Seize the Yay

There are so many people without whom this show would not have been possible, but this guest in particular really pushed me forwards at the pivotal moment where I could have backed out. We connected a few years ago when I jumped on his own incredible show, Behind the Human, for one of my very first podcast interviews and a few months later it was Marc who I turned to when I wanted to start my own....

Ang is back for a World Mental Health Day/Month episode of #yaysofourlives which, as always, involved lots of tangents and digressions before, after and in between our actual serious chats about the topic. Such is the result of voting Ang in as a regular co-host of the segment - you're literally getting our real-life catch up after a weekend of her on night shifts and me being nocturnal, so we're...

The fact that this chat came in at an hour and half and we’d already been chatting for half an hour before that confirms just how much I enjoy Grace Brennan’s company and what a great conversationalist she is. It’s not just her fascinating and unique story either (although I did love labouring over all the seemingly unlikely chapters that led to the one I met her in) but just her enthusiasm for as...

Coming to you with a quick solo #yaysofourlives this week to break a vicious cycle of calling Ang Sunday night to record Monday morning for a Monday afternoon episode. Ang didn’t believe that I’d been getting votes for her to join the segment more regularly, so I did a little poll on socials last week and it was a landslide vote off 98% to have her on weekly (and yep, you guessed it - the 2% no vo...

I’m amazed every single week at how generous people are with their time in agreeing to jump on the show, but every now and then a guest says yes who I reached out to 1000% expecting a polite no if not total radio silence. And this week, we have two of them who I admire so much not only as separately very impressive individuals but also as a wonderful couple who navigate careers, compromise and con...

A #yaysofourlives chat dedicated to the front line workers keeping us all safe (and of course, a side mention of the spectacular win by the Dees over the weekend.) Don't forget to send your NOMI-YAY-TIONS of any healthcare or frontline workers who you think deserve a little yay-filled care package. Email smile@spoonfulofsarah.com or just send us a DM on Instagram. The TikTok account we have a good...

Most of the time, I’ve had a bit of an introduction to our guest’s story or at least done a deep dive into the internet to put together the pieces in advance. Today’s guest, however, was one of those fascinating beings whose story isn’t readily documented in the media meaning we’re all hearing it for the first time together – literally, this was her first podcast EVER. Having discovered Sarah as a...

RE-RELEASE // I know I yak on about it all the time but the weirdest thing about making this show is not being able to reach out to you at the time you’re actually listening, so sometimes bringing you yay the best way possible is a bit of guesswork. I’ve been noticing people posting about episodes with a longer lag time from its release than usual, and while I originally thought lockdowns meant mo...

If you’ve been listening along for a while, you’ll probably know me well enough to notice when I get totally carried in someone’s story and suddenly we’re 50 minutes in and I’m still on their way to yay. It’s generally because our guest has such a densely interesting story that we could do a whole podcast on each theme, which I definitely felt for today’s fabulous guest and I still feel like there...

RE-RELEASE // I know I yak on about it all the time but the weirdest thing about making this show is not being able to reach out to you at the time you’re actually listening, so sometimes bringing you yay the best way possible is a bit of guesswork. I’ve been noticing people posting about episodes with a longer lag time from its release than usual, and while I originally thought lockdowns meant mo...

Most of you are already aware of my fascination with the military (the origins if which I’m still not really sure about but which I’ve stopped questioning because we also all know that weird things will make you yay, so just roll with them because you're already far better off than those who haven't found their yay yet). So, you won’t be surprised how much I enjoyed this week’s two episodes but I...

Back in your ears again, beautiful people, how time is flying by! It’s been another crazy week of a crazy year and in amongst the madness, the yayborhood has truly kept me going. A few days ago was the anniversary of the Seize the Yay book coming out (which I still can’t believe is a thing) and again, some of you sent the loveliest heartfelt messages about how it's impacted your lives sharing your...

Back with another instalment of #yaysofourlives and since you loved her so much of you weeks ago, the legendary Ang Foot is back again this week. And that was just as much for my benefit as it was for yours – I'm sure everyone's been feeling that the last few weeks have been even more intense in the news cycle than things already were and I was just feeling a bit flat and exhausted so I called in...

RE-RELEASE - We had a freshy ready for this week, but it's been one year exactly since one of our most popular episodes ever so it felt like a good time to bump it back into your ears. Especially with so many of us still in lockdown, I personally loved the escapism of this one so hope you do too! Please ignore any time specific references, although most of our yay is evergreen so hopefully you enj...

When I say #yaysofourlives has a looser structure than our OG interviews, I took it to all new levels today chatting for probably half an hour before I asked the first question. But, with the inimitable Emma Isaacs jumping back on the show who I haven’t seen forever AND who has written her second, brand new book with SO MUCH painfully relevant content to cover, I’m surprised I even got to my quest...

I only met today’s guest in person recently, but we happen to share the same management which basically makes us family (big shout out to Gen and her team at Day Management) and I’d separately been a great admirer of her work since long before then. Rachael Sarra is a contemporary Aboriginal artist and designer from Goreng Goreng country whose work is a powerful tool for storytelling, change makin...

It wouldn’t truly be #yaysofourlives if I didn’t get our little yaymaker Angelena Roan to jump on for an episode. I’ve been getting so many lovely messages about how these tangential banter sessions have been helping you guys keep smiling, but honestly it’s more therapy for me that I just happen to record, so the fact that you’re enjoying too is a bonus. You may remember Ang from the VERY first ep...

I’ve been feeling this a lot lately and was wondering if it was just me until I started getting quite a few messages from you guys remarking that our guests lately seem to have been just who we needed to hear from to get through the tumultuous past few weeks with the nation in and out of lockdown. This week, the universe has delivered yet again with the delightful Sophie Cachia on the very day she...

Today’s is a guest who I count as one of my favourite speakers of all time who I was lucky enough to hear from on Sir Richard Branson’s Necker Island during our incredible trip with Business Chicks. I have been hoping to share her infectious enthusiasm, energetic storytelling and MIND-BLOWING story since that moment two years ago and am SO excited to finally share her with you now. It's probably n...

A very short, very rambly solo #yaysofourlives episode for you this week with lots of heart-warming moments from the Tokyo Olympics. Here's an article on the shared gold medal in the high jump finals. Here's an article on Emma McKeon's medals and you can catch up on her Seize the Yay episode here. Here's a link to Ariarne Titmus' coach losing his bananas with joy. See omnystudio.com/listener for p...

Well, we know that big life pivots and sliding doors moments are one of my favourite things to talk about here and they’ve come in the form of reality TV shows before but never quite in the manner experienced by the ubiquitous Abbie Chatfield. You’ve seen her on Bachelor, you’ve seen her win I’m a Celebrity Get Me Out of Here but you may not have heard her quite like this… You’ll very soon hear fr...

Welcome to a new week, lovely yayborhood. If you‘re looking for some motivation for a fresh start, our guest for this episode is your woman. If you haven’t heard of Tory Archbold, you’ve probably encountered her work in some form or another – she is the superstar publicist whose first business, Torstar, brought Zara to Australia, took Seafolly and Sukin overseas and included Nespresso, Victoria’s...

You know I’m no stranger to a fangirl moment, but this one is really up there. Having followed her journey for over a decade and pored over her fabulous new book, Of Gold and Dust, our guest this week is none other than Samantha Wills. You may have heard parts of how she grew her multimillion-dollar global eponymous jewellery label from her kitchen table and the Bondi markets at just 21 years old...

You'll probably notice that this isn't actually the quote of the yay we talk about in the episode, but Khanh's was a little too dark (and a little too Latin) for the title even though it does have a strong underlying reminder that life is too short not to seize your yay. Although sometimes confronting our mortality can be the kick up the butt you need to remember that life is too precious and flee...

Skipped #yaysofourlives this week as we’ve had some builders at home which don’t create the loveliest background noises for podcasting, but today’s guest well and truly makes up for the gap. It’s been probably nearly eight years since I first heard of Holly Ransom and started closely following her journey but today was the very first time I’ve had the privilege of chatting with her directly. If sh...