“I'm not all hippy mung beans, and hand hold-y kumbaya”, Jacqui Lewis tells Georgie Abay in today’s episode. Jacqui is co-founder of The Broad Place, a global school teaching meditation and ‘higher grade living’. But as they say themselves, they’re into meditation for modern living. That means making meditation accessible – online, rather than a remote monk’s cave – as well as approachable, useful, and yes, scientific. So it makes perfect sense when Jacqui tells us the two biggest misconceptions about meditation. Firstly, that you need to stop thinking while you meditate, and secondly, that you need to change your whole lifestyle in order to meditate.

Instead, Jacqui believes that the key to ‘getting’ meditation is in finding a technique that aligns with and supports your every day life. And in founding The Broad Place, that’s exactly what she’s done.

Jacqui is a mother, the author of Mother’s Mind Cleanse, and a highly-sought after speaker. She’s been featured in Vogue, BRW, Harpers Bazaar, and more, and hosts The Broad Place retreats around the world.

In our enlightening, but down-to-earth chat, Jacqui tells us:

Connect with Jacqui via The Broad Place or on Instagram

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Parenting isn’t easy, but parenting in a pandemic takes this job to a whole new level. Which is why right now, we’re bringing you advice from the world’s best parenting experts. Today’s guest is Michael Grose who is one of Australia's leading parenting and educational writers and speakers. He is the author of seemingly countless books for parents, including the best-selling Why First Borns Rule the World, which has sold more than 23,000 copies. He’s also written ‘Anxious Kids How children can turn their anxiety into resilience’ and ‘Spoonfed Generation: How to Raise Independent Children’. Today, he dives deep into why parents in western countries such as Australia currently do too much for their kids (albeit with good intentions); why terms such as 'helicopter parents', 'bubble-wrapping kids' and 'over-parenting' are now common place and the importance of children's independence and the vital stages to letting go. He also gives a new perspective on children's anxiety, encouraging them to view each episode as an opportunity to empower their kids with the skills to manage anxiety, and thrive.  

In our insightful conversation, we look at:  

Plus, he talks us through parenting during the Coronavirus pandemic, and how we can try to create some calm amongst our chaos.  

Michael is the founder of Parenting Ideas where you can access his books, guides, webinars and online courses.  

You can follow him on Facebook  

Find links and other show notes at www.thegracetales.com 

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

If there’s one word that probably sums up 2020 so far, it’s stress. From bushfires to pandemics, redundancies to homeschooling, it’s been a rocky road (and not always the delicious kind). Today’s podcast episode with Dr Libby Weaver helps us to unpack all the different ways we’re unknowingly adding stress to our lives, and how we can change our behaviour and attitudes to help alleviate that.

Dr Libby is an internationally acclaimed Nutritional Biochemist, author of 13 books, and highly sought after speaker. She’s an expert on women’s health, in both the mental and physical sense, and her latest book The Invisible Load is a must-read guide to overcoming stress and overwhelm.

We’ve been lucky enough to have Dr Libby speak at past Grace Tales events, and her impact was so powerful that our founder Georgie even gave up her 20-year coffee habit the day she first heard Dr Libby speak – she is just that good!

In today’s timely episode, Dr Libby Weaver tells us:

You can find out more about Dr Libby Weaver via her website, Facebook, Instagram, and Youtube channel.

Read her latest book, The Invisible Load, here.

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The life story of India Hicks – so far – reads like an epic novel. The granddaughter of the Earl and Countess of Burma, she is the goddaughter to Prince Charles, and daughter of Lady Pamela Mountbatten and famed interior designer David Nightingale Hicks. And despite a traditional English boarding school upbringing, and being bridesmaid to Princess Diana in 1981, for the last 25 years she’s lived a somewhat unconventional life in the Bahamas with her husband and five children.

From modeling, to interior design, to bestselling books and running her own business, India’s career has been as vibrant as it is successful. She’s fascinating to listen to, which is just as well – she’s been a Royal commentator and a TV host – and our conversation with her covers everything from her childhood to her take on ‘failure’.

India spoke to us about:

Visit India’s blog or follow her on Instagram

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Caitlin Cady is the author of Heavily Meditated, a down-to-earth guide to meditation. She's a dedicated yogi, living and working in Byron Bay with her husband and three children. But she wasn't always a zen goddess. She jokes that learning to meditate from someone who's naturally calm is like learning to cook from a skinny chef - which is the perfect analogy when you discover that Caitlin's journey with meditation started with an eating disorder, depression, and chronic Lyme disease. Caitlin is about as far away from the typical meditation master as you can imagine - she's bright, bubbly and energetic, and that energy has seen her tackle this strange new world with an unshakeable positivity that we could all use a dose of.

In today's episode she tells us:

She's refreshingly realistic about what meditation practice really looks like for mothers, and passionate about getting it done (imperfectly, with distractions), anyway. 

You can connect with Caitlin, find her meditation resources or buy her book Heavily

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Dr Justin Coulson has so many qualifications and accolades to his name they're almost impossible to list - but if we were going to try, number one on the list would be the fact that he has six daughters - yes, six! Throw in a PHD in Psychology, several parenting books to his name, and a spectacular career including delivering keynote speeches, acting on advisory boards, and consulting for the Federal Government, and you might start to get a little insight into why we are so incredibly excited to be chatting with him today.

In this insightful but reassuringly realistic interview, we cover everything from parenting without shouting (yes, it’s possible), to why children don’t make us happy – and why they shouldn’t. He talks us through:

Plus, he talks us through parenting during the Coronavirus pandemic, and how we can manage homeschooling and working from home, without losing our minds.

Justin is the founder of Happy Families https://www.happyfamilies.com.au/

You can follow him on Instagram @drjustincoulson or tune into his podcast here https://www.happyfamilies.com.au/podcasts/

Purchase his new book Miss-Connection here https://www.happyfamilies.com.au/shop/

Find links and other show notes at http://thegracetales.com/podcast

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Fittingly for someone who embodies characters for a profession, Australian actress Teresa Palmer slips easily into many titles. Golden girl, Hollywood starlet, Earth Mother – they’ve all been used to describe the warm, open, and unassuming Palmer. From humble beginnings in the Adelaide Hills to the glittering success of Hollywood blockbusters, you can’t help but feel that Teresa Palmer is the same woman she’s always been. Our conversation with the founder of Your Zen Mama was like chatting to an old friend. With the launch of her book Zen Mamas this month, the timing was perfect to talk about life juggling filming schedules, book writing, and of course her three children and step-son. We discuss:

Visit Teresa’s website Your https://www.yourzenmama.com/ Purchase her book Zen Mamas https://www.yourzenmama.com/new-blog/2020/4/15/our-zen-mamas-book-is-here

You can connect with Teresa via Instagram @teresapalmer and find her Lovewell smoothies @lovewell.earth

Find links and other show notes at http://thegracetales.com/podcast

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.