Coffee and Contemplation with Susan Dunlop

Today’s guest is Vicky Spencer, the founder and facilitator of Inspirational Ageing group on Facebook. Vicky is a qualified naturopath, herbalist and personal trainer with over 28 years experience. A health educational specialist and author of Ageless Vitality. Vicky is on a mission to change the narrative around ageing. Her objective is to give confidence to women, during the perimenopause to pos...

Today's guest is one of the most enthusiastic, energised, ever-creating, innovative and kind people I've had the pleasure to get to know in Covid times. I met Merilee Smith from Pittsburgh PA, in 2021 through our work as professional coaches and 3 Vital Questions facilitators with the Center for the Empowerment Dynamic in the United States. Mary Poppins, Disney and making magic happen, TED* (The E...

Today’s guest is a return visitor, Nikki Creber, from the Sunshine Coast. When Nikki first came on the show for Episode 24 in October 2020, we focused on her personal experience with Parkinson’s Disease and how she took ownership of that and turned all she learned about the disease into doing something good, not just for herself, but for others as well. Nikki and I have remained supportive of each...

Teri Giannetti, a lifelong educator, coach and facilitator, joins me in this episode from her home in Detroit.  We discuss Teri's Italian heritage, from her mother's courage in the face of the Gestapo in WWII as a young girl. Her mother had a dream to find the streets paved with gold, so not long after WWII, she left her village in Italy where somebody told her to take a wheel of cheese to th...

Today’s guest is Cal Stephens, who lives close by to me at Sunrise Beach, in Noosa, Queensland. Cal and I found ourselves on a road trip to the Gold Coast a month back. A mutual friend invited us to join the audience of a new TV show. I offered to drive. I picked up our friend Nikki, and then talked and navigated our way to find Cal at a bus stop in southern Brisbane. Cal hopped into my back seat,...

The podcast being about women sharing their stories and lessons learnt from life, has led to 3 episodes in a row being friends and peers of mine who took those lessons learnt and turned them into books!  Sarah Bell from Texas, USA, is a peer 3 Vital Questions certified trainer, and I reached out to her on referral from another trainer who told me Sarah was a leader in coaching nurses. I reach...

Today’s guest is Donna Zajonc MCC and Author of "Who Do You Want to Be On the Way to What You Want? Coaching with The Empowerment Dynamic Donna is Co-Founder and Director of Coaching for the Center for The Empowerment Dynamic in the USA. Donna is currently riding the early waves of her long awaited book launch, getting her beautifully crafted words out to the world of coaches, like myself. Donna's...

Today I’m speaking with Rachel Lee in Austin Texas.  Our topic, even if we didn't state it as such was "What Does Right Look Like in Terms of Online Communication and Connection?"  Rachel commented that "people are thirsting to be heard not just seen." In our 40 minute chat we cover:  The important role of self belief in personal branding. How to show up online in business or as a r...

Funnily enough, the 3 Vital Questions that I deliver training in is about Where are You Putting Your Focus? That is the 1st Vital Question. So here I am again tying loose ends together in terms of all the lessons I've come across through business and my own personal and professional development, where the 3VQ meet this little story about shifting your focus to what is important to your prospective...

Strategic planning for established businesses, using thought-provoking content and inputs from teams to make a strategic plan alive and felt and owned by your team. Do that onsite or offsite, via a strategic retreat. Strategic retreats in Noosa would have to be one of the best locations, for a combined leadership team strategy sessions, opening up communication channels, education, plus rest and p...

Whether it's your Ultimate Vision or What's Your Why, both are one in the same in terms of an important exercise to undertake by business owners to sustain you beyond the physical and emotional energy required to get a business started.  Your Ultimate Vision, an 8 step exercise I complete with my coaching clients, becomes an integral document to go back to time and again and remind yourself t...

"When did I become invisible?"  "What is my role now that the kids are gone?" "Where did my sparkle go?" "Who can I confide in, who will understand?" How many women in midlife pose questions or repeat self-sabotaging self-talk, like "I'm too old, too tired, too unfit, too fat..."?  I chose the topic of the Top 10 Transitions a Midlife Woman would experience, or might experience, when com...

I learnt this new version of the 8 areas of life only this year and changed the way I measured my progress forwards, and dialled up the quality of what it is I'm truly focused on for my own life. You may have heard of the Wheel of Life that coaches use as a tool to measure life satisfaction with clients, most often in their first session. It lets coaches see what areas are needing the first attent...

These 3 Mandates of Leadership got me through some of the toughest days in business when massive change was occurring throughout our industry. I also use them for myself personally, in communicating within business and personally. Strangely, excitingly, I'm now connecting the dots between having taken the 3 Mandates of Leadership to be my leadership mantra back in 2011 and having found my space in...

The 3 Vital Questions course is for anyone who wants less drama and more fulfilling and effective work relationships, which includes CEOs and other senior leaders, department heads, HR leaders, leadership and organisational development professionals, team leaders and teams. Really it is for anyone who is ready to transform working together, and developing relationships that are resourceful, resili...

Introducing a mini-series of 7 short lessons to contemplate over a coffee, or beverage of choice.  This podcast is about women sharing what makes them who they are today.  These 7 lessons are me drawing on what I've learnt over the past few decades of life that helped me through hard times, have helped me stay true to my path and my vision, not feel as 'nutty' as I sometimes was in the t...

This episode does touch on the topic of childhood sexual abuse in terms of it is what the guest experienced, and has written her memoir about to help others heal from trauma too.  Jeannine Rashidi was guest no. 4 of the podcast almost 2 years ago to the day. Jeannine and I met in Kerala, India in 2017, on a mutual journey to the roots of Ayurveda. The universe put us in a very distant place t...

As I enter 2022 one month later than planned, welcoming you to the podcast for 2022 and sharing thoughts on what happens when we ignore the messages that are in front of us. Feather messages are a gentle reminder or a nudge or a push in a particular direction.  If we don't listen to the feather, then we get the brick. Brick messages are not so gentle reminders. They could be health-related, b...

Melinda Uys , former high school teacher turned business owner at Melinda Uys Words ; a self-published author and creator of beautifully sculpted written content - be it her own work or for others.  I was referred to Melinda to help me with the editing of my own book this year. I would highly recommend this woman of words to anyone needing that kind of expertise, to help you, as she did me. M...

I want to share with you a 1st preview of what I've been working towards this past year. Back in 2005, when I was 40, I came across the Drama Triangle and its 3 roles of victim, persecutor and rescuer, developed by Steven Karpman. That was 16 years ago. I immediately understood it, could see how the roles of the drama triangle played out in life, in families, society and in business.  Busy as...

Julia Carter, a woman I met 15 years ago, when I purchased an artwork from one of her first exhibitions here in Noosa. Today's conversation with Julia is about where did her creativity stem from, and the incredible journey she's travelled since. Julia took off internationally, for 10 years showcasing her art in exhibitions in Paris, London, Hong Kong, New York and even a medieval castle in Ferrara...

Jaya McIntyre, is a girl born of the '70s in Melbourne and raised on the Sunshine Coast in a Brady Bunch kind of loving and chaotic family. Jaya's childhood was about experiencing festivals and environmental events with her 'hippy' environmentalist parents, fun days in the sun, that led to her love of photography, people-gazing and music.  Now the woman at the helm of her own Empire Art Photo...

Today’s guest I heard about, long before I met her. As a business owner myself here in Noosa for some 20 years, I have always liked hearing news of business successes and applauded businesses focused on providing friendly, safe, respectful, individualised care. That mattered to me back in my days of owning RNS Nursing, and now in coaching.  Kate Davidson, award-winning business woman and owne...

Episode 37's guest is Nuray Ozden, a woman in her 40s and 4-years new to the sunny Sunshine Coast in Queensland.  Nuray knew she was going to be a health care professional when she was 3-4 years old, telling her aunty 'one day I will fix your voice'. Before leaving high school Nuray was clear about her career path to become a Speech Pathologist. As a Speech Pathologist of some 25 years' exper...

Content warning - we touch briefly on the topic of Alexandra's experience of sexual abuse. If anything discussed in this podcast causes concern for you, the incredible counsellors at 1800respect are available 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, by phone on 1800 737 732 or web chat via their website at 1800respect.org.au . ________________ Alexandra Skoeld, is a woman who found her soul's calling, her p...