Lifestyle Business

Finding self employment opportunities that are financially viable and suit your interests doesn’t have to be difficult. Neither does marketing your business.

Networking strategically has been a feature of Sigrid de Kaste’s business life, enabling her to get to know other small business owners. She credits listening well to people’s business concerns and problems as the best way to recognise good self-employment opportunities.

Over the years Sigrid has had businesses in photography, diamond jewellery, and office supplies. She has owned and run StickyBeak Marketing for some years. This marketing agency has helped many small business people to achieve their goals and maximize their self employment opportunities.

Now she works with coaches and consultants to write a book from which they can build their reputation, their brand, and their business.

Freedom

Sigrid loves the freedom that comes from being self employed…Freedom to build a business the way you want it …Freedom to work as much or as little as you want to, when you want to…And freedom to utilise your skills and knowledge in a way that is true to you.

The importance of networking and listening

Always a keen networker, Sigrid acknowledges that she always listens really well to people at networking events. She tunes in to the problems, fears, and questions they mention. This tells her what is needed in that market, or in a related niche.

For instance, when she was in the jewellery business she heard other small business people expressing what they wanted from the office supply companies they used. When the time was right, she got into an office supply business providing the service that people were asking for. Serving the self employed small business market, she listened as they described their marketing problems. She had been successful with her marketing, and so StickyBeak Marketing was born, meeting the exact needs that people had expressed.

Helping coaches and consultants

Similarly, while running her Marketing Agency business Sigrid listened to her clients and attended networking events where she would meet potential clients. She found that many coaches and consultants had great expertise and knowledge but didn’t appreciate their own uniqueness. As a result, they were not achieving their goals because potential clients didn’t acknowledge their points of difference in a busy marketplace of other coaches and consultants. In addition, she realised that they were feeling overwhelmed by all the platforms and tools for marketing, and wanted to stand out in a different way.

Writing a book is a great marketing tool

Sigrid had already written three books that she successfully used as marketing tools for StickyBeak Marketing. And so coaching clients to write their own book became part of her business. She guides coaches and consultants to recognise the unique way they assist clients. Then they create a clear plan to share their ideas, speaking directly to the clients’ needs and concerns.

Her clients use their book as the core of their marketing. They share snippets of their books online in many different places. This helps them to quickly gain a reputation as thought leaders.

Challenges of self-employment

Sigrid mentioned the two main challenges that she has experienced.

Initially you have to prove your expertise and tell your target market what you can offer them. Successfully achieving that without coming over too strong can be difficult.

Secondly, social media platforms constantly change in their rules, appearance, and reach. New ‘better’ marketing tools emerge on the market regularly. Keeping up with it all is a challenge for self employed small business owners, and for those who are serving their online needs.

Sigrid feels that the business model she is now offering overcomes both of these common problems. As a result, her clients’ expertise is showcased to potential clients, with great results.

Tips if you are considering self employment opportunities

Look at what you enjoy doing, reading, researching, watching.
Talk to people who share your interest. Is there something missing that would solve a problem for other people with the same interest?
Have a discovery consultation with a small business expert to consider if your business idea is viable, both financially and personally.
Develop a plan that is practical and that includes the expert support you will need.

“Build a book to build a business”, Sigrid de Kaste’s latest book, co-written with Sandra Spence, is now available for sale at just $2.99 which includes a 5 video course that expands the ideas in the book.

Personal values are important to Lauren Postans. But it took the experience of working far from home to realise just how vital it is to her to create a life that is based on those values.

Making a difference in people’s lives is also very important to her, and this has taken several different forms during her career. She trained as a nurse then, while raising her family, she studied to become an exercise physiologist. She has particularly enjoyed helping people understand how their body works and to shift their mindset to get the best out of their body. This theme of helping people to live their best life has been significant throughout Lauren’s career.

Accepted a challenge

Lauren has always wanted to live an extraordinary life, not an ordinary life, and in keeping with that has an adventurous spirit.

Needing a new challenge, she accepted a tempting job offer to be the national manager for the exercise physiology section of a large Australian physiotherapy and allied health business. As she had been self-employed for most of her working life, the thought of additional superannuation was very appealing.

Negative aspects

The big negative was that she would have to relocate to Kalgoorlie, Western Australia. Her three sons, their wives, and two very young grandchildren are all on the East Coast. This would mean leaving them behind for at least a year. Besides, Lauren is a very keen sailor, and Kalgoorlie is far from the sea.

And yet she chose to accept the challenge of this adventure, reminding herself that the remote location was only for twelve months.

“Give it three months and you’ll love it”

She settled in quickly, joined clubs, got to know amazing people, even joined the committee for the wine appreciation society. Everyone told her that most new residents hate the place for the first three months, then love it. That didn’t happen for Lauren.

Although she was hitting work goals, she felt very alone. Her work colleagues were busy with young families, and once she had done the tourist activities she found there wasn’t much to do. She even tried salt lake sailing, which was fun but didn’t satiate her desire for sailing on the water.

Personal values were not being honoured.

Lauren realizes now that she was very hard on herself. She felt disappointed that she hadn’t embraced the adventure as she thought she would.

Her sons flew her home to the family for her birthday, and it was then that she realized what was wrong. All the significant people and activities in her life were far away. Family is what matters most to her, and she had chosen to leave them. Sailing is the activity that gives her the most joy, and that could not be part of her new life.

She sobbed as the plane took her back to Kalgoorlie. It was time to gather her belongings and return home.

There were some positive aspects

Lauren now refers to the experience as “interesting”. She is grateful for the experience as it gave her some essential insights.

She realised how important it is for her to live by her values of freedom, choice, abundance (in all aspects of life, not just finances), and adding value to people’s lives. Being far away from her normal life gave her time to recognise what she wanted to do with the rest of her life.

Entrepreneurial venture

Lauren has always had an entrepreneurial mindset. Her decision to reach a lot more people with her work meant building an online business, which will eventually combine coaching, affiliate marketing, and ecourses. Choosing to have an online business was an easy one. It gives her location flexibility, freedom, and choice, meeting several of her personal values.

It is interesting to note that Google searches for online businesses increased by 600% when Covid -19 started.

Affiliate marketing

Lauren has affiliated with a business that provides a platform for online education. It also offers a health related product that fits in with her overall health business focus.

The company’s education platform enables members to learn all the fundamentals of working online as they need to e.g. social media marketing or copywriting, while also developing personal growth and supporting their business development.

Challenges

Lauren has always been a confident, outgoing person, exceptionally competent in her work and her life. But starting a business where you need to present yourself online requires a whole new level of self-awareness and authenticity. Even someone as experienced as Lauren found this to be a challenge.

Facing negativity from others

When I asked Lauren about the issues she faced in starting her new business, her first answer was immediate. The negativity that some people express about affiliate marketing and multi-level marketing, confusing them with pyramid schemes, really concerned her. But she moved beyond that once she became convinced of the legitimacy of the business model with which she would be involved. Being aware that would support her personal values was further confirmation that she was heading in the right direction.

Blocks and barriers

Then came the personal blocks, the negative self-talk, that so many people encounter when they start working for themselves… “You don’t deserve this.” “You’ve tried it before.” “You won’t succeed.”

She has found that once you work through these blockages, you can start to believe in yourself.

“I realise I wasn’t being the person I needed to be in order to be the person I wanted to be…In my professional role I tell people what to do to improve their lives. But I wasn’t doing what I needed to do. I wasn’t being authentic to myself.”

Incorporating the values of helping, freedom and choice into her life

Lauren is building a life that sustains her personal values. She works with exercise physiology clients, giving them 100% attention when she is with them. On Wednesday afternoons she sails competitively and she keeps Friday lunchtime free for catching up with friends. Seeing family regularly is another important part of her week.

Her online business fits in and around these other commitments, but having an established daily routine and a plan for the month has enabled her to create the life she dreamed of when she was working in Kalgoorlie.

Lauren’s tips for people starting an online business

Know what’s important to you; your values; what makes your heart sing. Then work out what you want to get out of your business, ensuring that what is important to you is part of that business plan.
There are a lot of new skills to learn. Don’t waste money learning them individually from different people while you struggle to develop your own product. Find an online education platform that has a product line you believe in. That way you can learn what you need to know, with support, and make some money sooner rather than later. Also it will cost you a small monthly fee rather than paying a large one-off payment to learn about one aspect of online business.
Step outside your comfort zone. Be prepared to take a leap of faith or you will end up living an ordinary life, not the extraordinary life you would love to have.
Create a daily plan that is sustainable and a monthly plan that you can follow.
Make sure that the life you create for yourself gives you work-life balance because the more you are enjoying your life, the more people are attracted to you.
Find out more about the online business with which Lauren has affiliated.

Click below for more great Silver Sages Sharing Stories interviews.

A tale of adventurous travellers and travel adventures

Lee and Paul O’Connor have written a book, aptly titled We Did It Our Way. In this book they tell the wonderful story of their travel adventures – one year on motorcycles, travelling 80,000km through 40 countries.

Now I must explain here that Paul and Lee are not bikies, or itinerant workers, or any other preconceived image you might have of motorcycle riding travellers. He’s an engineer; she’s an artist. They owned a well known art gallery and Lee taught art in Brisbane for years. Together they have 4 (now adult) children and have been married for 42 years.

So how did these travel adventures on motorcycles come about?

Lee and Paul both grew up in rural NZ. They met in Auckland while Paul was studying to be an engineer. Lee was only 20 when they were married and travelled to Australia by cruise ship, a big adventure at that time. They bought a combi and explored Australia, then Paul got an engineering job in Gladstone. For four years they lived in regional Queensland. This enabled them to save and in 1983 they embarked on their first round-the-world holiday. Their travel adventures at this time included the Trans-Siberian railway and driving across the USA.

Impacted by the market crash of 1987

Back in New Zealand, with four children and a successful construction business, life was pretty busy by 1987. But the stock market crash that year was disastrous to their business. They emigrated to Australia and Paul worked predominantly in fly-in-fly-out jobs for years as they re-established themselves financially.

Motorcycles

Their love affair with motorcycles went back to their early days together, when riding some sort of motorcycle was a common transport for university students in Auckland. Over the years they both owned motorcycles and always enjoyed having travel adventures with friends.

In 2013 Paul went to work in Malaysia and although he was working very long hours he got to know a group of keen motorcycle travellers. Their plan was to undertake a group ride through China to the UK.

Lee and Paul loved the idea, bought new bikes and made plans to travel. But when the group changed plans and postponed their journey, the O’Connors decided to do the trip on their own.

Adventurous travel requires a carefully planned itinerary and logistics

Nobody took their plans very seriously until they actually set a date and told people that they were going to ride their bikes around the world.

They flew their bikes to Malaysia, then rode through Thailand and Laos to get to China. China required all travellers to have a guide. To comply they organised to be met at the border by a guide and small tour group, travelling with three other riders so that they could share the costs through China. Travelling through the “Stans”, in particular, required a lot of red tape, but Paul had organised all that in advance. When they parted company with their fellow travellers they rode through Iran to London. Their motorbikes were flown from London to Nova Scotia and they rode coast to coast across Canada. Then they went down through the USA to Mexico, Central America and South America

Highlights

China

Lee and Paul loved their travel adventures in China. The people they met were wonderful and Lee said the local food was ‘out of the park’. Their guide was a bit of a foodie, as Lee is, and he introduced them to food from all 56 of the minority groups that are in China. The scenery was magnificent and so varied. At one stage they even rode through a sandstorm in the Gobi desert. They saw the ‘proper’ Great Wall, not the part of the Great Wall that most tourists get to see. Their greatest highlight in China was a lake that they saw just before they left the country. Even their well travelled guide had never been to this lake before.

An accident

When they left Tucson to go to Mexico they encountered a long area of road works. It had been raining heavily and it was a quagmire. They didn’t know how long it would go on for. Lee felt she couldn’t manage it safely but there was no going back so she got back on the bike and kept going. Not long after, a car came around the corner and she ended up pinned under the aluminium pannier of a 220 kilogram motorbike. People drove past, afraid of being stuck in the mud. Fortunately, Paul was behind her at this stage and was able to lift the bike off her. It was a serious injury requiring an X-ray, which meant an ambulance to the border of the USA and then another ambulance to the hospital.

But what to do with the bikes?

Paul somehow managed to get the bikes securely locked in a jail cell at the local police station, on the promise that he would come back and collect the motorbikes and pay $500 USD for storage.

Lee’s ankle was not broken but was still damaged when they left 10 days later. She found it very difficult to use the brake. Riding became painful and tiring. That time was the lowest point for their holiday. Her leg was painful and she was exhausted at the end of every day because of the pain. They were dealing constantly with third world conditions. Both of them were very tired from travelling for so long and were not enjoying themselves. They had discussed that this might happen and had agreed to go home if it became too much. But Lee said they are both resilient and stubborn people who didn’t want to give up. They are now very glad that they did keep going.

The dangerous elements of adventurous travel

Adventurous-travel-book-Lee-Paul-O'Connor — Photo source: BikesnBeer.com.au

Traveling near Iraq

After leaving China they traveled through the west of Iran and were only 12 kilometres from Iraq. The military presence there was very obvious, sometimes off in the distance, sometimes suddenly appearing near them. And yet they didn’t feel threatened.

Turkey refugee camps

Travelling through Turkey they were very close to refugee camps. They saw what was going on there, but fortunately they were not endangered in any way.

Columbia

In Colombia they were warned about a particular road that was known as a drug highway, with a definite high level of danger. There was strong military presence on the road and again they didn’t encounter any problems.

Mexico

In fact the place that they felt most unsafe was in the north of Mexico where drug running is rife and guns everywhere. As Lee said, riding your bike behind a truck where everybody has their guns pointed out of the truck is very unnerving. They lived to tell the tale!

How many summers do you have left?

Paul was recently asked “How do you come down from that?” They both feel that you really don’t ever come down from such an adventure. It changes you forever, and you never see things quite the same way.

Now they are on a mission to jam everything into the next 10 years. They feel that between the ages of 65 and 75 you really need to make a list of what you want to do. 65 to 70 they see as being the absolute crucial period for doing the big adventures and then from 70 to 75 doing the other things that you want to do. So of course I asked what they were going to do in their retirement

Retirement Plans

Covid-19 has stopped the O’Connors planned motorcycle adventure through Italy and Greece this year, so it may be rescheduled to 2021. They’re definitely planning a month riding through Africa and are looking forward to returning to the USA again because of the outstanding motorcycle routes. Walks in Tasmania are high on their agenda, and they’ve already purchased a camper and kayaks to enhance this next part of their very active life. There’s no stopping these adventurous travellers.

We wish them many more adventures and look forward to reading We Did It Our Way which is available from their website BikesnBeers.

Paul and Lee enjoy speaking for clubs and events, often taking their bikes along as props. Don’t hesitate to contact them if this would interest your group. You can message Lee on 0411 692 788.

Boosting your retirement income by buying and renovating assets for sale or ongoing income isn’t a new idea. But the way that Liz and Matt Raad approach and teach this strategy is very 21st century.

If you are a person who likes the idea of updating your existing skills and increasing your income at the same time, you will find this interview with Liz very interesting. Liz and Matt are obviously not Silver Sages, but they are helping many older people to make a huge difference in their lives.

Renovating physical business assets

Matt and Liz started their career as zoologists, working with red kangaroos. It wasn’t long before they realised that this was not a path that would give them the lifestyle they desired.

They started buying, improving, and selling traditional businesses, starting very small and moving to much larger businesses as the years went by. During this time Matt also worked as a business broker, valuing and selling businesses of all types.

MattandLizRaad Renovating Online Assets — Matt and Liz Raad are Digital Marketing Coaches, Website Investment Specialists, Speakers and Educators.

Teaching people to create online assets

As their young family grew the Raads wanted to change their lifestyle. They decided to use their knowledge of buying, renovating, valuing and selling business assets and apply it to online business.

Now they teach and help people learn the online skills needed to build a portfolio of assets that are income-producing and growing in value. I have noticed at their workshops that the audience has a wide age range, with many aged in their 50s, 60s, 70s. I spoke with people who were learning from Matt and Liz in order to improve their nest egg or retirement income. Others were already part of the growing trend of older entrepreneurs working online, challenging traditional retirement concepts.

What are websites worth?

This is the bit that astonishes me every time I hear it! The sale of a website is based on a multiplier of its profit. Currently, a site that is well-designed and has good content can be worth between 20 – 30 times its monthly profit. That means that a site earning $200 a month would be worth between $4000 – $6000. If we go higher, a site bringing in $5000 a month could be sold for between $100,000 and $150,000. If you consider even higher monthly income the numbers can make your eyes water!

Brain exercise is a bonus

A couple of people I spoke with were particularly enjoying the problem solving and the personal challenge that learning new skills had given them… “So much more fun than Suduko!” What a great way to keep your brain healthy and functioning well.

Some Silver Sage Success Stories

In my interview with Liz she shared three stories of older people who have been very successful by following this strategy of renovating online assets.

From a failing offline business to earning $100,000 some months

Gary and Lucy had worked hard in their business, expecting it to be their retirement plan. But when their business was disrupted by online competition they had to do something different. With Matt and Liz’s guidance, they started buying inexpensive websites, renovating and selling them. Gradually, they started buying more expensive sites as their skills and confidence increased. Now they are reaping the benefits with a site, purchased for $20k, and renovated extensively, regularly bringing in $100k a month. Yes, you read that correctly!

A property investment problem lead to a very successful idea

Cindy has Parkinson’s disease and had to give up her employment twelve years before meeting the Raads. Mike and Cindy were keen property investors, buying and renovating their property assets. But, like so many of us, Cindy couldn’t envisage what a property might look like after renovation.

A successful website usually solves a problem that many people experience. When they were planning their website project Cindy mentioned this design issue. Further research revealed that it was a common problem and suggested that there was a market for such a program. Working with specialists in design and IT, their website was built. They now have contracts with some of the biggest real estate companies.

Working full-time while building a directory site

Neil and Mary wanted to learn to build websites. They wanted to build a strong asset that would bring in a great retirement income when they retire. Their deep knowledge, skills, and connections in a particular industry are now being used to create a directory site for others in their industry. When it is complete this website has the potential to have huge monetary value to big players in the industry.

Not a baby boomer, but worthy of a mention

A client, working full-time as a tradesman, has built a site based on what he considered was needed by the people involved in his trade. He built the site, built up the traffic to the site, and has just recently sold it for $190,000.

How to transform a website into a valuable asset

Renovate the website asset

Most websites that are for sale have some issues that need to be fixed. When you understand what makes a website work well, appeal to readers, and gain value it becomes clear what needs to be done to renovate it.

By making a website look better and function better it should gain value. If good content is regularly posted to the site the value should improve. But these actions need to be done strategically. Just as you would do if you were renovating a property, you need to know what buyers want and what genuinely adds value.

Add some advertising

Liz and Matt teach their students to create or buy websites that solve a specific problem. Within the website they attempt to solve the problem by giving readers free access to quality information to answer their questions.

Also on the website there are links to Google advertisements and to Amazon products, or other affiliate products related to the website content. It is from these advertisements that the website makes money.

It’s important to keep in mind that you want the value of the website asset, and retirement income from the site, without you having to be tied to the job of working on it all the time. This is why the model that is taught doesn’t involve you selling any products that you might have to deliver to your customers.

Learn more about online business

Want to know more about what Liz and Matt offer? You can visit their personal website, Matt and Liz Raad or find out about the courses they offer at eBusiness Institute of Australia.

This Master’s Powerlifting Champion and SES Volunteer has achieved things that she never would have imagined by changing directions as opportunities arose.

Marion Baird started her career as a book-keeper, but even that was by accident not design. And that is how her life has evolved. As Marion said in the interview,

“Things find you. If the door’s there, just open it. Most of us are too scared to open the door. Not so much scared of what’s behind it; we’re too scared to open it. Just open it and have a look. Life has so many surprises for you.”

Training as an actor changed her life

On a whim, Marion decided to do a 12 week acting course at the Ensemble Theatre in Sydney in 1993. She continued with the studies to complete a 3 year Diploma course, and the theatre has been part of her life ever since then. But most importantly she gained personal growth – skills for public speaking, overcoming shyness, handling emotions, and sticking up for herself.

When her acting agent considered retirement they discussed Marion buying the agency. Enthusiastically she embarked on learning all she could about how to run this business. However the agent decided not to sell, so Marion changed direction and set up an agency for actors. That business continues to this day.

State Emergency Service Volunteer

Marion Baird SES Volunteer — Marion Baird with other SES volunteers.

Around 15 years ago Marion moved to a new area and wanted to become part of the local community. She had not done volunteer work before, but a State Emergency Services stand at the shopping centre caught her attention. Marion followed her instincts. She has been a committed volunteer since that time, including being the current local SES Commander. Her extensive training has included the opportunity to complete a Certificate IV in Training and Assessment to become a trainer for the group.

She has helped in many emergencies such as storms and floods during her years with the SES. I’m sure her powerlifting strength has been valued during natural disaster cleanups. She has also had the opportunity for many interesting experiences such as being a ‘spotter’ on a plane search and taking part in rescue competitions. Most importantly Marion has made many great friends through her community involvement. She recommends becoming a volunteer as a wonderful way of expanding your life through friendships, training, and new experiences.

A Marriage Celebrant

In 2009 she added Marriage Celebrant to her array of roles, and I can attest that she is a delightful celebrant, bringing the right combination of seriousness and humour to the role. The first wedding where she officiated was an engaging occasion which she remembers with fondness. She married an African refugee couple in a small apartment crowded with people in colourful national dress and punctuated with spontaneous outbursts of singing. This was a cultural experience that will always remain a delightful memory for Marion.

How a TV segment led to powerlifting and 40 kg weight loss

Marion Baird powerlifting, supported by the trainers from SydneyStrengthTraining.

Randomly watching a TV segment with two young men explaining the benefits of strength training was all Marion needed to explore this new sport. She took it up with enthusiasm. As her strength increased, and encouraged by her trainers at Sydney Strength Training, she started training for powerlifting competitions.

She was just out of hospital after having a knee replacement when she had an unexpected phone call from Channel 9. They said they would like to proceed with her application to be part of “This Time Next Year”. In a testament to the power of post-knee-replacement drugs, Marion doesn’t recall filling in the application which she had sent the day after her operation.

Over 2018 – 2019 Marion competed in and won several Master’s Powerlifting competitions. She broke the Australian Master’s record for her age and weight category twice in her first competition.

Marion Baird powerlifting Karl Stefanovic on “This Time Next Year”

A year after her first appearance on “This Time Next Year” she reappeared. This time she was nearly 40 kg lighter, and demonstrated her powerlifting strength by lifting 125kg and, to the amusement of everyone, Karl Stefanovic!

She has continued on her powerlifting winning streak, winning the Masters powerlifting competition again earlier this year.

Looking to the future

Marion’s philosophy of ‘opening doors’ and changing direction when opportunities arise has led to varied and interesting challenges for Marion. She may withdraw from her volunteer position next year, however she intends to pursue powerlifting and her theatre interests for many years.

She is hoping to represent Australia in the World Master’s powerlifting championship in New Zealand in January 2021 and we wish her good luck in this endeavor.

When something shattering happens in your life you have two choices: give up or be resilient. Roxie Bennett chose resilience.

From the outside her life looked wonderful. Roxie had her own successful PR and Marketing agency. She was married to a wealthy man and their home was impressive. But few people knew that Roxie was living in physical and emotional pain and taking large amounts of anti-depressants, reflux and pain medication. She was significantly overweight and knew these aspects of her life had to change.

When her husband became very ill, leading to the collapse of his business, life became even more complicated. He had to declare bankruptcy. Suddenly many aspects of Roxie’s privileged lifestyle changed dramatically.

Roxie’s existing business was not affected by the bankruptcy, but she was affected emotionally and started questioning what more she could do with her life. Her recent life experiences had made her very aware of how important resilience is in overcoming problems. She knew she wanted to help people but was unsure how she could do this.

Around that time she watched a television story of a couple in Canada who had moved to an island to set up a life coaching business. She calls this moment her epiphany! Immediately she knew that her future involved life coaching, a business in which she could help people improve and even reinvent their lives. Roxie is now completing her Master Coach Accreditation and has added Life Coaching to her business services.

How to lose 20 kg in 12 weeks

Roxie describes herself at that time as feeling like a “big, fat, old moth”. Wellness coaching was part of her life coach training, and it was while doing this part of her training that she made the decision to lose weight. She set an audacious goal – 20 kg in 12 weeks.

From “big fat old moth” to The Butterfly Plan

She researched some of the most popular and successful weight loss strategies, experimented and adapted, and this led to her own program The Butterfly Plan.

There are five pillars of this plan, all essential to success

Mind
Movement
Gut
Mouth
Joy

Clearly her plan was very successful, as those 20 kgs disappeared in 12 weeks, followed soon after by another 5kg.

Transformation and reinvention

Roxie’s life changed as a result of this weight loss. As the kilograms disappeared she regained wellness and vitality, and was able to stop taking most of her medications. She felt and looked 20 years younger. From this transformation came an inner sense of deep joy that she had never experienced before.

People had noticed how different she was looking and feeling, and the idea of sharing her successful holistic weight loss system in a book was born. That book is now published and Roxie is changing people’s lives through The Butterfly Plan. She has combined her own personal experience and life coaching strategies to help people overcome their problems with determination and resilience.

Honesty and vulnerability

Telling her story of change required Roxie to take the brave decision of sharing the challenging and potentially embarrassing aspects of her life. The over-use of prescribed medication, and losing everything through bankruptcy, are very difficult tales to share with anyone. It is particularly difficult to share them with the general public through radio, television, and social media. And yet it had to be done. It is Roxie’s raw honesty and vulnerability that entice you to listen to her story, learn from what she has achieved, and take action. This was evident from the response she has received since appearing on The Today Show.

Resilience

Roxie has been overwhelmed by the emails and messages she has received from women who have felt like ‘fat old moths’, who have needed to reduce prescription medication, or who have been through something as devastating as losing everything. These women have recognised her resilience, and have shared with her their own stories of resilience and reinvention.

Make the most of the life you have

Roxie doesn’t plan to retire. She loves that she can use her life experience to help others change their lives for the better. She made the point that 50s and 60s are not old. Many people of our generation will live healthily into their 80s and 90s. This means that whatever changes you make now to enhance your life could be part of your life for many years ahead.

Roxie’s tips for making changes in your life

Draw a line in the sand and just do it!
Set goals, from simple to audacious. Roxie found that audacious goals worked best for her.
Make the decision that you are going to do whatever it takes.
Back yourself and believe in your own strength and resilience.
Trust your intuition and knowledge.

Click here to view and read stories shared by other Silver Sages.