It's a Mindset

Have you ever had one of those days where everything seems to go wrong?

The alarm doesn't go off.

Someone says something that rubs you the wrong way.

Work feels overwhelming.

Your confidence takes a hit.

And before you know it, one bad day starts feeling like a bad week, a bad month, or even a bad life.

In this episode of It's a Mindset, Emma sits down with Learning and Organisational Development specialist, speaker and author Dr Gayle Smerdon to explore why bad days happen, how we can recognise them early, and most importantly, what we can do to stop them spiralling.

Gayle is the author of The Bad Day Playbook and founder of the "Make Work Less Sh*t" philosophy. Drawing on decades of experience working with leaders, teams and organisations, she shares practical and compassionate strategies for navigating life's inevitable difficult moments.

Who hasn't had a bad day?

I know I've experienced a few recently, and this conversation really landed for me. One of the things I loved most about speaking with Gayle was her reminder that while bad days are inevitable, staying stuck in them isn't.

This episode is filled with practical wisdom, self-awareness and gentle reminders that we have more agency than we often realise when we're struggling.

Key Episode Takeaways:

How a bad day can slowly turn into a bad week, a bad month or even depression if left unchecked

The early warning signs that you're having a bad day

Why recognising what's happening is often the first step towards changing it

The powerful questions you can ask yourself when you're struggling

How to identify what is within your control and what isn't

The role of self-awareness in navigating difficult emotions

Why connection can be one of the most important tools during a bad day

How to know whether you need support, space or something else entirely

Why bad days are part of being human and don't define who you are

One of the most powerful messages from this conversation is that while we can't always control what happens to us, we can influence what happens next. Bad days may be inevitable. Staying stuck in them isn't.

About the Guest

Dr Gayle Smerdon is a Learning and Organisational Development specialist, speaker and author who helps people make work less exhausting and more meaningful.

For more than two decades, she has worked across universities, government and not-for-profits, helping leaders and teams navigate change, build capability and create healthy workplace cultures.

With a PhD in Sociology and a Graduate Diploma in Psychology, Gayle studies how organisations function (and malfunction), exploring the interplay between systems, culture and behaviour.

She is the author of The Bad Day Playbook and founder of the "Make Work Less Sh*t" philosophy - a practical, funny and deeply human approach to improving work without pretending everything is fine. Gayle believes bad days may be inevitable, but staying stuck in them isn't.

Show Resources:

Connect with Gayle on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/gayle-smerdon/

Follow Gayle on Instagram - https://www.instagram.com/gaylesmerdon/

Check Out Gayles Website: https://www.gaylesmerdon.com/

Follow Emma on Instagram: @emmalagerlow

Purchase Worthy & Wealthy: https://www.amazon.com.au/Worthy-Wealthy-Discovering-Abundance-Fulfilment/dp/1998528022

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

Remember: A bad day doesn't mean you have a bad life.

Go Gently, Emma. X.

Have you ever known exactly what you needed to do, but still found yourself stuck?

We live in a world overflowing with information. Books, podcasts, courses and advice are more accessible than ever before.

Yet many of us still struggle to bridge the gap between what we know and what we actually do.

In this episode of It's a Mindset, Emma sits down with leadership expert, keynote speaker and author Tamsin Simounds to explore why information alone doesn't create change - experience does.

Drawing on the principles from her book, The Experiment Mindset, Tamsin shares a brain-aligned approach to growth that challenges the way many of us think about personal development. Together, Emma and Tamsin unpack why high achievers often become trapped by their own success, why waiting until something feels comfortable is holding us back, and how embracing experimentation can create lasting transformation.

As someone who has recently launched The Next Chapter Collective, Emma deeply resonated with Tamsin's message. Building something new always involves uncertainty, vulnerability and a willingness to step into the unknown. In many ways, every next chapter is simply one big experiment - and perhaps that's exactly the point.

If you've been waiting to feel ready before making a change, this conversation may be exactly what you need to hear.

One of the most powerful reflections from this conversation is considering how much you've changed over the past ten years compared to how much you expect to change over the next ten. Most of us dramatically underestimate our capacity for growth.

This episode is a reminder that the life you want isn't created through more information alone. It's created through action, experimentation and a willingness to step into the unknown.

Key Episode Takeaways:

Why information alone doesn't create lasting change

The difference between progress and genuine growth

How successful people can unknowingly become trapped by their own identity

The three levers that drive behaviour and transformation

Why waiting for confidence before taking action rarely works

How adopting an experimental mindset can help you navigate uncertainty and change

Why the life you want may be much closer than you think

Why you don't have to stay the same person you've always been

About The Guest:

Tamsin Simounds is a leadership expert, keynote speaker, entrepreneur and author of The Experiment Mindset.

Her work focuses on helping people bridge the gap between what they know and what they actually do by creating experiences that generate meaningful behavioural change.

She is also the founder of JumpProof, a platform designed to help individuals and organisations embrace experimentation as a pathway to growth, resilience and transformation.

Show Resources:

Follow Tamsin on Instagram: @tamsinsimounds

Connect with Tamsin on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/tamsinkate/

Check Out Tamsin's Website: https://www.tamsinsimounds.com/

Follow Emma on Instagram: @emmalagerlow

Learn More About The Next Chapter Collective - https://www.emmalagerlow.com/the-next-chapter-collective

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

Here's to embracing the experiment, Emma. X.

Have you ever had a dream that wouldn't quite leave you alone?

Not a fleeting idea. Not a New Year's resolution. A dream that keeps quietly tapping you on the shoulder, year after year, even as life gets busy.

In this solo episode of It's a Mindset, Emma explores why so many women put their dreams on hold while they focus on everyone else. From careers and caring responsibilities to being the "good girl" and meeting expectations, it's easy to lose sight of what we truly want.

Emma shares her own journey of following dreams that once felt impossible - leaving a 25-year corporate career, writing an award-winning and bestselling book, launching a podcast, travelling the world, hosting sound healing events, and now finding herself drawn towards a new possibility: yoga teacher training.

This episode is an invitation to pause, reflect and ask yourself a powerful question:

What dream have you put on hold?

If you've been feeling restless, stuck, unfulfilled, or like there's something more waiting for you, this conversation is for you.

As Emma shares in Worthy & Wealthy, true abundance begins with understanding who you are, what you want and having the courage to take the next step. And perhaps your next step starts today.

Key Episode Takeaways:

Why so many women put their dreams on hold while prioritising everyone else's needs

Why the "good girl" conditioning can keep women playing small

Why your next chapter doesn't need to be dramatic to be meaningful

Three powerful questions to help you reconnect with what you truly want

Why permission, support and accountability are often the missing ingredients for change

How to recognise when you're ready for your next chapter

Journal Prompts

Take some time to reflect on these questions:

✨ What dream have I put on hold?

✨ Why did I put it on hold?

✨ What would happen if I finally gave myself permission to pursue it?

✨ If nothing changed over the next five years, how would I feel?

Doors Are Now Open to The Next Chapter Collective

If this episode stirred something within you...

If you've been thinking about the dream you've put on hold...

If you've been wondering what's next...

Or if you're simply ready to invest in yourself again...

I'd love to invite you to join The Next Chapter Collective.

This brand-new five-week coaching experience has been designed for women who know they're ready for something more - more purpose, more fulfilment, more clarity and more intention in the next chapter of their lives.

Together, we'll explore the same five pillars that sit at the heart of Worthy & Wealthy:

✨ Self-Worth

✨ Purpose

✨ Wellbeing

✨ Financial Empowerment

✨ Freedom

These are the same five pillars that transformed my own life and became the foundation of my book, Worthy & Wealthy.

This is the work we'll be doing together over five weeks - moving beyond inspiration and into action, with the support, accountability and encouragement to create meaningful change.

Program begins: Tuesday 23 June

Weekly Live Coaching Calls: Tuesdays at 7:30pm AEST

Includes:

✔ Five weeks of live coaching, support and accountability

✔ Weekly Zoom sessions

✔ Recordings available if you can't attend live

✔ Reflection exercises, practical tools and workbook activities

✔ A supportive community of like-minded women

✔ A complimentary 60-minute private coaching session

Places are intentionally limited to ensure a personalised and supportive experience.

If you're ready to stop putting your dreams on hold and start intentionally creating your next chapter,

I'd love to support you inside the program.

You can find all the details and enrol via the link in the show notes.

Show Resources:

Follow Emma, The Podcast Host on Instagram - @emmalagerlow

Learn More About The Next Chapter Collective - https://www.emmalagerlow.com/the-next-chapter-collective

Check Out Emma's Book, Worthy & Wealthy - https://www.amazon.com.au/Worthy-Wealthy-Discovering-Abundance-Fulfilment/dp/1998528022

So let me leave you with one final question:

What dream have you put on hold?

Maybe your next chapter isn't about becoming someone new.

Maybe it's about finally becoming more of who you've always been.

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

Here's to Your Next Chapter, Emma. X.

Have you ever wondered whether being the "good girl" is actually holding you back?

Maybe you've spent years being the good daughter, the good employee, the good partner, the good mum - putting everyone else's needs ahead of your own and measuring your worth by how much you do for others.

But what if constantly being "good" comes at a cost?

In this episode of It's a Mindset, I sit down with author, strategist and community builder Caitlin Judd to explore the hidden cost of being the "good girl" and what it takes to break free from the expectations that no longer serve us.

Caitlin's journey has taken her from corporate life to building a portfolio career across consulting, coaching, digital products and entrepreneurship. She is the co-founder of the award-winning female founder community lady-brains and author of the thought-provoking book Good Girl, Goodbye.

Together, we explore the conditioning many women inherit, where it comes from, and how it can quietly shape our identities, relationships, careers and sense of self-worth.

As someone who has often identified with being the "good girl" myself, I found this conversation incredibly insightful. Feeling like being a good girl was always part of my identity had me truly resonating with Caitlin's work and how we can begin to shed those expectations and create lives that feel more authentic and aligned.

Key Episode Takeaways:

Caitlin's Good Girl archetypes and how they show up in women's lives

Why the "good girl" can evolve into the "good mum" and continue shaping our choices

Where the pressure to be a good girl originates and how it becomes internalised

Why so many women prioritise everyone else and don't even make it onto their own list

The relationship between people-pleasing, perfectionism and self-worth

How to begin reclaiming your voice and creating a life that reflects who you truly are

About the Guest:

Caitlin Judd is an author, strategist, speaker and co-founder of the award-winning female founder community lady-brains. After leaving corporate life in 2014, she built a portfolio career spanning consulting, coaching, digital products and online programs across Australia, North America, Asia and Europe. Her debut book, Good Girl, Goodbye, explores the conditioning women inherit, the cost of people-pleasing and the journey of disentangling from expectations that no longer serve us. Through her work, Caitlin helps women find their voice, claim their authority and create lives aligned with who they truly are.

Show Resources:

Follow Caitlin on Instagram - @itscaitlinjudd

Check Out Caitlin's Website - https://www.caitlinjudd.com/

Read Caitlin's Substack - https://substack.com/@caitlinjudd

Buy Caitlin's Book, Goodbye Good Girl - https://www.amazon.com.au/Good-Girl-Goodbye-Rewrite-Reclaim/dp/1394389361

Follow Emma, the Podcast Host on Instagram - @emmalagerlow

Learn More About The Next Chapter Collective - https://www.emmalagerlow.com/the-next-chapter-collective

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

Yours, In Saying Goodbye to your Good Girl, Emma. X.

Have you ever realised how many women are only one major life change away from financial struggle?

In this practical and empowering episode of It’s a Mindset, I’m joined by award-winning financial adviser, speaker and author Helen Baker for a conversation about financial freedom, security and why knowledge truly is power when it comes to money.

Helen is the founder of On Your Own Two Feet, an Australia-wide service dedicated to helping women gain and retain financial independence. Her latest book, Money for Life, is a brilliant guide for women wanting to better understand their finances, plan for the future and create greater choice and stability in their lives.

As you know, I’m incredibly passionate about financial stability as one of the key pillars in creating a truly worthy and wealthy life - and helping women step into abundant and empowered next chapters. I loved this conversation with Helen because it makes financial planning feel practical, achievable and deeply connected to living well both now and in the future.

Together, we explore why financial planning is about so much more than numbers - it’s about creating freedom, security and options for your life. Helen also shares why financial awareness and planning are so important for women - particularly during major life transitions such as separation, divorce and retirement - and how having a strategy can help women avoid financial vulnerability later in life.

This is such an important and empowering conversation for women at every stage of life - particularly those wanting greater freedom, confidence and security around money.

Key Episode Takeaways:

Why financial planning is really about freedom, choice and achieving your goals

The importance of financial stability and planning ahead for the future

How financial knowledge empowers women and creates greater confidence

Why having a financial strategy can help women avoid vulnerability later in life

The importance of advocating for yourself during separation and divorce

The ethos of “live well now and plan for the future”

Practical ways women can feel more in control of their money and future

About the Guest:

Helen Baker is an award-winning financial adviser, speaker and founder of On Your Own Two Feet, an Australia-wide service dedicated to empowering women to gain and retain their financial independence. She holds multiple Masters degrees and has been recognised nationally for her contribution to financial literacy and women’s financial empowerment.

Helen is the author of four books, including her latest release Money for Life, and is a regular media commentator across Australian television, radio and print media. Her work is deeply focused on helping women create greater financial confidence, security and freedom at every stage of life.

Show Resources:

Follow Helen on Instagram - HERE

Connect with Helen on LinkedIn - HERE

Check Our Helen's Website - HERE

Follow Emma, the Podcast Host on Instagram - HERE

Learn More About The Next Chapter Collective - HERE

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

Yours in Financial Freedom, Emma. X.