#29 - Michel Kelleher: Building Integrity, Family, and Peace Through Business

Michel Kelleher has built a life and business around peace, values, and practical care. In this conversation, she shares how she left a high-stress chapter, built a business in Bali, and learned to navigate grief, menopause, remote work, and change with more clarity and self-trust.

We talk about building family through business, creating simple systems that empower people, communicating across cultures, and making a life that feels aligned with what matters. It is a grounded conversation about maturity, compassion, structure, and surrender.

This episode explores:

• leaving a high-stress life and starting again in Bali
• running a business remotely across Australia and Indonesia
• using peace as a guide after grief and survival mode
• communicating respectfully across cultures and languages
• building a values-led team across different faiths and backgrounds
• creating a workplace that feels like family
• using simple systems to keep progress happening
• creating the life you want, and learning to surrender along the way

Guest bio:

Michel Kelleher is an Australian business owner who built a business in Bali after leaving a high-stress job and looking for a more peaceful way to live and work. She now runs that business remotely, employs 15 people, and has spent years building simple systems, strong relationships, and a values-led culture across Australia and Indonesia.

She is also a mother, grandmother, traveller, and thoughtful leader. In this conversation, Michel brings a grounded perspective on communication, resilience, family, and creating a life that feels aligned.

Guest links:

Michel Kelleher: https://www.facebook.com/michel.kelleher1

Chapters:

01:08 Emotional wisdom and the search for peace
02:20 Leaving a high-stress life and building a business in Bali
04:29 Grief, remote work, and finding the silver lining
09:02 Cross-cultural communication and using the right words
11:48 Building a values-led business and family through work
20:20 Simple systems, remote management, and empowering others
40:16 Grandchildren, joy, manifesting, and surrender

Explore further:

Discover your Natural Genius one-on-one with Sam: https://naturalgenius.com.au
Learn more about Sam: https://samanthabell.com.au
Subscribe to hear future episodes

About Natural Genius:

Natural Genius is a podcast hosted by Samantha (Sam) Bell, exploring the people, choices, and ways of working that make life and business more clear, useful, and alive.

It is also a Lab for founders, operators, and thoughtful humans who want to hear the signal, make strong next moves, and build what matters with more clarity.

Credits:

Hosted by Samantha (Sam) Bell in Violet Town and Kiama, 5 March, 2026.

Produced at the Violet Town offices, 5 March - 1 April, 2026.

Transcript

SPEAKER_00 0:02

Welcome to the Natural Genius Podcast. We're here to help you tap into your natural genius. Let's go. It's such a delight to bring you Michelle in conversation. She's inspiring. She has an amazing lifestyle. Living partly in Australia, traveling the world, remotely working, inspiring so many, and constantly being open to learning new things and communicating so impressively and maturely. She is a grandmother, she is a daughter, she is a mother and a very beautiful friend. Here we go. Enjoy hearing from Michelle. Michelle, welcome to the Natural Genius Podcast. Oh, thank you. I'm looking forward to this. Oh, I think this is fun because we became friends last year, but we have known each other for a long, long time. True. And I wanted to start out with pretty a bold one for you, Michelle. I wanted to know how do you come to be so emotionally wise and strong, which is how I see you.

SPEAKER_01 1:24

Um, I think it's just through lots of years of experience of of life and my and the journey I've been on and trying to get to a really peaceful place within myself. Um, and that's that probably makes me think of all different the all different ways of managing and being able to handle something. And then yeah, in and just out of experience, I think the wisdom comes for sure.

SPEAKER_00 1:55

Yeah, oh gosh, and you have so much experience both from businesses and different chapters of both, and close family and friends, and uh tell me about uh the more recent business um set up and and what drove you to to be.

SPEAKER_01 2:20

Oh, okay, so um it was about 2010 and I was perimenopausal and in a really high stressful job in a relationship that was probably not going anywhere really and had come to the end of its rainbow. And I'd taken a trip to Bali to visit my nieces who were actually half Balinese, and found there was something peaceful about that place and healing about it that I felt like I needed. So I went back and decided that um I need to I need to be there somehow. So I managed and juggled money around, put my um I gave eight weeks notice for my job and decided that I was going to go over and try and set up a business there or just do something for six months. So um I went over and everything fell into place. So I I connected with all the right people. I have I've had a great support with different people there, um, uh, and went into big partnership and business with them, and uh the and the business just tended to grow, and I also found myself there and went and went through menopause, obviously very exposed to a lot of healing options there, which made life a lot easier. And I managed to get through setting up a business in a non-English or an English-speaking country, but not a language that I speak. Um, and yeah, today it's still running, and we may manage to get through COVID, and it's I employ 15 people there, and it's yeah, that they're and it's wonderful. Yeah, I'm really proud of it, and it's doing really well.

SPEAKER_00 4:06

Yeah. Oh, amazing. And Bali, we've both got a love for Bali, and you would know it very well from having lived there and been in and out of there. And you also manage to remotely work, Michelle, so you enjoy being able to uh run a business and be in all different places in the world and experience different uh geographical locations.

SPEAKER_01 4:29

Yeah, yeah. Um, I think where it probably started to pivot was back in 2019, and unfortunately, my husband passed away in Bali in December from a heart attack, so my life really pivoted from that. We I came back to Australia to do like the the ceremony and his burial, and it kept me here until what I thought I was going to go back March the 14th, 2020. However, COVID had other ideas, and I ended up staying here in Australia, and so having to manage the business remotely was became criteria. But however, fortunately, through that first two-year period, business was quite slow. There's quite a there was still an expat community in Bali that kept the business alive. The staff worked half half the you know, half their time, they got paid half their salaries, and we managed to get through it. So um working remotely became that became the way that I needed to do it. So yeah, so that was good.

SPEAKER_00 5:37

Oh, the silver lining. You're so good at being able to spot the silver lining, I think. Michelle, you just assume that it's always there.

SPEAKER_01 5:45

Well, like I like to find it because then it just realigns with the peace that you need to feel. Because I yeah, it I think um when you've lived in survival mode for quite a while, which takes it's it's really taxing on your whole system, really. So I I really learnt to I think more so after Brad when Brad passed away, after that finding that in a peaceful place, it was it was really, really important. Yeah, so it actually meant that to let go of a lot of people, family, and whatever that that were that weren't adding to my peace, and just to get people that complimented my life, not complicated my life.

SPEAKER_00 6:26

And you mean it mm you mentioned I'm getting my words all muddled. You mentioned menopause. There we go. Uh and do you think that that shedding process is part of that as well, or was for you at least?

SPEAKER_01 6:40

Yeah, very much so, yeah. I think it um I'm finding actually, and it's really interesting observing some of my friends who, or for whatever reason, people like come across who haven't actually dealt with other stuff in their life, and then when they hit menopause, whoa, it really it really can knock you around, you know. So, and some people don't have any any side effects from it at all, fortunately, but yeah, I certainly it certainly hit me, and I was really fortunate to go through it while I was living in Bali, and I fortunately had had um home like staff that were looking after my home, so I never had to worry about cleaning, washing, lining, or anything like that. And and I but but I had the stress of the business, but I was still able to come home and sleep whenever I needed to. You know, if I had a day that I wasn't feeling like I can do this, I you know I was I was able to manage it how I needed to, but I was also available to a fantastic naturopath in Bali. She's a German woman and she's actually a GP and a naturopath, which is how they trained at from Germany. She was she was fantastic in it, how she helped me get through it with live blood analysis and infusions with all different vitamins that I was missing and needed and felt clarity. God, yeah, it was great. It was really nice. And I'm sure there's people in Australia that do do it, but I didn't wasn't able to actually access that while I was here.

SPEAKER_00 8:15

And great food as well, Michelle, assumably.

SPEAKER_01 8:18

Oh god, that and that's such an important aspect, I think, is your food. Like that's such a healer as well. And you know, as you know, we've known and I've you know, I've participated in A Vedic um Panchapama's in Bali for you know 28 days, and you know that was that was actually another amazing reset for my um nervous system. So I think when you realise you've been in survival mode, it actually really does take a lot out of you and how you manage things as well, and then which and realizing you don't need to be in it anymore, um, is is a really crucial part of your own, I think, maturity as well.

SPEAKER_00 9:02

Oh, well said, and tell me uh you're an amazing communicator, I would say you're a very mature communicator, and you know one of the things that I admire amongst many of you, Michelle, is the maturity and the understanding, compassion towards different cultures. Like you just seem to be able to communicate respectfully to anyone. And where when I'm around. So tell me through remote working, through running a business, being a woman, uh being able to communicate well, what sort of tips do you find yourself saying to people regularly?

SPEAKER_01 9:42

Uh that's interesting. Um I found it's really interesting. So working in Indonesia, that obviously the culture's different. So there's um in terms of if they're embarrassed, they laugh. So you can sometimes go, why are you laughing? This is really serious, you know. Um however, um obviously, and also one of the things with them is um within I know I'm only gonna speak in terms of Indonesia, but is using only words that they associate with. So for instance, I was moving from one uh from my office to another to a storage area, and I'd said to one of my staff members, oh, there's room up the top. He looked at me really quizzically. He's like, I I don't know what you mean by is there a room at the top? Like his visual idea of a room up the top was an actual room, but I'm meaning there's actually space at the top. So it's it's actually making sure you use the right words that they can in they interpret and understand because it it can go very pear-shaped if you yeah, if if you don't actually use the right terminology.

SPEAKER_00 11:04

So and is Bahasa Indonesia, is there less words in that language than there is in the English language?

SPEAKER_01 11:12

Definitely, and sometimes those words can mean two or three different things. For instance, when you're talking about the time, the word jam, g-a-m, or jum, and it and that can mean a lot of other, yeah, that can apply to a lot of other other different things in terms of time as well. So, yeah, so it's quite interesting, and I'd and I'd I'd love to say I'm fluent in Bahasa, but I'm not. And the depending on where you put the word in the sentence, it it has what the relevance is in in the conversation.

SPEAKER_00 11:45

So, yeah. Amazing. And tell me about business tips, Michelle. If you were talking to somebody starting out their business, what sort of things do you find it important to mention?

SPEAKER_01 12:00

Surround yourself with the most the people that you align with in terms of your supporters and um financial supporters and just um and people that you have similar values to. I think that's really important. Um, and and that means in terms of financial values and ethical values as well. And I've been really fortunate that that's come my way all the way through my what 16 years of of being of doing business in Indonesia. Um and also to surround yourself with the staff who align themselves with your thinking as well. Um, and one of the and I'm so grateful, one of the things that makes my business work is that I have um staff from that are Hindu, Muslim, and Christian. They their holidays are quite different, um, in well are different obviously. So, you know, that there's all the Hindu holidays, so that means that when um the Hindu people or my Hindu staff are on holidays, I still have my Muslim staff and Christian staff working, and vice versa, you know. So that works out really well. And what happens is they come from all different islands throughout Indonesia, and so that where they work together and they spend a lot of their time, they tend to create a family out of the people that they work with. So I'm really fortunate in it that I have a really close-knit group of people, they have their differences, and we sometimes I you know have to be the referee with a few things, but it always seems to manage and work out. They I pay them well, their hospital covers looked after, their money goes into the same as like a superannuation for us, which you have to legally do. But there, and then if there's any issues that come up family-wise where they need time off, there's I you know that that just happens regardless, and and the other people pick up the slack. Obviously, they're financially um benefit from benefit from it because they're doing extra work, and then then it if it happens to them, then it's they're they're able to time off and they don't lose income from it either. So they're able to look after their families as well. So it it's um yeah, it it encompasses everyone, not just the people who get into the office, but it's also their wives and and or their husbands and their children, and yeah, so it's worked out really well.

SPEAKER_00 14:43

Oh, you've got so much to be proud of, Michelle.

SPEAKER_01 14:47

Yeah, I'm very fortunate. Like I'm fortunate that I've attracted all the right people in. There's been some people that aren't, and they generally don't last long, they they end up leaving quite quickly. Yeah, because that whatever they've done that's not doesn't work within the culture of our company, it shines out like a big light, and usually they're so uncomfortable about it they leave. So fine. Yeah.

SPEAKER_00 15:12

Well, I'm so pleased for you as a business owner and for the team when you're not there, that you have this sense of family and closeness, because that I assume that that means for you you can feel like everything's running smoothly, and also when you come into it, you can feel this sense of closeness or respect.

SPEAKER_01 15:36

Yeah, very much so. Um, it's I think it become um because I felt like I was in flight mode or survival mode all the time, I should say. So there's there tends to be this urgency that you always feel like you have to pre pre-meditate or pre-yeah, just just keep planning so that it avoids any future disasters. And I think I've done all of that. We've I'll put things in place. Um and I think they've probably learned from how I've wanted it to be managed. So the structure becomes well, and and then I get phone calls or messages on WhatsApp. Oh, miss, what do you think about this happening or that happening? Because they know it's in line with how I want things managed. So yeah, so it it works out well.

SPEAKER_00 16:29

Yeah, wow, WhatsApp through Asia, it's amazing, isn't it? To be able to do business through that rather than email. Well, as well as email, sorry.

SPEAKER_01 16:38

Yeah, so I mean that can it it it does have its slight issues where that they like to do one sentence and send it, not so your phone goes ping pin ping ping, oh what the hell's going on, you know, not just how we put one lot of one question into one message and then send it off. So and sometimes in actual fact it's probably easier because you can go back and and answer each individual thing as it's come through.

SPEAKER_00 17:08

So yeah, yeah, I mean I must admit with different clients and different people, I do do that. It's put separate messages together so that they can reply that way, like even if it's a thumbs up on different aspects of the questions. And I do notice in a in younger generation sometimes that that's what happens too. And also a lot of the time for me with my systems, I've got notifications turned off, like it's all on silence, so I sort of get them all in one block, but we all manage things differently. And so, what about tips around remote working? How do you do time box say you're in Croatia or somewhere fabulous? Do you sort of go, okay, I've got two hours that I need to get certain things done, or do you work once a week, or how do you set it up so that you can keep progress happening?

SPEAKER_01 18:04

Yeah, actually, I'm really fortunate in that um these days all I need to really approve is um uh bank transfers, which is quite set up. So we have we've got a lot of stuff on Google that I can on Google Sheets, so I can log in and see on a minute to minute basis how everything's going. Um, so that really explains a lot. Plus, I'm I do I'm copied in on all the emails and so that sort of thing, so I can see who's responded and who's you know what they're getting back to, and you know, and who's contacted us for you know to get quotes and things like that, um, and that they've responded. So that that works out really well. Um, and also there's WhatsApp groups in our business, so that actually keeps me up to date with what's going on as well. So we have um probably a couple of times a year we'll have like big Zoom meetings, and then I'm finding now that I need to go back a little bit more for design meetings, it makes a big difference just being in the office and getting stuff done that way. So, yeah, so I actually made a decision last night that I'm actually going to go back for five days on the 29th of March because I've got some stuff to do, mate. I have an investor who always invests in when we've got new projects going, um, and he's actually going to be in Bali, and we I need to do a little bit of stuff while I'm there financially, and it's probably better if I'm there. And we're about to sign up to have a three-story building, purpose-built building made for us. So I need to go back and work on that. So, yeah, so it feels to be there to do it rather than doing it remotely.

SPEAKER_00 19:54

Oh, fantastic, and uh that'll be in the tail end of a beautiful European trip, of course, and yeah, and African as well. Hey, Tommy, so I wonder in what you're just saying, it makes me remember that we're probably at the tail end of you having set up some really great systems to be able to communicate or talk to the ease of your business and the way that you're involved these days. Do you think you're naturally a systems thinker and a like process optimizer so that you can make the business set up so that you don't need to be there?

SPEAKER_01 20:30

Yeah, definitely. Um, I think um my home's probably like a bit like that. I like to forward think how to put things in place, they should probably notice. Just so things are easy, simple, um, easy to find, so that if someone did come into my house that they're oh, okay, and it's logical where things are um and how to find them. Most stuff's labelled, even in my wardrobe. My my bins are labelled, so I know where to find everything. Um must be the liverin part of me, I think. But yeah, no, I like I like being organized, it's really important. So I I remember seeing something, I was helping a friend do some stuff on it about his farm, and I guess a sign, a message came up that failing to plan is planning to fail. And I always I I tend to keep that as a you know, forward thinking and having it all all planned out to just reduce the stress levels at the time. And I I think also probably was a bit fastidious about making sure I planned everything to the second or the minute. I think now I'm more at a place where plan it, but also know that things can get sorted out if they don't work out, it's not the end of the world. And that's also make sure you put things in place. So if for if it's the travel situation, we'll You make sure you've got really good travel insurance that covers all those things. And if you want to ride a motorbike overseas, you make sure you've got the right license and the correct insurance policy to cover those things. If you're going to do things outside and with outside the box, you know, make sure that you do everything, tick all the boxes so that there's not going to be a disaster after that you hadn't unless it comes up you hadn't considered, well then that's just part of life's journey, isn't it? You know, it's a lesson learnt, hopefully not too big a one. Yeah.

SPEAKER_00 22:34

Yeah, I think that uh what you've described, it's there's many aspects you've just described. And I actually think sometimes that the organizing you describe can help people do it themselves, so that if you have things labeled or you have things in certain locations and there's a logic to it, then people can come in and help themselves and progress can keep happening. So it's it's uh interesting the way you talk about it, and also what I've observed in I'm gonna use an umbrella term, like in spiritual circles or in places where people have um uh they might have done personal growth stuff or it might be a kind of religious environment. It's almost like everything is clean and everything is in its rightful place. And I wonder if that consistency in different places like that is so that it is ready for it's a clean slate, ready to go for things.

SPEAKER_01 23:38

True. And I also one of the things actually when I that just came to mind was um I think making things really simple and easy also empowers other people to take those things on. So, for instance, you know, on the Google Sheets that that um Excel document that I had, I mean we still do things quite manually. Um the Excel document that I had was one that I always used. So I handed that over to the lady who looks after all the administration and the office, she manages that, and everyone else puts all their information onto it. So I just need to look at that one sheet and I know where we are at on a day-to-day basis, everything. So, and and that looks back in the history of everything, so yeah, it works out really well, and it's simple, it's not complicated. We're not paying for online um accounting programs and stuff like that. I mean, we do have an accountant, of course, and that's done through someone who you know, someone locally, but yes, it's just just for that communication and the free flow of the business. That that's it was just really important to make it simple.

SPEAKER_00 24:48

Tell me more about empowering others, Michelle. Do you think it's a core belief of yours or something drives you to be able to do that? Well tell me some more about that.

SPEAKER_01 24:58

Yeah, definitely. I actually um yeah, it's really important actually for me to to see that and to see where my staff have gone, yeah, in on in on all on different levels, you know. Like um, oh actually, it's it's a bit of a sad story, but it has a really good outcome. Um, one of one of the guys who worked for me, and he worked as a as a consultant doing all the IT stuff, and a couple of years ago he was looking not the best, and it actually lost quite a lot of weight. Anyway, he went and got tested and he ended up having HIV. So it was pretty awful actually because it was on the tail end, or not not that long after Brad had passed away, and he was talking in terms of uh how to manage his death, and his the his um family in in Jakarta weren't aware of um of that he was gay, and it was it was pretty awful, and all I could think of was how do I keep this man alive? He's he's a precious human being, you know, he's a gorgeous man, and has really been an integral part of you know the business as well. Um so it were we worked out how much it would cost for him to keep paying for his sister to go to school back in in Java, the money he was sending for his mum to support her, so that he could also eat healthy and also put a roof over his head and pay for any medications. And we worked out how much it was going to cost, which and you know, it was nothing in relation to what life would cost. So we maintained an agreement that we I would keep paying him, he would do whatever he could whenever we could, and he got through it and he's he's healed and he's in a really healthy place, and he works and he works consistently for me, you know, and he's part of he's part of the group, you know, he's part of our you know, company family as well. So um, but it in I would hope that that empowered him and it's given him um value as well, because I you know, life is quite cheap, unfortunately, um, in Indonesia because of population culturally as well. So I think it you know that he feels valued and he's yeah, it is in a really good place, and we still have him, which is even better.

SPEAKER_00 27:30

Oh, Michelle, and you're not doing it necessarily for word of mouth, but assumedly word of mouth would have gone through different people around that.

SPEAKER_01 27:38

Yeah, well it is actually it is really nice because they've not all of them, but they the all the staff have tended to have something happen with their family, like we all do, you know. That doesn't just pertain to the to the to these people. But there's you know, I think time off and just knowing they're supported, I I think yeah, I think that's a really important if I can do that and help people feel supported, then I think that if that's just one gift I can give, that's I think that's a really important yeah, and it it ticks the box of feeling that someone values me because I think that's really important.

SPEAKER_00 28:16

If something in this conversation lit you up, there's a signal in that. If you want help tuning your own signal into a clear next move, start with a three-minute signal check-in at naturalgenus.com.au and if you want focused support, book a signal lab and we'll work through it together. Now back to the natural genius. I am really impressed of you being a female businesswoman that can remotely work and be in all different places. Tell me, is there a female aspect? Like, are you extra proud of yourself as a female or is there anything around that, or are you just proud of yourself as an individual?

SPEAKER_01 28:56

Um, I actually don't try to see myself as being too gender specific. I think um it I it had its cultural problems at first when I did start setting up in Bali. And I suppose now because things have changed, well not because I was a female. There was a lot of times when the the main guy who works for me, he I would get him to go and do stuff. Um yeah, there has been issue different issues with it, and that was because of culturally, but I don't seem see it because I'm a female that I I mean I've always worked in you know national sales and marketing manager roles and dealt and worked in very male-oriented businesses and chose to be successful. I think I chose to know more than the men who I worked with did. So I tended to get the respect of going, oh, okay, actually she knows what she's talking about. So without having to bear the a strong fem, you know, feminist role, it's just understanding what I was there for and doing the very best I could with what my role was. And yeah, came to work.

SPEAKER_00 30:11

Yeah, I love that you said it that way because I've always said I'm I don't necessarily feel like a feminist, but sometimes being female can uh in my career it has gotten in the way a little bit and I've had to do some managing around that, like you're describing. So yeah, that's so interesting. And what other tips could you give around business, Michelle, whether it's in Australia or Bali or anywhere else? What uh what do you think works well? I I love that you talked about having this values alignment and the respect for individuals. I think uh you strike me as somebody who's quite objective, like you, uh objective and compassionate. So is there anything else that comes to mind that would help others?

SPEAKER_01 31:02

Um I I'm thinking it's um to just to do something that I that you feel really strongly about, that you feel passionate about. Um and I think it all falls into place. There was there was actually there was actually a song that was that I listened to once, I can't even remember where how it came about. And it this and it she said she just had to jump off the edge. And and it was it's actually how I felt. It's like if you've got to, you know, jump off the edge and know that something's gonna come up to meet you, just to have faith. If if you if you're working from the right place and you you it comes from all the right things, that the ground comes up to meet you somewhere. You where it is, I I don't know, and whatever part of you you're on, but it actually does find you and and you end up running off like one, yeah, like I think Mario Kart, you know.

SPEAKER_00 32:06

I love that. And it tell me about travel, darling. What what are you uh tell me about some favourite places and some sites or experiences that you've had because there's so how many countries are you up to now?

SPEAKER_01 32:19

Oh, I don't know, I haven't counted, but I'm so blessed because you and I have both have this beautiful mutual friend, and she's just my best travel buddy. So every every second year we seem to be able to go on this fantastic big X you know adventure, and we're about to go on one this year, which will be really good.

SPEAKER_00 32:39

Um, and yeah, so in terms of so I forgot your question so favorite places, but actually as you were as you were sort of wondering what the question was, I was thinking that it was a joy to hear your excitement around Lisbon and Morocco and being in different places this year. I and uh Malta and Scotland, it just I mean, what a joy to be planning a trip like that and to revel in it when you're there with Kim.

SPEAKER_01 33:10

Yeah, yeah, no, I'm really looking forward to it. Plus, I get to catch up with people who I have connections with in the UK and and through Europe as well. So I'm looking forward to that. And it was it's interesting how the universe works because I actually thought I'm actually just gonna go free range at the end of this. Kim's gonna head back to Australia. So I just want to see where it all plans out. So I um and then one of my girlfriends who lives in the UK, she's actually conducting a women's retreat on women's sexuality, and I thought, oh, I would love, always wanted to do one of her retreats. So it ends up being in September. So I can tag that on the end. So I'm really looking forward to going to that, and then I'm going, and yeah, and then I'll probably head back to Bali on the way back home. So and just check in that everything's okay. So I'm really looking forward to it this year.

SPEAKER_00 34:02

Yeah, and just leaving things open is such a great practice because for you it's five months or so away, so six months away. So leaving the the tail end open for other things to come in is uh is impressive. It's not always that comfortable. And so, what about like the most amazing places that you've been or things that you've eaten, or sites that you've seen? I bet you've got a long list.

SPEAKER_01 34:29

Yeah, I have actually. It's interesting because I I am really looking for this to be looking forward to going back to Seville, to be honest, because there was this place where I went to last time, and we I'd stayed in a home exchange, and the lady had actually said, Oh, up around the corner is this really nice place that they're having the most beautiful tapas at. I was like, Oh, okay. So I went in, I was with my husband at the time, so we went in, sat down, had this. I said I said to the waiter, just send me what is the most popular dish that people come in and order. And I can't even remember what you would call it or what it was, but it was the most delicious thing I've ever eaten. And I'm like, I'm going back there this time when I go to Seville, so I'm looking forward to that as well. So oh my god, I want to hear more.

SPEAKER_00 35:19

I'm gonna tell you two stories. One is every time I used to go through London, which was much more often when I was before the pandemic, yeah, they would go to this beautiful place, I think it was in Soho in London called Ceviche, and I would just have that. And then also, um, where else was it? Oh, I so mum and I one time went walking through Tuscany, you know, one of those trips where they pick up your bags at the start of the day and you go off walking, and then then you walk to the next place that you're staying, and your bags are there, and it was just marvelous. And I remember being in a tiny town in Tuscany and having like pasta, like Buffalo Ragu kind of pasta, and it was just extraordinary. And I always I like the moments like you're just describing with the tappas and going back to the place in Seville. I it's they're just such twinklingly beautiful memories, aren't they?

SPEAKER_01 36:20

Yeah, they are there, and they're they're one other aspect of the experience for sure, yeah. Apart from how things, yeah, how things made made you feel at the time. I think and that's actually just diverting, that's another thing. I think that's one of the other things that I've started to learn and be aware of is how how am I feeling? Like, how is my nervous system feeling about this? How is my body feeling about this? How is my mind feeling about this? And is it feeling okay about it, you know? And so that can be another really good indication of am I am I on the right path in this journey or am I not? You know, so that's always been a that's actually started to to be another um question I ask when I'm working out. Am I, you know, when I suppose when I it's adding to that wisdom part of me is like, um how am I feeling about this? And it's a gut feeling in a lot of cases as well. So yeah, so but um going back to the travel bit, so I wanted to say that there's the first part of that this holiday was going to be lots of adventure in new places in terms of Morocco at the end of it, and then going to Ireland, there's I have Irish heritage as well, so it's quite interesting. I've been there once before quite a while ago, but found it really interesting to go associate with some things and not quite realizing why or how that I do. Um, and then after that, we're going to Malta to meet my daughter and her family, and because that's actually uh the other part of my heritage as well, is Maltese, and that's another part of that I I can associate so much of like being at my grandparents in Paddington, but but also but being with all these people that sound like my grandparents, you know. So it actually was like the missing jigsaw puzzle piece when I first went there. Because when you're born into a different cultured family, you just accept that that's the way it is. Yes. But when you go to that country of origin, you're like, aha, now I get it. Now I get why there's passion fruit vines over the back shed, and there's canaries in the backyard, and they eat prickly pear and all those sorts of things that come with a Maltese culture as well.

SPEAKER_00 38:47

So, yeah, so it's oh what a joy to hear you say that, Michelle.

SPEAKER_01 38:51

Yeah, and then then we head to um Scotland after that and uh and catching up with a lady that I met at Wimbledon last year, and and then um spending time with a girlfriend of mine who actually is coming down from Poland to meet us and experiencing the fringe festival, so in Scotland, Edinburgh. So it's gonna be really fascinating.

SPEAKER_00 39:12

And have you talked about that with your travels? Like you've done gone to a concert, like designed the dates around concerts or around festivals, or is that something more more recent?

SPEAKER_01 39:24

Yeah, um well the the fringe festival was was sort of one of the things I wanted to end on. Um, and I I don't tend to do it overseas, but I tend to do it in Australia. I really like going to music festivals, particularly in my camper van and being able to camp out for a couple of days or whatever and get right into it. It's great, yeah. My fancy new band. My fancy new band, yeah. The Woodford Folk Festival would be one I would just absolutely love to do again. That was just an amazing experience. So, yeah, so yeah, I do like music festivals for sure. Yeah.

SPEAKER_00 40:00

Well, it's the heightened, the heightened happiness for everyone's morning.

SPEAKER_01 40:06

Yeah, and everyone's so nice to each other, and and um everyone connects and hello, and it's a really nice experience, actually. It's great.

SPEAKER_00 40:16

And speaking of uh nice experiences, how do you what do you love about being a grandma, a mum, and a mother-in-law?

SPEAKER_01 40:25

Well, I've got to say grandma first, like that would bring me so much joy. I I'm so fortunate. I have six grandchildren, three from my husband, he passed away through me, and I I have I'm so fortunate in that I get to share them every school holidays they come and spend time with me, and my grandchildren, my daughter's children, my grandchildren, they they all have a lovely relationship, they love spending time with each other. So we have lots of sleepovers through school holidays. Um, but I'm in I'm very connected to my three grandsons, um, with what one day each a week for the two youngest ones, and then the eldest one I take to tennis lessons and and lots of other sporting events when we get a chance to do because that's what he likes, and that's where I can connect with him on that level. Um, yeah, but I yeah, I think the word joy comes from that, that I don't think you quite get from any other human being in your life apart from your grandchildren. They bring a lot of joy, yeah.

SPEAKER_00 41:32

Oh, that is divine. I uh having met some of your grandchildren, I can understand that they uh I one of the joys is actually seeing them grow up and then seeing how they uh how their personalities develop. It's such a such a sweet thing. Tell me, uh, is there anything else that we haven't covered, Michelle, that you would like to mention?

SPEAKER_01 42:02

Oh, I just think you have to create the life you want and make it happen.

SPEAKER_00 42:07

Any tips on manifesting? You're so good at it.

SPEAKER_01 42:11

Yeah, actually, it it sometimes it gets a little bit scary, actually, because I was um I was talking to a friend when he and I'd gone to Bali for two weeks and we were talking about different things, and I was like, Oh, actually, um, where I live, there isn't a panel court. But oh, that might be because it hasn't really taken on that well in Australia, and then I started thinking, oh, and then I was like, uh oh, this is a bit dangerous actually, because usually when you start manifesting, Michelle, something happens, you know. And I to be really honest, I feel like I've manifested my list of things that I've wanted to do, I've actually manifested and it's happened. Um, probably the right life partner hasn't could manifested quite yet, but well, you did, and then he then the next one is yet to turn up. Yeah, yeah, and it's all part of the journey and all having amazing human beings and you know, men come into your life that teach you about yourself and you learn from and and yeah, and leave or what wherever hopefully you don't, but you know, you still connect on whatever levels meant to that the rainbow finishes and you move on. Um but the rainbow finishes and you move on, how gorgeous. Going to find on a new another new rainbow to experience. Um yeah, so I'm getting to a point where I feel like I've manifested all the things that I needed to to get to where I am now. Um whether I keep manif I feel like I still keep need to keep manifesting, I don't know. And that's the next part of my journey. But this holiday this year is one of one of the big ones that I wanted to. So, and like I, you know, I said I'm so fortunate I have Kim that's like, yeah, let's do it. So she comes with me, and it's we you know, we're very Yin and yang, what I'm really bad at, she's great at, and what she's bad at, I'm really good at. So we tend to like balance each other out with it. So, so that's really good. So, yeah, manif and so in terms of manifesting, yeah, I think you just have to be quite focused, but I also think that you have to keep in mind as much as you sometimes want to manifest something, then it'll it'll happen and you'll start to experience it, and you'll go, Oh, I never thought of that actually. I don't think I really like this part about the thing I manifested. So I should have I should have considered this in that manifestation and not that, you know. And but that's part of life's journey too, in that you you get to tweak what works for you, you know.

SPEAKER_00 44:44

And did you always manifest, Michelle, or were you a lucky kid, or had you learned how to do it? Like what how how did it all come to be that you would be able to be so familiar with that word and how to practice it?

SPEAKER_01 44:57

Yeah, I think but I probably didn't even realise when I was younger, but yeah, I think it's always been I think I'm quite um focused. So it's like this is what I want to do, and and this is how I want to feel and and head towards it. So and quite often along the line of my journey, I think I've had to um yeah, I've had to let go of a lot of things because they weren't what I needed in terms of what I've envisioned was what I wanted. Yeah, and yeah, whether they weren't good for me or they I know they were no longer necessary in my life. So I've had yeah, I've actually let a few quite a lot of things go.

SPEAKER_00 45:42

Such a lovely loop because you were talking about that at the start of the conversation. So I think that that's a nice way to end. It feels like we might have to start off that whole conversation beautifully, Michelle. Thank you so much. Sorry, go ahead.

SPEAKER_01 45:57

Oh no, I was gonna say it's a one of the words I'm learning at the moment is surrender, just to let it go, let it go, to surrender it and just see where it all all goes to um and what happens with it. And that's been that's quite an empowering feeling um process to go through too. And it's there's also obviously trying when you trust yourself, you can surrender.

SPEAKER_00 46:22

Oh, Michelle, I mean these conversations I have with people, I'm always so rapt and also amazed that an hour later we've gotten people's natural genius into a video and audio. And for you, there is so much to admire and so much to be impressed by. So thanks so much for passing on the inspiring person that is you.

SPEAKER_01 46:54

Oh, thank you for choosing me, but also you've had some amazing other people. It's been wonderful listening to everyone's journey and very inspiring as well. Which is, you know, and and kudos to you for being the vessel that does this. That's great.

SPEAKER_00 47:09

Oh, lots of love to you. Thanks for saying that. I appreciate it. Thanks for listening to the Natural Genius Podcast. Please share this with anyone who came to mind and visit us at naturalgenus.com.au. Thanks so much.