When I was 15, my favourite subject at school was French. I desperately wanted to live as an exchange student in France, but mum and dad said no as it was too expensive. So, I decided to get a casual job to pay for it myself.

I was recently speaking to Grace, a communications consultant who was frustrated that she couldn’t motivate her leaders to create content. She always had to come up with the ideas and hand the content to them on a silver platter.

So when I’m working with people, one of the first questions I ask is – who are the people that you need to be selling to? How many of those people have already bought from you? And what do you do to remain connected to them?

Earlier this year I got engaged, which was a lovely celebration. During our holidays, we took some time to have a look at some potential venues and decided to go and have a look at a venue in the Gold Coast that I had been thinking about for some time.

In 1973, Erica Jong wrote a book called, Fear of Flying. It was a novel famously controversial for its attitudes towards female sexuality and was featured prominently in the second wave of feminism. It sold 20 million copies worldwide, and she went on to write another 10 fiction books, 7 non-fiction books and a series of anthologies and poetry.

I first started writing copy for newsletters, websites and social media 10 years ago – but I had one big fear. My fear was the dreaded unsubscribe button; that people would stop reading what I had to share.

One of the things that hold people back from their expert to influencer journey is removing creative blocks. We often have all this knowledge bubbling away in our heads, but the only way you’ll see yourself shifting from being an expert to an influencer is by sharing your knowledge and ideas.

Being at the right place at the right time builds trust and can be life-changing for your customers and teams. Dutch visual artist Berndnaut Smilde is best known for creating perfect miniature clouds in unusual locations from coal mines to cathedrals.

I recently had the pleasure of interviewing Seth Godin on the Jane Anderson Show Podcast. Seth Godin is a legend in the business world and has been nicknamed the godfather of modern marketing. Author of 19 books, thousands of blogs and podcasts, he is able to captivate a wide audience with his infectious enthusiasm and sharp humour.

In 2016, the Thunder River Rapids ride at the amusement park Dreamworld, in Queensland, experienced a mechanical failure that resulted in the deaths of four people. Forty-eight hours later, the board for Ardent Leisure (the owners of Dreamworld) held its Annual General Meeting as if nothing had happened.

Last weekend, I went to see one of the most powerful women with influence on the planet, Nigella Lawson. She is the author of eight books, and has sold more than 10 million copies worldwide.

Earlier this month, Katelyn Ohashi became an overnight sensation, not only in the gymnastics world but on social media as well. You just have to watch her performance to see why it became viral on YouTube.

The compulsion to compare one’s accomplishments to another’s to determine relative importance.

I remember the day like it was yesterday. It was about 4 years ago at an event and I felt this weight crushing me and following me around. It was almost suffocating.⠀⠀⠀

2018 has been a big year. We’ve seen a lot of changes in the way leaders, influencers and personal brands operate. It’s not just about being a leader anymore; it’s about leaders and organisations tapping into the influence and tribes of their people.

In the book, he talks about the two teams traditionally found in every workplace: management and labour. He also talks about a new third team – the linchpins. These are people who figure out what to do when there’s no rule book.

Unless you’ve been sleeping under a rock, you would know the Invictus Games were held in Sydney recently. Patron Prince Harry and his wife Meghan Markle were Down Under to launch the Games, an international multi-sport event in which wounded, injured and sick members of the armed services compete.

Most of us don’t trust anything that seems a bit too perfect. In the age of social media and the way we consume information, the more real something is, the more we tend to trust it.

In 2008 I started life again. My ex-husband was having an affair so I left town due to shame and embarrassment of him being proud of the fact and telling anyone who would listen.