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Emma Schneider (Operations Manager) with Julie Gillespie (Founder)
Get to know who you'll be partnering with...
Sitting at a table in 2017 chatting with one of the mum's from school, while our older kids were doing an art class and our younger ones were playing with some toys in the corner, was the first time I got called out on the BS story I was telling myself - that I felt unemployable because of my mental ill health.
Emma Jacob's Mum (which is still how she is listed in my contacts), had heard enough about what I had done in previous roles, to know that the story I was telling myself, now, had nothing to do with 'not being employable', it was just that I 'didn't have enough fuel in my tank' and I feared getting the next step wrong.
"Use your wealth of skills Julie, find a way to re-purpose them, and figure out a way to help others along the way."
This lead me into becoming a Mental Health First Aid Instructor and training over a 1000 people, and their leaders, from organisations across Australia. I got to hear a lot of stories of pain, discomfort, fear, loss, and most incredibly, a thousand stories of hope!
What changed a devastating story into one of hope? It started with a Conversation.
A few years into navigating the growth of the business, Emma walked up the stairs into my office and said "I've come to work with you." I had no idea what she was going to do, what it was going to look like, how I was going to pay her. But, that didn't matter. In Emma I had someone to call out my BS narrative, ensure I stayed focused, AND had someone to connect with, every day, in a meaninfgul way, that expanded my capacity to make a positive impact for others.
Emma keeping Julie on track!
Since then, we've shaped the business and the programs we've offered our clients, recorded a podcast series, and levelled up the business, to share these experiences that use all of our skills, research, learnings, struggles, and compassionate empathy, to Transform the way we Connect©.
Our purpose is to: Elevate Leaders. We do this by reconnecting leaders to their genuine ability to lead fearlessly - with compassionate empathy; as this goes towards empowering leadership capabilities to amplify your employees Well-being. Ultimately, and as a huge bonus, this gears you towards surpassing some pretty audacious performance goals.
with
Our dedication to you and each other...
We promise to hold you steady while you become a positively impactful leader.
We promise to give you the tools (small and large) to support you building strategic connections.
We promise to answer all of your questions along the way.
Julie is a highly respected consultant, facilitator, and speaker with 25+ years of leadership experience across multiple sectors.
Showing what 'Good' looks like for compassionate leadership.
She is a Conversation Starter that brings the ingredients of her 'lived experience' with mental ill health to the table and is a passionate advocate for creating healthy, connected, and safe work places.
As Operations Manager, Emma ensures that each person we connect with has a meaningful experience.
"We all need an Emma!" is what our clients often say.
She is a profound amplifier that works with Julie to bring the big, audacious vision to life. Emma is a passionate advocate for keeping the dialogue real and shining a light on the path for others.
Transforming the way we Connect©
Tailoring Solutions to meet you, where you are at.
Testimonials
MHFA Workshop
Confronting. Insightful. Engaging. Invaluable. Emotional. Practical. Uncomfortable. There were a lot of words to describe the Mental Health First Aid (MHFA) workshop I joined this time last week. We can never know the 'right' things to say or do at any given moment, but if we can be given a toolkit to know what to look out for when interacting with others, we can be that little bit better off. I feel that little more confident knowing when to step in to offer support, and direct to professional services, like our EAP, if need be. Hindsight is a beautiful thing, and those few days made me reflect on previous interactions with friends, colleagues, room mates, etc. And boy did I learn how to be better next time! Huge shoutout to our #MHFA workshop facilitator, the amaaazing Julie Gillespie BCom eMBA MHFA (who I've aptly nicknamed Brissy's Brene Brown) 👏 Thank you!! I would highly encourage anyone who is interested to take a look at the upcoming workshops in your area in the link below. Just like St John's first aid, this MHFA can equip you with the knowledge to potentially save someone's life. PS. get ready to sit in discomfort, because without it, there is no room to grow. #mentalhealthfirstaid #MHFA #contractorcare #giveadamn
Bernie Wolff