The Gratitude Path Podcast with Kathryn Hodges

Cas McCullough is the CEO & Founder of a tech startup, Writally. Cas' current work involves creating an App to help business people communicate in a more meaningful way through their online content. This App is built around story elements, or communication pieces, and Cas has spent a lot of time studying and developing her skills as a communicator.

It was a bit of a surprise to reflect that as a child Cas was, in her words "very ADHD" and didn't know that she should look people in the eye. Communication with those around her hasn't come easily, and yet it has become her core work and she is creating elegant and easy to use tools to help others communicate clearly and effectively.

Cas spoke with me about the benefit of embracing your quirkiness. We also spoke about the way that adult life can sometimes drag the fun out of you, and the importance of choosing to create those moments of fun and joy and flow.

Here's to letting ourselves show up, and offer to the world, the very thing we are here to learn for ourselves.

Bev Ryan is the founder of Bev Ryan Publishing services, helping people find their voice, claim their place and shine their light through publishing, as well as being the editor of Honestly Woman magazine, inspiring change and reinvention.

Bev is definitely someone who has walked her talk, and has been inspired to change and has reinvented herself during her life. Bev is clearly passionate about career, business, life transition and helping people to find the success, contribution and happines that is right for them. We talked about there being more than one path to "success", and that we don't all have to be rockstars to be musicians. We spoke about the importance of choosing not to stay in the queue waiting for permission to be given for the thing you dream of doing, but instead, you need to step up and ask how it can be done. Bev shares with us some books that changed her life, and her hope that she can help other bloom. Here's to learning to take that first step, ask that first question, and reinvent ourselves and our lives.

You can find Bev at bevryanpublish.com and honestlywoman.com

Adam Jaffrey is a Freelance Digital Marketing Strategist, and the host of MATEpodcast, a podcast about Marketing, Advertising, Technology and Entrepreneurship.

The honest truth, is that I was a little bit scared about talking with Adam, because Digital Marketing, Advertising and Technology are all words that make me break out in emotional hives! Adam and I had a genuinely interesting conversation about him not wanting to follow the system and wanting to be able to "rock the boat" a bit in life. In fact, he hopes not to just rock one boat, but hopefully to rock a lot of boats in his lifetime. He knew from an early age that he wanted to be a millionaire, and for him that meant to have a life that was different from the ordinary. Adam loves podcasting and what we spoke about off air, was how much he enjoys the conversations with people. And I think that really showed through in our chat.

I particularly loved that Adam put into words something that I truly believe - you don't have to fight yourself! And that truth that you don't need to choose your path, it will find you. I agree wholeheartedly with that. I was truly grateful that Adam was willing to have a chat about "adulting", making our way through grown up life, and the reality that life is probably 50% admin. How true is that. And he melted my heart a bit, when he spoke about what he had been grateful for recently, the 10 year anniversary surprise he managed to arrange for himself and his girlfriend.

I hope that Adam can help you stop fighting yourself, and that some of his wisdom around self awareness, helps you to see the path that life is drawing you to walk.

Bec Manson describes herself as having been a bit of a chameleon in her early years, and now living a life of connection and healing. Bec Manson is a Forensic Healer at SophAura, former youth worker, former numbed out chameleon of life. Bec specialises in helping people with childhood trauma, anxiety and eating disorders, all of those being things that she has found her own healing for.

I loved that my conversation with Bec reminded me how important it is to get out of our heads, and back into our bodies. Bec shared about how she has shifted her thinking from "all or nothing", "go big or go home" to welcoming life and it's change "with ease and grace".

I am truly grateful to have had this chat with Bec, and I hope that your find some more mindful moments and more ease and grace in your days.

Karly Nimmo is a voice over artist, podcaster and mentor, running her own podcasting school, Radcasters. Looking back, Karly can see that she has been an entrepeneur her whole life, always having a side gig and a bit of hustle going on. Karly has been through some ups and some downs, and she's not afraid to talk about the dark days, which is such a gift for us all.

Karly and I talk about her finding her way back to herself from those dark days, and to me it seemed like she has adopted a philosophy of making commitments, often small to begin with, and acting on them. Our conversation covered life and business and work and family, and that our adult self is really just not that different than we were before "adulting".

I loved to hear Karly share that something she has become deeply grateful for, is the freedom to speak her truth (and ask the difficult questions), and know that will have an impact for others. Here's to more of us learning to live with and like ourselves. x

You can find Karly at karlynimmo.com. To quote Karly, Stay Rad, Peace Out.

In this episode we talk about Karly's recent interview with Dan Norris on Karlosophies, click here to listen to it.

Amanda Foy is the Emotional Strength Trainer, who helps people heal when life is testing their limits. Amanda and I talk about her spiritual journey beginning in her teens, before corporate life took her away for a while.

But in 2006 she began what she calls "the work", and now she is back, helping people to put their physical and our emotional selves together. We discussed the importance of remember the multifaceted components of our lives, and to remember that we are structural, chemical and emotional beings. We need to care for and nurture all 3 parts of ourselves.

Unlike some other alternative health practitioners, Amanda does not shy away from traditional medical research or practices, and looks for ways for her emotional work to align with them. We talked about the tricky nature of "the truth", our truth, and the impact it can have on others, and to be aware that consequences will flow when we speak our truth.

A simple but profound piece of this conversation, for me, was the reminder that there are 2 primary emotional responses to anything - one based in fear, the other based in love. Let's go for more love in the world. x

You can find Amanda at amandafoy.com

Kristie Melling is the founder of Feeling Peachy, the host of Rubbed the Wrong Way, a podcast for massage professionals.

Kristie shared with me her recent nudge up against the importance of vulnerability and that she has recently been reminded that it's not enough to be grateful, loving and aware of self care in our attitudes, but that the importance is in the practice of those things. Kristie is brave enough to share that it is OK to be a little bit lazy, and that our best outcomes are found when we look at what feels best, and how we can do just a little more to improve our whole selves within the life we are already living.

She is launching a 12 days of Christmas self care challenge. Hey, if you're anything like me in the lead up to Christmas, this is worth checking out. I loved that Kristie shares a moment she has been grateful for recently, which was a friend calling to say "I love you, and I'm grateful for your friendship". What a simple way to change someone's day, and the world. Give it a try. I know I will. 

Michelle House is a Money Guru, and the founder of Rich Living. Her work with people begins with money, and then goes so much further.

We talked about how Michelle began her working life, and some of the twists and turns that have brought her to her Richliving life she has today. We also talked about the loss of each of her parents, and specifically how much she learned by being able to surrender to the pain and the loss of her Dad.

In fact, Michelle talks a lot about the importance of leaning into the touch bits of life, in order to learn the lessons and truly follow our path. 

Warrick Bidwell is the co-host of highly successful The Tradies Business Show podcast, and is a business coach (or wingman, as he likes to refer to his role).

Warrick discusses his career from uni, to accounting roles, to business coaching, and described a challenging start at school involving being bullied. Warrick could have succumbed to those bullies, but instead he found a way out of their way, and into his path as a lighthouse for others.

Graham Wakefield is my Dad. My Dad has always has fairly limited reading and writing levels. He describes how he can now read a novel, by working at it, taking it in small pieces, and giving himself permission to skip over the parts where he gets confused.

We talked about coping with death, as my Mum and his wife Brenda, passed away in 2013. When my Mum died, that brought about a real respect for my Dad, as he had lost both of his parents by the time he was 26, including having his Dad pass away from a heart attack while walking in a paddock with him.

My Dad got quite emotional talking about the biggest surprise of his adult life, was having 3 daughters who each did really well in their studies, as neither he nor Mum had finished high school.