Interview with Kerrie Atherton

Meeting Kerrie Atherton and learning about her endeavours is heart-warming reminder that every moment is an opportunity to learn more about ourselves and develop strength from adversity. I had the pleasure to meet her through Darron Eastwell whose inspirational story and self-healing show us the universe shakes us up to awaken us to see the world and our evolving purpose differently. 

Like many of us, Kerrie Atherton has faced physical and emotional trauma throughout her life.  Rather than allow adversity to define her, she has used the wisdom gained from her experience to create Empower Life Solutions and become the Founder of Stories of Hope Australia. She has been highlighted in recent editions of Profile Magazine , Sunshine Coast Daily and has been a guest on radio. I am grateful to Kerrie Atherton for creating space to connect and engage in this dialogue:

If you asked someone to describe you, what would they say?

These are some of the things people have said to me: That I am caring, compassionate, bright, bubbly, non-judgemental, creative, wise, resilient and empathetic.

How has your sense of purpose and life focus changed over time?

Once I was able to let go of shame for things that happened to me and for mistakes I had made, my whole perception changed.  I no longer felt like I had to put on a mask or pretend to be someone I was not just to be accepted.  I finally felt I could be my authentic self without concern or fear of judgement or what others thought of me.  And that was a very freeing thing.

Love that your evolving purpose involved getting more connected to community. The more we feace our fear of speaking our truth, the more we come into our personal power.  This is also a measure of the ability to focus our attention on soul-fulfilling activities.

Indeed. Many people imagine they need to reach for liberation. It is said the hardest prison to escape is our own mind. Your life experience and those stories you share remind us we can change our thoughts and change our life. 

What has been your greatest life challenge? 

My greatest life challenge was when I hit total rock bottom where I planned to take my life as a result of much trauma due to alcoholism and a pill addiction.  

That is a huge thing to acknowledge.  How did you overcome or get through this?

I overcame this through reconnecting with my faith In God that day and through walking into the doors of Alcoholics Anonymous.

Details of your story that you share with people include the internal shift you have experienced to transform your life. It is akin to what we hear about celebrities who beat addiction.  Australian singer- Songwriter Keith Urban speaks about his own addiction and sobriety. He came to recognize that he wasn’t living to his full potential.  Although he wishes he got sober earlier, It seems like you resonate with Jamie Lee Curtis who said on the Today Show, “My recovery is the single greatest accomplishment of my life. Without that, the rest of my life would have fallen apart... Recovery is an acceptance that your life is in a shambles and you have to change it.”

Tell us about Empowered Life Solutions.

EMPOWERED Life Solutions is a business I formed around 5 years ago.

So, your choice to shift your attitude in your life guides you to help others take their lemons and make their own refreshing lemonade. Cool! What fulfils you about mentoring roles taking shape?

After working with many people suffering with addictions and after working with troubled youth in schools for over 11 years, I wanted to devote my time to counselling, coaching, mentoring and running programs to help EMPOWER people who were struggling with different issues in life and to help prevent those people from going through them in the first place. 

What does empowerment process entail? 

To sit with an individual or family after the trauma has happened in their lives, especially due to drug addictions.  This is very devastating at times to see and to help them. That journey of recovery can be a lengthy process.  Prevention or early intervention programs can save so much heartache. Prevention really is better than cure.  Having said that, being trusted by someone with the opportunity to counsel and help them through their hard times is something I consider to be a huge privilege.

Something touches my soul as you describe creating a welcoming space where your clients feel safe to share stories of self-rejection and vulnerability.  Such an environment of unconditional acceptance would benefit many. 

When do you feel most alive? 

I feel most alive when I am sharing my own story or testimony to others about how I have come out the other side of hard times, so I can bring others HOPE.

How does instilling hope make you feel?

I feel most alive when I am playing a part in helping make a positive difference in the life of someone who has lost HOPE.  When I am at my Stories of HOPE events and I see all the faces in the audience this really causes me to know I am fulfilling my greatest purpose and being part of the process of changing someone’s life brings me the greatest JOY.  Especially helping someone who was about to give up on life discover that they really have a reason and a purpose for living.

Tell us about the Stories of Hope Australia initiative. (Some people get a taste via your Linked In)

I got the inspiration for this after I hit rock bottom for a second time in August 2016.  My father had just died, and my husband became very ill.  These things happened on the back of other trauma and grief I had experienced over the past few years.  I just felt like I could barely  go on.  I felt very alone and with little support. 

When did you get the inspiration?

After pulling out of all regular activities and spending much time alone for a few weeks trying to heal and regain my strength, I attended a women’s conference.  There I had a light bulb moment after hearing a couple of other people share about how they had come out the other side of their very hard times.  I knew right there and then that I had so much to share with the world.  That I had not been through all this pain for nothing, that it wouldn’t be in vain, and that I would use my pain for others gain, through sharing my stories of how I had come out the other side of the circumstances which could have easily destroyed me.  I also knew that I had to gather together all the other inspirational people I knew who had also triumphed over adversity and I thought ‘together we can literally change the world’. 

Eureka moments are like what you describe, instances which change each of our lives for the better. Like intuition in action, they prompt us to listen or pay attention to how we feel.  As you imply, we are triggering our own inner shifts in energy, attention and transforming purpose. 

How do you see this brain child unfolding? (and expanding)

I see myself taking my events into different states with some of my team members, and I am now working on my second Stories of HOPE Australia book. We will continue our regular free monthly events where we started two years ago at the Sands Tavern Maroochydore and will also be working on more ‘Men’s Only Mental Health’ nights and separate women’s nights targeting sensitive topics.

Meeting you echoes Pay it Forward movie message. You may be familiar with this flick. Who inspired/inspires you to empower and help others as you do?

There are so many people who have inspired me with both my parents who are no longer here being two of them.  My dad in particular who I witnessed over his many years also in AA, he was 60 years sober to be exact, pouring his life out to help others recover. Other than them, there is no one person more than another.  I guess the thousands of people that I have met in the rooms of alcoholics anonymous who are walking miracles, and all the people I have met through Stories of HOPE Australia.  Some of those people are my closest friends today and they continue to inspire me on a daily basis.  When you go through extensive pain and trauma, it doesn’t just disappear overnight.  It is a slow consistent journey of recovery.  Watching the progress of recovery in anyone who I have seen at the beginning of their journey and who is moving forward through it, inspires me beyond belief.

You have a book coming out soon. Share a bit about your process. Many people dream of writing a book. What is your own motivation? Why now?

The motivation behind me writing a book has always been there.  I have had my story sitting partially written for a few years, but got stuck.  I just really wanted to share a glimpse of the SOH journey and some of the stories to all the people out there who for different reasons, can’t make the events or they live in different states or countries.  I wanted,to take a glimpse of the SOH events and experience out to the big wide world, so I could exponentially share the experience with the masses of people out there, so they too could find the same kind of HOPE  that we have found through the sharing of all these inspirational stories.

This reminds me a  bit of a rendition of Chicken Soup for the Soul by Jack Canfield and Mark Victor Hansen.  You may know that Chicken Soup for the Soul book series of over 250 titles has sold more than 110 million copies in the U.S. and Canada. Chicken Soup for the Soul books have been translated into 43 languages, have been published in over 100 countries, and have sold more than 500 million copies worldwide. What a backdrop for your inspirational endeavours!

At what stage did you awaken to the importance of feeling the way through life to grow and heal?

At 18 when I was about to commit suicide, I heard a voice I believed to be that of God.  He said  ‘Don’t do it.  If you hang on a bit longer you will find happiness one day.’  And I am so glad I did hang on. Since that day when I walked into AA I have dedicated my life to helping others heal also.  To try and help prevent anyone especially young people going through and experiencing the pain and trauma that I did became like a mission for me.  I never want anyone to get to that point like I did where they feel like they are all alone and that they have absolutely no HOPE.  If I can help provide that HOPE I will.

That is an inspiring wake-up call. It reminds me a bit of an experience of a man who was intent on committing suicide and the touching story of his Golden Gate Bridge Survival.  His will to live sent out a vibration that brought the aid of a sea lion.

If you could share a single message with the world, what would it be?  

When you are able to be your authentic self, you unlock the door to freedom.  When you have Freedom to truly be yourself without fear of judgement, that opens the door to true connection with others, which is something we all need and have a deep longing for.  My mantras of Don’t do life alone and together is better ring loud in everything I do.  Also to believe that there is always HOPE.

Based on many shared stories, hope feels like a stepping stone to trusting ourselves more.

If you could share a meal with 5-10 people, who would they be? 

Jimmy Barnes, Mother Theresa, my grandfather Bert Fisher (who was the Tivoli Conductor/ composer and violinist who I never got the chance to meet), Brett Whitely, and the queen.

An intriguing combination of individuals would be sitting at your table...why them?

The reason I would pick all these people, is because they have all experienced deep trauma and lived both complicated and exciting lives.  They have all been through extremely sad and hard times and all reveal depth and great talent.  They all show resilience in the face of hard times.  All these people would have the most amazing stories to tell.

Love your choices! What the public hears about famous people is often only a glimpse of the truth or tip of the iceberg of deeper truths. It is also interesting that everyone we draw to us is revealing things about us we may not yet know. It is said we are drawn to or inspired by people who’s admirable traits we are in the process of recognizing, loving and accepting within ourselves. In a similar line, we can also imagine which fictional characters we would invite to dinner and the underlying reasons for doing so. In addition, it has also been said that anyone who is born into this world experiences birth and/or pre-birth related trauma and this is another possible avenue for investigation and healing.

Please share anything else you wish to add:

Our book launch is on the 28^th of Feb at Venue 114 Lake Kawana.  Tickets must be purchased by next Tuesday 26^th and are available via our Stories of HOPE Facebook page.  For anyone who would like to purchase a copy of my book  Stories of HOPE Australia ‘Everyday People, Extraordinary Stories’ which will be sure to change the way you look at life forever, you can do so via my website www.storiesofhope.com.au

If you are someone who feels you have a story of HOPE that you would like to share to help change lives for good, I would love to hear from you.  Until then,  ‘don’t do life alone, together is better’.

Thanks Kerrie, for creating the Stories of Hope initiative and inviting people to come together to reassure, empathize and support others.  I certainly look forward to taking in more of the events. You set an example to us all that we are not the body, not the mind, but the Soul in the process of experiencing different facits of life necessary to become a butterfly. Highly recommend people come attend one or more of the monthly events to get a taste of speakers who regain their personal power by sharing their stories, shifting their attitude and direct experience of what is possible in a group setting. Contact Kerrie Atherton for more details and visit the FB pages.

Leave people with a story:

Moving Mind from 10 Zen Stories 

Two men were arguing about a flag flapping in the wind.

“It’s the wind that is really moving,” stated the first one. “No, it is the flag that is moving,” contended the second.

A Zen master, who happened to be walking by, overheard the debate and interrupted them. “Neither the flag nor the wind is moving,” he said, “It is MIND that moves.”

Meeting Kerrie Atherton and learning about her endeavours is heart-warming reminder that every moment can be understood as an opportunity to learn more about ourselves and the strength we can develop through adversity.

Interview with Steph Adams & Samantha Brett

Introducing Steph Adams and Samantha Brett.  They go the extra mile in their efforts to change the way we perceive ourselves, the world and what is possible for each of us.

Steph Adams is a woman who wears many hats, including international best-selling Author, Art Director, Business woman and Editor of LAQUA Magazine, which she founded in 2017.  Samantha Brett is a Channel 7 News reporter, presenter, lifestyle columnist and best-selling author of seven books herself. As they team up to share insight and fundraise for a cause, they cannot help but have an incredible impact.

For now, let me say, I am very pleased to discover your book, The Game Changers: Success Secrets From Inspirational Women Changing the Game and Influencing the World. It lands in my lap with perfect timing. Something inside reminds me everything happens for good reason. 

In light of your busy lives, I would like you both to know how much Dreambuilders Australia readers are thrilled you create time to get to know you on a whole new level. Love to see how this exchange unfolds.

As experts in journalism, fashion, beauty and writing for huge audiences,  you tune into the pulse of Australia and the world, and respond to interests of the masses.  What led to your desire to raise awareness of mentors who overcome struggles?

Steph: Well, both Sam and I have had very long careers and we to have encountered our own struggles. Coming together for this book just felt so easy because it was something we were both so passionate about. 

Sam: THANK YOU! I Definitely think our lengthy and diverse backgrounds help us look at pulling together a book like The Game Changers from two very different get complementary points of view. We’ve both had our fair share of set-backs and challenges which have contributed to the way we see the world.

Love that you draw from your own life experience to encourage others to hang in there and grow from whatever obstacles they face.  As a former dream analyst columnist myself, I know people value guidance to help them step back, reframe and grow from obstacles and learn to laugh at themselves.  

This said, which specific inspiring themes stand out to you in your book?

Steph: Sharing other peoples stories of success and failure in the world is something that resonates with me. Each story is unique and inspires me in its own way.  I learn from each one.  

Sam: another theme is that rings true for me is 'nothing comes easy!'  

Indeed. You are both clearly passionate about what you do.  Your own lives are inspirational and send a message by example.  Sharing inspirational stories as you do is a bonus.  What would you like women to gain from reading Game Changers?

The essays from women around the world are aimed at inspiring the next generation to follow their dreams. What stands out, is that no matter where we are in life or what we are doing, we can all choose to be open to learning from adversity faced by others. 

So true. We can view setbacks as stepping stones to building strength, resolve and traits to help achieve their dreams.  And empathy allows us to feel what other people are feeling. Every event that unfolds before us reminds us we choose how to perceive and respond to it.  This begins and ends inside. Life is one big miracle but people only notice miracles in those moments when they come to life.

In your latest collaboration, you support the Pink Hope Foundation.  Please tell us about that.  What motivates you to be involved and why create the Game Changers book to support the cause? 

Steph : We both have worked with Pink Hope in the past so this book is a natural collaboration. We really support all the work Krystal Barter does for the Charity.

Sam: A percentage of sales goes to help support Pink Hope after we both lost our friend to breast cancer.  There are some incredible stories in The Game Changers - most of which you really need to read as there are too many to talk about here.

Krystal's story is definitely one of resilience.  It shows us the lengths people are willing to go to survive as well as the power of love. I have known women who have suffered from breast cancer, and related depression, as have many of our readers. Whatever course of treatment is chosen, each person offers a unique story with its own inspiring message.

There is a saying about the six degrees of separation, meaning everyone is really touched directly or indirectly by this illness through relationships. My mother died from cancer. I also had a client who another kind of cancer. She viewed her trial as a wake-up call and stepping stone to make big changes in her life. When she was diagnosed, she already visualized being healed.  During her chosen treatment, she got in touch with her passion for interior design.  Now, she has a thriving business. Chicken Soup for the Cancer Survivor's Soul is another book that inspires people to reframe related issues, and laugh more to heal like Patch Adams advises.

I marvel at how you both spent over two decades between you interviewing inspiring and successful women.  In light of all the unique people you have encountered in your careers, how did you ever choose the women you include in your book?

Steph: Well, a lot of them we have looked up to through out our lives and some we just found so inspiring, we just had to share their stories.

Sam: We also wanted women from diverse backgrounds and industries, and women of all ages and countries. 

What comes through your responses is that sometimes what inspires us about particular people is not easy to identify in words.  As you both interact personally with all those women you profile, you have the added insight of feeling what its like to be in their physical presence and even to know them on an timinate level.  Your book conveys this very well.

In the course of writing the book, what did you realize the women you profile share in common?

Steph: The women in Game Changers are fearless in their pursuits, set goals with determination and go after what they want. Each of these women knows her own set-backs, and the power of resilience.

Sam: And I might add these women also refuse to be discouraged when their options seem exhausted.

What do success and fulfillment mean to each of you? How do each of you see the world evolving in its focus and priorities? 

Steph: I think that success is defined only when you find that moment in your life when you are just happy and content. Its not always about being "successful" as such. When you enjoy what you are doing but don't make success the outcome.

Sam: I think success to me is going to work every day and it never feeling like work! Also, being able to maintain relationships with family and friends, without letting work take over every facet of your life. 

One thing that stands out is you are both globe-trotting career women, as well as multi-tasking mums. What advice do you have for women exploring careers and asking how to do more in less time? How is your sense of priorities and use of time changing?

Steph: When you become a mother, you just realise that things take a little longer to accomplish and complete, but thats ok. The joy of motherhood is wonderful even among the chaos!!

Sam: I try and spend a certain amount of hours every day with my daughter, and that way when I go to work, I don’t feel (too) guilty! It’s definitely a constant juggle and balancing act. I wish I had the magic formula but unfortunately I think the only advice is forget sleep! 

To be sure! Every day is a new day.

Please let us in on your inspirations? Who or what inspires you to be most true to yourselves?

Steph: I am inspired mostly be my friends, family and my two sons.

Sam: Steph definitely inspires me, she’s such a great Mum and Hard worker. My mum is amazing too, and my colleagues at Seven News are superwomen! 

If you decided to interview each other and add a section to this book Game Changers, what advice would you offer the world about creating and realizing dreams? Which pieces of advice from the women in your book stand out most?

Steph: Learn to Zig, then Zag - has always been something that has resonated with me. Some of the advice I learnt from the other women was that failure is all part of the journey, its not the final destination.

Sam: I agree.

Under what conditions do you feel most comfortable and most confident? Which life experiences and especially disappointments have you had that have contributed most to who you are today?

We all have moments in life when things are not always going to go smoothly, and that just life. We sometimes need to accept them and just make the most of the special moments with our friends and family.

If you had to choose 5 things to take to a deserted island, what would you bring?

Steph: My husband, a bottle of Aperol, bikinis, towel and sunscreen

Sam: My iPad, (to watch suits!), A pocket knife (I read that somewhere !), Arianna Huffington’s “Thrive” book for inspiration, My husband and daughter 

What advice do you have for our readers about being a women in this day and age? What helps you be the best you can be? What is to be avoided?

Steph: Be kind, gracious and appreciate what you have because it could all be gone tomorrow.

Sam: Do not take social media (or any technology) too seriously! Life exists beyond it.  

Do both of you have books or films you turn to for advice, solace or inspiration? What are the genres, titles?

Steph: Yes I used to carry with me 5 little books around with me since I was 18 in my suitcase of quotes on happiness and life. They always replace the negative thoughts.

Sam: Arianna Huffington’s books

If you could leave our readers with a some advice about realizing dreams, what would you say?

Steph: Follow your passion.

Sam: Do what you love and the rest will come.

Steph and Sam, your professional initiatives and the way you prioritize family are inspirational. Thansk for offering a glimpse into your true selves and priorities.  You leave us with a few things to reflect on and explore. 

Love that you inspire us all to remember we each have the power to make a difference in the world, one moment and one project at a time. Like you and Game Changers profiled women, Grace Vanderwaal also echoes no need exists to compare what we do.  We are all unique, can choose to see blessings in who and where we are, and accept that whatever we do right now is enough. If and when we are inspired to act on something new, listening to the heart and keeping a sense of humor is key.

Interview with Barbara Pease

Barbara, it is a pleasure to connect with you again here.  Years ago, during another stage of my life, I had the privilege of attending a few of your corporate keynotes with Allan. I sincerely enjoyed your humour and the way you both so effectively shared insights the audience could relate to. You have this amazing ability to understand fears, and put them in perspective in ways that are educational and entertaining. To be in the presence of your energy is eye-opening, thought-provoking and empowering. Thus, you are a perfect addition for the inspirational mentors area of this Blog.

I love how you are so approachable and down-to-Earth in-person, that your stories feel so genuine and engaging and that being near you enables people to feel more comfortable laughing at themselves.  It is no surprise that you and Allan are internationally renowned, best-selling authors. The Definitive Book of Body Language and Why Men Don't Listen & Women Can't Read Maps are two of my favourites. I love all the ones I have read. To your credit, you share an impressive 18 best-sellers, including 10 number ones and more than 27 million books sold. Thank you for all you do to encourage others and to enrich the world. Now on to this interview. Let us see where it takes us...

Society and our peers engrain ideas about success and expectations.  We each come into struggle, turmoil, and places we do not wish to go.  Tremendous changes are taking place.  We do not always know where to turn, or how to respond with confidence. 

Please share why you chose to write and publish The Answer, how it stands apart from your other books, who is your intended reader and why it is empowering?

Our other books are about how to be a better communicator, how to be a people magnet and how to build rewarding relationships.  But after many years in the speaking business, meeting and talking to people everywhere, The Answer came to life as a book to teach people how to discover what they are passionate about and then how to achieve it.  Many people believe they know how to achieve success but most never seem to move forward with their lives.  This is usually not from lack of trying, but from not having the right system to move forward and to effectively set the goals they really want.  

So, you tell your readers, here is The Answer: "Life is a game and here are the rules." 

From an early age most people are conditioned to please others instead of themselves.  As adults, this often translates into being stuck in a job they don’t like or with a partner they no longer connect with because they’re often listening to the opinions of others and end up doing what society, family or friends expect of them, rather than marching to their own drum. 

Your insight is such encouragement for us all to participate more whole-heartedly in life, yet not for the purpose of using life experience to avoid ourselves.  It sounds like an invitation to notice our own resistance and let it pass through.  Its like when you relax, little bits of pain and tightness are released, and we let the creative music in. It is said that true greatness and transformation hide beyond pain.  As we open our eyes and wake up, so much more exists to each of us that what we are taught.  How does your book help people see their true colors?

The amazing feedback and stories we’ve received from readers around the world is testament to the powerful and life-changing techniques in The Answer. We’ve had readers writing to us from Moscow to Paris, to Quebec, Tehran and Sydney sharing their stories about how they’re now moving in new directions with their lives and finally doing what they really want to do.

That is powerful confirmation you are right on track with your desire to move forward and still guide people to recognize and let go of their comfort zones. We can devote life to staying with the familliar or, explore 'what ifs,' step boldly into the unknown, expand into more of ourselves. We only experience more of what is available without mental boundaries. We must see and transcend our own.

This said, the Self-help book industry is huge.  Many say everything that can be said in this genre already has been.  This said, new books are still being written, released and also becoming best-sellers. Your book The Answer, has been called “ground-breaking” and a category killer”.  How do you feel about this and the impact this book is making? What enables it to stand out?

We have always written our books for everyday people. We write in a straight-forward, no nonsense and humorous way. We do this intentionally because humour is an important tool that helps people absorb and remember information. The Answer pulls together most of the ideas and strategies people may already know, for example, The Law of Attraction, The Universe, Goal- setting, Prayer, the Yin & Yan and so on. We then tie it all together with the science of the brain to explain why and how these things work. The Answer  gets enormous results from our male readers who are sceptical of concepts like The Law of Attraction – men demand evidence and The Answer provides it. The Answer gives scientific proof then shows the reader how to achieve anything they want. 

The human mind fears uncertainty and resists pain.  From a young age, we explore questions to shift focus away from the mental cage created by our fear and discomfort. Curiously, answers we come up with do not always help realize dreams.  As what you teach nipping fear in the bud, readers may be astonished or, find it no wonder your monthly relationship column has over 20 million readers in 25 countries. Many people seek advice to equip them to deal with what arises.

Turns out, when the going gets tough, people come face-to-face with big questions. You say participants of your seminars have had their lives changed by your teachings, that your simple but powerful skills help you deal effectively with almost everything that happens. What about dilemmas that trigger insecurity,  health issues, stress us about the biological clock, and fear of mortality?  What insight does The Answer offer to deal with really tough situations?

We share how we have used the techniques in The  Answer to produce our IVF children, to overcome depression, fight cancer and many other areas of our own lives.  The techniques revealed in The Answer are simple and practical - not always easy, but simple - and show how when you have the belief you can achieve anything you want – you can!

Accessible, easy-reading books like yours help people feel better equipped to deal with what life throws. Reminds me of the reach of the Original Chicken Soup for the Soul compiled by Jack Canfield and Mark Victor Hansen.  It contains of course inspirational stories that help people find courage to overcome adversity. Although your books are more instructive, readers of your books and these relate and imagine their own triumphs. You have to nurture a dream before you can manifest it.  

Now, love the term Easy Peas-y, often used to refer to how you view and respond to challenges. As the single most best-selling female author in Australia with 14 best-sellers to your credit, what advice do you offer aspiring authors? Is writing something you always wanted to do or did the writing career happen unexpectedly? If you could rewind or fast-forward your life, anything you would change? 

Growing up in Central Queensland, I never thought of myself as a writer but as a person who had been given the gift of being able to teach people on all levels and to make people feel valued and important.  So when I met Allan he was already an author and he saw in me what I never saw in myself - that I had a talent to offer the female perspective in our books and to reach people globally from all walks of life. We have always worked as a team on our books so that they have a balanced male and female perspective. In my life I have 6 children and 8 grandchildren that I adore. I exercise 6 days a week and live in Buderim on the beautiful Sunshine Coast. Allan and I practice what we preach. We decide what we want in our lives and work every day toward our goals. Right now, we are building a community of people who we have worked with at our weekend events… and I wouldn’t change a thing! I love my life and I am constantly excited about what can happen in the future.  Allan and I learn and grow together and create amazing life goals that keep us moving forward.

The process of moving forward is indeed energizing.  We can move in so many directions. What is possible begins to expand based on our choice to cross paths and interact more often with people on a similar wavelength. The idea of creating a community of like-minded people who connect, support and encourage each other strikes me as a model with staying power. Love others as you love yourself and the universe responds by moving mountains.   We help each other and like the movie, Pay it forward. This is true freedom. 

Speaking on a practical level, what you have seen in practice during your workshops and events since The Answer was released? Is this impact meeting your expectations? How is your vision for the book changing with the changing consciousness of the planet?

We have just completed the 5th of our new VIP Weekends at our rainforest property on the Sunshine Coast.  On these weekends, we coach up to 30 delegates to discover their true potential and to pursue their dreams. When Allan and I began to write The Answer, we hadn’t conceived the VIP Weekends yet, but once we set our RAS and decided that The Answer would be life-changing to our readers, amazing opportunities started to appear to us. That’s how the RAS works! 

We’ve since had the privilege of meeting hundreds of people through these VIP weekends and we are always excited to hear how their lives have evolved after they’ve attended the VIP Weekend.  

It is indeed exciting to follow up and see how exchanges of energy are affecting the dynamic field of awareness. As talented singer-songwriter Grace Vanderwaal reminds us, So much More exists as we listen deeply to ourselves.  It is what it is.

The examples you share helps us start seeing beyond individual people and stories, and the darkness that keeps chasing us.   We begin to see the power of where and how we are focusing our consciousness. Very cool revelations arise.  We see how others interpret behaviour and movement based on what we hold in our minds and the blocks that funnel energy toward more subtle bodily actions and activities.

You say in The Answer, “The reason most people don’t accomplish much or have much in their lives is because they haven’t decided what they want.” You also tell readers to, “Expect and plan for people, and things to try and slow you down.”  What advice can you offer people who do set goals, write ideas down, yet feel discouraged by encountering repeated roadblocks to manifesting or somehow hold themselves back from realizing goals? Please offer an example of a few cases where people managed to turn their lives around.

I received an email yesterday from a couple who came to our VIP weekend last year. At the time, they were stuck financially and emotionally in past failures. They had a dream to move to France but they didn’t have the belief  they could do it. They emailed us from France… their RAS had found their way forward and they are now living there and loving it!  Another of our delegates from our first VIP Weekend a year ago set a goal of becoming a net millionaire – from a zero start -by age 50.  He told us this week he had just achieved this goal – 3 weeks before his 50^th!

For many people, following through on their plans can be the hardest part of the goal-getting process. You’ve set a specific goal, you’ve written a plan with a deadline, and now you are announcing it to the world. But suddenly you find a flood of people – especially relatives and friends – trying to talk you out of it. Decide right now that you will not listen to these people.  We are not saying that you should be reckless or take unnecessary risks – every choice you make to move forward has risks. You need to make your own informed decisions -- don’t let anyone steal your dreams. People who are too weak to follow their own dreams will always find a way to discourage yours. Don’t let small minds convince you that your goals are too big. If your goals don’t scare you a little, they are not big enough. And be careful who you open up to. Only tell your dreams to a few people really care. The rest are just curious. 

Funny thing about France.  I sense another synchronicity!  Like your VIP guests in the example, years ago, I also had a dream about a move to France.  I started with the vision, then drew a  map, read books, got some French penpals, learned the language, really focused my attention on the goal.  Athough it didn't happen right away, I did end up winning a scholarship and completing my Masters and Ph.D in France. That period of my life was full of adventures.  Years later, something similar happened before my move to Australia. Like other readers here, consistenly living dreams is a topic of great interest. You can realize a dream, yet feel impatient for others to happen.  What to do about closing the gap between here and there...

On this note, The Answer intrigues loads of people because of its substance, exercises and advice about repeatability.  A lot of research went into it.  You talk about the importance of training and retaining the brain.  Tried and tested methods appeal. Please comment on the RAS (Reticular Activating System), how to activate it, and what we can do to accelerate the process of finding a passion and creating multiple income streams. How does knowing more about brain power catapult us into more of our true greatness?

Every person has the seeds of greatness inside them, but few people realise it. And even if you do know it, how do you make it all happen?  When you understand how the brain functions and that you can program it for whatever you want, your life goes into over-drive.  You realise that nothing happens by chance and that you are – and always have been – in charge of what happens in your life.

Taking charge, that is personal responsibility for everything, not just credit for what works out but also what does not, is such a key revelation. We have to love ourselves and express this in more than external body language.  This feels like a turning point to real transformation.

More and more people are growing aware that something in their lives does not feel right.  Yet that does not necessarily mean they are ready or willing to take action to change. The Answer  invites focusing on what one finds exciting as a step to making bigger life changes.  Of course, talkers and doers still exist. What, in your experience, prompts people to take the most immediate action, especially the leap from fear to being more honest with themselves and doing what they love?  

For some people, motivation to make a change comes when something bad happens or their life begins to unravel. While that is very normal - and Allan and I have certainly had our fair share of setbacks - if you practice setting your goals and writing and re-writing them, using affirmations and always working a piece at a time towards your goals then the process becomes second nature, life is constantly evolving and you are always focused on something new and exciting. With this approach, you come to see life in a positive way.  When someone reads THE ANSWER they realise that they can really have what they want in life and that is it simple when you follow the rules in our book.  Life can be amazing if you want it to be.

I just love revelations you share about human behaviour.  You bring those up in other books. The observations you make and write about have such widespread relevance, the themes show up in greeting cards and cartoon blurbs. The universality of themse you write about helps so many people wake up and live more consciously.  

That said, some goals are tangible, and trackable on linear timelines.  Your Book, The Answer, offers loads of pertinent wisdom for this. Yet, other people have a vision of fulfillment that is more qualitative and less relevant to timelines.  What advice can you offer people who have a vision for who they are or what they wish to be, but have difficulty outlining measurable steps. After you clarify a vision for yourself, what role does surrendering to the universe or letting go and letting God ( as they say) have in your own life? What are the results? 

The RAS will find the “HOW” when you are clear about “WHAT” you want. As Allan says, the “HOW” is none of your business [laughs]. Affirming what you do want and believing that the RAS will help you find answers to how to achieve your goal is the first step. But some people stop there and procrastinate or allow other people or situations to pull them off track. This is why it’s so important to spend time each day visualising yourself achieving your goal. Then to start writing down what you can do to get closer to your goal. How do you eat an elephant? One bite at a time. And so it is with achieving your goals. 

Right! Nothing ever goes away until it teaches you what you need to know. As you imply, goal-setting is not all its cracked up to be. Knowing unpredictable events arise allows one to better adapt to them.  Expect the unexpected and never be disapointed. We control everything yet are not conscious of everything. Learning more about the brain helps us connect the dots and respond without allowing emotions to control us.  

With all the lives you touch, all that you accomplish, all you have done, what at this moment, makes your life most fulfilling? What would you like to do but have not done yet? How would you encourage others to live a more purpose-driven life? Could you offer any preliminary steps that would jump start the process?

My family and friends make my life fulfilling… and I just love spending time with them.  We have 4 older children and to watch them achieve new goals and move forward with their lives is such a joy. We also have 2 younger kids and we are having so much fun being older parents and showing them what they can achieve if they believe in themselves.  Allan and I have an great relationship which keeps getting better and better as we grow older together (which was one of our original joint goals).  Allan is my running mate in life and life is never dull. We laugh a lot and create an amazing life together. I feel I am a very blessed person, but this was always on my goal list.  My advice is find your running mate in life, set your goals and dreams and chase them until you achieve them.   TWO BOOKS TO READ TO KICK START YOUR LIFE ARE ….WHY MEN DON’T LISTEN AND WOMAN CAN’T READ MAPS and THE ANSWER…these are a must for anyone that wants an exciting, happy fulfilling life. Men and Women are different and once you understand the differences your personal and business life becomes really exciting.

Those book are great.  The observations you make are hilarious and so true. This makes me chuckle.  I am also reminded of themes covered in that book by John Gray, Men are From Mars and Women are from Venus.  That is another classic worth a read. I suppose you know of it? 

Books help with self-growth, yet is said that in-person coaching or mentoring people to accept more of who they are, is a way of seeing a deeper part of ourselves.  Please share some of the most profound lessons you have learned about yourself in your career. What are a few big highlights?

When I was 12 years old I had 3 jobs and worked hard.  As an adult, I realised that I was tenacious in business and could achieve almost anything when I set my mind to it.  When I met Allan, he showed me the science behind why what I did worked so well and this propelled me to go to even bigger things.  And thus, The Answer was born.

Hence, the relevance of that phrase, "the best is here and the best is also yet to come." With every moment comes the possibility of renewed strength, new ideas and inspired action.  This is how we can each experience harmony within. As you say, the focus of attention is paramount and so is being open to learning new things about ourselves.

Of course, its common to view time as a human process, a thing we create to master ourselves, grow conscious of and move through our self-created obstacles.  Love the way you invite people to make the most of their time based on how they clarify their dreams and realize them. What does time mean to you? How dos it feel to spend time wisely and master it in your own life?  

Most people waste time by spending 80% of their time on the things and activities that only produce 20% of their results.  I dedicate 100% of my time to the things that get me the 80% of the results and I take the rest of the time off.  We all have the same amount of time – the difference is how we use it.

Taking time off, the self-care time is widely under-rated and so often overlooked. What a valuable reminder.   William Penn echoes "Time is what we want most, but what we use worst."  This is a valuable piece of advice to take away. Looking after ourselves is loving ourselves much like sharing here is caring too.

It is widely known you and Allan are public speakers and facilitate seminars related to your books in 70 countries.  That is mind-blowing.  It also inspires everyone to be the best we can all be.

At this stage, I’m excited to hear more about your VIP Weekends for coaching. Please tell us more about those. What prompts you to create this opportunity? How often do you offer these events? What do they involve? How does one qualify? We would love to hear all the details. 

Our VIP Weekends are amazing! We started running them because people learn the most and have the most profound, deep experiences when in a small group environment for 2 days. We limit the VIP Weekends to a maximum of 30 people so that we have time to spend with everyone, getting to know what is important in their lives and how we can help them move forward and get more of what they want and achieve a fullfilling life.  

Love that you invite people to step outside the perceived world they build for themselves to see new sources of light, inspiration and possibilities.  One core message that stands out in The Answer is we exist to go beyond the walls or limitations we imagine.  To do that, we have to understand why we build walls in the first place.   Group discussions are great for helping us be more aware of our blind spots. Sense lots more people are interested in joinging your VIP groups.

It feels exciting to feel you developing and expanding in your projects.  You are really branching out with Heliport Studios.  This is a unique extension from books and public speaking to recording studios for TV and music.  What inspired this? How do you envision this brainchild evolving? Can you give us a sneak peak of projects in the works? 

Allan was a professional Blues guitar player in the 1960s and his passion was always music.  We decided to make this passion a business and it has grown to the point where we host famous musicians, bands and identities.  Last year we even engineered Rihanna’s  song Towards The Sun which was the title song for the Dreamworks Movie,   When you have identified your passion with The Answer, the ultimate is to turn this passion into a paying business,  When you do this, you’ll never work another day in your life.

Uplifting music to the ears!

Rhianna's song is a lyrically and melodically beautiful. Like this song, your books highlight the importance of taking life events in stride.  Thus we "let the shadows fall behind [us]."  The Answer echoes the Sun always shines from our hearts when we choose to be in harmony with ourselves. We can each bring more light and love into our lives when we stop being so Delicate , just like Taylor Swift sings.

And the vision of living playfully like a dolphin near the ocean is so inviting. The fact you are located near the Gold Coast is an inspirational setting, the perfect environment for brainstorming and discussing new visions and life transformation.  Love the opportunities you are creating for natural human connections and jumpstarting innovation.  

Thanks so much Barbara for this timely interview.  Only perfect timing exists.  You and Allen make such a huge contribution to help others awaken and reclaim their inner power. In order to understand why we limit ourselves, we have to understand who is holding us back.  This involves gaining insight into body language and mental and emotional games we play.

Thank you for reminding us who we are and what we can do is related to our thoughts and focus of attention.  There is a saying: you are beocming like the five people you spend the most time with. This is an invitation to reflect on the qualities of those you admire and create ways to spend more time with like-minded Souls.  Take advantage of the opportunity to participate in an event hosted by Barbara and Allan Pease.

Choose to get the most out of life. You get exactly what you decide, nothng more, nothing less.

Here is a link to Pease International website for more information on the VIP Weekends: www.peaseinternational.com