Relentless - S07:E25 - Episode 139 - Emmaline Parry

Dealing with people’s lives

Watch the full episode on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLJkuXaD7_0JPNzYKMuIaMeZxA-F16YgzN

From corporate leadership to building aligned, purpose-driven businesses on her own terms.

The latest episode of Relentless: Life On Your Terms features a guest who embodies clarity, resilience and conscious entrepreneurship — Emmaline Parry.

Emmaline is the Director & Co-Founder of Mirrored Horizons and StayAligned — two ventures focused on helping individuals and organisations create alignment between who they are and how they operate.

Through her journey, Emmaline is:

🧠 Guiding leaders to align business strategy with personal values
🚀 Building businesses that prioritise clarity, purpose and sustainable growth
💡 Helping individuals unlock performance through mindset and self-awareness
⚖️ Challenging the traditional “hustle at all costs” approach to success

But what truly stands out is *how* she got here.

Her career began in the corporate world — gaining deep experience in leadership, structure and performance.

But along the way, she recognised something many professionals feel but struggle to articulate:

Success on paper doesn’t always equal fulfilment in reality.

That realisation became the catalyst for change.

What followed was a transition into entrepreneurship — not just to build businesses, but to build them *differently*.

With intention. With alignment. And with a clear understanding that long-term success comes from within, not just external outcomes.

In this episode, we explore:

🔥 The shift from corporate success to purpose-driven entrepreneurship
🧭 What “alignment” really means in business and life
💡 Why self-awareness is a competitive advantage
⚡ How to build a business that actually supports your life — not consumes it

This is a conversation for founders, leaders and anyone questioning whether the path they’re on truly reflects what they want.

🎧 Now live on Relentless: Life On Your Terms

#RelentlessPodcast #Entrepreneurship #Leadership #WomenInBusiness #BusinessGrowth #Mindset #LifeOnYourTerms

Transcript

SPEAKER_00 0:00

Ultra is a living organism. You need to actively work at it to make sure that you're nurturing it.

SPEAKER_02 0:14

Welcome back to another episode of Relentless Life on Your Terms. I have a fellow Cub member, a friend, a business owner, a mother. Emily and Parry, thanks for joining us.

SPEAKER_00 0:27

Thanks for having me, Chris. I was really honored to be asked to be here today. So thank you.

SPEAKER_02 0:31

Now we've shared um we do a networking thing together called Cub, Club of United Business. We also did a call, which is something that we do together. And after listening to you, I really wanted to have you on the show. I wanted to get you on season six, but you're about to have your second kid, which will talk a little bit about business. We'll talk about personal things and how you've been able to manage both. So, first of all, congratulations, you had your second son seven months ago.

SPEAKER_00 0:55

Yes, yes.

SPEAKER_02 0:56

You had a very young family.

SPEAKER_00 0:57

Yes, a three-year-old and yeah, a soon-to-be eight-month-old. So um very much in the thick of it, very much enjoying it. And when you say, um, you know, we'll talk about how you're managing the balance, my answer is not well. Um, but I think with every week that goes by, you learn more. And um, I think that's just you know, the nature of being a working mum is that you learn on the go um and adapt along the way.

SPEAKER_02 1:23

So there's no books for anything like that. I'm always saying I think the one key strategy that's the most important, in my opinion, is do it with a smile.

SPEAKER_01 1:31

Yeah.

SPEAKER_02 1:32

Because that oozes enthusiasm, it oozes happiness, you know, increases your um core, decreases your cortisone levels and really helps in release endorphins, which is makes it a lot better. So tell us a little bit about your professional career and how you got into HR and stuff.

SPEAKER_00 1:48

Yeah, sure. Um, I guess right back to the start, I went to an all-girls school in Melbourne, incredibly privileged St. Catharines Girls School. Um, had a great schooling journey, uh, was heavily into sports and um art at the time. And I had a really deep interest in um human behavior. I really loved to understand how people think, why they think the way they think, um, and what makes them who they are. So I guess that started the interest in that side of things early. I then finished school and um studied psychology. And I think that was a real blessing, to be honest, to study what I did at the time of my life where things were not so great. Um, they looked great on the outside, which is what I struggle with growing up and going to an all-girls school, is that things can appear to be um Stetford wifey and you know, everything's peachy keen from the outside looking in. Um, but behind closed doors, things were really tough for my family during that time. Um, so yeah, studying psychology at the time was a blessing because I was able to not only understand my mum's illness um, but understand my reactions to it, understand grief and how that plays out in people. Um and so I feel like that was kind of a sign from above that you were meant to do what you were doing at that time. Um, yeah.

SPEAKER_02 3:24

Well, you showed earlier signs and obviously knowing you obviously you lost someone very, very close to you in your family through challenging circumstances, and it can go both ways, but the fact that it enlightened you to learn about psychology and understand a lot about people, I think is a very good thing because you're working on your emotional intelligence.

SPEAKER_01 3:45

Yeah, absolutely.

SPEAKER_02 3:45

And the thing is when you go back to the start of the conversation, it was something that interested you anyway.

SPEAKER_00 3:49

Yeah, absolutely.

SPEAKER_02 3:50

So it's a very, very positive and good thing.

SPEAKER_00 3:53

Yeah.

SPEAKER_02 3:54

And you saw that as a I think a way to heal from what I'm reading and understanding.

SPEAKER_00 3:58

Yeah, absolutely. I think it's um it's certainly, you know, I speak to people all the time within our clients, um, where they say, I don't use anything I've studied. And, you know, I feel really lucky that I would use the knowledge that I gained from when I studied psychology nearly every day, um, in terms of personal and both professional life. Um, you know, at the time when you were going through grief yourself when my mum passed away when I was 20.

SPEAKER_02 4:28

Um That's such a hard thing. You said before there was a lot of personal challenges there. Yeah and she passed the 20. And it's not and everything's not what it seems. No, you've always got to be kind to people because you don't know what people are going through. They might just have a beautiful smile like you do, and a lot of people do, but you don't know what's what challenges people are facing.

SPEAKER_00 4:49

Absolutely. I think, yeah, that sentiment that everyone has a story is certainly something that I carried from that point on, is that, you know, people are people and everyone's got their hardships or their stories that um make them who they are today. So um yeah, I I like I said, really fortunate to study what I did and um really fortunate to be able to use that as a foundation for what I do today at Mirrored Horizons. So um I feel like I've skipped a long way forward, but yeah, we um I studied psychology. I started in recruitment, so cut my teeth on some really grueling um recruitment days where, you know, in my early 20s, um, way back when uh recruitment was tough, really tough. And it wasn't um, you know, we went through a phase, you know, I would say about six years ago where recruitment was really easy. You were filling roles. Um, and I'll have all the recruiters shake their heads at me when I say that, but it was. And when I first started, you had to work tirelessly to fill roles. Commissions were low. Um That's very lucky.

SPEAKER_02 6:00

Yeah. You started in the best possible position. Yeah. So when I started selling real estate, I was selling Brisbane properties for Brisbane-based developer, and there was two-tier marketing, they're getting all these current affairs that they're selling swamps we weren't, but that was the me and the stigmatism. That's the best time to start something. When I had a lot of employees start when the market's flying, that's always a challenge. When you start through adversity, and I've spoken about this before, and companies scale and grow through adversity, it's the best time to start. You hear a lot of people they do ice baths in the morning. You start with the hardest thing, it's always a blessing. So when people go into a tough property market and it's really hard and rates are high and money's not easy to get, that is the best time to start bar none. So although people look back and go, gee, it was tough. I said, How lucky are you to start in that environment? Because it's like starting with the hardest thing. It's only going to get better. You refine your skills, and diamonds are created through extreme pressure. So there's two ways to look at it, this perspective of my God, it's tough. I looked at it from my point as wow, how lucky am I? It's the toughest market. My skills need to be better, people aren't going to last. I need to stand out, I need to research, and it actually allowed me to elevate myself. So there's two ways to look at it, I guess.

SPEAKER_00 7:17

Yeah, you're right. You're absolutely right. I think hindsight's hindsight is 2020, isn't it? I can look back on that time and exactly what you said around really appreciate, I guess, the time um where it was really challenging. And I guess similarly, we're seeing that now with the shift of um young professionals coming into the workforce. We have had a really uh, you know, candidates market for quite some time where they're walking into roles straight out of uni um with high salaries.

SPEAKER_02 7:48

What do you think that is? So, you know, I understand the property market very well. That's what I mean. Why do you think the recruitment game that you're in goes low for malt to cold and there's an influx of candidates, then there's no opportunity.

SPEAKER_00 8:00

Why do you think that's absolutely um yeah, we've been in a candidates' market for, I guess, out of COVID, um, and it's shifting because of the economic climate now. Um, and it's coming back to being more of an employees, employer's market, I should say. Um, and I think the challenge that we're seeing now for young professionals is that they're suddenly having that oh my goodness moment of I've commanded this big salary, I have high expectations on me. I'm not necessarily meeting those expectations, and the market's shifting. So they're holding on to their roles really, really tightly.

SPEAKER_02 8:38

So just to confirm, and I've seen this a few times, it's an inflated market in terms of income and it always corrected. I was um with one of my mentors and his second generation business owner, very, very successful and wealthy man. And the construction uh project managers were getting commanding big bucks much bigger than they were on. Or maybe justified, I don't know which way you look at it, but we're talking 50, 60, 80 grand more. It's a lot of money. And I and I had to ask him, I said, how are you combating this? What are you doing? And his answer was nothing short of genius for me. I thought, wow. So he met with his project managers and he said, Okay, they wanted to leave. I've got a higher package. No problem. I can match it. Or you can stay on your current package. If I match it, when the market turns and corrects, you're the first I'm gonna let go. Or you can stay where you are, or you can choose to leave.

SPEAKER_01 9:41

Yeah.

SPEAKER_02 9:41

I said, No way. What do they do? He goes, a lot of them stayed on their current base, some went up. And what happened? Because when the market corrected, I let them go. I go, how clever. They made the decision to go stay, but he made it very, very clear to them when and if it happens, because it's going to happen, you're the first to go. Isn't that genius?

SPEAKER_00 10:03

Yeah, we we saw a lot of that, and we are seeing still with our clients now that struggle um between paying what the market has been commanding, um, and I guess retaining staff. And uh yeah, government just spoke about recently that if government gets in, um, they're going to let a lot of people go. And we were talking about how do they how are they going to differentiate who goes? And funnily enough, we've looked into it's going to be the ones that have flexibility written into their contracts. So flexibility is shifting, um, candidate market is shifting. I think the workforce in general is going to have a big shift over the next 12 to 18 months. Um, that's just by the, yeah, my my predictions, but that's not necessarily what we do. We're definitely not, we don't profess to be recruiters. Um, we've gotten really, really uh specific and I guess honed in on the fact that um you have specialists for a reason. You wouldn't go to your divorce lawyer to process your house settlement. And the same applies for HR. Um, so I think we've gotten really specific on how do we still provide a full service generalist HR, you know, outsource model to our clients whilst acknowledging that we're specialists in the team. So we've got employment lawyers in the team now that we've partnered with. Um, but we as Mirrored Horizons absolutely specialize in how to facilitate positive workplace culture.

SPEAKER_02 11:38

Yeah, you told me that and I'm fascinated. Yeah. The divorce lawyer part's a very sensitive topic. I was oh geez, Chris. I just two days ago, actually, I just completed a two and a half year court case. So I'm very happy. Sensitive but good. So there you go.

SPEAKER_00 11:50

Oh, congrats, Chris.

SPEAKER_02 11:52

Uh it's been good. It's been great. It's always good to get to the end of something like that. But going back to what you were saying, you segmented your expertise and you brought in other professionals that can complement what's required to bring in efficiency to your strategy.

SPEAKER_00 12:07

100%. And I think what we've absolutely acknowledged is that because we play um in the space of how to facilitate positive workplace culture through HR practices.

SPEAKER_02 12:18

Would you mind sharing a couple things? So just for our listeners, people that have small business, I want to get into them, what would you share share a couple tips with us?

SPEAKER_00 12:28

Um, I guess our our model and the way that we work is that we always seek first to understand. I am fed up with consultants that come in and try and tell you that you need to implement X, Y, and Z without having a deep understanding of your business first. So we do something called a cultural audit, which is we come in, we meet with everyone in your business, we conduct focus groups, we send out engagement surveys, um, we sit in in the office over a, you know, a week or a month period, depending on the size of the business. Um, and we sit in on meetings, we assess human behavior and how people interact with one another, we understand your systems and your processes. And at the end of that audit, we sit down with the likes of yourself, business owners or directors or boards, and provide a four-hour deep dive report on your current state of your business and where the opportunities lie to curate that positive workplace culture. Um, and then what we do is provide the roadmap from there. Because there is no point in me sitting in front of you and saying, I know you need X, Y, and Z when I don't. I don't understand how your business operates. I don't understand what pain points your people are experiencing. Um, and until I understand that, it's not then I can then recommend.

SPEAKER_02 13:54

So you say seek to understand. Like it's similar to Revent on our first appointment with a client, a strategy session.

SPEAKER_01 14:00

Totally.

SPEAKER_02 14:00

Because I want to understand your motivations, your goals, and what inspires you. People go, where should I buy Chris? What's a good area? So that's question four or five. Yeah. Let's get the first discovery session done. Let's build the foundation to understanding why you want to build wealth, or in your case, let's get an understanding of your workplace and your culture. So I think that's super, super important. Like a few years ago, we had a goal to win or be certified as a great place to work. And it was a like a one and a half or two year goal. But we we were able to do it in nine months and very proud a month ago we were certified for a second year and as a great place to work with a 96% rating. So that was very, very proud. And it's going back to when we did it the first time, all I cared about was I know we're good at certain things. What can we do better? We went from 81% to 96. And for me, I go, that's and now I'm looking at that other four, thinking, and it's not about a hundred, it's just about improvement. It's about listening to that feedback.

SPEAKER_00 15:06

One of the, I guess, the most powerful questions that we ask within our one-to-ones or our focus groups is it doesn't matter if you're C-suite or um you're part of the you know customer service team or whatever your position may be within the business, you still get to ask the same question. And that is if you were to wake up tomorrow and own the business, what is one thing that you would change that would have the biggest positive impact on the business? And what comes out of there and those questionings is your 4%, you know, is your really high we asked that question total.

SPEAKER_02 15:43

What if so a couple of them said the CEO? What should I do then?

SPEAKER_00 15:46

Yeah, you pack up your boots, Doll, and you know I need that question.

SPEAKER_02 15:50

They wrote the C O O L O L and I go, very funny, guys. Um, but it's such an important question. But it's one thing doing that, doing those surveys, but that's another thing to listen and to action.

SPEAKER_00 16:05

Yes, absolutely. So we we've got a trademarked equation that equals positive workplace culture, and that is when you have awareness, so that you start with, I guess, having an awareness of the pain points or what are your inhibitors within your business, and also what are your strengths, what are your natural strengths that you can leverage on when you start with awareness plus clarity plus alignment to the power of commitment, which is exactly what you're talking about, is that okay, what do we do with this now? We can't move forward unless there is a huge appetite and a commitment from the top. That's just facts.

SPEAKER_02 16:43

Fine.

SPEAKER_00 16:44

Yeah, absolutely. And we through our audit process and when we sit down to deliver these reports, we will say, until you have commitment to address these things that we've outlined in your report, we can't move forward. Um, and at that point, you know, it's probably not the best business business model. But at that point, when people say, hey, there's no appetite there, we're not going to change that, we say we're not for you.

SPEAKER_02 17:09

I don't think it's not a good business model. I think it's a great business model. Because if you want to work with someone, you want them to be committed. If I tell a client this is what we need to do, I need you to come to six-month reviews. You need to make sure we put an extra$20 in your mortgage if you want to pay along this. Whatever those commitment pieces are, you need to hold each other accountable because end of the day, it's a partnership, it's a relationship. You and your clients, and you want to make sure that they understand that. And you want to work with people that take the work serious, that take the outcome serious, that care about their team.

SPEAKER_01 17:43

Yeah.

SPEAKER_02 17:44

If you're not going to do that, there's there's a lot of power in saying no to our clients.

SPEAKER_00 17:49

Yeah, we've divorced some clients. Apologies for bringing that up again. But uh, we have said, you know, the level of appetite or commitment there um is not adequate to the change that you want to see.

SPEAKER_02 18:03

It's not and for that reason I'm not doing it. Exactly. But that's very powerful in a business. And for your business owners, at the start, you just want to say yes and get so much more clients and business. But sometimes saying one no can help you get six more yeses because the energy that that one client will require. Absolutely. I'm forcing a client to do what you've committed to.

SPEAKER_01 18:24

Yeah.

SPEAKER_02 18:25

No, this is what we've agreed. We're in this together. And in anything, there has to be a commitment and an agreement on both parts. The company, the client, the company, the client buying a property.

SPEAKER_00 18:39

Yeah, exactly.

SPEAKER_02 18:40

And it's got to be, and that's through clarity as well. This is what we're committing to. This and we do the regular check-in. So I love that business model. And even if the clients that you lose, they're probably going to be the ones that aren't going to be happy, that aren't going to get the results, or they're going to take up more of your time. And like you said, they're not aligned.

SPEAKER_00 18:58

We've just had um, and he will listen to this podcast. So shout out to the person that I'm about to mention. But um, he uh we did a report delivery for him nearly four years ago. We sat down with him and we said, these are the people that are holding you back personally, but also holding your business back. So we do workforce planning within that audit as well. Um, and we highlighted the toxic behaviors that were taking place and how they were playing out within the team. He made the decision that he wanted to keep this person on. It's your decision, it's your business. We will support that and we will do our best to mitigate any um I guess fallout. Yes. Um and we have only just moved that person on through an incredibly painful uh process.

SPEAKER_02 19:49

That was four years ago.

SPEAKER_00 19:50

Four years ago. And we sat down with him. He lives in Dubai, so we um act as his internal HR consultants and he works and lives in Dubai. And he said to us, sat in front of us, and said, I hate saying this and I will swallow my words and my pride here, but you were right.

SPEAKER_02 20:09

Oh, we should have done it earlier.

SPEAKER_00 20:10

Yeah. And he said, that has caused me endless pain. And when you identified it, I wasn't ready. I had to come to that, you know, commitment, like we said, I had to commit on my own terms. And we appreciate that some of the things that we identify within businesses, because it is such such a personal thing when you're owning and running your own business, it is going to take you time to get to that level of I'm ready to commit. Yes.

SPEAKER_02 20:36

But also too, you've got to remember fresh eyes is a lot easier to make a decision. Like when you work with someone, you know the ins and the outs of their family, it's a lot harder. So when you look at or you consider um someone that that doesn't work with that person or like an external consultant, it's easier to pick things as well. But my my mentor used to say to me, indecisiveness is a form of decisiveness. What you walk past, you accept. So you need to understand that people will see it. You need to make good decisions and you need to give them clarity why you've made a decision. So the more and more that I understand that, and going back to what you said, sometimes you're not ready, or sometimes you've been with someone for a long time. But there's a there's a respectful, there's a kind way to communicate that message so they can understand where you're coming from and you transition as respectful as possible. Now, not everyone's going to share that. Sometimes things are gonna go bad, but you can only control your behavior, you can only control your actions. So as long as you can keep your hold your head up high and be respectful, I'm always good. As long as I do the best I can. If I get attacked or whatever the case is, or I disagree, or try to understand their point. You said it before. If you seek to understand and you do your best and you're respectful and kind, I'm good with that.

SPEAKER_00 21:57

It's interesting when you say, you know, respect. And kind and clarity, and we're using these words that mean a lot to businesses. Um, and we see it, they're striving for that utmost clarity because what we know is clarity breeds psychological safety in the workplace. Um, and it's interesting when you're using these words. We just got told recently that what we do is soft, is the soft skills. It's the um things that, you know, are really um high EQ related and emotional intelligence. Yes. And I actually stopped that person in their shoes and said, I'm gonna absolutely respectfully disagree with you there because everything that we do is anything but soft. We deliver it, like you said, with clear and kind messaging and we always act with, I guess, the utmost integrity. But we're dealing with really, really hard things because we're at the core of it, it's people's lives, livelihoods, people's lives.

SPEAKER_02 22:59

Um sensitive issues, topics.

SPEAKER_00 23:02

It is. Whilst it, yes, they're sensitive, it's hard. These skills are hard. And the more businesses understand that these aren't soft things anymore. We're not talking about it like, you know, we can leave it to chance and and how we how our culture manifests, we'll just leave it to be. We've got good people, we'll leave it. Um culture is a living organism. You need to actively work at it to make sure that you're nurturing it.

SPEAKER_02 23:28

And constantly.

SPEAKER_00 23:29

Constantly.

SPEAKER_02 23:30

Because things change. Yes. But it's look, and I'm very, very fortunate. I've got advisors and mentors I've had for many, many years. And I'm always intrigued and trying to learn how they think, how they communicate. And one of my mentors, if you've been with the company for five years, even if you're not in his department, he lets you go personally. And for me, so if someone leaves my company, I let them go. I invite every single one of them to a breakfast, lunch, or dinner with me personally just to say thank you. It's always something that I've done because it's a human, it's a human connection.

SPEAKER_01 24:03

Totally.

SPEAKER_02 24:04

And I I like and I always say it's not it's not good bites until next time. And that next time might be in me saying, giving you a hug, saying hello. It might be in working together, it might be in a joint venture. It might not be anything, but I'm good with that. If I see you, I want to walk past, say hello and smile. So I always use that. Now, does it work every time with every person? No. But do I strive for to get better and better every day? Because it's important.

SPEAKER_00 24:31

My um my grandma and my grandpa owned their own business. My grandma back in the day obviously was office staff. Grandpa, CEO, had his own office, fancy office.

SPEAKER_02 24:41

What sort of work?

SPEAKER_00 24:42

Uh it was called APG printing. So it was one of the yeah, one of the first printing companies in um Australia back in the day. They did things like the Maya Windows.

SPEAKER_01 24:53

That's awesome.

SPEAKER_00 24:54

Yes. So it was just really interesting that he had that same ethos around if you if you have someone within your business network, don't ever, I guess, um step across boundaries or disrespect them or anything like that, because that that person will come back in to the fold in time. Um, so he was really big on, I guess, that respect piece that you're very good with people. Very, very good.

SPEAKER_02 25:22

Which is probably um comes to you as well.

SPEAKER_00 25:24

Hopefully, if I could be half the half the professional my grandparents were, um, I'll be a very good thing.

SPEAKER_02 25:31

I'm gonna share something I hope, you know, mine and always we're at our core, and you said something that I really I loved. You said you love helping small businesses, even though they don't have the money to pay the fees or the whatever your bill is at the time, because they're the ones that really want to make a change. Yeah, they do. And you see that they want to have the impact. I do. So and I really like that because I feel I know your heart's in the right place to help people. Yeah. The results just work. And it's you when you see someone really trying to do well, you want to help them. You want to help them succeed. You don't hear many business owners say that. And when you said that, I thought, I know this is a good human being as well that wants to help people, and it makes such a difference. People like working with people like that. And you talk about I developed um a technique which I used to call, I don't think I've shared this for many, many years if I've shared, called the hard soft sell. And they go, What's that? I asked the hardest questions possible directly to you, but in a very respectful and kind manner. So there's no question that I'm not gonna ask. I can have that hard the radical conversations, as Kim Scott said in her book, Radical Cage, which is great, yeah, but in a very soft and respectful tone. How did I learn that? Because sometimes I wasn't that soft and respectful. Yeah. And although I could close like an animal or a pit bull, the ones that I got wrong, I really pushed the other way. And so I've been removed from the house before because I said the wrong thing once or twice. But I always had a high close rate, but I thought, how can I get better? And it was my constant thirst to communicate better, understand why was that reaction the way it was.

SPEAKER_00 27:10

I think that radical candor is such a good point, and we often get um called that, or I guess when people describe how we operate, that is how they describe how we operate, is because you're paying me not to tell you what you want to hear.

SPEAKER_02 27:25

And that you're a good person, it's gonna be fine, don't worry about it.

SPEAKER_00 27:28

To tell you the things that other people won't. Um, and we have done. We've sat in front of directors and said, um, unfortunately, guys, until the four of you get aligned on how to work collectively together, your culture is never going to be a positive workplace. And from that debrief, we actually had one of the directors dissolve.

SPEAKER_02 27:51

Resign. Yeah. Well, when you bring that to a head, then the natural outcome is going to be one or two are going to realize, one or two are going to leave.

SPEAKER_00 27:58

Yeah.

SPEAKER_02 27:59

Or you're not going to work with them.

SPEAKER_00 28:00

Yeah.

SPEAKER_02 28:00

Because if they want to hear that feedback, they can understand it.

SPEAKER_00 28:03

Yeah. So we had the the major shareholder said, I am the way I am. I'm never going to change. And it was at that point through us facilitating that, I guess, radical candor moment for them.

SPEAKER_02 28:14

Is she the one that left?

SPEAKER_00 28:15

No, he's not the one that left. Another director said, I can't do this. If we're not going to move forward, businesses never stay the same. They either take 10 steps back or 10 steps forward.

SPEAKER_02 28:26

It's a living organism like you said.

SPEAKER_00 28:27

It is. So at that point he said, I'm out. And um, I guess for me, that was a really important moment in our Mirrored Horizons journey to go, okay, we're not getting a long-term client. It's not going to be a retained, you know, 12-month engagement. But I feel damn proud that we were able to change someone's life trajectory from the information that we fed back to that director.

SPEAKER_02 28:52

You change that business immeasurably. The trajectory from that conversation is great. And as I said, sometimes it takes an honest, hard look for someone to go out, go out. It's like, and I use the analogy, it's easy to see certain when you're in the ring fighting, it's harder to see certain shots than your coach saying uppercut hook, because he can he's outside.

SPEAKER_00 29:12

Absolutely.

SPEAKER_02 29:13

And you know, when you read or create a document and you go, could I not see that? Yes. That word doesn't belong there, or you see a slogan and someone just goes, Yeah, wow, but it's the same thing. You're not involved in it.

SPEAKER_00 29:27

I think that you've like absolutely nailed it when you said that because objectivity is an absolute superpower. Um, and it's our superpower that we come in and we're objective. You live it daily, and everyone that works in the business, it's their norm. Whereas we're coming in um with that objective view to go, how can we be better, do better? Um, what's the next step for us? So uh yeah, I really resonate with that.

SPEAKER_02 29:54

You mentioned the awareness piece, and I always say this all the time. If we know better, we'll do better. So we always do the best we can with the level of consciousness we have at any given time. Yeah. So I always say the first piece, and you've mentioned it's the awareness piece. Now, do you have the level of consciousness and acceptance to not not hear but actually listen to that feedback? Then the change will be made.

SPEAKER_01 30:18

Yeah.

SPEAKER_02 30:18

Now I can talk people, I can talk HR with you all day, but as it's tradition and a custom in our podcast, are you ready for your quick fire question?

SPEAKER_00 30:27

Oh gosh, yes, okay.

SPEAKER_02 30:29

Okay, what is one song that always gets you in a good mood?

SPEAKER_00 30:32

Oh, I'm on fire by um Bruce Springsteen. It was our wedding song, and every time I hear it, I'm just yeah, transported back to that lovely memory.

SPEAKER_02 30:43

Music's the best.

SPEAKER_00 30:44

Yes.

SPEAKER_02 30:45

If you could master any instrument, what would it be?

SPEAKER_00 30:48

Oh, do you know what? I'm gonna say clarinet because I I played it at school and I was absolutely horrific at it. So I'd like to go back and master it just for my own sanity.

SPEAKER_02 30:58

It's your favorite meal of the day, breakfast, lunch, or dinner?

SPEAKER_00 31:01

Oh, such a good question. Um, I eat for fuel at the moment and survival. So nothing, nothing really brings me joy. Maybe dinner, maybe dinner.

SPEAKER_02 31:10

If you could travel to one point in history, what would it be?

SPEAKER_00 31:14

Oh, this one's gonna strike a chord. Um, it was when my mum was sick, and for the listeners, she battled with a long illness of alcoholism. And she asked me, I was 18 at the time, newly had my license, no one was home. And she asked me after she had several strokes as part of her illness. She asked me to take her to rehab um to do physio. And it was in Corfield, and I remember looking at her and saying, why should I? And I was filled with vitriol and disdain and just yeah, very, very angry young girl. And my mum's face just dropped and she started to cry. And I wish I could go back to that moment and say, Of course I'll take your mum.

SPEAKER_02 32:03

You know what? Um, I'm sure she knows that is the answer. And you did the best you could in that given circumstance. And most people would have done exactly the same because it's easy to look at a circumstance and say, I would have done that. No one lived that life, no one was in those shoes. So when people look at something and go, I would have done this, how do you know? Unless you're in that situation. When something tragic happens and people go, I know what you're going through. I always say, I'm so empathetic, I have no idea what you're going through. Unless you've got a mirror image of that, how could you know? So I'm sure she knows. And one day you will say that's where I hope. Thank you. What's the weirdest food you've ever tried?

SPEAKER_00 32:40

Oh, um, okay, yep. Uh, I was 16 on a school trip in Vietnam, and we were doing a painting mural at a school as part of our project. And um, as part of their thank you to us, they put on a huge dinner. And in the middle of the table was a uh covered cloche and they lifted it up and it was dog. And as everyone would know, in their culture, it is highly, highly offensive not to try the food that they have prepared. So as 16-year-old girls, we all ate it.

SPEAKER_02 33:16

Um what's the one thing you're passionate about that might surprise people?

SPEAKER_00 33:21

Ah, feminism. Um, to my absolute core. And I will talk to anyone for hours about what feminism is in this current climate that we're living in in Australia, where women are dying every single week. If you can't sit in front of me and tell me that you're a feminist alongside me, I don't want to hear it.

SPEAKER_02 33:41

And you don't care if it's male or female as well.

SPEAKER_00 33:43

No, uh anyone. They need we need allies at this point.

SPEAKER_02 33:47

Because a lot of men that believe in that are a member of fathers, have sisters. So we're on the same team. Coffee or tea.

SPEAKER_00 33:54

Coffee all day.

SPEAKER_02 33:56

Okay. What's your biggest pet peeve?

SPEAKER_00 33:59

Biggest pet peeve when people think they are more superior than others.

SPEAKER_02 34:03

Or all just human beings. What's a skill you think everyone should have?

SPEAKER_00 34:08

Oh so many. But critical thinking and active listening.

SPEAKER_02 34:20

What's the best vacation you've ever been on?

SPEAKER_00 34:23

Uh eight weeks in uh Italy, travelling around with my beautiful cousin.

SPEAKER_02 34:28

It's one place I haven't gone, but I will go and I want to go one day. What's one word your friends would describe you as?

SPEAKER_00 34:35

Oh gosh. I would hope I would hope that they would say kind.

SPEAKER_02 34:42

Well, from what I've attested, like that's what I'd say, kind and generous. If you could um eat only one type of cuisine for the rest of your life, what would it be?

SPEAKER_00 34:51

Oh God, it has to be something quick and easy. So let's go. Vegemite toast.

SPEAKER_02 34:56

Very Australianly. What's the most spontaneous thing you've ever done?

SPEAKER_00 35:01

Spontaneous thing I've ever done. Oh, I'm not a huge risk taker, which everyone will absolutely know because I'm a liberon and I weigh up everything in my head before I do it. Um, spontaneous buying our house that we're currently renovating. Disaster.

SPEAKER_02 35:19

If you could have one superpower, what would it be?

SPEAKER_00 35:21

One superpower, what would it be? To make people feel the way I see them.

SPEAKER_02 35:31

I see them. It's always about them. That's beautiful. And the most popular question on a scale of one to ten, how much have you enjoyed being on our podcast?

SPEAKER_00 35:38

I love this because everyone goes, 11. I'm gonna say 100.

SPEAKER_02 35:42

There we go. Thank you so much. It's a pleasure having you on the podcast.

SPEAKER_00 35:45

Thank you.

SPEAKER_02 35:46

Many more episodes to come. Remember, like, share, and subscribe. Thank you.