Sarah Dowell - Creating a marketplace for good
Sarah Dowell is the founder of ‘Asanti’ a social enterprise supporting companies that give back. After building a day care centre in Malawi, Sarah realised how much impact she could have on the world.
Sarah Dowell spent several years working across East Africa for organisations tackling extreme poverty. Time and time again, she witnessed the frustrations that charities face, when programs that are making positive impact, are halted by a lack of funding.
Living back in Australia, she simultaneously saw the power of social enterprise.
The simple link between purchasing products from social enterprises, and these brands financially supporting charities, provided that continuation of funding that was so often missing.
Sarah saw an opportunity to find and support grass-root social enterprises and create a marketplace where consumers could genuinely make a positive impact in the world, simply through the products they bought.
This was the birth of ‘Asanti’, an online platform for brands that give back, with a purpose to inspire consumers to have a positive impact through everyday purchases.
‘Asanti’ is Swahili for “Thank you”. This language is spoken by tens of millions of people across East Africa, crossing borders and bringing people together from a host of nations.
‘Asanti’ was chosen in the spirit of uniting Australians with the people of developing countries and sharing in a common goal to make our world a better place.
Socials:
Website: Asanti https://www.asanti.com.au/
Insta: shopasanti
LinkedIn: Sarah Dowell
Mentions:
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Kasha Sequoia Slavner - Documenting humanitarian sunrises
Kasha Sequoia Slavner was only 14 years old when she decided there had to be some good news in the world. On her 16th birthday, she set off on a global tour to find and document stories of positivity, love and hope.
Kasha Sequoia Slavner is a Gen-Z, multi-award-winning first-time documentary filmmaker who comes to the profession as a seasoned photographer, entrepreneur and social justice advocate for over a decade. She was only 16 years old when she set out across the world for six months to make The Sunrise Storyteller and completed it upon returning to high school.
Using her passion for visual storytelling to make the world a better place, she was selected as the recipient of the very first Kim Phuc Youth Award for Peace . In addition, Kasha was selected for the class of 2017 Global Teen Leaders by legendary music producer Nile Rodgers’ We Are Family Foundation & TEDxTeen and was also selected into the inaugural cohort of the We Global Learning Centre's new social entrepreneurship program. In 2018 she was chosen by Yunus & Youth as one of their Fellows and in 2019 selected by Global Changemakers to join their cohort.
Most recently this committed changemaker became a Diana Award Holder, for sustaining positive social change in the memory of Diana, Princess of Wales. In 2019 she was chosen to be part of the inaugural launch of projects selected for the Voices of SDG16+ at the United Nations High Level Political Forum. In September 2019, she was spoke to over 750+ students at the United Nations for The International Day of Peace Student Observance on the topic of climate & peace.
Recently she became a 2021 Climate Ambassador of the Global Youth Climate Network and a liaison for the One Better World Collective. Kasha is an 11x UN Youth Delegate, presenter, adjudicator and a long-time member of The Canadian Voice of Women for Peace, the former Ontario Regional Advisor for the Canadian Council of Young Feminists. She is a frequent public speaker and is an accredited expert for the Women's Media Center, a non-profit co-founded by Gloria Steinem, Jane Fonda and Robin Morgan.
In addition, Kasha tours with a 32 piece photography exhibition “Travels into the Heart” and has completed a second large scale exhibit about Sustainable Development Goal #16 (Peace, Justice & Strong Institutions) - The exhibition is entitled Picture 16© At 17 Kasha wrote & published her first 200+ page book of photography “Reflections of the Sunrise Storyteller – A Journey into the Heart as a Global Citizen”. She's a frequent public speaker, has been commissioned by National Geographic Learning, is a contributor to Thrive Global, The Huffington Post, Good Magazine, Matador Network & appeared in several podcasts.
The Sunrise Storyteller is the young filmmaker’s first feature-length documentary, which she directed, filmed, scripted and edited. Since it’s release in 2017 it has screened at 60+ festivals and won 30 awards, including the Ron Kovic Peace Prize for the segment on Vietnam napalm survivor Kim Phuc, as well as the Eva Haller, Women Transforming Media Award.
Currently, Kasha is in development with her second feature documentary “1.5 Degrees of Peace” which is fiscally sponsored by The Redford Center.
Socials:
Website: The Global Sunrise Project
Website: The Sunrise Storyteller (film)
Website: 1.5 Degrees of Peace (film)
FB: The Global Sunrise Project
Insta: globalsunrisers
Twitter: M&K @GlobalSunRisers
LinkedIn: Kasha Sequoia Slavner
Mentions:
The Ghosts In Our Machine (documentary)
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Kylie Miller - Telling tales of the Heroes of Black Summer
Kylie Miller decided on a tree change and eventually found her way to East Gippsland. While it wasn’t her plan to be in the midst of the devastating bushfires in the summer of 2019/2020, Kylie decide the best way for her to assist the community in healing was to write a children’s book about the heroes who stepped up.
Photo by Don Fuchs, courtesy of Australian Geographic
Kylie Miller has spent her career as an award-winning journalist and communications consultant.
After trading the city life for a tree change in East Gippsland, Kylie experienced first-hand the devastating bushfires of the 2019-20 Australian summer.
Her first children’s picture book, Heroes of Black Summer, co-written by Craig Sheather and illustrated by Karen Erasmus, tells stories of heroism, courage, resilience, and generosity as the community recovered from the disaster. The book provides fire-affected communities with a tool to support healing and recovery, to help children process the trauma.
Kylie has spent the past 18 months restoring her fire-affected Wairewa property and working on a picture book series for Laneway Press.
She lives by the Gippsland Lakes with her partner, Brett, two rescued greyhounds Teddy and Dotty and a 16-year-old cat called Molly. Molly is the boss of them all.
Socials:
Website: Cupcake Communications http://cupcakecommunications.com.au/
LinkedIn: Kylie Miller
Mentions:
Gippsland Primary Health Network
Gippsland Emergency Relief Fund
Sparky The Wonder Puppy (book) - Craig Sheather
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Charlotte Le Hardy - Amplifying sustainability through self care
Charlotte Le Hardy is a university lecturer and leader in the field of sustainability in fashion, but life wasn’t always this grand. Her childhood left her bewildered and wondering ‘is this all there is?’ as her misery found her with just noodles and 20 Pound.
Charlotte Le Hardy is the Modern Day Magi. She is an award nominated creative educator, business strategist, and transformation coach passionate about crafting a better world for people and planet. She is on a mission to drive forwards a new era of collective wellbeing and planetary prosperity.
Charlotte was a Course Leader in Fashion Communication and Promotion at the University of Suffolk, and is now a Lecturer in Fashion Business and Marketing at Norwich University of the Arts, which one of the world’s leading creative arts universities. She is also a Lecturer in Business Management and Leadership at the School of Higher Education at CCN teaching on University of East Anglia validated degree programs.
She believes the symbiotic relationship between business leaders, brands and consumers can be harnessed to make systemic change, and she is here to help initiative positive change, cultivate happiness and empower people to navigate challenges, so that together we can thrive as global citizens.
Through her creative solutions and strategic initiatives, Charlotte empowers people and organisations to make positive social and environmental impact. Striving to bring awareness to the power of our minds and how we can harness our creativity to craft a better world, her work shines a light on a new future of prosperity for all.
Charlotte has been acclaimed by the Human Givens Institute and featured in their peer reviewed journal for writing a Ba (Hons) Fashion Communication degree program that strategically aligns with the Human Givens principles, the United Nations Higher Education Sustainability Initiative and the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals.
She is also the UK Ambassador for the One better World Collective.
Charlotte delivers educational lectures, seminars and practical workshops that spark real change.
Socials:
LinkedIn: Charlotte Le Hardy (The Modern Day Magi)
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Steve Noble - Dressing up the humble flanny
Steve Noble had many ideas over the years, but finally turned his passion to designing the perfect flanny. Made from wool, the Hugh Charles clothing range contributes to the slow fashion industry as well as being an inspiration for regional business to find great success in the online market.
Steve Noble was born and bred in Gippsland (Regional Victoria), which meant Steve spent his after-school hours working on his parents farm. Upon leaving school, Steve had many retail jobs including furniture and car sales, as well as stock feed, eventually becoming a fertiliser consultant with local company.
For many years Steve had dreams of owning his own clothing range, but the clothes he was supplying to local sporting clubs were not yielding enough of a margin to survive on.
In February 2020, Steve and his wife, Alice decided to launch Hugh Charles clothing as a side hustle to earn enough so that Alice didn’t have to go back to work after their son Timmy was born.
It quickly grew far beyond a side hustle, and by August 2020 Steve had quit his day job to pursue the business full time.
Growth is still amazing and currently the business is consistently selling 300-350 shirts and vests per month throughout Australia, and occasionally abroad.
Socials:
Website: https://www.hughcharles.com.au/
FB: Hugh Charles Clothing @hughcharlesclothing
Insta: Hugh Charles Clothing hugh_charles_clothing
Mentions:
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Toni Lontis - Streaming airwaves of healing
Toni Lonits is now a confident woman who shares stories of healing over the airwaves as she streams throughout the USA and other countries around the world. But she started life very differently, believing her congenital facial defect determined her worth.
Toni Lontis a Lifestyle Entrepreneur, Author, Speaker, Blogger and International Tour Host
She is also an inspirational woman who has dedicated her life’s work to helping women and the men who love them, find their passion, purpose and voice.
Toni's career began in the Health Care Sector where she practiced as a registered nurse. Toni witnessed many lives that needed change, support, encouragement, empathy and most importantly love. She gave all that and thrived in this field.
Despite having a wonderful career, her personal life was filled with dysfunction and trauma. The recovery and work she did on herself to heal and find happiness, formed the basis of her book, ‘Resilience – Memoir of a Broken Little Girl’, which helped her to discover the real Toni - a woman of strength and beauty.
After the publication of her book, Toni starting to grow her voice and quickly became a Public Figure, creating awareness about domestic violence, sexual abuse and social-emotional and cognitive health. Her passion and energy grew a large following and this birthed many other things in her life; her Radio Toni live show, her podcasts, talks sessions, TV show, and mentoring began to experience growth.
From the platform of Radio Toni, she support victims of verbal, physical, sexual abuse and any traumatic event in their lives, to tell their stories, helping many find inner peace and healing.
Toni has escaped from the bounds of low self-worth, anger and pain from a dysfunctional childhood marred by a congenital facial defect, sexual assault, verbal abuse, depression, anxiety and the failed flawed relationships that plagued her adult years. Toni wants to be a beacon of light in a dark world. I sign of hope after trauma.
Socials:
Website: Radio Toni https://radiotoni.com/
Website: Toni Lontis https://tonilontis.com/
Insta: Toni Lontis @tonimlontis
Mentions:
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Dr Dan Eddy - Exposing footy’s larrikins & legends
Dr Dan Eddy is one of Australia’s most prolific non-fiction authors. With 12 books published in the last 6 years, and no sign of slowing down, Dan tells the stories of sporting legends. Dan is also a mental health advocate and role models how to live a successful life despite these challenges.
With 12 published books in 6 years, Dr Dan Eddy is one of Australia’s most prolific non-fiction authors. His authored and co-authored books include:
King Richard: The Story of Dick Reynolds, (2017)
Larrikins & Legends, (2017)
Always Striving (2017),
The Norm Smith Medallists (2018),
and his latest book, Crimmo: The Peter Crimmins Story which was released in 2020.
Dan currently has a number of exciting book projects in the works, including the authorised biography of Hawthorn and Australian football legend Peter Hudson, plus the untold story of ‘Operation Payback’ - the failed merger between Hawthorn and Melbourne.
He is also working closely with former Olympian and Parliamentarian, Nova Peris (OAM) on her latest autobiography.
Dan is also a mental health advocate, and in 2018, while speaking at the Hero Round Table conference, Dan opened this conversation publicly, revealing the personal challenges he has faced while dealing with major depression, anxiety and Asperger’s Syndrome.
Dan has a Master's degree through Victoria University (2013) and a PhD through Federation University Australia (2019). The South Gippsland-born storyteller has a passion for sports history and biography.
Dan and his son Ernie live in Leongatha, in Victoria’s picturesque Gippsland region, with their loyal sidekick, Dennis the border collie.
Socials:
Website: daneddybooks.com
FB: Dan Eddy Books
Insta: Dan Eddy Books
LinkedIn: Dr Dan Eddy
Mentions:
Jeff Slattery - Slattery Media
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Ian Speirs - Creating a better world collective
Ian Speirs is the co-founder of ONE Better World Collective which is a non-profit organization and multi-platform initiative with a 10- year strategy to equip people everywhere to act upon the United Nations’ Sustainable Development Goals and Agenda 2030, through a transformational message of love.
Ian Speirs is the co-founder of ONE Better World Collective which is a non-profit organization and multi-platform initiative with a 10- year strategy to equip people everywhere to act upon the United Nations’ Sustainable Development Goals and Agenda 2030, through a transformational message of love, founded upon principals of human dignity and universal responsibility. In addition, Ian is presently establishing a parent project to ONE Better World Collective – EnSaTerra, a sustainability-focused incubator.
Ian is also the co-founder of a national NGO, ‘I Love First Peoples’ which works to support Indigenous peoples, providing Ian the opportunity to work directly with over 90 First Nations and Inuit communities.
Ian’s most memorable achievement is having brought Mother Teresa to Canada for the first time and spent four unforgettable days with her.
More recently, Ian initiated an historic online event, uniting 13 cutting edge influencers and change-makers, to seek guidance from the Dalai Lama to deliver actionable hope for all of humanity.
Ian is the president of Elite Vision Communications, an artist and event management company through which he organizes national film and music tours. He is also a mentor and life coach to many.
Socials:
Website: ONE Better World Collective https://onebetterworld.org/
FB: ONE Better World Collective @OBWcollective
Insta: One Better World Collective one_better_world_collective
Twitter: ONE Better World Collective
Website: I Love First Peoples https://www.ilovefirstpeoples.ca/
FB: I Love First Peoples @ILOVEFIRSTPEOPLES
Insta: I Love First Peoples i_love_first_peoples
LinkedIn: Ian Speirs https://www.linkedin.com/in/iainspeirs/
Email: ian@onebetterworld.org
Mentions:
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Madeleine McKenzie - Jazzing up aged care
For 40 years Madeleine McKenzie has been entertaining audiences, and has now launched her startup, Cabaret On Call to take virtual shows into aged care facilities, bringing back vibrant and cherished memories.
Madeleine McKenzie is a cabaret singer who enjoys nothing more than bringing pure joy to audiences.
For the past 40 years she has been the show stopper with a variety of acts, including duos, trios and full bands.
In 1988 Madeleine broke her neck in a car accident and decided "I can still have kids - and I can still sing! So I did”. She rocked up to an audition with David Briggs from Little River Band and Peter Williams from The Groove and got the gig.
The trio formed the act "Some Like It Hot”, and this gave Madeleine the courage and mindset to back herself to the point that she was not scared anymore to work with anyone.
Madeleine also got to work with UK singer, Allison Norfolk and 25 years on are still performing together.
During the bushfires in East Gippsland, Madeleine felt stressed in her day job selling Photocopiers which supplied copiers to businesses all over east Gippsland, and decided to leave to do something that makes her happy - sing!
She started entertaining folks at nursing homes around Gippsland and then Covid 19 happened - so the next best thing to live - was recording live shows from home and sending them to the homes.
And then there’s Madeleine’s dad and super fan, who loved her singing and proudly announced to everyone at every garage sale - “Do you know my daughter? She sings!”
His sister has Alzheimers and lives in a care home and is one of Madeleine’s biggest fans. On a recent visit she remembered that Madeleine was a singer, which prompted Madeleine to leave her with a concert on her phone.
Madeleine’s business, Cabaret On Call, now provides online music to aged care facilities, and she says her heart couldn’t be more full.
Socials:
Website: https://www.cabaretoncall.com.au/
FB: Cabaret on Call
Insta: Cabaret on Call @cabaretoncall
LinkedIn: Madeleine McKenzie
Mentions:
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Henry Darby - Building a ‘pay it forward’ community
Henry Darby is a High School Principal from South Carolina, and was shocked to learn that some of his students were homeless. He immediately sprung into action, landing himself a part time job so he could donate his pay check to students in need.
Henry Darby is the principal at North Charleston High School in South Carolina, is considered nothing short of a guardian angel by many in his community.
Upon realising that many of his students were struggling financially, and some even being forced to sleep under a bridge or in their cars, Henry decide to do something about it.
But rather than expecting authorities to do something, he rolled up his sleeves and got a part time job at Walmart, stacking shelves three nights a week from 10pm to 7am, just so he could donate his pay check to his students in need.
Henry says "I was taught if your hands find something to do, do it. So I came to myself and said, 'Perhaps I need another job in terms of part-time.’”
His selfless actions have led to the community donating close to $100,000 to the school to help the students, as well as Walmart donating another $50,000.
Mentions:
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Nicky Williams - Writing off self-doubt
Nicky Williams always dreamed of being a writer, but self-doubt and imposter syndrome paralysed her taking any action. In 2019 she started writing blogs and challenged the negative narrative that held her back for years.
Nicky Williams is the co-founder of Girls With Hammers.
From a young age, Nicky loved writing and dreamed of a life as an author. Throughout her years in corporate work, Nicky penned endless persuasive ministerial papers, but these fell short of giving her life meaning.
In 2019 she put her fears aside and blessed the world with her empathy-filled blogs.
While the majority of her work is published as blog posts on the Girls With Hammers website, she has also written articles for Medium, Elephant Journal, Thought Catalog, and Thrive Global.
Nicky’s goal is to help people feel that they are not alone in their struggles and that there are other people out there just like them.
Socials:
Website: girlswithhammers.com
Insta: Girls With Hammers girls_with_hammers
LinkedIn: Nicky Williams
Mentions:
Bronnie Ware - 5 regrets of the dying
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Katie Dawson - Hand dyeing threads of happiness
Katie Dawson is the co-founder of Cottage Garden Threads, a boutique business nestled in the quiet hills of country Victoria, Australia. The journey began many years ago when Katie’s Mum dyed fabric in the family home, and Katie was hooked.
Katie Dawson is the co-founder of Cottage Garden Threads, a boutique business nestled in the quiet hills of country Victoria, Australia.
Mother-Daughter duo Pam and Katie, along with their passionate team of local women, design, create and produce unique, hand dyed products one-by-one.
The journey began many years ago when Pam dyed fabric in the family home. Katie, as a child, was given the job of tearing meterage from the rolls of homespun.
Many years later, a family friend couldn’t source the threads she needed, so asked Pam to create them for her. Cottage Garden Threads was born and the first 35 threads were created at Pam’s kitchen sink.
6 months in Katie joined the business and the pair were learning the business side if things on the fly.
Over the years they have seen many highs and lows, but Cottage Garden Threads continues to grow beyond their wildest dreams, and with the support of an amazing team, and a global spike in needlework, Katie is convinced things will keep getting better and better.
Socials:
Website: https://www.cottagegardenthreads.com.au/
Insta: cottagegardenthreads
LinkedIn: Katie Dawson
Mentions:
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Carmel Murphy - Marketing with precision and fun
Carmel Murphy is also known as ‘The Communication Queen’. After finally realising her own gap in marketing knowledge, she soon saw she wasn’t the only one. Carmel now runs a successful business helping others bridge that gap.
Carmel Murphy is the ‘Communication Queen’ and is known for being an out-of-the-box thinker and an expert in human behaviour, marketing, and business strategies.
She wholeheartedly knows that in Marketing it is vital to get the ‘Right message, to the right person, at the right time’.
Her passion for people, curiosity, know-how, business acumen and background have come together to develop unique programs around marketing, copywriting and videos designed to create higher conversion and increase sales and profit in business.
Carmel is the host of the Youtube series ‘For Feck Sake! Marketing Adventures with Carmel’, and also coordinates, hosts, and delivers membership programs, workshops, and events to teach business owners how to build and market a sustainable business.
She is a staunch believer that the power of copy, video, and clever marketing strategies will monetise your message sooner.
Socials:
Website: https://www.thecommunicationqueen.com.au/
LinkedIn: Carmel Murphy
FB: Carmel Murphy
Insta: Carmel Murphy the_communication_queen
Youtube: For Feck’s Sake Marketing Adventures with Carmel
Mentions:
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Thomas Sartor - Promoting heroic action
Thomas Sartor is an international speaker, partner/event director for the Hero Round Table series of conferences, and the Vice President of the Heroic Imagination Project. He is passionate about the idea that anybody is capable of acting heroically.
Thomas Sartor is an international speaker, partner/event director for the Hero Round Table series of conferences, and the Vice President of the Heroic Imagination Project.
Formerly an owner of an asphalt and concrete paving company in Detroit, Thomas was unable to work in this industry for a while due to a back injury, which is when his journey took an unexpected turn into the world of heroism.
After volunteering for some time with the Hero Round Table global conferences, Thomas was soon invited to become an event partner, where he does his best to make sure every speaker and attendee at the Hero Round Table genuinely enjoys their time at the event.
Thomas is very passionate about the idea that people are capable of having an impact, and that anybody is capable of acting heroically.
Socials:
LinkedIn: Thomas Sartor
Twitter: teej @teejsartor
Website: Heroic Imagination Project
FB: https://www.facebook.com/HeroicImaginationProject
Insta: Heroic Imagination Project @heroicimaginationproject
Twitter: Heroic Imagination Project @HIPorg
Website: Hero Round Table
FB: https://www.facebook.com/HeroRoundTable
Insta: The Hero Round Table @heroroundtable
Twitter: Hero Round Table @HeroRoundTable
Youtube: Hero Round Table
Mentions:
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Lisa Schermerhorn - Finding your WHY
20 years ago, Lisa Schermerhorn was at the lowest point in her life, unable to find the answers she was seeking. She eventually found a hypnotherapist who was the catalyst to Lisa deciding to become her our counsel, gaining relevant qualifications along the way. Lisa now combines these holistic therapies with helping people find their WHY, and ultimately changing their lives.
Lisa Schermerhorn is a transformational leader, award winning speaker and expert in the fields of human behavior, leadership and personal development.
She also trained in the “Winners Mindset” with Bob Reese, the former head trainer for the NY Jets and helped a professional golfer win Golfer of the Year!
As a Certified Hypnotherapist and Master Practitioner of Neuro Linguistic Programming (NLP), she helps entrepreneurs and high performers get from where they are to where they want to be much faster than conventional coaches. She has also helped people with pain reduction, memory loss and stress reduction, using virtual reality.
Lisa is also trained as a Why Coach, helping people discover their Why, based on Simon Sinek’s, “Know Your Why”. Lisa not only helps individuals discover their Why, but she also helps people discover the Why of their business and how to use it in your branding.
Lisa is the mom of two amazing adult children, and lives in Vermont with her rescue dog Lily, who she rescued at 10 years old from a high kill shelter.
Socials:
Website: https://peakperformancemindsetcoaching.com/
LinkedIn: Lisa Schermerhorn
FB: Lisa Friedman Schermerhorn
FB: Lisa Schermerhorn Coaching
FB: Peak Performance Mindset Coaching
Insta: Lisa Friedman Schermerhorn lisareiki
Mentions:
WHY Institute https://discover.whyinstitute.com/
$150USD if you email Lisa and say you saw this on the Get Off The Bench podcast
lisa@peakperformancemindsetcoaching.com
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Sarah Davidson - Seizing the Yay
Sarah Davidson began her career in law, but soon lost her passion for the corporate world. After travelling to Africa and returning with a serious gut bug, Sarah found the magic in Matcha powder. She took a risk and built an online company, started a podcast and wrote a book - recognising that life is all about Seizing the Yay.
Sarah began her working life as a mergers and acquisitions lawyer at a leading international law firm. While she enjoyed several years building strong professional foundations, she found it increasingly challenging to reconcile the all-consuming corporate lifestyle with her personal passions for health, wellbeing, creativity and adventure.
In pursuit of balance, Sarah and her partner started Matcha Maiden closing a gap they discovered in the health food market for matcha green tea powder. Matcha is now one of the world's premier health food trends and Match Maiden leading the way with a very bright (green) future ahead.
Sarah has now hung up the suits and heels to step into the business full time. In 2016, the matcha mission developed into a physical venue and cutting edge cafe, Matcha Mylkbar, which is taking the food world by storm.
Sarah now splits her time between the two businesses and is thoroughly enjoying life as a full time funtrepreneur.
She has also started a podcast, Seize the Yay, which investigates the difference between success and happiness, the importance of cultivating "joy" and showcases the down to earth, human side of her diverse and esteemed guests.
The podcast became a book in 2020 and Sarah continues to grow the yayborhood as far and wide as possible.
Socials:
Website: https://www.spoonfulofsarah.com/
Insta: spoonful_of_sarah
LinkedIn: Sarah Davidson
Pinterest: Sarah Holloway
Youtube: Spoonful of Sarah
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Mandy Horvath - Conquering limb loss, mountains and trust
Mandy Horvath lost both her legs in a tragic accident in 2014, but not allowing this to defeat her, she became the first female bi-lateral amputee to ascend the Manitou Incline, and crawled all 13 miles of Barr Trail to the summit of Pikes Peak. Despite the great achievements, her addiction with alcohol led to her very public demise.
Mandy Horvath, is a bi-lateral above knee amputee, who in 2018, became the first female double amputee to ascend the Manitou Incline, raising awareness for limb loss. One month later, crawled all 13 miles of Barr Trail to the summit of Pikes Peak, using only her arms, to raise funds for Operation Ward 57 & The Battle Buddy Foundation. These historic events garnished local, national and international press.
But when the cameras were off, she struggled with alcoholism, and after a series of events, Mandy found herself in hot water with the law after committing 3 DUIs in a 6 month period and harmed an AMR paramedic who was attempting to assist her. 12 hours after she was awarded a community medal, she was found asleep in her car intoxicated. Because of a series of poor choices, in one night, Mandy went from being recognized as a community icon to being very publicly shamed for her wrongdoings.
Mandy was given a chance to resolve her addiction, and she figuratively ran with it.
Almost 3 years later and sober, Mandy has led a successful excursion of 4 grown men, including fellow bi-lateral amputee US Army Veteran Travis Strong, to the summit of Pikes Peak, became the first documented amputee to crawl up to the crown of the Statue of Liberty, and is now preparing to ascend Mt. Kilimanjaro.
She will be the first female amputee to reach one of the globe's 8 summits without the use of prosthetic equipment, and will be the legacy she leaves for her own children.
Socials:
Website: mandyhorvath.com
FB: Mandy Horvath @lifeproofMandyHorvath https://www.facebook.com/lifeproofmandyhorvath
Insta: @lifeproofbionicwoman
www.Gofundme.com/f/MandyHKilimanjaro
paypal.me/lifeproofbionicwoman
Mentions:
Cars4Heroes https://www.cars4heroes.org/
Travis Strong https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=78lqEalvm58
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Belle Chapman - Creating Forevermore memories for families
At the age of 5, Belle Chapman lost her father to cancer when, leaving her with very few happy, healthy photos. This pain has driven Belle’s passion to cement the love and adoration families feel for each other in memories that can be kept for life to hand down through generations.
Belle Chapman is a photographer, mum, wife, adventurer, and storyteller.
When Belle had her first child in 2013, she decided to give up the 9-5 and try her hand as a work from home photographer, after falling in love with photography many years before at high school.
At the age of 5, Belle lost her father to cancer - he was only 36 years old. Losing her Dad and growing up in the days where we didn’t have mobile phones with good cameras, meant she has limited images of him (especially looking healthy).
This pain has driven Belle’s passion to cement the love and adoration families feel for each other in memories that can be kept for life to hand down through generations.
The pain was also the catalyst to Belle founding the Forevermore Foundation, a not-for-profit that provides a free photography session to families about to be impacted by the devastation of the cancer journey.
Belle’s aim is to capture the smiles, cuddles and laughter before treatment starts, so that these memories are the ones that last a lifetime, despite the outcome.
Socials:
Website: https://www.bellechapmanphotography.com.au/our-story
Insta: Belle Chapman Photo
Website: https://forevermorefoundation.com.au/
Insta: forevermorefoundation
Mentions:
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Katie Underwood - Healing through music and sound
Katie Underwood is a multi-instrumentalist, Vocalist, ARIA-nominated and APRA Award winning Recording Artist who traded the life of pop stardom to immerse herself in the wellness space. She now produces sound healing music, and is creating a ripple effect to bring more peace into the world.
Katie Underwood is a certified Meditation Teacher & registered Member of Meditation Association Australia. She has also trained in Remedial & Relaxation Massage, Reiki, Sound Healing Therapy, Yoga of Sound & Traditional Tibetan Sound Healing.
A multi-instrumentalist, Vocalist, ARIA-nominated and APRA Award winning Recording Artist. She has been working in the Wellness industry for 10 years and Music industry for over 35 years.
Her current passion & purpose is empowering people to enhance their self-healing with regular meditation, healing sounds & strong social connections, online and in person.
A prolific music producer, Katie has produced five meditation music albums in the last four years - Madrigal, Journey to Mantra, Awaken, Mantra Dreaming & Mantra Rising - available on iTunes, Spotify, CD & USB.
Socials:
Website: www.underwoodhealing.com
FB: Katie Underwood @underwoodHC Meditation Centre
Insta: Katie Underwood katieunderwoodhealing
Mentions:
Enjoy the visual here on Youtube https://youtu.be/LAPuvAZONSI
Sophie Wilksch - Shedding fears and building curiosity
Sophie Wilksch landed by accident in the coastal town of Mullumbimby after her car and the universe collaborated to ensure this was where she made her new home. She founded ‘Shedding’ and now supports the community to build things while shedding fears and building curiosity.
Sophie Wilksch is the founder and director of Shedding Community Workshop Inc. Sophie established Shedding as a not-for-profit organisation in 2018, through her own passion for carpentry and building… But most of all a passion for people and wellbeing!
Shedding’s aim is to provide a unique, supportive and hands-on environment for all members of the community to come together and develop sustainable skills in carpentry, building and everything in between. It is a place to shed your fears and build with curiosity.
In the third year of Sophie’s degree she had the opportunity to join the Design Construct Program co-ordinated by architect-builder David Morris.
The group headed out to a small town in the Australian desert to construct a number of buildings they had designed and prefabricated at the university workshop.
A couple of years later Sophie ventured off on a trip up the coast, but her engine had a major tantrum and she ended up on the side of the road in Mullumbimby.
With a dream to start a little carpentry business, she had just a square, a handsaw, a drill and a block of sandpaper.
This was the beginning of the Shedding journey. Taking all she has learned from mentors, Sophie and her crew have supported over five hundred students and have watched the community come together to support the organisation because they too share the same dream.
Socials:
Website - shedding.com.au
FB - Shedding Community Workshop
Insta - Shedding Community Workshop
Mentions:
Pat Gregory - Woodwork for Women
Enjoy the visual here on Youtube
