crushit mag_ may-june Final

ISSUE JUNE 2020 CRUSH IT Magazine DO YOU KNOW YOUR 40 PURPOSE & PASSION? LIFE Fiona Djapouras LESSONS HOW THIGH GAPS at 40 CHANGED MY MARISSA THINKING WARREN Anita van Rooyen TRAVEL, WHAT'S YOUR WINE AND PERSONAL ECONOMY? THE HUNTER VALLEY What are you worth an Hour? The Little Luxe Scott McMonigal Travel Company HOW TO STOP THE ANXIETY PROJECT PEOPLE PLEASING AND FIND YOURSELF AGAIN LOU FITZ Rhi Thistlethwaite

A Thank You Note Crush It Magazine ABN 58 166 926 905 PHOTO CREDIT - Stephanie White PUBLISHER - Leanne Taylor GRAPHIC DESIGNER - Annasophia Design ISBN 9780648385912 ENQUIRIES for Advertising or Editorial [email protected] We are published under copyright laws. Please do not reproduce any part of the magazine without permission as you will be breaching the law. If we feature articles from contributors, advertisers, interviews or editorials these are no necessarily the opinions or views of Crush It Magazine. 2 Crush It Magazine

From The Editor W ell, here we are at our first all-inclusive women’s magazine! If you are reading it for the first time, we have been a teen mag for the last 6 issues. Why did we change it up? Our writers had so much knowledge to share to all ages we had to do it. This issue we have some amazing writers from all over Australia. They have so much to give and are excited to share with you their life experiences. Now, our mag is full of REAL women, talking about REAL issues that you can RELATE to. Who else likes the sound of that? Well, stick around while they take you on a journey of sadness, hope, resilience, strength, happiness, empowerment, and helping you live life on purpose. We also talk about fitness, anxiety & depression, travel, food and wine, mindset, money, and the current economy! At last a magazine full of REAL topics as well! Thank you for being here and supporting We love to hear from you so our Crush IT Crew who are here to help you follow us on navigate this thing called life. We are passionate Insta @crushitmag about YOU! Facebook @crushitmagazine or hit us up at the website Let’s dig into this issue and enjoy the ride :) www.crushitmag.com.au Your Dreams Start Here X 3

8 16 '' 64 Make this the start of your why. The two most 40 important days in your life are 74 the day you are born and the 4 Crush It Magazine day you find out why - MARK TWAIN 80

96 Nsaemwe Ymeea.r.., 128 BUT BETTER! 7 days to a simpler, easier and happier 2020. Because you don't have to be a 'new me' every year. WWW.AMIRANKIN.COM 90 122 AS A PUBLISHER OF REAL CONTENT WE DO NOT EDIT OUR FEATURED WRITERS CONTRIBUTIONS, ANSWERS OR STORIES. IT IS THEIR OWN WRITING, THOUGHTS & OPINIONS IN OUR MAG 5

THE DARK SIDE OF THE THIN BLUE LINE LEANNE TAYLOR To an outsider, the Australian Police and a fundamentally broken court Service is a well-oiled machine structure. Taylor shares colourful stories responsible for maintaining law while pulling no punches about the and order while looking brilliant in dark side of working in law enforcement. blue. However, looks can deceive. The Dark Side of the Thin Blue Line is a After a memorable career, Leanne Taylor fresh and gutsy behind-the-scenes look saw it all – deadly home invasions, at the police force filled with action, underworld shootings and falling victim drama, suspense and humour. A must to a drug addict’s syringe. In her debut read for cop buffs, true crime readers book, The Dark Side of the Thin Blue and anyone wanting to see what the Line, Taylor shares the untold reality world looks like through the windshield of her life in the police force and it’s of a police car. The book will intrigue nothing like we see on television. Taylor and entertain you as you gain a new raises important issues about drug-related appreciation for the job of a police officer. crime, mental illness, domestic violence 6 Crush It Magazine

TO GET YOUR COPY FOR $19.95 + FREE POSTAGE GO TO www.leannetaylor.com.au 7

HOW TO STOP PEOPLE PLEASING AND FIND YOURSELF AGAIN! -RHI Over the last 6 years Rhi has been helping women from all over the world step into who they truly are through the mindset skills she has learnt along the way. From being an anxiety riddled young woman with no clue on who she was and what she stood for, she decided to start her journey to finding her true self through personal development. Since then, she has overcome her anxiety, found the love of her life and had a miracle baby. Found her passion within mindset coaching and can hand on heart say she has found herself again. Photo Credit- Amanda Campeanu 8 Crush It Magazine

\" HAVE YOU EVER FELT LIKE YOU HAVE LOST WHO YOU ARE? LIKE, YOU HAVE NO FLIPPING IDEA WHO YOU ARE ANYMORE? Hey homies! Even though I had booked in some self-love time for “Rhi, What the flip are you doing?!” I would say to myself. You wake up, get you and your household I chose to ignore it. I thought it was ready, go to work, come home, get the better to serve someone else, than household ready to sleep, then do it all serve myself. over again - and again - and again. It was getting worse after the birth of Sounds like hell, right? Well, it was and my son 2 years ago. has been my version of hell before. I just kept doing things for other people You see, I am a recovering people-pleaser. over and over again. It wasn’t like they were forcing me to I found I started to truly lose who I was do any of it, I just kept choosing to help the moment I started putting everyone's them and fill their cup up first! needs before my own. Does this sound like you? I see you “Rhi, could you do this for me?” nodding there as you read along - I “Sure, no worries” know I am not alone! 9

So, how does this tie back to losing yourself? Well, you see some of the things you do for other people might be things you actually really don’t want to do. And sometimes, there are things that you would be honoured to do for those you love! It’s in the tiny moments you act from a place of “I think I should do this” rather than a place of “I want to do this.” You lose yourself because you don’t have the time of day to be YOU because you are being what someone else needs you to be. Ouch, I know. Why do we do it? Why do we put other people’s needs in front of ours? I will leave that for another time, but in short it comes down to the fear of not being loved by the other person. Yet in those very moments, we are not loving ourselves! Crazy, right? So, how do we start to pull back the people pleasing and focus on filling our cup up first? 10 Crush It Magazine

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3Here are things! 1 Get very disciplined with allocating time for yourself. Every week, I do my absolutely best to book time in advance where I will be spending time doing something I want to do. Sitting in a cafe with a book (holy moly I cannot WAIT to do that again. #byerona) Get a massage, go for a walk, in nature, meditate. Anything that lights me up! Pick things that you enjoy doing. If you don’t know then think of things you have always wanted to try, and go do them! This is how you find yourself again homie, you have to find the things that light you up! I look at this time like an appointment I cannot cancel or postpone. If someone asks me if I am available to help, I simply say,“Sorry Sally, I am busy but I could do this or this day?” (That’s if, I want to help them) Which leads me to number 2! 12 Crush It Magazine

2 It's either a heck YES or a NO. Your whole calendar must be full of heck yes’! Have you ever said you would go to that party, but the night of you really don’t want to go? That’s because when you said yes you were not a full on HECK YES! I am an introvert by nature so parties are really not my jam. So, I am open and I know, I know - you are probably thinking honest about it! I respect my friends and that this makes you a bad person for not family who are honest with me because going to the party. However, there are I wouldn’t want them doing something many different things you could do that they don't want to do and they are instead! the same for me in return. “Hey Sally, I won’t be coming to the If they are grumpy because you put your party - however I would love to have a own needs before theirs, then sorry breakfast with you sometime soon to honey - they are not your people. celebrate instead, would you like that? Your choice on the place!” 13

3 Creating firmer boundaries for yourself. This comes up a lot with my clients. Their parents call at stupid hours, friends rock up unannounced, clients messaging you day and night, siblings ask for money over and over again and never pay it back. It all comes down to boundaries! Now, I will say that this won’t be easy. Changing up a pattern like this might have some backlash from the other party. This is because they are so used to being allowed to call at any time, or rock up at any time - you get the idea. So, you will have to start somewhere. Maybe put your phone on airplane mode after a certain time. Or simply don’t answer. Message your friends and say, I don’t mind you coming over but can you let me know in advance? Set times in your day you respond to emails, messages etc… from your clients. Tell your sibling you can’t give them that much but you could give them half of that. 14 Crush It Magazine

Start somewhere. I hope this was valuable to you! Pick one of the three above and work on improving that area first then move onto another. I will tell you I am not perfect. I let some no’s pop into my calendar from time to time and I do pay for it later. However, we are human, we are forever growing and learning! The best you can do is better than yesterday. Please feel free to hit me up on facebook and let me know what you thought of this article! Looking forward to next time. Love and hi-fives, Rhi xo. www.instagram.com/rhiofficial www.facebook.com/rhirhiofficial www.rhithistlethwaite.com 15

THE LITTLE LUXE TRAVEL COMPANY 16 Crush It Magazine Photo by Timur M

We help seasoned travellers with a passion for food and wine experience authentic and hidden local treasures through well-paced itineraries, staying in boutique luxury hotels, with plenty of free time. Maximum group size is 12. CARLAH WALTON Founder The Little LUXE Travel Company P.O. Box 324 MOSMAN NSW 2088 Phone: +61 (0)414 053 844 Facebook: www.facebook.com/ The-Little-LUXE-Travel- Company-102589034456249/ Instagram: @thelittleluxetravelcompany 17

With 25 years in the travel, airline and tourism industry under my belt, I thought I’d pretty much seen it all, then Corona Virus, Covid 19, Wuhan Flu (or whatever you want to call it) hit and decimated the industry I love, live and breathe within a few short weeks. To say I and approximately one million other travel, tourism and aviation workers have been rocked to our core and left high and dry is an understatement, but the sun still rises every day and life goes on. What this has led me to is a period of reflection, digging deep, re-evaluation, and many, many bottles of wine. Actually, that was my lightbulb moment. What I do (normally!!) is organise luxury wine and food tours to the best boutique wineries in the best wine regions of the world–famous and not so famous. We’ve all heard of the Napa Valley in the USA, and the Champagne region in France, but I love exploring the “new” regions which are the rising stars of the wine and food world. I put these into amazing itineraries, stay at boutique hotels – no big chains where you’re just a number – and give my clients ah-maze-zing experiences filled with authenticity and boutique luxury. Photo by Florent B. 18 Crush It Magazine

We’re so lucky in this country to have really Photo by Caroline Hernandez good, world-class affordable wines and my motto is, “life’s too short to drink bad wine”! I remember one of my old bosses ordered a $2000 bottle of wine – it was awful, to be honest, and I went home and had a $12 bottle of Pinot Gris which I enjoyed far more. The cost doesn’t matter – it’s what tastes good to you. Seeing as we’re all going to be travelling local for a while, I’m going to do a series of articles on Australia’s wine regions and try to stick to little boutique cellar doors that are off the beaten track, but seriously good. Let’s start with NSW and make our way around, shall we? The Hunter Valley is NSW’s oldest and best-known wine growing and making region with around 150 cellar doors, accommodation options, and world-class restaurants to boot. To say the Hunter is well polished and well-oiled is an understatement. The blend of tourism experiences and working functional wine-producing vineyards is really impressive. There are some enormous names in the Hunter, but I’m going to focus on the lesser-known boutique establishments so you can get away from the tour buses. In no particular order. Photo by Kamil Kalbarczyk 19

Wine House- In 2008, Suzanne and Ian Little took newest kid on the block Pecorino in over the Hunter institution which was the addition to the usual Hunter favourites. Small Winemakers Centre and recently They also uphold the tradition of being refurbished, rebranded and relaunched the launching point for so many great as Wine House. Wine lovers have been Hunter brands: Keith Tulloch, Margan, rewarded with a fresh, modern and Thomas, David Hook, Little Wine Co, cutting-edge tasting experience. It's a Silkman, Hart & Hunter. While there great place to taste the wines they lovingly have been a few changes in the line-up create through their own label, The of winemakers over the years the ethos Little Wine Company which is exploring remains the same – the winemakers all new varieties such as Albarino, Barbera, make their own wines. Tempranillo, Sangiovese, Vermentino and 20 Crush It Magazine

You can feel the love at Wine House. From the moment you walk in the attention to detail and the layout of the tasting room is a standout – small, intimate, inviting and very friendly. They also have the facilities to book in for private tastings and food/wine pairings for small groups. You can taste the love in their wines, the knowledge and genuine pride the staff display during the tasting, and the really interesting varietals available – it is cutting edge stuff combined with tradition and knowledge. There is so much to write about, but why don’t you just go and experience it for yourself? You’re welcome!! www.winehousehuntervalley.com.au 21

Photo by CHRIS ELFES IMAGES @peppertreewines #PepperTreeWines Pepper Tree Wines - www.peppertreewines.com.au Ahhh, Pepper Tree. From pretty humble a private tasting in The Vault which is beginnings, this cellar door has turned into separate from the main tasting area and a first-class experience and was the first all of the staff are not only knowledgeable, cellar door I ever visited in the Hunter. but they have a great sense of humour – I Founded in 1991, Pepper Tree makes never fail to come away from Pepper Tree consistently great wines, drawing on with not only a case or two but feeling like vineyards situated in the Hunter and I’ve had a real experience, that I’m not just Orange in NSW to prized patches of soil a number. in Coonawarra and Wrattonbully in South Australia. You could say it’s the best of four The GM Sandra Brown and Winemaker worlds. Gwyn Olsen are both amazing women and you can tell the place has “a woman’s I just love Pepper Tree Wines because not touch”. The member events are the stuff of only are the wines superb (and I drink them legend and are highly subscribed to so if often to ensure consistency), but the tasting (and when) you join their wine club, be sure rooms are great – lots of room, great to go to one of their member events – you selections of wine to taste, you can book won’t regret it! 22 Crush It Magazine

The Carriages Boutique Hotel & Vineyard Now this is just as the name says, boutique. If you appreciate handcrafted, single-vineyard wines you’re likely to love The Carriages which produces just 500 cases/year of predominantly Shiraz and Chardonnay, and sometimes a lovely light Rose if the conditions are right. There is no “cellar door” as such. The tasting is done at the check-in desk for the accommodation, or maybe out the front at the outdoor setting if there are more than two of you. The owners, Alastair and Nerina, are very thoughtful hosts and the accommodation is right in the vines. They have the best suggestions of local wineries and restaurants (which is how we found Wine House!!) and combine old fashioned hospitality with respect for privacy. We love it here and I can’t recommend both the wine and accommodation enough. www.thecarriages.com.au 23

Petersons Wines - Now, this is an oldie but a goodie. There are two tasting facilities for Petersons, one at Mount View and one on Broke Road on the way into/out of Pokolbin. I much prefer the Mount View cellar door as it’s amongst the vineyards, it’s picturesque, it’s a little less crowded and if you’re a member they have a private tasting room with cheese and bikkies! Their shiraz is superb, and if you can snag a bottle or 10 of the Old Block, or Back Block Shiraz, do it. It’s the only thing my ex-husband and I fought over in the divorce!! The staff is really lovely, and if you have a few friends, ring ahead to ensure you can get in because it’s worth the trip, not only for the wine but the incredible setting and ambiance. A firm favourite, tried and true. www.petersonswines.com.au 24 Crush It Magazine

Noyce Brothers wine - www.noycebros.com.au Wollombi is a village in the Hunter Valley that 25 produces some really beautiful wines. The Hunter is more than Pokolbin! We stumbled across the boutique Noyce Brothers Wine just before closing time. They could’ve turned us away, but they didn’t. We had a lovely tasting in their cosy tasting room and enjoyed having the place to ourselves. They produce distinctive Hunter style wines, particularly Semillon, Verdelho, chardonnay and shiraz. Whilst this is a tasting room, not a cellar door, there is still that feeling of being “amongst it” as the décor is very “vineyard”! With accommodation and a restaurant on-site, Noyce Brothers Wine is a lovely diversion off the Pokolbin wine trail. There are several different wineries to visit in the Wollombi area, but this one is really handy to all that Wollombi has to offer, and is a great find.

Lovedale long images Lovedale long lunch - Whilst not a winery, the Lovedale Long Lunch www.lovedalelonglunch.com.au is worth waiting for where you get to taste the wine at participating wineries and experience a progressive lunch (entrée, main and dessert) at three pre-chosen venues. This is a great day out with a group of friends and a shuttle bus between wineries is provided so no chance of getting into trouble with the law! 26 Crush It Magazine

ACCOMMODATION There are a plethora of excellent options in The Hunter Valley for accommodation. Self-contained, hotel-style, pubs, Air Bnb, onsite at vineyards. There are too many to review, and again, I’m very fortunate to have stayed at a number of them, but one deserves a special mention as I’ve been coming here for many years, and there’s a very good reason why. 27

The Woods “The Woods” is three exquisite accommodation houses offering style, seclusion, and luxury. The Chapel House and The Folly House each have four queen size bedrooms with ensuites, some with spa, a dreamy fountain courtyard, and BBQ. It’s my favourite place to stay in the Hunter, and I hate telling you about it because I want to keep it all to myself. Each house has ducted air-conditioning, a fully equipped kitchen, a lounge with an open fire, including all the mod cons. What I like best is that whilst you can enjoy a weekend away with friends and have great times in the common area of the kitchen / dining / lounge room, there’s no sharing of bathrooms which I gave up after my backpacking phase in my 20s – privacy is paramount! Blackwood is the newest addition in May 2018. This exclusive retreat for just two offers opulence at every detail and is the ultimate romantic getaway. There is a private plunge pool here, and it’s divine! 28 Crush It Magazine

I’m SUPER lucky to have stayed in all three of the houses and cannot tell you how much I love this place. It’s within walking distance to a gazillion excellent cellar doors and concert venues (some closer than others, but the walk after a day of tasting is good!!!), the excellent Circa 1876 at Pepper Tree is across the road and to come home to a fire with the day’s purchases and a house full of good friends is what the Hunter is all about for me. www.thewoods.com.au 29

Photo by S. Zandar The Hunter Valley Zoo is a little known zoo in Nulkaba is a fantastic small zoo with great experiences. The meerkat experience is my favourite and due to its size, you can get up close and personal with all the animals. I didn’t want to leave the meerkat enclosure though! www.huntervalleyzoo.com.au 30 Crush It Magazine

Daybreak hot air ballooning is the best, and Balloon Aloft in the Hunter offer amazing packages and groups of varying sizes. It’s a really beautiful way to see exactly how big the wine industry is in the area, along with herds of kangaroos bounding around below. A truly lovely, serene experience with a great breakfast at the end. www.balloonaloft.com Photo by Hosea Georgeson Icould go on for ages about all there is to see and do, stay and eat, but you need to jump in the car and get yourself there to experience it yourself. There’s too much to do it justice in one article, but I’ve just included some of my favourites to give you a head start! For more comprehensive information please visit www.winecountry.com.au Cheers! Photo by Toa Heftiba 31

THE ANXIETY PROJECT LOUISE FITZPATRICK Lou Fitzpatrick is your go-2 Mental Lou provides WEEKLY support within Health Motivator and founder at ‘The Members’ Lounge’ and delivers The Anxiety Project. She provides x2 online 'Life Changing' Mentoring a relatable, motivating, no-bullshit and program’s every year. She spends most lived experience approach to Mental of her time hanging out on Instagram Health. Lou spent over 20 years fighting sharing real, raw, relatable and her own mind shitstorm (anxiety, entertaining snippets of her life and depression, feeling lost as f*ck, lonely, sharing solutions to support others frustrated and \"all the things\") and has through their mental health journey. come out the other side, passionately sharing her journey and lessons with fellow anxiety sufferers who are completely over it! 32 Crush It Magazine

Stephanie White ( @stefspillsink ) 33

34 Crush It Magazine You know how you have heaps of shit going through your head whether it be anxiety, overwhelm, second guessing, feeling lost, unfulfilled, not knowing who the fuck you are anymore? And you just can’t make any sense of it, not matter how hard you try or who you talk to? Well, I help you make sense of it all, and get yourself back on track to feeling happy, confident and living a REAL life that you love. I suffered with anxiety and the shitstorm that it brings, for over 20 years. I tried everything, and I mean everything, to get on with my life, but I just kept coming back to the same position. Feeling really fricken shit, unmotivated, exhausted, and as if all I did was churn with absolutely Laura ( @sociallaura_ )

NO fulfillment, I felt like I had no purpose and no identity!!!!! The Anxiety Project started back affordable, accessible and relatable in 2018 when I finally found the support. I have spent over $17,000 root cause to my anxiety!!! In an on my mental health, but the scary instant, MY WHOLE FUCKING thing was, was that although this LIFE MADE SENSE!!! It was the helped me 'manage it', it never really best feeling in the world. On April helped me get to the bottom of it. 12th, 2018, at 11.02am, I found Until I took the time to dig deep the root cause to my anxiety and and get honest with myself. I felt it has completely changed my life. like I could never truly open up in I’m now on a mission to share my therapy because…. well, anxiety my learnings with the world. It IS got in the way. I would be worried possible to beat the bastard and that I would be ‘judged’, taken away I want to teach people how they in a white van, blacklisted, whatever can. I created a 5-step program that all meant. (You know what it’s which is delivered online within a like when you have anxiety safe and private group community. – WORST POSSIBLE OUTCOMES running through your head) Something that was also really hard when I was going through years of battling a mental illness, was the lack of 35

The truth is, I didn’t realise how bad When you see things differently, you my anxiety was until I was out of it. honestly just open yourself up to a There were SOOOOO many lessons higher level of connection, words I learnt through this ‘Uncovering’ cannot even describe. If I could go Process. But one of the biggest ones back in time and give myself ONE was realising how much anxiety big tip, the tip would be; Spend more actually controlled my life. Now that time learning about emotion (in a I don’t battle with it on the daily, like non woowoo type of way). I think I used to, I can see how much it was we forget that the world is powered stopping me from being ME. I knew by people. People are powered by it was shit, but now I know how emotion, yet NO ONE teaches us SUPER shit it was, but more about emotion. Something that is importantly how fucking good it is absolutely life changing. to live without it! And since going on this big journey of mine, I have sooooo much more compassion and empathy, I didn’t think it was possible to gain this new level of compassion, empathy and openness. But it is. 36 Crush It Magazine

Photo by Daniel Reche And so where do you start in this ‘emotion learning journey’? What do you need to do in order to bypass the stigmatised layer that is out there, clouding what ‘Anxiety’ truly is? Well, I feel, from a lived experience, is that, in order to completely understand anxiety, you need to get truly honest with yourself. And it is the HARDEST thing you will EVER do, but once you do...ABSOLUTELY LIFE CHANGING! 37

I think another big reason why ‘Anxiety’ is such a stigmatised topic, is that we forget that every single one of us is different. Yet all the coping and management strategies, the 'traditional' therapies, are a one-size-fits all. However, these traditional methods don’t work if you want to get to the BOTTOM of your anxiety (in my opinion – because I have tried them all). It just adds another clouded layer to hide the truth, to hide the deeper reason for why anxiety is there in the first place and this is where you need to get to, in order to move out of an anxious life. And the only person that can find this truth, is YOU! 38 Crush It Magazine

Louise Fitzpatrick (Lou) Mental Health Motivator & Mum The Anxiety Project www.theanxietyproject.com.au IG: @the.anxietyproject FB: facebook.com/the.anxietyproject/ E: [email protected] 39

LIFE LESSONS & REFLECTIONS Marissa Warren W ith 17 years of industry experience, Marissa has accumulated a wealth of knowledge and skills and thrives on a passion for helping others build a successful life and business. Combining varied business and management experience along with creating multiple businesses, these skills are transferred and shared openly and in abundance with others. 40 Crush It Magazine

As the owner and founder of Beyond Bronze, Marissa has created a brand philosophy that is all about feeling beautiful bronzed, the safe way. Through safe sun tanning and premium quality products, Beyond Bronze helps to deliver a flawless tan every time. Marissa has combined her passions to offer prestige products with business solutions and support, mentoring, and coaching. The brand's core values, purpose, and the \"why\" of passion, honesty, trust, compassion, dedication, and making a positive impact and difference to others' lives are infused into everything that is created and delivered. Marissa aims to uplift, motivate, and inspire others. Creating and living a life by design and living in a state of an abundance mindset is pivotal to Marissa and her success. Marissa is an advocate for continued development and growth and in sharing these insights with others to help them also foster a successful business, life, and positive mindset. 41

D uring times like the Covid-19 pandemic where freedom and control have been taken away and there are limitations on how you would normally live your life, it can bring a time of reflection and review over your life. When faced with uncertainty and major instant changes, you may find that this is the time that one way to take control and create certainty, is to make changes to areas of your life that you have always wanted to do but never had the time or had other commitments to attend to. Having a global pandemic is catastrophic on its own, but if you add in the loss of a job or business and/or a family member and this can create the incentive to reflect, review and adapt to changes for a version 2.0 of yourself and a new future. Recently, I found myself in this situation in the lead up to my 40th birthday, another life milestone 42 Crush It Magazine Photo credit : Shea Rouda

F aced with having to recreate and rebuild a life that will always be very different from how it has always been and adjusting to a \"new normal\" of social distancing, travel restrictions and a complete change to working conditions and a major loss, this is a milestone birthday that will be memorable for so many reasons. The recent life events I was moving through has given me a not so subtle reminder about the things that are really important and what this journey of life is really all about. 43

Here are my 40 for 40 life lessons and reflections: 1. Life is so short and precious. Do not waste a second. 2. Life is for living. Experience every moment and go on an adventure. 3. You won't always have the same support, help, assistance, care, compassion, and kindness from others that you give to them. 4. You sometimes can't give back to others in the same way of support, help, assistance, care, compassion, and kindness they give to you. 5. You have no control over how others behave but you have control over how you respond. 6. Other people's issues and dramas are never yours to take on. Let them work through their own stuff and take their own journey. 7. It doesn't matter what others do or say about you. Other people should never have the power to lessen your worth. 8. Everybody is important, special, and unique in their own way. Everyone has something to offer and a story to share if you are prepared to take the time to listen and be present with others. 9. Never dull your shine and sparkle to stand in the shadows with another person. Everyone is deserving of shining bright and enjoying their own experiences. 10. Everything is temporary. 11. Everything always works out. 12. Everything is as it should be. 44 Crush It Magazine

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13. You only have 1 body and 1 mind. Train, treat and use them wisely. They need to get you far. 14. Laugh - as often as you can. 15. Love as much as possible. Infuse love into your daily life, in all that you do and all those around you. Be present in all that you do. 16. Always treat others with kindness, compassion, and empathy. You never know what others are going through. 17. All that matters at the end is the quality of your relationships and how much love you give to others and how much love is around you. 18. You don't need a lot of people around you. It is the quality of those around you that counts. 19. You will never look back and think \"I'm so glad I worked so much\" or \"I'm so glad I stayed in an unhappy job or relationship\", etc. You will look back and think about your time with people in your life. 46 Crush It Magazine

20. Never settle for second best. 21. Value your worth. 22. If something doesn't align with you, give you purpose or make you feel good, get out and stop! ASAP!!! 23. Life is too short to be unhappy. 24. Never let a moment pass you by without saying how you feel to others. Express emotions. Be vulnerable. Hug more. Kiss more. It's these moments you will wish you had more of. 25. Always have the conversation. Talk more openly, honestly, and deeply and listen more. You never know what path you'll go down by being open and honest with others. It's these things you will want more time to have. 26. It's ok to fail. It's your journey, so it's never a failure. It's always a learning experience. It's also your journey and no one else's. It doesn't matter what others say about your experiences. 27. Eat all the yummy foods! Savour every experience you can while you can. 28. Balance is key. While it can be hard to be in complete equilibrium in all 29. Family isn't always the one you were born into. You can create a family out of treasured friendships. in the overall happiness of 47

30. It's your life. You live it your way. As long as you are treating others with kindness and respect, you should never feel bad about choosing you and choosing to live your life your way. 31. You will never regret the things you did for yourself, but you will regret and resent living a life to please others. That is not the feeling you want to leave with. 32. Always take the time to listen. Even if it is the same story you've heard a million times, one day you will do anything to hear it again. 33. Spend money wisely. It's not objects that give satisfaction. Well, it can be, but it will be a short-lived feeling of happiness. It is the magic moments that count. Experiences and time with loved ones. 34. Travel and experience adventures  while you can and are fit and healthy enough. Never regret not seeing a place on your bucket list or taking an adventure. 35. It's true what they say. Take care of your health when you are younger and your health can take care of you when you are older. 48 Crush It Magazine

36. Bad things can happen to good people. 37. People will do wrong by you. Let go of the hurt and resentment. You don't want that toxic emotion festering in your body. It's not worth letting others control how you feel. 38. Spend as much time with the people that make you feel good and less time or remove those that don't. 39. Some hurt and pain will always leave a mark, but you can't let that hold you back from being open to new experiences. 40. Life will never be the same. It really is a journey. Life is about depths, highs, and lows. It's how you can experience all the flavours. Don't be afraid to enjoy the smorgasbord. If you don't like something, you can move on from it and stay longer savouring the good parts. But just like you can't eat the same thing all the time, it's ok to move on from the good times when the time is ready. Embrace the new path and enjoy the journey. Marissa Warren Owner and Founder Beyond Bronze Phone: (07) 3158 2761 Email: [email protected] www.beyondbronze.com.au Facebook: beyondbronzetan Instagram: @beyondbronzetan 49

HERE’S THE First THING YSOtaUrtNinEgEDYoTuOrDBOuWsinHeEssN No mucking around here. The only place to really start your business is with asking questions. This may sound really silly, but trust me… it is vitally important. It is important because you MUST get an exceptionally clear picture of EXACTLY what you are going to do to bring in income, and how you are going to do this. You MUST ask questions. Not just any questions. It’s important to make sure you are asking the RIGHT questions. Never before has it been so vitally important to get this right, because without the right plan in place, your new business or income stream may not work. Time is of the essence for many of you, thus the reason why I’ve dedicated my time to getting this out for you. Photo credit : Jade Scholefield from Visual Branding GC 50 Crush It Magazine