbourne’s IT girl, and was part of the pop group, The Chantoozies. Over the next few decades she appeared on so many iconic Australian TV shows including Young Doctors, Prisoner, Neighbours, and The Sex/Life series to name just a few. Tottie is also a proud mum, a marriage celebrant and the niece of our beloved Olivia Newton-John. In 2020 Tottie was awarded an OAM for her contribution to charity and the performing arts. 

In this episode, we hear all about Tottie’s unconventional upbringing and some of the incredible stories from her childhood. She was born in the 60s to a legend of the Australian nightclub industry, Brian Goldsmith and the model and actress Rona Newton-John. We hear the heartbreaking story of how Tottie’s mum left her and her 2 siblings, when Tottie was only 2.5, to pursue a career overseas and the huge impact that had on Tottie’s life. 

Tottie opens up about the absolutely beautiful relationship that she had with her aunt Olivia, who was always looking out for her and loving her in ways that her mother wasn’t able to. Olivia was a true angel in Tottie’s life. 

Not only that, but we hear some fun stories from Tottie’s love life and the lessons she’s learned along the way through the relationships she’s had. Tottie is someone who really has done a lot of work on herself, and is committed to continuing to learn and grow. It’s inspiring to listen to.

We had so much fun in this chat with Tottie - it was absolutely like having another girlfriend with us over the back fence. We hope you enjoy it as much as we did. 

Follow Tottie on IG here

Support the Olivia Newton-John Cancer Wellness and Research Centre here

Find out more about Tottie’s work here

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This week Nicola and Di chat with the brilliant and inspiring Heather Mitchell. Heather is one of Australia’s most acclaimed actors, with a career spanning 4 decades. She has appeared in hundreds of theatre productions and her film and television credits are countless, including series such as Love Me, Fake, and The Unusual Suspects and films like The Great Gatsby, Muriel’s Wedding and Palm Beach. Heather also has a brilliant memoir, Everything and Nothing, where she shares so many personal stories from her life outside of acting, and we dive into some of these in this episode. 

In this conversation Heather talks about how she is 66 and absolutely loving it! She shares her belief on why it’s a privilege to get old, and that she’s enjoying life more and more each day. As someone who lost their mother at a young age, and has overcome breast cancer herself twice, Heather really sees the true gift that it is to be able to get old, and has such a refreshing perspective on ageing. 

We hear the beautiful love story of how Heather met her husband Martin, and the psychic who predicted it the day before - you’ll really want to tune in for this story, because it’s incredible. 

Heather opens up about what it was like losing her mother at 17, and the pivotal moment in her life where she unknowingly had a conversation that would convince her mother not to tell anyone she was sick and dying.

We also get the inside scoop on what happened with Heather and Sam Neill, and how a recent interview they did together was the first time they ever talked about why their relationship ended, and what they learnt from each other was pretty amazing. 

This episode is full of so many wonderful stories and we had such a lovely time talking to Heather. She is a kind and gentle soul, with a spirit and energy that radiates. We hope you love listening to her.   

Follow Heather on IG here

Buy Heather’s Memoir - Everything and Nothing - here

Learn more about the Groundswell Foundation here 

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This week Nicola and Di chat with the fascinating and one-of-a-kind Molly Jane. Molly is an oracle, who is able to read and interpret energy, which helps people to align, gain clarity and upgrade their energy. As she explains in this interview, Molly really is at the forefront of a brand new modality, and she believes that in 10 years time, the type of work she does will become totally normal, and people will understand the importance of taking care of their energetic body, as well as their physical body. 

In this chat we find out what it means to be an oracle, how Molly can read people’s energy and simple things that anyone can do to make sure they are clearing their energy, and paying attention to the people and places that align with their energy, so they can feel lighter and brighter.  

Molly shares a great and practical tool - the blueprint - for how you can work out what’s truly important to you and set better boundaries for anything that doesn’t align with your blueprint, so that you aren’t weighed down by them. 

Molly also does a reading for Di during the chat, so you can experience a taste of what it’s like to have an energetic upgrade - you’ll want to listen into this. 

This was such a fascinating conversation with a truly special woman. We loved chatting to Molly and we hope you get as much out of it as we did. 

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Find out more about Molly Jane and her work here

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This week Nicola and Di chat with the fun, creative and ambitious Lisa McGuigan. Lisa is a fourth generation winemaker from Australia’s Hunter Valley, blazing a new trail in wine, whilst paying homage to the work of her father, grandfather and great grandfather. You’ll hear in this interview that Lisa has a rebellious spirit, which meant she carved her own path, leaving behind the wine industry and pursuing a career in hospitality. Lisa excelled in this field, but as the years went on, she realised she couldn’t deny her genes and that winemaking is in her DNA. We’re so lucky she returned to the industry, because Lisa makes some absolutely incredible wines. She designed and directed the launch and meteoric rise of Tempus Two, one of Australia's most loved and successful wine brands and is now the founder of Lisa McGuigan Wines and Vamp.

There were lots of stories and laughs in this chat as Lisa brought some wines into the studio so Nicola and Di could have a wine tasting as they talked about her life. Lisa recalled the day she had a run-in with her father when she announced she wouldn’t be going into winemaking, which resulted in her being shipped off to Swiss Finishing School. What started as a punishment became a formative experience, and Lisa had a ball living in the alps and learnt a lot about herself in that one year alone. 

Lisa shares the twists and turns along the way in her career - including the 20 years she spent working in hotels, the decision to return to winemaking in her own creative way and the adventures of starting her first brand Hermitage Road, which later became the famous Tempus Two. We also hear about Lisa’s latest brand, Lisa McGuigan Wines and her one-of-a-kind cellar door experience at Vamp. 

This is a truly inspiring conversation with a woman who sees an opportunity and grabs it with both hands. She is an unstoppable and innovative force and we had so much fun (and delicious wine) with her in the studio. We hope you enjoy this episode as much as we did.  

Follow Lisa McGuigan on IG here

Follow Vamp on IG here

Buy Lisa McGuigan wines here

Vote for us in the Australian Podcast Awards here

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This week’s episode is a little bit different as it’s a chat with Nicola and Di in the studio about their recent trip to LA. We get all the highlights from the Summit Of Greatness event they attended, hosted by Lewis Howes - one of the most inspiring and successful podcasters globally, who has an audience of millions.  

We hear about the key lessons they took away from some of the incredible speakers at the event, including scientist and teacher Dr. Joe Dispenza and relationships psychotherapist Esther Perel. Both Joe and Esther are New York Times best-selling authors and their work has touched and changed the lives of millions of people - we’re excited to share some powerful moments from both of them with you. 

Nicola and Di also share their favourite moments from La La land and the ways they’ve been inspired to keep learning, growing and making positive changes in their lives. We hope you’ll feel uplifted and inspired by this conversation.  

Follow Lewis Howes on IG here

Listen to the School of Greatness podcast here

Follow Dr. Joe Dispenza on IG here 

Follow Esther Perel on IG here 

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This week Nicola and Di chat with the genuine and inspiring Ronni Kahn AO. Ronni is a social entrepreneur who founded the food rescue charity, OzHarvest. She is a passionate advocate and activist and her mission to fight food waste and feed hungry people is supported by some of the world’s finest chefs. Ronni is an Officer of the Order of Australia (AO) and was named Australian Local Hero of the Year in 2010. Her journey is the subject of a feature film,  Food Fighter and her memoir, A Repurposed Life, has recently been published.

In this conversation, Ronni tells us the remarkable story of a trip back to South Africa to visit an old friend that uncovered Ronni’s purpose and changed the course of her life forever. She shares how it all began with OzHarvest, and how her passion is fuelled by purpose and Ronni considers it a privilege to be able to do the work she does in the world and make an incredible impact. 

As well as Ronni’s passion to feed the hungry, we also talk about her activism around food waste and the little-known fact that food waste is the second biggest contributor to global warming, and costs the Australian economy $36.6 billion dollars a year. Ronni shares with us some simple ways that we can all reduce our food waste and help her achieve her mission for Australia to halve their food waste by 2030. 

Ronni is a great storyteller and we hear all about some of the incredible people she’s collaborated with - from top international chefs to the patron of UK Harvest, none other than Queen Camilla herself. 

To celebrate the 20 year anniversary of OzHarvest and bring awareness to the fact that 10 million Australians on any given day are in need of food, Ronni and her team are holding a Unite To Feed Australia concert on the 7th of November in Sydney, and she’d love for you all to be thaere! You can buy your tickets here. 

We absolutely loved chatting to Ronni in the studio and hearing her uplifting message about the power each and every one of us has to make a difference in the world, no matter how big or small. We hope you love it too and that we can sing along with you Back Fencers at the concert in November. 

Follow Ronni on IG here 

Follow OzHarvest on IG here

Buy Tickets to the OzHarvest - Unite To Feed Australia Concert here

Buy Ronni’s Memoir - A Repurposed Life here 

Find Out More about OzHarvest here

Follow Nicola and Di on IG here

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