How well do you really know how other people see you?

In this episode, we’re talking about confidence and the stories we tell ourselves about who we are.

We share a conversation that made us realise just how differently we sometimes  see ourselves compared with how other people see us and explore where some of those beliefs might have come from.

From childhood messages and wanting to be liked, to self-belief, people pleasing, finding your voice and understanding what really matters to you, we talk about the experiences that can quietly shape how we see ourselves.

And we leave you with a couple of simple things to try: thinking about what you believe about yourself, asking someone you trust how they see you, and getting curious about whether the story you’ve been carrying is actually the full story.

This week, we’re introducing our book review to the podcast as we'd love to share some of the books that made us think.

Once a month, we’ll pick a book that’s sparked conversations between us and talk about the ideas that stayed with us, starting this week with Start With Yourself by Emma Grede.

We talk about defining what success actually looks like for you, how that can change through different seasons of life and the reality that having it all doesn’t necessarily mean having it all at the same time.

We also get into trade-offs, mum guilt, the invisible load, asking for help, letting go of impossible standards and accepting that sometimes choosing one thing means something else has to give, at least for now.

And as always, we share plenty of our own experiences along the way.

Our question to take away this week:

Where in life are you holding yourself to an impossible standard and what might change if you gave yourself permission to let some of that go?

The things we do regularly can seem pretty ordinary, going to the gym, getting outside, drinking water, changing the sheets, seeing a friend. But when we started talking about our own habits, we realised there was often much more behind them.

In this episode, we share some of the habits that have become part of our everyday lives, why they've stuck and, more importantly, what they give us, from feeling calmer and stronger to creating connection, gratitude and a little more space in a busy day. 

We also asked our friends about theirs and got some answers we weren't expecting, including reflective writing, boxing, clean sheets, gratitude and the simple habit of wishing someone a nice day. 

Along the way, we talk about what our habits might say about what's important to us, the kind of person we want to be, and some of the small things that can make a habit easier to keep, including removing barriers, making things easy and fitting habits into the life you already have. 

And we finish with one question:

What's one habit your future self would thank you for starting today?

What happens when you start paying attention to the things you keep thinking “one day…” about?

 In this episode, we share the very different experiences that first opened up our thinking about what we wanted from life, from friendship and yoga to grief, books, spirituality and self-development.

 We talk about asking yourself bigger questions, why curiosity can get knocked out of us as we get older and how change doesn’t always have to mean turning your life upside down. Sometimes it starts with simply acknowledging what you want and taking one small step towards exploring it.

 A conversation about staying curious, being open to new ideas and seeing what might be possible.

How did two colleagues who barely worked together end up becoming friends, business partners and creating The Expansion Collective?

 In our first episode, we share a little more about who we are, how our friendship developed alongside our working relationship and the six-day retreat that changed the way we worked together and got us thinking differently about what we wanted to create.

 We talk about the experiences and interests that brought us closer, our shared love of learning and self-development and why we both felt drawn to creating something specifically for women.It’s an 

 introduction to us, The Expansion Collective and what you can expect from the conversations to come, practical, accessible ideas around everything from careers and money to wellbeing, relationships and the different areas of life we all navigate.

We’re so glad you found us - here’s what you can expect from The Expansion Collective.