It’s a time of celebration!  It was my birthday last week and today is International Women’s Day and so it seems like the perfect time to also highlight some ladies I’m loving!  I’ve not done one of these posts for a while and so without further ado.

As the saying goes “it takes a village to raise a child.”Any solopreneur will also back me up when I say, it is a team effort and I’m fortunate to be surrounded by the most inspiring women.  Here are just a few whose wonderful input and expertise I’ve enjoyed recently, so check them out, if you haven’t already! In no particular order….

Amanda Rootsey, Eco-Model, Gentle Living Coach, Mentor for teen girls 

I first connected with Mandy a few years back through the self-love community and really resonated with her ethos. I was inspired by her story and the way she lives her life. After being diagnosed with cancer at the tender age of 24, she transformed her life from the inside out. She took a very holistic approach to her health, choosing to treat herself and the environment much more gently. She now works exclusively with ethical, vegan and eco-friendly brands and is also a mentor to teenage girls with her “Shine From Within” programs.  She’s also a Gentle Living Coach, specialising in helping women gain clarity and achieve soulful goals gently. 

Mandy truly embodies such a gentle and compassionate energy. I feel as though I can tell her anything and she listens so openly and emanates such a calm presence.  I’m thrilled to call this beautiful soul a friend after we connected more closely in 2014 when we were coaching partners together through our training with the wonderful “”. (I can’t recommend that highly enough and will be writing more about that soon). We shared a beautiful experience of gaining clarity about the areas that were pulling at our heartstrings to focus on with coaching clients.

I realised that my focus was working with women who birthing their soul gifts into the world, which may or may not include having children. We coached each other for 6 months. I was having a giggle a couple of weeks ago thinking about Mandy as even though none of my goals were relationship oriented she said to me “so these goals are assisting you in creating the space in your life to welcome in a new partner”. Lo and behold, right after we completed our course and that particular coaching series, I met a wonderful man unexpectedly and I’m currently enjoying a beautiful relationship. So thanks Mandy as you clearly knew something I didn’t haha! To find out more about this remarkable soul and her services see here.

 Fi Mims of Fi Mims Photography

Four years ago I decided it was time to finally get some professional photos taken for my website. I looked at other people’s photos that I liked and asked for recommendations. This lead me to Fi Mims in Melbourne. I loved her natural, candid style that I saw in her portfolio. Although I was in Sydney I felt something that was so important was worth taking a flight for and I wasn’t disappointed. Fi took portrait photos, some self-love branding shots for my website and marketing materials and also product images. I was incredibly nervous and self-conscious, much more comfortable taking photos, rather than being the subject. Fi put me completely at ease. You can find out more about my first experience in working with Fi in this post.

As I promote the importance of self-love and acceptance, I felt it was vital to have photos taken that did not make people do a double-take when they met me in person – you know, because I looked 20 years older in real life, due to each line being erased off my face.. If you are currently setting up an online business and do not yet have professional photos, I cannot stress enough the importance of investing in yourself in this way. I have used a couple of headshots in particular literally HUNDREDS of times during the past 4 years  – for guest articles, radio interviews, podcasts, online summits, event brochures and blog posts. 

You need to have at least a couple of hi res photos that you can draw upon at any time. It shows that you are taking yourself seriously. Your photos must reflect your message. For example if you are funloving and working in an informal way with clients, then it’s probably not appropriate for you to have corporate style images. Check out Fi’s site for helpful information and details of her services here.

 Kate Erlenbusch of Wordlove 

I knew I wanted to work with Kate, months before I knew what I wanted Kate to help me with! Any business name with the word ‘love’ in it gets a big tick from me.  Due to this talented, whipsmart lady being in hot demand (get on her waiting list asap!) I booked in with her months before, trusting that when the time came around I would know exactly what I needed her talents for. Of course, this was crystal clear to me about a week before our scheduled time. Gotta love how the universe works. One of the tasks Kate worked her magic on was in putting together my thoughts and feelings in a cohesive framework to express my desire to work with fabulous women, for whom having children in the traditional sense, was not going to eventuate (for whatever reason). Kate listened intently as I rambled. She nodded a lot, made notes and asked deep questions. She also heard what I didn’t say (more important usually) and managed to sprinkle that in too. When I read the final copy, I cried as I felt she heard and understood what I wanted to express – and in doing so, understood the thousands of women around the globe who are faced with these questions and challenges every day. I am not someone who cries easily and so I knew that she had nailed it for me.  Read it here. One of the other pieces she assisted me with was the name of my podcast series called “Unclassified Woman” about women for whom, children will not be a part of their future in the traditional sense, but who have created a fulfilling life. Looking for some wordlove for yourself? Get in touch with Kate here.

 Jade McKenzie of Event Head

I first connected with Jade a few years ago through the online business course phenomena that is Marie Forleo’s BSchool.  Jade is an Events Management expert for heart-centred entrepeneurs who have a positive message to share with the world. What Jade doesn’t know about all things events and sponsorship isn’t worth knowing. If you’re looking for creative and level-headed advice about how to run a successful event, no matter your location, then Jade is your gal. Her bubbly personality, patience and common sense approach (not so common!) made quite an impression on me. For some time, I felt that this lady was someone I would like to learn more from and so when Jade and , announced they were co-facilitating “Beautiful Business Mastermind” I was so excited. Even though I’ve got amazing friends with their own businesses, I’d been thinking for a while that I wanted to join a small women’s mastermind. The morning that they opened up the doors for applications I was on my morning walk and having a coffee at the beach. I saw the email come through, scanned it, threw my drink back (and down my top in the process) and ran home in record time to get my application written. I was beside myself as I knew they would have way more applications than places!  I was delighted to be accepted and am currently enjoying this intensive experience with an array of talented ladies all over Australia. I can’t wait to see how the year unfolds for everyone. Find out more about Jade’s services and download your free “8 weeks to event success checklist” here.

Jayne Day of Webonize 

One of the biggest headaches for me in having an online business is the constant need to work on my website. Yep the days of a static website that is only updated every couple of years are long over. I am not a techy person and the thought of all the backend coding and programming shenanigans makes me want to slip into a coma. Yes WordPress has made things simpler in some regards with being able to make simple changes. However, this is far from being one of my zones of genius. Having an online presence needs constant work and changes, in the same way that we change and transform.  I was so relieved to connect with Jayne, who not only is a SEO professional, amongst other things but she painlessly sorts out any backend problems for me. I’m just about to have a whole heap of other updates carried out on my site (neverending!) and it’s such a relief to know Jayne can find an answer to whatever question I have and it’s dramafree! I have had some complications with websites in the past with feeling like people oversell themselves and then can’t follow through on the technical support necessary.  Not so with Jayne. I remember saying to a friend “and what a relief to find someone who actually knows what they are doing and just gets on with it.”  Jayne is also a great communicator and keeps me up to date with where she’s at in terms of timeframes of when work will be completed and if she needs more information – yes I know – what a novelty! She’s a pleasure to deal with. Find out more about Jayne, her services and courses here.

 It’s been wonderful to reflect on these beautiful women and indeed all the brilliant women in my life and I encourage you to check them out. Happy International Women’s Day!

Here are some previous ‘ladies I’m loving’ posts too if you would like some further inspiration from amazing women in my life.

 6 Ladies I’m Loving

5 Ladies I’m Loving