UNSCRIPTED with Lisa Burling

In this episode of Unscripted: The Pivot Season, I sit down with Michelle Kvello - founder of CFO advisory firm Lantern Partners - to talk about what happens when you stop waiting for permission and choose to back yourself instead.

Michelle’s pivot is a powerful example of courage and clarity. After a successful corporate career as a CFO, she stepped away from the safety of a traditional path and into entrepreneurship, launching Lantern Partners to support founders of start-ups and scale-ups. Her mission? To demystify finance and empower non-finance leaders to make bold, informed decisions with confidence.

This conversation goes far beyond numbers. We speak candidly about what it really takes to leave behind certainty in favour of alignment, how Michelle built a flexible, female-led business, and why she’s passionate about ensuring others don’t stay stuck just because the information feels out of reach.

We explore the value of backing yourself when others don’t see the full picture yet, how finance can be used as a decision-making superpower (not a blocker), and what authentic leadership looks like in fast-paced, high-growth environments.

Michelle’s story is proof that the bravest pivot doesn’t always come with a dramatic exit—it often begins with a quiet decision to believe in your own capability.

Key themes explored include:

• The courage to pivot from corporate leadership to entrepreneurship
• Building a female-led business rooted in flexibility and impact
• Demystifying finance for founders and non-financial leaders
• Creating clarity in complex decision-making environments
• Authentic leadership, visibility, and self-trust

In this transformative episode of Unscripted – The Pivot Season, I’m joined by Miranda Packer, an emotional fitness coach and behavioural profiler, who opens up about what it truly means to pivot from the inside out. Far beyond surface-level changes, Miranda’s journey is one of deep personal evolution - where self-doubt is replaced with self-concept, burnout gives way to boundaries, and stuckness transforms into space for growth.

We explore Miranda’s path from successful copywriter to sought-after coach, and how her natural ability to hold space for others led her to a career that aligns more with who she is than what she does. Her pivot was not a sharp turn but a course correction - one that required courage, clarity, and a willingness to let go of old stories and identities.

Miranda shares the mindset shifts that allowed her to redefine success, embrace rest as a productive act, and move through fear by taking imperfect action. We talk about why our brains are hardwired for pattern recognition, the surprising power of behavioural profiling, and how rest and resistance are often signs we’re on the edge of growth.

If you’ve ever felt trapped by your own potential, stuck in a version of yourself that no longer fits, or unsure how to make a meaningful pivot, this episode offers practical insight and deeply relatable truths.

Key Themes:

• Emotional fitness and self-concept
• Behavioural profiling in leadership and team dynamics
• Redefining identity to align with purpose
• From copywriting to coaching: recognising transferable skills
• The cost of not pivoting
• Overcoming the belief that rest equals laziness
• Navigating self-doubt and growth syndrome

In this energising and deeply honest episode of Unscripted: The Pivot Season, Lisa Burling sits down with one of her most trusted mentors and long-time friend, Lorraine Murphy. A celebrated entrepreneur, bestselling author, and trailblazer in personal development for women in business, Lorraine opens up about the most transformative pivot of her life – walking away from her first multi-million dollar business and creating a new one that honours her values, energy, and life as a mother.

This conversation is rich with insight into what it really takes to reinvent yourself when success no longer feels aligned. Lorraine shares the exact moment she knew she had to change course, the identity shifts that came with that decision, and how she created a business that marries intuition with strategy.

Key themes include redefining success, navigating burnout, tuning into feminine energy, building businesses from the inside out, and the surprising power of doing less. We explore the tension between external validation and inner truth, and how Lorraine found clarity by tuning into what felt expansive, even when it felt terrifying.

Whether you're facing a pivot in your career, your identity, or the way you work, Lorraine’s story will inspire you to honour your own evolution, trust your intuition, and move through change with fierce self-honesty and grace.

This is not just a business conversation – it’s a masterclass in how to come home to yourself.

In this colourful and inspiring episode of Unscripted, I sit down with Lauren Beaufils - founder of Colour Capsule — to unpack her journey from corporate marketing to empowering women through personal style and colour analysis.

Lauren’s story is one of deep self-reflection, brave pivoting, and building a business rooted in authenticity. She speaks candidly about what it took to leave the safety of her marketing career, the internal shift that came from discovering colour analysis, and the quiet revolution of saying no to black and yes to a life filled with purpose, energy and creativity.

We explore the connection between entrepreneurship and personal branding, how colour influences confidence, and why imperfect action is often the secret to success. Lauren also shares the unexpected power of rest, the pressure to “have enough experience,” and how the energy of a business is often a mirror of the founder’s own state.

If you’re navigating self-doubt, standing on the edge of a professional pivot, or simply ready to step more boldly into your personal style - this conversation will meet you exactly where you are.

Key Themes:

• The transition from corporate marketing to entrepreneurship
• Using colour analysis as a tool for self-discovery and confidence
• Pivoting careers with intention and purpose
• Personal branding as an extension of identity
• Overcoming imposter syndrome and perfectionism
• Balancing rest with productivity
• Creating a business that feels aligned and energising
• The importance of staying in your own lane and ignoring comparison
• How to take action even when you’re not 100% “ready”

Guest Info:

Lauren Beaufils is a colour consultant, wardrobe curator and founder of Colour Capsule, a personal styling business helping women reconnect with their identity through the transformative power of colour. After a decade in corporate marketing, Lauren turned a lockdown lightbulb moment into a growing brand that empowers women to dream big, show up authentically, and love what they wear.

This week on Unscripted, I’m joined by Margaret Lindemann, business manager of A1 Fire & Safety in Toowoomba, Queensland. But Margaret’s story isn’t about starting a new business or switching industries - it’s about the quiet, internal pivot of letting go.

Margaret opens up about what it really looks like to evolve from doing everything to delegating with trust, from holding control tightly to releasing it, and from being burnt out to intentionally prioritising self-care. In a family-run business that has grown rapidly over the years, Margaret’s role had become all-consuming - until she realised something had to shift.

In this grounded and relatable conversation, Margaret shares how she made the decision to step back, redefine success, and recalibrate her life and leadership. Her pivot wasn’t loud or public - it was internal. But it changed everything.

Key Themes:

• Redefining what it means to be ‘in control’
• Delegating with intention and trust
• Running a family business while maintaining your own identity
• From burnout to boundaries
• The mental shift that happens when you step back
• Why letting go can be the most courageous act of all
• The difference between being needed and being essential

Margaret’s story is a powerful reminder that not all pivots require external change - some of the most transformative ones happen within.

Guest Details:

Margaret Lindemann is the business manager at A1 Fire & Safety, a Queensland-based, family-run company that provides fire safety services to commercial, industrial and gas facilities. She is also a boy mum, a proud community builder, and someone who knows the value of pausing before burning out.

In this episode of Unscripted, I sit down with Claire Corby - founder and Managing Director of Capital Buyers Agency - to explore the deeply personal and professional pivot that led her from the world of accounting into real estate. But not just any real estate — Claire became a trailblazing buyer’s agent, building a respected business purely on word of mouth and strong client advocacy.

This episode is a grounded and generous conversation about letting go of identity, unlearning perfectionism, and stepping into an unknown that ultimately aligned with who she truly is.

Claire speaks with refreshing honesty about the moment she realised she was on the wrong path, the resistance she felt about changing direction, and the supportive conversation that gave her permission to leap. We discuss the challenges of being a woman in real estate, the power of trusting yourself even when it’s terrifying, and how her background in accounting became a secret weapon in her success.

We also cover:

• What it really takes to go from corporate certainty to entrepreneurial freedom
• How to reframe failure when you’re already living your worst-case scenario
• The inner dialogue women often wrestle with before stepping into something bigger
• Why personal identity and professional identity are more connected than we think
• How Claire manages energy, flexibility and ambition as a business owner
• The music and books that have fuelled her growth (spoiler: Dr Seuss and AC/DC both get a mention)

This is a rich, unscripted conversation about career pivots, identity shifts, and redefining what success looks like on your own terms.

Guest Details:

Claire Corby is the founder and Managing Director of Capital Buyers Agency, Canberra’s leading buyer’s agency. Starting in 2014, Claire has grown her business into a trusted name for homebuyers, with a focus on advocacy, transparency and integrity. A trained accountant turned real estate expert, Claire blends analytical thinking with deep empathy — helping people navigate property with clarity and confidence.

🌐 Website: capitalbuyersagency.com.au

In this episode of Unscripted, I sit down with Claire Behrmann, founder of Jellystone Designs, a brand known for creating beautifully designed sensory toys for children - and a few adults too (myself included).

Claire shares the thoughtful, purpose-led pivot that saw her move from a career in architecture and interior design to becoming the creative force behind one of Australia’s most recognised product-based businesses in the children’s space.

We explore how a quiet pause - not a dramatic upheaval - marked the beginning of her business journey. Claire speaks candidly about the challenges of starting something new with young kids, the power of choosing progress over perfection, and the myth that success feels like a final destination.

She also dives into:

• What it takes to transition from side hustle to scale
• Why slowing down before speeding up is often the best strategy
• The business of calm: what it means to create products that support emotional regulation in children (and adults)
• How to dream bigger - and then add 20%
• Why her team, her customers, and her community are the real markers of success

If you're standing on the edge of your own pivot - whether professionally or personally - this episode is full of wisdom, encouragement, and practical truth. Claire’s story reminds us that big changes don’t always come with big noise - sometimes, they begin with a single, quiet decision to try.

Key Themes:

• Taking the pause before the pivot
• Making thoughtful, values-aligned business decisions
• Redefining success as freedom, fulfilment, and connection
• Why creative business isn’t just for creatives
• The emotional and practical side of product-based entrepreneurship
• Letting go of the need for constant validation and external proof
• The unexpected power of children’s books for adult pivots

Guest Details:

Claire Behrmann is a trained architect and the founder of Jellystone Designs. Since acquiring the brand in 2015, Claire has grown it into a widely loved and stocked range of sensory toys, calm down tools, and silicone-based products that support kids' development and creativity.

🌐 Website: jellystonedesigns.com.au

In this inspiring conversation, I chat with Brooke Hill, founder of content agency Wonderthink, about the powerful moments that led her from a high-level corporate career to creative entrepreneurship. Brooke shares the realities of stepping away from safety, how scarcity and abundance have shaped her mindset, and why backing yourself is often the most radical and rewarding move you can make.

Brooke has led iconic Australian brands like Sheridan and David Jones and now supports businesses through storytelling and strategic content. She’s also a published children’s book author with international reach. This episode is packed with wisdom, honesty, and proof that the best paths often begin with a pivot.

Links & Mentions:

• Wonderthink: www.wonderthink.com.au
• LinkedIn: Brooke Hill
• Instagram: @brookehillwonders | @wonderthink_

Welcome back to Season 2 of Unscripted with Lisa Burling, where we're exploring the power of the pivot—the moments that unexpectedly (and often uncomfortably) change everything.

In this episode, I sit down with Lizzy Dawson - consultant, strategist, writer, and founder of the Get Messy Substack - to unpack the moment her body said “no” and forced her into a pivot she never saw coming.

Lizzy is a passionate and creative Accredited Exercise Physiologist and the founder of Kids Heart Pilates and Northside Allied Health. She’s also recently launched educational paediatric courses for educators and health professionals, aiming to address the rising concerns around childhood development in Australia.

But behind the professional success is a very human story: at just 33, Lizzy suffered a stroke. Medically classified as a “freak occurrence,” Lizzy knows in her heart it was burnout. She was physically fit, outwardly thriving, but internally running on empty.

In this raw and honest conversation, Lizzy shares how her body’s refusal to keep going became the defining pivot in her life. We explore the deeply personal and professional transformation that followed, and why she now embraces rest, softness, and imperfection—choosing meaning over productivity, and health over hustle.

• Lizzy’s early signs of burnout - and what happened when she ignored them
• The moment everything stopped: what a stroke at 33 taught her
• The challenges of resting in a hustle culture
• Why unlearning became her superpower
• What her new definition of success looks like
• Lizzy’s unfiltered answers to the 12 Unscripted questions
• How she now balances business and wellbeing
• The messy, beautiful truth about rebuilding a life from scratch

Whether you’ve experienced burnout yourself or are starting to feel the cracks, this episode is a powerful reminder that sometimes the pivot chooses you - and it can still lead to something extraordinary.

📖 The Big Leap by Gay Hendricks

🎵 “Fast Car” by Tracy Chapman

Lizzy Dawson is a health entrepreneur with over 15 years of experience in the wellness industry. She is the founder of Kids Heart Pilates and Northside Allied Health, and the voice behind the Get Messy Substack. Following her stroke, Lizzy has become an advocate for self-preservation, holistic wellbeing, and redefining success on your own terms.

Connect with Lizzy:

Instagram: @lizzydawson_

LinkedIn: Lizzy Dawson

Facebook: Lizzy Dawson

Website: www.lizzydawson.com.au

🎙️ Thank you for tuning into Unscripted.

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Instagram: @lisaburlingentrepreneur

Subscribe, leave a review, and meet me here again next Friday for another real, raw, and totally unscripted moment from my life to yours.

This season, we’re exploring the art of the pivot - both intentional and unexpected - and how those defining moments reshape who we are and how we show up in the world. And in this solo kickoff episode, I go first.

I share the story behind the boldest pivot of my life: leaving the safety and predictability of a traditional career to step into the unknown as a business owner - and eventually, a true entrepreneur.

From failure and fear to freedom and fulfilment, this episode is raw, reflective, and real. I open up about the parts of myself I had to leave behind, what I’ve learnt about success on the other side of change, and why pivots - while uncomfortable - are often the start of something far more meaningful.

You’ll also hear about the new format for Season 2. Each guest will respond to the same 12 unscripted questions, revealing the insights and truths that sit just beneath the surface of our conscious minds.

If you’re standing on the edge of a pivot -personal or professional - this episode is for you.

• Why Season 2 is dedicated to all things pivot
• What pushed me to leave full-time employment
• The emotional cost of letting go of security
• The difference between being a business owner and an entrepreneur
• My lessons from failing forward
• How a scene from Friends inspired this theme
• A book that’s been pivotal in my own journey
• My advice for anyone at a life crossroads

📚 The Pivot Year by Brianna Wiest

🎬 That Friends scene (yes, the one with Ross yelling “PIVOT!”)

Join the Conversation:

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What’s your takeaway from this episode?

Tag me or DM me – I’d love to hear what Unscripted with Lisa Burling has meant to you.

Let’s Connect!

📲 Instagram:

@lisaburling_entrepreneur

Thank you for tuning into Unscripted! Subscribe, leave a review, and meet me here again next Friday for another real, raw, and totally unscripted moment from my life to yours.