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1. The One Where It All Begins
112 Plays1 month ago
Victoria introduces The Mindful Educator Podcast and shares her personal journey—from teacher and city girl to country mum, mindfulness coach, and multi-business owner. Expect real, relatable chats to help you find calm, clarity and courage in the chaos of life.
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Transcript
Introduction to the Podcast
00:00:37
Victoria R
Hello everybody. Welcome to the Mindful Educator Podcast. I am Victoria and I am the one behind the microphone for this podcast and I'm so glad that you guys have jumped on to listen. So firstly, thank you for that. um So this is a very first episode and Pretty much, I'm just going to go through, explain what the Mindful Educator podcast is about, who I am and yeah what's what's coming up for um the Mindful Educator. It's lots of exciting things in the work.
Target Audience and Podcast Purpose
00:01:10
Victoria R
So who the Mindful Educator is for? This is for the everyday woman, the everyday adult that is trying to do it all. The person that seems to put everyone ahead of themselves.
00:01:23
Victoria R
and has reached that point in life where you've kind of gone, you know what? I think I need to start putting myself first. I need to start prioritising myself. I only get one life and I want to reach the full potential. And that is what I'm here to help you do. And I'm hoping that by having this podcast and by sharing my experiences, um the things that I've learnt and also getting some incredible guests on that,
00:01:50
Victoria R
This will help inspire you to be able to make those changes and start living your life for you. And yeah, I guess being a little bit selfish and putting yourself first, because to be honest, if you're you' know not looking after yourself and you can't really look after anyone else too well either. And this is something I have learned the hard way, which I'll get into it just shortly. I'll explain a little bit about my um my background in a moment.
00:02:16
Victoria R
So I want this podcast to be something that you can listen to and walk away knowing something that maybe you didn't know before. And my background is as a teacher. I do love learning and teaching and all those amazing things.
00:02:31
Victoria R
And I want to be able to help you as well to simplify it, to bring it to you in a really easy to understand format. And also to introduce you to things that maybe you weren't really aware of before. And I'm also constantly learning about new things that I haven't been aware of. And so, yeah, this is this is to be a space where we can share that knowledge and share those ideas and also learn from each other's experiences.
00:02:58
Victoria R
So I really can't wait to to share all that with you as we go on.
Victoria's Background and Burnout Experience
00:03:03
Victoria R
But before we get into all that, I thought I'd spend a little bit of this episode telling you exactly who I am, who you're listening to, who's in your ears, chatting away, feeling a little bit awkward on this end of the microphone. I'll be completely honest, chatting to myself and hoping that this is going to come across the way I intend it to.
00:03:24
Victoria R
But that is okay. I'll um i'll start from the... I won't start from the very beginning because, you know, but we're not going to go back 40 odd years, but I'll give you the brief version. And I'm sure as further episodes go on, I will be sharing more about myself and my history as well as we go through.
00:03:42
Victoria R
So, to give you the the basic facts, I'm a mum to three beautiful children. I'm a wife to one. I'm a dog mum to two two dogs, one who is almost a 15-year-old golden retriever, and then we've gone down the other end of the spectrum. We've got an almost one-year-old puppy now, a little convoodle.
00:04:00
Victoria R
um And I'm currently an owner of two businesses. So my husband and I, we own a business together, which he he's an electrician. So that that's his his thing. um I'm kind of in the background doing a lot of the admin and and whatnot. And then I've also started another business of my own. And this is I will say technically it's probably my my third business of my own but in terms of actual business stuff it's probably only my second. um But I must say this one feels the most aligned out of everything that I've tried beforehand and I'll get into all of this a little bit more as well. um My background, as mentioned, i I have a background as a primary school teacher.
00:04:46
Victoria R
I went straight from high school into uni and did my study and went straight from uni into teaching. And I worked out, I think it's been something like 19 years. I've actually been a teacher, which kind of blows my mind. like And that makes me feel really old as well, by the way. I don't feel like I've been um a teacher for that long. And I must admit, the last few years in particular, I have been definitely taking a big step back from the classroom.
00:05:15
Victoria R
ah Since having my own children, I have only been doing relief teaching. And for those that may not know supply teaching, I think it's got different names in different places. um And yeah, the the last few years in particular, I've kind of stepped back more and more from that. And that will probably be a whole episode in itself as too to why I've stepped back so much. But that is my my general, like, quick, you know, this is who I am at the moment.
00:05:43
Victoria R
And a big part of my story is the fact that probably about, oh, I'm trying to think back now, how many years, three years, three years or four years, um everything kind of came to a head and I hit burnout in a massive way. And that has really influenced the life that I'm living now. It's kind of called me to to make some huge changes and do things that I probably never would have done before. So I think I have always, I've always been prone to burnout. I have always been that sort of person that says yes all the time, takes on way too much. I still remember um throughout uni, I was studying during the day
00:06:33
Victoria R
to go into my tutorials, my lectures. um I had to drive about an hour as well to get to uni. I don't know why I chose. So i if you know Perth, I grew up in Perth. And if you know, there's very big divide between the North and the South. And I was a Northern suburbs girl. And for some reason I chose to go to uni South of the river. God forbid. Oh my God. It was like a huge thing then. But it just meant that I was traveling an hour, um hour there and an hour back every day. So two hours of travel.
00:07:03
Victoria R
And I did, I love my uni though and I love the people and honestly that it was meant to be. There was a reason i I put that down on the form. I still don't really know what I was thinking at the time, but it all worked out. So there I was traveling to uni and then I also was working as a swimming teacher. I was also working as a lifeguard.
00:07:27
Victoria R
And I would also be a bartender at night because, you know, I had so much spare time. Why not just add a third job into the mix, right? And yeah.
00:07:39
Victoria R
I didn't really cope too well with that, as I'm sure you can imagine. So I was trying to do my uni assignments and make sure everything was ready to go. And I reached a point where I actually was in my, one of my lecturer's offices, just off first, I can't even talk properly. um And I was just, I was in tears. I i couldn't,
00:08:02
Victoria R
find the time to finish one of about my assignments that I had to hand in. The deadline was at the end of the week. I literally could not see how I was going to get it done. And I remember telling her what was happening and she was just like,
00:08:15
Victoria R
Victoria, I think you might need to, you know, pay back a little bit on what you're doing. And I was like, no, like I need the money. Like I need to pay to to get through uni, like a, you know, oh my God, like, oh. And I was in such a state about it. And anyway, she was amazing. She gave me the extension that I needed.
00:08:32
Victoria R
but I also took on what she was saying and it wasn't long after that that I did give up the the bartending. I think what also contributed to that was I had a little stint as a waitress during that time at the at the same pub um and I still remember I had a full tray of drinks that I was taking over to a table, went to put them down and tip the whole tray over this poor woman's lap and she was totally okay with it. Me on the other hand, I burst into tears straight away because you know my threshold was like zero when it came to being able to put up with anything.
00:09:11
Victoria R
I was in tears and I was just like oh I just yeah I think it was another sign I just can't do that I can't do this anymore Needless to say I haven't really done much waitressing since I have done bartending since but waitressing no not not for me not not my thing at all and I I always admire those I can carry all the things without spilling them so and I always compliment them on it as well because I get it I know how hard that is So anyway, back to what I was saying, I'm gonna go off on tangents, that's just me. um So yeah, my I think that was kind of my first kind of um look at what burnout was, but I didn't know what it was at the time. And do you think I learned anything from it? Of course not. I was young and dumb and in my early 20s and thought I could bloody do anything. um And to be fair, I did have a lot more energy back then. So yeah, ah like it was fine. I could get through it a lot easier than what I could.
00:10:04
Victoria R
But my body was giving me signs and I was ignoring them. I got sick a lot of the time. I um was always tired. I, as I mentioned already, like I would burst into tears at the drop of a heart because I just, I couldn't actually handle much of anything. And all these things were happening and me being me, my, you know, youth when I ever did, I ignored it all. I was like, I'll be fine. I should be right.
00:10:28
Victoria R
And anyway, so I kept going the way I was going, I think I dropped down to two jobs, yay for me, you know, I did learn a little something, I guess. But then I um ah kind of, yeah, decided to to have children. um My husband and I, we, you know, we got married, we had children, not long after we did get married. And I obviously wasn't in the classroom teaching once I had my children and my my my mind has always been very active. I've always liked coming up with lots of ideas and I like to keep my mind busy um and I like to keep it challenged a little bit. So I thought starting a business would be a great idea. So there I was starting an e-commerce business when I had
00:11:17
Victoria R
three children under the age of six because, you know, why not?
Reaching a Breaking Point and Recovery Steps
00:11:22
Victoria R
And so there I was, I was creating educational packs and selling educational products, which was right up my alley and I loved doing the research into and I loved creating these packs and I really did enjoy it because it was such a good creative outlet for me.
00:11:37
Victoria R
But realistically, I was an absolute horror to live with because I was just stressed to the absolute max. And I didn't realize it again. I didn't realize it at the time. I would. I was that that mom that was constantly yelling, that was constantly snapping and irritable. And I hats off to my husband because the fact that our marriage survived that part of our story is Yeah, it's hats off to him and i I appreciate him so much and he tried telling me. He did. Mark, if you're listening, yes, you are right. I'll admit it. I i did take on too much and I should have been focusing on on our family and our children and I
00:12:34
Victoria R
I was doing too much and the signs were there. I was sick all the time. um My energy was fluctuating. As I mentioned, I was like, come the end of the day, I was just yeah horrible to be around. And I still didn't really get it. I still just kept on keeping on. um So I had my business, COVID hit. We know what COVID was like. It's still crazy to think it was like five years ago now.
00:13:04
Victoria R
Um, and yeah, I, I decided to just keep going. You know, it felt like a hard slog, but no, this, this was my thing. I wanted to give it a go. And so when I decide I want to give something a go, I, I do it. I i go in and I, I'd give it my best. But then.
00:13:25
Victoria R
I was also doing a lot of relief teaching at the time. um Obviously had my three beautiful children that I was trying to give as much to them as I could as well, but I wasn't really having much left over. And then my husband made the big decision to start his own business. And so we decided, yeah, we'll start that together. It's something that you know we'd spoken about for years and I was so proud of him when he made that decision um to go ahead and do it because it was a pretty big thing.
00:13:54
Victoria R
And that took off like we wouldn't believe, which has been amazing. But I was still trying to do all the things. And I i literally got to the point where I ended up on the the bottom light the bathroom floor one day, just an absolute wreck. I could physically not do it anymore. i My body had said enough's enough. enough And even to this day, my body is still trying to recover from what I went through. And like I said, I'll i'll explain more of this and and probably go into it in a little bit more detail if one of these days when I might be feeling a little bit braver. But it was a real eye opener and I had to make some big decisions. I ah couldn't keep going. So I did make the decision to close down the business that I had started. So the e-commerce business
00:14:49
Victoria R
Like I said, it wasn't, it never felt like it was in alignment for me. And I think I knew that, but me being the stubborn person that I am, I was like, no, no, like I'll make it work. um And I was like, no, no, the time has come. It's time to close this down. So I did, I closed it down. I actually ended up selling it a couple months after I closed it to um some women that wanted to take over. So that was great.
00:15:17
Victoria R
But i could I close that down. I also really started stepping back a little bit from the relief teaching. And this this was something that took a really long time to do because I'm such a yes, yes. Oh, oh yeah, of course I can. Yes. I always said yes, even if I wanted to say no.
00:15:36
Victoria R
And I found an amazing naturopath that I started working with and she has been really instrumental in helping me put those boundaries in place and kind of encouraging me gently to do all that. So she was amazing and I'm still with her now. I think ah I've been a client of hers for three or so years. um And she's a big contributing factor to a lot of the changes that I have made.
00:16:01
Victoria R
So, yeah, I ah kind of had to start slowly picking up the pieces. And I have always been interested in self development. That's something that's always kind of been like.
00:16:12
Victoria R
Oh, that looks a bit interesting. I think it might be that but little geek in me that just loves to learn and loves to understand how things work. So I really delved into the self-development side of things. I really started looking at um kind of the mindset, how how our minds are just so powerful and really how we can make it work for us and instead of having it work against us.
00:16:37
Victoria R
So that was a really big um thing for me as well.
Personal Development and Coaching Journey
00:16:41
Victoria R
And probably the major thing is I've just learned that it's okay to slow down. I can give myself permission to go sit on the couch for like half an hour and have my lunch break or whatever it might be. Like I i work from home, so I do have that flexibility. And I could also say no to relief teaching. I didn't have to say yes every time I got asked. And it's been really interesting because as as soon as I started setting those boundaries,
00:17:07
Victoria R
people started recognizing them and I mean I am still available for relief teaching I don't do a whole lot these days and I'm totally okay with that I like I said I've still got two businesses I'm still helping my husband with his I've got my own business and I my main priority is being a mum I love being a mom to my three, I love being able to attend the things that they want to do, after school stuff, you know, being able to rock up to assemblies. Like today, I'm gonna go and help with my daughter's swimming lessons. So things like that, I am so grateful that I'm able to do that. And it has taken me being able to say no to a lot of things for me then to be able to say yes to those things that I want to do. And don't get me wrong, this is still something that I am working on.
00:17:59
Victoria R
That little people pleaser in me does do a lot to come out and ah want to say yes to everything. um But I am getting a lot better. So the boundaries are definitely, definitely getting stronger.
00:18:14
Victoria R
um So just, yeah, giving myself that permission to slow down and to rest has been a huge game changer. And I've worked with some incredible women that have helped me get to this point because honestly, I could not have done this on my own. There is no way I would have been able to do it on my own. And I've got two sisters and they are absolute legends. And I know I know they used to look at what I did and the life I was leading, I'd be like, Victoria, what are you doing? I'm like, what, what? And so they've definitely seen um the journey that i that I have been on. And I know that they saw the fact that I was taking on too much. But meeting them, I was like, no, I'm fine. You know, that stubbornness came into it and, you know,
00:19:03
Victoria R
I knew best, right? So I am very grateful to the people that I have in my life, my amazing husband, my sisters, um my friends, everyone. Yeah, they've definitely helped um along the way as well. So these days, my own work is consisting of something very different. and So I am qualified last year as a coach, which I was always like, oh, coach, oh, God, the title of coach just kind of made me go, ugh.
00:19:33
Victoria R
Don't ask me why. I think it was just, yeah. So I'm getting better at saying that I am a coach. Even now I'm saying it. I'm like, o um I think because I've always just been a teacher. That's been my identity for almost 20 years. So to change that has been a pretty big thing. um But I'm also a mindfulness instructor and I've been running some sessions in the town that I live in with children and I absolutely love them.
00:20:00
Victoria R
and I find it so important to do these sessions and I really want to do like this so much more. I did a back to school workshop um the other week with, I had 14 children there and it was amazing. We, yeah, it was a really fun session and I'm really wanting to help our kids learn a lot of this stuff, stuff that I didn't know yeah and that I've had to learn the hard way.
Mindfulness Education for Children
00:20:27
Victoria R
I really want them to learn that while they're younger so that They don't make as many big mistakes as as what maybe what I have, um so that they do recognize that it is okay for them to say no, that they can't have their own boundaries, that the connection between their mind and their body is so important, that their mindset and the power of their mind is
00:20:49
Victoria R
amazing and how they can use that in such a positive way because as a child if your mind is against you it feels like the world is against you and so many of our children are growing up into tweens and teens that are having major mental health issues, there is growing statistics of youth suicide,
00:21:16
Victoria R
oh I'm gonna get emotional talking about it but there's so many things like this that um make me really passionate about trying to help our children and I don't want our kids to be going through the mental health issues that I've also had to go through that so many of my friends and people that are I love around me have had to go through And if I can make even just a little bit of difference to someone's life, to one of these children's lives, then that, that in itself means that I've done my job. So by running these mindfulness sessions in town, I
00:21:53
Victoria R
I really try and bring in lots of different things. So we focus on you know regulating our nervous system and our bodies. We focus on just taking that time to be, to connect with yourself. um And I do speak about our mindset in those sessions as well. ah Obviously we do it in a really fun way.
00:22:12
Victoria R
So it's not like I'm just in there lecturing them. There's lots of games and lots of movement and lots of activities and they're always really fun. And my next step for me is to now look at also getting the parents. So focusing on the parents and getting them to recognize that, yeah, they can slow down too and they can learn that mind-body connection as well.
00:22:35
Victoria R
and Again, because I'm that little geek, I am studying all this sort of stuff as well. So I'm currently in the middle of doing um a course kind of all about that mind-body connection, how it shows up in terms of like stress, how what the effect the stress has on the body, how we can use simple practices like your gratitude, your meditation, how that's all going to help.
Podcast Mission and Future Guests
00:22:59
Victoria R
Like all of it is just, yeah, I love it. I love it. um And so again, I'm hoping to share a lot of this with you guys as well because I am in a rural town.
00:23:09
Victoria R
I do live a couple of hours from our capital city. So I'm not necessarily able to um physically in person reach as many people. So I'm hoping that this podcast will just be ah another little way that I can help get that message out there as well and also get people on to share their ideas and their perspectives and what they've learned and what they teach as well. um And I do have some amazing guests already lined up, which I'm so excited for.
00:23:38
Victoria R
ah So I will tell you more about that soon. Yeah, so so this this is me, this is the idea behind the podcast and I'm hoping that after listening to this first episode, you're like, okay, yeah, cool, like this sounds good. If not, that's okay, give me time, give me a chance. um Yeah, so like I said, I'm i'm very passionate about this this type of work and I hope that passion comes across. um the The fact that I really do just want to help people live their best life. We only get one life and it's going really quick. I don't know if anyone's noticed, but the days and the years are flying by a hell of a lot quicker than what they used to. And I really want us to be living our lives with intention and with purpose instead of letting our lives live us. So you're not getting to the end of the day and going, oh,
00:24:32
Victoria R
Here I was spending nine hours doing something that I absolutely hated and I've not now got time or the energy to do something that I want to do. And if that is you, if that is the life that you're living at the moment, then hopefully this will help you get to the point where you can go, no, I'm i'm going to make some changes and I'm going to start doing stuff for me. Because like I said, time is going super quick. I don't want you to get to the end of your life and go, oh,
00:25:02
Victoria R
Well, that was crap. I didn't really do half the stuff I wanted to do. And yeah, here we are. So I'm hoping that, that this will help you get where you want to be. And like I said, the guests that I already do have lined up, one of them has been actually all three of them I've got lined up already have been really instrumental in helping me get to where I am today. One is really big on the mindset.
00:25:31
Victoria R
One is really big on kind of the woo and the that spiritual side of things. And another is all about um body and the health. So like I said, three incredible people that I've already got lined up to come and speak um with me on this podcast.
Conclusion and Call to Action
00:25:49
Victoria R
And as well as that, I'm just going to share different things along the way.
00:25:53
Victoria R
different things that I've learned. There's going to be different focuses, different topics. um If there's anything that you in particular want to hear, um let me know as well. I say my inbox, my DMs are always open. I'm always happy to take on suggestions. Or if you yourself have something that you'd like to share and would like to jump on the podcast, um you're most welcome to reach out as well. And if you know some incredible people that you think would align really well with um the message that I'm trying to get out, then Yeah, let me know. So thank you for listening to the very first episode of the Mindful Educator Podcast. I hope you have enjoyed it. I hope you've got to know me a little bit better, um know what I'm all about. And yeah, make sure you subscribe, make sure you review and please feel free to share with anyone that you think might be interested and wanting to live their best lives, which
00:26:44
Victoria R
should be everyone. All right guys have a great day whatever you're doing and I will speak to you very soon.