One Year of Beyond Organised

One year ago, I hit publish on a brand new podcast and hoped it would help a few overwhelmed women breathe easier. Fast forward 52 weeks and I’m still here, still releasing every Monday morning, and still a bit stunned that Beyond Organised is now being heard across 56 countries and counting. This anniversary update is my honest behind-the-scenes look at what it’s taken to stay consistent while raising four kids, working, running She’s Organised, and navigating health setbacks, hospital visits, grief, and family challenges.

You’ll hear how the podcast has changed since those early, practical organisation and decluttering chats, and why I’m getting clearer about the direction moving forward. Organising systems matter, but they are only one piece. I share why faith, identity, emotional health, and intentional living are becoming a bigger part of the conversation, and how building a level of order in your home and weekly schedule can give you flexibility when life throws the unexpected at you.

I also want this to feel like your show. I ask for your feedback on what you’ve loved, what you want more of, and whether you prefer guest conversations or solo episodes. I’m opening the door to listener stories in year two and inviting your questions for future Q&A episodes on organising, time management, budgeting, parenting, faith and more. If you’d like deeper support, I share how the She’s Organised Hub works and other ways you can help keep the podcast going. 

If you got value from this, please subscribe, share it with a friend, and leave a review so more people can find this very special show.

Transcript

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One Year Milestone And Why Mondays

Mel 0:18

Welcome to Beyond Organised, the podcast that helps you simplify your life and amplify your purpose. I'm Mel Schenker, life coach, speaker, founder of She's Organised, but, more importantly, a wife and mum of four little kids. If you've ever felt overwhelmed, like you're constantly juggling everything but never quite catching up, this is the place for you. Here we go beyond just the tidying up and creating systems. We're talking about real life strategies that bring order to your life, but also we talk about the things beyond the organising, the things that really matter, like your parenting relationships and so much more. So grab your coffee and let's dive in. Welcome back to another episode of Beyond Organized. And this episode is definitely a bit different. As you may have worked out, it has been exactly one year since I started this podcast. So today I'm gonna go a little bit behind the scenes, talk a little bit into the show. I wanted to first thank you for being here, for being one of the listeners that shows up and listens to my work, what I've put into this. I love doing this podcast. And I can tell you now, if I didn't, I probably wouldn't be here a year on. Some of the stats around podcasting kind of blow my mind. I mean, most podcasts don't even make it past 10 episodes. Like what? So that means a lot of people start or they plan on starting, and then they just don't really go anywhere or do anything with it. And look, maybe that might be one or two of you, but that's okay. Sometimes we try things and give it a go, and it's just not for us. But I love podcasting. I love talking and to have a space that is mine and people want to listen to the things I have to say has been quite fun. It's actually been really fun. But not only that, with the guests that I've had on as well, I've gotten to meet some incredible people. So we'll touch on some of that. I'll touch on some of the episodes, the guests, all of that coming up. But I wanted to say that this last 52 weeks has been crazy. So this is episode 55. In the first week, I launched three episodes, and then it's been one consistently every single week. Every Monday morning, my time, it has come out and I will continue to do Monday morning, regardless of whether Joe tells me I should do it on a Tuesday and Bob tells me it should be a Thursday because that's when people listen to it more. I don't care. I'm doing Monday mornings. I find that if you can start the week with a little bit of inspiration, something fun to listen to, something practical. I mean, it's been a bit different each week, hasn't it? But it gives you something to look forward to for the week ahead.

Global Listener Stats That Shocked Me

Mel 3:27

So I want to touch on some of the stats that I've got because it blows my mind that people are listening to this podcast now, as of recording this, 56 countries and territories. I mean, the majority is Australia. Not far behind is the US and UK. But I have got people in every continent except I think like Greenland and then Antarctica or something, but most habitable continents, I've got people listening. My next closest is like Singapore and Vietnam and even Malaysia. I've got a lot of Asian countries. I've got New Zealand, Canada, I've even got South Africa and Zimbabwe, I've got Pakistan, Iran, even European countries, France, Sweden, Switzerland, Belgium, and of course I've got some in Germany because I have got family in Germany. I did marry a German, so no doubt there's probably one or two family members listening in from there. I've got people listening in from everywhere, and that just blows my mind. I I'm just a 37-year-old woman that likes to talk, lives in Melbourne, Australia. I run a business on organizing, and I'm a Christian and all of that. But here we are. I mean, this podcast has just blown my mind. And it has changed and it has shifted a lot over the last year. I'm certainly a lot more clearer in the direction that I want to go moving forward. And you may have noticed that too if you've been listening in for a while or you've gone back to some of the earlier episodes. It started off very practical, very organizing base, mainly for mums, and it was open to everyone. I wasn't really talking about my faith or anything early on. And that's okay. I mean, those episodes are still great. And even the early episodes with my guests and that, most of my guests weren't Christian, but that's fine. Like I've met some absolutely amazing people that have got a lot to give. So, Christian or not, I'm still gonna have guests in the future that aren't Christian as well. Because why not? I mean, if they're an expert in their field and it helps the people that are listening, then why

Family Life Work And Health Realities

Mel 5:51

not? I I've gone through a lot. And for those that don't know me very well, maybe you're new here, um, maybe you've only been listening in for a little bit. I know my email list is growing, my social media is growing, and so there's a lot of people that are still quite new to me, to the show. I am a mum of four. So my eldest is 10, my youngest is one. I've been married to my husband for 13 years. We have very busy lives. Anyone that's even got one child knows that your life is not your own and it's full on. But if you've got three or four or more, you know that it's um, it can be a full-time job in itself. I run my business. I've been doing She's Organized now since, well, since October 2024. I'm a life coach, an award-winning life coach now, as of the end of last year. I have been growing the She's Organized hub, been group coaching mainly. I was doing more one-on-one coaching earlier on. I've now moved more into group coaching space. I do take on a few private clients if they want to. But yeah, I'm busy enough with my business, but I also work. Like I've got another job outside of this, which helps pay all the bills and everything that's going on. But for some of you that don't know, over the last 12 months, I've had multiple hospital visits. I'm now classified anemic. I've had two iron infusions in less than 12 months. So it is a juggle. I I've gone through a lot of different health things myself. Plus, like I've I've had a few things going on, and a lot of you probably don't even know that. But I've had multiple hospital visits in the last 12 months. Recently lost a family member, been helping support my dad battling cancer, obviously raising four kids and working and all of those things as well. I've had a lot going on, but I have had an episode come out consistently every Monday morning for the last 12 months, and I've loved it. And some of them have been scheduled weeks in advance, and I've been grateful for that because things have come up. Some of them I've literally had edited and ready to go the day before because life has gotten away from me as well. So even someone as organized as me, it has been a bit of a struggle some weeks as well to just keep on top of it, particularly when I'd been really unwell. But here I am, still here, still planning on showing up every single week. But I'd also like to hear more from you. And I'll touch on some of the things that I'd love to hear from you shortly.

The Show’s Shift Toward Faith

Mel 8:50

But when I started this, it was gonna be more of a practical type podcast. And although that's good and people love their practical tips, and I still include them from time to time, and I will continue to include practical steps and things to do and try. I personally have really enjoyed the conversations with guests, but also ones that had been diving deeper into faith and identity and just intentionally living. So the podcast has taken a little bit of a pivot here or there, and I will be heading more down the path of faith and intentional living and all of that, which was always an original purpose to the show, but I'm gonna be sort of highlighting that more. And the reason behind that is because, as organized as I am, I have also come to realize that without these other things, without my faith, without actually having a level of flexibility and adaptability for my day, all the organizing stuff is kind of just one piece. And that's why I also called it beyond organized, because organizing is kind of just the first step and it really does help. And I do want to cover those things to help you in a practical, tangible way. But life is so much more than that. If we can have a somewhat organized life, and every day is going to look different, I know. But if we can have some level of order, then we're more prepared for the things that come up unexpectedly. And that's life. It is going to happen. It still happens regularly for me. But the fact that I can do all the things that I'm doing, juggle all the things, including having very low energy a lot of the time. I can do all of that because I live in a level of order. So that's why I do this. That's why I want to bring all of this to you and help you with being more organized, is to be able to live your life happily, comfortably, purposefully beyond it. So I hope that you are liking the direction of the show. You are wanting more of these things. But this is where I want to hear from

Feedback Reviews And How To Message

Mel 11:28

you. What episodes have you enjoyed? What even did you not enjoy so much? I'm open to all feedback. If you do love the show and you are yet to leave a review, leave a review, whether you're listening through Apple Podcasts, through YouTube, even with a comment. Doesn't matter where you're listening, if you can leave a review, that really helps me, but more so helps other people find me. Helps them find this show. And if you've gotten anything out of this, then I would love other people to get more out of this too.

Episode Themes And What’s Available

Mel 12:06

So as you may have noticed, over the last 50 or episodes leading up to this, I've covered a lot of things from organizing and systems to mindset shifts, health and well-being, faith-based, just purely faith-based episodes. I've had powerful guest stories, people that have really gone through their own health issues or setbacks in life and have come out on top. All of these women have been incredible, and I've got a lot more incredible women lined up for you. So there is something for you in this show. Doesn't matter what season you're in, whether you're juggling little kids, whether you're an empty nestor, I've got an empty nestor episode for you as well. There is something for everyone. And I even know of a number of men that are listening to the show too, and you are more than welcome to be here. I do apologize that I do tend to talk to women and to mums, but you are welcome here too. And if you are finding value in this, I would love to hear from you as well. And it's important that I hear from you. There is the ability to send me a text message. So it doesn't matter where you're listening to this show from, except YouTube. I've removed it off YouTube because you can just leave me direct comments there anyway. But everywhere else, you can literally click a button at the top of the show notes that allows you to send me a message. You can also send me an email. I've got all my contact details available through the show anyway. I want to hear from you. What has been your favorite episode? What do you want more of? Do you like the guest episodes? Do you prefer the solo episodes? And look, truthfully, I probably will continue to have a mix of both in the future. So do you like having a mix? I want to give more of what you want. If you want more guest episodes, if you want more solo episodes, I can happily arrange all of that. Do you like the more practical tips or do you like the more deeper conversations? I want this to feel almost like when I've got a guest episode anyway, I'd like it to feel like we're just having our own conversation and you're listening in and you get to be part of it. That's kind of fun. But also with the solo episodes, that I'm talking to you. Because I am talking to you. I'm not talking to thousands of people. Yeah, thousands of people might be listening, but I'm talking to you. And so I want to hear from you. And as long as you are listening, as long as there is one person listening, I will keep doing this. But I feel like this is part of my purpose and my calling to be able to help women in particular be able to navigate the different seasons of life, to live more intentionally, more purposefully, because it is so easy to get wrapped up and lost in motherhood, in just the tasks of every day, even if you're not a mum yet, or your kids are grown up, moved out, you're in the later stages in life, wherever you are in age, in your journey. I want you to feel heard, feel seen, feel like I understand you. And look, I might not be in your shoes, but I've certainly walked through enough things in my own life that hopefully can help you in your current season. I also want to know, do you like the shorter episodes? Because I've got episodes around the 20-minute mark. I've also got episodes sort of around the 40-minute mark, which are usually the guest episodes are longer, solar episodes are shorter. Sometimes this one, maybe not so much. What do you prefer? And where are you listening from? As I said, 56 countries. That's a lot. I'd love to know where you're from and how did you come across this show? Did a friend tell you? Did you see it on social media? Are you on my email list? Where did you hear about this show? And to give you an idea of some of the episodes that we've covered, I'm not gonna touch on all of them because there are a lot. But we have a number in the mindset, identity, emotional health kind of categories. So I'm gonna list by episode number, and I know that a lot of them don't show episode numbers in the podcast directory, but you can get an idea anyway. So episode three, four, ten, eleven, twelve, thirteen, seventeen, thirty-one, thirty-three, thirty-nine, forty-eight would probably all cover mindset stuff from your practical, everyday tips to help you to just having those deep real conversations, both solo and guest episodes. I've got heaps on organizing and systems and practical life. Episode one, episode two, five, nine, fifteen, twenty one, twenty two, twenty five, thirty-four, forty two, fifty-two. A lot of practical ones. I've got money, business, productivity type ones, episode six, twenty four, thirty-five, thirty-six, just to name a few. And look, some of these go into different categories, by the way. But I've got a lot on physical health, energy, and well-being. Now that's not my area of expertise. I am an overweight 37-year-old that's had four children who has struggled with my weight and my health my whole life. And as I even mentioned before, I've been in hospital a number of times and I've got my own health issues. But I love it when I have guests come on that are experts in this area and can help impart things because I get so much out of it. I'm learning just as much as you. And I love that. And so we've got episodes 8, 16, 20, 23, 32, 40, 49, 50, 53, 54. I mean, that's a lot of episodes on different health things. And I'm talking like ADHD to postnatal, prenatal, like all this kind of stuff. Your sleep cycles, your cycle sinking, your weight lifting and your hormones, and there is everything. There is everything that you need. We cover a bit on family and relationships and parenting. So episode 14, 26, 27, 30, 43, and they are all guest episodes. These are amazing women that have something to impart to help you with your family, your relationships, your parenting. And then we've got some faith, purpose, and intentional living-based ones. Episode 28, 41, 45, 46, 47, 51, and even just personal stories. And these ones, I would love to see more of. So episode 7, 18, 19, 29. I would love to see more personal stories.

Inviting Listener Stories And Questions

Mel 19:25

And I would love in year two of this to start bringing on my listeners. So if you are someone that has listened to this show for a bit or you are brand new today, if you want to be on this show, if you are a woman, whether you're 21, 81, you've got 10 children, you've got no children, does not matter. If you've got a story to share that you feel like fits this show, whether it's a story of encouragement, of your faith, a testimony, if it's a story of how organizing has helped you in your life, doesn't matter what it is. If you've got a story that you feel like will help other women in the season that they're in, I would love to have you on the show. Reach out to me. Send me an email, send me a message. I do respond to every single one of them. So if you want to be on this show, reach out and we will make a time. It doesn't matter where you are in the world, we will make a time that works for you to record this and get you on here. I would also love to be able to answer some questions on the show too. So for the solo episodes that I've got, because I record those very close to the date that I actually release them, I would love to be able to start answering your questions. Do you have questions that still yet to be answered from all the episodes I've got? Questions on organizing, on faith, on your money and budgeting, on organizing your home, on managing your time, helping with your kids, even just questions on maybe how I do things. If you've got any kind of questions that you feel are appropriate for the show, I want to hear you and I want to answer them on the show for you. So again, please reach out. Now, this episode was a bit of that update, behind the scenes, celebrating a year. I cannot believe how quick a year has gone. But I want this to feel like your show too. Because I wouldn't be doing this if it weren't for you. So I want you to be more involved. I want you to be part of this. I want to hear from you. I want to have you on here. And it's Okay, if you're shy. It's okay. We record remotely. I give you plenty of space, plenty of time. I can edit things out if you stumble over words or you're nervous, anything like that. And believe me, some of the guests I've had on, it's been their very first time and they have done really well. So I would love, love, love to hear from you and make this show even more of your own in this next year.

Support Options And The She’s Organised Hub

Mel 22:33

So before you go off to do whatever you need to do for the day, please leave a review on this show. That would really help me. I don't make any money from this show at this point in time. There is a way that you can support financially. There is a button to support, and you can contribute if you want to. But personally, I would rather have you join my She's Organized Hub and actually get a whole lot of value for it. It's only $47 a month, and you get access to group coaching, a whole lot of recorded group coaching calls and courses and resources, and you get access to so much. And so I would rather you join me inside there where I can actually practically help you in your current organizing journey and intentional living journey and just moving forward in that way. I would love to have you inside the hub and help you that way. But there are other ways that you can give if you want to give, because this has been a big expense in the upkeep and the cost of running the show and hosting the show, the platforms, all of that. There's a there's a big expense that goes into it. Thankfully, I edit and deal with all the audio and everything myself, which saves a lot of money using my audio engineering skills. The sound side of things is good. I apologize if you do watch this on YouTube and it is very basic because video editing is not my thing, but at least you can see me and what I'm saying. And I know that a handful of you really love to have the video version rather than the audio. Doesn't matter. Doesn't matter either way. I do plan on making the videos better moving forward, but for now, everything is pretty simple and um and a lot of the cost is coming out of my own pocket to do this show. And I want to be here and I want to continue to show up for you. But as much as I want to keep doing this and want to keep showing up and and will do whatever I can in my power to keep that happening, it does help if the costs are at least covered. So anything that you may want to contribute, I would love some help around that too. If you feel to give, fantastic. Thank you. I really do appreciate it. But at the same time, there is absolutely no pressure. I love the fact that podcasts are free and are available to anyone that wants to help better their lives. And yes, there is a lot of time that goes into listening to everything to learn and piece things together. And you could fast track that time by joining the She's Organized Hub. It would also give a lot back to you and be able to fast track a lot of your time. But you don't have to do that. That's why this is free. And I want it to be free so you can continue to grow and learn at a pace that suits you, but also suits you financially too. Because I get it, things are very tough right now for a lot of people. So I would love it if you could leave a review, can share this with your friends, post it on social media, do whatever you've got to do to get this show out there. Because truth is, I have been here for a year and I plan on being here for many more years to come. And for that to happen, people need to know that I'm here and they need to get it out there. So I don't ask for much, but I am asking for your help now to be able to push this show if you've really gotten value out of it. And if you feel like there's things that could be better that I could do differently that you would love to hear, then I want to hear from you. And if I don't hear from you, I'm not gonna know, and I'm not gonna be able to make those changes that you're after. So I hope that gives you a little bit of a background and an insight into the podcast over this last year. A lot has happened and a lot will continue to happen. And there's a lot that goes on behind the scenes too. But I enjoy showing up every week for you. And thank you for making this last year a really amazing one and one that actually helped contribute towards the award that I won as a life coach last year for the best life coach for Christian Women in Australia 2025. So that was an Evergreen Award that I was very, very proud to get. So thank you. Thank you for listening, thank you for being here. And I really do look forward to showing up for you in the weeks, months, and years to come.

Subscribe Connect And Final Thanks

Mel 27:20

If you like this episode, don't forget to hit subscribe so you don't miss what's coming next. And if you want to continue the conversation, you can connect with me on Instagram @shes.organised or for some free resources, head over to beyondorganised.com/toolkit. Remember, organising is a tool to live the purposeful life beyond it. See you next time.