The Process with Brooke Dawson

Building a Business You're Proud Of: Why Success Starts With You w/ Vanessa Bamford | Ep 41

In this episode I sit down with Vanessa Bamford, a business and finance strategist with 20+ years experience. She's the founder of Business like a Girl, a coaching and mentoring program aimed at helping women do business differently, and Vision Beyond Advisory, an accounting and advising practice for growth focused business owners. We talk about what it means to do business like a woman rather than fit yourself into a model made by someone else. Why women put themselves at the very bottom of the list, what it costs everyone around them when they do, and why the work you do on yourself is the one investment you never regret. We get into redefining success on your own terms rather than by growth and hustle and the boxes you're supposed to tick, how she rebuilt her relationship with money by treating it like a relationship instead of a number, and why purpose has to come before profit, not the other way around. Vanessa is proof that you can completely change how you show up, to the point that the people around you feel it. This one is for any woman who has a business, or wants one, and can feel there's a different way to do it than the one she's been shown. Connect with Vanessa: Instagram: @business.like.a.girl @vanessabamford_ @visionbeyondadvisory LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/vanessa-bamford-visionbeyond/ Websites: https://www.visionbeyondadvisory.com.au/ https://www.businesslikeagirl.com.au/ ------------- When you’re ready, I’m here to help you trust yourself. Book your call here: https://calendly.com/brookedawson/discovery-call FREE Negative Self-Talk Masterclass Webinar: https://www.brookedawson.com.au/negative-self-talk-masterclass If you want to see more of what I do, you can find me here: Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/heybrookedawson/ LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/itsbrookedawson

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Trusting Yourself, Setting Boundaries, and Why Confidence is a Skill w/ Shreya Rajeevan | Ep 40

Shreya spent most of her life letting other people decide who she was. If someone told her she was capable, she was capable. If someone told her she wasn't doing a good job, she believed that instead. In this episode I sit down with my friend and client, a speech pathologist who helps children and adults communicate for a living, and who has spent the last couple of years learning how to use her voice. We talk about why surviving something is not the same as trusting yourself, what it inadvertently costs you to grow up feeling safe and protected by the people around you, and why she stayed in a situation that was making her sick long after her body started telling her to leave. We also get into the practical side of building confidence, the phrases she writes down before walking into a meeting, why she's cutting the word sorry out of her vocabulary, and what it means to look at a hard week like a scientist instead of a judge. We think confidence is a feeling that will come if you wait long enough. But in reality, confidence is a skill you build by acting your way into being. Shreya is proving this to herself, one action at a time. Connect with Shreya Rajeevan: Instagram: @shreya02 LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/shreya-rajeevan-1aa558147/ Shreya’s Tedx Talk: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XjV8YlxL6Rs ------------- When you’re ready, I’m here to help you trust yourself. Book your call here: https://calendly.com/brookedawson/discovery-call FREE Negative Self-Talk Masterclass Webinar: https://www.brookedawson.com.au/negative-self-talk-masterclass If you want to see more of what I do, you can find me here: Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/heybrookedawson/ LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/itsbrookedawson

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Safety Mode vs Success Mode, Money Stories, and Buying Back Your Time w/ Terry Condon | Ep 39

Four years ago I stumbled onto a finance podcast that became the catalyst for everything I’ve changed about the way I think about money. In this episode I sit down with Terry Condon, founder of The Cash Flow Co and host of the Money Minded podcast. With 10 years of experience in elite sport, Terry took his deep understanding of human behaviour and goal setting and applied it to a completely different industry: personal finance. We talk about giving yourself permission to get it wrong, and why he thinks the fastest way to reach a goal is to speed up how often you fail. He explains why your brain will keep you repeating a life you don't want, because a predictable future has to look like the past, and what it takes to interrupt that. We get into why so many of us treat things like communication or money as traits instead of skills, the four things people unconsciously believe money is for, and why he says time is the scarce resource while money is abundant. He also talks about defining “wealth”, “rich” and “success” for yourself, and what happens if you don’t. Connect with Terry Condon: LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/terry-condon-cashflowco/ Listen to Money Minded Podcast: https://open.spotify.com/show/4fh8xSyibogGPOgwswvIUa?si=a8e00b26509641a4 ------------- When you’re ready, I’m here to help you trust yourself. Book your call here: https://calendly.com/brookedawson/discovery-call FREE Negative Self-Talk Masterclass Webinar: https://www.brookedawson.com.au/negative-self-talk-masterclass If you want to see more of what I do, you can find me here: Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/heybrookedawson/ LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/itsbrookedawson

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Why I Never Let Myself Take Singing Seriously | Ep 38

I've loved singing my whole life. It's one of my favourite things in the world and I still spent four years finding reasons not to book a lesson. In this episode I talk about my first singing lesson in over fifteen years, and why it took me so long to book it. I decided a long time ago that while I was a decent singer, being decent meant it wasn't worth pursuing.. so singing stayed as something I do in the shower. There was no big outcome I was chasing with music to justify the time or money spent on getting better at singing, so it lost out to everything else. I talk about how many women I speak to in their 30s and 40s have very little in their lives outside work, their kids and maybe the gym, that lights them up. I was one of them. I also talk about what happened when I stood up to sing for the second time, and why not doing something is still a decision about what matters to you. ------------- When you’re ready, I’m here to help you trust yourself. Book your call here: https://calendly.com/brookedawson/discovery-call FREE Negative Self-Talk Masterclass Webinar: https://www.brookedawson.com.au/negative-self-talk-masterclass If you want to see more of what I do, you can find me here: Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/heybrookedawson/ LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/itsbrookedawson

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Use Your Voice: Speaking Up, Self-Worth, and Radical Responsibility w/ Annelise McCarthy | Ep 37

The number one fear in the world isn’t spiders or heights or death. It’s public speaking. In this episode I sit down with Annelise McCarthy, founder of Her Speaking Coach and communication expert. She trains people out of that fear for a living, which is not the obvious path for someone who grew up with a speech impediment and was terrified of putting her hand up in class. We talk about why using your voice isn’t the stage and the microphone and the crowd. It’s setting a boundary, asking for a raise, sending the food back when they got your order wrong. She also makes a distinction I hadn’t heard before, that getting good at a skill and feeling good doing it are two completely different things. She had the skill for years before she had the self-worth to go with it. We get into what it costs you to build an identity around being good at things, radical responsibility and the reframe from “everything is on me” as a weight to “everything is on me” as freedom, and why the language you use with yourself matters more than your vocabulary or your delivery. Your voice is the thing that changes what’s possible for you. This one is for anyone who has been sitting on theirs. About Annelise: Annelise is an international speaker, LinkedIn Top Voice, and communication expert who’s coached professionals, leaders and founders from CEOs to Olympians. Known for her zesty energy and real-talk delivery, Annelise is on a mission to rewrite how women show up, speak up, and lead. Challenging traditional speaking methods with a fresh, no-BS approach, Annelise empowers women to find their voice and unmute themselves - once and for all. With over 75% of people experiencing a fear of public speaking, it remains one of the biggest barriers to growth and leadership worldwide. Through her high-energy events, immersive workshops, and practical coaching programs, Annelise has helped thousands of professionals transform how they communicate, so they can lead with conviction and be remembered for all the right reasons. With more than 15 years of experience, she blends deep expertise with an infectious, relatable presence that captivates audiences worldwide. A trained educator, Annelise has spent over a decade mastering Public Speaking and since acquired a Diploma in Teaching Public Speaking and a double Bachelor in Law and Mandarin. Annelise has worked with thousands of professionals across 20+ industries and 15 countries. Today, she’s recognised as a leading voice in communication, with an engaged community of over 300,000 followers who connect with her unapologetically modern approach to voice and self-confidence. LinkedIn - https://au.linkedin.com/in/annelise-mccarthy-b31533142 Instagram - https://www.instagram.com/theannelisemccarthy Website - https://www.herspeakingcoach.com/

Rewriting the Stories You Don’t Know You’re Telling w/ Sam Bergdahl | Ep 36

In this episode I sit down with Sam, a nature photographer and someone I knew in school back in Canada and reconnected with at the end of last year. We've been working together since, and this is the kind of conversation we've been having behind the scenes for months. We talk about the stories we carry about ourselves, the ones that don't feel like stories at all because they feel like facts. Where they come from, why it's so often a single throwaway moment rather than one big event, and how a comment at 17 or a gymnastics class at 3 can end up running your decisions for decades. We get into why awareness has to come before acceptance and acceptance before anything changes, the difference between catching a pattern after the fact and catching it in the moment, and the small language shifts that do more than we realize. And we talk about what it does to the people around you when you do this work. Not just you, but your kids, your partner, the friends who've only ever known the version of you that a story built. If you've ever caught yourself saying "I'm just not the kind of person who..." and believed it, this episode is for you. Connect with Sam Bergdahl: Instagram: @the_ecosam YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@the_ecosam Website: https://www.eco-sam.com/ ------------- When you’re ready, I’m here to help you trust yourself. Book your call here: https://calendly.com/brookedawson/discovery-call FREE Negative Self-Talk Masterclass Webinar: https://www.brookedawson.com.au/negative-self-talk-masterclass If you want to see more of what I do, you can find me here: Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/heybrookedawson/ LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/itsbrookedawson

Do Your Actions Match What You Want?

For years I told myself I was getting back in shape. I believed it every single time I said it. In this episode I talk about the gap between saying what you want and actually doing it, using an example I'm still in the middle of. I was in the best shape of my life in Sydney, boxing 4-5 times a week, running half of a three hour hike because I had that much energy. Then I started a full time job, stopped moving, and put on about 15kgs over a year. What followed was years of convincing myself that within the next 6 months, I was going to change it. I thought I meant it. I just wasn't doing the work that would make it true. I talk about what changed this year, why having someone hold me accountable mattered more than any of the challenges I did on my own, and the moment about a week ago when I realised it's really happening. If you've got something you keep telling people you're going to do, this one is an invitation to hold the mirror up and get honest about whether your actions match it. ------------- When you’re ready, I’m here to help you trust yourself. Book your call here: https://calendly.com/brookedawson/discovery-call FREE Negative Self-Talk Masterclass Webinar: https://www.brookedawson.com.au/negative-self-talk-masterclass If you want to see more of what I do, you can find me here: Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/heybrookedawson/ LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/itsbrookedawson

That Job is Costing You More Than Money | Ep 34

Four years ago I was wishing every week away, waiting for a weekend that never gave me the energy back. I told myself I had no other option because I needed the money. In this episode I go back through where I was and how I got here. The job I stayed in long after it started draining me, the holiday to Canada that finally gave me enough distance to see what it was costing me, and how I quit, found a new job, broke our lease and moved within ten days of coming back to Australia. Then I did the exact same thing again in a different company, because I hadn't worked out that the job was never the real problem. I talk about the twelve months of chronic pain I dealt with, what my body was trying to tell me, and the point where I had to sit down and redefine what success actually meant for me. The belief that kept me stuck the longest was that I had to have it all figured out before I was allowed to move. I don't have it figured out now either. I'm just no longer waiting for that. ------------- When you’re ready, I’m here to help you trust yourself. Book your call here: https://calendly.com/brookedawson/discovery-call FREE Negative Self-Talk Masterclass Webinar: https://www.brookedawson.com.au/negative-self-talk-masterclass If you want to see more of what I do, you can find me here: Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/heybrookedawson/ LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/itsbrookedawson

When You Notice the Pattern, It Becomes a Choice | Ep 33

Most of us have patterns we don't even know are shaping our lives. Until one day you have it pointed out to you, or catch yourself in it. In this episode I share something that happened earlier this week where I almost told my husband a small lie to cover the fact that I hadn't followed through on something. I caught myself before I finished the sentence, and instead of beating myself up, I got curious about why. What I found underneath it was a pattern I've had for years without realising it was even there. Once you become aware of a pattern, it stops being automatic. It becomes a choice. It also becomes an incredible opportunity to challenge yourself to step into the version of yourself you KNOW you are capable of becoming. ------------- When you’re ready, I’m here to help you trust yourself. Book your call here: https://calendly.com/brookedawson/discovery-call FREE Negative Self-Talk Masterclass Webinar: https://www.brookedawson.com.au/negative-self-talk-masterclass If you want to see more of what I do, you can find me here: Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/heybrookedawson/ LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/itsbrookedawson

Stop Obsessing Over Outcomes and Start Having Fun w/ Candice Harvey | Ep 32

Have you ever felt like you’re falling behind on an imaginary timeline of where your life “should” be? In this episode, I sit down with Candice Harvey - Amazon bestselling author of The Shake Up, performance coach, speaker, and podcast host - for a refreshingly raw conversation about cutting through the noise and living by your own standards. We break down the generational patterns that keep us chasing the next milestone, and why it feels so terrifying to sit down with a blank piece of paper and ask, "What do I actually want?" We dive deep into why adults trap themselves in "serious pants," how to reframe the physical jitters of fear into signs of growth, and how to finally stop obsessing over the outcome so you can bring genuine fun back into your life. If you’ve ever felt like you’re running a race you didn’t choose or waiting for a permission slip to just have fun, this episode is for you. Connect with Candice Harvey: Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/candiceharvey__/ Grab The Shake Up book: https://www.amazon.com.au/Shake-Up-Zero-Fluff-Strategies-Post/dp/B0GJ5H1G7M/ref=tmm_pap_swatch_0 Listen to The Shake Up Podcast: https://www.candiceharvey.com/the-shake-up-podcast/ ------------- When you’re ready, I’m here to help you trust yourself. Book your call here: https://calendly.com/brookedawson/discovery-call FREE Negative Self-Talk Masterclass Webinar: https://www.brookedawson.com.au/negative-self-talk-masterclass If you want to see more of what I do, you can find me here: Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/heybrookedawson/ LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/itsbrookedawson

Stop Looking Externally for Answers | Ep 31

When you’re ready, I’m here to help you trust yourself. Book your call here: https://calendly.com/brookedawson/discovery-call FREE Negative Self-Talk Masterclass Webinar: https://www.brookedawson.com.au/negative-self-talk-masterclass If you want to see more of what I do, you can find me here: Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/heybrookedawson/ LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/itsbrookedawson ------------- There's a reason you keep asking other people what to do. Looking inward is uncomfortable. Looking outward feels easier, lighter, and way more obvious. But it's also why we struggle to make changes in our lives. In this episode I talk about the streetlight effect -- a parable about a man searching for his keys outside in the light, even though he knows he lost them inside in the dark. It's one of the most accurate descriptions of what we do to ourselves that I've ever come across. I also talk about my own pattern of outsourcing every decision I could to other people, where that came from, and what I've been doing to change it. The answers are already in you. You're just not looking in the right place.

How I’m Working Through an Old Belief in Real-Time | Ep 30

When you’re ready, I’m here to help you trust yourself. Book your call here: https://calendly.com/brookedawson/discovery-call FREE Negative Self-Talk Masterclass Webinar: https://www.brookedawson.com.au/negative-self-talk-masterclass If you want to see more of what I do, you can find me here: Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/heybrookedawson/ LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/itsbrookedawson ------------- Most of the stories we carry about ourselves don't feel like stories. They feel like facts. In this episode I get really vulnerable about a story and belief I've been holding onto since I was under 10 years old: that I'm not good at style, hair, makeup. Aka that “I suck at being a girl.” I talk about how I built an entire identity around not caring, convinced myself I was deeper for it, and how I'm only now starting to see how much fear was sitting underneath all of that. And what happened when I finally tried on a shirt that fit after years of wearing clothes that didn’t. This is a story I’m working on shifting in real-time. But that's kind of the whole point.

Following Your Interests, Rewiring Your Money Story, and the Power of Self-Belief w/ Marilee Cordova | Ep 29

When you’re ready, I’m here to help you trust yourself. Book your call here: https://calendly.com/brookedawson/discovery-call FREE Negative Self-Talk Masterclass Webinar: https://www.brookedawson.com.au/negative-self-talk-masterclass If you want to see more of what I do, you can find me here: Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/heybrookedawson/ LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/itsbrookedawson ------------- You don't need to know exactly where your path is taking you or what it's going to look like when you get there. What you need is to genuinely believe that you will, and keep going from that place. In this episode I sit down with Marilee Cordova, a trader and coach who spent over a decade building a skill she loved before it became her business. We talk about what it really means to back yourself when there's no clear finish line, why following what genuinely interests you is never a waste of time, and how your beliefs about money are shaping your results whether you're aware of it or not. Marilee also shares three practical things she's done to rewire her money mindset that anyone could start today.

What Happens When You Stop Waiting Until You're Ready | Ep 28

When you’re ready, I’m here to help you trust yourself. Book your call here: https://calendly.com/brookedawson/discovery-call FREE Negative Self-Talk Masterclass Webinar: https://www.brookedawson.com.au/negative-self-talk-masterclass If you want to see more of what I do, you can find me here: Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/heybrookedawson/ LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/itsbrookedawson ------------- I've talked about acting before you're ready. I've done it with this podcast. But this time I wanted to do it bigger, and I wanted to document it while it was happening. In this episode I share what it looked like to go from an idea to a free 30-day gratitude challenge with 25 women in 10 days. I made a decision to interrupt my old pattern of overthinking and just go. I recorded this on day four of the challenge, fresh off my first group call, still kind of in disbelief that it's real. This one is for anyone who has an idea sitting in the back of their mind that they keep saying they'll do when the time is right.

Your Voice is a Muscle. Use it. | Ep 27

When you’re ready, I’m here to help you trust yourself. Book your call here: https://calendly.com/brookedawson/discovery-call FREE Negative Self-Talk Masterclass Webinar: https://www.brookedawson.com.au/negative-self-talk-masterclass If you want to see more of what I do, you can find me here: Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/heybrookedawson/ LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/itsbrookedawson ------------- Most of us weren't taught to speak up. We were taught to be good, stay quiet, and not make things uncomfortable. In this episode I talk about why so many of us struggle to use our voice, where that pattern comes from, and what it actually takes to start changing it. I get into the fear of speaking up, how it shows up in everyday moments like setting boundaries or navigating conflict, and why your voice is something you have to practice, not something you either have or you don't.

Your Biggest Self-Beliefs are Hiding in Your Smallest Moments | Ep 26

When you’re ready, I’m here to help you trust yourself. Book your call here: https://calendly.com/brookedawson/discovery-call FREE Negative Self-Talk Masterclass Webinar: https://www.brookedawson.com.au/negative-self-talk-masterclass If you want to see more of what I do, you can find me here: Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/heybrookedawson/ LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/itsbrookedawson ------------- We talk a lot about the big limiting beliefs. The ones we can name, the ones we've been working on for years. But what about the ones that slip out before you even realise your mouth has opened? In this episode I talk about why the tiniest moments in your day, the ones that are over in a second, are actually where your subconscious wiring is most visible. I share two things that happened in my week that reminded me just how quickly these patterns show up, and why catching them, even after the fact, is the whole point.

Learning To Trust Your Intuition | Ep 25

When you're ready, I'm here to help you trust yourself. Book your call here: https://calendly.com/brookedawson/discovery-call FREE Negative Self-Talk Masterclass Webinar: https://www.brookedawson.com.au/negative-self-talk-masterclass If you want to see more of what I do, you can find me here: Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/heybrookedawson/ LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/itsbrookedawson ------------- Four and a half days total together before moving across the world to be with someone. It sounds crazy. It was also the best decision I ever made. In this episode I tell the story of how I met my husband John, and why I keep coming back to it as my clearest example of what it feels like to truly trust your gut. I also get into why most of us find it so hard to listen to that feeling, how we've been trained to outsource our decisions to everyone but ourselves, and a simple prompt I've been using lately that's been changing the way I make even the smallest decisions.

Your Lack of Self-Compassion is Holding You Back | Ep 24

When you're ready, I'm here to help you trust yourself. Book a call here: https://calendly.com/brookedawson/discovery-call FREE Negative Self-Talk Masterclass Webinar: https://www.brookedawson.com.au/negative-self-talk-masterclass If you want to see more of what I do, you can find me here: Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/heybrookedawson/ LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/itsbrookedawson ------------- You will mess up. You will forget things, fall short, say the wrong thing. That part is guaranteed. What isn't guaranteed is whether you'll be able to get back up and try again. In this episode I talk about why self-compassion is what determines whether you follow through or give up. I get into how starting a business taught me this in a way nothing else ever did, and why the standard we hold ourselves to would horrify us if we applied it to anyone else we loved. And why if you can't be compassionate with yourself, you probably can't be honest with yourself either.

How Your Environment Shapes Your Beliefs | Ep 23

When you're ready, I'm here to help you trust yourself. Book a call here: https://calendly.com/brookedawson/discovery-call FREE Negative Self-Talk Masterclass Webinar: https://www.brookedawson.com.au/negative-self-talk-masterclass If you want to see more of what I do, you can find me here: Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/heybrookedawson/ LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/itsbrookedawson ------------- You can be working on yourself every single day and still be surrounded by things that are pulling you backwards. The scary part is that most of the time you won't even notice. In this episode I share two moments from my own life that reminded me just how much our environment is shaping our beliefs, whether we realise it or not. One goes all the way back to childhood. The other happened last week. We are wired to mirror what we're surrounded by. Which means being intentional about your environment, who you spend time with, what you listen to, what you let into your space, isn't a nice to have. It's everything.

You Can't Learn Without Rest | Ep 22

When you're ready, I'm here to help you trust yourself. Book a call here: https://calendly.com/brookedawson/discovery-call FREE Negative Self-Talk Masterclass Webinar: https://www.brookedawson.com.au/negative-self-talk-masterclass If you want to see more of what I do, you can find me here: Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/heybrookedawson/ LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/itsbrookedawson ------------- We brag about how busy we are like it's proof we're doing something right. But what if it's actually making you less effective? In this episode I talk about why rest isn't the opposite of learning. It's actually half of it. Your brain needs downtime to consolidate whatever you just took in, and if you never give it that, you're not actually learning. You're just memorising, and then wondering why nothing sticks. I talk about the guilt that comes with switching off, that constant loop of "I should be doing something", even when you're supposed to be resting. And why that cycle is making you less effective, not more. Plus, you'll learn a simple technique you can implement right away - especially if you're someone who feels like they never come up for air.