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INTRODUCTION

I am unapologetically, deliriously happy. I’m sorry if that admission makes you feel uncomfortable. I know it’s far more socially acceptable to bitch about your life and focus on everything wrong in it, but I have to be honest and say I am happy. Pretty much every day. Really!

I know better than anyone how rare that is. You might look at me now and think that I have it all. I’m running a magazine sold in more than 35 countries, travelling the world public speaking and I’m gloriously (okay, sickeningly) in love with my partner. But it has taken me a looooong time to get here. It took a hell of a lot of pain, personal development and a long journey to become the ‘me’ you see before you (or are reading about) today, and that’s what this book is all about.

I didn’t intend to sit down and write such a personal book. After my last book Daring & Disruptive, which focuses on my entrepreneurial evolution, I had every intention of making my next book a how-to guide to building a business; the ins and outs, the dos and don’ts. But then this disruptor got distracted…

Like many of my light bulb moments, it came about when I least expected it – at 10.24pm on a Friday to be exact, when I was meant to be winding down for bed. I’d just had one of the most beautiful afternoons of my life. It was late September and after a long winter (by Aussie standards), the air was warmer than it had been for months and my partner Jack and I decided to play truant from our respective offices, sneaking off to a sandy cove near our house for the first ocean swim of the season.

I felt overwhelmed with gratitude – for the sun on my face, the salt in my hair and the man I loved more and more every day. After we came out of the ocean, I took a selfie of our smiling faces and posted it on my Instagram page. I decided not to care that people would know I wasn’t at the office, that I’d taken the afternoon off (shock horror), and that our kissy-kissy couple’s photograph was kind of soppy. I’m so grateful for this life, even if I have had to work hard to get it. A life where I can choose to take Friday afternoon off to refresh, rejuvenate and search out inspiration in nature, because is there any better place to brainstorm? At that moment I realised the book I really wanted to write was a book about love, joy, happiness, family, friends, community, laughter, purpose, authenticity, gratitude and all the things that mean so much when all the glitz and glam is washed away. I could write a guide on how to build successful businesses from the ground up. I could teach you how to balance a budget, plan a marketing strategy and harness some serious staff culture (and I probably will one day soon so watch this space). But the most valuable lessons I have learned don’t fit within a standard business plan.

The real reason I am able to be daring and disruptive, to chase my dreams and search out profit in the seemingly impossible, is because I’ve spent years developing every pillar of my life – relationships, attitude, health and vitality – and exploring what it means to be a real human being in the business world. Wearing my heart on my sleeve, warts and all.

Let’s be honest, I’ve f**ked up every area of my life at some point, but then I’ve rebuilt it to be better than ever. I’ve doubted myself… and then discovered confidence. I’ve been estranged from my family… and then learned no one is more valuable than your mother. I’ve had countless failed romances as I’ve struggled to juggle love and power… and then I allowed myself to be vulnerable and found love as a consequence.

Here’s the truth: I spent years as a basket case, trying to discover who I really am via many (many) modes of personal development and spiritual camps in many pockets of the world. Now that I’m finally at the point where I’m comfortable with myself and I have nothing to prove anymore, I feel like it’s my turn to pass the baton of knowledge, the map for self-exploration, on to you.

That’s why I launched The Collective magazine in the first place, to build a community where we could inspire each other. My latest books – both Daring & Disruptive and Life & Love, which you will see are vastly different – are just another way to reach out to even more people at once. It can be a bit of a pain writing a book. It’s a lot of time, energy and effort. Financially, I could invest my time in projects that are far more cost-effective. But as I always say, your core purpose shouldn’t be all about profit.

While Daring & Disruptive was about identifying your business dream and finding your business purpose, this book is about putting the pillars in place – relationships, health and spirituality – to support your journey as an entrepreneur. It can be a relentless, exhausting road and you’ll need self-love and support to sustain you.

Those of you who’ve read Daring & Disruptive might notice a difference in the tone and look of this book. This one is purposefully much softer, more feminine and more vulnerable. It’s about family, friends, relationships, love, travel and embracing every side of yourself. It bids farewell to the ’80s power-suited superwoman who could walk like a man and talk like a man (unless you happen to like shoulder pads, in which case, embrace that aspect).

I’ve been exploring the notion of masculine and feminine energy over the past few years. I am absolutely no expert and am figuring it out as I go, from observing, feeling and experiencing, but I think it’s an important topic and I delve into it in this book because I spent so many years confused by the dual genders of my personality, the meek and the macho, the beauty and the beast.

I knew I was a strong, independent woman who could get (almost) whatever I wanted in the world, but at the same time I craved companionship and protection. I could kick arse in a boardroom with even the most intimidating corporate honcho, but I cried at romantic movies and when I came down with the flu, all I wanted was a caring partner to bring me chicken soup.

What I’ve learned is you can be soft and successful. You can be in love and ambitious. You can thrive on the adrenaline of business meetings but also enjoy having the car door opened for you.

You can be a traditionalist and a rebel, a lover and a fighter, vulnerable and invincible. In fact, that complex, confusing mixture of characteristics will only make you a better, more creative and likeable entrepreneur.

These pages are full of snippets and tidbits from my own personal journey, written from my heart, from one seeker to another. I truly believe we have a choice. We can choose happiness. And one thing I know for sure is that once you choose it and equip yourself with the tools to navigate to it, then the serendipity, synchronicity and the people, events and things you attract into your life as a result are beyond anything you could have ever imagined possible.

You don’t need to be an entrepreneur or have any entrepreneurial intentions at all to benefit from this book. I wrote it for anyone with a yearning and anyone whose life feels a little off balance – we’ve all been there. Maybe you’re a mum in the deep west who wants to experience more contentment, or a high-flying lawyer at a big corporation who wants to reconnect with her soul. Maybe you’re already running a successful start-up and are constantly reassessing or tweaking your personal life to match the ride. I’ve learned there’s never a full stop on self-development, there’s always room for improvement.

I am not a guru and have never heralded myself as such. I am not qualified in much other than business. I’m just a country girl from Coolah, a town 495km from a big city. I didn’t have anything handed to me on a silver spoon. I just chased after a dream and purposefully put myself in front of people who could enable me. I am an entrepreneur for entrepreneurs, but firstly I am a daughter, a partner and a friend. At the end of the day, I have a wealth of experience from the school of this thing we call life – and I’m more than happy to share it.

I want you to have it all, feel it all and experience it all too. This book is a beautiful indulgence about the things I have learned that have helped shape who I am, with the hope that it may help others navigate an increasingly competitive, crazy, fast-paced world full of pressures. I’m bursting at the seams to share my journey and inspire you to live your best life. Out loud. To be the best version of yourself. To be happy. Unapologetically.

My message is always this: anything is possible. Since launching The Collective just over two years ago, I have experienced things I never imagined in my wildest dreams. If this former basket case can have it all, then you can too. This is some of the journey. Thanks for travelling it with me, being bold and courageous and inspiring me every day. This is for you.