It’s the final episode of the year - and what a way to wrap things up. I’m joined by the brilliant (and hilarious) Elsa Mitchell - business mentor, podcast host, and one of the big reasons I started this podcast in the first place.

This chat is equal parts real talk, laughs, and truth bombs, as Elsa shares her journey from owning a hair salon and building multiple businesses, to stepping into the mentoring space - and what she’s learned about success, resilience, and the behind-the-scenes realities of business life.

We talk about what’s changed in business over the years (hello Yellow Pages days), why connection still wins, how personal life always impacts business (even when we try to pretend it doesn’t), and why rural and regional women are becoming a powerful force in Australia.

And of course… a mic-drop reminder to end the year: 

The sooner you stop caring what people think, the sooner your life will move forward.

In this episode, we chat about:

 * Elsa’s journey: hairdressing, business ownership, and becoming a business mentor
 * Why being “the best” isn’t everything - connection matters more than perfection
 * How social media changed the game (and why it can feel harder now)
 * The common patterns Elsa sees in women in business - especially mums and midlife women
 * The fine line between being “authentic” and still feeling professional when life is messy
 * Advice for starting a business when you feel time-poor: start with an hour a day
 * Mum guilt, family juggle, and making choices that actually suit your season
 * Why community (especially in rural/regional areas) is everything - and how women are rising

Where to find Elsa:

Website: elsamitchell.com.au
Instagram: @elsa_mitchell_ (Elsa loves a voice DM)

Connect with Victoria / The Mindful Educator:

Website: victoria-r.com.au
Instagram: @the.victoria.r
Email: hello@victoria-r.com.au

Thanks for listening — and if you’d love to be a guest on the podcast next year, send me a message. I’m already excited for what’s coming in 2026.

30. The One With The Real Talk About Business (No Fairy Tales Allowed) with Elsa Mitchell

As we come to one of the final episodes of 2025, today’s conversation is intentionally slower, softer, and deeply reflective.

This time of year can feel chaotic — school events, winding down work, juggling social plans and trying to think ahead to the new year. But amongst the noise, there’s an opportunity to pause long enough to recognise just how much has happened, shifted, expanded and unfolded.

In this episode, we look back on the year through gentle guided reflection. I walk you through thoughtful prompts exploring:

 * A word to capture the essence of your year
 * Moments that shaped you
 * Highlights, lessons, mistakes and growth
 * How you expanded past your comfort zone
 * What you want to leave behind — and what you want more of
 * The memories, people and experiences that stood out
 * The areas of your life that felt balanced… and the ones that didn’t
 * The version of you that is walking confidently into 2026

It’s an invitation to pause — with curiosity, not criticism.
To acknowledge the hard, the beautiful, the unexpected.
To see how far you’ve come before rushing into what’s next.

You can do this reflection solo with a journal, or use it as a beautiful family conversation ritual. Grab a pen, a cup of something warm, and give yourself the space to breathe, remember and honour the year that was.

📣 A Few Updates Before We Wrap for the Year

✨ Revive Your Spark Round Two enrolments are now open!
Round two begins February 2026, and the BIRTHDAY2025 discount code is extended until December 31st.
This will be the only discount offered.

✨ 1:1 coaching is now closed for the year, and will reopen in February.

✨ One more episode is coming next week — and it’s a good one.

Then I’ll be taking a refreshing break over Christmas and the school holidays to soak up family time and reset for the year ahead.

💛 Stay Connected

I always love hearing from listeners — your reflections, intentions, or even guest suggestions for 2026.
Come say hello:

📧 Email: hello@victoria-r.com.au
📱 Instagram: @the.victoria.r
🌐 www.victoria-r.com.au

✨ Whether this year felt expansive, messy, magical, heavy, surprising, or all of the above — you made it.

Thank you for being here.
Thank you for listening.
And thank you for being part of The Mindful Educator community.

Wishing you a beautiful December, a restful break, and a hopeful start to the new year.

See you in 2026. 💛

29. The One Where We Look Back Before Moving Forward

In this episode, Victoria chats with Susan Hughes, an ADHD parent coach and educator based in Perth. Susan shares her journey from accountant to Master of Education, ADHD researcher, and mum navigating neurodiversity at home.

They unpack what ADHD actually is, why so many kids and adults are being diagnosed now, how it often looks different in girls and women, and what parents and teachers can practically do - even while they’re stuck on waitlists.

You’ll hear about:

 * Susan’s turning point as a parent and how it led her back to university.
 * ADHD as an executive functioning delay, not “naughtiness” or laziness.
 * Why girls and women are often missed, and the big role hormones play.
 * What parents can do right now while waiting for diagnosis or support.
 * Simple strategies for mornings, routines, and scaffolding expectations.
 * How teachers can better support ADHD students in busy classrooms.
 * A compassionate, evidence-based take on ADHD medication for kids and adults.
 * The importance of parental regulation, mindful parenting, and seeing behaviour as communication.

Key reminder: Your child’s behaviour is usually not a choice – it’s a sign of capacity, not character. When we understand their brain, we can support their strengths and protect their self-esteem.

Connect with Susan:

 * Website: susanhughes.com.au
 * Email: susan@susanhughes.com.au
 * Download the freebie mentioned here: https://www.theconfidentadhdparentformula.com.au/lm-5-steps-to-calm-morning

She offers a semester-long small-group parent program and an educator course to support families and teachers raising and working with ADHD kids.

Connect with Victoria:

 * Website: victoria-r.com.au
   Instagram: @the.victoria.r
   Email: hello@victoria-r.com.au

28. The One About ADHD Parenting (with Susan Hughes)

In this episode, Victoria joins us from Perth, where she’s spending a week immersed in Mind School training. Surrounded by new insights, lightbulb moments, and deep personal reflection, she explores a topic that has been completely reshaping the way she thinks, feels, and responds to the world: the language we use.

Victoria breaks down how the words we speak - both out loud and internally - shape our emotional state, our identity, our resilience, and ultimately the world we create around us. She shares heartfelt examples from her own life, dives into the concept of transformational vocabulary, and reminds us that while we may not always be able to control our circumstances, we always have influence over the words we choose.

This episode touches on:

 * How everyday phrases like “I’m tired” or “I’m busy” unconsciously set the tone for our day
 * Why our brain follows the direction our language points it toward
 * The powerful idea from Mind School: “Words create worlds”
 * Flipping negative internal dialogue into more uplifting, empowered language
 * Modelling healthy language for children and students
 * Expanding our emotional vocabulary to better understand what we’re actually feeling
 * Why “I am…” statements can keep us stuck in outdated identities
 * Practical examples of reframing common phrases into more supportive ones
 * Using language to shift our state and reconnect with confidence, energy, and clarity

This conversation is a beautiful reminder that the way we speak becomes the way we live - and small shifts in vocabulary can create huge shifts in how we feel.

🔗 Connect with Victoria

 * Instagram: @the.victoria.r
 * Website: www.victoria-r.com.au
 * Work With Me: Coaching, programs, mindfulness sessions, school workshops & more

27. The One About How Words Create Your World

In this episode of The Mindful Educator podcast, Victoria is joined by breathwork facilitator, nervous system educator, mum, and founder of Breathing Space, Tash Forbes.

Tash shares the deeply honest story of hitting burnout, ending up in hospital with a major panic attack, and realising that “just talking about it” wasn’t shifting anything. From there, she discovered breathwork, experienced a profound session that changed her whole state, and decided to train as a facilitator so she could bring this work to other women.

Together, Victoria and Tash chat about the nervous system, why so many women are stuck in constant “go, go, go” mode, and how we can gently teach our bodies that it’s actually safe to slow down. They break down what breathwork really is (beyond “I’m breathing anyway!”), why so many of us have no idea how to truly take a deep, regulating breath, and how simple, tiny moments of intentional breathing can shift our entire day.

This episode is especially powerful for mums, educators and women who feel wired, snappy, unable to relax, or who “can’t meditate” and think that means they’re broken. You’ll walk away with practical nervous system tools you can use today — and simple ways to bring calming breath into your children’s routines, too.

Tash’s current offerings include:

 * 1:1 breathwork sessions (online and in-person in Kununurra)
 * A 6-week intensive women’s coaching container to help reset the nervous system
 * Small group breathwork sessions in Kununurra, with plans to expand to online groups

Connect with Tash:

 * Instagram: @tashforbes_
 * Business: Breathing Space – breathing-space.com.au [https://breathing-space.com.au/]

Connect with Victoria:

If this episode resonated with you, or you’re curious about mindfulness, coaching or nervous system support, you can connect with Victoria here:

 * Instagram: @the.victoria.r
 * Podcast: The Mindful Educator (follow & leave a review if you loved this chat!)
 * Website: victoria-r.com.au

26. The One Where We Learn to Breathe Again (with Tash Forbes)

In this week’s episode, Victoria chats about the time of year that always seems to arrive faster than any of us expect - Term Four, Christmas, New Year, and the beautiful chaos that comes with it. Instead of getting swept up in the rush, she shares practical, simple ways to finish 2025 feeling grounded, organised, and present.

Whether you’re managing school events, end-of-year work deadlines, family celebrations, or the mental load of gift-giving, this episode offers gentle reminders and realistic strategies to make this season lighter.

What We Explore

✨ Why the end of the year can feel like a blur, and how to slow it down
✨ The power of taking just minutes a day to reset your nervous system
✨ A reality check on whether everything really needs to happen before Christmas
✨ Planning ahead without pressure -  small steps that make a big difference
✨ Easy ways to reduce the mental load (like Secret Santa, delegating food, or shared gift pools)
✨ Letting go of the tiny details that don’t actually matter
✨ Staying present so you can actually enjoy the celebrations, not just survive them
✨ Flipping “I have to…” into “I get to…” to shift the energy of the season

Practical Tips From the Episode

✔ Take a few minutes for yourself each morning - no phone, just breathe and reset
✔ Write a gift list in your phone as ideas come up
✔ Start your carts early and revisit when you’re ready
✔ Plan teacher or staff gifts now to avoid last-minute stress
✔ Delegate Christmas food - everyone brings a dish
✔ Ask for help rather than carrying everything alone
✔ Release perfectionism over tiny details that don’t matter in the long run
✔ Remind yourself of the joy, connection, and privilege of this season

Why This Episode Matters

This time of year is meant to be joyful - but often becomes rushed, pressured, and exhausting. With a few intentional decisions and mindset shifts, we can reclaim it as a season of connection, presence, and calm.

Share Your Ideas

Have a tip that makes the season easier in your household?
Victoria would love to hear it!
Comment on the episode post on socials or send an email so we can share ideas with the community.

 * Website: www.victoria-r.com.au
 * Instagram: @the.victoria.r
 * Email: hello@victoria-r.com.au

25. The One About Surviving the Silly Season

Somatic sexologist and coach Ruby Josif joins me for a grounded, empowering chat on coming back to your body, redefining “good sex,” and raising tweens/teens with consent, language, and self-trust. We dig into nervous-system safety, shame, intimacy after kids, and how to actually start the conversation with your partner-vulnerably, not defensively.

What we cover

 * Ruby’s mission: confidence, pleasure, and authentic expression—inside the bedroom and out
 * Why needs, desires, and boundaries underpin satisfying intimacy
 * Getting back into your body: tiny, safe somatic practices (outside the bedroom first)
 * Nervous-system basics: moving from “fight/flight” to “rest/digest”
 * Active presence for busy mums: walking, touch, self-massage, dance
 * Talking to kids: correct anatomical language, everyday consent, being a safe parent
 * Spotting shame: hiding, shutdown, judgment of others, the “gripping” in your body
 * Redefining “good sex”: less goal/organism-chasing, more connection & nourishment
 * From “obligatory sex” to desire: expanding what intimacy can look like
 * Couples communication: lead with vulnerability & curiosity, not resentment
 * Taking responsibility for your pleasure (and why partners aren’t mind-readers)
 * How to work with Ruby: mentorship, focus sessions, therapeutic yoni massage (WA)

Key takeaways

 * Start outside the bedroom: build safety and presence in small moments.
 * If sex feels like a chore, widen the definition of intimacy and follow what nourishes you.
 * Teach kids correct words and everyday consent early—make yourself the safe person.
 * Desire grows when experiences feel good for you; obligatory sex erodes it.
 * Lead tough talks with “I feel/I need/I’m desiring…” and genuine curiosity.

Try this (listener micro-practice)

When you park the car (or make tea), place both hands on your body, take three slow breaths, and ask: “What sensation is here? What do I need right now?”  Thirty seconds. Daily.

Connect

Guest: Ruby Josif - somatic sexologist & coach (based in WA; mentorships, focus sessions, therapeutic yoni massage). 

 * https://www.ruby-josif.com/
 * https://www.instagram.com/ruby.josif.sex.coach/

Host: Victoria R — The Mindful Educator: mindset, mindfulness, education & mum life.

 * https://www.victoria-r.com.au
 * hello@victoria-r.com.au
 * @the.victoria.r

24. The One About Reclaiming Your Body, Boundaries & Better Sex (with Ruby Josif)

In this episode, Victoria gets honest, reflective, and a little bit fiery as she opens up about something close to her heart - the state of today’s education system.

After nearly two decades in education, across multiple roles and settings (classroom teacher, School of the Air, support roles, relief teaching, admin), Victoria shares how dramatically things have changed…and not always for the better.

This episode explores:

✅ What’s Really Going On in Schools

 * Why so many teachers are leaving the profession
 * Increasing admin, programs, assessments, and expectations
 * Classrooms feeling more like businesses than supportive learning environments
 * Stress and wellbeing impacts for both teachers and students

✅ The Cost of “More, More, More”

 * Less creativity, more ticking of boxes
 * Over-assessing instead of trusting trained educators
 * Behavioural challenges increasing - with minimal consequences
 * Teachers feeling unsupported, overwhelmed, and unprotected

✅ Where Parents Come In

 * Schools can’t (and shouldn’t) carry 100% of responsibility
 * The importance of emotional intelligence in the early years
 * Setting kids up with problem solving, empathy, resilience, and respect
 * Working with schools, not against them

✅ So…What Now?

 * The system needs change - but waiting for government may not help
 * Why alternative schooling is becoming more popular
 * Small, grassroots changes we can make to protect children and teachers
 * The importance of parents showing appreciation and partnership with educators

Victoria shares openly from her experience - including what led her to move away from traditional classrooms toward mindfulness, emotional wellbeing, and real human skill-building for kids.

✨ If you’re a teacher

You are not alone.
Your wellbeing matters just as much as the kids you support.
Boundaries aren’t selfish - they’re essential.

✨ If you’re a parent

You are your child’s first (and most important) teacher.
Your behaviour sets the tone long before school does.

✅ Join the Conversation

This episode may stir strong opinions - and that’s okay.
Victoria genuinely wants to hear from parents, teachers, and anyone impacted by the system:

 * What’s working?
 * What isn’t?
 * What would you change?
 * What support do teachers and students really need?

Send a message, share your experience, or continue the discussion with respect and open minds.

Thanks for listening — and if you loved this episode, please share it with a teacher, parent or school community leader who needs to hear it. 💛

Get in touch - 

hello@victoria-r.com.au

www.victoria-r.com.au

@the.victoria.r

23. The One Where We Talk About The Education System No One Wants to Fix

In this nourishing chat, Victoria sits down with doula and motherhood mentor Ash Tomlinson to unpack birth without fear, what “continuity of care” really looks like, and how to turn a rigid “birth plan” into a flexible birth map anchored to your values. Ash shares her own story -planning a home birth, navigating IUGR and a breech baby, ultimately choosing a gentle, intentional caesarean - and how listening to her intuition shaped a joyful experience. You’ll hear practical ways to advocate for yourself, include partners meaningfully, and protect your nervous system in pregnancy, birth, and the long, long season called motherhood.

Big reminder: You always have the answer within you - you just need the space to hear it.

What we cover

 * From plan to map: why a birth map honours your values, preferences, and “if this/then that” pathways—even when things change
 * Intuition over noise: how Ash knew a caesarean was the right call and made it beautiful and intentional
 * Continuity of care: private midwives, postpartum support at home, and why familiar faces matter
 * Language & power: spotting phrases that quietly remove your choices—and reclaiming your “yes/no”
 * Partners as anchors: preparing partners for hands-on (or hands-off) support, and debriefing their experience too
 * Postpartum is forever: nervous-system regulation, emotional embodiment, and simplifying daily rituals
 * Little moments, big impact: sunlight, a hot coffee, slow mornings—why tiny practices count (and kids mirror what we model)

Meet Ash

Ash Tomlinson is a mum to Billy and a doula supporting women through pregnancy, birth, and postpartum in and around Geraldton, WA. She blends mindset work, nervous-system education, and soulful, practical support for mothers at every stage. Ash offers 1:1 doula care, birth mapping sessions, and a motherhood group program (re-launching early in the new year).

 * Connect: Instagram @ashtomlinson_ or Facebook: Ash Tomlinson Holistic Doula &b Mentor
 * Enquiries: DM Ash to book a connection call

Connect with Victoria

 * Instagram: @the.victoria.r
 * Website: www.victoria-r.com.au
 * Questions or collabs: DM on Instagram

Gentle disclaimer

This episode shares lived experience and general information. It’s not medical advice. Please consult your healthcare provider for your specific circumstances.



22. The One About Empowered Birth and Beyond (with Ash Tomlinson)

In this heartfelt and reflective episode, Victoria dives deep into the theme of personal responsibility - what it really means, why it’s so uncomfortable, and how it has the power to completely shift our relationships, our mindset, and even the wider world around us.

Fresh from the school holidays (and missing the slow mornings!), Victoria shares open and honest reflections on how self-development isn’t a destination but an ongoing journey. She explores the frustration of revisiting old patterns, the importance of owning our reactions and mistakes, and how practicing accountability can lead to stronger integrity, deeper kindness, and genuine growth.

You’ll hear insights on: ✨ The difference between blame and responsibility ✨ How to repair and communicate when you’ve hurt someone ✨ The ripple effect of modelling responsibility to children ✨ Why defensiveness is normal - but not helpful ✨ How curiosity and kindness can transform confrontation into connection

Victoria also leaves listeners with a weekly challenge: 💭 What’s one area of your life where you can take more responsibility? 💗 What’s one act of kindness you can practice this week?

This episode is your gentle reminder that change begins with us - one choice, one conversation, one moment of self-awareness at a time.

Get in contact -

Email - hello@victoria-r.com.au

IG - @the.victoria.r

Website - www.victoria-r.com.au

21. The One About Taking Responsibility and Leading with Kindness

Welcome to The Mindful Educator Podcast with Victoria R your go-to space for exploring mindset, education, mum life, mindfulness, health, and more. Whether you’re seeking calm amidst the chaos or bold strategies for transformative shifts, this podcast offers personal wisdom, practical advice, and inspiring conversations to help you build a more balanced, fulfilling life.

As a mum, teacher, mindfulness coach, multi-business owner, and city-turned-country girl, Victoria shares lessons she wishes she’d known sooner while guiding you on a journey of personal growth and meaningful change. Join her and other remarkable women as they share stories, insights, and actionable practices to empower your most intentional way of living.

Victoria R

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