This connected life

Are we all sick of Zoom yet? I’ve been averaging about 20 hours a week on Zoom, and last week was closer to 30 as I was on an online course for four days. Let me tell you, it’s been an energy KILLER. Which is fitting as this episode is about managing your energy. A critical component of leadership is knowing and managing your own energy levels. Albert Einstein said everything is about energy. And he is completely right. Because if we don't have energy, we don't have the ability to do...

Michelle Cox and I met in May 2019 at the space series event and immediately bonded. Previously a global CEO, COO and currently a non-executive director, Michelle has owned, founded and headed up many companies in her twenty-five years in the corporate world. An elite athlete in her youth, she’s won awards in sport as well as business and personally overcome cervical cancer. Michelle is the founder and author of the Wabi Sabi Series which includes a number of books that focus on topics we...

Last week I spoke about how to work from home. This time I’m speaking about how you, as a manager or leader, can stay connected with your teams when you are all working in different locations. There are three main things we need to consider when we work from home – ourselves, our people and our space. In this episode I talk about: · Show self-compassion · Being more effective communicators · Curiosity · Your culture – what can stay the same, what will change? · Staying connected ·...

Blog copy #34 Staying connected when working from home In this episode Mel talks about: What about you? Do you work from home? What’s your favourite part? What ideas do you have to make it easier? Next week when I’ll share some advice on how you can stay connected with your team working remotely. You can connect with me on LinkedIn or twitter or Instagram using the hashtag #thisconnectedlife and tagging me @melkettle

Dr Justin Coulson is one of Australia’s most respected and popular parenting authors and speakers. He is sought after for his expertise in family life, relationships, and wellbeing and resilience; and he is the founder of ‘Happy Families’. Justin has a PhD in Positive Psychology, is the father of six daughters (!!!), has written five books, and is a three-time bestselling author. Justin's latest book, Miss-Connection: Why your teenage daughter hates you, expects the world, and needs to...

This episode is about morning routines. I talk about: · the many benefits to having a morning routine and how it can help set our day up for success. · Steve Jobs used to ask himself every morning “If today were the last day of my life, would I want to do what I am about to do today?”, while looking in the mirror. If he said no on too many consecutive days then he made some changes. This was one of his morning rituals that helped set his mindset for the day ahead. · Author and podcaster...

Kim Stockham and I first met about 14 years ago through our local chamber of commerce. We bonded over the challenges of working from home and staying sane! We also bonded over our shared love of travel. Today Kim is based in Singapore, heading up Corporate Communications for the Expedia Group in the Asia Pacific. Her role is dedicated to communications which help elevate the Expedia Group brand and team in APAC, and which recognises the value of travel to the world. She works across global...

I turn 50 next week - eek! Where have the last ten years gone??? Obviously I'm older, hopefully wiser, and I have definitely learned A LOT. I thought I would share my top ten learnings of the last ten years to commemorate the end of my 40s. Which, let's face it, has been pretty damn good, which a few fairly awful exceptions! Top ten things I learned over the last ten years What do the next 10 years hold? Who knows! Hopefully a lot of great experiences, opportunities and more travel. What...

I first met this week’s guest, Tony Ryan, about 12 years ago when I joined Professional Speakers Australia. Back then Tony was a bit of a legend in Australia’s speaking community, and today is no different. He is a lifelong educator, parent, and futurist, and has worked with over 1000 education, business and parent groups in 10 different countries throughout his career. Tony is also an international best-selling author of 8 books, an Australian ambassador for School Aid, and a former...

In this episode I talk about · self-awareness and how as leaders, most of us can improve this element of ourselves · Being self-aware is about understanding what motivates you, the impact you have on others, what you do well and where you struggle. · Stephen Covey says that self-awareness involves deep personal honesty and that it comes from asking and answering hard questions. · What self-awareness isn’t is self-judgement. · Research tells us that when we have greater self-awareness we...

Andrew Short AFSM is the Assistant Commissioner for the State Emergency Services for Queensland Fire and Emergency Services (QFES). Andrew is no stranger to the challenges associated with providing effective emergency management, having worked for QFES for over 20 years. He is passionate about lifelong learning, especially when it comes to investigating how organisations can improve how they lead, manage and train to achieve the outcome of operational excellence. In 2007 he was...

When you know your purpose, it’s easier to plan, to set goals and then take relevant action to achieve them. In the past I’ve found that when my goals are connected to my purpose, I’m far more likely to achieve them. In this episode I talk about: · Simon Sinek Start with why · Stephen Covey – begin with the end in mind · How knowing our purpose can help us in life · The Japanese concept of Ikigai · Four questions to help you find your purpose · Creating goals Do you know your...

Christmas and the holiday season can be a really difficult time for a lot of people. And even for those who love it, there can be pockets of stress and overwhelm. One of the things I’ve learned from life, and from horribly fraught Christmases, is that it’s so important to look after yourself. While it’s not always possible to avoid stressful times – at Christmas and at other times of the year, it is always possible to build in some tactics to make it easier for yourself. 6 tactics for...

In my last solo episode I spoke about the importance of sleep. Today I want to talk about rest. Our brains thrive when they have time to rest. We make over 30,000 decisions a day, so the cognitive load on our mind is immense. If we don’t take some time during the day to rest our brains, our performance, moods and physical and mental health all suffer. The risk of fatigue is well known. When we are over-tired our brain switches off and we have micro-sleeps. These can last from a fraction of...

Lisa O’Neill is feisty, funny and fabulous. She has been described as a human version of Berocca and is one of my favourite people for her energy, her positivity and her ability to cut the shit and tell it as it is – always with love. Lisa wants us all to live big lives and to become the best version of ourselves. She is the former fashion editor of NZ Women’s Weekly and today is the author of three books, a highly sought after conference speaker and MC, and a mentor to loads of very...

There are four ways we need to look after ourselves physically - we need to get enough of the right food, water, exercise and sleep. Sleep is often the one that is ignored. This episode is is part 1 of a 2-parter – talking about sleep and rest. Rest is more than just sleep at night. Most of us are aware that we need enough sleep (which doesn’t mean we get enough!), but too many of us go hell for leather during the day, without giving in to our body’s need for rest. And I don’t mean a quick...

I first heard of Lara Bourguignon when we received an email she sent to all SuperConcepts clients, introducing herself as the new CEO, and inviting us to get in touch via her direct email if we had any concerns or otherwise. I was incredibly impressed so reached out to her on LinkedIn to say so. I loved how she was so keen to connect, as well as to listen to clients in her early days in the role. Lara was appointed into the position of CEO, SuperConcepts in April 2019. Prior to that, she...

I’ve been thinking a lot about kindness lately. And how a small, kind gesture can make such a mammoth difference to someone’s life. Kind is possibly my favourite four letter word. Being kind is one of easiest things we can do, and it can have life‑changing consequences. Kindness doesn’t need to be difficult or expensive or time consuming. I feel as we become “busier” we are becoming less kind. If you’re wondering, busy is my least favourite four letter word! I’m so very grateful to have...

I think I first "met" Dani Valent on Twitter about ten years ago, around the time I first bought a Thermomix. #bestkitchengadgetever Dani describes herself as a writer, eater, traveller and cook. Everything she does is linked by a simple idea: leading people to great food experiences. Like me, Dani is passionate about food because she loves connecting with people, and especially connect with people through food. She believes good food is central to a life well-lived. It’s nourishment and...

Today I’m talking about marketing to women. A lot of people don’t realise that women are responsible for 90% of consumer purchases. Which equates to over $20 TRILLION in global spending. In Australia, women own just over one third of all businesses, and this number is rising. Australian women are also becoming more educated – in 2014 almost 45,000 more women graduated with tertiary qualifications than men. Also, in many households, women are increasingly becoming the main income earners,...