Season 2 Episode 1 – Sheryl Worthington [Healthy Ageing Advocate]

Hi everyone.  Welcome to our first guest for season 2.   On our latest Podcast I talked to Sheryl Worthington, a Senior Laboratory Scientist from Auckland New Zealand.

She is  a Healthy Ageing Advocate and a business mentor in a wellness company. From early on in her life she lived life like any normal adult. Along her journey she realised that her body wasn’t keeping up with her activities in life.

She was relatively fit and healthy, but found her body had more creaks and groans she thought she should have at her age.

She shares with us a little bit about her background and some reasons why she sought a path in natural medicine to help her body age as gracefully as possible. This was more evident as she is now a mum with young kids. She became a mother later in life, so she understood that her body needed a bit more care and nurturing. She wanted the energy to enjoy being with her kids as they grew older. She also wanted to continue to be the fittest that she could be for as long as can be.

Nutrigenomics

Along the way she searched for anything that would align herself with her holistic approach. Her search for solutions led her  to using essential oils and nutrigenomics. Sheryl has always had a background in science. She believes in natural health solutions that can be evidenced by results.Her journey was like everyone else’s. In her 20’s she played hard and was not very kind to her body. She exercised and partied like everyone else but realised that her body was not keeping up with her activities. She realised that to maintain her body in reasonable condition, she had to look at a more holistic approach to health.

It was a couple of years ago that she was approached by a colleague of hers to check out a product that she had come across.  A week later, after doing her research, she went back to him and was happy to give them a go. Two and a half years later, she is still using the same products and can see herself never being without them.

LifeVantage

What makes the supplements Sheryl uses different than others. With health and immunity being in the focus of the world in recent years during  the pandemic many people are searching for natural solutions.  Never before has our bodies and our health has been under so much pressure. With the world’s food supply also under threat, finding the right supplementation for our bodies has become an important part of life. There is a reason that the supplementation industry worldwide is now worth around $220 billion in revenue.

There are millions of supplements available around the world and much of them are under constant scrutiny from naysayers, regulators and health practitioners etc. Of course, they all say that their products are based on science. The  products she uses are based on a relatively new field of science called nutrigenomics. This concept is based on how foods have the ability to impact on our genes at a cellular level.

Photo by Taryn Elliott

The products are totally sourced from natural ingredients and formulated with the right quantities to get the desired results. The uniqueness of these products however are backed by medical research and also backed by scientific results. The research results are also peer reviewed on various independent medical journals. This is the reason why Sheryl knew she was on a good thing.

In her words, she says that “these supplements aren’t adding something to the body that enhances energy or performance, but it assist in the body at a cellular level to create its own natural immunity and energy.”

Moving along her health journey,  she started to share the product and her knowledge to others. She enjoys sharing her story with others and it has become a passion for her to help others to also become healthier.  As a self-proclaimed introvert, Sheryl began her journey into entrepreneurship knowing nothing about the business model. You see, the products are available only by word of mouth. The business model that she works with is based entirely online and by just using the products for herself she was able to tap into a whole network of mentors and positive people who are working together for the one goal.

Her company helped her set up an online e-commerce portal and she is now  mentoring others to build their businesses. Previous to this, she has had never been involved with business before in her life. Now, she is a bona fide small business owner and her company is continuing to help her  grow and become a leader in the industry.  She is now building a sustainable e-commerce business that will eventually grow exponentially. All the while doing it part time whilst she is working in the medical science field.

Sheryl knows and understands that in business, she will get knocked down constantly. Her health journey is testament to her determination to share what she has with as many people as possible. She is an example of the products working and she believes in what the company is trying to achieve. This is why she continues to connect with like-minded people that have an interest in health and wellness. This is how we connected on LinkedIn.

Thank you very much  Sheryl for sharing your story with us.  I like the fact that you did not hesitate to try the product once you knew it was all about the science.

I look forward to watching her grow and develop her business further as she ages gracefully with her husband and her kids in the future. Hopefully we can touch base later in about 12 months’ time to get an update on your journey.

Until next time. Live Work Digital..

Luki…………Ciao.

Life Updates

A few weeks ago, Lisa and I touched base to record our latest podcast episode. It had been a long time between drinks so really it was just to catch up and also see what we both have been doing since we initially started the Podcast that is Live Work Digital.

Photo by George Pagan III on Unsplash

Obviously we haven’t posted much in recent times but there is actually also 2 episodes that were done last year that remain unpublished. They will be launching shortly.

We could have easily shut everything down, but I had always had the feeling that the podcast had to keep going. I felt that it would help us both in the longer term. It was just a gut feel because we put in a lot of effort to get it started and it would have been a shame to let the knowledge go by the wayside.

Lets face it, the last 12 months has been an interesting one for everyone. For me, it was being apart from my wife who is a Permanent Resident in Singapore. From the very start, we were in a long distance relationship and we both just travelled back and forth the whole time. With having kids from a previous marriage and the fact that I was finishing my University Degree in Digital and Social Media, this was the path we were destined to follow. Like everyone else in most parts of the world, we just had to do what we could to get through and remain as positive as we could. So, now I start my new journey in Singapore and looking forward to opening more doors, whilst I build my brand and doing a little more studying. (TESOL – Teaching English as a Second Language).

Photo by Hello I’m Nik on Unsplash

For Lisa, her e-Learning business was going from strength to strength. She had plenty of learnings along the way as all small business owners do. More on this on our podcast but her business was gaining momentum and she knew she had to make changes to take it to the next level. Currently she is in the process of rebranding but she also has changed the structure of her business. Along the way, she also consulted for a large Queensland based corporation. This was where she had an ‘AHA’ moment. She realised that she was not built to work for anyone else again! She was a busy girl indeed but she knew this fact. So much so that she was not able to start her last University Subject to graduate. She is about to finish that shortly now that she has a bit more time up her sleeve.

Photo by Aditya Saxena on Unsplash

More insight into both our journey’s will be on our upcoming podcast but what is evident is that both our paths are clearly involved in working and living in the digital environment. We will therefore continue to spruik the Live Work Digital message. Of course, it isn’t for everyone, but what is evident now is that the workplace environment in most industries has changed forever. Whether we like it or not, most of us cannot avoid this fact.

Until next time, Live Work Digital.

Luki

Episode 4 – Rory Callaghan [Integrated Health Professional]

In this week’s instalment of our Live Work Digital Podcast we have Rory Callaghan. Currently he resides in Bali,  living what some may call, the  Dream Digital Lifestyle. He is a qualified Physiotherapist and also has a background in Sports Science. At the age of 25 he suffered burnout working 70+ hour weeks. It was at this time, he realised that something needed to change. So, started his journey to find a solution to live a better and healthier life for himself.

In the process of getting his health back he set about working on a solution so that others wouldn’t need to go through what he did. From this point on, he was devoted to the pursuit of recognising and developing this ‘Self Care’ revolution.

He wanted to develop a  holistic community dedicated to the preservation of health and wellness worldwide. For everyone, for mother earth and its oceans, mountains, plains and rivers. So this is what he did.

The essence of his philosophy is based on the need that we all need to work on our own self before we start giving and helping others. If our own cup is empty, how can we be the example for others? We all need to fill our own cups until it is overflowing with all the good stuff. Once it is full to the brim then we can allow the  overflow  to spill over to the people we want to help and share our lives with.

Along the way, through  his journey he made a decision to partner with a Health and Wellness company which took him to Indonesia. From here he realised that Bali was a place which nourished his soul and he literally decided to sell up everything to base himself there for the foreseeable future.

Photo by Niklas Weiss on Unsplash

From the Island of the Gods (Bali) he continues to work on his concepts and ideas. For those that want to know more about his selfcare framework, he has a free download  that is available to anyone via his website.

On our podcast He shares with us some of his journey and some of the hurdles he faced to get to this chapter in his life. He is one amazing guy who simply made a decision that this is the life he wanted, and he set about to achieve it.

He advocates that everyone has the ability to create a new and different chapter in their lives. His message to anyone who is questioning where they are in life,  is that if something doesn’t feel right, then you need to stop and take a breath. We all need to stop and think about we want with our own individual circumstances instead of accepting that this is the way it is. It is only then that we can lean towards a more rounded and healthier life.

He does live a lifestyle which many people may be envious off, and he uses the digital world to get his message across. He does, however,  cautions that it may not be for everyone. There is a lot of hard work still to get to this point, and the journey may be a never ending path. We must admit though, we like his version of working 9 to 5 very much.

His path is not the norm, but it is the exception. His dream is not everyone’s dream but he encourages everyone to be courageous, to be brave and to be bold. If anyone wants to know more about how to get involved, check out our blog or message us through any of our channels and we can connect you to him.

Until next time. Live Work Digital

Lisa & Luki

Special Episode [The Story So Far]

Hi all! Yes we are only a few episodes into this journey and we are doing a special edition episode?

It’s ok, we aren’t getting ahead of ourselves. We are doing this for a few reasons:

• We thought it would be fun to share how much we are having with it and also showing you the warmth and the openness that our interviewees have been. They are all very kind with their time and have so much passion with what they are doing or creating around them.
• Secondly, we wanted to enter the Rode Cast Podcast Competition.  We can win some really cool equipment! In the process we wanted to do a mashup anyway so people can see the fun we are having with it. We also wanted to see that we are just ordinary people doing something pretty fun, mistakes and all.
• Thirdly, did I mention the competition?
• Lastly, as part of our evolution of learning new skills, putting it together and editing the content so it would flow was invaluable.  A sprinkle of everyones voice, leave in some umms and aaahs and add in some extra cringe worthy laughing clips in between the bits takes some doing.

The competition is due to close and up to this point we were about to drop Episode 4. We snuck this one in so we can get the episode locked in and submitted.

With everything going on, we currently have a bit of a backlog, but thats ok as we are fitting it all in around our normal day to day. At this moment in time there are currently 2 more episodes  to edit and write blog posts for.

We also have more people already locked in for interviews. I think we have got a pretty broad cross section of people for our whole season so far. The thing that has been  the constant for everyone is that they all had to navigate their way through the recent epidemic. No matter what industry they are in, it has been affected and they have had to shape their way through it and out of it.

Going through the  raw recordings also jogged the memory banks as to the things we learnt and even showed how we have progressed n the short time we have been doing this. A little more refined each time and the quality of the questions also are bringing some good responses and conversations.

Some of you may ask also who the dog is on our promo pic! Well since Toulouse, our CEO is a little media shy, we have used a Stunt Double for all our associated Memes, Instagram posts and story’s. If you have noticed, we also have used some of his four legged fan pups through our brand building evolution as well. We share the love with pictures of all sorts of dogs. Well mainly Frenchies as he is our CEO after all. Plus he is our boss. (Hmmm maybe we need a profile page for him?)

Anyway, slightly off topic I know, but as we said, we are sharing everything we are doing along the way.   Seriously, the podcast thing is just a cool thing to do. When I originally suggested we do one with Lisa she didn’t hesitate and said yeah that could be awesome. From there, we just kept on going with it. This Special Episode  is indeed a really happy and fun episode to showcase our journey to date.

Live Work Digital to you all. Til next time…….Peace!

Luki & Lisa

How Not to Make a Podcast [Journal #2]

Photo by Jonathan Farber on Unsplash

Ok, so we are now on a bit of a role and we will soon be dropping Episode 3 of our little Podcast Channel. It has been fun so far and we are in the process of doing more interviews. As I write this, we did our first Zoom interview with a dynamic chap who is originally from Albany, but is now residing in Bali, following his heart and his passion. His story will resonate with a lot people.

The thing is, now what? What do we do with this thing? Our plan is to build a 10 episode season with 10 people and then we do a summary of the things we have learnt so we can share the main points to everyone. By this stage, we will have enough to develop an e-book or a training course, but we shall have to see how we feel when we get there. The other point is, neither Lisa or I have been interviewed as well! The plan is to do a special interview Bonus Episode as a bookend at the end of the first season. I suspect, we both have more of a story to tell  when we get a chance to ask each other some hard hitting questions.

Photo by Clark Tibbs on Unsplash

Eventually we  need to start setting some goals about what we want to achieve out of this thing, What do we want our Instagram account to achieve? Do we just want to gain as many followers as possible and as quickly as possible? Where does LinkedIn sit in with all of this? Are we in a hurry? Not particularly. We want to be able to research and build on our knowledge base and then share what we did. We can then see whether the strategies we are using are working. We can also see what is not working.

Our journey seems to be continuing because we both want to see where this takes us. We both agreed today after discussing our recent interview recording that if we both had wanted to try this podcast thing out separately, then it wouldn’t have gotten this far. There is no expectation for either of us to push each other to get done. There seems to be a natural flow about how we work together on this little podcast thing.

The beauty of our partnership, is that we both are on the same page on most things we have done up to this point. We will keep things fluid and by the time our first season is completed, I am sure we will have figured it out to some point. There is no pressure for Lisa to add content on the blog even. I am enjoying the sharing and the writing and learning a bit more about myself along the way.

So, where too from here? It is well and good that we are creating these episodes, but there is no point if only a few people listen to it. The key for us is to keep things steady and pointed in the right direction. We are also being mindful that it doesn’t put too much stress and pressure on our normal weekly routines. For me its easy, I just fit it in amongst my driving. Lisa still has her normal Digital Life business to keep going.

At this moment in time, we actually have actually locked in a confirmed 7 episodes and about to lock in an 8th. This covers a broad range of people and their stories, but we want to make sure we don’t miss out on an opportunity to showcase a specific topic which relates to living or working in this digital lifestyle. The episode we are editing covers SEO and someone who works in the corporate space already. in fact, it is someone who Lisa had connected with through another subject at Uni.

I will share my thoughts and feelings along the way here because it is coming from a good heart space within me. Our brand, whatever that may be, is evolving and developing on it’s own and even though we did not set out to develop a brand, we are creating one through our sharing and our connecting with business owners.   As we do more interviews and we develop our followers and build a tribe of like minded thinkers, then we will evolve into our space.

For some, this airy fairy way to navigate through the venture would not be a suitable fit. This might be the case, but our Collective Intelligence forms the cornerstone of our brand and our way of thinking. The end result seems to be working. I think what is important is the thought process and how we can evolve at any time. If people are seeing what we are doing and have an opinion on it, then as a result, by default, they are learning about themselves and starting to get some ideas into their own picture.

Lisa and I seem to work in synergy with each other blindly fumbling our way through it, but still learning some really good lessons along the way.  I said to Lisa the other week that we have a unique style of conversation that is  “Professionally Unpolished.” Bit of a weird statement, but as we continue to define our audience, this will change. We want to capture an audience where they know that we are just learning along the way.

There will come a time  when we definitely need to set some clear and defined goals. This is so we start to have an idea where this is headed. For the moment, there is no pressure to to get to an end date by a certain timeframe. I think it is more important that we are both enjoying the process than the project itself. What becomes of it after, and how it impacts on business new connections for Lisa and opportunities for me, then that will naturally present itself  when the time is right.

From my point of view, the path is getting clearer. Luki Soeradinata, Podcaster/Blogger. This is where I am headed.

Until the next Journal post, Go your own way!

Live Work Digital,

Luki

Episode 2 – Amanda Stevenson [Optikids Fitness]

For Episode 2, we welcome Amanda Stevenson from Optikids fitness a fitness program designed for kids to be active and have fun. Optikids is a unique program that runs before and after school at the Kororoit Creek Primary School, which is situated in the Outer Western Suburbs of Melbourne.

Amanda’s philosophy is to create an atmosphere of fun for the kids, to build up confidence, teamwork, resilience and friendships. She is a highly motivated mother of 4 kids and personal trainer and wife in partnership with Russell her awesome husband. She is also a marathon runner and general fitness geek.

I have known Amanda for a few years through the local running club so it has been awesome seeing how she has changed and transformed her life to where it is now.  She is driven to help her community and the people around her and has a thirst for helping others. Today we talk about her journey and the changes she needed to make in her business for it to continue to survive. She talks to us about what she had to do to adapt and survive…and  with her devoted family she has raised the bar to go outside her comfort zone and go online.

Armed with Google, a tripod, an old iPhone, some sticky tape and a couple of old noticeboards, she converted parts of the house into her film studio. Her family also became her production team.

The Production Centre

The Technical Equipment

Ready to Film

The Production Crew

Cue Cards

High Tech Equipment

Ready to Film

She attributes a lot of her success to applying some of the things she has learnt from her Business Coach, whom she met in a chance meeting a couple of years ago. Through networking and putting herself out there, Amanda has built a reputation for her love of not only her family but the kids that take part in a program. She does it for the pure love of maintaining and living a healthy lifestyle.

She has had to make a lot of changes and she has had to overcome what many in her industry are now going through. Instead of giving up she found a way to continue to serve her community of families who live her and are appreciative of what she is doing for the community. Instead of waiting for the economy to improve, she evolved and took it head on. She truely is an amazing woman.

As a result, she has transformed her whole business to operate online. There are still many unknowns as to when the current world situation will change, but regardless of what happens, I am sure Amanda and her team will change it up and forge ahead to more success in the future.

From the humble beginnings of the upstairs rumpus room she quickly adapted and transitioned her film studio to the garage. She learnt on the go and her production got better every time she went live on air. It goes to show that you don’t need a lot of money to get things started. Just a team of supporters and the ability to find a way to make it happen.

Fancy New Tech

Looking Pro

Ready to Shoot

Lights, Camera, Action

Thank you very Amanda for your time and for sharing us your story. I hope you all enjoy listening to it.

We will of course keep everyone in the loop with Amanda’s progress in the future. Thank you again Amanda for your enthusiasm and you drive. I know your family would constantly be telling you this, but you should be very proud of what you have achieved so far. Thanks also for being part of our project.

Love to you and all your fans.

Luki & Lisa