Over the Back Fence

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. 

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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. 

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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.   

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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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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.  

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Buy Lisa McGuigan wines 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.  

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Listen to the School of Greatness podcast 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

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This week Nicola and Di chat with the energetic and vivacious Susan Bratton. Susan is an intimacy expert to millions and has been helping people improve their intimate relationships and sex life for the past 2 decades. Susan has written thousands of magazine and website articles, as well as over 40 books and programs to help people experience shame-free, frequent sexual pleasure, which she believes is a vital element of being alive. Susan also regularly appears on TV and podcasts from all over the world. She has been married for over 30 years and has so much to share. 

In this conversation Susan talks about how she got started as a sexpert, as a married woman in her 40s who was deeply unhappy with her sex life and wanted to do something about it. As Susan and her husband started going to therapy and attending sex workshops, they learnt so many skills and became closer than ever, which made Susan passionate about teaching everything she was learning to others. She went on to create a media company, and write dozens of books and programs that have helped millions of people.  

Susan shares so many juicy tips with us in this chat - it is full of ideas for how you can improve your love life, including a sex bucket list and what Susan likes to call hot sex dates. We hear about Susan’s desire dozen - the 12 things you can do to increase your pleasure and get more from your relationship. 

We also talk about how Susan is feeling now that she’s in her 60s - the good news is, she’s absolutely loving it and having the best sex of her life! 

We had so many laughs in this episode because it’s full of cheeky chat, but it’s also super informative and helpful. We hope you have a giggle along with us and get as much from this conversation as we did. 

Follow Susan on IG here 

Download Susan’s FREE Sex Life Bucket List here

Download Susan’s FREE Sexual Soulmate Pact here

Get Susan’s Tips, Videos and Articles here 

Find out more about Susan’s work here

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This week we are bringing you something a little bit different - Nicola and Di recently headed off to Hamilton Island Race Week and interviewed a collection of world-class sailors whilst they were there. This week’s episode brings you all 4 of those inspiring chats. 

First up we talk to Alice Parker - a remarkable 30-year old navigator who’s raced in 4 Sydney to Hobarts, as the only female on an all-male crew, as well as several world championships that have taken her to many different countries. We hear about Alice’s best moment at sea, as well as the most frightening, which happened during one of her Sydney to Hobarts. Not only is Alice an incredible young sailor, she’s also a physiotherapist and is back studying at uni again to upskill in some maths and physics. You’ll want to hear Alice’s answer for who she wants to meet at the back fence because it’s truly beautiful. 

We then get the chance to chat with Mark Richards, the sailor and boat builder that many listeners would know as the long time skipper of Wild Oats, who has won the Sydney to Hobart a stunning 9 times! We hear the amazing story of how Mark got started in sailing and how he credits it to being adopted by the right people. Mark tells some great stories about his friendship with Bob Oatley, the comradery of the sailing community as well as his greatest achievements and most harrowing moments at sea. 

Our third conversation is with the dynamic sailor girl Nic Douglass. When you listen in to this chat you’ll hear just how much passion and enthusiasm Nic has for sailing. Having just returned from the Olympics where Nic was part of the team commentating for the crowds on-the-ground in Marseille, we hear how the work she does now and the media company she started actually came after she was at one of her low points when she didn’t qualify for the London Olympics in 2012. Nic is proof that sometimes it’s the low moments in our lives and careers that become turning points and lead to really great opportunities.  

Finally, we talk to the incredible Stacey Jackson who has sailed in a whopping 16 Sydney to Hobarts and is nowhere near stopping! Not only that but Stacey has also competed in a 9-month round-the-world race not once, but twice including conquering Cape Horn, which is known as the Mt Everest of the sailing world. We hear what it was like the first time Stacey sailed around the world and the most incredible story of how her crew survived after their mast broke shortly after they’d rounded Cape Horn on her second trip around the world. Stacey was also the skipper on Wild Oats when Julie Bishop famously jumped off the back of the boat after the start of the race in Sydney. 

This week’s episode is full of so many great stories and wonderful personalities. It was so much fun recording on location up in Hamilton Island and we really hope you love tuning in to this one.  

Follow Alice Parker on IG here

Follow Wild Oats XI on IG here 

Follow Palm Beach Motor Yachts on IG here

Follow Sailor Girl Nic Douglass on IG here

Follow Stacey Jackson on IG here

Follow Hamilton Island Race Week on IG here

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This week Nicola and Di chat with the joyful and inspiring Lisa Walker. Lisa is the co-founder of Eir - a women’s wellness company which creates supplements for women over 40 to help them feel well and full of joy. After a career in beauty and health marketing, Lisa spent years fine tuning the stories of other brands and celebrities including Canon, Invisible Zinc, Skinstitut, Lisa Wilkinson and Dr Chris Brown. Whilst she was working at Canon, Lisa met her business partner Kate, and the idea for Eir was born. Following the tragic loss of her husband in 2022, Lisa found a new sense of purpose and fulfilment in building her company and helping other women find midlife health for longevity to get the absolute best out of the 2nd half of their lives. Lisa is also the proud mum of 2 young boys. 

In this chat we hear about Lisa’s year of YES - which was a decision she made on her 49th birthday, 1 year after her husband Ben had passed away, to commit to a year of yes. Yes to joy, to life, to love, to friends, to experiences.  Yes to new beginnings. We hear lots of the great stories from that year - all the different things Lisa tried, from fly fishing to pole dancing, and what her favourite experience was. We also have a fun time chatting to Lisa about the dating scene in her 50s, the courage it takes to put yourself back out there and whether she’s open to meeting someone new. 

Lisa also shares her thoughts on grief - how she’s coped through this difficult time, the tools that have helped her along the way, how she processes her grief and the lessons she continues to learn.

We had such a wonderful time in the studio with Lisa. It was an inspiring conversation that covered challenging things such as alcoholism and the loss of her husband, but also joyful and uplifting stories of finding a renewed sense of purpose in midlife. A real chat about what it’s like being human and the emotional rollercoaster that can be at times. We hope you enjoy it as much as we did. 

Follow Lisa Walker on IG here

Follow Eir Women on IG here

Find out more and order Eir Women products here

Read Lisa’s Year of Yes article here 

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