Jade has a fascinating story and the part where she went from selling alcohol in Abu Dhabi to being a buyer's agent in Wynnum Manly is only part of it.  She has a passion for living that is very contagious.

I am grateful to Jade for educating me on Ramadan, as I had little understanding of what is involved for those who practice it each year. I learnt a lot and am glad Jade was happy to share.  

I hope that the ease of the conversation comes through in this recording, as Jade and I could have almost gone for a part two and continued to talk. 

Jade is raising money for The Forgotten Women, who provide accommodation for homeless women over 55.  She will be sleeping in her car for a night in September and you can help the fundraising at:  https://livelikeherchallenge.com.au/page/IdealBuyersAgency

Alex is a young woman who has the kind of quiet drive I admire.  Only a couple of years ago she opened her own physiotherapy practice (evoxiaphysio.com) in Edith St, Wynnum.  

In our conversation Alex shared with me how she had in informal apprenticeship to being able to own and run the business side of a physio practice, and the changes and challenges faced in the industry in 2023. I see a lot of success for Alex in the future. 

For over 20 years, Kylie Eastham has been a qualified signwriter.  You don't have to go far in the Bayside to see her work on banners, on walls and on boats and cars.  

I always made an assumption that Kylie was born and raised in Wynnum and was surprised by her response to the question about how she got to the Bayside. 

Kylie is kind, unassuming and easy to be around. She is also generous. A couple of years ago I was organising the first Octogenarian parkrun event and reached out to Kylie to find out the cost of a banner for the event.  Within half an hour Kylie responded to say that JT Signs would sponsor the banners, and she provided me not one but two banners with the beautiful Wynnum sunrise on. 

To contact Kylie, email her at [email protected], or find her on Instagram @jt_signs or JT Signs Facebook page. 

Lauren is the Programs Services Manager of Embrace, located at Silky Oaks in Manly.  She started the program three years ago and it has grown to become a successful service for Bayside families.  

In addition to the great work at Embrace, Lauren has also very recently established her own fashion label (elqstore.com) which has a focus on sustainability and ethical clothing.

This chat really did go all over the place, as I had a connection with Lauren around her child protection work, but I also wanted to know so much more about her love of travel and where it has taken her.   It really is a mixed bag of topics and Lauren is delightful to listen to. She is a great teller of her own story. 

Getting through a book a week, you could say that I love to read.  So, it was fascinating to sit down and chat with Rachel Sweasey, who has just written her first novel.  Rachel was really open to talking about the process of writing for her, and how the storyline of her book came to be.  I enjoyed listening to all the different life experiences and jobs she has had gave her the skills and confidence to write 80,000 words! 

Rachel's book is currently in the hands of an agent, but I am looking forward to reading it when it is published. You can follow Rachel on Facebook by searching @rachelsweaseyauthor.

Amy was another fabulous recommendation and was a joy to chat with. We had a very easy conversation and I was fascinated by her story and her business Amy Jackson - Nurturing Confidence.

Amy has a lovely warm and open presence, and I can see why she is so successful in what she does in building the confidence of others. I really treasured her openness and reflections of her own way of living and was a reminder how life is a constant growth experience.

Nurturing Confidence is a finalist in the Women Changing the World Awards (FINALISTS (wcwawards.com)) which is a a global awards program that recognises Women changemakers globally.  It is a pretty big deal! 

Andrea Parker is an equestrian, dietician and intuitive eating counsellor. She has quite the bio, and it was fascinating finding out more about all of the different elements of her life.  She has cleverly combined all of those elements into her professional life, enabling her to work doing what she loves and believes in. 

I don't know much about the sport of equestrian, but I understand it more now, and I also understand the relationship between a human and their horse. It is a really beautiful thing to hear someone talking about. 
 
You can find out more information about Andrea on her website andreaparkerdietitian.com or email her at [email protected]

Kirsty reached out to me after I had published a few episodes of the podcast.  She had a heap of recommendations she thought would be perfect for future episodes, and she provided names and contact details for each one. She didn't stop there, without even knowing me, Kirsty offered suggested designs for the podcast image, as she loved the concept and wanted to help out.  I kept waiting for the catch, but there wasn't one. It was just a local woman who was generous with her time in supporting my new venture.  

Although Kirsty didn't offer to be a guest, I knew I had to meet with her and find out more about her and all about Social Mums Bayside, a group that provides a way to connect for women in the area.  The Bayside group has over 3000 members and Kirsty has now extended the concept to other areas.  When I did finally meet Kirsty for the recording, I met an energetic and passionate woman who had an idea and grew it to make it happen.  She has grown quite the community. 

For more information about Social Mums Bayside, go to their Instagram or Facebook page. 

Jane has some exciting things in store for her business in 2023, partnering with Cambridge Lane Expresso + Kitchen in Cambridge St, Manly.  Flowers on Cambridge is now a pop up at the coffee shop, so you can duck in for coffee or brunch and grab a bunch of flowers to takeaway.  

I loved Jane's story of wanting to do something she loved at the worst possible time for business but giving it a go and making the most of the community and what it brings her and the business.  Jane was really open about how life has changed for her now that her children are older and more independent and what life might look like moving forward.  

Check out Jane's website at www.flowersoncambridge.com or check out her socials for more information about the pop up. 

Tenille Lawrence is the owner of Little Birdie Hair Co - Australia's Best Eco Salon. She is a long-term Wynnum local who started her career after leaving school as a hairdresser and went on to build a business of four salons (Wynnum, Stafford, Mooloolaba and Gympie).  Tenille's salons are not like most though, they are eco friendly - so much so that they have won Australia's Best Eco Salon Award in 2020, 2021 and 2022.  It is fascinating hearing what they have implemented to be environmentally and staff and customer friendly.  Tenille puts genuine big changes in place to be sustainable, and it is pretty impressive. 

Getting to know Tenille was really inspiring. She is a young woman who is the sole parent of four children, a go-getter but has their air of being chilled and knowing who she is about her.