Brave in Business with Bec McFarland Bec McFarland

18. Being Brave and Hosting a Conference - Transcript

Hi, I'm back McFarland from popular business and popular career. In this podcast, I'll be speaking to entrepreneurs who have overcome adversity, made difficult decisions, challenged the status quo and achieved amazing things in their businesses. Welcome to brave in business. Hello, Hello, It's back, McFarlane tear helping you do better and be better in your careers and businesses. Today is a podcast episode that has been on my list for a little while. So as I'm recording this, it is just over a month since I hosted the inaugural Popular Business Conference, and I've been wanting to do a little bit of a download to talk to you about what it was like. But I just felt like I needed to sit with it for a little while. You know, there was this part of me that kind of felt like I wanted to jump in and talk to you straight away afterwards, like, you know, while I was still in the energy and while I was still in the vibe. But then I was also exhausted. It really took it out of me, and it's taken me a little bit of time to kind of get back into I don't know, like being human being myself and feeling like I was in the space to kind of sit down and unpack a lot of the lessons and the learnings and the things that I loved and the things that I didn't love about hosting a conference and more specifically, hosting the first annual popular business conference here in Canberra. So today I'm here. I'm ready. I've got a few dot points. I've got a few ideas of things that I want to talk to you about. But overall, I guess I just want to share with you a little bit about the experience. And I know that if you were there at the conference, then this will be a good reminder to you to think back to some of the great things that we learned during the conference, but also the amazing fun that we had. And if you weren't there, then hopefully this will give you a little bit of an idea about what the experience was like, and I am going to be sharing with you. Some little sneak peeks into next year's pop your business conference. So the first thing that I want to tell you is. Overall, the conference was amazing. I'm sure that you can imagine that since the conference, the question on everybody's lips has been How was it? How did it go? Did it go to plan? And honestly, I can tell you that it was perfect. It was just simply perfect, and I could not have wished for it to go any better. Now those of you who know me and who know like the ins and outs of everything will know that putting on this conference was not an easy feat. I made the decision to hold the popular business conference a couple of years ago. And then, of course, we had the whole covid situation. I had some team issues. There were some issues with the data, like with the finances and overall, it created a hell of a lot of stress. So I've said to you guys before that there was a lot of blood, sweat and tears that went into this thing, and I can confirm that there was, in fact, blood, sweat and tears. And, uh, yeah, I didn't love the whole process. There were a lot of moments where I really felt like I just couldn't do it or that it wasn't working out to plan in the closer lead up to the event. I did find that things started to get easier and I think that part of that was that I started using my team more effectively and really, I guess being a little bit more transparent with them about the help that I needed and the way that I needed them to help me. And I can tell you, like 110% even though that's not a thing. I couldn't have done this without my team. Every single member of my team contributed to this event in a way that I'm so ever so grateful for and I don't know whether they've realised it. But I really think that actually running this conference has brought us all a little bit closer together. It has helped us to get to know each other a little better and to understand each other's little quirks and the things that make us tick. And

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17. Being Brave and Seeing Possibilities Everywhere - Transcript

Hi, I'm Bec McFarlane from popular business and popular career. In this podcast, I'll be speaking to entrepreneurs who have overcome adversity, made difficult decisions, challenged the status quo and achieved amazing things in their businesses. Welcome to Braven business. Hello, hello. It is Beth McFarlane here helping you do better and be better in your careers and businesses. And I would just like to welcome you to this week's episode of Para in Business Now. We did not have a solo episode scheduled for this week, and I am also not recording in my usual podcasting spot. But something happens this morning, and I felt compelled to jump on fear and do a little bit of a story time episode and talk to you about being brave and seeing possibilities everywhere. so I find that people often comment to me or ask me questions or say things about the fact that I'm a bit of a risk taker. I tend to often implement things in my business without necessarily thinking them through or being particularly strategic. And it means that I've always got something on the go, now I'm not saying that this is the perfect way to be. I would definitely like to be more strategic, and my team are really working with me to turn this around and to make sure that things are a little bit more planned and not so off the cuff in my business. But I do think there is something to be said about this approach, particularly in the way that I view. possibilities or opportunities. And that really is as simple as seeing those possibilities and opportunities absolutely everywhere. So what brought me here? Why am I doing this storytime episode today? Well, what I can tell you is usually I go into the office on Thursdays and Fridays every week, straight into the office. Those are the days that I work alongside my team in person and it is just like that. That's just my routine. I usually go into the office on a Saturday as well. And I see clients, but I'm usually there on my own. And then the rest of the week, like Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday, I work from home. I am recording this episode on a Wednesday and I am in the office. So already this morning things have taken a little bit of a turn. Things are different to the way that they usually are Usually on the days that I go into the office, I stop at McDonald's on the way to work, something I'm not necessarily proud of. But I love my Why bother coffee, which is a large decaf latte on soy milk. But this morning I had other plans. As I was leaving the house, I felt that little niggle in my deli. You know, the one. I feel like my coffee like where is it? And instead of driving to McDonald's, I actually drove to my local I g a because I thought, No, I'm gonna change things up today. I'm gonna drive to work a different way, and I'm not going to stop off at McDonald's. But instead, I'm gonna go to I g A and get something a little healthier. I feel like yoghurt so I pull up into I g A. I never go to i g a. In the morning. I can honestly tell you that I have never, ever stopped at i g a on the way to work. I'm a creature of habit. I'm the kind of girl who goes to a restaurant and always orders the same thing. But this morning, things were different. When I pulled up in the I G A car park, I noticed a sign, It was a sign for a place called Little Luxton. And then next minute I see people lining up. at a window. as oh my God, it's a coffee shop. You have no idea The excitement that I felt in this moment because not only was I going to get my delicious yoghurt from I g a But I was also going to get my large tea latte on soy milk. So I wandered over to the cafe and I had a little bit of a look. And the first question that I asked them was, um is this place new? I mean, I've never been here in the morning before, but I've never seen this place and they said to me, Yeah, today is our third day now

Today on the Brave In Business podcast, Bec chats with Trish Johnstone of Oath + Stone.

Since graduating from the University of Canberra in 2007 with a Bachelor of Graphic Design, Trish Johnstone has worked across a number of industries in both full service and in-house design team environments. She started Oath + Stone in 2017,  a Canberra based graphic design studio for small and medium sized businesses. Artistic and analytical at heart, she gets to know you and your business in a way that allows her to make informed decisions that directly contribute to your success. Trish shares experiences from her career and personal life that has made her call upon her courage and bravery and challenge herself.

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16. Trish Johnstone from Oath + Stone - Being Brave and Letting Go of Control - Transcript

Hi, I'm Bec McFarlane from popular business and popular career. In this podcast, I'll be speaking to entrepreneurs who have overcome adversity, made difficult decisions, challenged the status quo and achieved amazing things in their businesses. welcome to Braven business. Since graduating from the University of Canberra in 2007 with a bachelor of graphic design, Trish Johnston has worked across a number of industries in both full service and in-house design team environments. She started Oath and Stone in 2017, artistic and analytical at heart. She gets to know you and your business in a way that allows her to make informed decisions that directly contribute to your success. Trish contributes to the Canberra design industry through mentoring and lecturing at the University of Canberra. Hey, Trish, welcome to brave in business. It's so lovely to have you here. Thank you for having me. I'm so excited. They're excellent. And I know just from having a look at your notes that there is a lot that we have to talk about and things that you've done that have been quite brave in your business. Oh, thank you. Yeah, I'm really excited, too. I just love what you've done on the podcast and talking about I guess these points that aren't as glamorous in business that you know, being brave business, I think, is one of the most thing. It's a huge part of it. It's, you know, going and doing things on your own and creating a life that you want and and being brave or courageous is sort of at the heart of that. So yeah, I'm really excited to chat today. This is my first podcast. So I'm excited to be here with you today. Very cool. You're definitely in safe hands. And I love what you just said about bravery not being glamorous, but to agree with you. It's, um, beautiful and messy and delicious, but, uh, definitely not glamorous most of the time, anyway, Um so for the listeners who don't know you, I would love for you to start by just telling us a little bit about your business and how you got to where you are today. So Oak Stone is a graphic design studio based in Canberra, and we support small and medium sized businesses in their graphic design and marketing. We do have a couple of bigger players on the board, but the typical client that we have in in the studio they have a footprint of so between one and 20 team members and mostly Canberra based. But we do work a little bit in, uh, interstate clients as well. fantastic, and I've got to say since the moment that I met you, which I think it was quite a few years ago. Now, at a business chicks event, Um, I have just been in love with your branding, and I actually quite often send people over to your instagram to take a look so gorgeous because we rebranded, uh, earlier in the year, too. Oh, really? Uh, we've been in business for five years now, and it got to the point where, um I I don't think there was anything particularly wrong with that branding it, but I just felt that it didn't reflect. Probably when I first met you at business chicks, I I remember that, um the business has evolved, and I thought time to, uh, to reflect that

In today's episode of Brave in Business Bec chats to Dee Brennan from Think Out Loud. Dee is a wellbeing and mindfulness coach, helping people to add spaciousness into their days with mindfulness workshops and coaching, walking coaching sessions and rooftop  meditation sessions. We hear about Dee's journey to how she got to where she is today,  how mindfulness helped her through her most difficult moments and what makes her brave in business.

This episode contains discussions about topics that may distress or upset some listeners. If you need support, please contact the following organisations:


Lifeline: 13 11 14 https://www.lifeline.org.au/
SANDS 24/7 Bereavement Support Line: 1300 308 307 https://www.sands.org.au/
Cancer Council support line: 13 11 20 https://www.cancer.org.au/support-and-services
Kids Helpline - https://kidshelpline.com.au/
MensLine Australia - https://mensline.org.au/

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15. Dee Brennan from Think Out Loud - Being Brave and Mindful Moments - Transcript

Hi there It's Bec McFarland, your host of the braving business podcast. Just a quick heads up that this podcast episode contains discussion about topics that may distress some listeners. These topics include cancer, pregnancy loss and trauma. More generally, if these topics are likely to cause you any distress or upset, you might want to skip this episode and come back for the next one. And if you need any support as a result of listening to this discussion, we've listed a range of resources in the show notes. Hi. I'm Bec McFarlane from popular business and popular career. In this podcast, I'll be speaking to entrepreneurs who have overcome adversity, made difficult decisions, challenged the status quo and achieved amazing things in their businesses. Welcome to Braven Business. the Brennan is a well-being and mindfulness coach. Her business is called Think Out loud. She takes her clients walking as they talk it out, has people meditating on rooftops and sometimes mindfully enjoying a glass of wine whilst they are considering what's next in life. As a mum, partner and business owner, Mindfulness has become a non-negotiable in her life. And she considers that a superpower. Hey, Dee. Welcome to the Braven business podcast. How are you today? I'm good. Thanks, Beck. Thanks for having me. This is exciting. I know it's been a long time coming, so I'm stoked to be finally talking to you, I'd like for you to start off by just telling me a little bit about your business and how you got to where you are today. OK, like every business, it's been a journey, right? So I guess the basics was and how I got to do what I'm doing now, which is mostly around coaching and mindfulness, is that I was at Well, I still am partly a massage therapist for a years. So that's a lot of listening and finding out what happens in people's lives. Um, and it evolved over the time. So initially when I started out as a massage therapist, I was doing a lot of sports stuff. So travelling overseas with pro cycling teams and working with a F l superstars and type A personalities, and that was all really fun. Um, but in terms of working on their bodies, I was actually more interested. Not so much in their lower back pain. um, but more about what else was going on in their life in terms of managing their their energy levels, um, and stress and how that was affecting their, um, careers as well. So it's kind of evolved over the time, and then, you know, you have your own little crisis, So I had a little bout of cancer, which was, um, quite significant at the time. Um, and then you know, I'm looking for my own strategies and came across mindfulness. So I implemented that into my life as well. And and now I kind of do a bit of a combination of of all of that. But really, what really lights me up and gives me the most joy these days is just going walking for people and finding out what's going on in their life. And that can just be enough to

Who launches a podcast and then disappears off the face of the earth? Bec McFarland from Pop Your Business... that's who!

In this episode, Bec is back to share where the fork she has been since the beginning of this year, when she published her last interview. It's been a whirlwind, but the good news is that Bec is excited about being back in front of the podcasting mic, sharing stories and speaking with incredible entrepreneurs who are doing brave things in their businesses every single day.

Find brave business inspiration and continue the conversation with Bec here:


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13. Where the fork have you been? - Transcript

Hi, I'm back McFarland from popular business and popular career. In this podcast, I'll be speaking to entrepreneurs who have overcome adversity, made difficult decisions, challenged the status quo and achieved amazing things in their businesses. Welcome to brave in business. Well, hello there. It's back. McFarland, your host of the brain in business podcast. And I'm just popping in for a super quick, super chatty episode today to address the elephant in the room and know the elephant in the room is not me. It is the question Where the fork have you been? So I started a podcast earlier this year, and then I kind of fell off the face of the earth. I stopped recording podcasts and I basically stopped Shah going up. So if you follow me on social media, you will potentially have noticed that it wasn't just the podcast that fell by the wayside and that I actually kind of went into hiding now, today I just wanted to pop in, and I guess, answer that question and just give you a little bit of insight into what has been going on in my life and why I started a podcast and then went and hid away in a cave. It's definitely not what you would call the norm, right, But that's OK. I am definitely not what you would call the norm. So what happened? I didn't even know where to start. Let's just roll with it. Earlier on this year, I had a big trip away. I went away from my bling angel certification. I went to Sydney to speak at the Women with Altitude Conference. So many things were going on. It was just a really busy time in the business. I had quite a few days away. There was just lots and lots and lots happening, and around that time, I ask, actually started a new medication. It was actually a medication for my a D H D, which I have spoken about in a previous episode. And what happened is that medication made me really, really sick. I'm not going to go into all the gory details because I don't feel like with that close friends. But let's just say that I was pretty crook and it was very uncomfortable, so that was kind of the start of this period where I went quiet and just kind of disappeared But after that, there were a whole bunch of other things that happened as well. You know, I wasn't feeling particularly physically. Well, to be honest with you, I wasn't really feeling particularly mentally well. And for a while there I found myself really struggling. Mentally, I don't generally suffer from depression, but I was really having quite a down period. And I didn't really realise how bad I've gotten until I Yeah, I was feeling pretty bad. So around this time, another thing that was also happening is that I was doing renovations here at my house. We were renovating our kitchen. We knocked down a wall between our kitchen and our laundry to expand out the size of the kitchen, and we, like, ripped up all of the flooring, the whole works. Now, when I say we did this, let me just assure you that I was not doing any physical labour. I did hire the professionals. Meets in my job was like two semi supervised. So I did have a project manager, but I kind of just needed to keep an eye on things, and that was all well and good until well until the renovation began. And then I realised that it wasn't actually an eye on things that I was going to

In this episode, Bec is sharing the details of her signature program, Business in the Backseat, which is all about helping you to implement systems, automation and outsourcing in your business. With these tools, Bec will help you to get the business "stuff" under control so that you can focus on the work that truly lights you up!

Find out more and sign up for Business in the Backseat, here.

Find brave business inspiration and continue the conversation with Bec here:


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14. Being Brave and Putting Your Business in the Backseat - Transcript

Hi, I'm back McFarland from popular business and popular career. In this podcast, I'll be speaking to entrepreneurs who have overcome adversity, made difficult decisions, challenged the status quo and achieved amazing things in their businesses. Welcome to brave in business. Hello. Hello back. McFarland here. Helping you do better and be better in your career or business. And today I am here to tell you all about business in the back seat and oh my gosh, I am so excited about this. I am so, so excited about this. So my team and I have been working on the launch for business in the back seat for quite a while now. There's been a lot of moving pieces, a lot of work that we've been putting in behind the scenes to upgrade the content and it's just so cool. I am like, really, really truly so proud of this piece of work. So business in the back seat is my signature programme. I launched it for the first time last year, and when I did that, it was like just a little small programme was like Four modules went for four weeks, so it was priced around 203 $100. It was just like a little tiny thing, kind of like a lot of the other tiny things that I've launched since I originally opened popular business. But I had so much fun with it, and I realised that there is actually so much more to it. And the clients that went through the programme had such amazing things to say about it. You know, such wonderful feedback, but also really great ideas about how I could ramp it up and make it even better. So my team and I basically took on that challenge. We went about it. It was a huge mission, and now we're at a point where business in the back seat is open for enrollment, and it just kind of feels a bit surreal. You know, we've been talking about it now for like quite a while, and today it's ready. It's here. It's open like people can join up. It's so great. It's so great. So today I just wanted to dive in and tell you a little bit about business in the back seat and what it actually is and how it came about and why you might even be interested. But before we get into the nitty gritty and talk about what's included in the programme and all of that kind of stuff, I just wanted to address this question. What on earth does it actually mean to put your business in the back seat? It's a pretty funny name for a programme, right? But there was a whole like story behind it, an idea behind it. I'm going to explain it to you. I think that once I do, you're going to love it. So business owners, just like you are telling me all the time that being in business is bloody overwhelming, like we're all wearing so many different hats. There are all these different things that we need to do. It's just like the to do list is never ending and like I hear it all the time and I can really relate. But what I can tell you is that when our business is overwhelming us, it is actually taking over. So who's in control, right? Is it you or is it your business now? Business in the back seat is all about taking back the steering wheel. When I think about this programme, when I think about like what its purpose is. I imagine myself basically turning around to my business and firmly telling it, Eggs, exactly who is boss and what happens when I do This is It's like No, honey, you can sit in the back. You can enjoy the ride, but I'm in charge of th