5 things I have learnt from building a million dollar business

This week was an exciting milestone for me and my business. We turned five! 🙈🎂

I recently read that less than 1% of businesses around the world generate more than $1,000,000 per year in sales. This was a little yay-moment for me because not only has my business survived five years, but it’s thriving and we’re generating more than $1,000,000 every year 💸

The whole point of running an online business is to make things look pretty, glittery and attractive, which means my business probably looks like fun 100% of the time from the outside…

Given you guys only see the highlight reels of my job, I really want to take this moment to have a heart-to-heart with you all 💖

What better way to celebrate turning five, than to share the five biggest lessons I’ve learned from building a million dollar business 👏 It’s not always easy and fun, but that’s actually what inspired us to start our podcast – Babes Talking Business. We wanted to empower women by sharing what actually goes on behind the scenes of running a business! 

I really hope these lessons will inspire you to take the plunge and start your business – or take your side hustle or biz to the next level 💪

Read More: 7 Day Coaching Series | Health & Happiness | Buy My Book

Image Credit: Lauren Kerr Babes in Business photos by rocks on the ocean

1. Get clear on your vision and your WHY ✨

What inspires you to start a business? A side hustle? A passion project?

I know it sounds really cliché but it’s honestly true. You need to understand your WHY… 

It’s super important to know what you want from your business and what’s going to drive you, because the first 12-months getting your baby off the ground are always the hardest. But when you’re clear on WHY you’re doing it, you can decide whether your discomfort, pain and challenge is outweighed by the potential that you see in your future. 

I like to think of it as either being motivated by the carrot or the stick. Sometimes people are inspired by the carrot - the shiny things or pretty vision at the front. They’re inspired to create a lifestyle, generate an income, make an impact or have a contribution 🙌  Other people are motivated by the stick - the pain that is always just behind them, reminding them of their reality if nothing changes. I was initially motivated by the stick. It was being unhappy in my career and my lifestyle that led me to make BIG changes in my life and start my biz ✔️

I see so many people start businesses and feel so inspired by the idea of business or a creative project at the start, but the reason they fail or give up is because in the back of their brain they’re doubting themselves and if the work it takes to actually be successful at it is really worth it 😅 They’re asking themselves if it’s really worth working on Saturday? Is it really worth working on my side hustle at the end of a really long day? Is it really worth me putting myself out of my comfort zone? Is it worth the rejection? 🤷‍♀️

What these questions tell me is that they still haven’t decided what they want - or more importantly - WHY you want it…

Because once you become really clear on your why, it’s so much easier to just dive in and do it. It’s really as simple as that! 💥

I’m not here to sugar-coat things – my first year was TOUGH! 🥵 While it was super tricky in those first few months, I really think knowing my why is how I’ve been successful. I don’t need anyone to motivate or inspire me. I don’t need to be reminded why I’m doing what I’m doing. I know wholeheartedly why I do what I do, and that makes all the work worth it 💖

Image Credit: Lauren Kerr babes in business monthly podcasts

2. Anyone can be successful at business, but it’s not for everyone 🤗

When I say this, I mean it in the nicest way possible! I started my business with an absolute passion to help anyone and everyone that had a vision. What I’ve realised over the past five years is that it doesn’t matter if you’ve got no degree or 10 degrees, no kids or four kids, if you’re a man or a female.

But it does take a certain type of breed to be successful in business 🙌

• I’m not sure if it’s innate or if they’re characteristics you can work on, but you need to have self-discipline.

• A lot of people come into entrepreneurship with an employee mentality.

• They think they’re going to start at 9am and finish at 5pm, and because they worked 8-hours they should have made at least the average wage for the day.

• These people believe they need to trade time for money. 

• That employee mentality just isn’t going to serve you in entrepreneurship 🙅‍♀️

You can’t think that you’ll work as long as someone tells you what to do or that you’ll work as long as someone congratulates me at every checkpoint 😳 

If you need a pat on the back, entrepreneurship isn’t for you. You need to do things when nobody is watching. It’s about discipline, delayed gratification, resilience ⚡️ If I gave up every time I was rejected, whenever anyone said anything negative about me or my business, or whenever I hit a roadblock, I would have given up a long time ago! 😂

What I’ve learnt from being in business is that for you to be successful in business, you need to be resilient, but you also need to be a problem solver. You can’t throw yourself a pity party every time life gets challenging, because you’ll never be successful. And spoiler alert ‼️ Problems never go away. You solve a problem just to get a bigger (higher quality) problem.

The truth is that failure and success aren’t two different paths 🤷‍♀️ We can’t have one without the other. In fact, if you’re failing, I would say you’re already succeeding 🤩 If you’re being challenged and you’re having problems in your business, it’s not that you’re failing. These are just normal and natural parts of running a business, so it actually means you’re on the right track! 💪 Success is on the other side of that failure - not on another road altogether!

These aren’t the things you can get from a coach or a mentor. They’re the things you need to dig a little deeper and find within yourself to be successful…

And maybe business isn’t for you. That’s ok - business isn’t for everyone. Employees and jobs are just as important, needed and valued to change the world, help people, deliver services and products, put food on the table and raise families. Get clear on what you want, what is important to you - and what is the right vehicle to get you (and your families) needs and wants met. That may change in different chapters of life too.

But from what I have seen and experienced… entrepreneurship is in your blood. You can try to suppress it, but it keeps taunting you. You are always craving or day-dreaming of more and will never be satisfied reporting to a boss or settling for a capped pay check.

Image Credit: Lauren Kerr babes in business motivational and mindset books

3. Dive into your money story 💰

Plenty of us don’t realise that we inherent our money habits. We’re taught to manage and think about money in a certain way growing up. The traditional schooling system teaches us that we need to trade time for money – That’s what I thought when I left school and got a scholarship to go to university! 😳

But when we think about money in that way, it’s really tricky to embark on business when you stop trading time for money. It makes it hard to scale because it brings a guilt that you’re not working as hard as you were at the start, yet the money continues to grow. I’ve been there 🙋‍♀️ (I even wrote a blog about it if you would love to hear my own personal breakthrough!)

I think every business owner needs to do some type of reflection or investigation into their personal money story. It can be really hard to think like an entrepreneur if we don’t truly understand these things within ourselves. It’s about working harder not smarter, scaling the business and building residual income and an asset 📈

Once you’re properly educated on money and you understand the importance of having multiple income streams, you can look where you currently are and use the statistics to predict where you’re going to be in 10, 25 and 50 years from now ⏩  How much superannuation are you going to have? How much more tax are you paying for not having a home based business? 

Here is a blog where I shared the 7 books that personaly helped me shift my mindset around money and changed my life, literally.

Diving into your finances and financial literacy will teach you that you can’t afford not to have multiple streams of income. In the 21st Century, you can’t afford not to have a side-hustle or investments in different areas 💵 You need to look at your money to realise how simple these things are too. If these things don’t make sense to you, then you haven’t dived into your money story yet 📚

Plenty of people were probably surprised by these sorts of things over the past year from COVID-19, but that’s because no-one has ever forced them to look at their money. The most successful people I see in business are the ones that have educated themselves about finances and they use it to keep their eyes focused on their vision 🙏

Image Credit: Lauren Kerr babes in business beach side gathering

4. Relationships are EVERYTHING 💖

I mean it. EVERYTHING! 🙌 Getting any business off the ground is about networking. Unless you’ve got money to invest in paid advertising or you’ve already built a platform of influence. But usually the way you grow influence is through building relationships and adding value consistently over a long period of time 🙏  Once you start building a team, it’s then all about how you can look after those people and nurture your relationship with them 🥰  Whether you’re a small or large business, this is everything! 

The best way to improve your relationships is to work on your communication. It’s about people-skills and knowing how to listen more and talk less 👂 Look into sales, leadership or influence books (I have a whole chapter on emotional intelligence in my book if you feel called to delve into that). Learn how to read people, ask great questions and solve people’s problems 🤝 We’ve never lived in a world where we’ve been so connected, yet people have felt so disconnected. 

People just don’t want to hear about your shit 🙈 When I’m hanging out with family and friends, I’m asking them about them. When I’m meeting potential clients, I want the focus to be on them and what they want to achieve. Taking the time to ask these questions doesn’t just bring success, it brings deep and meaningful relationships. 

Don’t go into things wondering what you can take. Always ask yourself what you can give or how you can leave a positive impact 🤔 Whether it’s your energy, your focus, a referral for a book you read or your program or your products, it’s so important to get good at your communication and relationship skills. 

If I’m being totally honest, this is still one of the biggest challenges I face today 🙋‍♀️  It’s easy to build a tribe of people like you, but when you start building a team and a successful business, you have to up your game 💪 There are so many people out there that come from different backgrounds and have different perspectives, values, love languages, communication styles and personalities, and I welcome that! But it’s a huge responsibility to make those people feel valued, seen and heard. 

You can mean so well, but it’s important to realise that we all look at the world differently and we have different personality styles. The key is being able to understand others, and be flexible in your approach and learning it is not about how you communicate or see the world - it’s about how they do. You are here to serve them ✔️

Image Credit: Lauren Kerr babes in business motivational and mindset speaker

5. Shiny object syndrome!

The people I see having success in any profession are the ones that don’t chase shiny objects.  We hear so many stories of the businesses that fail, but I honestly think no one has told these people that they’re not failing – this is just business! 😉

These people are told life is greener over here, you’re in the wrong company, you’ve just got the wrong product. If you’re distracted by comments like this, you just can’t be successful. We all see those people that jump from company to company or industry to industry – they never make it anywhere! 😬

You need to have grit, focus and determination to be successful 👊 A big part of this is surrounding yourself with people that are actually successful in business and will tell you how it really is. Business is hard! Talk to any successful business owner and you’ll realise they’re in the trenches with you! 🙏

There are going to be seasons in your business where you are hustling in the trenches and you’ve got to get to work. It’s early morning and late nights. But if you’re surrounding yourself with the people who are actually doing the do (or have done it in the past to create the success they enjoy now), they’ll tell you it’s not forever. It’s just for a season. 

It’s like anything in life! We have seasons in the economy, in the weather, even in our menstrual cycles as women! Business is the same, particularly as a start-up. I’m telling you this because if you’re in the trenches, it’s all worth it! 

Surround yourself with like minded people who ask you the right questions, challenge your standards, remind you of your worth and your why when you forget…

✨Because quitters never win, and winners never quit ✨

The last 5 years have shown me that I am my biggest asset. I know I can rely on me to show up, do the work and look after other people. Why do that for someone else and not for me? If you know you have drive like that within you, show up and work on your own dreams rather than being used to build someone else’s because people with this level of tenacity, hunger, desire and willingness to learn are hard to find. So if an employee has got you… trust me it’s your loss.

My journey certainly hasn’t been all rosy and up-hill. There has definitely been seasons of my journey like that, but they have been periods of plateau or dips too. That’s not because of luck 🙅‍♀️ It’s because of delayed gratification, vision and being surrounding by like-minded people. I dive into my money story, show up when I need to and remind myself that we all get to choose our hard 🤗

Owning a business is hard. But is working 9 to 5 for someone else easier? 

These are the five biggest lessons I’ve learnt, and I’m still only a baby but I can say that the girls I work with are what inspire me. I’m beyond grateful that I get to wake up every day and do what I do with these epic women by my side. They were the women I was craving for all those years ago - women who were ready to be the change. Thank you for joining me on the journey so far – here’s to plenty more years to come!!🍾🤩

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 ✨

TIS THE SEASON TO BE JOLLY 🤶 How to find joy more often🎄

🤶Christmas is around the corner ☃️

And we’re on the home run to the end of 2020 now. Crazy, right? It’s been a year of slowing down, surrendering and I’ve had so many breakthroughs. I’ve had the time to dismantle a lot of my self-limiting beliefs which I believe was necessary to take me to that next level and depth in life, business and relationships. 

While there has been plenty of joy in my year, I also acknowledge the challenges we’ve faced too...

When I’ve stopped to ask people how they are over the past few weeks/months, the most common responses that come up are: 

1. Overwhelmed. 😅

2. Worried. 😳

3. Uncertain. 😥

4. Anxious. 🥺

And I’d be lying if I said I hadn’t felt these emotions too! 😅

These feelings are normal… 🤗

Firstly, it’s essential to acknowledge that these feelings are totally normal after the year we’ve all had. Life as we knew it was completely turned on its head 🤯 and we’ve seen changes in just about every aspect of our lifestyles. 

A good indicator of your mental health is that you feel appropriate feelings. So don’t be angry at yourself for being overwhelmed, being stressed or feeling worried right now, because the fact that you’re even feeling those emotions means that you actually do have good mental health because those are all natural responses to the usual circumstances you’ve lived through this year. 

Amongst the chaos this year, my best friend was busy growing a beautiful baby girl! There are so many positives and gifts that come from 2020. P.S I am in another pretty skirt from BABYLEMONADE. Use the discount code: BIB for 15% off!

Expanding my knowledge…

With my background in psychology, it’s no secret how passionate I am about mental health and holistic health 🙈 I recently spent a few days with leading researchers and experts in the area at “The Happiness and its Causes” Conference.

This event happens every year and is an excellent opportunity for health professionals to share the most recent positive psychology research so we can learn how to apply these findings in our lives, relationships, careers and businesses. 

It was so incredible to be a part of these discussions and build my own knowledge, but what’s knowledge if it’s not shared? If people aren’t sharing the resources and information they have, how can we possibly become collectively happier and healthier?

So that’s what I’m here to do now… 💁‍♀‍

One of the leading causes of death for people my age (which is the same age as many of my followers!) is suicide. It’s obviously not a light and easy conversation to have, but it’s also a necessity with 1 in 4 sometime in our life experiencing depression.

It’s something that’s affecting all of us…🤯

And that’s why it’s essential that we talk about it 💬, share constructive strategies to go through it and even replace these feelings with more joy.  

One of my favourite speakers at the event spoke about how we can find joy on demand. ❤️

And what better opportunity to talk about finding joy 💬 than the start of the jolly season🎄! So here are a few of my golden nuggets:

Tuning into the ‘Happiness and it’s causes’ Virtual Conference in another pretty dress from BABYLEMONADE. Use discount code: BIB for 15% off your Christmas and summer dress shopping👗 it's pretty much all you will see me in this summer 😉

🤶 Joy is a feeling that you feel moment to moment… 

A lot of people speak about happiness, but they’re actually referring to the elated feeling of joy.

Happiness is more of your attitude or overall perspective on life…

Joy is something that you have to find and grasp onto in every moment. The most recent research is showing that you can ease yourself into these feelings, and it’s actually your brain’s default setting, so you have a sustainable source that is infinite and can be unlocked at anytime!

Meditation…

Many people understanding the importance of having a nourishing diet and moving their body, yet few fewer realise how important it is to look after our minds too 🙈  And meditation is one of the best ways we can do this.

Meditation can decrease cortisol levels, helps build resilience, encourages compassion and manages stress... 🧘‍♀‍

This is why we have a whole ‘mindset’ section with meditations, life coaching activities, gratitude, moon tracking, manifestation and journal prompts for our members in our holistic health program The Healthstyle Emporium so they can be empowered to nourish their mind, body and soul from the inside out.

If you are a regular meditator (which I know many of us are ❤️), you’ll notice that when you drown out the noise, you get clear, calm and still. This sense of peace is when joy comes naturally, so it’s a great way to ease yourself into it.

Even just 5 to 10 minutes a day can help… ✌️

Knowing that joy is your default state means you can find joy on any day and at any time too.  

🤶 Take the opportunity to notice joy…

Joy is something that you experience in thin slices of time and space, but we’re spending so much time outside of ourselves that we’re missing the joy, we’re missing the moment.

When we don’t take the opportunity to acknowledge the joy, we don’t have the chance to enjoy the joy – especially given how short the moments of joy can be 😢

When you start noticing the moments, you can train your brain to start picking up on them more often. You have this part of your brain called the Reticular Activating System (RAS for short 🙈) which is basically a built in confirmation bias OR super power ✨ (depends how you look at it and consciously use it 😉).

If you start telling your brain what you want, it starts looking to confirm that bias. Your brain is so good at what it does that it takes short cuts to only look for the things you want it to 👀

The morning is a great time to do this...🌞

If you start your day by reflecting on your goals, highest values, writing in your gratitude journal or reading your personal mission statement, you’re activating your RAS system for the day ahead and setting yourself up to keep noticing those things.

Joy is no different! Start small and appreciate the little things, and your brain will continue to find those feelings. Use the festive season as the perfect excuse to start! 🎄 It might be watching your children laugh, cherishing the embrace of a parent or savouring the first mouthful of your pavlova 🤭

Noticing the thin slice of joy as I enjoyed a Champagne watching the sunset with my husband.

🤶 Be on the end of a kind thought. 

Another interesting topic discussed at the conference was the idea of being “on the end of a kind thought”. This could mean sitting at the end of your meditation and asking yourself “Who do I want to send love to today?”, “Who do you hope is having a beautiful day?”, “Who do you need to send light or strength to today?”.

These questions are proven to uplift your spirits and can completely change your outlook on a day. 

The idea came from a recent study where they were studying employees levels of satisfaction at work. Some loved their job; others couldn’t stand being there 😅 Regardless of how they felt about their role, they found they felt uplifted after setting a timer every hour and using the alarm as a reminder to stop and think a kind thought and send love to someone on his heart.

A man who was previously miserable in his job role, after this experiment reported to have had the best week of his life during the study – even though nothing actually changed in the workplace or his surroundings, he was just consistently on the end of a kind thought! 👏

🤶 FINDING JOY IN THE JOYFUL SEASON

Enjoying the festive season at our Babes in Business Christmas Party - in another pretty dress from BABYLEMONADE. Use discount code: BIB for 15% off your Christmas and summer dress shopping👗 told you it was all you will see me in this summer 😉

🤶Time to relax and enjoy the festive season 🎄

I honestly can’t believe we’re already in December?! It’s crazy, right? I know it’s been an overwhelming and challenging year for everyone between world pandemics, economy crashes, global warming disasters, politics and social movements… but I also think it’s been a necessary year for many of us.

And as we come towards the end of the year, there is no better time to be looking for joy in our lives, reflecting on our lessons and relishing in our blessings.

I’m hoping that you have a merry season with your loved ones and enjoy all the yummy food, drinks (I am looking forward to mum’s mango daiquiris on Christmas Day 🙊) and belly laughs!

Sending so much love from my family to yours and am so excited to see what 2021 has in store for us all.

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,

How to get yourself out of a funk

Real talk. I was in a funk last week. So, I’ve decided to jump on here and share some of the things I did to pull myself out, in case you might find yourself in the same place. I shared this as an IGTV story too if you would rather watch than read!

Before we get started, it’s important to realise that nothing has to happen for you to be in a funk. You might just wake up one day, and your energy might be off, it might be your time of the month, you might not be feeling inspired or be struggling to find motivation.

If you follow the cycles of the moon, you might be in a phase of ying, rather than yang phase which is masculine and doing. As you can see, there are plenty of different things that can trigger these feelings, but you don’t need to understand it in that moment. Instead, you can honour those feelings and focus on moving yourself out of the funk.

Tips to get yourself out of a funk 

Habits

I am a big believer in the power of habit. I have habits for my business, my personal life, my health. For example, in my business, I rely on systems that spit out who I have to talk to and who I need to follow up. I also batch content so that I’ve got photos, videos, blogs, podcasts and ideas ready to go for the days when I’m really struggling to find the motivation and inspiration to create something new. 

In my personal life, my body wakes up at 6am now naturally after training it to with the habit of using an alarm. My next morning habit is usually to head to the gym at 7am or 7.30am, and then I always find time during the day to listen to a podcast, training or some type of brain fuel to help with my mindset. I don’t feel the need to go and actively do these things - they’ve just become part of my daily habits. 

It’s important that we cultivate these habits in our everyday lives because it’s pretty hard to pick up a new habit when you’re in the middle of a funk! By taking the decision out of it, I don’t need to find the motivation to go and do something, instead I lean into my habits that I’ve spent years cultivating.  

Credit: Lauren Kerr out with her girlfriends dressed by Baby Lemonade.

Speak it out

Sometimes you might know that you're in a funk or a strange mindset, but you can't actually put a finger on what you're really feeling. I find that journaling is a really good way to work through your thoughts and find some clarity. 

Chat with friends

It can also help to chat with family or friends. When I was struggling last week, I had no idea why I was feeling the way I was until I opened up to a couple of my close girlfriends.

After I word vomited my thoughts, I felt so much better, and it stopped my thoughts from spiralling around in circles in my head. Going over and over things in our minds is something that plenty of women struggle with, and I can't stress enough how much speaking through everything can help!

Sitting with your emotions

I allowed myself to sit with my emotions for a few days last week. You don’t need to make sense of your feelings, because sometimes they just are.

As women as we move through our cycle, our hormones will change, and that means some days we will have more testosterone and others we will have more oestrogen which will mean we will move through periods where we are inspired to take action and others where we are required to rest..

You’ve also got the phases of the moon that can impact your feelings, energy and perspective in everyday life. 

Rather than trying to judge yourself, find something wrong or justify your feelings, I encourage you to just sit with it. Don’t try and push them away, suppress them or hide them. Just allow yourself to sit.

One of the biggest things I focused on last week when I was feeling a bit ‘bleh’ was not to be annoyed or angry at myself for feeling like that. It’s simply not normal to feel happy and elated every single day, and it’s okay to have lower days. 

You can sit with your emotions by visualising your feelings as a wave. Imagine the wave coming in and then flowing back out again. Instead of becoming attached to the feeling or assigning a meaning, simply watch the feelings as an observer, a third person. When we tell ourselves that “this too shall pass”, it’s easier to show yourself the compassion that you need in the moment.

Intuitive Movement

Although I always rely on my habit of movement, I’m always mindful of pushing myself too. If you’re not feeling inspired to go to the gym, ask yourself:

How you do feel like moving your body?

You might feel like walking, doing a stretch at home, putting music on to dance around the kitchen or maybe just putting your headphones in and going for a long run.

Listen to your body and lean into what feels good, rather than forcing yourself into something that just doesn’t feel energetically aligned right now, and your body will thank you for it. 

Nutrition Support 

Every single morning, I have my nutrition support. I have my wholefoods shake and awesome wholefood capsules. But many of us are guilty of relying on emotional eating when we’re feeling sad, down or uninspired – I still do it too! The problem with this is if you eat sugary and processed food, it ends up making you feel worse than when you started. That’s because 70% of your serotonin is made in your gut, so if you’re eating like shit, you’re going to feel like shit. 

Credit: Lauren Kerr Juice Plus

The easiest way to keep your health in check when you’re in a rut is to rely on your nutritional support. Whether it’s a powder or a capsule, whatever it takes to help you feel clearer and calmer will also help you pull yourself out of that funk.

Another way of getting around these cravings is to make healthy alternatives of your favourite sweet treats, like healthy cookie dough or healthy pancakes (I love my plant-based powders for making so many of the dessert recipes in our program!).  

Credit: The Healthstyle Emporium

Meditation or Prayer

For some people, their spirituality comes in through their prayer. For others, like me, I meditate for my spirituality. I make a conscious effort to sit in a quiet place and I use guided meditation programs from our holistic program, The Healthstyle Emporium but you can also use free apps like Insight Timer. By allowing yourself to get out of your own head and into your body, you can be still and present – which is a great way to reconnect with yourself and reignite your motivation. 

Schedule Joy

Inside the Healthstyle Emporium, one of the things we do with our clients is help them create a joy menu. You may not be able to be happy all of the time, but you can definitely cultivate happiness more often by knowing what brings you joy and making sure you prioritise that in your life. When I was in a funk, I was having baths or a sauna, getting a massage, listening to music rather than podcasts, I rang my Mum and I had a day to myself down at the beach. 

Credit: Lauren Kerr Babes in Business

Today is enough

A lot of us in the 21st Century run one million miles an hour, and when you’re in a funk it’s so common to feel guilty for not being productive, on track for your goals or doing what you need to do. When you find these thoughts creeping into your mind, just tell yourself that today is enough. Think about what you can do today to find joy, to be gentle to yourself and to ride through the emotions. 

I find that when I start to implement some of these strategies, I generally begin feeling better by the second, if not the third day. I would encourage you not to rush back to life without having made time to reflect.

I'm guilty of trying to hurry back to work and wanting to skip the reflection stage, but I also realise that when I feel this way, it's usually a sign that I'm not ready to move through the emotions yet. That's when it's essential to be patient and give myself more time to sit with the emotions and feel it all, before trying to understand what it all meant.

But when you are at the other end of the funk, and you're starting to feel inspired and get your energy back again, get your journal out and do some self-reflection.

What did you learn from this?

What did it teach you?

What can you do better next time?

What do you love in your life right now? 

You'll know in yourself when you're ready to unpack your emotions and work through everything. All you need to do right now though is trust in the process and be kind and compassionate to yourself.

P.S Please know not everything has to mean something - don’t feel like you need to analyse everything from every angle. Some things just are what they are. Breathe in. Breathe out. And let it go... tomorrow is a new day.

This too shall pass.

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,

Short Term Satisfaction VS Long Term Gratification

Hello beautiful people, 

I hope you’ve had an awesome start to your week! 

After having a chuckle about the realisation that I now own a dog worth more than my shit-box (but loyal) car, I wanted to jump online to talk to you about:

The difference between short-term satisfaction and long-term gratification 

The car I drive around in now is a little Mazda 3 sport that I bought when I got my first job out of university seven years ago.  It’s not that I can’t afford a new one - the income that I create each month means I could buy four of my cars each month - it’s just that I don’t need one because I don’t drive anywhere. I work from home, I live near the beach, and on the weekend, we can get around in my husband’s car. 

This decision not to buy a new car comes from my financial literacy, and passion for educating women about their financial literacy too.

Living beyond our means. 

There are plenty of people that create a lifestyle based on how much money they make. These people feel like when they start earning more money, they need to up their lifestyle to match.

  It might sound like a good idea at the time, yet in reality, all they end up doing is getting caught in a trap where they never actually have financial freedom.

The more money they make the more they consume…the bigger mortgage, the newer car, the more expensive holiday or designer wardrobe just means the money flows out of the bank account almost as quick as it comes in.

One of the things that used to motivate and inspire me when I was first starting my business and knew that I was in charge of my own income was my excitement to be able to buy a little Jeep Wrangler for myself.

I still am excited to make the big purchase one day (although I have been warned it’s a horrible car and not realistic for a future family), but I haven’t yet because I also know that it’s not really a smart decision. It would give me the short-term satisfaction, but not the long-term gratification. 

At first, I would be like:

“This is so awesome!” (AKA I am so awesome *cough cough* look at me and what I bought all by myself)

“I love this” 

“I want the sun on my face, the wind in my hair and to live it up!”

But after a few weeks, those feelings would fade, and whether I bought the car outright or leased it to reduce my taxable income, there are so many other things that would give me a much higher return on my investment.

Have you made a decision like that before? You’re not alone!

We’re in a generation of consumerism, quick fixes, and we want everything now. We often overleverage ourselves or buy our way into incredibly expensive lifestyles that we can’t actually afford. When we chase these short term gratifications, we’re more likely to put things on credit, take out a loan, use afterpay, borrow money or overextend ourselves to buy the things we think we need, rather than saving up until we have enough to buy it with our own savings. 

Going beyond just the price tag, it’s also important to consider if the big purchase is actually going to give you what you’re looking for. Is it going to provide you with joy in the long run? Will you feel satisfied after the purchase, or will your focus turn to the next thing on your wish-list?

If you’ve read my book you’ll know happiness in habitual. The more you have, the more you want. Hence why it’s called the ‘the pursuit of happiness’. Sop make sure you’re not trying to find your happiness in the wrong things.

Seeking short-term gratification goes beyond your bank account.

I think many people, especially women in our age group, have this issue in their relationships. Everyone has that friend (or it could be you!) that keeps jumping from one relationship to the next.

Often, it’s because they’re too tempted by the short-term satisfaction of lust, sex or passion, rather than the intimacy, trust and loyalty that comes with the delayed gratification of overcoming triumphs together, being vulnerable, learning how to forgive, compromise or have those uncomfortable conversations in the first place.

This trait applies to your health too.

I know a lot of people head to the gym or go on a diet for the short-term gratification of wanting to “lose those last few kilos” or “get a bikini body in time for summer”.

What ends up happening is that they find the quick fix or fad, get the results they want, and then three months later the weight is all back on because they didn’t have the drive to ditch the short-term gratification for the long-term satisfaction of learning how to have ongoing healthy habits.

The result? Well, that yo-yo lifestyle could lead to plenty of long-term health issues! 

Searching for short-term rewards even comes into your diet. After a shitty day at work, many of us head straight to the pantry to treat ourselves to whatever we can get our hands-on. When I used to work in child protection services, my go-to reward after a long, stressful and exhausting day was to stop on the way home and buy myself an entire tub of cookie dough – I’d finish it before I even got home too! It gave me the short-term gratification of treating myself, but it didn’t do me any favours in the long run.

Getting down to business. 

I am so passionate about teaching women this theory and helping them apply it to their business or professional life. I mentor thousands of women in our Babes in Business community, and it plays a massive role in our network marketing structure because we learn to stop trading time for money. 

Yes, we still get the short term satisfaction of the ‘now’ money with retail profit, commissions and bonuses…but we also get to start creating long-term wealth strategies with multiple income streams when we are able to delay that gratification and have a long term vision and build a business that compounds over years and continues you pay you long term well after the ‘work’ you once did.

It’s a strange concept for anyone living in the Western world, as it’s the way we’re groomed to think from a very young age. When you join a network marketing company, you learn to ditch the mindset of doing something today because you’re going to be rewarded for it today. We discover that having the long-term vision and delayed gratification is so much more rewarding and beneficial in the bigger picture. 

Through Babes In Business, we talk a lot about having residual income streams. Having a residual income stream allows you to have the freedom and flexibility that I’ve created for myself in the four years since I started my business so I am no longer trading my time for money…but it took time and delayed gratification to be able to build that.

However a lot of women my age, especially the younger girls on social media just don’t know about the behind-the-scenes of someone else’s life or business, and they only see the rewards and highlights reels online - hence why they don’t see the power in delayed gratification or persistence when they can just have the comfort of instant satisfaction instead.

We’re not having the conversations or providing the education to understand the hard work that went into getting to that point. We don’t acknowledge the transition from the starting point when someone was putting in the effort and not necessarily getting the results, to where they are now. 

The delayed gratification of committing to still showing up, being consistent and doing the work even if you can’t see the results today because you know something better is coming and worth while long-term.

Improving Financial Literacy.

Improving financial literacy is the key to breaking down this disconnect. There are so many different ways to earn an income. You can have a job, and still create a long-term wealth creation strategy on the side. There are some avenues that take time and capital, like investing in property or buying stocks and shares, and there are other choices, like network marketing that let you earn the income by doing the work or like I like to call ‘sweat’ equity or investment. 

When I started out, I had time on my side, but I didn’t have the money in my pocket. By ditching the desire for short-term gratification and focusing on my long-term vision, I got to where I am today. The result is a lifestyle of fulfilling relationships, happiness, flexibility, health and wealth.

The research. 

With my background in psychology, I’m always keen to back things up research, statistics and facts. In fact, there is an entire chapter in my book dedicated to breaking down the researching into long-term gratification. This chapter talks about a study called the Marshmallow Study, which has been replicated time and time again - you might have even seen it in the Instagram ‘marshmallow challenge’ that Kylie Jenner recently did with her daughter. 

Basically, the longitudinal studies shows that the kids with the ability to wait for the long-term gratification (the ones that can wait for two marshmallows, rather than eating one straight away) end up being more successful later in life. They often have better relationships, improved university marks, higher income, lower likelihood of being in domestic violent relationships, substance misuse and enjoy an improved mental health. 

It is crazy how powerful this is! And you can bring it into your life too. 

Start by looking at your own life and questioning where you are seeking short-term gratification, rather than focussing on the bigger picture?  Once you acknowledge the behaviours, it’s much easier to address them or make changes. 

If this is new to you (especially in regards to your money and wealth creation) we’ve created a new side hustle guide – which you can find here. It’s a free guide to educate you on all the ways you can earn an income.

There are so many different choices and vehicles, and this guide will empower you to find the right one for your lifestyle, goals and vision. Also, a great book if you want to be empowered and educated to make better decisions around money so you aren't tempted by 'short term satisfaction' is the 'millionaire next door' by Thomas J. Stanley.

Think small steps, commit to just taking one step at a time, but focus on the big picture and keep your eyes on that long term prize gf!

Chat soon,

Time management: How to be more productive and ‘get shit done’

Hello! 

Life is pretty busy, huh! You've got your career, brilliant ideas to share with the world, a side hustle to manage, sleep to catch up on, exercise to power through, and a to-do list that just never seems to end. 24-hours in a day sounds like we've got plenty of time to get through everything, but sometimes it just gets away from us, the weeks add up and before you know it you're halfway through the year. 

If you know me, you know that I'm always running at a million miles an hour. I like to keep myself busy and my to-do list is always growing. But I'm also known for getting shit done. I like to think of time management as my superpower! So I thought I would share with you some easy tips and mindset hacks to help you be productive and move forward with flow instead of force.

Whether you're a business owner, a busy Mum or you're trying to kick some personal goals; this is your guide to becoming a "get shit done" kinda person!  

Goals and Big Rocks: 

Everyone has goals. They might be business goals, life goals, personal goals or just a goal for the day - We've all got something we are working towards. Goal setting helps you set intentions and makes you feel like you've got a direction, and keeps you feeling inspired and excited. I like to write my goals down in my diary so that I can see it right in front of me, but you can also try a digital calendar, a whiteboard or even just the notes section of your phone. 

Every morning I ask myself "What is your big rock?". Regardless of how long my to-do list is, there is always one non-negotiable item that needs to be done today to help push you further towards your goals. By identifying my one major rock before starting my day, I can structure my time to ensure I'm not just ticking small things off my to-do list, but I am also moving towards my bigger goals. And if nothing else - at least today I got one step closer towards a goal that I have identified is important to me.

Lists:

Your brain is like a desk. When you've got stuff all over your desk, it's tough to feel productive and get shit done. If you're continually adding items to a mental to-do list, your brain has to work in overdrive to remember and manage everything. With so much brain activity, you'll struggle to stay on task, remain productive, be inspired, think innovatively and keep focused. 

Did you know Approximately 1500 words run through your brain each minute?

That sounds exhausting enough. So as soon as I think of something that needs doing, I write it down on a piece of paper. Getting the information out of my head and onto a list keeps my brain as a clear desk, where I can come and sit, be still, be inspired, stay focused and get shit done without being overwhelmed (or distracted). 

Eat The Frog:

Another way I like to start my mornings is to eat the frog. After setting my goals and writing my lists, I always work out what is going to be the hardest thing to do, something that's going to use the most brainpower. Most people, especially creatives, are most productive in the morning. After a long day of using our brains, thinking creatively and problem-solving, we can struggle to find the energy to undertake big tasks. 

Decision Fatique

You might struggle with energy, or the quality of your work might suffer too. Decision fatigue  is a psychological phenomenon which suggests that a long session of decision making will lead to deteriorating quality of the decisions made. This is what can build up throughout the day as all our decisions accumulate and if you leave your big task until the end of the day you may experience exhaustion from decision fatigue.

When you’re in a state of decision fatigue you can become so overwhelmed that you end up making no choice at all, or completing work that you’ll only need to re-do later. Doing the thing that's going to use the most physical or mental energy in the morning will ensure you give every project or task the attention it deserves.

Have you ever noticed brides planning their wedding are so picky and selective at the start and by the end, they say to caterers, the groom or the bridal party to pick one themselves? Or, even after you have a long day at work of making decisions and exercising your willpower to be polite to colleagues and bosses, when your partner asks you what you what for dinner, do you snap at them? Or do you find it hard to decide and just settle for the easiest option? This is an example of decision fatigue.

FUN FACT: Major politicians and businessmen such as Former US President Barack Obama, Steve Jobs and Mark Zuckerberg have reduced their everyday clothing down to one or two of the same suits. This limited the number of decisions they had to make in a day to decrease their decision fatigue and free up their mental energy to make more important decisions and work on their big rocks… like running a country!

Five Minute Rule:

This one is my secret tool. If something is going to take me less than 5 minutes to do, I just do it there and then. It might be quickly replying or sending an email or text, cleaning something or just entering some data into a system.

There is no point putting these small items on my to-do list and just watching that list get longer and longer. The five-minute rule helps prevent the to-do list from getting overwhelmingly long (or my head space getting messy) and is a great way to surprise other people with your efficient responses. 

Done is better than perfect:

We all know a recovering perfectionist (guilty!), and this can be a hard sentiment for some people to accept, but too many people spend too much time getting ready, just to get ready. There is a big difference between someone that says they want to do something and someone that goes out and does it. 

I have to credit Mel Robbins for this one, but the 5 Second Rule is an absolute game changer. She’s written a book on it, so go check it out if you want to understand the research and psychology behind it. It is a great metacognition trick which allows you to outsmart your brain and beat it at its own game. The rule says we need to countdown from 5 and then just do whatever it is that needs doing.

It's probably not going to be perfect, but if you wait for something to be perfect before you launch it or to be the perfect person before you start, you'll never get anything done. Waiting for perfection prevents you from being successful, from supporting other people, from finding new opportunities, and from getting shit done.  

Notifications and Batching:

First things first, turn off your social media notifications.  Being online and connected all the time means our brain is continually pulled in different directions. It's so easy to get distracted and addicted to the dopamine hit that comes with a new like on Instagram or a message on Facebook (we are all just junkies looking for our next hit), but checking these notifications and interrupting your flow of work probably isn't going to help you get any closer to your goals. Trying to stay on top of these notifications all the time is also how you end up feeling anxious, overwhelmed, unproductive and busy without getting anything done. 

Your brain works better when you batch tasks and focus on one thing at a time. I like to group my tasks into similar jobs so that I can switch my entire focus to the task at hand. I always set aside time to check my notifications during the day, but I try not to let these pop up while I'm working.

Timers

Parkinson's Law suggests “works expands so as to fill the time available for its completion”. This psychological phenomenon depicts that if you give yourself a week to complete a two hour task, the task will likely increase in complexity and become more daunting in order to fill that week. It might not take any extra time, but the stress and tension associated with the task will definitely make it feel like a huge weight!

Essentially the work expands so as to fill the time available for its completion. Just think about how often it takes you an entire afternoon to clean your home, but if your friend is 15-minutes away, you can miraculously clean your entire house before they arrive?

Designated time slots will keep you on-task and productive! This is why I love setting time slots or setting timers for each batch of work, and make a little game of racing yourself.

Treat yourself 

I know a lot of us are doers and we're always working towards big goals, but it's important to celebrate the small wins too! I like to set myself little goals throughout the day, which I reward myself for completing by picking something off my "joy menu". These joyful celebrations might be a sweet snack from the HSE, getting to look at social media, taking a walk outside or calling my Mum.

I find these treats are a great way to keep my motivation up during the day and recognise my hard work and progress! It’s also a great way to treat yourself when you’re racing your timer and giving yourself a break between your batched activities to be able to stay energised and switch up your energy before moving on the next task that might require a different skillset or mindset.

Resting and boundaries 

Even get shit done people need time to rest. I'm always doing something and setting new goals, but the reason I get shit done is that I've got really good boundaries around my work. I treat my business as a 9-6 job, and after hours I'm not on my phone, I'm not in my emails, and I'm not on social media.

I don't work over the weekends, which is a luxury I have now that I didn't have when I was building up my business. If you don't rest, you're going to burn yourself out, and you'll never end up kicking any of your goals. 

I would love to hear your best hacks for getting shit done? With the right mindset and little hacks, we can all become more productive and make progress towards our goals with flow instead of frazzle.

Is the Healthstyle Emporium a pyramid scheme? Learn the Truth Now

So many women I meet love the mission behind the Healthstyle Emporium inspiring holistic healthy living around the world and helping women put their health and happiness first again.

They love the idea of creating a smart second income online, or totally changing their profession and working alongside a team of inspiring and passionate women and are excited to enjoy all the fun, personal development, support, community, connection, purpose and travel that comes with being welcomed part of our Babes in Business team. But then they learn more about our business distribution model and think "it is one of THOSE things", and decide it’s not for them (maybe this is even you, or someone you know who has already looked into joining our amazing team).

To be honest, I completely understand, I felt the same way when I was shared this business opportunity and actually said no for a few months before I said yes because I didn’t understand our business structure and I knew there was a stigma around it in society...I wanted to know:

• Is the HSE a pyramid scheme?
• Is the Healthstyle Emporium an MLM? 
• How does MLM work?
• It really is a win-win situation for all?
• Don't only the people up the top make money?
• I still think it's a Pyramid Scheme
• If the products are so good why not stock them in the supermarkets?
• I don’t know if network marketing is for me?
• So why HSE?
• What is Residual Income?

The Healthstyle Emporium Holistic Program

Which is why I wanted to be real and raw with you, and answer those questions because I had them too, and I would hate for you or someone you know to miss out on an amazing opportunity because they didn’t truly understand it. 

Is this one of those things?

I totally understand how you feel, I felt the same way and to be honest…I couldn’t be stuffed working out whether it was or wasn’t so I said no for a few months to this business, I just knew that there was a stigma around things like this (didn’t understand why nor did I take the time to).

However - I saw people I really looked up to in the health and wellness industry getting involved, they weren’t being salesy, or sleazy, they didn’t change. They were still heartfelt, genuine and it was clear they weren’t out to scam anyone. They were being authentic, having way more fun than me and living on their own terms. Meanwhile, four months had passed since someone shared the opportunity with me… I was still commuting, I was stilling working 9-5 pm, my salary was capped and I didn’t feel like I was helping anyone. I was on the verge of burnout at the age of 23 thinking is this literally what my future looks like, working 40 hours for the next 40 years…I thought those 4 years being poor and hustling at university with this $30,000 HECS debt I am still paying off -  was supposed to give me more freedom?

So I did my research and I can now say hand on my heart I am extremely proud of the beautiful community we have created and the business structure behind it…but like I said I can relate as I was where you were so…

Is the Healthstyle Emporium a Pyramid Scheme?

No. They were made illegal in the 1900s.

However, I understand why you are cautious about it because the pyramid schemes you’re referring to are known as “Ponzi schemes” (which isn’t what we do and I will explain that in a second). Most of our parents have had an experience with these illegal pyramid schemes at some point in their life before they were made illegal, which is the reason there is a stigma around what we do.  These schemes are a form of financial fraud where people make money purely by relying on people buying or investing in their business and recruiting people to join them in their business. There is no exchange of goods and services.

Is the Healthstyle Emporium MLM?

The short answer is no. The Program is independent and was created by our team of health professionals however we have partnered with an MLM company and use its business distribution model. So long answer is yes. We love and use a Multi-level network marketing / Direct Selling business model to deliver next-level value for our customers and provide flexibility and autonomy for our team.

How does Multi Level Marketing work?

Oh my god. I said it... it’s like MLM is a dirty word. But why…do you understand it?

So the best way to explain it is just like the checkout chick selling fruit and veg at your local grocery store! We do the same (although may I add, we are selling fruit and veggies that are better than organic, are tested over 4 times for pesticides, herbicides, mould and bacteria) and P.S just for the record…you don’t have to be a health professional to sell fruit, lets just clear that up! If you don’t agree please take that up with your local checkout chick at your grocery store and demand you see her qualifications, and the research on the health benefits of the fruits and veg before buying them - or god forbid the health benefits of the butter, chips and biscuits you’re putting in your basket!

So just like that checkout chick, we sell the best fruit and vegetables you can get your hands on - Juice Plus, which is a world-class wholefood nutraceutical support which aligns with our beliefs of health being holistic and food being medicine. But instead of all the money that goes into advertising for Woolworths or Coles, the rent the building is on, the rates, shipping costs, stock that just sits there and goes to waste that has to be chucked out, electricity bills, the wages for the teenager that doesn’t rock up on Sunday for his shift because he is sick (we all know he is hungover) ….in our business structure the middle man is cut out which means there is more opportunity for more money to end back in the ‘checkout chick’s’ pockets.

It really is a win-win situation for all?

Did you know in traditional business, distribution and marketing equals about 85% of the price we pay for the product?

As opposed to MLM, where only 40 - 50% of the product cost goes to distribution and marketing costs, allowing you to take advantage of a higher value product at a lower price?

The Consumer wins!

Consumers get better value for their money as less is being spent on advertising and distribution. Usually, companies that take advantage of the MLM business structure have a product or service that is cutting edge. These products are often expensive to manufacture, lots of science and research goes into them and consequently the local ‘checkout chick’ isn’t going to be educated on the millions of products in her store, nor is she going to take the time to explain why you should pick the product that is $1 more over the product you are familiar with because they really don’t care! They are there to get paid their $19 an hour and go home. If you put a cutting edge product next to the other health products in a health food store or grocery store people don’t know what they are looking for. Think of it like this… you don’t find a Porsche at your local car dealership, do you?

The Franchisee wins

This business structure is great for people like me, who have a great work ethic because we get to dictate our wage, and how much we are worth. If we want to get to work and share the product or service with others, our pay is a direct reflection of how many people we help and share our product with. This is another reason why we are not an illegal pyramid scheme, we are compensated for selling a product. We do not get paid for recruiting people in our business. Another reason why this business structure is great for people like me who have the entrepreneurial spirit, is there are low start-up costs and no risks. In AUD its $165, $50 in USA, Europe and UK £50 - which again is another reason why we are not an illegal pyramid scheme - as they rely on large start-up fees to make money usually in the high thousands. This structure is also great for women who are just looking to create a 2nd income sharing what they are passionate about or an income that works around their values whether it be kids, family, education or travel.

The Company wins

This business structure is also great for companies because instead of paying those employees who pretend to look like they are busy for the whole shift (you know we have all been there, spending the shift looking busy cleaning up an isle), they just pay the workers who are getting the work done. Don’t do the work - don’t get paid.

You don’t have to have a background in business to know this isn’t a scheme...its smart business!

Ok, I get it but don't only the people up the top make money?

In those illegal Ponzi schemes I was telling you about, yes  - where there is no product, no service, no business opportunity - just an investment, large enrolment fees and a mission to recruit others to put $$ in a ‘make-believe’ kitty - as you scam people into this scheme you make your way up to the top where you get to collect go and say byeeee suckerssss!!

But as I said (and I hope you’re picking up what I’m putting down), your earnings in this business are a direct reflection of the work you put into your business and how many people you help by flooding their body with the nutrients it needs to do what it is designed to do. There isn't some greedy guts at the top taking everything while you get a small percentage (which is more like a traditional business these days, the CEO takes the big bucks and everyone else works hard for minimum wage. Do you work in a hospital, government, retail, apprenticeship? That is more like a “pyramid structure” you were referring to earlier).  

There can be people new in this business making more money than the person who shared this business opportunity with them who had been doing it years longer - it’s just how many people you share the product or service with.  If you’re really into compensation plans and the nitty-gritty -  (this isn’t a blog for that but we can send a training video to you that goes for about an hour explaining how it all works if that’s your jam, I am sure you would even be able to find it on the Internet!)

I still think its a Pyramid Scheme

If the products are so good - why not stock them in the supermarkets?

I hope I did a good enough job at explaining why this is earlier... but if you still have doubts (I love my stats guys, I had to learn to in my honours year writing my thesis!)

Science and research studies have found we trust our friends and family more than advertising, funnily enough, we know that even though we see an advertisement of a famous singer/model advertising she’s loving $5 shampoo and conditioner…we know to call B*$#shit!

But on the other hand, if your mum or best friend saw a great movie, found a great restaurant or a skincare product and recommended it…we trust them and often will go try it for ourselves.

That is why cutting edge products with lots of research behind them that are making massive ripple effects in peoples lives, wellbeing and health is not found in a supermarket. A satisfied consumer is way more powerful with 78% of people buying a product from peer recommendation vs 14% from advertisements. Because these products are so amazing they rely on helping people get amazing results so others can genuinely and passionately share them with their loved ones. Most online businesses have caught onto this which is why they pay pretty Instagram models on your feed to post and endorse their products because they know you’ll trust them over paying thousands of dollars for advertising on tv, shops or magazines.

We have seen first hand what these products can do, from our own experiences or our clients inside the Healthstyle Emporium. Seeing the results and how amazing the Juice Plus products can be, adds fuel to my fire and makes my why so much bigger than me. That is what gives me the courage to get out there and share our mission (despite others out there not understanding and still having an ignorance towards MLM, maybe you were one of these people? I hope after reading this, I may have changed that for you).

Ok, I think I get it... But I don’t know if network marketing is for me?

I understand how you feel, trust me like I said I felt that too… even after learning all about pyramid schemes and realising this isn’t one of them.

But can I let you in on a little secret? You’re already a network marketer. In fact, we all are!

You know that TV series you recommended to your mum on Netflix? And that amazing lipstick from MAC you told your bestie about? That’s network marketing in action. And I am willing to bet that your mum and your bestie were both so grateful for a recommendation from someone they could trust. Now imagine if Netflix and Mac paid you for making recommendations just like that - for products you already love and know are making a massive difference in peoples health and wellbeing. That’s all that network marketing is, and when it works? When it’s done with authenticity and passion? Well, there’s no more powerful business model in the world.

So Why HSE?

We are in a health crisis. The World Health Organisation 2017 tells us that Chronic diseases kill 40 million people each year, equivalent to 70% of all deaths globally. The 4 groups of diseases that account for over 80% of all premature deaths are; cardiovascular diseases, followed by cancers, chronic respiratory diseases and diabetes. High processed packaged diets all increase the risk of dying from a chronic illness.

Prevention is one of the most powerful things we can do when responding to chronic illnesses, providing our body with the nutrition it needs to be able to do what it is designed to do - is a massive part in it. When did we make life so complicated? We are killing ourselves, we need to stop eating shit and eat more whole foods that are touched by the sun, move our bodies, stop stressing and drink more water (we all know this!!)

However in our fast-paced lives, it’s not that we don’t know better, it is just we struggle to do better. The Australian Institute of Health and Welfare found that only 2.5% of children are getting the recommended daily serving of fruit and vegetables.

So many of us are aware of this and are trying our best, but fail to realise that the “fresh produce” the vast majority of us are eating is sprayed with pesticides, injected with colours and preservatives and grown in nutrient-depleted soil - so the fruit and vegetables we are eating and feeding our families do not have the same nutritional value they did twenty years ago...

So Juice Plus is a convenient and affordable way for us to help our clients bridge the gap, not only for their health but for their children’s. With any adult order, the company sponsors a child under 18 years with free nutrition for up to four years. We have a responsibility to share this - this is where real meaningful change can happen. With education and support, we can start to change the terrifying health statistics I shared earlier. The results have already been amazing.

Most people who join our business have a massive passion for health and wellness and are actually health and wellness professionals themselves. They take their credibility very seriously, so we aren’t willing to share something that isn’t backed by research and a company they can trust. Juice Plus is the most research nutraceutical in the world, it has been around for 24 years and has over 30 medical journals published, proving its effectiveness.

Ok I get it, the product is amazing but I just want to be part of the Healthstyle Emporium, why not just run the program itself?

Ok, want the honest truth?

Because health is holistic, it is about the mind, body and soul. But we also know people are lazy! For example, I have a background in Psychology and Neurolinguistic Programming, and some of our clients won’t do the life coaching activities I set them, they won't try the meditation’s the team psychologists recommend, they won’t make the recipes our nutritionist has put together or the fun work out guides our PT’s have put together -  but they will take their wholefood capsules every day… so if all else fails we know that they can get great results from taking the products alone and stall gain amazing health benefits. This in turn (from a business perspective) will keep them as clients in the Healthstyle Emporium, even if they don’t use the resources we have put all our love, expertise and energy into creating for them.

Partnering up the Healthstyle Emporium with Juice Plus - also means our gorgeous clients get more value for their money. The coaches in the HSE do what we do because we are passionate about helping others and don’t believe in bandaid effects and love sharing the message of holistic and preventive health.

We are here because we want to help. Our clients are getting their wholefood products for the same price as they would if they just bought it off the international Juice Plus website, but through us, they get a beautiful holistic health program worth hundreds of dollars for free. They also have access to a range of health professionals inside the Emporium, as well as their own wellness coach, which essentially is their very own cheerleader and accountability buddy in the program to love on them and help them get back on the bandwagon after a bad day (because we all know we have them!).

P.S when do you ever buy a product from your grocery store and have the lady at the counter check in every few weeks to see how you’re loving the product and to ensure you’re having an amazing experience?

And the MLM business structure we use is what allows us to be part of the Babes in Business team and be our own boss (meaning we get to work where we want when we want and with who we want), with low start-up costs, have a mentor showing us exactly how to build a business, a blueprint and proven system we get to put our own flavour on, community to lean on, laugh and cry with, leverage resources and skills AND create a residual income doing something we are passionate about.

What is Residual Income?

Residual income is when you continue to get paid after the work is done.

If you are literally working for a living…how do you live when you’re not working?

If we ran this program without the product not only would we be doing our clients a disservice but we would all still be exchanging time for money… I  know that is what you may have been taught at school but I promise you, you will never get ahead working for a living (that's a whole other video, but if you want to watch that, you can check this VLOG I shared previously).

Ok -  so if we have decided we don't want to work for a big corporation where the man up the top makes all the big bucks and we want the freedom to work for ourselves. What happens when you are your own boss but you get sick, clients cancel on your appointments, you go on maternity leave… you don’t get paid! That is why the residual income in our compensation plan is so powerful and why so many entrepreneurs choose this business model either to supplement their existing income streams/jobs or coaching practises or replace it altogether.

Did you know 300 000 people every week are starting a home-based business, at a time where daycare is more than most mums wages, where mums are being forced back to work before they are ready because they don’t have maternity leave and are missing magical moments with loved ones. Where people are wanting to travel but don’t have enough recreational leave, people are losing their jobs and being made redundant because online businesses, technology and machines can do things better than we can - our business structure itself is in high demand.

I personally am about teaching others how to live a ‘Life Above Zero’. That is what my book and my coaching practice is called. It is my message and mission in life and this has been the vehicle I have used to create a life I love rather than settling for one. I would be doing you all a massive disservice if I didn’t share it with you, and invite you along so you can see how I did it or at the very least even explain to you why I did it, in case it has been your own lack of understanding or others uneducated (but probably well-intended) opinions that were preventing you from making a decision that could completely change your life, like it has mine.

As I said, Babes in Business is a group of passionate women helping and empowering others to live a life of health, wealth and abundance which is why I hope you can understand now why were are proud of the community we have created, the business structure we use AND the products we have partnered our online holistic health program The Healthstyle Emporium with.

Our personal motto is “knowledge is power but only when shared”, this is powerful and we care enough about you to share it with you and explain and clear up some of the misconceptions we had too.

If this is something that resonates with you - we would love to teach you how to do what we have done, just reach out. All the girls on our team are open books with such big hearts. It might be something for you, it might not be - but what if it could be exactly what you’ve been asking the universe for?

Why most people are dissatisfied with their jobs

Did you know 80% of people are dissatisfied in their jobs?

The average person works 90,000 hours in his life - that's a long time to be miserable!

How did we get here?

I think a lot of it has to do with work life balance. Once upon a time, work for most of us, was done living life. It was hunting, growing and cooking our food, teaching our children, building our homes  - we would have time for joy, connection, family, the outdoors, exercise and hobbys sprinkled throughout our day. 🌻🍃

Now most people have 8-10 hours a day where work is separate and at the expense of things that bring them joy and happiness. It doesn't help that in the USA workers only take an average of 50% of their paid vacation days.

🤯 That's crazy! You've got 90,000 hours to knock out, take the chance to chill on the beach when someone gives it to you or just stay at home and relax, spend time with your family, friends, enjoying Hobbies or do sweet fuck all with no obligation! 😎

Lauren on a rope swing

It's even sadder in Japan where 10,000 workers per year drop at their desks as a result of 60 to 70 hour work weeks 😢 -  the phenomenon so prevalent that it even has a name "Karoshi".

I think the biggest problem with all the dissatisfaction is that in most cases people are bringing the wrong mentality and the wrong expectations into their workplace.

Yes we all have to work, yes we need money, yes there will be not so fun parts in every job, yes it helps to find something you enjoy and are passionate about and try figure out a way to monetise it. But have and enjoy life OUTSIDE OF WORK, make time for it, prioritise it and protect it!

But most people think if they work long enough and make enough money eventually whatever happiness they are postponing will just sort of arrive. If that were true then why is it studies show that the peak of income that correlates to happiness is $83,000? 

🤔 There is no amount of work you would do, that will finally make the work go away and definitely no amount of money you can make that will solve all your problems. And the sooner you realise that, the sooner you can look for happiness in places where it might actually be found. ✨

Inspired by Aubrey Marcus’s book / Own the day, Own your life.

Pstttt have you ordered your copy of my book yet?

They should start arriving this week! I can’t wait to break down some of the myths for you around happiness, what it is, what it isn’t and where you can actually find that fulfilment most of us are chasing.

You can grab your copy here! Be sure to send me a photo when yours arrives and share with me your biggest break throughs and take aways.

BOOK UPDATE + 2019 REFLECTIONS / oh and let me reintroduce myself...

Happy New Year fam bam!

I hope you are feeling energised and excited for 2020 after having some quality time with your loved ones over the Christmas Break (I also hope you and your family are safe from the Aus bushfires) all my love, light and strength is being sent out to my fellow Aussies, our country and wildlife right now) and a reminder to open your heart, wallets and home where you can.

I guess I should reintroduce myself? Hi, I am Lauren Kerr! haha we had the most beautiful wedding the week before Christmas and spent the last few weeks in our love bubble with our nearest and dearest who had travelled all around the world to share our magical day with us.

The day itself was more beautiful than we could have ever imagined - despite everything leading up to it being a disaster (but I promise to share that in a later blog and all the wedding details/vendors - for now I will share a sneaky photo with you!)

Book Life Above Zero - by Lauren Kerr

So what now…

Over the last three weeks in my down time, resetting and getting re-inspired myself for a new year - I have read and listened to 5 really great books that I would love to share;

• Emma Isaacs / Winging it

• Aubrey Marcus / Own the day, Own your life

• Louise Hay / You can heal your Life

• Carmine Gallo / Talk Like Ted

• My book “Life Above Zero” twice - before the final edits went to its big print THIS WEEK! It feels so surreal! Have you ordered your copy yet?

Take my Happiness Test Now for Fun…

I only have limited copies for my community so get in quick and order yours if you would love to be one of the first to read it! Otherwise you will have to wait for the official launch date in book stores in Aus in March.

Signed Pre-ordered Copies

Pre ordered copies (will also be personally signed to say A BIG THANKYOU!) will start to arrive in your mailboxes the last week of January - the perfect time after the festive season has slowed down to set or revisit goals for 2020, dig deep and get clarity on what truly makes you happy and learn how you can make small shifts in your health, relationships and career to find the fulfilment we all seem to be chasing and try save as many as I can from the mental health epidemic.

AND YES WE SHIP WORLD WIDE!! - Order your copy here - and be sure to tag me in photos as they arrive. I can not wait to hear what you take from the book and what breakthroughs you have - all my heart, lessons and education has gone into it and I can not wait to gift it and pay it forward to you.

Annual goal setting…

Between reading, reflecting and journaling over our Wedding and Christmas hiatus - I did my annual goal setting where I set clear intentions for the year in each of my highest values (health, relationships, business, travel, wealth and personal development).

Goal 1

One of my goals I identified was to enjoy stillness. It sounds so simple but I honestly struggle to not only create more white space, but ENJOY it. I have the tendency to run a million miles per hour, juggling a hundred things at once (and getting them all done too may I add ) and then feeling guilty or uncomfortable resting. I’m your “I’m your get shit done girl 🙋🏼‍♀️” - but one thing I realised amongst the hustle is I lost my connection to my intuition.

OH OOH…

Some of you may know I twisted my ankle a few days before my wedding! I was supposed to be clocked off and in holiday mode but I felt restless and so decided to go for a big run and BAM! 

As I was reading Louise Hays book “you can heal your life” over Christmas, I had a little chuckle to myself that in her book she explained injured ankles translates to the “resistance or guilt around enjoying and accepting all the pleasure life has to offer.” Which rang so true for me.

Bouncing Back!

So here I am, committing to myself (and publicly to you too for extra accountability). This year I am making my spirituality and stillness a priority - connecting to my intuition through journaling, meditating, moon tracking and yoga AND rejoicing and accepting all the joy life has to offer (without the guilt 🥰).

I would love to hear your reflections from 2019 and what are you publicly committing to this year? I can not wait to start seeing my book in your hands, for all of you beautiful souls who have already ordered it - I am excited to see what 2020 has in store for you, be prepared for some mindset shifts.

Check out my Book

The 7 books that shifted my mindset around money and changed my life - literally!

I wanted to share with you guys

7 books that have transformed my relationship with money.

because trust me when I say -  I’ve definitely come along way since first starting my business four years ago. I never actually even thought of starting a business! I had gone through school and studied really hard to get a scholarship.

I was the first in my family to go to university and I did my Bachelor of Psychology degree before then completing my honours and writing my thesis. I assumed that I would spend the next 50 years making my way up the corporate ladder working as a health professional.

These are some of the books that personally helped me shift my mindset and essentially pivot and change my life (literally) in case you’re somebody who wants to work on your relationship with money or maybe before this email you weren't even aware you could 'have a relationship’ with money.

But first a disclaimer: I’m not getting paid any commissions or receiving any kickbacks by sharing these books with you.

Hand on my heart…

These books and people have helped me transform and change not only my mindset with money but my life; from working 50-60 hours a week being stuck in four walls, feeling like a hamster trying to keep up in the rat race spending three hours a day bumper-to-bumper on the highway, to now being able to work from any where in the world, whether it's the beach, snuggled up in bed or visiting family AND be in control of my self and net worth rather than leaving it up to someone else to tell me how much I am worth per hour. 

1. Rich Dad Poor Dad - by Robert Kiyosaki

This really helped me change the way I thought about money. I’ve always thought I would just be trading my time working my way up the corporate ladder (I wasn't too phased because let's face it - I had time on my side as an ambitious twenty-one year old!).

So I knew it might take me ten years or so, but one day I'll make good money outworking and stepping over my fellow employees to compete for pay rises and promotions.

This book made me realise how much of an asset I was to the government and business owners to have me working on creating their dreams and financial futures.

This book was a massive wake up call realising if I spent the next 10 years as a committed and loyal employee as I had intended to (as initially I aspired to be working as a clinical psychologist in the Army) it wasn’t going to get me where I wanted to be in regards to the values that are important to me and the lifestyle I personally wanted to create for myself and my future family.

2. Rich Woman - by Kim Kiyosaki.

This book is my all time favourite because it goes into the research and statistics as to why it’s important for women to not only feel comfortable to talk about money but also to understand wealth creation and have financial literacy.

It highlighted the sad and unfortunately common implications of women who do not know how to invest money let alone manage the money they already have.

This is a biggie for me and a massive mission behind our business and brand "Babes in Business" empowering women with financial literacy and helping them create smart income streams of their own.

3. The Barefoot Investor - by Scott Pape.⠀

This is extra good if you're from Australia as it's more of a practical book teaching you how to manage your money and how to get ahead financially.

He teaches you how to set up all your different bank accounts so you've got enough money to live and have fun but also to invest and have long-term security and savings.

This personally really helped me have a better relationship with money so I could put my cash flow on autopilot and not be reactive or emotional about it. That’s how we saved the house deposit for first home, paid for our wedding in cash and travel the world debt free.

4. The Four Year Career - by Richard Bliss Brooke.

I can actually get this book cheaper for you as my bestie + bizz partner Chani stars in the latest edition after sharing her story of what she was able to create with Babes in Business and her financial future in a short three years.

This book was powerful because it introduced me to the Network Marketing Profession and really showed me how I could have more leverage with my time.

I knew I was going to work the next 50 years as a great employee and be a great asset to anyone’s business because I took pride in my work and I realised that this profession and this business model was a smarter way for me to get more in return for my investment of time, energy, love, discipline, sacrifice and my work ethic.

This was pivotal for me because it helped educate me a little bit more about the network marketing profession as I had never been exposed to before, it casted a vision of what it could possibly be for me and my family.

5. Beach Money - by Jordan Adlar

This was a book I stumbled across a few years ago which introduced me to the concept of 'residual income'. The idea of getting continuously paid for something / work that you had done once and essentially creating 'beach money' and get paid while you sleep or sun bake at the beach with a cocktail in your hand! Sign me up baby!

This book opened my eyes to different ways of working and different ways of creating income rather than just trading my time for money which was something I had been conditioned to believe was the honourable and aspired way to create a life and money.

The traditional schooling system grooms you to follow the system of being a good student then a good employee, where you study hard, you do what you're told, ask no questions and don't disrupt the system.

I thought the only other way to get ahead financially was to inherit money, to have an invention, invest a lump sum into property or stocks - none of which were options for me.

So this book was a really cool way to educate me on the different vehicles and ways of creating income while I travel the world, or have kids, volunteer to projects that call to me or if I wanted to work from home or not work at all because something tragic had happened (because lets be honest - tragedies do happen and most people’s jobs don't cater for that).

6. 4 - Hour Work Week - by Timothy Ferriss.

This book was awesome as it inspired me to think outside the box and made me question why work fifty hours a week when you could work four?

It got me asking myself what were some ways I could better leverage my time, what were some things that I could outsource and were the things that I was currently spending my time on bringing me joy or getting me paid?

All the ideas and strategies that were shared in this book got me curious and creating systems of my own that allowed me to work less and ironically be able to make more. My underlying dominate belief around money was that it was tied to 'working hard' and 'exchanging time' to deserve it!

This book helped me break up with that belief for good - acknowledging as a business owner you need to upscale and outsource because businesses that turn over billions of dollars are not dependent on one persons 'time sheet' - hence money does not need to be dependent on the man hours you put in.

7. You are a bad ass at making money - by Jen Sincero.

This book helps you rewire your self talk and mindset around money and helps you become aware of your unconscious attitude towards money.

Your relationship with money can be something that is so ingrained in your DNA due to generations of shitty money stories, your intergenerational wealth or socioeconomic status.

Most of us inherit our parents relationship with money and if you don't actively read and seek wider education the cycle continues and history repeats.

This is an awesome book to help you dive in and explore your unconscious relationship with money as well as providing some really cool activities to help you to rewire and rewrite it!

Happy reading and wealth creating beautiful!

Why we did it?! The REAL story behind the HSE.

I always get asked what is it you do online? Why did you decide to stop working for the government and ditch the corporate world? Why do you not coach as much anymore? and where did the Healthstyle Emporium come from?

Now for the real story…

So I thought I would share with you the REAL story behind #theHSE hashtag you may have seen floating around on Instagram over the last few years.

Three years ago, some beautiful women who I had met online were working in the health and welfare system too and we agreed we were sick of band-aiding issues with prescription drugs and being understaffed trying to juggle crazy work loads and not having the resources and support to really help families make small sustainable healthy lifestyle choices. ⠀

We wanted to do something about the health and happiness epidemic and wanted to get rid of that bandaid, help people get back to basics, and looking at prevention....knowing that most of these diseases could have been prevented with small, educated and healthier lifestyle choices and a more positive + supporting community.

So many people I talk to in the health and wellness industry have the same vision of wanting to create a one stop shop/health hub where people can come to a safe space and be supported and learn about nourishing their mind, body and soul.

Nutting that out in terms of what that would look like logistically with time, money and risk is what prevents most of these beautiful souls from doing it though.

flourishing in the 21st century online…

So we thought considering successful businesses are growing and flourishing in the 21st century online - why not worker smarter instead of harder and do the same thing but take that beautiful space and community online?

Where health professionals could collaborate and leverage their expertise and together make a bigger impact. Previously it’s what we had all been trying to achieve independently in our own businesses, studios and coaching practises! ⠀

So that’s what we did!

You have probably seen me over the last three years partnering up and collaborating with women all around the world who are expertise’s in their area of health, or just have a passion for wellness or a massive heart and want to be part of the mission.⠀

Do you have a similar mission or vision babe?

If so let’s connect. We can make a bigger impact together - I choose collaboration over competition every time!

P.S Because its 100% online thats why we are able to travel so much and allows all the mums on the team to have the flexibility to work around the kids.

We have no boss either which means we get to choose our hours and pay! It’s a win win for our clients AND the beautiful souls behind the mission and program - smart business really!

NEW VLOG UP 🎥 Follow us to Nice, FRANCE 🇫🇷 🍷🥖

PART 2 OUR EUROTRIP VLOG IS LIVE
Follow us to Nice, FRANCE!

𝗢𝘃𝗲𝗿 𝟭𝟱 𝘆𝗲𝗮𝗿𝘀 𝗼𝗳 𝗳𝗿𝗶𝗲𝗻𝗱𝘀𝗵𝗶𝗽 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝗱𝗲𝘀𝗽𝗶𝘁𝗲 𝗰𝗼𝘂𝗻𝘁𝗿𝗶𝗲𝘀 𝗮𝗹𝘄𝗮𝘆𝘀 𝘀𝗲𝗽𝗮𝗿𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝘂𝘀 𝘄𝗲 𝗵𝗮𝘃𝗲 𝗺𝗮𝗻𝗮𝗴𝗲𝗱 𝘁𝗼𝗽𝘂𝗹𝗹 𝐨𝐟𝐟 𝟵 𝘁𝗿𝗶𝗽𝘀 𝗮𝗿𝗼𝘂𝗻𝗱 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝘄𝗼𝗿𝗹𝗱 𝘁𝗼𝗴𝗲𝘁𝗵𝗲𝗿!

Amsterdam, Paris, Greek Islands, Nice, UK and Australia just to name a few, but to be honest as long as we are together we find something to laugh at and entertain ourselves!

This is part two of our recent Eutrotrip where we got to create some magical moments with one of my best friends and her family in France - with lots of food, sunshine and laughs (which I'm sure you will be able to chuckle at too and admire how beautiful the French Riveria is!)

These kind of friendships make you have to believe in the universe having some master plan for the people that walk into our lives.

It was no coincidence Cloé moved from France to a small country town in Australia 15 years ago and hated this girl called “Lauren” ....and now will be walking down the isle with that same crazy girl in less than 5 months as one of my beautiful bridesmaids on my special day.

I love having these VLOGS as a way to travel back through time and revisit some of the best days of our lives with our nearest and dearest. These memories are so special to me that I wanted to share them with you too!

Enjoy!

Money is important - but time is the real currency…

Time is something you can never ever get back - and I am forever grateful for the time and flexibility I have been able to buy for myself and our future family in three short years of working online.

I am excited for the next 50 years of more magical moments like this with the amazing people people we have been blessed to have in our lives.

Just a reminder that we are closing recruitment in two weeks and are holding interviews next week for women who would love to join the Babes in Business Team…

Reply to this email if you would love me to send you some information to see if it could be a way you could create more time for the important people and things in your life too! Or lets chat up for a virtual coffee date!

How I bought more time / UK + Croatia Vlog

It’s crazy our quickly life can change when you decide you want to change it…

I am leaving Europe with such a full heart of gratitude. We have spent the last three weeks not only slowing down, relaxing and enjoying being lazy lizards under the European sun but also spending some quality time with some of our nearest and dearest.

I still pinch myself because three years ago I wouldn’t of been able to afford this trip (especially when we are getting married this year and have also been to Dubai, Bali, California and Dans off to NZ next week for his bucks party - all in the last 7 months ) but.... the biggie is I wouldn’t have the leave.  

Before Babes in Business…

I just kind of accepted that for the next 50 years I would have to work 48 weeks a year to earn my 4 weeks off and only have my maternity leave to enjoy slowing down and enjoy having a family on my own - which means that unfortunately I would have to miss out on magical moments like these, weddings, Christmas’s with our family overseas, baby’s first steps, travel and some of the things of my bucket list - but hey that’s life right?

Money is important - but time is the real currency…

Time is something you can never ever get back - and I am forever grateful for the time and flexibility I have been able to buy for myself and our future family in three short years of working online. Excited for the next 50 years of more magical moments like this with the amazing people people we have been blessed to have in our lives.

Watch Part 1 of our Eurotrip with our UK

Croatia Vlog where we got celebrate Dan’s mum Mandy’s 60th in Croatia!

We are holding interviews next week for women who would love to join the Babes in Business Team - email us if you would love us to send you some information to see if it could be a way you could create more time for the important people and things in your life too! Or lets chat up for a virtual coffee date!

Hello 2019 you beautiful thing - let's do more with less this year.

Happy New Year Beautiful! 

I hope you had a Merry Christmas and got to enjoy some quality time slowing down with your loved ones!

I know I did! We have had such a beautiful time catching up with our family and friends scattered on the other side of the globe. 

So grateful to live in a time where social media makes the miles feel not so far between and gives us the option to work for ourselves online so we can work anywhere in the world without stressing about not having leave approved and missing out on magical moments with the ones we love the most.

The small things really are the big things!

Las Vegas was all about celebrating, the UK was all about slowing down and relaxing and Dubai was all about defrosting, getting back in the sunshine and out of our comfort zones to explore.  

I promised you guys I would make a VLOG capturing all the fun - so leave it me, it's on my to do list!

Here is some photos from our last day in the Arabian Desert + some reflections I wanted to share with you as you embark on the gift of a New Year.

I've got to be honest with you, as I was sitting here while this picture was taken watching the sunrise over the Arabian Desert; I sat with a heart full of gratitude ....and itchy feet. 

No Place Like Home…

No matter how far and wide I travel, no matter what breath taking things I get to experience ....they serve as a constant reminder that nothing compares to the love and joy I find back home on the Gold Coast in Australia.

Being in love with a simple life of waking up with the sun, in our own beautiful home, next to a man I love, walking down my street to the beach and feeling the sand between my toes and sun on my face every morning, having access to clean water and the luxury to prepare healthy and fresh wholesome foods everyday while I work from home doing something that I love with people who see the world the same as me.

This is honestly what I have discovered is my own personal recipe for happiness and allows me to feel content and fulfilled every night when my head hits the pillow ... the only thing missing was my family.

And this week both my brothers moved to the Gold Coast!!

So it’s safe to say it’s a few days into the New Year and my 2019 has already been everything I have ever wanted (still missing my parents but it's taken 8 years to get the brothers here, so I won't be greedy and will enjoy this first...then I will blackmail mum and dad with grandchildren if nothing else works! haha I am evil).

The last month traveling, eating, drinking and napping was exactly what the soul needed to realign, rejuvenate and refocus.

But I am back feeling recharged and so excited to tick off some more goals and help more women create a life where they get to live and work on their own terms.

I am such a massive believer in goal setting, not just because it's fun and exciting co-creating a life of your wildest dreams BUT it is backed by science to help you bring about what you dream about. Goals are dreams with legs!

If you haven't put some time aside yet to set your intention for this year, or just don't know where to start - I wrote a blog last year to help you if you would love some extra guidance - grab a comfy spot, a pen and notebook and get all those juicy visions on paper!

don’t get too busy…

No matter what goals you do set this year, don’t get too busy chasing them that you forget all that really matters is being love and doing what brings you joy.

All the stuff you choose to fill your day with is your choice, the energy and money you spend chasing your pursuits is your choice.... but if it doesn’t bring you love and joy, all that stuff in between is just noise, don’t buy into it. Do more, with less. 

This story is one of my favourite metaphors that helps me drown out the noise in a world where we constantly are being told we have to be better and go bigger - and remember at the end of the day what it is that truly matters. I hope this serves you this year and helps you make decisions that bring you joy and love.

"An American investment banker was at the pier of a small coastal Mexican village when a small boat with just one fisherman docked.  Inside the small boat were several large yellowfin tuna.  The American complimented the Mexican on the quality of his fish and asked how long it took to catch them.

The Mexican replied, "only a little while. The American then asked why didn’t he stay out longer and catch more fish? The Mexican said he had enough to support his family’s immediate needs. The American then asked, "but what do you do with the rest of your time?"

The Mexican fisherman said, "I sleep late, fish a little, play with my children, take siestas with my wife, Maria, stroll into the village each evening where I sip wine, and play guitar with my amigos.  I have a full and busy life."

The American scoffed, "I am a Harvard MBA and could help you. You should spend more time fishing and with the proceeds, buy a bigger boat. With the proceeds from the bigger boat, you could buy several boats, eventually you would have a fleet of fishing boats. Instead of selling your catch to a middleman you would sell directly to the processor, eventually opening your own cannery. You would control the product, processing, and distribution. You would need to leave this small coastal fishing village and move to Mexico City, then LA and eventually New York City, where you will run your expanding enterprise."

The Mexican fisherman asked, "But, how long will this all take?"

To which the American replied, "15 – 20 years."

"But what then?" Asked the Mexican.

The American laughed and said, "That’s the best part.  When the time is right you would announce an IPO and sell your company stock to the public and become very rich, you would make millions!"

"Millions – then what?" Gasped the Mexican,

The American said, "Then you would retire.  Move to a small coastal fishing village where you would sleep late, fish a little, play with your kids, take siestas with your wife, stroll to the village in the evenings where you could sip wine and play your guitar with your amigos."

The fisherman was puzzled, "Isn’t that what I am doing now?" 

How I ditched the rat race to chase the sun instead

Wow! Where has this year gone?

Only a few weeks until Christmas - 2018 has flown by so quick! I hope you didn't waste the last 12 months you were gifted with and got to create some serious magic and tick off some of those big scary goals of yours. I am just packing my bags to head off on another trip around the world - this time (funnily enough) I am not chasing the sun.

We are heading to Las Vegas …

We are heading to Las Vegas with the Babes in Business Crew for some work (always mixed with pleasure), then London to spend the festive season with my fiancé's family (hoping for a White Christmas - keep your fingers and toes crossed for me) then Dubai for New Years because why not? It has been on my bucket list for a while so time to tick another bad boy off!

I was asked earlier this week to be on my girl friends Jess's podcast Dream, Believe and Achieve to talk openly about my transition from ditching the rat race to chasing my dreams and the sunshine instead!

As I was chatting to her I realised I haven't actually told you guys how I went from my completing my Psychology Degree, writing my thesis, to working in child protection to now being paid to travel around the world and link arms with other heart driven women who share the same passions of empowering others with holistic health, wealth and abundance.

So I thought I would share this week's podcast episode with you for a few reasons;

1. So you can understand why I am always jet setting around the world and "how" I actually get to enjoy the lifestyle I do in case it is also something that aligns or resonates with you (if so just message me, I am more than happy to send you some information to see if our business could be a good fit for you too - I am always looking for like minded, positive and passionate women to link arms with).

2. Hopefully it inspires you to pursue your own dreams if you know deep down that right now you are settling or pursuing someone else's (or even worse busting your butt to help someone achieve their goals at the expense of your own values, health and mission).

3. For the sake of not glorying my "job" or my journey. I wanted to get real and raw with you about the speed bumps and challenges I faced along the way and some psychology and mindset strategies I used to help me create a life I love with the flexibility to spend more time with the people I love - despite the naysayers, moments of self doubt and curve balls life throws at us along the way.If you would love to listen to the episode while you're driving, cooking dinner or going for your walk in the morning - click here.

Christmas Love

I hope this serves you. I am going try to drop in some love before Christmas (but if I am honest, I am actually going to try my best to stay offline so just in case I don't get to chat to you beautiful - I am wishing you and your family a Merry and safe Christmas and a happy, healthy and abundant New Year!

I am going to make a VLOG of our adventures to share with you when we are back - but if you like you can watch the VLOG here of our Las Vegas trip last year with the Babes in Business where I got to surprise my Mum and Dad and take them to Vegas too which is something that has always been on their bucket list!

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Just one of the many magical moments I have been able to create since saying yes to Babes in Business. I wonder what magic you could create for you and your family in 2019 if you asked yourself what if it could be for you too?

An Introvert living in an Extrovert world

I am an Introvert… What next…

A few different things inspired my VLOG this week; personal experiences for people who misread me, introverted babes I mentor in business doubting themselves in the business world because they're not an "extrovert", and clients I coach in wellness who feel guilty because they don't want to go to big social gatherings, as it feels more like a chore for them that they have to drag themselves to, rather than something that gets them excited and lit up!

So many people get surprised when I tell them I am an introvert, funnily enough though.. Im not surprised that they are surprised!

Because so many people see me with my "business jacket" on, where I do things that scare the shit out of me like VLOGS, presentations, workshops, conferences and networking events.

That is "Business" Lozz, the perception I have to muster my energy and courage to portray on my social media platforms as a way to get my vision, message and mission out there to those who need it (because I know my vision is much bigger than me, and you don't serve the world by playing small).

Im Not Surprised

Another reason why I am not surprised and people may not believe me is because so many are not aware of what the true meaning is of these words.

Unlike most believe, introversion and extroversion is not a theory about how outgoing or shy we are,  in psychology and research it actually relates to where we get our energy from.

Or in other words, how we recharge our brains and batteries - Or how I like to say it fill up your cup!

Introverts

(or those of us with introverted tendencies) tend to recharge by spending time alone - for example for me thats walking, one on one coffee or wine dates with my girlfriends, watching a movie with my partner, going for a long walk, sitting at the beach ALONE, meditating, journaling. We lose energy from being around people for long periods of time, particularly large crowds.

Extroverts

On the other hand, gain energy from other people. Extroverts actually find their energy is sapped when they spend too much time alone. They recharge by being social.

So tune in to listen to how you can learn AND understand your personality type so you can make smart decisions on how to regulate your emotions - in a way that is healthy FOR YOU (and not feel guilty if going to your friends party isn't the best thing for you do to right now).

If you're an introvert already in or embarking on - stepping into the business world which is all about MARKETING yourself as an extrovert to get your mission and message across,  tune in to hear how I use my "Business jacket" - as well as those of you who may judge others from what you perceive them to be on social media in comparison to a social setting...keep these golden nuggets in the back of your mind not only to be a better friend, but human.

Understanding others and yourself is the key to spreading kindness and compassion, and the world needs more of that. 

Try out our new Happiness Test

Sex, Business and Money

How to have it all

I love mentoring women to live a life of health, wealth and abundance. But one aspect that seems like it is "taboo" is the wealth aspect of it...yes, wealth in experiences and relationships, but also MONEY!

Why is it that when men are the breadwinners, and are proud of being able to support themselves and their loved ones, they talk about money and streams of income and they are just talking "business", but when women do is considered "rude", "arrogant", "cocky", or not "humble" or "grounded'?

The reason I am so passionate about empowering women to talk about about their finances is because 80% of women who are under the poverty line weren't when they were married.

Which means we either rely on men for an income or, we don't know or understand how to manage our finances or investments.

Did you know today, that 1 in 2 marriages end in divorce? And so many women stay in abusive and unhappy marriages/relationships because they are are financially dependent on their partner.

Take our Free Happiness Test

Having children and losing an income to stay at home to look after them and shower them in love is one reason for this, which brings up my question to you beautiful boss mummas out there (or young women like me who are questioning when they will be in the position to be able to do so without fear of finances) ... when you are working for a living, when you stop working... how do you afford to live?

Obviously, you don’t go into a marriage or relationship expecting it to end, or a job expecting to be be laid off, but it happens. So if you're relying on a parter, a job... you're putting your future in someone else hands.

So babes, lets empower each other and make it ok to talk about it... Sex, Business and Money!