Today’s guest is Sarah Salmon. She’s an Australian writer who lived in Asia for fifteen years, during which time she and her husband adopted two children – two girls – from Cambodia. Her memoir is entitled The Red Thread and it chronicles her struggle to complete her family while living in India. A psychic once told Sarah that she’d have ‘a dark-skinned child, not by the man you marry.’ Adoption was always going to be her path. In today’s episode, we talk a lot about the adoption process – and you’ll hear about the many hurdles she faced – and how she overcame them.  

Early on in the book, Sarah writes that: ‘Orphanage babies don’t cry. There is no point in crying; they know no one will come for them, so they shut down… It’s the loudest silence I’ve ever heard.’ We speak about what it was like walking into an orphanage for the first time.  

We also talk about the shocking corruption that exists in Cambodia and how she navigated this – and the sickening fact that at least a third of Cambodian prostitutes are children and girls as young as five are sold into prostitution in Cambodia for less than one hundred dollars. I know this is uncomfortable to hear, but we need more awareness around this shocking situation.  

More than anything, I hope this episode will remind you that we all have our own unique path to motherhood – and rarely is it without twists and turns.  

You can purchase The Red Thread here. 

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Now when my friend Reese Witherspoon describes a book as “Magnificent!” I pay attention. Ok obviously Reese is not my friend, but I wish she was because she has great taste in books. The book she’s talking about is called Find Your Unicorn Space and while I don’t have Reese on this podcast (yet!) I do have the brilliant author of this brilliant book Eve Rodsky.  

Eve argues that creativity is not optional – and as someone who is a true creative at heart and spends most of my life trying to tap into that creativity – it’s a message I strongly believe in.  

If you haven’t heard of Eve before, she made the New York Times bestseller list when she wrote Fair Play, a book which ignited a national conversation about greater equity in the home. She soon realised that even when the domestic workload becomes more balanced, people still report something missing in their lives - that is, unless they prioritise and devote time for activities that not only fill their calendars, but also unleash their creativity. She calls this vital time Unicorn Space - the active and open pursuit of creative self-expression in any form that makes you uniquely you.  

If you’ve ever felt like something is missing, keep listening. Her book is an inspirational guide for setting new personal goals, rediscovering your interests, cultivating creativity, and reclaiming your “Unicorn Space.” We are going to talk through exactly how to do that – and what “unicorn space” really means - in today’s conversation.  

Go to www.everodsky.com 

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Welcome back to The Grace Tales podcast. I’m your host, author and editor Georgie Abay. If you’ve been following over the last few weeks, you’ll know I’m running a mini-series with founders of SMES. Because whether you’ve launched your own business, or have a dream bubbling away in the back of your mind, I know how much hearing other people’s experience has helped me personally. Because launching a business – especially if you’re doing it solo – can feel lonely at times. But you’re not alone – more and more women are launching their own businesses. They’re looking for more flexibility, a better work-life balance, financial independence and also for meaningful work. I know after I had children, I wanted to make sure that when I was at work, it felt meaningful. If I was going to be away from my kids, I had to love what I was doing.  

And on the topic of passion, today’s founder is full of it. Today’s episode is a special one – you’re going to meet my friend Elise Pioch, who is the exceptionally clever French founder of homewares brand Maison Balzac. If you don’t know Maison Balzac yet, it’s a very beautiful brand which started with candles, later expanding into beautiful homewares such as colourful glasses, vases and candle holders. The thing I love about Elise’s imagination is she dreams up unique objects which you didn’t know you needed until she created it. But what I love most about Maison Balzac, is that Elise’s authentic and kind nature can be felt. She’s always followed her gut instinct, is not afraid to take risks and leads with kindness and compassion. It was a decade ago I turned up at her office and photographed her for The Grace Tales. She just launched the business, and she’d just had a baby. Her daughter LouLou was only 6 weeks old at the time and it’s still one of my favourite stories. In this episode, Elise shares how the business has grown organically – she now has two retail stores - and what has kept her going over the last decade.   

Let’s meet Elise!  

Go to maisonbalzac.com 

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Welcome back to The Grace Tales podcast. I’m your host, author, editor and the founder of The Grace Tales Georgie Abay.  

As you heard last week, I’ve kicked off a special mini-series where I’m interviewing female small and medium-sized enterprise founders. If you’re interested in maybe one day launching your own SME, or you’re already there and you want to hear how others do it, think of this series as your support and your inspiration. Today’s guest will certainly inspire you. 

I have known designer, creative director and writer Natalie Walton for over a decade – and I have loved watching her career (and family) grow and grow. Natalie’s a mother of four, lives in the Byron Bay hinterland, and has successfully continued to evolve her business. She does many things, which we’re going to talk about today, and one of those things is write books.  

I have her latest book, Style: The Art of Creating a Beautiful Home, on my coffee table, and it’s a joy to read.  

In this episode, Natalie shares her business journey – from launching her first workshop and wondering if anyone would turn up – to how she teaches people to live with style and simplicity in their homes.  

Let’s meet Natalie!  

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Welcome back to The Grace Tales podcast. I’m your host, author, editor and the founder of The Grace Tales Georgie Abay. Today I’m kicking off a special mini-series where I’ll be interviewing female small and medium-sized enterprise founders. As someone who 10 years ago, left her dream job to launch a small business, how to start an SME is something I love talking about. Mostly because it’s really, really hard. But like all hard things, it’s worth it. And to take the leap, we need support. So think of this series as your support – and I hope that what you hear in these conversations might inspire you to launch that side hustle. So currently, 30% of businesses in Australia are owned by women – and that number is rising. I’m always interested in how these women actually get going in the first place? What happens when they suffer a crisis of confidence? And what’s it like running your own business?  

These are all the questions I’m going to ask and I’m very excited to be kicking this series off with the amazing co-founder of furniture and homewares brand McMullin & Co Alice McMullin. A mother of two, she’s four years into her business – and why it looks like it all flows like clockwork from the outside, she’s worked hard to get where she is. There was the time her showroom was flooded. The time she lost all of her stock in a fire. And the time she was almost ready to quit, but invested her last 10K into a trade show. It turned out to be one of the best business decisions she’s made. She also used to get up at 5am with her baby and do a bread run to earn extra money while she was getting the business off the ground. So, it’s safe to say, founding her own business has been anything but straight-forward. Which is why I love the brand she’s created even more. I know you’re going to be as inspired by her determination, passion, and creativity as I am.  

Now before we get started and meet Alice, I wanted to share that I’ve written a book called Best Laid Plans. It’s my most personal piece of writing to date, but I’ve also brought in the wise words of many of the women and men I’ve interviewed over the last few years. It feels really quite wonderful to have all the lessons I’ve learnt over the last few years – and actually a lifetime – in one book. There’s not a lot I don’t cover – love, loss, birth, motherhood, career – and I ask the question – what happens when life doesn’t go to plan? What do we do next? I hope you all read it and would love to hear what you think. Writing a book was a rather enormous undertaking, but I’m so happy it’s out in the world.  

Ok, let’s meet Alice!  

Visit mcmullinandco.com 

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Welcome back to The Grace Tales podcast. I’m your host Georgie Abay. I’m the founder of The Grace Tales, a mum, an editor, author and entrepreneur. Today you’re going to meet Emma Carey, who is the girl who fell from the sky. And when she says she fell from the sky, she means it quite literally. It’s the name of her new memoir, which takes us through what happened when she jumped out of a plane when she was just 20-years-old and her parachute didn’t open.  

 The day of the accident, Emma fell from 14,000 feet and she survived. She spent months in hospital as a paraplegic, slowing learning how to use her legs again. She also endured a six-year long court case. She’s courageous, resilient, and in this conversation, she shares her remarkable story.  

Now before we start, I have some news. I wrote a book! It’s called Best Laid Plans, and will be out on September 27. Over the last decade, something that I hear time and again in the interviews is: “it wasn’t the plan.” Our lives so rarely unfold as we expect to them – and we’re constantly faced with unexpected twists and turns. So what exactly happens when our life doesn’t go to plan? Well, I wrote an entire book about it. My book is deeply personal – but I also bring in the stories of men and women I’ve had the privilege of interviewing over the last few years. I’d love you to pre-order it and thank you for your support.  

Ok, let’s meet Emma Carey….  

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Today’s episode is one that I’ve wanted to do for a long time. I’m speaking to the very fabulous Pip Brett, the founder of much-loved homewares and fashion store Jumbled which is based in Orange, NSW. For those of you who haven’t experienced the word of Jumbled, it’s a colourful haven, bursting with inspiration and pure joy.  

Pip really is the most inspiring entrepreneur. She started her business in her early 20s, and has been running it for over 16 years. And while Jumbled is certainly the place to go for retail therapy, it’s also the place to go for community and connection. Pip also runs The Huddle, which she describes as a weekend of inspiration and learning for kick-ass businesswomen. She’s just run her most recent Huddle, and I know I’ll be joining the next one.   

In today’s episode, we start at the beginning, and end up to where she is now (that is, the owner of a thriving business and a mother of two). Get ready to meet the brilliant Pip Brett.  

Go to jumbledonline.com 

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Welcome back to The Grace Tales podcast. It’s been a while since I said hello, and I took a long break from recording. Mostly, because life got hectic, and I needed a break. I’ve never actually been good at knowing when to take a break. I’ll usually try and push through. But at the end of last year, I hit a wall. I needed to take some things off my plate. So I did, and this podcast was one of them. The break felt good, and I used it to finish a rather huge project I’ll be able to talk about very soon (spoiler, it’s a book out this year but more on that later!).  

Editing today’s episode, which was recorded a couple of months ago, reminded me why I started this podcast – to create connection through stories. Today’s guest is pretty damn special for many reasons. We first crossed paths a few years ago when I discovered her on Instagram (I’ll link her account in the show notes). She had been diagnosed with cancer. She ended up writing a story for the grace tales on what it’s like being diagnosed with cancer. Then she wrote another on why therapy isn’t a dirty word. Then another on her reflections from the year that was. I loved every word she wrote. And so did our readers. I am so excited to share she’s just published her first book, and not surprisingly it’s bloody brilliant. It’s called 27 Letters To My Daughter and I hope you’ll all read it, because there’s so much in each and every letter. Ok, back to it. Our guest today is Ella Ward. Let’s meet her! 

Purchase 27 Letters to My Daughter by Ella Ward 

Follow @_msellabella 

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Welcome to the third instalment of our In Her Shoes series, in partnership with the iconic Australian footwear brand Wittner. This exciting new series gives us the rare opportunity to step into the lives of the women who inspire us and discover the strength, courage and ingenuity that has got them to where they are today... 

So, let’s meet the fabulous Rey Vakili. It’s hard to know where to start with Rey. You could credit her success to the fact that her parents taught her the importance of education and a strong work ethic from a young age. They clearly had an impact on her - at 18 years old Rey went to study Political Science at Yale and then later did an MBA at the Stanford Graduate School of Business. But it was after Yale, that she landed a job as an assistant to the editor-in-chief of American VOGUE Anna Wintour. Her next career move was working for LTK (the largest Influencer Marketing community) after her friend and Bumble founder Whitney Wolfe Herd introduced her to LTK founder Amber Venz Box. She’s now the managing director of LTK Australia. 

Want to step into her shoes and find out what makes her tick? And also, what shoes she’s coveting this season? Let’s meet the incredible Rey. 

In partnership with Wittner | Go to wittner.com to shop  

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Nikki Gemmell’s latest book Dissolve has been described as the book every woman on earth should read. But if you don’t have the time, you can start with this podcast. In today’s episode with Nikki we talk about some of the big moments in her life, from having to give evidence in court at age 10 during her parents divorce, to having her engagement broken off and becoming the wildly successful author of 13 novels. We talk about love, heartbreak, and creativity, and why she does so much of what she calls ‘angry writing’. And now the mother to teenagers, Nikki tells us what it means to ‘roar to life in a man’s world’. If you’ve ever dreamed a big dream, this episode will remind you of what’s possible. 

nikkigemmell.com 

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