A love letter to a younger me

I use this platform to empower women in all areas of life, whether that’s business, wealth, self-worth, health or wellness. Today, I want to talk about women and our menstrual cycles 🙈 This isn’t just one for the ladies! Guys, it’s super important for you to understand how a woman’s body works too 🙏

I wish I had someone explain to me when I was younger the superpower that women hold in their cycle. I’ve learned so much about my cycle in the last 12 months as a 28-year-old, and I’m kind of annoyed that I was never told these things when I first got my period at 15 🤷‍♀️ There’s a good ten years of my life where I would have done things differently if I did know these things. 

I’m not sure about you, but when I first got my period, the first thing I thought was that I needed to quickly go on the pill as I could now fall pregnant 😳That was seriously the only thing I was told about my period! Essentially, I just believed it meant I could now have babies 😅

So this is a little love letter to my younger self – or to the other ladies out there that never had a proper conversation about their period when they were younger ❤️ I now realise that your cycle is a road map and a superpower to help you lean into your femininity. When you really understand your cycle, you know how to live and work in a way that aligns with your energy, honours your truth and moulds around your lifestyle 🙌

Lady lying poolside

The Taboo Topic

I am no expert, and I’m only sharing this from personal experience, but this isn’t a conversation about sex 🙅‍♀️  Your period is so much more than that! When I was younger, it was such a taboo topic. It was yucky, personal, inconvenient and too intimate to discuss with even your closest friends.

I think that’s why many girls in my generation were put on the pill straight away, yet no one ever told us about the symptoms, side effects and dangers that come with that 😓 It’s not until I’m embarking on my 30s that I’m really starting to learn about this and realise how your cycle is a gift after years of trying to get rid of it.

It’s a Sign You’re Healthy

Your period is not just a sign that you can have babies; it’s a marker that you’re healthy. So many of my friends have been getting their “period” on the pill for the last 10 years, and assuming this means they’re healthy.

But, if you’re on the pill, these aren’t actually periods because you’re not ovulating!

It actually means you’re masking many symptoms that truly indicate health because you’re getting a fake bleed. That’s a whole different conversation about fertility, but it’s super important to know that your period is essentially a sign of your health as a woman. 

What was really never discussed with me was the superpowers that come with our period. I think our generation of women are more in our masculinity than any generation before us, because we’re expected to be a great wife, mum, friend and daughter – while also having an income and climbing up the ladder in our careers 😅 We are trying to work and live like men despite being wired energetically and psychologically - differently.

Your Cycle

That’s where our cycle can come in - and can be your superpower in honouring your femininity. You can actually only fall pregnant within 48 hours of our cycle. From such a young age it’s instilled into us that we need to use the pill as contraception to avoid falling pregnant.

But there are other contraception options beyond the pill that can keep you protected without messing with your health as a woman. It might be something worth discussing with your health practitioner and actually learning about some of the symptoms that you’re going through.

Pain isn’t normal, irregular periods are not normal, depression and big mood swings are not normal, and getting a bleed on the pill doesn’t mean you’re actually getting your period 💥

Credit: Lauren Kerr beach side

Men and women are simply wired differently. 

I see so many women in the workplace going through burnout. We’re trying to do everything and be all things for all people, all the time. Energetically, it’s just not sustainable, and we end up feeling frustrated that we can’t juggle it all 😖

What I’m about to teach you will help you practice kindness, patience and compassion towards yourself: it will show you your superpower and how you can get everything done without burning out 🥰

Fun Fact: Women actually have a monthly hormone cycle, but men have a 24-hour hormone cycle.

Energetically, we’re wired differently and psychologically, we work differently too. Both sides of the female brain talk to each other, which makes us really good with intuition, emotions, reading people, reading social cues and showing empathy. On the other hand, men are more dominant on one side than the other.

They use one side of the brain at a time, which means they have less fluctuation in their emotion, think more logically than emotionally and aren’t as good as multitasking as us. They’ll probably feel the same today as they did yesterday at that time during the day, where women may have a week of feeling emotional, followed by a week of feeling really social. 

When no one is teaching women about this, they’re often left feeling like something is wrong with them 💔  They’ll question their mental health, self worth and productivity - being confused as to why they went from feeling on top of the world and bossing life, to really emotional, insecure and needing down time – without realising it’s a natural cycle that will happen every month 😌. When we understand this and predict when changes are coming, we can strategically plan our life, whether that’s professional or personal 🙏

WINTER 

What I want to teach you is a really simple way to embrace this. I like to think about this in terms of the four seasons – summer, autumn, winter and spring. Every woman has their own four seasons. Let’s think about winter as when you’re on your period. I want you to think about what this time of the month looks like for you.

For most of us it’s a time of introspection and our intuition is peaked. For me, this is a time in my cycle when I need to have more self-love. This might mean cacao, baths, more cuddles, and really prioritising time with my partner in winter ✨

The shadow: However (like every season) be aware of the duality. In this season (week or so). I used to feel like I was letting people down because I wasn’t living or performing up to my usual standard and I couldn’t give my best. My energy felt forced and fake. I try to plan for this by not making appointments socially or professionally at this time, and instead focus on things I can do on my own - whether it’s finalising tasks, writing blogs, booking keep or prepping for a new month or promotion. I give myself permission to say no, and enjoy white space and just rest. This is a time for looking after you and practising self compassion and remembering rest is productive too.

SPRING

The week after winter comes spring. This is when you’re in the lead up to ovulation. This is the best time to start setting goals or intentions for the next month. Plan out campaigns and start creating content. This is where I may schedule live videos, interviews, marketing efforts, and networking events as a business owner.

In spring, I start feeling creative and inspired to take on new projects with new energy and ideas. I love to use this time to journal, meditate, dance and be all-around a bit more playful. So for your spring, start thinking about what you can do to embrace this? 🤔

The shadow: This is also a time when I can fall into overwhelm. I have this tendency of being so inspired and motivated that I take on way more than I can handle. If I know this as my cycle, I can set good boundaries and look after myself too 💫 This is where a good goal setting template or calendar comes in handy to plan out your next month or 4 weeks of projects to be able to honour and protect your energy and commitments.

Credit: Lauren Kerr standing by the water

SUMMER

Next comes summer, and this is usually the time when you’re ovulating. Science has shown that when you’re ovulating and you’re obviously at your most fertile, you unconsciously begin luring sexual partners in 😏. You will often notice you feel more social, flirty and even an increase in your sex drive!

Scientists have even found they can depict when women are ovulating because they unconsciously start to wear less clothing 😜 In this season I find I like to wear more makeup, get a blow-dry and get dressed up to have a night out with my girlfriends 💃. This is the perfect time in your cycle to plan catch ups with friends as energetically you can pour from your overflow.

You are also most magnetic at this point of your cycle - so strategically if you can, this is the perfect time to go to networking events, pitch ideas, sell online, ask for a pay rise, look for a romantic partner or go for a new job or promotion.

The shadow: A shadow of this season is that it’s easy for women to become more selfish during this season. Even if you’re in a loving and happy relationship, you might catch yourself out with wandering eyes 👀 You might get a little excited or flirty, and can fall into the trap of not being very thoughtful of others because you’re so consumed with how you’re feeling. Our vibe is high and often we don’t want anyone to f*&k with it! We also crave fun in this season and may be more social than usual - which means we may (briefly) loose focus of our goals and may not have the motivation to work. So instead consciously batch the ‘work’ that requires you to be social and extroverted so you can take advantage of this week in your cycle when your energy is at its peak.

AUTUMN 

But like everything, it’s only a season, and these emotions are followed by autumn. Just like the season Autumn, this is a great time in your cycle to cleanse and get rid of dead energy - whether it be cleaning out your work space, emails, finishing off projects before a new cycle or reflecting on habits or relationships that may no longer be serving you.

The shadow: This season is often when we are more reflective and feel a little bit tired or sensitive than usual. It’s really important to know that this doesn’t mean there is anything wrong with you! It’s completely normal to go into a period of turning inwards after a period of summer. You can only do it all and be it all when you give yourself time to slow down and honour yourself. I like to look after myself during this time with massages, cleaning my house/space and journaling. I often find myself feeling more anxious during this time, but I find it really helpful to embrace these feelings and be kind to myself… knowing just like every season, this too shall pass. We can’t be go go go all the time - it isn’t sustainable or realistic.

Understanding Your Cycle

As a woman, if you understand these cycles and you’re not thinking that your period is a yucky inconvenience, it can be the most beautiful blessing in your life. So many of us are looking for validation externally of how we are feeling and seeking permission to slow down and give ourselves a break, but we need to learn how to use our own emotions and feelings as internal guidance to work in alignment with our hormone levels. It’s a simple way to strategically plan our lives and businesses to be the best version of ourselves. 

It’s been the most beautiful journey for me to dive into this over the past 12 months with the beautiful resources on cycle syncing, women health education and moon tracking inside the Healthstyle Emporium.

I only wished someone taught me this when I was 15 rather than marketing trying to sell me tampons, sex ed classes telling me to be fearful of pregnancy, doctors encouraging me to get on the pill and society pressuring me to go on living life as if nothing had changed and to keep up with my male peers in school and the workplace.

So to a younger version of me (and you if you never had someone teach you this)… congratulations you got your period!!! This is a gift and a superpower you can tap into for the rest of your life if you choose to harness it correctly. Men don’t have this - so I encourage you lean into your femininity and leverage off it. It is such a beautiful self care ritual as well as a bio hack for productivity!

My Goal for 2021 and why ✨- #75Hard Challenge

Have you heard of the 75 Hard Challenge?

It seems like more and more people are starting to talk about it! 

If you haven’t seen it yet, it’s a mindset and discipline challenge that goes for 75 days. For the two and a half months of the challenge, you need to:

• two 45-minute workouts a day (at least one needs to be outdoors rain, hail or shine) 🏋️‍♀️

• drink one gallon of water 💦

• read 10 pages of a personal development book 📖

• stick to a diet 🍉

• have no alcohol / or cheat days🥂

• and take a progress picture every single day 📸

If you skip anything or have a cheat day, you’ve got to go back to day one and start all over again 🙈 

Lauren Kerr - Babes in Business - Stretching on the beach

MY 75 DAY HARD CHALLENGE 

Last week I started the #75Hard challenge myself 💪

Why? Well, I’ve seen heaps of my friends and other people in my life doing the challenge recently. After chatting with these people, I’ve discovered that most aren’t doing it as a health challenge. It’s really more of an opportunity to test your mental toughness, discipline and commitment. 

I’ve got a personality that means I’m either all in or all out when I do anything – especially when it comes to health. Up until about 4 or 5 years ago when I joined The Healthstyle Emporium, I didn't have a healthy relationship with food or exercise, I was always trying to do something excessively and restricting myself in another which just led to me yo-yo-ing my weight and my happiness.

From my experience diets don’t work. I’m a big believer that every time you restrict yourself of anything, you end up just binging or over indulging in the end anyway. My five-year journey with The Health Style Emporium has taught me how to be happy and healthy on my own terms, in a sustainable and holistic way by skipping the diets and learning how to just move and eat intuitively (with healthy alternatives) which has been such an incredible and life changing experience 💖

Now, my principle in life and business is the 80% rule 🙌🏽. Eat healthy 80% of time, move well 80% of time, work hard 80% of the time because from my experience this is the consistency that leads to sustainable success and health without burnout or binging and allows lots of time for rest and play 🕺🏼✨

The 80% principal has served me really well…but because I live by this rule in every aspect of my life, I don’t really know what it’s like to commit 100% of the time and go all in. If I feel great at 80%, imagine how good I could feel at 100%?

I’m doing the #75Hard challenge to test my own discipline, to show up more for myself and really just see how good I can possibly feel 👏

Discovering a new version of myself

One of the aspects that interested me the most about this challenge was the no alcohol rule. I’m not sure when you first started drinking, but I am embarrassed to admit that I don’t think I have gone more than about 2 weeks without alcohol since I was 15 😬.

I probably was a bit of a binge drinker between the ages of 17 and 20 (aren’t we all 🙈), but I’m not like that anymore. I do drink regularly but it’s usually just enjoying a cocktail at dinner, a Pina Colada’s in the sunshine or having a port in the bath🍷. It may not be large amounts all the time, but it’s definitely consistent. 

Given it’s been so long that I’ve lived like this, I’m excited to discover how I might feel without having that much alcohol in my life. Plenty of people I’ve spoken to are saying their clarity, intuition and overall mood are much better! I’m really keen to see if I will experience the same results. 

Lauren Kerr - Babes in Business - Sipping a Pina Colada on the Beach

Self-worth does not equal work ethic 

Another motivating factor for me was my self-worth. When it comes to my business, the reality is that I AM my business.

Have you heard the saying – ‘Don’t kill the golden goose’?

In my mind, that saying is a reminder of how important it is to look after the golden goose in your life – the thing that lays the eggs and provides your wealth and abundance. Don’t get caught up on burning your goose out over one egg when (if you look after it) it can continue to deliver you a lifetime of golden eggs. Being my own boss and running my own business means it’s so important to invest in and look after… me! 🥰

I had a massive breakthrough last year that I shared with you all on my birthday…

I had this really old belief that I was carrying around with me that my work ethic equals my self-worth 😰 When I’m not working hard, I didn’t feel like I was worthy of my income or my lifestyle. I felt like I needed to work even harder to deserve more.

I decided in 2021 to discover how I could increase my self-worth, without always tying it to my work ethic. I saw the #75Hard Challenge as a great way to put myself first and remind myself that I am worthy of what I have – without linking it back to my professional life. 

So it’s time to turn that worthyodometer up gf! 🙌

Getting started on the challenge 

I’m super excited to bring you guys along the way on this journey and I can’t wait to see the results of giving 100% to myself. Before getting started, I thought water was going to be the hardest part, but I’ve realised that I do drink pretty much a gallon a day. The real tough part for me is definitely going to be the alcohol and no cheat days 🙈

The 6 week Glow Up inside The Healthstyle Emporium is helping me stay inspired and creative with my work outs and yummy healthy meals and treats, along with our babes for support and accountability 👯‍♀️🙌🏽) but I got tempted over the weekend with donuts 🍩 🙊

Donuts are my weakness 😅 WARM JAM DONUTS ARE LIFE 🤤🤤

I found myself mentally battling myself being like ‘who said I can’t have a donut 😡’...I hate rules, restrictions and being told what I can and can’t do... but I quickly caught myself and realised I was giving my power away.

I can eat that donut. But I am ‘choosing’ not to.

I see this so often, we give our power away by saying we are forced to do something when you’re not ...

You’re choosing to go to that job, be in that relationship, to not eat the donut 😝

You have a choice - and reminding yourself takes you out of the victim mentality and gives you back your power.

Lauren Kerr - Babes in Business - Watching Sunset over the Beach

What does the next level of you look like? 

When one of my highest values is balance, I will admit I feel pretty torn already and I am only a week in!

Half of my brain is telling me '“f*&K it! Just have the drink / donut if you want it”, but I keep having to remind myself that I really want to step into that next level of myself this year and if I want to grow, I need to try new things and push myself outside of my current comfort zone and realm of reality. 

The old Lauren wouldn’t say no to a good time.

The old Lauren wouldn’t deprive her body from what she felt like. But becoming the new Lauren means I need to say yes to new things, I need to think like I wouldn’t usually and I need to behave like I wouldn’t usually… if I want to experience new things and manifest a new reality or results. It’s exciting to be in this zone of discomfort because it’s a great sign that I’m on the way to reaching the next level of myself.

If you’re considering your goals for 2021 or you’re thinking about the #75Hard challenge, I would really encourage you to think about what the next level of yourself looks like?

How can you make yourself uncomfortable and start taking steps in the right direction towards who you can / want to be?

How can you think, speak and act in ways that you usually wouldn’t? 

When I sat down to nut out my 2021 goals, the #75Hard Challenge was really the only thing that I really wanted to do when it came to my own personal health and happiness - so here I am getting it done and sharing it with you for some public accountability! ✔️ I’m one week in so it’s early days and I don’t want to get too ahead of myself, but so far so good! I am enjoying the process and the mental toughness and can not wait to share with you my results (both mentally and physically). 🙌 

Bring on the next level of Lauren! 

If you’re doing the challenge, I’d love to keep updated with how you’re doing too! Feel free to drop me a comment on Instagram and keep me in the loop and let’s cheer each on! Together, we’ve got this 💪

P.S If you haven’t set yourself any goals yet for 2021 - last week I hosted a Goal Setting Masterclass exclusively for our clients inside the Healthstyle Emporium but… I wanted to offer it to my online community as well coz I love you guys ❤️ I hope it helps you get clear on what you want to focus on this year so you feel like you have direction, purpose and something to strive towards and get excited about too!

I talk about:

• How to set goals that align with your highest values

• Why its so hard to set goals AND stick to them

• The psychology of goal setting and how to use it as your super power

• Strategies to help you see your goals the whole year through

• + BONUS a free goal setting template so you walk away feeling empowered and clear on what you want to consciously create this year!

Let me know what you take from it, I hope it serves you ✨

Four Tips for Self Love

I recently partnered up with Lust Minerals as part of their Self Love Movement. Anyone that knows me, knows that I am a huge believer of self-love. That’s because I know that it’s only when you’re looking after yourself, that you can vibrate at a higher frequency and create the life you’re dreaming about.

I think self-love starts with being compassionate and understanding towards ourselves and realising that we can’t always be hustling and achieving. Life works in ebbs and flow, and it’s super important to acknowledge that! 

There are plenty of different ways that you can fill up your cup, and the best options look different for everyone. As we move into 2021, I’d love to share some of my top self-love tips with you. These are some super simple but really valuable strategies that I’ve found incredibly powerful in my everyday life. Feel free to give these tips a try and let me know how you go! I would love to hear from you 🥰

Lauren Kerr - Babes in Business - Meditating on the Beach

Having a morning routine

I honestly believe the best gift you can give yourself is a morning routine. Whether its 15-minutes or an hour, I try to start every day by carving out some time to fill up my cup 🤗  For some people that means you might need to wake up a little earlier or get out of bed before your kids do, but it’s well and truly worth it. 

I’m constantly speaking to women from all walks of life about becoming the best version of themselves, and morning routines is something that always comes up. Introducing some kind of meditation, visualisation or gratitude at the start of the day is a simple way to get yourself into the right mindset before tackling the day ahead 🙌  These simple acts mean you are reconnecting with your goals every morning and reminding yourself of what’s important to you, before the world tries to tell you something different. 

For anyone that is totally new to meditation and visualisation or isn’t sure where to start, I would definitely recommend checking out our recent episode on the Babes Talking Business Podcast. In this episode, we shared an open eye meditation that you guys can use as part of your morning routine to help you really visualise what the next level of yourself looks like and how you can best show up 💁‍♀️

Lauren Kerr - Babes in Business

Invest in you and prioritise your own health and happiness

This one might sound super simple, but plenty of women (especially mums!) are constantly putting everyone else’s needs before their own. But realistically, self-love isn’t selfish or a luxury – it’s a necessity 👏  You are no help to anyone when you’re burnt out, depressed or sick. Imagine how freeing it would be if everyone just took radical responsibility for their own health and happiness rather than being a burden on their family and friends? 

✔️ My tip for you is to remember you are worthy of investing in

✔️ You matter

✔️ Your health and happiness is important

Start by asking yourself, what is one thing you can do today to be a healthier and happier version of yourself? I like to start my morning by moving my body, meditating and nourishing my body before starting the day 🧘‍♀️ What could you do? If you need some help working out what you could do to make yourself happy, I have a free happiness test here. It only takes half an hour to do but is a great place to start to work out how you can best invest in you this year 💥

Put some time aside this week to look at your money

I know for plenty of women, this isn’t a fun job! It’s much easier to stick your head in the sand and try to ignore it, but getting comfortable and familiar with your finances is super important and one of the greatest acts of self love. Have you heard the saying “Your self worth is a direct reflection of your net worth”? I’m sure you can all relate!

When you don’t have money, you feel anxious, scared and worried. So, getting on top of your finances is the easiest way to feel empowered and to discover that next level of self-worth. 

Do yourself a favour and put some time aside to look at your money, get your 2021 budget sorted and even work on your financial literacy or wealth creation strategies. I see so many women giving their power away by not being empowered with their own money and find themselves in really difficult situations or relationships 😢 

Money isn’t just freedom, it’s how you have security, safety and choices. Have a look at the ‘not so fun facts’ below from our Free side hustle guide to understand why I believe this is one of the best gifts you can give yourself (especially as a women) 🙌💄

Does this sound like something you need help with? I’ve got you babe. We’ve put together a guide that breaks down how to kickstart your side hustle ⚡️ It goes through different ways to generate an income and the wide range of potential income streams that you can make the most of. 

Protecting your energy

Do you know how to say no? Are you okay with saying no? Every time you say yes to something that you would rather not do, you’re actually saying no to yourself 😳 The thing that most often comes at an expense of saying yes, is time for you.

That’s time for you to work on your goals, time for you to put aside to prioritise the things you deem important like your friends, your family, your health, your happiness, or time for you to rest yourself. 

I would love for you to focus on being really protective of yourself and your energy this year - Consciously investing your energy with people who love you, support you, lift you up and cheer you on.

Say yes to the people that enrich your life and be okay with saying no to the people and things that feel like they’re constantly taking from you. Say no frequently, firmly and consciously. And ask yourself, does this energetic exchange feel fair? 

These are just four ideas to get you started on your journey of self-love! If you’re looking for even more resources, this is a topic that I dive deep into in my book – which you can get your hands on here, or order from any big book retailer to listen to on audible!

2021 is going to be your year babe, I already know it 💖

2021... My wish for you this year

Set Goals on How you Want to Feel

⭐My wish for you is this year you set goals on how you want to feel, not the numbers on a scale or likes on a photo 🙅🏼‍♀️

⭐My wish for you is that you glow from the inside out because you nourish your body with wholefoods 🍓

⭐My wish for you is that you radiate happiness from the endorphins you release daily from moving your body (because you’re grateful you can) 🤸🏼‍♂️

⭐My wish for you is that your energy lights up a room when you walk in because people can feel your peace and joy 🥰

⭐My wish for you is you attract soulful and abundant relationships because your level of self worth wouldn’t accept anything less 👩‍❤️‍💋‍👨

⭐My wish for you is the confidence and security that comes with prioritising your own wealth creation and career so you can have the freedom to pursue your dreams ❤️🙌🏽

Lauren Kerr from Babes in Business starting the New Year with a Glass of Champagne

Welcome to 2021…

Hello and welcome to 2021! I hope you all had a super relaxing Christmas and New Year, and that you’re ready to tackle the year ahead!

Given many of us have just returned to work for the year and we’re starting to get back into the swing of things, I thought it was a great time to talk about NEW YEAR GOALS.

Lets get started…

⭐How many of you have set goals for 2021?

⭐And how many of those resolutions are around your weight?

Us women are the worst for it 🙈

Days of a Professional Dancer

If you have read my book you will know in my days of being a professional dancer, I didn’t have a healthy relationship with food, exercise or myself. And when Christmas would come around I would enjoy everything, and then I would spend January self-loathing. I would punish my body, start a diet or plan out an unrealistic exercise regime 😣

But I haven’t set goals like this since I was 21. It’s been around seven years since I placed these unfair expectations on myself and would beat myself up for not reaching the goals. I had to pull myself up and change my thinking when I realised just how much I was damaging myself. 

Why Didn’t I Achieve My Goals…

I’m sure many of us have set resolutions that depended on a number on the scales, but I’m sure just as many of us never actually achieved those goals 💁‍♀‍ The reason we never ticked them off our list is that we were focusing on the wrong thing. 

A New Way to Goal Setting…

⭐This year, I want you to shake up the way you look at your New Year’s goals.

⭐Instead of making it about what you look like, make it about how you ‘feel’.

⭐Think about how you’re going to feel when you start nourishing your body with the right foods.

⭐Think about how radiant you’re going to be when you’re so positive and happy because you’ve been moving your body every day and releasing endorphins.

⭐Think about the confidence you’re going to have when you have good self-worth and boundaries. 

Lauren Kerr from Babes in Business with a big smile

Getting Back Into The Swing of Things

As you get back into work for the year, I encourage you to set some intentions for yourself.

Ask yourself – “How do I want to feel?”.

⭐Skip the diets, skip the restrictions and skip the weight loss challenges.

⭐Instead, move your body because you’re grateful that you can.

⭐Nourish your body because you’re grateful for everything it does for you, and you want it to keep looking after you.

⭐Think about the sort of person you want to be in your relationships with your family, friends and colleagues. 

If you’re looking for a romantic relationship in 2021, this is something you can consider too…

⭐Do you need to make yourself feel worthy and content in your own company before you can be with someone else?

⭐Do you have your own routine, hobbies and things that bring you joy?

⭐Are you stable in and passionate about your career?

⭐Can you confidently stand on your own two feet financially?

⭐Have you filled your cup to the brim so someone can come share your happy bubble and compliment your already amazing life?

⭐Or are you needing someone to ‘make’ your life and be the reason for your happiness.

Remember we are attracted to people that want us…not need us.

Self love and self worth is sexy AF.

Lauren Kerr babes in Business goal setting in 2021

Are you caught in the Trap of Unrealistic and Unfair New Year’s Resolutions?

These are concepts that we slowly learn as we grow older and develop healthier relationships with our food, movement, relationships and ourselves.

But there are plenty of women, particularly young women that follow me that are still caught in the trap of unrealistic and unfair New Year’s resolutions. I’m here to challenge those girls and say – Don’t do it. 

⭐Make this year the first year that you don’t set a diet goal.

⭐Make this year a year where you focus on how you want to feel.

⭐If you’re focusing on restriction and deprivation, you’re only going to feel like a skeleton and a shadow of your best self.

Choose abundance, nourishment and alignment… 

I take a deep dive on this in my book, and I’ve got a whole chapter dedicated to setting healthy goals for yourself. If you’re looking for further learning and want someone to hold your hand and be a cheerleader, send me a message and have a look into the Healthstyle Emporium. 

Healthstyle Emporium - How it Can Help…

I used to have such a bad relationship with food and movement, which I think resulted from my dancing background. When I came across the Healthstyle Emporium, I learned a little more about nutrition and the effects of stress on my body.

Before this..

I used to run endless kilometres every week, skip meals and restrict my eating. But you know what? Despite me focusing excessively on my ‘health’…it was the unhealthiest and unhappiest I have ever felt 😅

Finding Myself…

After going through that journey myself, I really want to encourage you ladies to make this year the year that you have a different relationship with food - that you focus on loving yourself from the inside out 💖 

⭐The best way to start this journey, and commit to yourself is to surround yourself with women that lift you up, inspire you to be the best version of yourself and encourage you to dream big...

⭐Fill your feed with these women. Spend your time with these women. Stop making space and time for things and people that bring you down and don’t enrich your life, or at the very least challenge you to be better. 

⭐Let’s start by thinking of one healthier habit you can focus on cultivating today…

⭐Whats one thing you can focus on this month that would you become the happiest, healthiest and most inspired version of yourself?

Lets start there 😉

What is the Healthstyle Emporium?

Earlier this week I did an IGTV explain what The HSE actually is, what it includes and I shared a sneak peak of the magic that happens behind the scenes inside the program if you would love to check to out!

Get Healthier and Happier Program

If you would love to get healthier and happier with me this year, be sure to check out the program here.

Partner with Lauren Kerr

And if you would love to get paid to share the program and create an online income, check out info about our team here.

If you have any questions, let's connect!

Send me a message on the below platforms...
- Instagram
- Facebook
- Email

So excited to see what magic 2021 has in store for you!

To your health and happiness,

The glorification and vilification of work ethic

You probably saw that I was celebrating my birthday recently and if I’ve ever wished you a happy birthday, you’ll know that I always ask people the same question on their birthday, “What was your biggest lesson?” 🤔… And I do the same to myself too.

Reflection of my 28th Lap around the Sun

Every year I take some time out to reflect and think about the biggest lesson I’ve personally taken from the previous 12 months.

I think it’s important to reflect as not everyone got the last 12 months so I put the time aside to think about what I did with the ones I was gifted with.

This year’s reflection on my 28th lap around the sun came with some pretty significant breakthroughs. 

Lauren celebrating her birthday in another Baby Lemonade dress - use discount code ‘BIB’ for 15% off

The Abundance Code

I’ve been reading this book called ‘The Abundance Code’, and it’s challenging me to ponder on my own self-limiting beliefs 🙈.

For many of us, it’s been a year of surrendering, which is what led me to create a little blog series called, The Surrender Project. I’m using this blog to talk about what I’ve learnt throughout 2020, and I’ve shared my thoughts on learning to surrender, discarding beliefs that no longer serve me and how to battle my self limiting beliefs 👊 in business, marriage, money and life.  

My Journal 🖊️

While journaling on my birthday, my breakthrough started because I *thought* one of my biggest self-limiting beliefs 👊 was the idea that you have to trade time for money.

I know that’s not true logically because obviously, I’ve created a business that offers lots of different residual and passive income streams, so I don’t always have to trade my time for my money 🤷‍♀️.

But over the last 12 months, I’ve really noticed that I have this guilt around slowing down because something unconsciously tells me that the only way to be successful is to keep working hard, like I had for the first couple of years in my business. 

I used to take pride in the fact I have a great work ethic and all my success I have had - nothing was handed to me - I worked hard to create it for myself, by myself...

This reflection happened around the same time that I hit a massive professional goal and pinnacle leadership position within my company called EMD being the same week as my birthday.

My Work Ethic 💪

It’s really interesting because as I was getting recognised, I was getting a lot of beautiful messages celebrating me. Something that kept coming up was comments like “I don’t know anyone more deserving”, “You’re a unicorn Lauren!” or “I don’t know anyone that works as hard as you, you’ve got such a great work ethic.”. 

These kind messages reminded me that people also know me for my work ethic but it also made me feel guilty because I don’t feel like I work that hard anymore! 😳 It is like ‘working hard’ makes someone deserve respect and their success. Work ethic is like a yard stick we use to measure our respect for ourselves and others.

Was I still deserving of my success?

Graph of the HSE Bonus Rewards Scale

HUSTLING VS FLOW

All these comments also made me realise that ‘hustling’ isn’t cool anymore.

For most people it feels unattainable and not something people aspire to do (including myself). A few years ago there was a glorification around working ourselves as hard as physically possible, yet the last two years I have realised it’s just not sustainable (especially for women as we aren’t wired the same as men - we are cyclical)…

and instead being “in flow” is the new cool... 😎

Flow

I’m all for flow! But I do think it means in the process of making it cool, we’ve now also built a vilification around ‘hustle’ – It’s no longer sexy to hustle. I’ve noticed within my business it can be really polarising to have work ethic because a lot of people say they can’t do what I do, or that they just don’t want to do what I do.

It’s like ‘hustle’ has become a dirty word and women are no longer inspired by hustle, working hard or work ethic. Comments like this trigger me because I genuinely don’t think you have to work hard to be deserving of your success. 

But - because I am a straight shooter and I care about your success, you can trust me to tell you the truth and not just what you want to hear that is going to make you feel comfortable, trust me when I say those people who are enjoying ‘flow’ had a season where they hustled. 

WORK ETHIC DOES NOT EQUAL WORTHINESS 

To achieve anything or get anything off the ground 🚀, you need to have commitment and energy💪. It’s going to take a burst of inspired action, and you might have a bit of strategic imbalance for a while as you create what you want, but it won’t stay that way forever. 

Although I threw a lot of energy into my business at the start, and it was ‘harder’ in the early days, it was only tough because I was building up an income around a full-time job. If I didn’t have the work ethic to get started and continue to show up even when didn’t feel like it (lets be honest most days it would have been easier to sit on the couch after work), I never would have gotten anywhere, let alone where I am now.

It didn’t stay that way though, because I was in flow and I loved what I was doing, I persisted, I mastered the skills I needed to grow my business and as my confidence grew so did my income. I simply believe that you need to have a passion and put in the hard yards to set yourself up, and the rest will follow naturally ✨. 

Consistent Work

The last two years of my work haven’t been ‘hard’. Yes I’ve been consistent. I’ve been passionate. I’ve been committed to my growth and stepping out of my comfort zone, taking inspired action and having uncomfortable conversations (those things come hand in hand with leadership).

But I have also had good boundaries, I’ve scheduled my joy every day and have made sure I’ve prioritised my own health and happiness. I don’t believe that takes away from my success at all. My income continues to grow, and I keep creating more white space, new opportunities and freedom 👏. 

So if this self-limiting belief wasn’t coming from the idea that I had to swap time for money, what was it? 🤔

Lauren Kerr at the Beach - Babes in Business

THE WORKING-CLASS BELIEF 

If you come from a family that is very abundant and very wealthy, very rarely will you stop and consider if you are worthy of it.

You’re born into it, so you don’t doubt if you’re deserving, you just accept that it’s the way things are 💁‍♀️. 

Are you Worthy of Success?

The flip side of that is that when people like me come into money or start creating money that they don’t necessarily have to work as hard for, you start feeling like it’s a dishonest way of life.

It’s almost like you think that you’re cheating the system or doing something wrong because you’re not working hard to create it, despite seeing so many of your loved one’s working hard their whole lives.

This realisation has been my biggest breakthrough because I acknowledge that this has been my blockage.

I did have the belief that work ethic equals worthiness and I needed to flip it. it was no longer serving me. Because when I dig deeper, I do know that you can create more and do less, business can be easy, wealth can come easy - And none of those things makes you less deserving of it 🙌.

THE VILIFICATION OF HUSTLING

Real talk, though. I still do honestly believe that getting anything up off the ground, in order to create flow and build abundance; you do have to have some work ethic or hustle at the start to get momentum. As well as then needing the skills and confidence to maintain it.

My advice for you is that if you’re working hard on something, make sure that it’s something that brings you joy or will mean you won’t have to ‘work hard’ long term. 

My highest value is time freedom and flexibility 👐 So, I worked hard for a season, which was only around 2 to 4 hours on top of my full-time job each day to get my business off the ground and build that residual income stream.

But I only ‘worked hard’ so that I didn’t have to continue to work at that level, pace or intensity forever. I want to spend my time with my friends and family, with my future kids enjoying being a stay at home mum, relaxing, at the beach, prioritising my own health and happiness and more time researching, reading and writing.

Lauren Kerr on a blowup swan in the pool

What is ‘hard work’ anyway?

Maintaining your efforts and committing to being consistent to get a side hustle or business off the ground whilst juggling a job is hard. But is staying in a job where you commute 2 hours a day, miss magical moments, have a capped income, feel unfulfilled, uninspired and hungry for more, but do nothing about it…any easier?

There is a big difference between ‘working hard’ and ‘hard work’. Yes I ‘worked hard’ for a season to set myself up and get momentum in my business and build my brand, but it wasn’t ‘hard work’.

If you align yourself with your highest values and passions and work out a way to either monetise them or create a lifestyle so you can enjoy them - you want to show up and put the work in. Because it’s important to you.

THE CURRENCIES OF LIFE 

There are three currencies in life: 

1. Money 💰

2. Audience or your relationships (your network) ❤️

3. Time  🕐

I believe you need to leverage off at least two of those currencies to create the third one.

For example you leverage off your time and audience to create money (either by selling a service or product).

You leverage off your audience and money (by outsourcing, hiring employees or paying for systems to automate) to create time.

You leverage off your money and time (by investing in your network) to create more audience and be connected or introduced to other high achievers or world thought leaders / influencers / business owners.

When I first started, I didn’t have the money, but I had the time, so I focused on building and investing in my relationships with content and value to create the money. And now I use my money and audience to create the time I was missing. 

Whatever goal you’re working towards, remember the difference between working hard and hard work.

If these are goals that align with you and your highest values, you should be in a feeling of flow. After your season of strategic imbalance, where you go all in, and you work a little bit harder than you usually do, you won’t have to continue this way of life forever. 

Lauren Kerr out with girl friends in another Baby Lemonade Dress. Use discount code: BIB for 15% off!

Are your beliefs outdated? 

Did you realise that you carried the same belief that work ethic equals worthiness?

Not only does work ethic not equal worthiness, but you don’t need to find your worthiness in what you do for work either 🤩.

Money that comes easy isn’t dishonest - it’ smart!

There are so many ways to create wealth these days that no longer require you to trade your time or work hard for it. 

Beliefs are just thoughts you keep thinking.

They are tools to help you get where you want to go. When you’re experiencing frustration in an any area of your life, it usually means there is an old belief system that needs to be updated and when you’re being triggered in any area of your life, it usually means someone or something has contradicted one of your beliefs.

So here are some tips to help you rewire yours to help you have your own breakthrough:

1. Identify the belief that is no longer serving you. 

2. Weaken that belief by looking for evidence of the contrary to prove to yourself that belief is no longer true.

3. Override that belief by getting clear on the new one you want to keep thinking, the one that is going to help you get to your next level. Write it out daily as an affirmation until you believe it. Get as much proof and evidence as required to convince yourself of the new belief when you have doubts.

And if you’re struggling to get your head around your new belief just remember that you believed in Santa for 10-years, so beliefs can change! They’re just thoughts, not facts.

So in saying that personally right now, I’m working on: 

• Continuing to look for evidence to prove that money, success, and business can be easy.

• Writing and reading my new affirmation daily - Let it be easy. My business and wealth continue to grow with ease while I focus on joy!

• I will stop asking people what do they do for work when getting to know them and instead ask them questions like ‘What do you do for fun? What do you want to consciously create this year? What do you dream about? What are you passionate about? 

• Likewise, when people ask me what I do - I will respond with ‘Do you mean with my time or for money?’

I hope this serves you! If it reminded you of a gf or bizz bestie be sure to forward it to them too!

A big thanks again for sharing my 28th lap around the sun with me…it’s been wild! Excited to see what the next 12 months have in store for us all!

Love always your biggest cheerleader and friend,

Go the extra mile - it's less crowded as Featured on Griffith University

It has been an amazing year and you might of heard recently about my recent feature article on the Griffith University website. I have been trying to spread my positive influence to the younger crowds and this was the ideal topic I thought that would make a difference to younger women.

Here is my article: Go the Extra Mile as Featured on the Griffith University website.

“Hey guys, 

It's been a while since I dropped in, but I wanted to chat to you about something I've been thinking a lot about lately – going the extra mile. You've probably all heard someone say, "go the extra mile because it's less crowded" and its something that I've been really pondering on personally, as well as professionally when I coach women through their own breakthroughs so I did an IGTV story about it this week. 

I've come to realise that plenty of people don't see the power in going the extra mile. I believe that's because so many people underestimate themselves and overestimate everybody else. They also overestimate what they can achieve in the next year and underestimate what they can achieve in the next ten years. 

These people don't realise that in just committing to their goal and showing up, they're going to go further than everybody else around them. If you think about it logically, when you're ahead of everybody else, you're going to have more chance of success. 

Going the extra mile in my own life. 

When I thought about this in my own life, I started thinking about everything that I've achieved – personal goals, professional goals, financial and business milestones. If you know me, you know that I'm not that special! I may be book smart but not street smart (I can be quite the blondie!). I've got great work ethic, and I'm pretty resilient, but I'm really just that girl next door. I didn't come from money but I am white, and I grew up in the Western World, so I am aware that I have plenty of privileges that I am so grateful to have. 

But there's nothing that I have that is stopping you from having it too. It's not that I'm special or I have a certain characteristic or trait that you don't have. What I do have is the commitment to take the action that most people won't.

Just take my book, for example. How many people out there want to write a book? Since publishing my book, so many people have come up to me asking me how I did it because they want to write a book too. I know that anyone can write a book and it's a dream for many. The only difference for me is that I worked out the tangible steps along the way that could make me one of the few people that actually did what they said they wanted to.

Credit: Lauren Kerr Babes in Business - sitting with her new book

What did those steps look like? 

IDEA

Firstly, obviously yes you've got to have an idea – and that's probably the most challenging part. Your idea could be something that relates to your credentials, your background or your story. We all have a story - never underestimate the power of yours.

COMMIT

Next, you need to put time aside to write the book. Most of us have jobs, families and other commitments, which means life is already pretty busy and stressful. If you don't consciously set aside time to write, the chances are that it probably won't happen. 

JUST START

Then, you've just got to start. A lot of us spend too much time in our head getting ready to get ready…and never actually start – and that can relate to plenty of things in life, not just writing a book. 

FINISH - SEE IT THROUGH

Once you get started, your focus needs to be on finishing. So many people set out with a desire, a vision or a dream but the hard work and effort become too much, and they never end up finishing. 

HAVING RESILIENCE & ACCEPTING JUDGEMENT

After reflecting on these steps, I've realised that this process is how I've achieved everything in my life so far. I went the extra mile, I committed the time, I got started, and I finished. But then, what really helped me get to where I am is having resilience. I submitted my book to plenty of publishers, and I got lots of nos. I think it was six months until I heard back from someone that said they loved my book, believed in me and wanted to give me a chance. I mean, I got two offers from 30, which is 28 nos!

So many people out there would take that sort of rejection personally and just give up on their goal and dreams. Who cares if someone else doesn't believe in your vision?! If I like the colour blue and you like the colour green, does that mean I should stop liking blue?

There are tens of thousands of people around the world that have read my content, and the reality is that not everybody is going to like what I do. I need to be okay with judgement, criticism and opposition because it's just inevitable. 

Credit: Lauren Kerr Babes in Business - enjoying the day outside

The ripple effect of going the extra mile. 

There have been so many points on my journey where I could have given up because I was too scared or it was too hard or I simply just didn't have the time or I was worried about what people were going to think. Now that I can wake up every morning and look at all the photos that you beautiful people tag me in of you reading my book or consuming my content, it reminds me of the ripple effect of choosing to go the extra mile and backing myself.  

My book is just one example and as I look back at my life, every chapter, milestone or achievement, I realise that the secret ingredient in every one of these instances is just going the extra mile, committing to walking a little further where most don’t dare to go…so they don’t - but I do, which makes my chances of success even greater!

Another moment in my life that reflects this idea is when I moved to the Gold Coast 10 years ago. Some of you might know that the reason I moved 14-hours away from my family and hometown was that I got a scholarship to study at university. And this significant change was no different.

The only reason I got the scholarship was that I backed myself and I applied for it.  I am confident that there would have been plenty of equally deserving candidates; the only difference was that I didn’t allow my self judgment or ego get in the way. There was no self evaluation of whether I was ‘good enough’ or ‘worthy’. I just filled out the application without any emotional attachment.

Me applying isn’t me ‘thinking I am amazing’ or better than anyone else. It’s more logical (and statistical) and understanding that most people feel like they aren’t worthy and let their brain manipulate them so they don't apply.

You have better odds and more chance of winning or receiving the position merely just by putting yourself forward to be considered. Rather than sitting back with the masses who spend a lot of time talking about what they don't want instead of taking opportunities and risks to create something they do.

What do they say…you’ve got to be in the lottery to win it?

I can't promise you that I'm going to be good at everything I pick up. I can promise you that I'm going to try and I'm going to go the extra mile because I made a commitment to myself and to the people that I'm making commitments to. I maintained that approach throughout university, and I ended up receiving another scholarship to study in Hawaii, graduating with honours.

Since then honouring this philosophy has manifested in me gaining a graduate position in child protection, starting a network marketing business which totally transformed my life and lifestyle, talking on stages around the world in front of thousands of people, writing and publishing a book.

Credit: Lauren Kerr Babes in Business - standing on stage in front of a crowd

It's not about thinking I'm special or thinking that I am above everybody else, it's just a promise I make to the people around me and a guiding principle in absolutely everything I do.  Anyway, like I said. I have always done this.

And some of the best things of my life have come from saying yes and exploring new opportunities instead of letting fear of rejection or failure keep you stagnate in the same place whinging and moaning about how you aren’t where you want to be.

When we go the extra mile, we inspire others to do the same. 

I also proved the power of going the extra mile to my little brother. My brother got an AFL 100% tuition and accommodation scholarship for construction management at Bond University -  that's a pretty fancy degree at a very prestigious university on the Gold Coast! And it's the same thing.

He's just the dude next door, and we're not anything special (sorry bro).  He simply backed himself capitalised on his strengths of AFL, leadership, empathy and community work to level out his academic marks. I'm not saying that everyone can get a scholarship (or even wants one), I am saying that you don't know what you can achieve if you never put yourself in the ring. 

It's not about being 110% all the time. Imagine if you just gave your best in that very moment consistently? Wherever you are in your life right now, you can always go the extra mile and open a new door or discover a unique opportunity. I promise you that everyone else is sitting there watching the people around them and thinking, ‘I can't do that’, so why not be the person who puts their hand up and says ‘I’ll try’…or even better ‘I’ll learn’.

The Bystander Effect. 

You know I'm all about research and backing up what I say with studies, and there is a psychological phenomenon called the Bystander Effect. If you Google it, you'll discover that it sadly came about when a lady was being murdered. 

Numerous people heard her getting attacked, yet nobody did anything about it because they all thought someone else would do something.  This woman had been screaming for hours, by the time anyone did anything about it she was already dead. The larger the group of people, the easier it is for responsibility to be dissolved.

Take radical responsibility for your life and your results.

Credit: Lauren Kerr Babes in Business - holding a flower in a grass field

The Impact

I'm seeing the impact of the Bystander Effect right now with an incentive that I'm running with the beautiful women I mentor. It's a competition, and most started really strong because they overestimated what they were willing to commit to and what they could achieve short term.

By the end, they starting to slow down because they weren’t getting the level of results they had hoped for, they underestimated what they could achieve long term and overestimated others thinking that everyone else was doing better than them. So they give up. I see time and time again with competitions like this that it's not the people that perform incredibly well that end up winning, it's the ones that commit to showing up and being consistent that do.

It blows my mind because it's always seems to be the everyday people that just commit to going that extra mile that are successful - not because of their skills, but mainly because no-one else is there to compete with them.

Don’t be the Bystander

So next time there is an opportunity, a scholarship, an idea – don't be the bystander. Don't overestimate what everyone else is doing. Apply. Take responsibility. Put your hand up. Be the person that shows up. Be the leader.

Go the extra mile and take that opportunity without the emotional attachment or judgment. I promise that most people start things and they don't finish them, so then just even by completing the task, you're already ahead of the game (and most of the people trying to play it!).”

It’s not everyday that I get to share such amazing information with a younger generation of up and coming women. I really hope I have inspired a young group of women to have more confidence in themselves to have a go and not let opportunities pass you by.

Morning Rituals: How to take responsibility for your state

Plenty of the women I mentor are curious about how I start my day, and I’m always asked about my morning routine (especially on featured podcasts - it seem’s to be a favourite rapid fire question). To be honest, I didn’t really have a meaningful morning routine when I had a full-time job. I didn’t even really become aware of the importance of starting your day with purposeful rituals until I started my own business. Before then, like many people, I would roll out of bed, get ready for work and go through the same motions every day – without having any real intention about how I wanted the rest of the day to follow. 

Mindset is everything…

My mindset has really evolved over the last four years, and I definitely notice a difference the days I do my morning routine, and the days I don’t. My mornings are by no means perfect. My practices won’t be for everyone, either. But I am hoping that by giving you an insight into my rituals, you’ll be able to create your own (I shared these tips on my IG TV earlier this week if you would love to listen instead of read).

Credit: Lauren Kerr Babes in Business - Standing near Garden

MORNING ROUTINES ARE ABOUT TAKING RESPONSIBILITY… 

It’s incredible how many people can start their day feeling really inspired and excited yet finish their day in a completely different frame of mind.  I’ve noticed that having a morning routine helps me be more responsible rather than reactive. These seemingly small actions can make such a difference when it comes to having control over your intention and your mood. 

It's all about getting started, so here is an insight into my mornings:

No-phones in the bedroom…

Try sleeping with your phone outside of your bedroom. A lot of us are bringing our phone into the bedroom at night, we’re leaving it next to us, and we’re sitting in the scroll hole long after we intended to go to sleep. When our alarms go off in the morning, we’re hitting snooze before going back into the scroll-hole again. 

That is quite possibly the worst way you can start your day! Hopping on your phone first thing in the morning can make you feel really low because you’re already beating yourself up and playing the comparison game without even being conscious about it. When you start your day worried about trying to meet societies unrealistic standards of success and beauty, you’re never going to start your day feeling inspired, abundant or fuelled to make accomplishments with your day.

Turn notifications off… 

Even when we sleep with our phones in another room, the first thing we see when we eventually pick it up is the stream of notifications that came in overnight. You’ll see who liked your photo, who posted on Instagram, the latest work email or even just a string of news updates. 

Stay Focused…

The key to running my online business is that I never turn any of my notifications on – it’s the only way I can stay sane! I might have one hundred messages between Instagram, Facebook, Emails, Telegram and Whatsapp, but I don’t actually know. 

When we turn our notifications off, our phones become a tool that we use, rather than a tool that uses us. It gives us the freedom to set up our day and create our own intentions before other people try and tell us what to do and how to spend our time. This is particularly important first thing in the morning because it will set a good standard for the rest of the day.

Credit: Lauren Kerr Babes in Business - Standing stretching on the beach

Get Moving… 

Movement is such an essential part of my morning. It doesn’t really matter how I move my body, but I think the importance of moving comes down to the release of endorphins which naturally make you feel better. Movement increases your serotonin, decreases your cortisol levels and its often when we feel most inspired, creative and confident. 

Whether it’s a slow walk, yoga, the gym, run or a swim, it’s helpful to find something you enjoy. This part of your day should not be about punishing your body but about celebrating the fact that you can move it.

Start Meditating… 

If you’re new to meditation, this might sounds a bit strange or uncomfortable, but I promise that meditation is probably the number one thing you can do when it comes to your mental health. Our brains are just like our biceps – It’s a muscle that needs to be nurtured and cared for. 

Too many of us aren’t using the muscle; we’re letting the muscle use us. Instead of hating your brain for always comparing you to other people, worrying or for constantly running a million miles an hour, we need to be grateful that it’s doing that. It’s doing it’s job. You don’t get angry at your bicep for helping you carry the groceries up the stairs do you?

Self Talk…

We also need to realise that those thoughts aren’t us. They are just your muscle’s by product. Those thoughts are your brain’s self-talk, who you are is the spirit / soul / heart listening to the self-talk and observing it…and it’s essential to separate the two.

Meditation helps your quieten your mind, which is the first step in separating yourself from the noise going on. Your brain is never going to stop whirling through all those thoughts at once. Meditation is a rare opportunity for you to have a moment to yourself, to drown out the noise, get out of your head and connect with your heart.

It can feel a bit awkward or funny to get started, so I would suggest using an app to get started. The meditations and masterclasses inside our program the Healthstyle Emporium have really helped me. A free app that I also love is ‘Insight Timer’.  It’s a great place to start with 2-minute guided meditations, and you can quite quickly build your way up to 10 minutes or even longer (30 minutes guided mediation is about as long as I can go!)

Credit: Lauren Kerr Babes in Business - Meditating on the beach

Simple steps to help your morning routine

The most successful morning routines are often the ones that build on small but meaningful rituals, just like these. When I make an effort to wake up a little earlier, sleep without my phone, have my notifications switched off and then move my body and meditate, nourish my body with whole foods - the change in my mindset for the rest of the day is truly incredible.

SET INTENTIONS FOR BIGGER GOALS 

After I finish my morning routines, I like to set my intentions. While I’m a big fan of goal setting, I’m also mindful of making sure I’m living in alignment with my goals and highest values every single day.  

You can try our free happiness test, and this is a really great tool to help you work out what your five highest values are. I do this test every year because your values are going to change. You evolve and change as you interact with life, meet new people and have new experiences. 

When I do the test at the start of the year and work out what my values are, I set goals under each of the values. Some of them are big goals to achieve, and some of them are little goals to help maintain my efforts in certain aspects of my life. 

These goals are then printed and stuck on my bathroom mirror. That means that after I finish moving my body, meditating and going through my morning routine, I’ll start getting ready for the day in the bathroom and while I do that, I am literally looking straight at my goals. 

How many people do you know that set goals at the start of the year but then forget about them? Maybe you’re one of those people! Well, it’s pretty hard to forget my goals when I see them every day!

Seeing these goals is a really good way to check in with myself each morning, and ensure I’m making at least one step each day to move closer towards one of those goals. These mini-check ins will also make you feel like you have purpose, direction, progress and momentum. 

Checking in to make sure that I also am living in alignment with my values everyday helps ensure that I happily achieve - instead of feeling the need to achieve to be happy.

START A GRATITUDE JOURNAL 

My journaling takes me about five to ten minutes every morning, and it’s an opportunity for me to write down what I am grateful for. If I don’t do this in the morning, I like to come back to it at night. 

This gratitude journal means that not only am I setting intentions and being responsible for my mood and my state, but I am also really grounding myself and ensuring that I am still in the present. In the 21st Century, we’re all operating at such a high speed that we can miss what’s happening right in front of us. 

When we’re too focussed on the future or the goals we’ve set, we will live in a state of unconscious anxiety and comparison, where we never feel like we’re good enough or where we ‘are supposed’ to be. The only way to manage the two opposing ways of thinking is to ensure we make time to ground in the present too.

When you find the balance, you’ll discover that you actually get more done in less time because you’re in flow and present giving your best, rather than multi-tasking and being scattered feeling like you’re constantly trying to catch up and get where you need to be.

USE MUSIC TO FEEL THE FEELS NOW

If you want to play around with your morning routine, music is another epic option. I go through certain seasons of my life where I'm really focussed on a specific goal, or I find myself in a strategic imbalance because I'm really hustling for something.

If you've read my book, you'll know about neurolinguistic programming and the importance of certain things like vision boards, visualisation, mental rehearsal and music. If you can tap into certain senses, your body actually doesn't know the difference between you thinking you're doing something and you actually doing it. 

A really cool way to be in charge of your state and energy is emotionally connecting with your vision board as part of your morning ritual, or finding a song that emotionally charges you.

There is this one song, and every time it plays, I have this vision of me achieving specific goals, and it leaves me feeling so fired up and passionate and makes those dreams feel so much closer as I can embody all those emotions now - through the music. 

If you can find a song that has an effect on you like that, it will bring about the emotions you want now. This will make you achieve your goals quicker because it's almost like a self-fulfilling prophecy and gets you taking the inspired action that the ‘next level’ version of you would take as you start to tap into that energy and state now.

You'll be just a little bit bolder, you will have the courage to take action you might not have usually taken, and you show up in the world with the same level of conviction, posture and confidence as that next level of you who has everything they need within them to make those dreams a reality. Time just needs to catch up.

This is how manifestation works. Connect and feel those feelings now. Experience the depth of your life, not just the breadth.

Enjoy playing around with your morning routine, if you do try some of these strategies let me know how you go. I love hearing from you guys. Make your mornings sacred. Prioritise them and protect them. Get excited to have 30 juicy minutes to yourself first thing in the morning before everyone else try’s to take them from you.

Send this to a girlfriend that may need a little reminder to put herself first, first!
Chat soon,

LIFE AFTER COVID: Finding your flow again and working out what you should do next

Hey guys! 

If you've been following my Instagram posts and stories over the past few weeks, you'll know that I am in an interesting season of life right now. As we all are - I too, am working through my own shit.

You know you guys can always rely on me to be real and raw with you so I wanted to take the time to drop in, give a little life update and share with you what I’m currently navigating, as well as a few strategies I'm using to reconnect with my intuition. 

Anyone else here a recovering human doing? 

Image of Lauren Kerr on a Podcast

It seriously feels like I've been hustling my butt off for the last 10 years. I went straight from school to university on a scholarship. I was juggling multiple jobs whilst studying Psychology at university striving to get into honours. Next, my focus was on getting a job, but when I got my job in child protection, I enrolled to study life coaching on the side and started my my side-hustle.

Then I spent 18 months pouring all my energy into getting my business off the ground to replace my full time income. I’ve spent the last three years investing in my personal and professional growth, mentoring thousands of women how to master their mindset and create a life on their own terms, writing and publishing my book ‘Life Above Zero' and continuing to pour my soul, sweat and tears into my business in order to duplicate that success and keep the momentum going… 

After what might seem online like an ‘overnight success’, is actually 10 years of pushing,  striving, pursuing and doing… and now I've been gifted with the time to stop and breathe, and just ‘be’ and enjoy the fruits of my labour and the residual income I have been able to create with the network marketing profession.

It sounds pretty relaxing right? 

Well, in theory, it should be. But I'm the sort of person that thrives off doing. I find flow and fulfilment in setting goals and then achieving those goals – all at a million miles an hour. It might sound odd to a lot of you but stopping and trusting in the future, the universe and its divine timing is uncomfortable for me. 

Learning to slow down and relinquish control… 

Although I'm not very good at it, I realise how important it is to slow down when I need to. I've been journaling a lot during the past few weeks, and it's made me realise that this rest isn't a choice. I'm not sure if I was on the verge of burn out, but I just have no more gas left in the tank – mentally, spiritually and physically. 

I think it's quite a familiar feeling among creatives. When you're creating something, whether it's music, writing, art or anything else, you often feel so inspired and driven, that you become all-consumed. Then, when you finish your masterpiece, you're left feeling a little empty, lost and confused.

Babes in Business Podcast

In my case – I've spent what feels like forever working on my book! Then when COVID-19 hit, everything was thrown out. I was no longer in control and could not push anything…shipments got stuck overseas; I couldn't record my audiobook as my flight to record interstate had been cancelled with my publisher, bookstores couldn't order my book and connecting with overseas suppliers was pretty tough.

But here I am learning to trust the universes divine timing and I am excited to announce my audiobook is now available on Audible and launches on the 12th of July, and the book will start popping up in book stores over the coming months.

So now that chapter is done, and out of my control, I'm left asking myself – what do I do next?!

To help with the changing of seasons and to reconnect with my flow, I've been trying something a little different:

My Surrender Project. 

The Science of Flow… 

You'll hear me talking about flow a lot, and it might sound wishy-washy, but there is actually science behind it. 

It's called the Art of Fulfillment and the Science of Flow. I've got a Free Masterclass if you'd like to learn a little bit more about that. Basically, research shows that people need to create specific circumstances in order to feel particular emotions. Being in these situations is also a massive predictor of fulfilment. So, if you're not feeling fulfilment right now, it could be because you're not creating conditions where you can find your flow. 

My Surrender Project…

My Surrender Project is about identifying what brings me joy, allowing abundance without the guilt that I am no longer hustling for it and unpacking my own self limiting beliefs around the need to run at one million miles an hour. Here are some of the things that are helping so far: 

1. Every morning ask yourself: What would feel good today? Some days I book my hair in to get done, other days I might swap the gym for a nice walk, and sometimes it's about baking a banana cake and calling my best friend. It doesn't have to cost a lot of money or take a lot of time, but it can make a huge difference.
   
   
   

2. Another thing that has helped me is asking myself these three questions: 
   

   a.    Do I trust and believe in my big vision? My Free Happiness test can help you find clarity in this goal and identify how you can work towards a goal that you believe in and aligns with your values if you don't feel like you have a vision right now. 

   b. Are your needs met today? Do you have what you need to put food on the table, have a roof over your head and do you feel safe?  

   c.    If so, then what is the next aligned step? This question has really helped me lean into the actions that feel right and allow me to experience more flow and connect with my gut / intuition / inner truth.

3. I am a very logical, rational and science-based person (hence why Life Above Zero is about making spirituality science) but I do believe that we're all here because we've got something we're meant to do. Sometimes we make it so complicated because we let what's rational or logical get in the way of taking the next inspired step towards that vision.
   
   So another strategy that has been helping me work out my next move is to ask myself what I can give, rather than what I can receive. Because so often we make decisions and take action based on what we will receive in return for doing it e.g. money, recognition, accolades.
   
   But this strategy flips that on its head and makes you realise you have already received, look around at everything you have been gifted with; life, health, love, relationships etc.
   
   So rather than feeling like you have to do something in order to receive something in return, now you have already received, what would you like to give?
   
   When you come from that space; what would you love to give, contribute or create out of choice, inspiration, flow and alignment?

Putting pen to paper again… 

The result of my time of reflection is that I'm spending every morning writing. It feels so good to be connected and in flow again. It could be my next book, who knows! 

I'm toying with the idea of calling it "The Surrender Project: The Diary of a Recovering Human Doing" and just share the journey, the inner workings of my crazy mind and the things I'm doing to rewire my workaholic brain, the strategies and activities that I've been exploring and the magic that unfolds from learning how to relinquish control and surrender to faith instead.

Let me know if you guys would love me to share those journal entries with you has I continue to surrender and navigate this next chapter in hope it might help you fellow human doings too.

Until then - Hopefully, these tips serve you and will help you find your flow again and work out what your next move is navigating life after COVID! I’ll keep leaning into My Surrender Project, and following the breadcrumbs.

Keep an eye out for my book too! Make sure you tag me in your photos if you see it in a book store close to you. I have been loving hearing what you guys are taking from the book.

Chat soon,

Social Media Comparison is the Thief of All Joy

Hello there! 

What a crazy few months?! There is a lot of shit going on in the world at the moment. In Australia, we’ve had floods, fires, Coronavirus, an economic crash, the Black Lives Matter Movement, and we’re not even halfway through the year yet. I’m not dismissing any of this because I think it’s so important that we discuss these issues, but I also want to create a space for compassion and happiness. 

As you guys know, I’m a life and mindset coach. My background is in psychology, and something I’m really passionate about is helping overwhelmed and unfulfilled women find their personalised formula for success. Whether that’s in life, relationships or career, there is one key way to make sure we can reach our goals happily and healthily… 

The answer?

Learning that comparison is the thief of all joy. 

Guilt.

Plenty of women I meet feel guilty for not feeling happy or feeling that the more they chase happiness, the further away it seems to get. That's why it's called 'The Pursuit of Happiness' after all! 

I think this happens because so many women in the Western world do what they believe they are supposed to do or what they think society expects them to do. It might be to go to university, get a job, settle down, have a career, have 1.5 kids, get a mortgage or to own a house with a white picket fence, but these expectations are literally everywhere we turn. 

However, it's often the women that follow society's expectations to a tee that have the highest rates of depression and anxiety. That's because when we're so busy working to meet the expectations, we start comparing ourselves to others to track our progress. We're usually pretty quick to compare ourselves to our family, our circle of friends and other people on social media.

Take our free happiness test

Comparison on Social Media.

We're all guilty of comparison on social media, but what we often forget when we're scrolling on Instagram is that we're comparing our behind the scenes with someone else's highlight reel. Unconsciously or consciously, we take on other people's values. We see women going on holidays, getting Botox, buying a new car or going to an expensive restaurant, and we think we need to see, believe or achieve these things to experience happiness ourselves. 

This game of comparison doesn't help you achieve your goals at all. Instead, its actually a thief of your joy. Instead of understanding that we each have our own personalised formula for success, happiness and fulfilment, we blindly look at what other people are doing. That's where we get stuck in the mundane rat race of feeling like we're doing the same thing over and over again, without making any progress. But that's not how you live your best life, that's actually how you hold yourself back from living your best life.

Living YOUR life. 

I read a really beautiful book recently ‘The Top 5 regrets of the dying’ by Bronnie Ware, about her experience of working in palliative care. During her time working with people as they approached their final days, she found that a lot of these people were saying the same things, and the number one regret was "I wish I had the courage to live a life true to myself and not one that others expected of me." 

It's a lovely idea, but I don't think we need to be on our death bed to realise this. Most of you in my community are in your 20s, so why wait until it’s too late to start living your best life. While you're still young, I really encourage you to stop and ask yourself if you're living a life true to yourself? If you know what your values are? If you're pursuing that in your career, your life and your relationships?  OR are you taking on other people's values, expectations and standards? If that's what you're doing, you need to realise that you're robbing yourself of happiness and health.

Lauren Kerr

Reversing the comparison game. 

The first step to living YOUR life is to catch yourself when you're feeling unworthy or when you start comparing yourself to others. You might notice it when scrolling on Instagram, and you start asking yourself why you're not as successful, as happy, as fit or as popular as the person on your screen. 

When you notice these feelings, you need to pause…  

Then imagine you are that person…  

A lot of the time, the people we are comparing ourselves to are actually doing things that wouldn't bring us joy. I know often I look at people that are out socialising a lot and start questioning why I am always at home or asking myself why I don't go out enough. 

But when I think about it, I realise that if I were in that person's shoes, I wouldn't enjoy it because I'm much more of an introvert. I don't really like socialising or networking with people I don't know, I much prefer my own space.  When I check-in and think about if that would actually make me happy, I'm much less likely to feel those feelings of comparison and unworthiness.

Accept your feelings too. 

It's also important to remember that feelings serve a purpose. If you're feeling envious, maybe it's a sign that you're not honouring your personalised formula for success or that you've neglected something in your life that used to bring you joy. 

Check-in with your feelings when they come up and think about whether you need to pivot your behaviour or if you're just comparing for the sake of robbing your own joy.

Say yes to talking.

If this is all pretty new for you, I know it's a lot to start with, but I promise it gets easier! It's totally okay if you don't know how to talk about what makes you happy and brings you joy,  but it's never too late to learn! You can check out my free happiness test here that will help you work out what makes you happy so that you can incorporate those things into your life, job, relationships and business. It'll also help you set goals that align with your values.

I also did a happiness masterclass for the beautiful clients in my holistic health program, but it was so successful that I've decided to share it with you too. You can get your free recording and ticket sent to you by clicking here. 

In a time where there is a lot of chaos, judgement and opinion in the world, remember to light up yourself so that you can bring joy to others. 

Don't Complicate It

Time to make things simple

I hope 2017 is treating you well! You may of seen over Christmas, photos of my travels around Mexico, Colombia and Cuba! I have definitely started the new year feeling refreshed and enlightened, it was an awakening becoming so aware of how fast paced and complex our lives are in comparison to the time warped Cuba!

When did we get in such a hurry?

In the western world we make things so complex - but in terms of our health and happiness it really is quite simple; we need to get right back to the basics, we need to stop complicating things.

It's sad but nearly everyone I know and the clients I work with, are overwhelmed, overworked, overfed yet undernourished.

We are bombarded with so many options and so much information, we throw our hands up in the air and give up.

Let me simplify it for you

If you're feeling grumpy, unfulfilled, lethargic, stagnant, in a slump... do at least one, if not all of the following things:

1. Put love back into your food. Eat more Wholefoods! Eat more food that has been touched by the sun as it contains natural energy. Eat to fuel your body not to flaw it.

2. Drink more water.

3. Move your body every day. Include conscious movement into your lifestyle, do things you enjoy, run, walk, swim, dance, kick the footy, ride .

4. Love and invest in your relationships. Put in as often as you takeaway and get rid of the relationships that don't make you feel good.

5. Reflect. Just like Alcohol addiction - ask what role is technology having in your life? Use it as a tool don't let it use you.

6. Practise Gratitude. Be thankful for your running clean water, warm showers, our health care system, a roof over your head. When you come from a place of abundance, you attract abundance.

It's rocket science right? ;)

Have a beautiful, simplified day lovers

The secret to happiness and success

The Secret to True Happiness

My partner recently said something to me that stood out… and got the reflective juices flowing, resulting in this blog! I was telling him the exciting news that I had just been offered a position at work, that I really wanted. His response was “Of course you did Lauren, if only once you didn’t get what you wanted.”

I told my Dad the same good news, his response was similar, “Of course you did, you’re Lauren, everything always works out for you.”

At first, I was offended by these remarks from the two men in my life that I seek approval and attention from. What they said sounded to me like I was a spoilt brat, who gets whatever they want handed to them on a silver platter. I know that was not their intention. I know, and they know (and anyone else who witnesses how hard I work, constantly and whole heartedly knows) that is not the case.

But, They are Right…

But yes, they are right, in some way or another, I do always get what I want. There is a process to my thinking surrounding these things:

• I have a hard think about what I truly, deeply want/need, to be a happy and healthy human.

• I question what receiving or gaining that would give me or change in my life.

• I allocate my time and energies accordingly.

That is why I am a Life and Wellness coach; I want to teach others how they can get what they want, how to live the life they want and how to be the person they want to be. If you’re not going to go out and get it, no-one else is going to give it to you.

So, I’ve decided to share with you my personal formula for happiness and success (to me they are the same thing!)

1) Have a Vision

Firstly ask what is success to you? Is it a personal vision, is it a feeling, way of life, a position? Is it wisdom, ownership of materialistic possessions? In one on one life coaching in my practice – I help people become aware of their goals, their passions and purpose, then I coach them to set and achieve goals in accordance to them.

A good way to get the goal or that vision in your head is creating a vision board or write a letter from your future self! It sounds corny but just try it (or feel free to email me if you want help), and from there, work backwards…

2) Acceptance

When I don’t get what I want - I don’t stamp my feet and chuck a tantrum (although I am sure there are occasions growing up my Dad would probably disagree with that). In the real “adult” world, I handle closed doors and disappointments very differently.

This is why people may have the “illusion” that I always get what I want, because I practice acceptance. I say if I had always got what I wanted, I would be one unhappy girl today. I have learnt to be thankful for closed doors, detours and roadblocks, because they protect me from paths and places not meant for me.

Sure, I have thrown a little pity party for myself, but have learned to free myself from them as I gain emotional intelligence and maturity – you need to be able to identify your feelings. Recognise them and give yourself space to allow them. Experience those feelings, otherwise they don’t go away they just get suppressed.

However, I don’t let my pity party turn into a pity bender - I shift my thought patterns, motivation and commitment to an alternate route and keep moving forward, with more enthusiasm! When I get knocked down, I get back up again, trusting the universe has bigger better plans for me (this is where religion may play a role for some).

3) Be Kind

I am kind to everyone I meet. Everyone.

Whether they be in my professional or personal world, I am always kind (this can be challenging sometimes working in Child Protection, nonetheless I do it anyway). When you are kind and help others, most people are kind in return, and are happy to help you on your road to success.

If you need something; help, advice or to be introduced to someone who can help, usually, a person you have been kind to will be more than willing to help out! So don’t have ulterior motives, help others and be kind to every soul you meet, it’s called ‘Karma’ and it will return the favour some day!

4) Be Genuine

When I say I am kind, that does not mean I am fake or sugar coat my words. I don’t beat around the bush or just tell people what they want to hear (this would definitely not work in Child Protection). Sometimes, if I have something I need to say that may offend someone, I will say it anyway (nicely). I can explain my intentions; if I have to say something that might hurt someone’s feelings I explain that I’ve said it in the best interest of that person (and check back in with yourself, reflect and question yourself to ensure it really is!

How will this person benefit from hearing what it is you have to say? Does it really need to be said if it is at the risk of hurting their feelings or beating their self-esteem). I explain to them, I am telling them this because I care for them and want to be transparent with them.

5) Work hard

Identify your end goal, and ask how badly do you want it? What are you willing to sacrifice for it?

It is true, if it was easy we would all have it or all do it.

Sometimes it is easier to whinge and moan, to blame it on bad luck and on others, than it is to take ownership, to take accountability and to step up and make changes.

If you want to lose weight, but aren’t willing to eat a balanced diet or get your body moving – then you obviously don’t want to lose the weight bad enough.

If you want an A in your next exam, but you want to keep watching that TV series instead, it’s obvious that don’t want those grades bad enough.

If you want true committed love, yet aren’t wiling to suck up your pride and have the uncomfortable discussions with your partner to work out your issues, then guess what? You don’t want the relationship bad enough.

Working hard isn’t about instant gratification either, if you want something - work at it - do not give up. It’s about persistence, it’s making sacrifices today for something you might not necessarily see tomorrow or the next day, but trust you will reap the benefits in a month or years time.

This is how University works! I am sure a few of you reading this are just like me and juggled 3-4 part time/casual jobs whilst studying at uni, knowing in 4-5 years time it would all be worth it! Same as going for a run (despite the fact you do get instant release of endorphins) you can not expect to drop weight after one run, it comes back to consistent work.

If the end goal is truly something you madly, deeply want, something your heart is longing for, then the hard/persistent work won’t discourage you, you will go to bed dreaming about it and wake up excited about it! And if you don’t, revisit your goal, ask yourself do you truly want it? This is leads me to…

6) Reflection.

This is a biggie for me. I frequently reflect to ensure the life I am living is in accordance with my values, things I believe are important. This is how I make decisions and weigh up what sacrifices are worth making, or if I am sacrificing too much. A way I keep this in check, is by using my ‘mission statement’.

It is little piece of paper I have written and keep in my diary, I have identified my top 5 values and articulated how the person I aspire to be would ideally incorporate these into their life accordingly (I will share this strategy in my next blog).

By reflecting, I ensure my behavior is aligning with my values, essentially making sure I am walking my talk. I reflect the purity of my intentions and ensure they are not manipulated by society, status, fashion or money – as these are things I have identified in my mission statement are not values of mine that I want to be controlled or dictated by.

7) Forgiveness

In life you must have emotional balance - just like you need a healthy dose of work and play, veggies and sweets, sun and rain. There is happiness and sadness. It is inevitable you are going to get hurt. But, don’t let the world make you hard. Love and live whole-heartedly. Forgive.

Don’t hold onto negative energy hating, bitching or stalking someone’s instagram/Facebook pages. All that does is make you spiteful and heavy.

It takes way more energy to hate than it does to love…so forgive…

It’s like my favourite saying “resentment is like drinking poison hoping it will kill your enemies” Nelson Mandela. Forgiveness however, does not necessarily mean to forget. Make an executive decision, you are your own boss – do I want this person in my life?

If I do… fair enough - acknowledge what they did was wrong, realise they are capable of doing it again, love and accept them anyway by planning for it or not allowing them to be in the position to hurt you again.

Be a lover not a fighter, and know better for next time. If you decided – No, you don’t want that person in your life anymore - then that’s also fair enough, respect yourself to walk away from anything that no longer serves or grows you.

Appreciate that lesson and let it go. Don’t waste energy ruminating over it, forgive them and use that energy to be constructive, move forward and closer to your success and happiness.

So, this is my personal formula. It may not work for everyone, but that’s the whole point of Life Coaching – identifying what is important to you, the individual, and living your life accordingly.

By practicing these 7 things in my life, I am a happier person, people often describe me as “happy - go lucky” and a “go getter”, I am motivated yet, also at peace with where I am. I get to live life light, with no baggage, no regrets nor hatred. I can look at myself in the mirror and be proud of who I am, because I treat everyone the same regardless of what they have to offer me.

Like everything in life - it comes down to balance – be a nice human but don’t expect things to be passed to you because of it – you still have to get up and chase those big dreams yourself…but that’s where the fun begins ;)

If you feel you need a little help please reach out – you can find some of my life coaching programs.

Sending happiness and success your way,

A hug a day DOES keep the Dr Away

A Hug a Day keeps the Dr Away

So if you haven’t already heard or checked out our holistic health program the Healthstyle Emporium, it is our very own sacred space where we empower our clients to be the healthiest and happiest versions of themselves. With access to all of our resources, such as monthly educational webinars, one on one coaching, access to our amazing team of health professionals, it’s a place where you can dive deep on our meal, exercise, yoga, and meditation guides. 

The best part about it is… we have regular challenges! We are currently in our 14 days of bliss challenge, where we are empowering our clients with daily assignments, rituals and routines aimed at eliminating and managing stress - the biggest contributor to unhappiness, disease and belly fat! Day 9’s de-stress activity was HUG THERAPY!

So, what is Hug Therapy?

You might agree, yeah hugs are nice, but what the hell is hug therapy?! Hug, snuggle and cuddle therapy is a new 21st century phenomena sweeping across our high tech world, where people are charging anywhere from $60- $90 per hour for healing, clothed, therapeutic, nonsexual touch.

However the theory of touch is not a new one! Research from as early as the 20th century investigates child development in which nurture (in the form of a soothing touch) plays a critical role.

Security & Relationships

• Research has discovered how essential physical touch is, not only for emotional regulation in children but also in adults and has consequences for the relationships individuals form later in life. One of the very first studies on touch was the infamous Harlow study which demonstrated that baby monkeys prefer a cloth doll without milk as a mother substitute over a metal doll with milk. We have come a long way in conducting ethical research since then, and I think it’s safe to say worldwide we agree that babies need to be held. There is evidence that adults who were frequently hugged and cuddled during early childhood display fewer stress symptoms than those less-hugged counterparts.

• Hugs teach us how to give and receive. There is equal value in receiving and being receptive to warmth, as to giving and sharing. Hugs educate us how love flows both ways.

• The nurturing touch of a hug builds trust and a sense of safety. This helps with open and honest communication.

HUGS PROMOTE Happiness

As adults we can live without hugs, but research proves we are happier with them!

• When we touch others we release oxytocin (known as the “pleasure” hormone) which increases feelings of attachment connection, trust and intimacy and heals feelings of loneliness, isolation, and anger.

• Holding a hug for an extended time lifts one's serotonin levels (known as the “happy” hormone”) which elevates your mood.

• Hugging boosts self-esteem. From the time we’re born, families’ touch reinforces we are loved and we are special. Association between self-worth and touch from our early years becomes imbedded in our nervous system. The cuddles we received from our Mum and Dad while growing up remain imprinted at a cellular level, and hugs remind us at a somatic level of that. Hugs, therefore, connect us to our ability to self-love.

• Hugging relaxes muscles, enabling tension to be released from the body. Hugs can take away pain; soothing aches by increasing circulation into the soft tissues.

• Similar to laughter and meditation, hugs encourage us to practice mindfulness, reminding us to let go and be present in the moment. They teach us to detach from logical thinking patterns - connecting you with your heart, your feelings and your breath.

black-and-white-free-hugs-grunge-hippie-Favim.com-2443097

Better health

• High levels of stress can weaken the immune system, making us more susceptible to illness and infection. However, research has found that physical affection also alleviates stress reactions in adults, by decreasing heart rate, blood pressure and cortisol levels (known as the “stress” hormone).

• Hugs strengthen the immune system, as the gentle pressure on the sternum creates an emotional charge activating the solar Plexus Chakra. This stimulates the thymus gland, which regulates and balances the body's production of white blood cells, keeping you healthy and disease free.

A hug a day, CAN keep the Dr. away!

Today we live in a fast paced, high stress world – where millions of us now live and love via our social mediums, with hundreds + friends on our Facebook, instagram, twitter networks, and yet somehow many of us are able to move through the entire day without having experienced one human-to-human, warm-bodied hug – isn’t that sad?

It’s cold and flu season again — so make sure you get plenty of sleep, get some extra vitamin C and… hug each other a little more! It’s that simple – Reach out and hug your partner, your friend, your co-worker, your family…and your life may not only feel better but last longer!

Running through your wall: A guide to breaking the mental barriers of running

Gold Coast Marathon

With the Gold Coast Marathon coming up in two weeks, I am sure some of you are thinking:

1. “Why would any sane person want to run 21/42km, who would do that to themselves?!” or

2. “I wish I could run like that.”

You already know I am not a Personal Trainer or exercise scientist; rather I am a fellow running enthusiast using my Psychology degree, to enable my clients to alter their mindset, focus on the positives and set goals to allow them to reach their full potential and take advantage of the abundance life has to offer!

I am one of the lucky ones, I inherited long running legs from my Mum, who was an athlete, and fortunately my Poppy is an athletic trainer. So growing up I got all the technical training and drills (and I guess the genetics)… However this blog is me handing down some tips I have learnt on the way - how to defeat that little voice in your head telling you, you can’t do it!

mum

1) Mastering the Mindset

Most long distance runners know defeating that ‘little voice’ is half the battle. Your mind is your most active component when it comes to running; your ego will tap out before your body will. During your run, do you find yourself saying “only 2 more songs” or working out how much you have done in comparison to how much you have to go?

Remind yourself this: As long as you’re breathing, your body will continue to go. That is why it is called aerobic or cardio exercise – your body just needs your heart pumping to deliver oxygen to your working muscles.

Aerobic exercise encourages the heart and breathing rate to increase in a way that can be sustained for the exercise session; your body is designed to do this. So don’t buy into what that little devil in your head is saying, keep running, your body has got this!

2) Just keep breathing

Like I said – cardio is all about the breath and this is where most people struggle. Do you panic hearing yourself get out of breath? It’s for this exact reason I rarely run/train with other people in fear they are not in control of their breath – I can hear when they become flustered and panic, struggling with their inconsistent breaths, which can cause me to struggle to stay in sync with my own breath.

I have taught many of my friends and clients this: slow down your breath.

To be honest, this is my number 1 trick. When you’re in control of your breath, you become in the flow, you are able to run with ease for kilometres without becoming overwhelmed, having to think or count down the KM’s – you can just be. For me, I breathe in through my nose, out through my mouth for long and slow breaths, ensuring my muscles are getting the maximum oxygen they can, to fuel my beautiful, long beach runs.

It may sound simple yet so many struggle with this. A good trick is to take yoga classes! Yoga teaches you to become aware, focus and control your breath, even when holding poses that cause your heart rate to skyrocket, yoga is able to teach you to find ease, stillness and peace in the discomfort.

3) Update Your Inner Dialogue

The truth is  change is unfamiliar, it takes effort and requires us to leave our comfort zone, and understandably people unconsciously only move towards situations that make us feel better.

Consequently, we only make changes when the pain of staying where we are, exceeds the pain of growing.  Unfortunately, even if we don't like where we currently are, what we are doing or who we are with, if moving forward or the fear of the unknown feels worse, often we will remain in our familiar discomfort and neglect our goals and dreams.

So I ask you… do you really want to run? What about it is going to make you feel better?

Explore your narrative, what thoughts do you associate with running?

• Are you telling yourself it will be embarrassing if someone sees you running?

• Are you telling yourself that you will be too exhausted to go for a run after a long day at work?

• Are you telling yourself it’s too cold and raining outside?

• Are you focusing on all the times you’ve said you’re going to train and work up to it and didn’t follow through?

• Are you thinking of all the other things you have to do and that you won’t have the time to run for an hour?

If this sounds like your story – it makes sense that you struggle to take action.

So — let’s write a new chapter...

Small shifts in your thoughts create big shifts in your behavior.

Try shifting to:

• “Running after work is my secret weapon to rebooting my energy and releasing those endorphins”

• “I will feel really f-ing proud of myself if I get up and start kicking my own goals, rather than just talking about it and worrying about what others may think”

• “I have been sitting inside rugged up staring at a computer screen for 8 hours, I can’t wait to get outside amongst nature, warm myself up and feel the fresh air upon my face”

• “I struggled in the past, but this time I’ve got a revived outlook, enthusiasm and motivation for creating the life I want and doing things I say I want to do.”

• “I am so excited to have one hour to myself out of my busy day, one hour to treat myself, focus on my breath, clear my mind and be present”

You get to choose the thoughts that are in your head. Write a fresh story, one that motivates, enthuses and excites you to get moving and make changes.

4) Spice it up! Make it fun!

Mix it up. Download some new songs or make a playlist of all your old school favourites! I love the sunrise over the ocean so that’s my motivation for getting up for my run in the morning. Mix up your routes, go exploring, run to your favourite look out! Even use some healthy competition, download an app where you can monitor your pace and try beat your last run.

5) Create a Community of Support

Humans are social beings who thrive on meaningful connection. Successful treatment or rehabilitation for any mental or physical condition relies on utilizing a support network. So, if you are trying to create a healthy lifestyle, form healthy habits or run those longer distances, get a friend on board! Set goals together, register for an event or a marathon so you have something to train and aim for, join a running group or hire a personal trainer.

Surround yourself with like-minded people who will inspire and motivate you, who will hold you accountable to the changes you say your are going to make, people who will remind you of your "why". Whether it is following inspirational people on your social media, family, friends, an online forum or a life coach, the support you need is out there. Go find it!

6) Be Smart: Create a foolproof environment

If you have decided running is something you want to do/ be better at/is a goal you want to work towards, you need to be smart about planning for success. When we are planning to make changes in our lives, we often over-estimate our ability to practice self-control by not accounting for influences of our environment.

You don't want to eat junk food? Don't have them in your home. You don’t want to drink?

Don’t go to the club. Clean out your environment, and likewise be deliberate in building yourself a supportive environment. This may be something as simple as putting your phone on charge on the other side of the room to ensure you wake up and go for you run first thing in the morning, before you find yourself scrolling down on your insta/facebook feed for an hour.

Or even packing your runners in your bag so after work you don’t have to go home before you go for a run, preventing the opportunity to get comfortable on the couch! I do things like purposely organising or leaving my car places so if I need it, I have to run back there!

Put as much distance as you can between you and your temptations for unwanted behaviour.

It may not always have to be this way, but in the early stages of building change, be smart, honest and kind to yourself. You're not super human, we all have our kryptonite (mine is cookie dough oooops),  so don’t put yourself in situations where you have to be so strong. Give yourself a safety net.

If you want to stop wishing you could run like those fit people on your insta feed and actually run like that or if you want to stick it to that little voice in your head and prove you can do it… try some of these little tricks….AND RUN FOREST, RUN!

Healthy Peach: How I have cleared my skin after 15 years

How i Cleared My Skin

So my friends and family can vouch for this - I have personally struggled with my skin on and off for the last 6 years – I think that comes hand in hand being a young woman being fed different information and receiving different health recommendations from varying skin and health professionals…

After years of money spent and trying different products and prescriptions - if you could see me now you would not think I have had such a struggle.

My skin is flawless and because I was so embarrassed by my face I never took photos to be able to prove or share my story or progress. But my business partner and friend Chani Healthy Peach has – she has even written a blog to share our secret on how we have beat acne. Find her featured blog below.

Teenage Years

Its funny. When I look back on my teenage years in high school, I honestly thought that my skin issues would eventually subside one day. I never thought that at the age of 27 years old, I would still be dealing with the battle of acne and the snowball of emotions, thoughts and feelings that came along with it.

I know that talking about this publicly is going to reach so many young women, even men, in the same position that I was in about a year ago. A year ago, I had acne all over my face. It was heart wrenching - how vain does that sound?! But it was.

It was so bad that I would run late for appointments and meetings because I would underestimate the time It would take me to cover it up with makeup… I could literally spend hours trying to cover it up - which only made it worse. I would call in sick to my job or cancel plans with girlfriends because I didn't want to be seen in public.

Many of you know I work in an operating theatre at times as an anaesthetic nurse… Well, there were days there were I would literally grab myself a mask that was only meant to be worn in sterile conditions and walk around for my entire shift with one on so I could cover my face up.

I spent hundreds of dollars worth on treatments to try and combat what was happening on my face - microdermabrasion, skin acid peels, laser… you name it (thank goodness my mother is a skin specialist - she really did help me control my skin and helped me in so many other ways… emotionally and mentally… more than she’ll ever know).

A client of mine who recently went through a similar thing with her skin explained it perfectly. She said her acne was worse than feeling overweight. She said "It’s on your face, people talk to you and look straight at your face and it's something that you just can't hide. You see people’s eyes zig zag from left to right, subconsciously or maybe consciously judging your face and you cant help but wonder how it looks at that very moment in time. Are they looking at my face? Does it look bad? Has my makeup worn off?”.

She was so right, those of you in the same boat would know that your confidence reaches an all time low. You go through waves of emotions of having a ‘good day’ followed by a ‘bad week’ where your skin just does its own thing and is so unpredictable. In a day and age where you feel as though looks sadly matter - it's every girl's nightmare.

Well Today

I am acne free. Actually I’m 100% pimple free! And I'm going to share with you what I did to combat 15 years of acne issues. YES 15 years! ZOMG. Thanks goodness it's over.

It started in my early teens for me, I was 13 years old, I guess my hormones kicked in and it snowballed from there. I didn't have the best diet back then believe it or not (fizzy sugary drinks, lollies, chocolate, not so healthy lunch boxes because I was a fussy child & hated fruit), plus I was dealing with stress from trying to be an academic at school, plus other stressors of being a young teenager… boys, fitting in, sports, acceptance. It was certainly a collection of things that contributed when I look back now.

How I wish I could teleport to my high school self and just give myself a big hug now…

Today when someone asks me for advice on skin, the first thing I say is (and gosh I wish I knew all this all those years ago), what’s happening on your skin is indicative to what’s going on inside your body. It’s an inflammatory response.

Our bodies have this amazing power and beautiful capability of sending us messages about what's going on inside, but sadly this isn't taught to us in school or at any point in our lives actually.

LISTENING & UNDERSTANDING YOUR BODY

We’re not taught to read messages and become intuitive with our bodies and treat the underlining issue, we’re taught to go to a doctor for a prescription, go to a chemist, purchase a ridiculous amount in dollars worth of pharmaceuticals and mask symptoms with bandaid fixtures instead.

I spent 18 months on roaccutane at the age of 17 years old. One of the most potent pharmaceuticals known in the medical industry. So toxic that if a woman falls pregnant on this drug she is forced to terminate her pregnancy.

So strong and harmful on our bodies that our lips crack and bleed, your eyes stop producing natural lubrication so eye drops 3-6 times a day are a regular routine thing, your skin totally stops producing natural oils so your flakey, dry and you don't heal as quickly if you cut or burn yourself.

Your gums bleed, your nails don't grow, your hair looks as dry as a hay stack from a farm barn and your joints and muscles take such a hit that any form of exercise or movement, even yoga, is a no deal.

And guess what, 18 months went by, my skin was clear for 6 months, and then I found myself at square one. If I knew the things I know now about roaccutane, I wouldn't have ever gone anywhere near it not even with a 10 foot pole. Especially now knowing I was able to heal myself so simply and naturally.

Fast forward to 2015 and I'm 27 years old, still combatting acne. Not so bad - but it's still lingering around at this point in my life. You can check out my photos above. The before photos were taken last year in June, 2015. At this time in my life I had spent 7 years studying subjects pertaining to health.

Exercise science, nursing, nutrition & health coaching. So my lifestyle and habits changed and my skin improved, but not 100%. I was lucky enough that my mum was a specialist in the cosmetic & skin industry and was able to help me out with treatments for my skin to keep it under some type of control.

If you check out my blog archive, you’ll see I went to The Democratic Republic of Congo (The D.R.C) last year in August 2015 to work in a small hospital theatre in the town of Goma for just over a month.

Before I left for Congo a good friend of mine, Dr. Anthony Golle (you may know him from the amazing documentary Overfed & Undernourished) introduced me to something that was absolutely life changing. Not only for my skin, but for so many other aspects of my health that I'm about to share with you that I honestly won't ever have anything to repay him back with.

He introduced me to the ONLY product in the world that is organic, natural and 100% whole food put into a vegan capsule. Yep. How crazy is that. No added anything, no sugar, no preservatives, no additives.

JUST fruit, vegetables and berries…

There's nothing in the ingredient list except for actual food and it even has a nutritional label... something you don't see very often on the back of the bottle of any capsule.

When I was introduced to this product I was actually sold on the fact that the product contained 27 different serves of organic fruit, vegetables and berries in the capsules. They're picked at their most ripest state, made into a big old smoothie, dehydrated at a low heat so the enzymes are still active and THEN encapsulated into a vegan capsule.

I was about to hit one of the most poorest third world countries in the world where vegetables and fruit, and any type of nutritious food for that matter, was totally non existent so taking this product over with me was a total no brainer. Um hellooo, 27 different serves of real food in one hit.

YES PLEASE SIGN ME UP…

Not to mention it has over 20 published medical and scientific research journals and 10+ more currently underway. I’m a girl who does her research, and they had me at hello.

So you're probably wondering what fruits, berries & veggies have to do with skin, right? What began to happen to me when I implemented all this high quality nutrition into my daily diet - I don’t even know how I can put this in words to make you understand but I’ll try.

I travelled to Goma with a team of 10 surgeons, anaesthetists, nurses, physiotherapist’s and administrative staff. We all worked a ridiculous amount of hours in extremely tough conditions with a poor diet of just bread, rice and potato for the whole month, and for some reason - I was the only one who didn't get sick.

I was the only one who didn't suffer from some type of gastro bug, cold or flu symptoms, bloating, digestive issues, sickness or lethargy. In fact my energy was at an all time high the entire time (not like my colleagues who needed naps and sick days off in between), my immune system was pumping and to be honest I only noticed on the plane home when I realised how unwell the others felt, and how unreal I felt.

When I stepped off the plane to meet my family, the first thing everyone noticed was MY SKIN! Not a single blemish in sight. And I had just spent a whole month in a third world country, in a high stress environment, with no nutrition & hardly any sleep or exercise.

Today, we implement this product in our online program The Healthstyle Emporium. Why? Because we NEED to tell everyone and anyone about this shift in health we all need to start jumping on.

It's amazing what a bunch of veggies, fruit and berries in your daily diet will do to you - energy increase, sleep quality increase, cravings decrease, skin, hair and nail health multiplies by 100 fold, weight loss is a dream, memory and concentration goes through the roof ... the list positive effects goes on & on.

THE HSE…

The Healthstyle Emporium was created to make people realise we REALLY don't need to do anything to crazy to change our health other than flood our bodies with the delicious nutrients, enzymes, vitamins and essential micronutrients that our ancestors grew up on & that our bodies so deliciously thrive off.

The second thing we need to do is simply implement some healthy lifestyle habits and look at our health holistically, I call it going back to basics, pretty much The Healthstyle Emporium in a nutshell.

The 5500+ women who are apart of The Emporium so far can tell you right now the amazing list of results they’ve received since starting. Improved skin, increased energy, decreased cravings, stronger hair, nails and skin, weight loss, decreased digestive issues, better mentality plus so much more.

THE TESTIMONIALS

All you have to do is check out our testimonials page to read real talk from real people and see for yourself. Man, I was even able to quit my 6 shots a day coffee addiction because of these magic little encapsulated babies.

Why? Because our bodies thrive of nutrition and anything is possible when you're body is adequately nourished. And this is what you're doing when you eat 27 serves of WHOLE-FOOD daily. I haven’t had a coffee since July 2015... and I was a total ADDICT.

After 15 long years of trial and error, I honestly wish I was given this little secret a long long time ago. Now I can give you that secret - It’s here, and it's only a click of a button away.

Whether you’re wanting to:

• Clear your skin,

• Lose weight,

• Improve your lifestyle, health & happiness,

• Learn how to make delicious, easy and healthy meals,

• Introduce yoga, meditation & relaxation into your life,

• Decrease stress,

• Learn all there is to know about nutrition & exercise,

• Be kept accountable,

• Improve the appearance of your skin, hair & nails,

• Treat uncomfortable digestive issues,

• Have a support group where you know you're not alone,

• Or you just want to improve your general overall well being, feeling & motivation...

Then I know we can help you within The Emporium, having you partake in all our resources, monthly educational webinars, one on one coaching, having access to our amazing team of health professionals, diving in deep on our meal, exercise, yoga, and meditation guides, having access to all my ebooks for free + taking your capsules daily! 

The best part about it… your kids get to be apart of the emporium and take the product FOR FREE.

Increasing the value of life for our little humans in our lives … energy, behaviour, implementing whole foods in their life daily like this!? Man, I wish I was given this all those years ago, but you know what - I’m so glad I have it now.

If you feel like this blog resonated with you, I would so love to hear from you & I would so love to help you. I personally respond to every single email that comes through my inbox so if you feel the universe tugging at you to hit that contact me button below. Please do. I’m here waiting & I can't wait to meet you.

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