Sometimes transformations come in unexpected ways and you cannot prepare for them. I came across a post from Christine Vance who is a Talent + People Leader based in Dallas on Linkedin and the power of her story moved a needle for many people around the world as it went viral. 

She simply wrote: “This week marked 6 months since I lost my husband and father to our four young children due to complications of COVID, including the misdiagnosis of Multiple Myeloma. I had seven days with Andre prior to him being placed on life support. After fighting for ten days, the Heavens welcomed him with open arms.

Throughout this journey, I have been reminded first hand of the importance to focus time on family, health, and passion. Over the past two years HR professionals, in particular, have worked tirelessly to ensure our people are safe and cared for. What many of us did not do was follow our own advice. Remember, take moments for your own wellbeing and make memories with loved ones.

I am at peace with my situation and look forward to my next opportunity in our new future.”

Incredibly powerful narrative as in her thirties she became a widow with 4 children. I checked who our common connections were and noticed she had worked at Neiman Marcus - years prior I had the privilege of working alongside creative innovator Ken Downing and the communications team to launch the brand into Australia and it was one of those partnerships I truly cherished. I reached out to her, introduced myself and asked if she would like to share the power of her story on my podcast. We met for the first time on her birthday and the podcast interview was a gift to herself and the children. The power of her story reached over 10 million people and continues to deliver global impact as I sit here writing this book.

Today's podcast deep dives on what happened and how she stepped up and into her power to deal with loss, grief and raising 4 children.  Christine is inspirational and there are so many key takeaways from the power of her story.  I feel immense gratitude she shared this with us.

Much love,

TORY xox 

Are you ready ti take a powerful step forward in business and life? Connect with Tory here:

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Life always delivers us lessons and like most people I don't often talk about the hard times because I am focused on the future not the past.

Hard times happen and they happen to everyone which is why at some point in your life when the timing feels right it is important to share them to shine a light for others.

I always feel vulnerable sharing this side of my life and when I spoke to the top rating podcast FORTY for an episode with Those Two Girls seeing it shared on socials made my heart skipped a beat with the headline:

• The grim reality of her glamorous life
• Why keeping her family’s ‘dirty little secret’ nearly killed her
• What was really going on behind closed doors and the steps she took to transform post-trauma.

Then I saw the first comment from a mother and businesswoman in Queensland and she wrote 'just finished listening, I loved it. It has to be one of my favourites, left me feeling happy' and I knew in that moment I did the right thing because when we own our story we own our power and that means we can empower one another.

In this episode I share the powerful steps I took to own my story and my power.  How I found the courage to become fearless and step away from judgement.

I trust it helps someone today.

Much love,

TORY xox

Are you ready ti take a powerful step forward in business and life? Connect with Tory here:

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Lindy Klim is a Balinese-Australian entrepreneur and influencer who has captivated the public with her trademark sophistication for nearly two decades. Lindy first made waves as a catwalk model for Chanel & Louis Vuitton and in glossy editorials for Vogue and Harpers’ Bazaar. It wasn’t long before her striking looks, inimitable style and business acumen launched Lindy beyond the realm of modelling to become a successful entrepreneur and a brand in her own right.

During lockdown in Bali where she now resides as a devoted mother to her four children and husband Lindy launched a vaginal wellness brand Fig Femme which is now selling out thanks to Kourtney Kardashian who endorsed the product on her high profile site POOSH. While Lindy's influencer friend's were afraid to talk about the benefits of vagina hygenie on their own high profile Instagram accounts Kourtney gave Lindy's brand a plug by highlighting the importance of vaginal health and 'natural ways to balance the vagina's pH'.

When Lindy had her first daughter Stella she became aware of how much we put that part of our body through. After giving birth, she was offered a frozen condom to pop in her underpants and thought, "I have just put my body through the most amazing (but also ridiculously painful) experience and this is how I look after it?!" "There has to be something better out there!"

From here, she sat on the idea to create a brand for women they would be proud to use and not view as a taboo subject. From conversations with others came the realisation that we do SO much to this part of the body, tight clothes, waxing, IPL, even sex but the only products out there to specifically care for this area were rather clinical and always hidden at the back of women's cupboards and shrouded in secrecy.

We talk about HOW and WHY she created a brand that women could feel confident purchasing and were proud to have on their bathroom shelves. 

You can purchase the top-selling RESTORE Vulva Mask when you need a bit of downtime here. Lindy likes to block out 20 minutes twice a month to lock her bedroom door, light a candle and mask finding this to be the ultimate female relaxation technique.

Are you ready ti take a powerful step forward in business and life? Connect with Tory here:

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

One of the questions I am asked often is how can we work together so I decided to dedicate this episode to sharing how we can partner and empower you in business and life with a series of powerful steps.

A simple fact about me:

Every morning I wake up with a happy heart because I have the privilige of partnering with women like YOU who want to take powerful steps in life. Watching them transform on our program's by tapping into the power of our community is life-changing and one of life’s greatest gifts.

Here is my story and why it can help you:

Believing in herself when no-one else would, at just 24 years old Tory started her career in the deep end, founding Australia’s most high-profile brand and communications agency, Torstar. Torstar didn’t get its reputation from just hype, the results were real. With her trademark passion and integrity Tory led her team of 22 staff and 10 freelancers to deliver award winning work with the world’s top-performing brands, celebrities and influencers including Zara, Nespresso, Seafolly, Sukin and Victoria’s Secret. Impressively Tory’s launch event for Zara in Sydney clocked over 22,000 people in attendance and was Zara’s most successful retail launch event to date.

Always one to trust her intuition, after 20 years Tory knew that it was time to start a new chapter. Her ah-ha moment came after she launched 3 of America’s most powerful brands into Australia. At a sold-out launch event for Drew Barrymore’s brand Flower Beauty organised by Tory, Drew shared with the crowd about how she survived tough times. Watching, Tory thought, ‘lady, I see you and raise you five. You know what, I’m done.’

Shutting the doors to her agency in 2019, Tory launched Powerful Steps, an online community and platform for women making global impact. With five programs available, Tory nurtures and encourages C-suite level women to own their story, step into their power and take their careers to the next level.

Through Powerful Steps Tory has helped transform the lives of over 600 women, including two recipients of ‘Telstra Business Woman of The Year’, board directors, media executives and COO’s. Top performing Australian corporates Salesforce, Commonwealth Bank and Optus also trust in Tory to speak to their leadership and sales teams, bringing inspiration and wisdom to their corporate events.

Let's connect:

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I first met Shivani Gopal in 2019 when she interviewed me for a Private Banking Showcase when I made the decision to trust my gut instinct and switch careers - some would refer to this career switch as 'a calling'. Shivani also answered her calling and is the inspirational founder and CEO of The Remarkable Woman, a passionate feminist, entrepreneur and finance expert on a mission to create a more equal world and a woman firmly in my tribe.

Her passion for empowering women comes from a personal place, crediting her financial independence as a life raft for being able to leave an early adult marriage. “Money is critical in life for the choices it affords you” says Shivani. It gave her a first hand understanding of the importance of personal, professional and financial independence for women.

In this powerful podcast chat we talk about:

1) How she found her career calling and how you can find your's too.

2) How a women can 'find herself' and what steps should she take to propel forward?

3) How to break patterns and limited belief systems to become a better leader.

Shivani was awarded the NSW Excellence in Women’s Leadership in 2022 and has won the Top 50 Small Business Leaders award. She is a recognised as a business thought leader, helping women navigate through their careers, businesses and financial success.

You can connect with Shivani here 

Where to Find Tory:

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In this episode of the Powerful Stories Podcast, we hear from global pioneer in embracing mindfulness, and founder of EQ Minds, Chelsea Pottenger.

Chelsea gives us a snapshot of her life, what sets her heart on fire and her recipe for life, prior to having her baby.

While in a high pressure, high corporate senior role, Chelsea fell pregnant and had her beautiful baby girl Clara. While in hospital delivering her baby, she experienced a huge chemical imbalance in her brain and developed severe anxiety, insomnia and post-natal depression. Over a matter of weeks Chelsea came to a point when she wanted to end her life. In a powerful moment with her husband Jay, she took off the mask she was hiding behind and was admitted to hospital, where she spent 5 weeks recovering.

Following this awakening, Chelsea established key patterns to change her self-limiting beliefs. Her passion for helping others led her to launch EQ MINDS, paving the way forward for those seeking refuge from their busy minds. Wanting to spend more time with her family, Jay joined the business and she gives us the secret to work, live and play with your husband.

And finally, Chelsea shares her three most powerful steps to overcoming our limiting beliefs, and stepping into an amazing life.

So, sit back and enjoy this powerful story with the extraordinary Chelsea Pottenger.

Links:

Sign up to the Powerful Steps #coffeechallenge to gain Tory’s proven formula for building a global network, with three coffee dates a week. It’s how she connected with the guests on this podcast. Each one is an authentic and trusted connection 

Powerful Steps

Follow @powerfulsteps on Instagram

Powerful Steps on LinkedIn

Join the EQ MINDS community

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

WHEN YOU LET GO OF THE PAST YOU THRIVE

This past month has shown me just how powerful the work we do at Powerful Steps is to remove the shackles from people's past and propel them into the future professionally and personally. There are women on the Business Attraction Program who have owned their story to own their power and are now shining like superstars on LinkedIn and in their corporate roles. There are men who have invested in powerful brand imagery to step up and into their power because they understand when they step forward they shine a light for the teams they lead.

I know from my own transformation these are the 5 powerful steps that allow you to create the space to understand who you truly are and what you want from life.

1) If your feeling stuck - create a positive mantra to counter the painful thoughts - the more you rinse and repeat the power of where you want to go your energy will shift away from the negative situation you may find yourself in.

2) Invest in doing your 'own work'. This means understanding what patterns you need to break to get to the next level in life. You will find when you invest in working on YOU and understand your trigger points you will feel a sense of freedom to walk away from what no longer serves you by creating space for new and exciting opportunities to find you.

3) Be gentle with yourself. Don't expect an overnight miracle to happen because it won't find you until your ready.

4) If your in a situation which is causing you pain accept that the other person may not apologize. That's OK. Remember that's their story, not yours. You cannot 'fix' someone but you do have the ability to 'fix yourself'. Forgive the experience and walk away to embrace other opportunities. You don't need to sizzle in a shit pit for one more moment of life.

5) Engage in self-care. A happy heart is a magnet for miracles. If you want to attract the miracles make the time to receive them. Take time out in nature, go for a run, book in a massage and switch your phone off. The secret whispers of life will find you and you will be grateful you took the time to stop and listen to thrive.

I trust this helped someone today. 

You can connect with Tory Archbold at www.powerful-steps.com

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Many people referred to Stephenie Rodriguez as the archetypal Sydney socialite - the work hard, play hard woman with a shoe collection to match. This is not the Stephenie who is simply one brilliant women I know. 

Since 2015 she has worked with international travel companies and is the most senior digital transformation specialist in the world. If they needed a hired gun, she was called and would work with boards and CEOs of publicly listed companies to help them understand the importance of data. 

On the 29th of September 2019 her life would radically come to a grinding halt and life as she knew it would forever be altered. She contracted cerebral malaria, an incredibly rare but incredibly fatal form of malaria which nobody thought she would survive given data informed them she had a 2% chance of survival.

In this powerful conversation we talk through what happens when your world turn's upside down and people talk about pallative care when they think you can't hear and how you rise like a pheonix to walk again and become an in-demand global keynote speaker.

By choosing to 'be me to serve me' Stephanie shares:

1) How positive patience showed her life's new vision

2) How to celebrate micro-milestones

3) Finding collatoral beauty in life a an amputee

You will find inspiration in the power of her story and how we are all capable of anything in this lifetime when we view challanges as possibilities.

You can connect with Stephanie @digitalgodess and follow her missiom to impact a billion lives by 2025.

Where to Find Tory:

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Jillian is an Australian Sir John Monash Foundation Scholar with her boots-on-the-ground in regional Australia. She is unique for her regional and international experience at the intersection of infrastructure, business and public policy. 

In 2018, Jillian launched her second company, The Exchange. As a regionally based social impact innovation organization that focuses on community and coworking, Jillian is ensuring the commercial success of startups and small business.  I was lucky enough to ne the keynte speaker for The Exchange for International Women's Day in 2022 and saw first-hand the impact and opportunities Jillian created for regional women in Australia.

We spoke about the the fact that every entrepreneurial woman I know starts her business with a dream. 

Discussion points:

How did you tap into your inner power and wisdom to make your dream reality?

What connections did you tap into and share your idea to gain momentum and get community buy-in?

It’s tough for women in regional communities to connect. Often they feel isolated. They suffer from imposter syndrome, they feel invisible. How do you give them a voice?

Businesses are born or transformed into multi million dollar offerings because of  community. Jillian shares the a powerful stories of regional woman who came to the exchange and transformed their lives.

You can connect with JIllian Kilby via her website https://www.yourexchange.co/

Where to Find Tory:

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Sally Coates retail career was determined when she was 12, after a very long and fruitless shopping expedition with her mother. At the end of the day, they left exhausted, frustrated, and empty handed. Standing in the middle of the last retail store of the day she decided she was going to make a difference - and she did.

My paths crossed with Sally when she joined our Business Attraction Program in 2021.  I found the power of her career extraordinary - the challenges versus the opportunities.There was one constant - she was not afraid to step up and make things happen.

In this Powerful Stories podcast episode we talk about:

1) Her great passion for retail - why it takes creativity, commitment and resilience to get to the top of your game.

2) What mindset tips allowed her to manage multi-million dollar retail businesses

3) Did she ever have a fear success?  How she conquered it.

4) As women we often have lives behind closed doors, in her case she was struggling with fertility and she kept this secret struggle hidden.  I asked how do you balance this type of personal heartache with being a boss?

5) How she went from employee to partner in a multimillion dollar retail business.  How did she gain this recognition from the business owners? What does being a business owner feel like?

6) Her next powerful step?

Sally also founded The Retail Mentors in 2020. An international network for those in the retail industry to develop meaningful connections by sharing experience and expertise to stimulate creativity and leverage innovation to excite customers and reignite the industry and you can connect with her www.theretailmentors.com

Where to Find Tory:

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.