Welcome back to Season 6: The Bellarine Women Next Door where we are uncovering the stories of local women, their passions, and the paths that brought them here.

This week, we sit down with Sarah, a coach and hypnotherapist who reminds us that life isn't always about finding the "right" path, it's about learning to trust yourself enough to take the next step.

From childhood clues and intuitive strengths to major career shifts and rebuilding confidence, Sarah shares the winding journey that led her to the work she does today. Along the way, we explore the role of self-trust, limiting beliefs, and why so many women struggle to believe they already have what they need within them.

Sarah explains beautifully the process of Hypnotherapy which is often misunderstood, demystifying what it is (and isn't!) and discuss how coaching and hypnotherapy can help women reconnect with their own wisdom and move forward with greater confidence.

As always, this conversation goes beyond business. We chat about the beauty of local living, the magic found in slow mornings and beach walks, and why creating intentional "grab your keys and go" moments can make all the difference.

This episode is a gentle reminder that there isn't one perfect roadmap for life. There are many paths, many possibilities, and often the greatest gift we can give ourselves is learning to trust the voice that's been there all along.

Because sometimes, the Bellarine women next door remind us of something we've forgotten: the answers we're looking for might already be within us.

You can find Sarah here: https://stan.store/Sarahfairnie

Live with Passion

Nat and Mel

You can find Nat and Mel here:

https://www.instagram.com/grabyourkeysandgo/

NAT: https://www.instagram.com/shebreathesnow/

NAT: https://shebreathes.as.me/BreathingRoom

MEL: https://www.instagram.com/splashoflifephotography/

MEL: https://www.instagram.com/the_home_yogi/

We have created this Podcast because we believe it’s time for women to take action. It's time to notice our needs, unlock our potential, ignite our passions and leave the chaos and clutter behind.

This Season (Season 6) we will be sharing stories from our Local Community - Geelong, Surfcoast and the Bellarine. The women next door, the mums, business owners, practitioners, and changemakers creating lives, businesses, and impact in our own backyard. Because we've realised that inspiration often lives closer than we think.

Welcome to Season 6: The Bellarine Women Next Door a brand-new chapter of Grab Your Keys and Go, where we're sitting down with inspiring local women to uncover the stories behind their businesses, passions, and the paths that brought them here. Because we believe inspiration often lives closer than you think.

Our first guest is Ocean Grove local Elicia, a remedial massage therapist, business coach, and lifelong learner whose passion for helping people runs far deeper than easing sore muscles.

In this episode, we go behind the scenes of Elicia's journey. From growing up with scoliosis and undergoing major spinal surgery as a teenager to discovering the life-changing power of touch, Elicia shares how her own experiences shaped the practitioner she is today.

We explore why curiosity has become the cornerstone of her work. Rather than seeing a diagnosis, Elicia looks for the whole person, asking different questions, searching for the root cause, and continually learning new modalities to better support the people who trust her with their care.

She also shares one of our favourite ideas from the conversation: "Put the robots on." On the days when energy is low, it's her gentle reminder to let the dishwasher, washing machine, or robot vacuum take care of what they can, giving yourself permission to do only what's truly essential. It's a simple but powerful mindset shift that every mum will relate to.

This episode is filled with warmth, wisdom, practical takeaways, and a beautiful reminder that healing often begins when someone feels truly seen and heard.

You can find Elicia

https://www.instagram.com/thlcpodcast

https://ecremedialtherapies.com.au/

https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=61586906485095

You can find Nat and Mel here:

https://www.instagram.com/grabyourkeysandgo/

https://www.instagram.com/shebreathesnow/

MEL: https://www.instagram.com/splashoflifephotography/

MEL: https://www.instagram.com/the_home_yogi/

Sometimes our biggest YES doesn't arrive with a grand plan.

Sometimes it arrives as a small nudge.

A feeling.
A curiosity.
A course we can't stop thinking about.

In this episode of Grab Your Keys and Go, Mel shares her Big YES, the journey that began when she enrolled in a Yoga Teacher Training that just kept calling her.

She made the commitment, showed up, and immersed herself in the experience. During the training, her teacher shared a piece of wisdom that would unexpectedly turn into something Mel couldn't even imagine.

She said that Yoga Wisdom can be shared with the world in so many different ways, and she was excited to see how they would each choose to do this.

Something landed.

An idea appeared.

A book began to form.

What started as a personal project quickly became something much bigger than Mel had imagined. It wasn't originally intended to be shared with the world, but as the words continued to flow, so did the possibility of what it could become.

In this conversation, Mel takes us behind the scenes of the writing process, the moments of inspiration, the unexpected ease, and the lessons she learned along the way.

Most importantly, she reminds us that we don't always need to know where the path leads before we begin.

Sometimes the magic comes from taking the first step.

From trusting the nudge.

From being willing to start before you have all the answers.

This episode is a beautiful reminder that when we follow what lights us up, opportunities can emerge that we never could have planned for.

Who knows what might be waiting for you on the other side of your next YES?

You can find Mel and her beautiful book here:

https://www.splashoflife.com.au/splashoflifepublishing

You can find Nat and Mel here:

https://www.instagram.com/grabyourkeysandgo/

https://www.instagram.com/shebreathesnow/

https://www.instagram.com/splashoflifephotography/

Have you ever had that quiet (or not so quiet) feeling that something in your life just… isn’t right?

That was the space Tracey found herself in a few years back, working in a space that no longer lit her up and a niggling, a sense that life could be more, should be more… until it became impossible to ignore.

In this episode, Tracey shares her Big YES, a journey that began when she stopped and listened to that deep yearning for something else.

What followed was a defining moment, one she definitely couldn't ignore it was almost like a sign. She shares this story so beautifully with us with so much emotion. From there, things began to align. Opportunities appeared, connections formed, and a new path started to unfold.

Today, Tracey is creating real impact - supporting women in trades in the Geelong area by building a community of connection, encouragement, and support. She’s also stepping into TAFE spaces, working with young women and helping them explore pathways into trades, opening doors that might not have felt accessible before.

This conversation is about listening to that feeling when something isn’t quite right and having the courage to follow it, even when you don’t know exactly where it will lead.

Because sometimes, your Big YES doesn’t start with a plan…
It starts with a question.

Follow your Passion,

Nat and Mel

You can find Nat and Mel here:

https://www.instagram.com/grabyourkeysandgo/

https://www.instagram.com/shebreathesnow/

https://www.instagram.com/splashoflifephotography/

Episode 93 — Maddy’s Big YES: A Gift of Life, Love, and Trust

This episode is something truly special.

In this conversation, we sit down with our friend Maddy, who shares a Big YES unlike any we’ve had on the podcast before, a YES that came from a deep, undeniable feeling after the birth of their own baby.

Maddy knew they wanted to experience pregnancy again… but not to grow their own family. Instead, they felt called to become a surrogate, to carry and gift a baby to their friends, a gay couple, helping them become parents.

What unfolds is a story of immense love, trust, and commitment.

Maddy takes us through the journey, the emotional layers, the unexpected twists and turns, and the depth of what it means to say YES to something so big, so life-changing, and so deeply connected to others. Through it all, one thing remained steady: Maddy was all in.

This episode opens up a beautiful conversation about what family can look like, beyond traditional definitions. It’s about the relationships created, the ongoing connection, and the way this shared experience has shaped all of their lives.

We talk about communication, vulnerability, and the importance of leaning in, really listening, being honest, and allowing space for each person in the process. There’s a level of care, respect, and openness in this story that is both grounding and inspiring.

More than anything, this conversation is a reminder of what is possible when people come together with intention, trust, and love.

Maddy’s Big YES is not just about surrogacy, it’s about connection, generosity, and the incredible ways we can show up for each other in life.

This one is a gift.

Follow your Passion,

Nat and Mel

You can find Nat and Mel here:

https://www.instagram.com/grabyourkeysandgo/

https://www.instagram.com/shebreathesnow/

https://www.instagram.com/splashoflifephotography/

What does it really take to follow a creative path not just when it’s exciting, but when it’s uncertain, unpredictable, and asks everything of you?

In this episode of Grab Your Keys and Go, we sit down with Hazel Ray, a musician and facilitator who has chosen, again and again, to follow her path in music and creative expression. But this isn’t a story of overnight success or easy momentum. It’s a story of devotion and of staying when at times it could be easier to walk away.

Because the truth about a music pathway, and really any creative path, is that it can be hard to break through.
The gigs aren’t always glamorous.
The rooms aren’t always full.
The growth isn’t always fast.

Hazel shares what it has looked like to keep showing up anyway, from playing at the locals, taking opportunities as they come, and steadily building something that feels true to her.

Over time, this has evolved into deeply immersive experiences that blend music, neuroscience, and her background as a teacher, creating incredible spaces (which Mel and I have had the privilege to witness) that invite people to feel, reflect, and see themselves and life from a different perspective.

At the heart of Hazel’s story is a moment many of us can relate to: the “dark night of the soul.” A time where things felt uncertain, heavy, and unclear and yet, instead of feeling dragged down by life, she chose to share her story.

We talk about the reality of pursuing something that matters, the doubt, the persistence, the moments of questioning, and the ongoing decision to keep choosing it, even when results aren’t immediate.

Because sometimes the path isn’t about a big breakthrough.
It’s about building something, step by step, and trusting that it’s leading somewhere meaningful.

If you’ve ever felt the pull toward something creative, meaningful, or just different… this episode will meet you there - in the in-between - and remind you that choosing it again might be the very thing that changes everything.

You can find Hazel Ray here:

MUSIC

https://open.spotify.com/artist/0ZrOVsU9pWY8dtRPrruh0X?si=dVwmgFSqSh2SzrtuPTu-bQ

PODCAST

https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLdsg-0Sk2HPpN6Gau14B-10ELGkQ9m2vm

WEBSITE

https://hazelray.com.au/

Follow your Passion

Nat and Mel

You can find Nat and Mel here:

https://www.instagram.com/grabyourkeysandgo/

https://www.instagram.com/shebreathesnow/

@splashoflifephotography

Season 5 of Grab Your Keys and Go has been all about the power of a Big YES, those moments where life nudges (or sometimes shoves) us to do something different, and perhaps even something that we are not sure we can do! But we do it anyway.

In this episode, Mel and Nat take a moment to reflect on the incredible stories shared so far this season. From families packing up their homes to travel Australia, to women leaving jobs to build lives that align with their values, to bold personal challenges like creating a “Festival of 50,” each conversation has revealed something powerful about what it really takes to say YES to yourself.

Along the way we’ve heard about the messy middle, the fear, the logistics, the doubt, the planning, and the courage it takes to step outside your comfort zone. But what’s become clear through every story is that these Big YES moments rarely arrive perfectly packaged. They start as whispers… a quiet sense that something in life needs to shift.

Whether it’s saying yes to adventure, health, family connection, rest, work that feels aligned, or simply celebrating life in a new way, this season has shown us that the ripple effects of one brave decision can be profound.

Mel and Nat unpack some of the biggest themes that have emerged from these conversations - what holds people back, what helps them move forward, and why sometimes the biggest YES begins with a simple question: what if?

If you’ve been listening along and wondering what your own Big YES might be, this episode is the perfect place to pause, reflect, and get curious about what could be waiting on the other side of your comfort zone.

Live passionately.

Nat and Mel

You can find Nat and Mel here:

https://www.instagram.com/grabyourkeysandgo/

https://www.instagram.com/shebreathesnow/

@splashoflifephotography