Hello and a warm welcome back to the podcast, the Hayley Osborne Show. I’m really glad that you are here.
Here’s a summary for you to jump ahead if you need:
[0:00:00–0:04:05] Introduction, lost voice, and why systems matter when life falls apart
[0:04:06–0:08:19] The simple yearly goal: weekly friend catch-ups and why it matters
[0:08:20–0:12:38] How friendships create space, ideas, and better leadership
[0:12:39–0:17:12] Health, habits, and how feeling your best changes how you show up
[0:17:13–end] Redefining success, self-care, and the one question for listeners
For those joining for the very first time, welcome. I am your business strategist, founder, mumma of three, and someone who is really passionate about helping health brands to build businesses that they are genuinely proud of.
Now, I am. Last week there was no episode because I had lost my voice, and so I’m still a little bit croaky. However, I’ve tried to leave it to the last minute to record this because I don’t want to be that person like in your ears. But we might need to do that. I’ve got a cup of tea here, ready to go.
That’s beautiful and warm to drink while I do this, just in case my throat is a bit funny. But my voice seems like it’s back to normal now, which is so nice and so good for you and so good for me because I talk a lot and I need my voice, and I also need my voice to, you know, like I’m a mum of three boys, and they’re young, and so I need my voice to don’t do that kind of thing. And so much love.
Anyway, so let’s just get straight into it. I hope that you’re well. I hope that you are warm wherever you are, and I know that this podcast is consumed all over Australia, so some of us never have to deal with cold weather. However, lucky you and I try and escape for a week or so in the winter time every year, but we’re not doing that this year.
So it is cold here in Adelaide, and you know I’m trying to embrace it. So today is a little bit of a different episode, and we’re up to episode 211 of the podcast, which is very cool. I want to talk about the goal I set this year that made me a better business owner.
Okay, so I love these conversations because they give me an opportunity to be able to share with you what’s happening behind the scenes in my business, the lessons that I’m learning along the way, and the things that I really hope that help you to build your business along with your life to love both at the same time because I think that’s really important because you know if you are resenting how much you’re working then that’s not fun and we need to talk about like systems and processes and things like that for you to be able to do what you love at the same time and you know it’s funny.
I was reading something actually this morning where, you know, it’s important to remember. Like you hear a lot of people like me, let’s just say, talk about building in smart systems and processes and automation. And you know, I’m leveling up the way that I use AI in my business now.
There’s been a few things that have happened in my business. I’ll talk about them later, which has forced me to dive into using AI as an employee, which is really really cool. So I think that I know I talk a lot about you know automating things and building up systems and processes in your business because you know you want it to be able to move and shake a lot without you having to manually drive things. And what I read this morning was interesting because it’s not this. It’s not building the systems and processes for you to just keep being busy and for you to do the things, it’s building those so that when shit hits the fan and life falls apart, they still keep working for you.
Okay, so when you have sickness in your family, you know when you have maybe health issues yourself, when you’ve got to take people to the doctors, whether it be parents or kids or whatever it is, dentists, you might be put out for two weeks. It might be you never know. And so these systems and processes that we’re all talking about, that I’m talking about, that help you to streamline your business, that’s when they come in handy. When shit hits the fan, when you can no longer be present because of something, okay? So that’s what I’m talking about.
Anyway, today’s episode is different because we’re not diving into marketing strategies. We’re not talking about content creation or branding or anything like that. Although you’ll probably realize by the time I’m finished talking that everything we talk about today has a huge impact on every one of those things, but I wanted to tell you about a goal that I set at the beginning of the year, which has honestly, genuinely made me better in how I show up in my business. And the funny thing is that I wrote it down, and I thought it was it’s in my personal goals. So I’ve got business goals and personal goals that I sit down and I, you know, look at at the start of every year, and this was something that I thought would make my life feel fuller, and I had no idea that it does completely change the way that I think, the way that I lead, and I always have known this, but ultimately, you know, the way that you.
Your business, because I’m telling you now, everything is connected. So, if you ever felt like you’re always chasing the next thing, the next client, the next launch, the next milestone, you’re filling your books. I think this episode is a must listen. So, the goal, the goal at the beginning of every year, I spend time planning and I set you know podcast goals, fitness goals, revenue goals, business goals, and also I set the personal ones of like what kind of a life do I actually want to build this year? I want to go away a fair bit, take my kids on as many adventures and experiences as possible. I think success for me looks different. It’s not just about building a you know seven figure business that that is the goal.
Except it is I’ve got I’m in the life of small children, so my life is different. So my goals are to build a life that feels really exciting, fulfilling, aligned, and aligned with who I want to become. And one of the simplest things, well, I’ve got a couple of things I wrote down. One is to give my kids new experiences every single week, and that could be as simple as you know the bubble gun going off in the backyard because they absolutely love chasing bubbles around. But one of them was see one of my friends every single week. That was it, and that would be really, really hard for me. And so it’s unfolded.
That is exactly what’s been happening by chance, or by you know me putting it out to the universe. That was it. See one of my friends every week. There wasn’t a key performance indicator, like there wasn’t a KPI around it. There wasn’t spreadsheets. There’s no complicated system. I don’t. I don’t do complication because that just annoys the absolute shit out of me. I do. I do easy. Okay, and I wanted to have one intentional catch up every week, which was going to be hard for me because, you know, I have three little kids, and they need me. And there’s only seven days in a week, and I’m only one human. And you know, maybe that’s why I lost my voice because I was trying to do too much.
However, it could be a walk, a gym session, coffee, dinner, a birthday, a girls’ weekend, and you know that meant time dinner at home. I’m not talking like fancy dinners out and here, there, and everywhere. I’m talking like normal, not boring, but just normal everyday things. This is life. This is what we live for. This is what we make plans for. Live normally and share, you know, ourselves with those people that we love, and so if anything, it just meant spending genuine time with the people that I love.
And when I talk about friends, I also talk about the family bucket that sits in that too, because my family and my friends as well. So cousins, sister-in-laws, that kind of thing, like I still consider that as really important. So, why did I make this goal? I think building a business is such an incredible privilege. Not everyone can do it, and that’s why they don’t. Because it does require, honestly, I’m just going to say the words like grit, true grit and strength.
Because there’s up, there’s down, there’s you know you’re it, and so the systems and processes around you help you to be able to have the freedom to spend time with people that you love. But it’s also really demanding, and I think that if you’re not running a business, you don’t actually realize how demanding it is, and how much impact it can have on your overall life if you’re not clear on your boundaries. Then add three little children into the mix, okay, and all the things that they do: family, clients, speaking, running this podcast, the the committee work that I do, the gym.
Life fills up really quickly, and you know I realized something that friendships had quietly, because you know I’ve been having babies the last five years, had quietly become something that I’d fit in if I had time, and that’s fine because at you know when you’re breastfeeding for 12 months each child, like they’re your most important thing because you know I never bottle fed, I never formula, I never did any of that. It was just me, and I’m really really proud of that.
And I could do it because I was a very good cow, and I was, you know, it just happened. And it’s not not for everyone, or not everyone has that much milk, except I did, and so, you know, after that, the friendship thing was something that I had would just fit in if I had time, except for time really never magically appeared. So, the keep the weeks kept on rolling by, you know, everything kept growing. Kids get bigger. And you do come out of it like it’s a season.
So if you’re in that season now of you know breastfeeding and growing small humans, it goes past very fast. So enjoy it, and I definitely did. And thank God I’ve got the best friends ever because they understand that, they understood that, and so you know time just never magically appeared, and like the business kept growing, life kept moving.
Things are going really well in this business, and so this year I decided that if something matters, it deserves a place in my calendar. Like, why aren’t I putting it in my calendar? So, something really happened. Something interesting really happened to be able to have what happened next, and the catch-ups they make me really happy, and I expected these catch-ups to make me happier, and they absolutely have.
But they also made me be a better founder and a better business owner because some of the best conversations I have with my friends give me the best ideas in my business, and some have arrived at home after these catch-ups.
Some arrive on the way there because that’s like bandwidth to think, right? And then you know, having conversations with your friends and like they see what you don’t see in you as well, and so you know when you’re laughing until like your stomach hurts, that they’re like moments that you can never get back, and I think that these moments create something we never ever talk about as business owners, and that is space, space to think, space to process what’s happening in your business, space to process to be able to see things differently, and clarity, love, space, my friend.
I’m gonna have a sip of tea. So if you’re watching on YouTube, I’ve got this beautiful teapot that I love to drink tea out of, and it’s bright yellow because I add turmeric because that helps with inflammation, and I just try and add like little shortcuts into my life where I can. So I don’t know if you’ve ever read, and I know I’m digressing, but this is important too. The book Atomic Habits, and I must say, I don’t know if I finished it, but I definitely got halfway through, and I don’t intend to finish it, but it gave me what I needed because I already did what a lot of what it said in the book, but it’s to habit stack.
So you want to be healthier. How do you do that? Well, you want to reduce inflammation in your body. When you make your pot of tea, you just add a little bit of turmeric. And I’m not, you know, I’m in the health space, so I predominantly work with health and wellness businesses.
And the reason for that is because obviously, like they’re the people that are predominantly attracted to what I say, and you know my experience. But I also really have a big focus on my own health and wellness. So anyway, let me have this cup drink of tea. and all those things. I think the quality of your business and the quality of how you show up in this world every day, how you, the way that you walk, is deeply connected to the quality of your life, how tall you stand, how you enter a room, how you speak to other people. It is so deeply connected, and I think about the days when I feel my absolute best, and I want you to think about the days when you feel your absolute best as well. What have you done?
For me, I’ve moved my body. I’ve had a great conversation. I’ve laughed. I’ve had good food, like healthy food. I’ve slept really well. And think about how you’re showing up in your business because of those best days. I know for me, my decisions are heaps sharper, a lot more sharper. I’m way more creative. I’m sure you are too. More patient. I’m calmer with my kids, and I am more present, and also more strategic. And things don’t bother me as much after I’ve had a good day.
The things that might have bothered me, they just don’t. Now compare that, or compare yourself to a week where you’ve been like rushing around from one thing to the next. I guarantee you that your capacity would feel completely different, and that tells me that business doesn’t happen in isolation. It happens across all of the things, and we bring ourselves into it every single day with how we show up.
So think about that. Okay, your capacity will feel different based on whether you’ve had a really good day. A rushed, crazy day, and this is one of the reasons why I love VIP days so much. People really often tell me that I just need a marketing strategy, I just need a plan. But what they really need is space.
Okay, so a full day away from constant notifications, away from doing stuff in the business, away from reacting, putting out fires, you know, a day to think, a day to dream, a day to work, like on the business, okay, and simplify what is actually happening in the business, and be able to make decisions with a little bit more intention than what you would if you are working in your business and trying to simultaneously have a day where you’re being more strategic, but you’re still being pulled away to work in your business in some way, shape, or form.
And I think that as business owners, clarity isn’t something that you just trip over or that knocks on your door and is like, “Hey, knock, knock, knock. Now I give you permission to be clearer in your business. It’s not like that. You’ve got to create it.
You’ve got to make way for it and actually put it in your calendar, the way that I do with my friends. Because I put everything in the calendar, and it’s gotten easy because some of my friends now train with me in the morning at the gym, and I love this because that ticks the friend box, and I have a much better day. The friend box is ticked.
Yes, I have to get up early, which means I have to go to bed early, which means I come home early. Kids are just getting up, and so then I’m a better mom because I’ve spent time with the kids, and I try and chuck in a sauna session in there as well.
And I’m just like, it’s like I’ve had a massage before I even start the day, and it’s like 640-five a.m. and I’ve done all of that. I’ve seen my friends. I’ve done a sauna. I’ve done a workout, and now I’m home and I’m spending time with my kids in the morning. So, I think success now. I think when I was younger, it looked like taking extravagant trips overseas because I’ve traveled a lot, and it looked like really building different businesses. It looked like working every spare minute that I had, literally.
Like when I had my fashion label, and I was just sort of starting out, I would be sewing dresses for orders on a Saturday night, right before I was due to be picked up to go out somewhere, and I would just like throw it down and head out the door. Like there was no space between anything, and I loved that, and it taught me a lot. But today success feels a lot richer.
I’m still, and it is still very ambitious, but you know I still want to build an incredible business, and I’ve got massive goals. But success still-it looks like playground with my kids. It looks like long lunches with my friends, coffee, you know, with my friends, and you know taking my kids on all sorts of adventures. The school holidays have just finished, and oh my god, did we do all the things, and it was so lovely. Success to me as well looks like taking care of myself. So hitting the gym a lot, going for runs, doing saunas, and that really fills my cup. And I know that when my cup is full, everyone around me is happier.
And you can even ask my husband because he would agree that the house is calmer when my cup is full and I’m happier. So you know another thing: recording this podcast every week. I was really sad last week because I, even if I wanted to record this podcast. I couldn’t have because I didn’t have a voice.
So it wasn’t last week that I didn’t have a voice. It was actually the week before because this these podcasts are planned in advance, and a few things happens in happened inside of my business which stopped me being able to plan in advance like I normally do, and so I couldn’t do that three weeks before, and then the week that I wanted to do that, which was really at the last minute, and that’s fine because sometimes that’s how this podcast gets recorded.
I had lost my voice, so even if I wanted to sit down and record, you wouldn’t have wanted me to be in your ears, because life happens, and that’s what happens. So, I think that building this business, it’s nice because it gives me the freedom to enjoy the life that I’m creating. And yes, I was hard on myself because I couldn’t show up for the podcast, but I’m also trying to be kinder to myself, and I think that is the version of success that I love. So, I’m going to leave you with one question today.
What is the one thing you could intentionally protect over the next six months that would make you a better business owner? Maybe it’s seeing your friends more. Maybe it’s moving your body more. Maybe it’s eating better. Maybe it’s reading. Maybe. Maybe it’s taking yourself away for a day with me to work on your strategy. Whatever it is, book it in, diarize it in the calendar, protect it, and treat it with the same importance as your biggest client meeting because you are worth it.
The quality of your business. This is what I know to be true. It’s deeply connected to the quality of your life. So when you are looking after yourself, when you’re taking better care of yourself, you are able to lead better, think better, make better decisions, and you know the business inadvertently has better outcomes. That’s it, guys. That’s all I wanted to say because you’re worth it.
And this episode was more about you knowing that and knowing that it’s okay to pause. It’s okay to lock in those friend catch ups that fill your cup because when your cup is full, your life is so much better, and therefore your business is so much better too. All right, guys. I hope you have the best day. Thank you for letting me chat with you today, and I’ll see you next week for another episode of the Hayley Osborne Show.
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