PM Collective - The ART of property management
The ART of property management with Ashleigh Goodchild is a leading platform supporting collaboration not competition through an online community and events throughout the year with one purpose: to create happier property managers. She creates connections for property managers looking to create momentum in their careers and personal life. Join Ashleigh and her guests as they discuss challenges, struggles, mental health, mindset and give advice to property managers and anyone in the industry. To get the support in your property management career, join our PM Collective Facebook and Instagram community.
PM Collective - The ART of property management
Wellness Hacks for Real Estate Professionals
We explore the importance of wellness and self-care in the real estate industry with special guest Storm Dawson, former real estate professional turned wellness advocate and founder of Nova X Solutions. Our conversation reveals practical, micro-wellness habits that fit into busy schedules while combating burnout before it happens.
• Storm's transition from a 13-year real estate career to creating a wellness-focused business after experiencing burnout
• How multitasking creates impatience and diminishes our ability to reset between client interactions
• Taking 10-15 minutes for mindful eating instead of working through lunch
• Using drive time as a wellness opportunity by listening to calming music instead of making calls
• The power of "packing your wellness" with healthy snacks, herbal teas, and essential oils
• Creating team check-in systems using number scales to gauge stress levels without requiring personal disclosures
• Establishing clear task boundaries and endpoints to your workday
• Treating wellness appointments as non-negotiable commitments like court dates
• Simple at-home practices like acupressure mats and intentional tea breaks
Book a wellness session, join a group event, or learn more about creating sustainable self-care habits at Nova X Solutions.
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Welcome to today's podcast, and I have a special guest with me. Her name is Storm Dawson and we are chatting all things wellness, which is quite ironic because, as you can hear in my voice, I'm a little bit under the weather and I've just been away on the Paradise Reset which we had, a group of us I haven't spoken to you about how it went and so it was four days in Bali and it was for trainers and consultants. The reason why I did trainers and consultants was because a couple of years ago when I did it, it was open to everyone, but I actually had a lot of trainers and consultants and I was thinking that's quite interesting, I might do one just for them, since there's an interest for that. So when I say that it was perfection and I am not a perfectionist at all everything from the fact that there was someone who couldn't come along and swapped out her ticket for another person, there was a random message on another night where we thought you know what? We've got a spare room, let's Kylie from that property mum and I decided to pay for the random person that came.
Speaker 1:Just those people that was, I guess, because they weren't always coming and it was just like a last minute little bit of a change. It wouldn't have been the same without them and the people that swapped out. There was a reason for that which was like incredible, Yep. And then we had our self-care in the mornings and have you ever done breath work? Some breath work? Yeah, what did you do? Okay, so have you done like that breath work where it's a little bit more like out-of-body breath work and a bit more like life-changing?
Speaker 2:Oh no, I can't say I have.
Speaker 1:Okay, tell me so. And I've got the name of the lady and actually you will be interested in this one, the name of the lady in Perth that can do it from the lady that did it for us over there. There were half of the people that came along, so half of our group had like completely were sobbing during it. Oh, wow, like really transformational for them. Yeah, and we had that first up and then we had self-care each morning and then we just had the days to enjoy each other shopping, and then the evenings we had our group dinners with sort of conversation cards about the industry. So it was just perfect.
Speaker 1:But what I want to get to the point is that I remember someone saying to me that the goal is to go on holiday and not get sick. And you know how. So many people go on holiday and you get sick because your nervous system is having a reset, and it's like we shouldn't get to that point, and I'm clearly a living example of someone where that hasn't happened, and so you're going to maybe help me today with some tips on what I can do on my day to day so that when I do go on holiday, I don't get run down. So with that, now I'm going to pass it over to you for you to tell everybody who you are, what you used to do and where you are now?
Speaker 2:Yeah, beautiful. Well, thanks for having me today, ashley. I really appreciate the opportunity and, yes, I did used to be in real estate too, so it's lovely to have connected through that with each other. So I was in real estate for just about 13 years different areas of real estate.
Speaker 2:I did do property management for a while, had my registration, had a small portfolio, so I definitely have an appreciation for what property managers go through and what your day typically looks like as well, and then office roles, pa roles and sales admin roles. So it was working for typically smaller, family owned businesses and very, very busy businesses as well. So I've seen definitely the highs and lows of what the industry can bring you, but how it can burn you out as well, and that's sort of that's is, then, kind of the core of what led me to where I am now, which is doing freelance personal assistant work for Perth-based businesses with a heavy theme of wellness and wellbeing through that, because I was burning out for sure and it's something needed to change. So doing what I'm doing now a lot more flexibility and just the whole way of how I work is completely different, completely different when you were doing real estate.
Speaker 1:it was probably pre-COVID yeah. Yeah yeah, yeah.
Speaker 2:So that whole work and during Okay, so that whole work from home and flexibility you probably haven't experienced that in real estate before have you, and actually not even through COVID, because the way that the office I was working for operated during COVID is that one of us could be in the office at a time, so whoever couldn't work from home went in. So I still went in. Yeah, okay.
Speaker 1:And so then, out of all your real estate positions, what one did you start?
Speaker 2:with. I was 16 and a half and I started as a receptionist at a very busy real estate based south of the river about 40 staff, big property management, big sales teams. So little old me, 16 and a half years old, on a front desk. I grew a backbone very quickly and I think the experience from a very young age I think you know by the time I was managing properties I was in my early to mid twenties managing a property and doing all of that. So, yeah, definitely learned so many skills.
Speaker 1:And then you went to sales after.
Speaker 2:Yeah, office admin role, and then yeah, and then a PA, and then a combined role. So it was PA, it was sales admin support, office admin support, which kept me very busy.
Speaker 1:Because I think that burnout in all those positions is quite different. Because in property management burnout might be from the mental load of tenancies, like even first up yesterday morning, like first day back, and I had a guy call about 8.30. I literally just undiverted my phone and the next minute the phone starts ringing. I was like damn it, and it was a guy that he was. I couldn't tell. You can just pick these things up these days.
Speaker 1:I could tell he was leaving his wife and he was needing to find out how he can do that and how he can get his name off the lease. And I said, well, you sort of need her to sign off on it. And he's like, well, that's not going to happen. So we talked about what the risks are and things to take into account. So you've got like that mental load of people's personal situations just always calling you when there's only a problem. But then you've got the sales which you know property managers will sit back and go. What are sales agents burnt out about? But if you think about it, I don't think they'd be burnt out as much, necessarily with clients, but with the pressure of where's my next listing coming from and always chasing something that would be tough. That's your income, yeah, where property managers don't have to worry about that side of things. So very, very, very different. Tell me a little bit about your work, now that you do, and the business name and what you do.
Speaker 2:Yeah, yeah, sorry. Yeah, nova X Solutions is my business and it's been a beautiful, beautiful experience to work with various industries with what I'm doing. I do love variety, so that's definitely kept me interested and really engaged with my clients, doing anything from admin to personal admin to a little bit of marketing, really being that support, and then with the wellbeing side. On a weekly basis I'm checking with my clients, having conversations with them. I'm like how are they? I'm aware you were trying to get to the gym on Tuesday. Did that happen? Did you get there?
Speaker 2:Just having someone in your corner, I think, is so important, and having someone almost keep you accountable to doing what you're trying to do as well, I think is a big part of it. One of my clients has quit smoking in the last three weeks and he's been doing wellness appointments that I've been booking in for him and he's loving it. He's like he looks forward to knowing he's got that half an hour or hour appointment and really appreciates it. I phone him the next day How'd you go? He's like absolutely love it, can you book me in next week? So it's just it's nice to see people appreciate it and value it and then come to learn themselves. Oh, if I just take half an hour here and half an hour there through my week, it helps, because we give out so much Like in all those roles, especially in real estate. You're giving out so much energy, you're giving out so much time, so much emotional capacity and you need to fill you up to be able to do that.
Speaker 2:And I think there's little ways through our daily routines. It doesn't have to be hard. It doesn't have to be this big, huge, you know, earth shattering plan that we have. It can just be little bits here and there which we'll talk about, and I think that's just where you've got to start. Keep it simple. Keep it simple and then it's more likely to become a habit, and that's what we're all trying to do. I think the whole theme of wellness and the importance around well-being and self-care is becoming more and more important and the awareness is getting there. I think we've still got a fair way to go with it, but it's definitely getting there, do but?
Speaker 1:it's definitely getting there. Do you know what it's hard? Since I've come back, I've got a. I had already planned to have these things anyway sorted, but a nutrition reset and a skincare reset. So I'm going down both journeys.
Speaker 1:Had the most incredible experience at the skin place yesterday, where I took in the products that I'm using and I mean this could actually be a version of self-care. But I took in the products that I'm using and I mean this could actually be a version of self-care. Yeah, but I took in the products that I'm using. I got them to do a skin analysis, which I had two years ago, so they could see there's been an improvement. They sort of said to me yep, this product's fine, this one just finish off. But then I think you should swap it out for this one. And then they spoke to me about the importance of digestible. You know cosmeceuticals. I think, yeah, cosmeceuticals, so like your omegas and things like that. So this morning I woke up so I've got my supplements, I've got my green powder, I've got this. It took a long time, like to get myself ready, yeah, yeah.
Speaker 1:And I had to put it on the fridge and write okay, I've got to have the green juice first, and then I have to have my breakfast, and then, after my breakfast, I have to have the Amigas, because you can't have the Amigas beforehand, in case you know, you get reflux. And then I'm like having to time out all my meals to go.
Speaker 2:It's like it's time consuming, it's its own little regime of things right.
Speaker 1:Yeah, so for me. And then I'm like wiping it off my fridge because I've got it on, like with a whiteboard thing. That's how I'm staying on track. But, like for me, I'm lucky because I've got some flexibility. But if you were a mum that has to be at the office at 9 o'clock, you have to get your kids to school at 8 o'clock I can totally see why. Yeah, it's just too hard. I'm only on day one, like, and it was really hard, and so I'm going to need you to keep me motivated. I will.
Speaker 2:I'll text you tomorrow morning and be like how'd you go.
Speaker 1:Ashley, and you are very good at that. You do always send me little, you know, instagram messages, but I can, I can see, and then we've got this instant gratification. I expected to. Like you know, after having one healthy eating day yesterday, I expected to wake up with a flat stomach.
Speaker 2:That's like going to the gym. You know you do a great ab workout and you're like, yeah, that's me done.
Speaker 1:Yeah, and then sometimes you even like hallucinate, go, maybe I do look better. You don't look better, your mind's just a little bit better. But yeah, it's hard, I get that. And so what? I think one of the biggest excuses is people saying I don't have time, and you know this whole argument of well, then, get up an hour earlier, that's what.
Speaker 1:I'll be telling myself Just get up an hour early if you don't have time. But the other thing I find with, like my coffee and conversations is nothing grinds me more than people that say I'm too busy, I don't have time, and my thoughts are that no one really has, you know, we don't, we don't. It's not that we don't have time, we don't prioritize things, that's probably the bigger word. So, but what I would say is that if you are feeling really overwhelmed and you say I can't and I'll use this as an example I can't, you know, have that massage or I can't get to coffee conversations, if you have that massage and take that one hour out or you go and connect with others, you know, at the coffee meetups, you will actually have probably a lot more of a productive day because your energy is higher, yep, and so I would argue that that will save you time by going Like what's your thoughts when people say I'm too busy? Yeah, no.
Speaker 2:I'm definitely on the same train of thought as yourself, and I know myself that when I've been able to like, this afternoon I will be doing a red light therapy session for 24 minutes, I think it is, and then I think I've just added a PEMF session as well. So, what's that PEMF? Oh tell me more. Yes, it's really, really cool.
Speaker 1:I'm going to bring up what exactly stands for and while you're bringing this up, what I like about Storm and how I sort of was introduced is she does these little events and they introduce you to different wellnesses. So I went to one where it was a yoga and sauna, and then the second one was a salt room therapy, which I'd never done before. So I like going to those little events so that I can try new things, see if it's something that I want to do more of and continue. So that's like for me. I love that and it's like a little bit less guilty because it's like sort of a work thing as well as a wellness thing. That's it.
Speaker 2:Yeah, and I've tried to blend networking in a way where it doesn't feel like you're just having drinks and you're having to kind of I don't know play that sort of networking spiel.
Speaker 1:You know it's more.
Speaker 2:The focus is more about enjoying really good food, good company. We try and not so much talk about what we do for work. We're trying to talk about like the reason why we're here is to look after ourselves and like, what do you do, what's your habits and what are you trying to work on and that kind of thing. And then, yeah, we went into the salt room and that salt therapy is so good, especially for winter, like if there's a winter wellness thing I could recommend, I'd be saying like get yourself there, you know, once or twice a month if you can, because the benefits for your immunity, for your skin, general health the main reason why I love it, aside from all those benefits, is it's the only time I get 45 minutes with no interruption. There's no notifications, there's no emails, there's no calls, there's nothing I can do because you can't use your phone in there, like the salt will ruin your phone. So you, you know you're away from it and it's the only time I can really switch off because it's too easy. Even even working from home, you know, off and on using serviced offices, et cetera, there's still always the habit to go check your emails. And as much as I try and switch off. You know, like I do try, but it still happens occasionally.
Speaker 2:But at least having a set time, that's your time and you respect that. And I kind of liken it a bit like, if you've got a court date like you had a court date the other week that court date that gets booked, you are seeing that through right, you're not going to change it, you're not going to cancel it or cancel on the judge. You're not going to be like, oh, I can't make it this morning I'm not feeling the best. If you've got a court date and you know how long you'd have to wait to get another one, you just go and do it. And I kind of liken that to booking in your self-care. Like, treat it like a court date, treat it like something that's non-negotiable. That way you, you know you definitely do it and it's going to. You know it's pouring into your cup.
Speaker 2:Anyway, so coming back to what this, PEMF is so pulsed electromagnetic field, and what it is have you heard of like? Have you heard of a grounding mat before? No, okay, it's a grounding mat in a way. Well, what it is helps. What's the best way to explain it? I suppose the natural way of grounding would be to get your feet on the grass, to get in the ocean, to, like, connect with nature, to help, you know, cycle all the energy and things that we pick up from driving a car, from being all around, the tech that we're around and whatnot. It's a way to help ground your system and they've designed different products now that you can have at home or you can go to certain wellness places that have these.
Speaker 2:This particular one is a mat that you lie on. It's a pure wave pimp system. It naturally restores cell functioning and improves weak functional cycles. It's one of those things that's a low frequency program and it's equivalent to the natural frequencies of the body. So the currents of these frequencies are carried through every area of the body, creating a process of restoration and stimulation to the cells. So it's strengthening, it's stabilising the body's you know previously weakened fields and it's just so beneficial.
Speaker 2:Again, it's another thing where you can't take your tech into. So you lie there, you're in a nice, you know quiet. Again, it's another thing where you can't take your tech into. So you lie there, you're in a nice, you know quiet room, it's dark, there's a salt lamp in the corner and you're just lying there for 24 minutes and this thing makes you feel either you can choose whether you want to feel super like recharged, or really relaxed, and they adjust the settings to how you want to feel.
Speaker 2:Doing the energy setting. Honestly, I remember going in there probably a year ago and I felt so exhausted at the time Actually it would have been more than a year ago because I was employed at the time and I was going to call in sick and I thought, no, no, I'm going to go to this place, I'm going to go on my way through. I did that session 24 minutes, got up and felt like I'd had a can of energy drink. I was like, and then could live like the rest of my day and continue it, whereas I was probably just going to call in sick and go home. So those little things again, not long doesn't require a lot of energy for myself, other to get myself there, but little things like that are just really great. So that's something I'll be doing this afternoon just to keep all the wellness topped up. Yeah.
Speaker 1:Beautiful. I think there's so many things and I think you have to explore them all and see what works for you. So when we were away, we did the breath work, the yoga and sound healing, and so breath work was great for some of them, but not, you know, maybe not for one of them. Sound healing was great for a few of them. Some of them it was like, yep, no, not really my thing. You've just got to do them and explore them and see what works and what you really get more out of which is great.
Speaker 1:So those are people that don't necessarily have the inkling to go out and explore and try new things. I mean, I didn't even know there was such a thing as that, so that's super interesting. Let's talk about micro habits that people can do, or property managers and sales agents can do every day that there's absolutely no excuse for. Like you can't tell me that you don't have time to do this because this is like this is incorporated into everything. So what advice would you give? What are the micro habits that you would recommend people do?
Speaker 2:I think a lot of it like talking about time. I think a lot of it is utilising your time. For example, like so you're in the real estate, you're in the car. A lot Like I feel like you're either in the car or you're in a chair at a desk While we're driving around. What you know? What is it that we're listening to? So, is it the radio? That, quite frankly, I find very frustrating and annoying. Are we listening to the radio or can we swap that out? Right, can we swap that out? Is that half an hour you're driving around? Can we swap that out? For you know a really good podcast that's maybe something that you're trying to work on, maybe. Or something that's motivational. Or sometimes, if I'm feeling quite overwhelmed and overstimulated myself mentally, I'll put on a day spa playlist and drive around listening to that and I tell you what like it just takes. It just helps you calm a little right.
Speaker 2:It's like being on the roads driving around, especially this morning Everywhere's stressful.
Speaker 1:Everywhere's chaotic now and I feel like it's so hard for us just to take a breath and just chill.
Speaker 2:So if that is chucking on a date bar playlist like go for it Some of those lo-fi beats, lo-fi beats, yeah yeah, just put some of those on and just chill for your half an hour. That doesn't always have to be productive time. I think we've come into an era where everything should be productive, like we feel like it should be productive. So as much as that half an hour drive could be a phone, couple of phone calls, maybe just make one phone call and then maybe just like chill for the rest of your trip, just wind down a little. So that's like a little simple thing that you're in the car anyway, you're not doing anything different.
Speaker 1:Yeah, you're just switching something. It's true, I try to be quite productive to the point that if I go for a walk, I'm like I'll listen to a podcast or some training videos, just to make it all, like you know, managing some good time management. But yeah, that's a very good, a very easy tip as well, easy one.
Speaker 2:Yeah, easy one. I think a bad habit that I did have in, yeah, but back in the day was eating lunch at my desk and still working, and I know that's. I don't see the problem with that. Are you telling me that's an issue? Look and look, it depends, because everyone's flexibility is different. How everyone works is different.
Speaker 2:But if we're already in like hyperdrive, we're already rushed, we're already stressed, you jump in. You've got the 9am phone calls from the tenants, you've got the maintenance guy calling, you can't get into the property, et cetera, et cetera. By lunchtime you're like so overstimulated that you just need a break. But you then work through that because you feel behind, you're still trying to catch up. And I think one thing I learned it took me a long time to realize this is that you, I think as a property manager, when I was doing it, I always thought that if I keep doing extra every day, I'm going to get on top of it and then like one day there's going to be this next day that will have nothing and I can actually plan like how I want the day to be. That would never have happened. I can actually plan like how I want the day to be. That would never have happened.
Speaker 1:And.
Speaker 2:I think that's you know, being young, being naive. I thought like I'm just going to keep working because one day it'll be like a clean slate.
Speaker 1:I was thinking as well when you were saying about having lunch at your desk. There will be people out there that will say lunch, you haven't got to eat lunch.
Speaker 2:That's true, that's true, and I think, to do with the lunch thing, I think the biggest thing is if you can have 10, 15 minutes, just not multitasking. Yeah, just 10, 15 minutes, you know, of course, if you can have longer, that's great, but just 10, 15 minutes to just sit and think and about like you're eating your food, just take that time and then jump back into everything, cause you need a bit of a circuit breaker through your day. Otherwise, you know, if you're doing that year in, year out, you're just going to burn out. Yeah.
Speaker 1:I think you're right. I think that's actually probably the big thing is that is the multitasking that would probably be causing a lot of that burnout. Absolutely, they teach kids.
Speaker 1:I know that when my kids were in primary school they got taught a lot about mindful eating, mindfulness eating which is when you're eating your meal, thinking about like you know who's like when I say who's touched that meal, but who has grown that meat? Who has, you know, picked that apple off the tree? It's quite an interesting concept. If anyone's interested, you can just Google mindful eating and see what that's about, because it is true like appreciating all the process of how the food got to us in the first place. Maybe that's something that they could think about.
Speaker 2:Yeah, that, and I think, just stepping away for those 10, 15 minutes, having a breather, disconnecting, and then step back into it, and you'll probably feel more productive and more alert, maybe even a little more clear. A bit more clarity, because you have just done a bit of a circuit breaker. It doesn't take much.
Speaker 1:And the thing with if we actually can just stay on that circuit breaker for a little bit, because one thing that I find and this is probably a result of multitasking it can actually make us feel quite impatient as well with clients, and I think that's something that is um quite interesting. I was speaking to someone the other day about it and was saying how, um like our experiences are, you know why we might be impatient with certain people. So, for example, we might be um, uh, you know, I guess like yesterday I was probably impatient with someone that called me up because I was trying to get into the office, my phone didn't stop calling, um, he was calling up about the hot water system and I was like why haven't you called your property manager? Have you called your property manager? And he was like no, and I said, well, call your property manager and tell her.
Speaker 1:And I was a little bit impatient because I was multitasking at the same time. But then also I actually felt bad because like a couple of hours later I was going why is my phone like it's not stopping? People are calling me and I was like getting really shitty at why they weren't calling their property manager. And then I realised that one of my property managers was on leave and her phone was diverted. So I felt so sorry for this poor guy that I was just like when I said call your property manager, in his mind he was thinking but I did, I am calling it, and I thought I quickly emailed him. Just here's the work order. So he's taking him into the work order. But I think what happens is we don't reset for each person.
Speaker 1:So my frustrations with dealing with the person that was separating before and then him calling I was still getting a little bit frustrated from the first one, so I didn't give myself enough time to reset. This is a new person, a new phone call, and I shouldn't show my energy to him just because of what happened. So I think multitasking for me it creates that impatience and not allowing me to reset for each person, and I think that that would be quite common with a lot of people. 100%, 100%.
Speaker 2:And it's nice to hear that you recognise that too, though, like you're self-aware enough to know like, oh, like I didn't deliver what I should have delivered. And then you just take that lesson and try, try next time, right, yeah, I will try better next time.
Speaker 1:But you know, when we had those little micro moments like you know, getting in that car and then driving to the home open, maybe you've just had a crappy situation, just sort of it might just be enough that music, calming music, to reset you. So when you get to that home open, you're all like, yeah, I can handle it, I can handle these idiots, that's right. But yeah, so that's something just for people to keep in mind.
Speaker 2:Yeah, yeah, definitely, because it's all customer facing, it's all the customer experience we provide to anyone. It doesn't matter what business you're in, and we always want to make sure that we're putting our best foot forward and we're presenting ourselves. You know well, and all of that. And just taking a couple of moments before we engage that next.
Speaker 1:You know, call, whatever it might be, online meeting, it can really help, and we don't like people tarnishing us with the same brush either, like we hate that because we're not all the same and yet we do that to everyone as well.
Speaker 2:So, yeah, A couple of other micro tips that I noted down. I don't know about you and I'm not sure how it works in your household, but in terms of packing like your children's snacks and lunchboxes and things like that like, if you're a parent that does that I don't have kids and I need to just do that myself that's fine. But if you're doing that for your kids already, then pack on for yourself too. You know, if you're making them nice little things, healthy snacks and whatnot, then make a little lunchbox for yourself too. I walk around with this bright, purple little lunch bag and in there goes you know some fruits, some you know nuts, some muesli bars. I've got like some nice herbal teas that I might like if I'm out and about and I want something of my own, not necessarily someone else's, and like a little chai latte sachet if I feel like one and I'm somewhere else Trying to like, pack, like, take wellness with you.
Speaker 2:Yeah, pack a little kit In my bag. I've got like essential oils. I've got like your typical ones, like lavender for your calming, peppermint for feeling a little refreshed, and lemon so you can like play with those. There's so many little things that we can do and have just with you so that at least it's accessible. It can be harder to maybe have a full 15 minute morning routine, versus like just throw all that stuff in your bag and then at least when you're at your desk at your job you're like I've got that in my bag, I can have it. So I think like packing your wellness.
Speaker 1:I'm just picturing you driving in a car with your day spa music, your essential oils I fuse it in there and your wellness lunchbox. Who needs to go to the day spa when you can go sit in Storm's?
Speaker 2:car and go for a drive. That's it. Come join me, I'll take you for a ride. It'll be enjoyable.
Speaker 1:I love that because it's packing like you said. You might not need it all, but if you've got a little wellness, like esky thing, soft esky, with it all, yeah that's really great.
Speaker 2:Yeah, just your own stash your own stash and it could be whatever works for you, like different people might have different conditions or health things where you know it would be great if you had some magnesium spray with you, or it could be good if, yeah, just different things like that, the things that you know you need, just have them with you and then at least I don't know it's like a comfort thing, almost, like you just know you have access to it.
Speaker 1:Yeah, here's a little tip for business owners is get little branded, like we've got branded Eskis at the office, like little soft ones. What a great idea to get one like, even if it's for new people, or maybe it's like just a little gift for everyone and fill it with the teas and the healthy snacks and stuff like that, yep. And maybe even like a little car diffuser, yep, and give one as a present to your staff. That'd be awesome.
Speaker 2:Yeah, definitely, definitely, and it doesn't have to be expensive either you know you can find pretty cost-effective things these days.
Speaker 2:Yeah, other than yeah. So we mentioned about blocking wellness time in, or self-care in, your calendar just to, because I feel like and this is where I come from with my clients is that if it's not, if it isn't in their calendar, it doesn't happen. So that's why I purposefully put block out those times in their calendar to go do whatever it is they're trying to work on that week or that month. If it's there, it usually happens. If it's not there, it becomes an afterthought. And you know it's seven o'clock that night. Oh, I forgot to do this, I forgot to get there. So I think it's important to have it in your calendar but then to treat it as a non-negotiable for you.
Speaker 1:Yeah, I know that when I go in, if I have a facial, I like to book in my next one while I'm there, because otherwise it never gets booked in. And the other thing that I just did recently and I've just remembered that I need to book it in, so this is a really great reminder is I decided so. Have you been to Ember Bathhouse? I've seen a lot of it.
Speaker 2:Yes, oh, you haven't been there. I haven't actually been there yet. No, Okay.
Speaker 1:So I ended up buying the monthly membership. So I think it's $80 a month for one visit. I think it's normally like $89. So I just thought, you know what? I'm going to buy the monthly package for six months, because then I will use it, because I've already sort of like, yeah, it's just an automatic deduction, yeah, so that I, yeah, I need to do things like that. So it's just in my diary. Yeah, because what happens is you might be feeling now that oh, I'm really, you know, busy and overwhelmed, so I'm going to book it in for four weeks time and then, so, yeah, like you said, when it comes up, you just, you just use it, but you sort of feel less, like you feel good because at least I've booked it in. Yeah, and that's sometimes the half of the problem.
Speaker 1:Yeah, and I remember when I first went there, I rocked up and they said oh, you've booked in for the bathhouse, the facial and the massage. I was obviously in a really good mood when I was feeling maybe I wasn't in good mood, maybe I was feeling like I was super stressed and I'm just going to book it three hours in, and maybe I was in a good mood, maybe I was feeling like I was super stressed and I'm just going to book it three hours in and I ended up booking three hours and so when I got there, I was like, oh, this is nice. And she was like is it okay? I was like, yeah, yeah, that's absolutely fine. I didn't realise how stressed I was when I booked it yeah, yeah, yeah, your future self already knew that you needed it.
Speaker 2:My future self knew I like to schedule a day. I try and do a day a quarter where hubby and I like we both take time off and we'll go do something together. So, whatever that is, it could be anything from doing like any of the little wellness things that we do, or it could be a day trip somewhere, or it could be a walk or a hike or something like just go and do something together. That's going to bring down the stress and it's, you know, quality time as well, I think, so important it's. That's a struggle to get these days as well. Yeah, Um, yeah.
Speaker 2:Do we have any more?
Speaker 1:tips. These are good ones. They're nice and easy, like they're easy tips, yeah, yeah, so done the driving.
Speaker 2:Um, oh, this one's an important one, so like a one minute check-in with a colleague. So I think it's really important, um, around this whole wellbeing and awareness, for so many reasons, to check in with our colleagues, teammates, just asking them, you know, are they traveling all right today? You know, are they feeling the pressure anywhere today? I think, as leaders and business owners, it's good to do this. It's good to check in on how they are, and some people might not want to share, like you know, everything about their personal life, and that's okay, like we don't necessarily need to know that, but just to see how they're genuinely travelling. I think it's a simple thing and it can create that bit of a ripple effect where then you know, they might go home and do that check-in with their own family, perhaps, when they wouldn't ordinarily, because they're just busy.
Speaker 1:So just again a little thing. Do you know, today I had one of my girls message me and she put you okay Question mark and I said yes, do you mean like because I've got a cold? She goes. No, because you used a blue heart on our messenger chat today. Oh, cause she said, cause you used a blue heart, I said where she goes on our messenger chat, I went really. So I've gone on there and had a look and the background that we've got on our messenger at the moment, because the girls change all the time it's just themed blue. So it just did a blue heart and she noticed that and she messaged me and she said that I was like mentally okay.
Speaker 1:And I was like oh yeah, no, that was just because the blue heart was there. Yeah, yeah. That's nice it was actually really really nice.
Speaker 1:One thing I also learned as well, like when you said it's hard for people to sometimes say you know how they're feeling. A technique that we learned from a guy, one of the speakers that I've had before, is going around the table and telling everyone on a sliding, or writing down on a sliding scale between one and I think it was one and five we used where how you feel. So five would be like really stressed and one would be stress free. Okay. So you go around and you put how you feel. So I might be feeling I was feeling a two, and then you do that. And then what happens is you go around and you rate each other with what they are Like. You know, I think Storm, I think you're a two or whatever it is, and then you see whether you match.
Speaker 1:And what was really interesting is that I was a two, but everyone thought that I was a four, and I thought that's interesting because my perception to them is that I'm quite stressed, but I'm not stressed at all.
Speaker 1:And but then, in the opposite, there was someone that she personally put herself at a four and everyone else put her at a two, which was actually a problem because she was highly stressed about a situation personally and no one could see that, because everyone was like really, we all thought like, we thought you were a one or a two, so to, and I thought that that was pretty powerful. And then what happened was we moved in for a while into our group chat where, um, once a week, people would just put a number in. So it would be like um, you know, like how are you and it, and it would just be I'm a two, I'm a four. You don't have to say I'm stressed or I'm struggling, but just by putting a simple number in there was quite easy for anybody to feel comfortable doing and it was enough to recognize okay, let's be a little bit more gentle with that person today, or let's go out for a coffee with them.
Speaker 1:And I just yeah, I just thought it was nice and no one. They didn't have to disclose anything more, but just a number. So if you're working in a team and you want an activity to do, that was a good one. If you're in WA, I've got the person who can actually facilitate that for you. But yeah, using the number system is something that I would do.
Speaker 2:Yep, it's a good way to get perspective and realize how other people are actually feeling, because we all have our own like, oh, I think this and I think that. But to actually have that conversation is, um, that's really really cool. I like it. Yeah, I like it. Um, the last one I've got here is a small habit.
Speaker 2:I actually think this is probably the hardest one to implement. It's ending your day with a last task rule. So it's so easy, and I know from back in the days when I was in real estate. I know that there would always be many tasks and you'd always try and get as many finished as you could before you started in your next day, before you left the day of work. Right, it's so easy to just keep going to check that email inbox one more time to you know, spend an extra 20 minutes on something that needs to be done. So it's done for the day before kind of thing. Next day, sorry, but to actually try and pick a final task and then to mentally close off for the day. I feel like it was.
Speaker 2:I was actually talking to someone. I don't know whether it was yesterday or the day before. I'm trying to remember who I was talking to now, where they said we've become a society where the tool is our mind, so we're always on the go, versus, say, a tradie, he takes his tools, he goes to work, he uses the tools, he puts the tools back in his car and he's done for the day. He doesn't start his work again until the next day when he gets his tools out. For a lot of us now, the tool is our mind.
Speaker 2:We're having to be creative, we're having to solve problems, this and that, and it's very hard to shut off, it's very hard to stop, put a line in the sand and be like, okay, from, like whatever time it is 6pm at night, I'm not going to like think about anything now, but it's very hard to actually implement and you know it's. It's a nice thing to try and remember at least to try and have a switch off time or a clock off time and try and do that, especially for those that are working a hybrid model, working from home as well, because it can really interfere with your personal life and with your family home life. But to try, I think that's the hardest one and I'm still yeah, still haven't nailed that one. I don't think I ever will.
Speaker 1:Yeah, no, I love that. So I think isn't it called white space, where they, if you're working from home and they say to like the last task, maybe that you have a shower at that time and that's your habit, that you have now finished work and otherwise it all just blends in? It could be even something like that. You know, if you, let's say, you finish at five o'clock, that at five o'clock, before I leave the office, I have a cup of tea, like I. You know, I have my cup of tea at 4.30 and that's my last thing and of a, as opposed to. Well, it still is a task, but it's just a habit, and once I've had that tea, that's my day over. So I use a. Have you heard of Airtable? Yes, so Airtable is like a fancy Excel. It's what we use for our processes and workflow and it's how we have jobs for our VAs. So that's where they sort of work, off that platform and inside that platform.
Speaker 1:Stafflink have got us on a dashboard. What I love and the reason why I went with this product and StaffLink, was because this dashboard allows for property managers to have their tasks there, because they also recognise that there's always something to do. So then how do you, like you said, how do you sort of stop? So they have tasks. So now our team can, and we're still getting to the point of using it correctly.
Speaker 1:It's definitely been a bit of a journey to get there, but ultimately we've got, yeah, a dashboard and it might say rent arrears, three lease renewals, two vacates, one applications, 14. And so it's got all these numbers on the screen and all a property manager has to do is do those tasks. So they just click on those applications that are 14 and then they process them. Or if there's something that they don't want to do right now, they will just move the date till tomorrow, make it tomorrow's task, or maybe it's next week, and you just go through until your dashboard's zero. And when your dashboard's zero, you can go home like your tasks are done. And getting into that mindset is something that I'm working towards, so that the team know that, yeah, if you get to zero at two o'clock, then off you go. If it's zero at 5.30, then you go then. And what it also allows is to bring other people to share dashboards.
Speaker 1:So for example, if I'm working and I know Storm, you've got the day off or you've got to do something in the afternoon, then I can just add yours to my dashboard. So now, all of a sudden, your tasks are on mine and I just work through them. And it's also about bulking your stuff together as well, so that you are not multitasking. I think you know now I'm thinking about it. Multitasking is such a big time-wasting in energy, physically, everything. Yeah, that's a big takeaway for me, um, but yeah, I think it would be great to for business owners to think about that task list. And how could you get to a point where the girls oh sorry when I say girls that the property managers, um, know when their end is? Yeah, because I don't think anyone knows where their end is. They're fantastic tips. I love them. I love that they're simple, they're, you know, easy. There's sort of no excuses and quite nice ones to do. Yeah, like, really great.
Speaker 2:Definitely it doesn't have to be. You know, we don't have to overhaul our whole routine or our whole life to try. I think it's all start with one habit that puts our well-being and self-care back into focus. We deserve to feel good, not just at the end of the year or on our holiday, but in the middle of a Tuesday at work. You know, Like we should all be able to feel that. So no, I think, yeah, it's great to be able to put this through to all the listeners and.
Speaker 2:I hope that they get to take away even just one. Just pick one, pick one and work on that for the month.
Speaker 1:Yeah, that's all. It is, absolutely. Now two questions left for you. One is how many? Do you have a set number of hours that you like to allocate to your wellness each week, or do you just try to do one activity or something daily, like what's your rule for yourself?
Speaker 2:Yeah, so probably on a weekly basis. I'm at MindBody Lounge in Vic Park one to two times a week and that's between maybe half an hour or an hour each session, okay. And then if I can go for a walk, I'll try and go for a walk a bit harder now with the rain. And if I can go for a walk, I'll try and go for a walk a bit harder now with the rain. And if I can do a salt session, that's 45 minutes, really affordable, you know to go there, so I'll try and fit one of those in. Probably that's probably fortnightly or even maybe every three weeks. And then simple things at home would be every night I lie on my acupressure mat so I try and do a good 20 minutes on there in case I fall asleep. So that has happened occasionally. Is that a spiky mat? Yeah, yeah, okay, love that. And what else do I do at home? I think I enjoy.
Speaker 2:I enjoy my herbal teas, and I enjoy just taking like when I'm working at home and I'm jumping from client to client, just taking like when I'm working at home and I'm jumping from client to client, taking my little 15-minute break, is just walking out of the office, get my little cup and saucer, make my little herbal tea or my coffee or my chai, whatever it is. I'm having sit at the table, the dining table, for that 10, 15 minutes before I then go back in, which helps with that whole what you were saying like resetting between conversations between clients and things between tasks, and it's my me time and if it's sunny I'll go stand up, I'll have my coffee out in the sun in the courtyard for a bit, soak up some sun rays. It's just any little again, any little thing. It's simple stuff. It doesn't have to be expensive.
Speaker 1:No.
Speaker 2:There's a lot you can do without having to spend money, to be honest, but then there's plenty of things that are affordable around too.
Speaker 1:Yes, correct. Last question, and I've been meaning to ask this for a while. It's not a scary one, it's okay. Nova X Wellness. What does that mean to you? Like, where's that name from?
Speaker 2:So the whole Nova X like branding was my husband and I really we love space, like we love the planets, the stars and all that sort of thing and we find it quite fascinating. So that's kind of Nova. Comes a Nova on its own. A Nova is a newly formed star that bursts into like becoming a star. So like a Nova, is that a new star being born?
Speaker 1:if you will.
Speaker 2:Ah. And then the X kind of represents the talent and the skills behind what we're building, because we see, you know it going, it could go, yeah, quite a few different ways and growing that to be something that's really helpful to people, that will become a really good resource for Perth-based businesses. So, yeah, that was the Nova sort of being a new business, having all this like energy and like the skills and the talent behind it when we started. And then, yeah, the wellness. Obviously, everything what we're talking about today is something that's a normal conversation with my clients and then doing the events. You know, every month there's something going on, events wise, to encourage other people to book in their self-care.
Speaker 2:The business owners that come along are looking for something to do for their self-care and they love that. They've got it in their calendar because I send them a calendar invite. So they've got that in their calendar. They know they've got it. They can come, come along, everything's done for them. Now you just need to show up, book your spot, show up, enjoy it and then like, literally, there hasn't been one where people haven't. You know they've always appreciated it and will say something like, oh, it was so good to do something for me yeah and like that's like that in its own is exactly why I do what I do.
Speaker 2:Yeah, like it's honestly helping people, whether it's their business or their health and their wellness.
Speaker 1:Like I want to encourage that. Yeah, amazing, I love it.
Speaker 1:Well, I'm oh you've done so well, I sort of yeah, we'll see how. I'm not someone who edits a podcast, so now I'm like I'm going to have to listen to this one and make sure my coughing hasn't come through. So if you did capture my coughing on this podcast, I apologize. I haven't listened to one podcast back. You know I don't listen to them at all, so I may or may not listen to this one. We'll see Apologies in advance if you did cop a mouthful of coughing. I was really trying hard not to. But yeah, I really really appreciate.
