I Stopped Pushing, And Everything Expanded

Why this season of life feels bigger, calmer, and more aligned than ever

I turned 44 this month, and I found myself sitting with a thought that I couldn’t quite shake… everything in my life is getting bigger, but I am actually working with less intensity than I ever have. Not less in impact or responsibility, because that has all increased. But less in the constant push, less in the pressure I used to put on myself, less in that feeling of needing to be across everything all the time. And what’s surprised me is that I feel more present, more grounded, and more like myself than I have in a long time.

Around my birthday, I really felt how quickly time is moving with my kids, and it hit me in a different way. Not in a big dramatic moment, but in the small things. The conversations feel older. The independence is creeping in. The way they need me is changing. And it made me stop and actually feel it. That this season, this closeness, this being part of their everyday world, it doesn’t last forever. And instead of feeling pulled away from that by work, I feel like I’ve moved closer to it. The change in my children has been significant.

At the exact same time, everything on the business side is expanding in a way it never has before. Bigger projects, more responsibility, more complexity, more decisions that actually matter. I’m diversifying, I’m leading at a different level, I’m stepping into things that a few years ago would have felt huge. And logically, this should mean more hours, more pressure, more output. But it hasn’t. If anything, it has required me to do the opposite.

Somewhere along the way, something shifted, and I don’t even know if I can pinpoint when it happened. Maybe it’s age. Maybe it’s experience. Maybe something just finally landed. But I stopped trying to hold everything, to push everything and force everything. I stopped filling every space in my day. I stopped measuring how well I was doing by how much I could get through. And in that space, things didn’t fall apart. They actually grew.

When I really sit with what’s created this, it’s actually quite simple. I’ve built a leadership team that I genuinely trust. Not just people who do tasks, but people who think, who lead, who make decisions. People whose opinions I value. People who can carry the load with me. That changes everything. I’m not the centre of everything anymore, and I don’t need to be.

I’ve protected my mornings and worked around school hours, and that has been a bigger shift than I realised. It has forced me to be intentional. There is no space for wasted time. It has made me sharper, clearer, and more focused.

My boundaries are stronger too, not perfect, but stronger. I know what matters, and I’m getting better at letting the rest go.

My self-care is consistent, but it looks different now. Movement is still a big part of my life, but I’m not pushing extremes anymore. I’m not chasing more for the sake of more. I’m actually listening to my body, and that has changed everything about my energy. And I’m choosing work that genuinely excites me. The projects I’m working on feel aligned. They feel like me. And when that’s the case, things flow in a completely different way.

At the same time, I want to be really honest, because this isn’t a perfectly smooth season. Things have felt tight financially at times. There’s uncertainty with NDIS changes, cost of living pressures, and the reality of running a business in this climate. And I’ve had moments where that has felt heavy.

But I’ve also been here before.

Some of my biggest growth periods have come off the back of the most challenging moments in business, especially financially. I’ve had times where income has dropped overnight. Where things have felt uncertain. Where I’ve had to completely rethink and rebuild. And every single time, it has shaped the next version of what I’ve created.

A few years ago, I lost a massive client that essentially wiped out a big portion of my income, and I had no choice but to transform the business. At the time it felt huge. Now I can see that it was one of the most important turning points I’ve had.

So while things might feel uncertain at times right now, I also feel something else.

I feel ok.

Not because everything is perfect, but because I trust myself to navigate it. I trust the work I’m doing. I trust that the need is still there. And I trust that I will find a way forward, like I always have.

What’s interesting is this mirrors exactly what I see in my work with kids and families every single day. Growth doesn’t come from doing more. It doesn’t come from pushing harder or filling every moment. It comes from regulation, from environment, from support, from alignment. When those things are in place, development happens.

And I think as adults, in business, in leadership, in parenting, we forget that.

We try to force growth.

When really, we need to create the conditions for it.

Turning 44 felt different for me. I felt clearer. More settled. Less pulled in different directions and more anchored in what actually matters. My family. My health. And the work that truly aligns with who I am.

Everything is getting bigger, but it’s not coming from doing more. It’s coming from being more aligned, more intentional, and more grounded in how I’m showing up.

And maybe that’s what this next phase is about.

Building something meaningful, in a way that allows me to actually be present for it.

Because what’s the point of creating something big…If you’re not there for it.

I am so excited to be traveling this year to connect with more health professionals across Australia. Sydney in June and Adelaide in September and Brisbane later in the year. Spacing are filling up and I am beyond excited by the enquiry to these! So excited! If you are thinking about it, get on board now as sign up closes one month prior to the event. So Sydney you have 3 weeks to jump on board!