It's a Mindset

Have you ever found yourself questioning what love, connection and relationships are supposed to look like in the modern world?

Despite living in a time where we’re more connected than ever digitally, so many people still feel lonely, disconnected or uncertain about love, intimacy and belonging.

In this deeply thoughtful and intriguing episode of It’s a Mindset, I’m joined by Natalia Rachel - writer, relationship and culture innovator, trauma-informed educator and author of Other Lovers. Natalia’s latest book explores romantic love, intimacy and relationships in the modern world through a unique blend of storytelling, psychology, sociology and emotional insight.

Together, we explore the ways we give and receive love, how modern life impacts our relationships, and why so many people are quietly questioning traditional ideas around partnership, marriage and belonging.

This conversation also touches on the isolation many people experience in modern life - particularly mothers and families living in silos without the deeper sense of connection and community humans truly crave.

I absolutely love an episode about relationships and exploring love in the modern world as Natalia does - there was so much in this conversation that intrigued me and left me reflecting deeply afterwards. This is a thoughtful, emotionally intelligent and expansive conversation about modern love, connection, self-awareness and what it means to truly belong.

Key Episode Takeaways:

How our relationships deeply impact our wellbeing and sense of self

Why so many people are living in isolation and “silos” in the modern world

The importance of belonging, connection and community - especially for mothers and families

Why more people are questioning traditional ideas around love and marriage

How modern relationships can become a pathway for deeper self-awareness and healing

The ways we give and receive love in today’s world

About the Guest:

Natalia Rachel is a writer, relationship and culture innovator, speaker and trauma-informed educator whose work explores healing, embodiment, relationships and the human experience. She is the author of Why Am I Like This? and Other Lovers, a genre-bending contemporary fiction series exploring love, intimacy and relationships in the modern world through storytelling, psychology and emotional insight. Natalia’s work inspires deeper connection, compassion and relational awareness, with a mission to help create a more connected and emotionally intelligent world.

Show Resources:

Follow Natalia on Instagram - HERE

Connect with Natalia on LinkedIn - HERE

Check Out Natalia's Website - HERE

Follow Emma, the Podcast Host on Instagram - HERE

Join The Next Chapter Collective - HERE

If you LOVED this episode, make sure you share it on your Instagram stories and tag us @emmalagerlow and @natalia_rachel_change.

Yours with Love in the Modern World, Emma. X.

Have you ever felt deeply passionate about helping others… but conflicted about charging for your work, owning your value, or asking for more?

In this empowering episode of It’s a Mindset, I’m joined by Wendy Pitts-Reeves - business coach, former psychotherapist, speaker and entrepreneur - for a deeply honest conversation about self-worth, courage, money mindset and what it really takes to build a business that supports both your clients and yourself.

Wendy shares her powerful journey from having discomfort around money, to building a thriving six-figure business grounded in clarity, confidence and purpose.

Together, we explore why so many women struggle to fully own their value, the danger of constantly waiting for permission, and how courage is often the first step toward creating the life and business you truly want.

I enjoyed exploring Wendy’s 7-Step Courage to Confidence process and how it can be applied to any dream we might have. Because while anything is possible when you put your mind to it, having a process to move through fear and self-doubt certainly helps.

If you’ve ever questioned your worth, held yourself back, or felt called to something bigger - this conversation is for you.

Key Episode Takeways:

Wendy’s powerful 7-Step Courage to Confidence process

Why self-worth shapes every decision we make in business and life

The importance of boundaries, systems and valuing your work

Why women need to stop asking for permission and trust themselves more

How courage is often already within us - we simply need to recognise it

About the Guest:

Wendy Pitts-Reeves is a business coach, former psychotherapist, speaker and entrepreneur who helps women build businesses that support both their clients and themselves. After beginning her career deeply conflicted about money and losing thousands in unpaid work, Wendy transformed her relationship with self-worth, business and success. Today, she runs a thriving six-figure business and empowers women to step into confidence, own their value and create meaningful work without apology.

Show Resources:

Connect with Wendy on LinkedIn - HERE

Check Out Wendy's Website - HERE

Tune in to The Ideal Practice - HERE

Follow Emma, the Podcast Host on Instagram - HERE

Join The Next Chapter Collective - HERE

If you LOVED the episode, make sure you share it on your Instagram stories and tag us @emmalagerlow.

Yours in Courage & Confidence, Emma. X.

Have you ever been forced to stop… and realised the way you were living or working just wasn’t sustainable anymore?

Like something in your life hit pause - and you were left questioning everything you thought success looked like?

In this episode of It’s a Mindset, I’m joined by Fleur Marks - globally recognised leadership trainer, performance mindset coach and author of The Overachiever’s Reset.

Fleur built a highly successful career over two decades in senior leadership, driven by ambition, high standards and relentless performance. But that same pace ultimately led to a life-threatening health crisis - what she describes as the “waiting room of death” - forcing her to confront the reality that the way she was succeeding was unsustainable.

What followed wasn’t a step back from ambition… but a complete reset. In this deeply honest and powerful conversation, Fleur shares how she rebuilt her mindset, redefined success, and now helps high performers break free from the overachiever’s cycle - where self-worth becomes tied to achievement and external validation.

I was deeply moved by Fleur’s strength of character and her ability to stay positive through such significant health challenges. This conversation is a reminder that true success isn’t about doing more - it’s about understanding what matters, and learning to lead and live in a way that supports both performance and wellbeing.

Key Episode Takeaways:

How Fleur navigated major health challenges and used them as a catalyst for change

Why so many high performers are trapped in the “overachiever’s cycle”

The power of radical self-acceptance in breaking free from relentless striving

How believing you are enough could change everything - for you and those around you

The importance of focusing on what’s in your control and consciously choosing your response

About the Guest:

Fleur Marks is a globally recognised leadership trainer, performance mindset coach and author of The Overachiever’s Reset. After two decades in senior leadership at WPP, a life-threatening health crisis forced her to stop and completely rethink how she was living and leading.

Today, Fleur helps high performers break free from the overachiever’s cycle - where self-worth is tied to achievement - and supports them to lead with clarity, impact and sustainability, without sacrificing themselves in the process.

Show Resources:

Follow Fleur on Instagram - HERE

Connect with Fleur on LinkedIn - HERE

Check Out Fleur's Website - HERE

Follow Emma, the Podcast Host on Instagram - HERE

Join the Waitlist for The Next Chapter Collective - HERE

If you LOVED this episode, make sure you share it on your Instagram stories and tag us @emmalagerlow and @fleurjmarks.

Yours in Being Impactful, Emma. X.

Have you ever gone through a really tough time… and wondered how you could ever come back from it - let alone use it to help others?

In this episode of It’s a Mindset, I’m joined by Graeme Cowan - resilience expert, professional speaker, Board Director of R U OK?, and author of five books, including his latest, Great Leaders Care.

Graeme shares his deeply personal story of experiencing a five-year episode of depression - a period his psychiatrist described as one of the most severe he had ever treated. What emerged from that time is not only a powerful story of recovery, but a mission to help others build resilience, improve wellbeing, and create meaningful change through conversation.

Drawing on the insights behind Great Leaders Care, Graeme explores what it really means to lead with empathy, create psychologically safe environments, and support the people around us - whether at work, at home, or in our wider communities.

Together, we explore how Graeme turned one of the most challenging periods of his life into a way to support others - particularly leaders - to create safer, more connected environments where people feel seen, heard, and supported.

I was incredibly moved by Graeme’s vulnerability in sharing his story, and how he has transformed that experience into something so impactful. It’s a beautiful reminder that even in our hardest moments, there is the potential for growth, meaning, and contribution.

This conversation highlights just how powerful a simple conversation can be - and how it can quite literally change a life.

Key Episode Takeaways:

How Graeme turned his personal experience of breakdown into a mission to support others

Why great leaders prioritise care and create psychologically safe environments

The power of humility in creating authentic connection and trust

How one meaningful conversation can have the potential to change a life

About the Guest:

Graeme Cowan is a resilience expert, professional speaker and Board Director of R U OK?, where he has seen firsthand how simple conversations can lead to meaningful change.

With a background in senior leadership roles at Johnson & Johnson, Pfizer and AT Kearney, Graeme’s work today is deeply shaped by his own lived experience. In 2000, he went through a five-year episode of severe depression — a period his psychiatrist described as one of the most challenging he had ever treated. From that experience, Graeme developed a powerful new perspective on resilience, wellbeing and performance, which now underpins his work with leaders and organisations around the world.

He is the author of five books, including the internationally acclaimed Back From the Brink, and his latest, Great Leaders Care, which explores how empathy and care can transform leadership and workplace culture. Graeme has been described by the Australian Financial Review as a “resilience expert”, and is known for his authentic, relevant and thought-provoking style.

Based in Sydney near Lane Cove National Park, Graeme enjoys spending time in nature, connecting with family and friends, and sharing ideas that spark conversations — because he believes those conversations have the power to change lives.

Show Resources:

Follow Graeme on Instagram - HERE

Connect with Graeme on LinkedIn - HERE

Check Out Graeme's Website - HERE

Follow Emma, the Podcast Host on Instagram - HERE

Join The Next Chapter Collective Waitlist - HERE

If you LOVED this episode, make sure you share it on your Instagram stories and tag us @emmalagerlow and @graemecowan.

Take Care, Emma. X.

Have you ever found yourself trying so hard to be a “perfect parent”… only to feel like it’s not quite working the way you expected?

In this episode of It’s a Mindset, I’m joined by Lisa Taylor - family therapist, relationships consultant, speaker and founder of Strengthening Families Australia. With over 25 years of experience supporting families, schools and organisations, Lisa brings a deeply heart-centred approach to helping us understand the patterns that shape how we connect.

Together, we explore what Lisa calls the “Perfect Parent Trap” - the pressure to get it right, to say the right thing, to respond perfectly - and how that can actually move us further away from the connection we’re really seeking. Instead, Lisa invites us to shift from control to connection, and to become more aware of the emotional imprints from our own upbringing - what she calls our heartprints - and how they influence the way we show up as parents today.

This conversation really resonated with me on a personal level. Lisa and I are at a similar stage of parenting, and as fellow authors in the Expert Author Community, there was such a natural connection and shared understanding between us. I absolutely love the work she’s doing to support families, and the insights she shared - particularly around our own heartprints - were incredibly powerful.

This is one of those episodes that gently invites you to pause, reflect and consider how you’re showing up in your closest relationships - not from a place of judgment, but from a place of curiosity and growth.

Key Episode Takeaways:

What the “Perfect Parent Trap” is and why trying to get it right can backfire

How your own childhood “heartprints” shape the way you parent

Why shifting from control to connection can transform your relationships

The importance of presence - being where your body is - in creating deeper connection

About the Guest:

Lisa Taylor is a family therapist, relationships consultant, speaker and founder of Strengthening Families Australia with over twenty-five years of experience walking alongside thousands of families, schools and organisations across Australia.

Her heart-centred approach helps parents, educators and leaders strengthen relationships, heal generational patterns and transform how they connect with one another. She lives on the Bellarine Peninsula with her husband Chris, their three children and Faith, their golden retriever.

Show Resources:

Follow Lisa on Instagram - HERE

Connect with Lisa on LinkedIn - HERE

Check Out Lisa's Website - HERE

Follow Emma, the Podcast Host on Instagram - HERE

Join the Waitlist for The Next Chapter Collective - HERE

If you LOVED this episode, make sure you share it on your Instagram stories and tag us @emmalagerlow and @lisataylor.au.

Your in Conscious Parenting, Emma. X.