Jessica Ritchie — The Moment That Changes Everything

What happens when life gives you a moment so powerful… you can’t go back to who you were before?

In this deeply moving episode, Sharon sits down with Jessica Ritchie — award-winning brand strategist, keynote speaker, founder of the Transformational Brand Lab, seven-times internationally awarded author, and creator of the MARK methodology: Mindset, Authenticity, Resilience, and Kindness. 

This conversation goes far beyond branding.

It’s about identity, intuition, authenticity, courage, and the life-changing moments that force us to stop hiding and start living in alignment with who we really are.

Jessica shares the pivotal story that changed everything for her, how it led her to integrate deeper healing work into her business, and why so many women stay stuck trying to look successful on the outside while quietly feeling disconnected on the inside. 

In this episode we cover:
• What Jessica really does and why her work goes far beyond traditional branding
• The gap she saw in women’s business growth that had nothing to do with websites or logos
• How she helps women uncover clarity, confidence, and vision from the inside out
• The life-changing moment that became a line in the sand for her
• How intuition, healing, and identity work became part of her business
• Why authenticity can feel scary — and why it changes everything
• The connection between energy, alignment, and being truly seen
• Why women often wait for a major life event before they change
• How the MARK methodology was born
• What confidence really starts with
• Why living true to yourself matters more than what others expect of you
• How to begin if you know something needs to shift in your life or business 

Key insights:
• Real brand clarity starts with identity, not image.
• Big life moments can become catalysts for deep transformation.
• Authenticity is not a branding tactic — it is an energetic alignment.
• Confidence grows when you know who you are at your core.
• You do not need to wait for a boulder when life is already giving you nudges. 

Jessica’s details:
• Website: www.transformationalbrandlab.com
• Book: Clarity to Make Your Mark
• Jessica also mentioned that if listeners would like a signed copy, they can reach out to her through the website. 

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Transcript

SPEAKER_01 0:02

Welcome back to the Sharon Francisco show. Today I'm so excited to be joined by Jessica Ritchie. She's an award-winning brand strategist, keynote speaker, and founder of the Transformational Brand Lab. Doesn't that sound exciting? With more than 20 years of experience, Jessica's helped people and organizations build clarity, confidence, and authentic leadership. I'm so excited about this conversation. She's also a seven times internationally awarded author and creator of the MARC methodology, focused on mindset, authenticity, resilience, and kindness. I think you're gonna really love this conversation as much as I will. Jessica, welcome to the Sharon Francisco show.

SPEAKER_00 0:44

Thank you so much for having me, Sharon. So good to see you again.

SPEAKER_01 0:48

It's so good to see you too. It's been many years. How many years since we've seen each other?

SPEAKER_00 0:53

I think it's been at least six years.

SPEAKER_01 0:56

A long time. We met for the audiences, um, so they know where we've met. We met in the Jane Anderson program, the personal branding program. Many years, 2017.

SPEAKER_00 1:08

Yes, a long time ago.

SPEAKER_01 1:11

Which absolutely changed my life. I've got to tell you, Jane Anderson's an incredible woman.

SPEAKER_00 1:16

So she most certainly is.

SPEAKER_01 1:19

I'm very, very grateful to have met her on my journey. So so let's kick off, Jess. What do you say when people ask you, hey Jess, what do you do? What do you do?

SPEAKER_00 1:29

Well, that's a loaded question for me, Sharon. Uh so what do I do? Well, as many women, right, we wear all the different hats that we juggle, but I guess so. From a personal sense, I'll lead with that. I am a mum of two boys who are 12 and 10 years old. So very cute, I might add. They're gorgeous. They are a bit cute and at a really cool age, but that obviously keeps me busy. I'm a wife as well, to a husband that serves and protects our community. And uh I am also a chairperson of Emerge, which is a youth organization that helps children who fall through the cracks of our system.

SPEAKER_01 2:14

How interesting.

SPEAKER_00 2:15

That's something I'm very passionate about. Uh, and also do a lot of other volunteering in in our community, which is Toowoomba in Queensland, Australia, and also passionate about children's literacy. So I um am part of the Lighthouse Towoomba, which is a creativity centre for children. So that's me in a nutshell from a personal perspective, but uh professionally, I am a brand expert. I've helped work and lead and build some of Australia's leading brands for the past 20 years. Uh, through seeing that, I realized there is a bit of a gap there for women in business and could see even when people would come to me and say, you know, create me an amazing website or um marketing plan and strategy, logo all the brand assets. I would do that. But then I'd notice I'd fall over a few years later. And I thought, geez, what's going on here? And it's the internal part, it's it's it's that confidence, it's the self-worth, it's the identity piece that was lacking. And so I shifted into um becoming a brand expert that looked at people from the inside out and to look at them from a personal brand and a business brand. So I guess in a nutshell and saying that, what is it that you do? I help harness that unique energy and essence of a person and a brand. And then I amplify that in their marketing, branding, and communication so that they can make their mark on the world that they deserve. Yes, that's amazing.

SPEAKER_01 4:02

I didn't realize you sort of, because when we sort of work with people, it is like the the traditional logo and uh, you know, your website and things like that. But you sort of start from the other end and really start to understand, okay, what who is this person? What are they trying to get to the get out to the world? And quite often, I don't know about you, but when I ask my clients, what is it, what's the bigger picture? It's like, oh, I don't know. And I know for me too, over the years, when somebody's asked me, it's like, well, what's the bigger picture? Until I actually um got to a point where I was forced to decide what that was. Now it's crystal clear for me, but I had to be kind of pushed in front of the train for that to happen metaphorically. But if we don't have that, it's it's a really cool thing to have somebody pull that out of you and to identify what that, you know. So can you explain a little bit more how you do that, Jess?

SPEAKER_00 4:52

And I would say, you know, when that clarity comes through doing, you know, like clarity um or action precedes clarity, they say. So you, you know, you get into that doing sometimes before you get truly clear on, oh, what is my superpower or what does make me different from the million and one marketers that are out there? And I would say why people come to me is because I can super quickly identify what's holding them back and find and unpack what that vision is for them. And I do it in a three-phased approach. And then so then we see what where they're at now, what their challenges are, what the big vision is, but then what's that messy middle? What's that in between that is actually going to get them there? And that's what I can I can actually do that work. Give me two and a half hours, and I've got it nailed for you. So that's something, yeah, that I I love doing that, and and that is part of that the vision and the visibility piece as well. So yeah, so if you're feeling stuck, unclear, not sure of what's next, then it is super important to go, yeah, what who am I? And and what are the challenges I have? Because we don't often take that time, do we, to step back and such a hamster wheel in the chaos of of business and life that we're like, actually, what is it that I want? And and and what are my values? And am I in alignment? And just having that person beside you and a massive whiteboard is non-negotiable for me to literally unpack a brain and a heart as well of a person, and then strategize that out to get a vision and then a life that they are incredibly excited about and have tangible steps and actions to get there. So it doesn't feel so overwhelming. It actually becomes exciting and possible.

SPEAKER_01 6:57

Yeah, awesome. And you were we were talking off um off recording before, a little bit of the uniqueness that you bring into your sessions. Are you open to talking a little bit more about that?

SPEAKER_00 7:08

Yes, yes, I am. So what makes me a bit different, as I said before, you know, there's a million and one marketers out there, and and how do you cut through the sea of that to stand out? Because all in my, you know, I went to university and got a you know a degree in commerce and and human resources marketing and occupational health and safety. These days, and it'd be interesting to see how your audience feels if they're in a similar, you know, industry to me. Sometimes I sit back and I think, wow, like I've actually seen someone who has put a photo of themselves with the dummy 101 book of marketing and opened their business the next day in marketing, you know? So it is a profession that can feel cluttered, and because it sort of feels like if you got a social media account, we you know, you can be a marketer, right? We are marketers, we're all our own personal brand, as we know. But yeah, it it for a while there it was feeling I had to really step back and go, how how do I stand out from this? Um this, yeah, just so many people probably in this space. And what I recognized was I had been holding myself back, you know, due to beliefs that I wanted to integrate different modalities into my business. And I was super scared of how people would perceive me or view me by doing that. So, and I'm happy to we're probably going in reverse, and I'll say what it is that I do that makes me different, but it is a pretty interesting story of how I actually come to do that and to overcome that fear. So, what makes me different in that marketing and branding world is that I am a Reiki master. So, for those that don't know, Reiki is a Japanese healing modality. It is gentle, it's beautiful, and it's a laying of hands. Um, it doesn't need to be, you know, touching the body. And it just gently goes through the system and it and it helps to remove, you know, energy that's not for your best and highest good. Um so and I'm also an NLP, so neurolinguistic programming practitioner as well, which helps you to, you know, really quickly understand the limiting beliefs and have reframes and rewire of that. And also I am a certified life and business coach as well, which you know, there's a lot of life coaches out there and business coaches, but to have that that certification as well does make me stand out a bit different in that space too. So, yes, the Reiki, and I guess what that allows me is I am very intuitive, and I and I can proudly say now that that is a superpower and actually why people come to me too. And I think that's why we can get work done quickly. You can just tap into a person, and you know, when they're true to themselves and they feel safe and seen, then we can really, you know, unpack those layers and and get to the vision quickly. So I love that, Jessica. That's the difference, Sharon.

SPEAKER_01 10:37

It's so good. But you know, how many times do us women go? I like I don't know about you, but I've sort of, you know, when you meet people or whatever and you go through and you come and something happens afterwards. I remember when the kids were little and we were living in New South Wales, and we had neighbours move in. And I don't know what it was, it was something that I said to the kids, don't go out the back, just stay what play out the front. We then moved to Queensland. I I didn't know, I never met them. I saw them over the fence a few times. I like literally next door, but never spoke to them, never like I just didn't want the kids to be out the back when they were playing. We moved to Queensland and I heard on the grapevine that um pedophiles, they were pedophiles, arrested pedophiles. I knew that, I felt it, but how many times have you walked away from somebody and gone there's something off, there's something off about that, or the opposite, there's something that just feels like I connected, it felt like really good. How many times do we say that to each other after I knew it? I knew it. And that's that feeling, that's that intuition. And when you can actually bring that into a business sense and get that feel, for me, I think I I just love that you're bringing that in and so open about it. With I mean, I've done Reiki one and Reiki two years ago. I I certainly wasn't wasn't in the space. It was about 25 years ago, and I was too full of happiness and jumpiness. I didn't, I do, I wasn't calm enough for it. I was like, she's like, Do you see all the things? I'm like, no, I don't see anything, I didn't feel anything. But then just recently, well recently, 2014, I did a 10-day vipassana meditation. I don't know if you've heard of that before. Yes, lovely. Everyone that knows me said, 10 days with not talking, you Shaza, really?

SPEAKER_00 12:25

How are you gonna do that? Sharon.

SPEAKER_01 12:28

You know, that was transformational for me. Yes, I was I I went like it was after I very soon after I separated, I was trying to find out who I was and how I fitted into the world. I spent that 10 days thinking that because apparently people say that you're gonna pop out within the first three or four days because it's such a big thing to be alone with your own thoughts. And thankfully I didn't. I I was grateful to make the full 10 days, but now that energy that I've I can now harness through, I don't know if you know much about Vipassana, but it's pulling the energy of the universe down through the crown chakra through your body. And I sat there for three days going, I feel nothing, I feel nothing. And then all of a sudden I felt like I was levitating. It was amazing. And now to this day, that was 10 over 10 years ago, I still am able to do feel this energy. And I think that's what helps with me as well, which is it's powerful stuff, Jessica. It's not, it's not voodoo.

SPEAKER_00 13:27

Powerful, and it can literally be transformational and it is life source. So I think no matter what your beliefs are, uh, you can engage in in that energy and that belief to assist you and to empower you and to protect you.

SPEAKER_01 13:48

Yeah, yeah, that's it. Wow. Wow, I could talk all day about that. So um my next question for you was there a moment during your journey of building your business and identifying your uniqueness and things where everything changed for you, like a before and after that you couldn't ignore?

SPEAKER_00 14:10

Yay! I laugh, and you know, and at the time I cried, and I probably alluded to that before when we were discussing about you know what makes me different. And in my book, I talk about it being the line in the sand moment. Well, it's a called a make your mark moment. So my book is Clarity to Make Your Mark, and within that I have what's called make your mark moments, and they're very vulnerable, they're very hard on your sleeve. And this particular moment that was the before and after for me, Sharon, was on the 29th of May of 2017. So this was as we around when we first met. It would have been, it was after we sorry, before we met, but very fresh this experience. So uh in 2017, I had a new just one-year-old. Billy was had just turned one and and Max was three. And I woke up that morning of the 29th of May and I just felt like something was off. I remember looking outside, the leaves were glistening on the tree. It was a beautiful autumn day. I made dippy eggs for the boys that were laughing, but I just could not shake this feeling that something was wrong. And so I was pacing the perimeter of the police house we were living in because Sam was one of two police officers in Hallidon at the time. Now Hallidon's a very small, quiet town in the Lockheed Valley, about 20 minutes from Toowoomba, just to give your audience an idea. And so it's very quiet, very small. My best friends at the time, the average age was 88, the war veteran widows who were my best friends. So quiet, right? Beautiful, quiet town. And I just, yeah, we're talking about intuition, right? I just couldn't shake this feeling and and feeling like this cage tiger that just couldn't sit still. It was this restless energy. And my neighbor Jess was hanging out her washing, and I remember saying to her, hey, are the boys working together today? And she's like, Yeah, yeah, they're on. I was like, Oh, good. And she's like, why? I'm like, don't worry about me. I'm just having a morning, feeling a bit funny and off and restless. She's like, okay, you know, like, you know, you respect that, but you know, all will be well, and that you know, that's what we do, right? Yeah, it is. And then no word of a lie, within about an hour of that, there was police cars just screaming by, hearing that, you know, the just the sirens going past, you know, there was one, two, three, ten cars going past our home. And then I heard the two police helicopters hovering above our home and just hearing that boop, boop, boop, boop, boop, boop, boop, boop, boop, boop, boop, boop. Now there's only two polaire helicopters in the state of Queensland, or there was at the time, and they were both above my home. And I thought something's dreadfully wrong, or there is a famous person in town. And I and I thought the odds of that's pretty slim, right? So I was feeling very nervous, and I kept pacing, and I had the hiccups, I wasn't breathing properly, and I thought, you know, what do I do? And when you do have a person who's in, you know, the police force or or whatnot, you don't want to interrupt them in case big things are going down, right? So I was like, what do I do? And it got the better of me, and I texted my husband, Sam, and I just said, Are you okay? And I didn't hear anything back. And then I was inside with the boys, and I got a call from an unknown number. And you know, when you get those, you're like, spam, you know, the all of that. And I thought, oh, I I've got to take this call. And it was from my husband's friend in Brisbane, and they'd been mates since Kindi. And he called and he said, Jess, is Sam okay? He was frantic. He's and I was like, Who is this? And he's like, It's Gordon. I said, Gordy, how like how do you know something's going on? And he just he couldn't speak, and he's like, Jess, I'm in Brisbane watching the national news on the headlines, and I turned on the news, and the headline said, Halliden police officer, father of two, shot and killed in the line of duty.

SPEAKER_01 19:06

Oh, Jessica. Holy cow, you must have felt like your life had ended. My gosh, wow.

SPEAKER_00 19:16

Well, it did. So the story, you know, that I told myself could having only one of two police officers in Hallidon at the time, my husband's boss was a father of three, and and Sam was a father of two.

SPEAKER_01 19:31

Oh, and I thought, Oh my goodness. Holy heck, you must have been like that.

SPEAKER_00 19:39

It was, and it changed me forever. Oh, I didn't know. Because what it did, so so your audience knows, like it was 40 minutes until I heard my husband was physically okay. That felt like a lifetime.

SPEAKER_01 19:55

I bet.

SPEAKER_00 19:56

I had I called the Toowoomba police, the communications team, because I needed information. And they said to me, I'm so sorry, sorry, we can't tell you anything. And I thought, well, that's fair enough because I know at that point, I think I'd been with Sam for 14 years, and for that amount of time he'd been a police officer. You can't tell, you can't tell people when there's horrible news over the phone. It has to be in person. Yeah. So I thought, right, well, of course they have to tell me in person. So because I had gone through a lot of other stuff in life, as we all do prior to that moment, I honestly knew that the undoing for me would be hearing that knock on the door. Oh, gosh. So I waited by the gate and I stood there. And for that 40 minutes that I didn't know, I waited by that gate and I tried to hold myself together for my boys because I knew that I had done enough learning and research to know the impact of trauma on children and just through energy alone and not words. And so I thought I'll remove myself and I'll wait by this gate. And while I was there, I kept thinking, well, I went through so many different emotions because what had happened was there was a crazed gunman in the Lockier Valley who had purposefully set up the police to trap them and shoot at them. And my husband was second responder to that incident. And thankfully for us, it didn't matter how I think trained you were, but Sam had done dignitary protection training. So whilst under fire of hundreds of bullets, he was able to navigate he rolled his car several times with his boss in the car, but he was able to navigate out of that situation, which saved their lives. Wow. But unfortunately, His colleague in front of him lost his life that day. So whilst that was happening, I was at that gate and I was angry because there was someone in this world who wanted to do that. That it was so premeditated. I was also so overcome with pride in not so much his job, to be honest. Like I am proud that he is the type of police officer that goes to jobs with a very open mind. Um he's the type that you want to be at your side through those hard times in life. But it was more that pride I had from a sense of when he comes home, he's so present. He's the best dad to our children. He listened, you know, and an amazing husband. And I just that love and pride I experienced, as well as that anger, was such a roller coaster of emotions. And I kept thinking he made his mark. He made his mark. And I kept going over and over in my head. And when he finally texted me and said, Chook, I'm okay. Oh, God. Well, it was okay.

SPEAKER_01 23:20

So you would have fallen to your knees.

SPEAKER_00 23:22

I did. I thought, thank God. But I meant I remember praying in that moment and going, please let them all be okay. Like, because I knew so many people were on the scene. I'd seen them scream past in those cars. I could hear the police, I saw the ambulance, you know, so many people involved, and I just thought, may they all be okay. So that was the line in the sand shown because I had had these other things happen in life, and yet they still weren't a true catalyst for change.

SPEAKER_01 23:57

Yeah.

SPEAKER_00 23:57

And what I realized was when the literally, no pun intended, but when the dust literally settled a bit on that experience, because it it impacted us profoundly on our family. I actually realized that we found out that Max, my three-year-old at the time, did develop a stutter due to trauma.

SPEAKER_02 24:20

Okay.

SPEAKER_00 24:20

Even though I tried my best, you know, to protect him. You know, it has quite an impact, those sort of things. But what I realized was, you know, that was I had so much fear around that. I thought I had lost my husband, and every cell in my body changed because I did truly think and feel that. And I know what that's like. But then I was lucky enough, it was nearly like this back from the dead experience, too, because I truly thought he was gone. And how many people get this second shot at life? Yeah, you know, a second chance. And and so it really was a renewal for me for both of us. But I really took a step back and I thought, I have always wanted to do Reiki. And I've known that I've had that ability to help people on that level, but I was so scared that people would go, oh, you're woo-woo, or does that make you witchy? Or you know, like, and I was so afraid of what people would think and what they would say. And I thought, remember thinking to myself, Jess, you've just experienced something truly awful and fearful. Gosh, what's you know, what's what's so hard or or difficult about just learning it, studying it, seeing how it goes, you know, one step at a time. And so, you know, it really was an amazing experience. It was a life-changing experience. I'm grateful for that day and and and how that has changed my family. I've been able to see see the positive in it, I guess. It it completely breaks my heart that a family, you know, lost their family that day, and I have the utmost respect for them. Um, but you know, I think you have to, with those cards you're dealt, and for us, we were lucky. And so I think out of respect to that family as well, and everyone else who has those moments and aren't don't get that second chance, you need to make the best of your life and and what you've got. So I went and studied a variety of things, and I thought, I'm gonna integrate this into my business. I don't know how, but I'm just going to do it. And it's been an absolute game changer. It, like we said, it makes me unique and different. I just couldn't do straight marketing, you know, traditional marketing in its sense. I really do call upon those tools that I've come to learn to make it unique. So that's a very big story of how it came to be. But I think it is important to share because we do all have these make your mark moments where we we draw that line in the sand and it is that before and after. And then it is up to us what we do with it.

SPEAKER_01 27:23

Yes, and that's that's the key, isn't it? What do you do with it? Because it's that's a that's just an incredible um journey. I I had no idea, Jess. That's massive. That is massive. Um you know, they say, and this takes a lot to get your head around, I reckon, but they say that the hard things actually, the the hard, hard things like this is actually what shapes you. And and there's no amount of uh hearing things that will make you make the changes. It's you actually, it's like, you know, I quite often reference when I was on the dating scene and I dated a guy that didn't have children. And I just remember some of the things that he used to get bent out of shape about. I'm like that is just the smallest thing, you know, when at six o'clock at night when you're doing dinner and you're running around, you're doing all these things, and the kids are mom, mom, mom, and another one's having a tantrum, and like it's just so much. And then you sit down afterwards, you have a cup of tea, and you go, Oh, I got through that dinner. Like, woo-hoo! Like and and this this guy that I was dating, and some of the things he'd get upset about. And I'd like, and because it was such a whole new world for me, dating and being with people that I'm like he he he's got no idea, like that's nothing compared to so the the the You're talking about perspective too, right? That's it. That's and and how you see that the things that actually and it makes you kind of narrow in on okay, well, what's important here? The kids are important to make sure that they're fed well, they're happy, they feel loved, and and really, but you know, all of the rest of stuff's irrelevant. Like that's that's it for the so I think you know I mean we uh we all tend to go through tricky things sometimes, as you say, we've all got our things that we go to but through, but things like that are like that changes everything. Like and and in a way, those sort of things are transformational to push you into a place, and it's kind of the the universe's little tap to go, hey, what are you gonna do with this now? And and how and how you took that and and turned it into, you know what, I'm gonna incorporate this into my business, I'm gonna get that out to the and it takes courage, Jess. Like it's that's not easy to make those decisions.

SPEAKER_00 29:48

It does take courage and that belief in yourself. And I think I had had those nudges that you uh spoke about, but that that was an absolute boulder.

unknown 30:01

Absolutely.

SPEAKER_00 30:02

I had had the nudges, Sharon. Lots of things had happened and and quite big. And there was pro I probably had five major, major things happen in my life, significant things within about six years. And that was that still wasn't, you know, the last of the big things that's happened to us. But um, that was the one that finally was like, okay, girl, what's it gonna take for you to move, for you to change, to to step into yourself? And that's how the mark methodology was actually born.

SPEAKER_01 30:39

Right. Wow. Yes.

SPEAKER_00 30:41

Wow. Yes.

SPEAKER_01 30:43

So for people listening out there that perhaps haven't had that big, like maybe had some of those smaller ones happen, like we all sort of like, yeah, I know, I know, but I'm a bit fearful with that. I'm not gonna do that. And we're getting tap, tap, tap. For those out there listening that are going, yeah, I want to find my purpose, I want to find my meaning, I want to understand, without obviously having to go through something massive, which we know can shape us. And even people that do go through these massive. I know for me, mine was my separation, which feels um quite small compared to what you've gone through.

SPEAKER_00 31:16

No, and again, it's perspective, right? It's not, it's not that comparison, because then, you know, I've had that story, right? But then you've got people who have been through atrocious things as well, where you go, oh, well, that was nothing. But it it everything is something, and it's yeah, it could be big or little in our eyes, but to someone, you know, stubbing their toe, we might be like, oh, that's fine. But to that person, it could be, you know, something really traumatic. And we need to sort of respect that and go, we're all at these different ages and stages in life. Um, and I think that is where that yeah, perspective and and grace helps because we are all going through something, aren't we? Or if we're not, we have been, or we will be.

SPEAKER_01 32:11

Yeah, exactly. Guaranteed. But I think that sometimes when you when I know for me, the journey that I've been on is like little things that I've done, like, okay, well, that was I didn't think I'd do that, or that was a courageous step. Like moving from my secure little country town to the city was like that was a massive step for me because I thought you know, everyone knew us, and you know, it just felt really safe and secure. And then, you know, I wanted to bring my kids to the city so they got to experience, you know, all the things that come with being living in a city and the opportunity that's huge, but it's huge, but it wasn't until I went through my separation where um it actually I could feel the change, and I thought I have to be so much more intentional about what I'm doing here. Like I've got to be really intentional because I wasn't necessarily happy before and I knew, and there were little things that like tapping, and and then after that, I'm like, right, it's quite intentional to do what you've done, to go, okay, I've gone through this and now I'm going to make it part of what I do and make it part of my story, my journey to help help other people. Now, not everyone can do that or see the opportunity to do that because sometimes we'll go, you know what, that's just crap. And now this is my story, but I'm gonna stay stuck because of the story. So, how did you take that and change it into yeah? How did you turn it into what you've done?

SPEAKER_00 33:42

So I have, and that's what I told so that make your mark moments can be those amazing times where you find, you know, the second husband. Yes. You know, it's like a bit of one, but you know, make your mark, you know, having children, getting that what you think at the time is your dream job, or hopefully it is your dream job, you know, buying your first home or finding that unit to to rent that you, you know, that's going to give you that security and your own, you know, your own haven. That's all making your mark. And and some it's having your name and big bold flashing lights and billboards or whatever. But then the other side to making your mark, it is it's another side of the coin that can be those moments like the shooting, like you know, the line in the sand of a separation of a marriage, um, you know, ending, it's or you know, being made redundant or bankruptcy, like all of these things are make your mark moments as well, and they're the hard stuff. But in that hard and and in the dark, we can find the spark. But in order to find the spark, we need heart. And that's where the MARC methodology was born, because MARC is an acronym where the M is for mindset, A is for authenticity, R is for resilience, and K is for kindness. And so I started putting that into practice of using it as a methodology for myself, first and foremost, because I I can truthfully say that that after in 2017, I hit rock bottom. So, because prior to that, you know, I had uh my brother was paralyzed on Easter Sunday a few years prior to that, which was devastating to our family. And and I was the one that that was asked and tasked to communicate that. Now that that's a hard conversation to have, right? To your parents who are halfway across the world on a plane to let them know their son may not make it, um, but if he does, he will be paralyzed. And you know, to so doing that, and then I I cared for um one of my best friends who had stage four ovarian cancer, and and and and she yeah, she she passed away. And there was a lot of other things as well. I'd been a carer to my mum throughout my childhood. So all of these things, and I remember thinking because of these moments, those make your mark moments and experiences. I remember thinking, actually, no, it was 2011. I lost everything in the Brisbane floods.

SPEAKER_01 36:40

Oh, yes. I I did, I remember when we met. I didn't know all the other stuff, but I remember you talking about that.

SPEAKER_00 36:47

That one. So it was actually through the floods. I remember thinking I was in Ork and Flower again in Brisbane, Ork and Flower near the Wesley Hospital. And I remember standing on that hill looking down at my unit, and it was about to go through the second level, and I remember thinking, why does this stuff always happen to me? So how you were saying, you know, that you know, I don't like saying victim mentality, but I did have that from childhood because I there was a lot of things that were happening in my family, and now knowing about energy, you know, and and and mindset and what we can attract, I was thinking, when I was on that hill, I thought, yeah, okay, this might be happening to me, but what is it doing for me? Like, what are the lessons and the learnings that I can take from this to make myself a better person? I remember swimming into that floodwater because I thought I can't save my home, but I can save some of my belongings. Yeah, yeah. And so it's having that that shifted mindset of what is possible. Yeah, I don't have a choice in this matter right now because the one thing we're guaranteed in life is change. How am I going to roll with it? And the one thing I can change is my mindset.

SPEAKER_01 38:07

Yeah, nice.

SPEAKER_00 38:08

And then what I realized with the shooting incident, I hadn't been true to myself. I wasn't really being authentically me. And so when I stepped into that next level of learning, I it was, I'm like, this is me. I'm like, ooh, like, where has this been all my life? And and I felt that change, and I and I started to get that spark back in that dark time. And then the resilience piece is, well, we gotta keep on going. You know, we've got children, we've got businesses, we've we've potentially got partners or we're caring for someone, you know, we're serving the community. There's that resilience piece of, yeah, we we do keep on keeping on. Um, but but what are the tools that we need to keep our cup full? Um, sometimes we need to be like an arrow, we need to pull back in order to move forward. And so, what does resilience mean to you? And and and then ultimately it was kindness. And I think K for kindness is the most important because we need to be kind to ourselves first and foremost, don't we? So that we can then truly be kind to others, and that's what creates that ripple effect, that's what creates that spark, and what ultimately, in my opinion, ignites a brighter future for everybody.

SPEAKER_01 39:40

Yeah, I love that. Oh, you made me want to cry, Jess. I'm like, I'm full of emotion. Please don't cry. Great conversation, my goodness. Um, I was just thinking about that, oh man, I gotta pull myself together. Gosh, sorry. I was just thinking about that authenticity conversation and the way that you're how transformational it can be. Like, because I know for me, since I've been really trying to step into my authenticity, because I remember asking Jane in 2017 when we're in that program, like, why is it so hard to be me? Because it feels like I've got to be, you know, when you're in corporate and you've got to be all these people. And then when you say realize that you can be you, and I remember feeling the courage to be able to step into that and going, but what if people really see who I am and then not like it? And what's happened for me, like, and I really want to get your insight on the energy side because I started really using the verpassana energy that I was like that, and I remember hearing this guy saying, you know what, you're not gonna feel the energy if you're always go, go, go, go, go. You've got to calm, you've got to calm, and you will feel it. And you know, my energy is very big, like I've got so much energy, sometimes I just don't know where to put it. And so I really worked hard on this uh feeling to try and feel this energy, and and honestly, I'm getting really good at it, Jess. I am getting really good at it, I can feel it. I'm and I I thought there was this one thing that I was doing a presentation on stage, and I thought I'm just gonna go to this event and be me. 100% be me. And I I deliberately went into that conference and I I I used this energy thing, and I went in and it was almost transformational. There were like people were coming to me that never would have come to me previously, like having conversations that I was like, this is just amazing. It's amazing that this is actually working, and it was an energetic thing. It wasn't what I was saying, it wasn't how I was dressed, it wasn't what it was an energy thing that I was putting out to be vulnerable to the world and being really me. And me being really me is like quite confident and quite sure of myself and and feeling quite okay about me being that and not not being smaller. How do we how do we quieten ourselves to get tap into that energy, Jess? Because I feel like I'm 57 and I wish I knew this a long time ago.

SPEAKER_00 42:29

See, I agree with you, and we have to be very deliberate, don't we? I think I could be the opposite to you. I'm quite interested, and I'm speaking out loud my thoughts here because and I love that about you. You're such an energizer bunny. Whereas I'm I have energy, but it's probably more reserved, right? And there's so many times where I'm like, I wish I could be like Shaza, I'm being more out there and you know, so isn't it interesting? Energy is so different for everyone, and it is innate and it's personal. So I think we need to honor that and and just sit with that and go, the world might tell us, you know, in your mind, you might be saying to yourself, and correct me if I'm wrong, oh, I shouldn't be this loud, proud, bold, confident me. Whereas I say to myself, especially on the keynote speaking stage, oh I shouldn't be this more softly spoken, vulnerable, you know, sort of calm person. I need to be in this and it's interesting, the stories we tell ourselves. And I think so. We need to step off the hamster wheel, and we do need to give ourselves that that space and grace, is what I say. Now that could be Hard for any person, especially in business, to do that. But it's important and it's a it's an investment in yourself. You don't need to go away and spend $500 on accommodation for a night. But it may mean you need to get a babysitter or somebody, you know, if you've got children, you know, because I think it is quite nice to be in your own space too, if you can switch off. If you see a bit like me, I guess, and you see the dirty dishes, you're like, oh, I'll clean that, then I've got space in my mind to sit with this. So maybe it is better to go away. But have just have that space for you to sit, and that can feel extremely uncomfortable. So uncomfortable, but that is where the shift happens. And it might not happen the first time. So I do, I do, I suggest you just lie down or sit comfortably, silence, like complete silence, and just yeah, sit with it and see what comes in. And it's super uncomfortable being with yourself, with your own thoughts, and and journal it down and really start to distill, yeah, what is my energy type, and be able to describe it so that you can then own it, so that you can then work with it. Because, like you were, you've described working against it. And then that morning you were like, I'm just going to be me. And you are you in your fabulous self. We and people can sense that shift and energy or just that alignment, that integrity, that honesty, so that we will naturally attract and repel people, and we gotta be okay with that. We've got to be okay with the repelling side. Yeah. Because what when we do repel people, and I don't mean it in an awful way, but you know, when people go, yeah, she's a nice person, but she's not, she's not for me, or like that's not the business coach I'm wanting, that is bloody great. Yeah. Because that means then when you do find the right person, you like you said before, back when we first started, you know, when you meet people and you're like, yes, yeah, we just click. This is gonna be great. Yeah, and that's because of that energetic connection, you're open, and then that allows them to be safe and open. So that energy is it it's in sync, and and that can be that's the transformation, that's where it happens.

SPEAKER_01 46:40

Yeah, I love it, I love it. Uh, we haven't got to half the questions. We're gonna have to organize another podcast. Yes, I I guess I would love as a as a final thought, because I know I don't know about you, but I talk to a lot of women that, you know, when you get one-on-one with women, we do sort of open up about our obviously insecurities and and you know that ability to be able to get ourselves out there and and having the confidence to do the things that we want to do. And I know for me, I've worked really hard on building my confidence and being authentic. And it's not, it hasn't happened by accident. I didn't, you know, I didn't wake up confident, and I still have a lot of work to do with that. But I know it's a big area where women hold themselves back where they don't feel confident enough to take the step. What are your thoughts on helping women out there listening? How they can start stepping? Because I know they'd be hearing our conversation thinking, yeah, you know, talking on a podcast and and talking about writing books and getting on stages. And it's like, yeah, that's for them, not for me. But that's not true. It can be for everyone if they want it. How can they do that, Jess?

SPEAKER_00 47:56

Well, you know, and I I don't know if you felt the same. I remember if Jane's listening, she might giggle. I I remember thinking being in that room surrounded by amazing women, you know, what am I doing here? Like these are they're amazing women, and and and who am I to be here and and trying to do this? So I hadn't been on a podcast, I absolutely hadn't been on a stage, I hadn't written a book. Yes, my business was decent, yeah, but I hadn't done those things of really, you know, putting myself out there. And what I found was now this is what comes back to the inside out, right? Yeah. So we can have the website, we can have the branding, all of this stuff in our business. We can look good, we can make ourselves look great as a business from a you know outward-facing front. We can dress ourselves immaculately, get the hair and nails done, but it's the inside that's going to let us down. And that's what I found when I had the have had the privilege of coaching hundreds of women and globally. So it wasn't just people in Southeast Queensland, if this is across the world. And I went and I I researched it and I interviewed them. And that's where with my book, where I discovered, and this was myself too, the 12 steps to discovering your vision, being your best self, and leaving a legacy. And now, even I think, gosh, who am I to say that and put that out, you know, tell people about that? But um who are you not to? Who am I not to? And you know, shamelessly, it has won seven international awards, so there's got to be something half decent in it. But that's to come into that confidence piece for me, it is step one identity and sense of self. Who are you at your core? And it's really to me, that's where we start, and then we get into that self-worth piece of knowing your worth. So that's even just in those two steps itself, when you become clear on that, and also your values, you know, what can you say hell no to and a hell yes to, so that your energy is aligned. To me, that's that's where you start with that confidence building of, yeah, who am I? And also understanding your fears. Are they valid, you know, or are they limiting beliefs and and and are they holding you back? So yeah, there's a lot of steps, I think, to get to to build your confidence piece. But if you start with that identity of who am I, right at the very core, then that will unfold. Your confidence piece will slowly start to unfold so that you can really harness that.

SPEAKER_01 51:06

Yeah. It's a big thing to look inward, isn't it? It's a big thing to look inward.

SPEAKER_00 51:11

And it's big and it and it it can be hard and scary, but to me, it's scarier if we don't. Because I will leave you with this is when I was nursing my best friend. I I remember her saying to me, Jess, do you know before I had cancer, there were things I really didn't like about myself? And I said to her, What? You're perfect. She was the gym bunny, she ate healthy, she was the first to, you know, book celebrations and just the biggest heart in life. And I said, You know, you know, you're perfect. She's like, No, I wasn't. I had things I needed to change. And she said, I can say now, hand on heart, I truly like and love who I am. Wow. And so the mark that Naomi left on me was many, but it was, why do we wait until these monumental moments in life make us change? We we can't wait for these boulders. We have to tap into that intuition we discussed, those nudges and go, hmm, am I aligned here? Something a bit off balance. And that's where we need to take ourselves away and have that time to ourselves to just reassess. Because Bronny Ware, who was an amazing palliative care nurse in Melbourne, she wrote the top five regrets of the dying. And she had the privilege of being by people's bedsides and she interviewed them. And the number one regret that she found is I wished I lived a life that was true to me and not what others expected of me. Wow. Wow. So we can choose our heart, right? Yeah. We can we can choose to not go inward and do that work, or we can choose to keep our head in the sand and sort of keep on keeping on and one day go, ah, I wish I made that change a bit earlier.

SPEAKER_01 53:24

Yeah.

SPEAKER_00 53:25

But it is never too late either. As long as we end find that courage to create the change, then that is making our mark. And that is how I said before, we do ignite a brighter future, not only for ourselves, but for others.

SPEAKER_01 53:41

Yeah, yeah, I love it. Gosh. Jessica, what a conversation. I really would love to get you back to explore so much more of this because it's right up my alley. And the work that we both do is hopefully helping women out there be able to step in and start making their mark. And I just I just love this conversation. Thank you so much. It's been wonderful. Just before we go, Jess, where can people find out more about you?

SPEAKER_00 54:08

So they can go to my website. So it's www.transformationalbrandlab.com. We'll put that in the show notes as well. Yeah. Yes. And there you can find out more information. But thank you so much for having me as a guest. I adore you and enjoy our conversations immensely.

SPEAKER_01 54:31

It was amazing, Jess. Just uh the journey that you took us on. And to these are really important conversations for people to hear, I think, about that stepping into our true authentic self. And I know for me this all really started with you and Jane in though that 2017. And I didn't know any of this, what you've just told me. And to think that that was, I know for me, Jane Anderson's changed my world. She, she, that program that she did and and how I now see myself and what I I feel like I'm being put on this earth for is transformed me. And that conversation that we've had, Jess, is just uh this will stay with me. It was a really great conversation. I really appreciate it. And I know that our audience will definitely get a lot of value out of it. So please feel free to reach out to Jess and her book is amazing. And you can get that on your website there, Jess. Order that wonderful.

SPEAKER_00 55:21

Yes, if people want a signed copy, they just need to reach out and I'll I'll send it out.

SPEAKER_01 55:26

Nice, awesome. We'll put all the details in the show notes so everyone can grab that. So I really appreciate your time, Jess. And until next time, talk to you soon. Bye. Thank you, Sharon.

SPEAKER_00 55:36

Bye.