Giselle spent 25 years co-founding, growing, and selling three businesses while raising two daughters.

Then, she hit a point where something had to change so she returned to university in her 40s and completed a PhD on women, work, and well-being.

But instead of just researching the problem, she used it to solve something in herself - and created a roadmap for other women in the process.

In this episode, we discuss:

→ Building and walking away - why she exited three successful businesses she'd built

→ The honest answer to "can women really have it all?" - after living it and researching it

→ Setting boundaries as a woman and mother - why this isn't selfish, it's survival

→ Preparing for empty nest - what comes next when her daughters (now 15 and 17) leave home

Giselle didn't just study work-life balance. She lived it, broke under it, then rebuilt differently.

:Not many women go back to university in their 40s to study the exact problem they're living. Giselle did. And what she found will change how you see ambition and motherhood.

Alex's son recorded a video inviting Tiffany's children to come to the museum with him. It was spontaneous, confident, and brave. And it got us thinking...maybe this is one of the most underrated skills we can teach our children.

The ability to go first. To invite people to do things. To ask. To put yourself out there. And most importantly, to not take it personally when someone says no, can't, or isn't interested.

This isn't an academic skill. It's a life skill. One that builds confidence, resilience, and the ability to handle rejection without internalising it.

When we look at our own lives now, we realise: we have richer, more enjoyable experiences because we invite people to things. We ask. We go first.

But at the foundation of this skill is something deeper: confidence. Our children need to know they are loved, special, and valued. That's where it starts. Because when they know their worth isn't tied to whether someone says yes or no, they can ask freely.

And that changes everything.

Lucy spent 20 years as an international TV journalist covering war zones in Iraq, Ukraine, and the Middle East. Then she became a mum to a son with autism - and realised her career wouldn't bend around the life she needed.

But instead of scaling back her ambitions, Lucy rebuilt them entirely.

In this episode, we discuss:

→ The moment she knew journalism had to end - being told to get on a plane with no notice, zero schedule control

→ The turning point - realizing her nervous system directly affected her son's, making presence essential

→ The constant pivot - from Airbnbs to coaching to courses, leveraging her existing skills (storytelling, camera presence) to build a business that sold 50,000+ courses

→ The real price of building this way - 5am starts, navigating a big life change, and why it was worth it

→ Creating passive income and flexibility - building a business model that lets you be present without sacrificing ambition

Lucy didn't shrink her ambitions to fit motherhood. She rebuilt them around it.

If you're tired of choosing between being present and being ambitious, this conversation will show you there's a third option.