[00:00:00] Rebecca Saunders: 

Hello and welcome to the first official solo episode of 2023. it is the end of January when I'm recording this and I'm sneaking in this recording of the podcast before my official start back for the beginning of the year. And the reason that that is important comes back to the title of the podcast, Why I Set Boundaries In My Work and Personal Life.

[00:01:04] I have made a conscious decision over the last three months to take three months off. Yep. I was only doing the bare minimum to keep the business ticking along because I was tired and I needed a break. And my business in video production during covid and the last two and a half, if not three years now, was crazy, right?

[00:01:29] It was crazy. Didn't really get to stop and so I was ready to just hit pause and take three months off, and it has been absolutely blissful. So that's why I wanted to really touch on the boundaries in personal and work life. But for those of you watching the recording of the podcast from a video perspective, , I'm in my new fancy podcasting studio today.

[00:01:54] I'm very excited. I am in a brand new house, well brand new to me. It's an [00:02:00] old heritage house in country New South Wales, and the whole upstairs area has been turned into my new office. It's awesome. I, I cannot even begin to describe how grateful I am to have created this space in our home for me to work.

[00:02:20] There are four spaces in my office up here. It is actually a proper office environment. I have my desk for like working and stuff. I've got a desk set up for podcasting and filming. I've got a completely empty desk, for writing and just drawing and scribbling and being away from screens, and then have a really comfy sofa for reading.

[00:02:41] And I've deliberately set all those spaces up so that I've got boundaries of time and boundaries of space in my mind to be doing the task at hand. I dunno about you, but when I'm working on one device and I'm consistently in the same place every single time, It gets a little bit Groundhog Day and I kind of lose my creativity and I have been craving an office environment like this for a very long time.

[00:03:11] It has been on my vision board for an extremely long time. To get this up and running and to have this entire space to myself without interruptions, without other people, with all the space in the world, to be as creative as they want to be is absolutely phenomenal. So I'm very excited to have all those spaces to give myself the time and the space to do the creative work because that is where the joy is for me, and that's where I show up the best for my clients and my community.

[00:03:42] So why did I take three months off? And what did that look like? What did, what did the boundaries look like? Boundaries isn't something that's new for me. I've had tech-free weekends now for a number of years, or I'm not connected to my phone and in some instances [00:04:00] I put it away for the entire weekend and don't touch it.

[00:04:03] So, if you've sent me a text or a note on social media, expect a few days to reply, I'm not gonna feel guilty about that. I enjoy taking time in nature, away from screens, away from tech because again, it is that space of clarity of thought and the boundaries have really come up a lot for me in terms of burnout.

[00:04:23] The last few years I've been saying yes to a lot of work. I've been in a position to be able to help a lot of people and I've been working some really crazy, ridiculously long hours and breaking all the rules that I had of, you know, just working 10 till six, you know, having some time off. No, my mind never switched off.

[00:04:43] It, it didn't stop the buzz of constant to-do lists and something had to give and my health was getting to a point towards the end of last year where I'm like, I'm really struggling to pay attention to what I'm doing, to have the energy to do social things outside of work, and to really be on top form for myself, for my family, for my friends, and for my clients.

[00:05:06] And so I had the absolute privilege, I guess because I've worked for it, I had the absolute privilege of giving myself three months off. My business could sustain me not bringing in the same level of income, so that I could still maintain my lifestyle and, and how I live my life. And it has given me such clarity and refreshment of thought.

[00:05:32] I can't even begin to explain it. And I feel like an absolutely completely different person. The stress and the anxiety that's been bottling up over the last few years and that constant feeling of feeling on and needing to respond to people and needing to be all things to all people. And particularly in the run up to Christmas with all the social functions, it's gone.

[00:05:55] That stress is gone and I am putting myself [00:06:00] first. What does that actually look like though? Christmas is a good example, and I spoke about this prior to Christmas, on one of my episodes. I'm gonna say it's two or three episodes back, about what Christmas looked like for us this year, first Christmas as a married couple.

[00:06:18] First Christmas in our country house in New South Wales. And what did it look like? Well, I'm the hostess with the mostest when it comes to all things Christmas and having dinner parties. It is my downtime. Now I know a lot of you are going, oh my gosh, that sounds like absolute hell. Everyone can just bring a dish.

[00:06:37] Nope, that is my version of hell. I would far rather cater, put on all the food, have all the people and be the host so that I'm having my fun in my happy place, the kitchen, and my guests are having fun, socializing, networking, connecting, gathering, whatever the situation. And so I was very specific and very clear in what we were gonna do over Christmas because it It is my favorite holiday. And I saw, I was very clear and I was clear because I didn't have the energy to do much more than what I actually committed to doing. And so the commitment for us was we are going to host a Christmas party, in Sydney and have all our Sydney family and friends come.

[00:07:17] And then we were gonna hold a Christmas party in our new house in regional New South Wales where everyone, new neighbors, everyone could come and really enjoy that. And then we were gonna spend Christmas Day at a winery. So there was nothing to do, but show up and enjoy the food and enjoy the wine and then when we were gonna host family at our new house here in Mudgee, which went down absolutely amazingly and has become, I'm saying it, it has become a new family tradition, that we'll have family here for Christmas every two years, which I'm really excited about.

[00:07:52] You know, that's all I committed to. And then I started looking at the calendar at what I wanted to do.[00:08:00] I don't wanna get to the point of burnout anymore. I do not want to be rushing from place to place. I do not want to be in back to back meetings. I do not want to be working at my desk chain to my desk from 9:00 AM in the morning till God knows what time at night.

[00:08:15] And so I had to sit and plan out what was absolutely vital, and necessary for me, for the business to keep it running, to show up for my clients. And because I've taken that time off and I have really done what I would consider the bare minimum to keep it going actually was clear to me what was a lever pulling.

[00:08:40] We are gonna make this happen if I keep moving this lever, or what was that? It's okay. I can leave the brakes on that. It's having no impact to my bottom line whatsoever. And just the ability to have that in front of me and know that I don't need to be on all social media platforms, that I don't need to be turning up to all the different events, that I don't need to be having all the newsletters go out all of the time, that it's okay for me to take a break and recast previous podcast episodes, oh gosh, it was a weight off my shoulder.

[00:09:13] It was absolutely phenomenal and it enabled me to look at the business and go. How do I want that to look? Okay. What do I want to bring into 2023 and beyond, and so my video production company is happily doing its thing, serving some amazing clients in terms of online courses and case study creation. And that is our jam.

[00:09:37] Like that is the jam of video production that the team and I do. But me personally, I wanna do something different this year and that's what was percolating for a few months. It'd been sitting and simmering away. It's coming. You know, I managed to sit and plan out what energy was needed for me to go.

[00:09:57] Great video production company, tick. This is [00:10:00] what I need to do to make that work. Personal life, tick. This is the date nights in place, this is the weekends that we're having just as us. These are the trips we've got planned. This is the time that we're welcoming friends and family into our new home, and this is the time that we need space.

[00:10:15] So we sat down and we planned all that out, and then I could look at what conferences and events that I really wanted to go to. And I mapped that out in the calendar. And so I've got space for my production, space for family and friends, space for the events. And then it gives me so much more space for doing the next big thing.

[00:10:36] There are two things that are front and foremost of what is happening, and if you are listening to this podcast on the 31st of January, when it drops, everything is launching tomorrow on the first of Feb. So what is coming? Well, I am launching. The Champagne Lounge, a digital community, an online tier squad for women who are dreaming, creating, and living the life of their dreams.

[00:11:08] Why am I doing this? Well, I am not the only one living their best life. You know, I am doing, such amazing things. Last year was absolutely incredible and I managed to create all of it. the, our wedding family coming from the UK around the world trip, I think I did that twice. , Necar Island, Richard Branson, trekking in Country Australia.

[00:11:35] It was so much and everything on my vision board came true and I had a number of people going, how are you doing it all? How is that all happening? The reality of it is I intentionally am doing it with ease and grace and maximizing every single day that I have. I work in 52 week.

[00:11:54] idea sprints, and I know 52 weeks is a year, but beginning of every year I write a list of [00:12:00] 52 things that I wanna achieve and I go out there and I make them happen. You know, that could be all the things that are on my vision board, but equally it could be, making sure that we've done the chicken coop, that I have booked the dentist appointment that I have done the yoga class that I want to do, or I'm gonna do the pottery class that I want to do, and it's because I've written the list that I then go each and every week.

[00:12:27] What's the one thing I can do this week that will mean that I'm living my best life and doing it and maximizing it in the best way possible? And it's that kind of stuff that I want to share with the world. I want to share and connect women around the world through the Champagne Lounge, celebrating the big and the small achievements of life.

[00:12:49] It doesn't matter whether you're an entrepreneur or an employee. We all have dreams. We all have 52 weeks in the year, 365 days of the year, and we can make that count. We can really live and create our dream lives. Build new, connections, have communication with people who are like-minded anywhere in the world and really be that cheer squad for each other. And so I'm so excited to bring that to life, and doors for that open and will remain open for anyone that wants to join and come and be a part of that. , it is not a mastermind.

[00:13:23] It is not a step 1, 2, 3, 4. It is not accountability if you don't want it to be. There are masterclass, but you don't have to show up if you don't want to. It's all about community. Living life unapologetically and being there to both get support and give support to others really wanting to level up, do something different and really make their life the best it can possibly be.

[00:13:44] So that's number one, and I'm so excited to launch that. It has been calculating for a very long time. And if you haven't listened to my podcast episode, Champagne and post-it notes being the key to my success. Go over and listen to that one because then you'll understand [00:14:00] why I've called it the Champagne Lounge.

[00:14:02] It all started with bottles of verve, pink post-it notes and a Sharpie, and I am bringing that energy of joy, connection, and best life energy to all of you. So keep an eye out for that. If you wanna check it out, rebecca saunders.com/lounge is where you'll. All of the juicy details, the community and that cheer squad.

[00:14:25] And then the second thing that I'm rolling out is very much around home for me. Home is now regional New South Wales. And I'm missing the connection of the network that I'm that face-to-face connection of the people that I have had around me in Sydney for. The last decade since I've been in Sydney.

[00:14:47] And so it is all about connecting people here in regional New South Wales. So in Mudgee, connecting like-minded female business owners and business leaders around a table over dinner, having a facilitated high level conversation for that connection for that next level thinking. And again, for that support and friendship and being around like-minded people.

[00:15:13] Not everyone has those expectations and those dreams and that energy and ability to go, but I can do more. I want more and I can see it and I can feel it. And so both of those things combined really, really excite me. And as something that fits in with everything and anything, that I'm doing right now in terms of cultivating, designing, creating, living, and making my dream life a reality. And so that's why all the boundaries are in place. So they have the energy to do all of that. And since having them in place has the ability for me to think a little bit differently, think in terms of, what if I want to do something different?

[00:15:56] What if you know, the spending a decade in video [00:16:00] production, what if that's not what I want to be known for, for the rest of my life? Yes, we're bloody good at what we do and yes, it's still gonna exist as a production company with me at the helm, but now I have the ability for the team to run a lot of stuff, for me to be client facing when I need to be.

[00:16:19] And for me to then have that space to be creative and give more of me, my energy and that inspiration piece to others. This year, my friends, is all about, reinvention for me, it's all about helping you lean into the uniqueness of you and making that a superpower. And ah, it fills me with so much joy, energy.

[00:16:42] So this is just the beginning. This podcast will hit your ears from the 31st of January. And if you are listening to it at a later date than the date it was released, all these things are available. The Champagne Lounge is available. The Business Uncorked Dinner Series in Mudgee is a monthly thing. Head over to rebeccasaunders.com to find out all the juicy details.

[00:17:03] Follow me on Instagram if you're not already @therebeccasaunders. Oh, ladies and Gents, if you are listening. This is all about making it your best year yet, and I sure as hell, I'm gonna step it up from last year. It was a big one and an awesome one last year. How am I gonna make it better?

[00:17:22] Watch this space. It will come. But I tell you, those boundaries in place to look after yourself, have that self-care, have that awareness in terms of what you want to show up for and what you don't, is super important. Because if you take away all of that space for thinking and for rest, and for relaxation, you're gonna be in a constant space of overwhelm, um, of a constant space of, I can't get out of this.

[00:17:48] You know, there's, there's gotta be something more, but I don't quite know how to do it. If you are in that sort of head space right now. Start thinking differently. Surround yourself with different people. Put some of those boundaries in [00:18:00] place so that you don't go to that family function if you don't want to.

[00:18:03] You know, if there's a family function all the time or a weekly dinner that you feel that you have to turn up for, you don't have to do anything, right? You can choose to do what you wanna do, and yes, it might upset a few people, but if you don't wanna go to that, Go to that family thing, go to that mom's group, you know, head to that class that you've been going to for years, but you don't really enjoy it.

[00:18:26] You're not getting much out of it. You're part of a community that's really not serving you anymore, but the money just keeps going out of your bank account. Take check. restock. Have a look at what's in your world that's draining you of energy and clear it out. Fill it with blocks of time and space, and that is the boundaries piece.

[00:18:46] Put your boundaries in place to ensure that you are taking care of you, because unless you do that, the other things can't happen, and you cannot go and live that life of your dreams and be that support factor for your friends and your family. Because if your cup is empty, you have no energy to give. So my friends, that is why I put the energy into setting and keeping my boundaries.

[00:19:11] the three months have been absolutely blissful and I cannot wait to see the champagne lounge come to life. The business, uncorked hum like of the dinner table. I can't wait to travel more, to see the world, to meet new people and to continue living my best life with the best energy that I have possible.

[00:19:36] So thank you for listening to today's episode. I hope that I will see and meet some of you in the Champaign Lounge as and when, the time is right for you. And take care of. [00:20:00]