Rachel MacDonald

Hola!

Today’s Making Me Happy is a little late because it’s all systems go at In Spaces Between HQ as I prepare for a quick jaunt to Melbourne to speak at the Soulpreneurs event tomorrow, and next week, our (belated) honeymoon to Italy where we’ll spend ONE WHOLE MONTH.

Whoa. Excitement doesn’t even cut it. This overseas trip has been a long time coming and I’m so, so ready to let the ideas that have been percolating in my mind take shape – pen to paper – but more importantly, to switch off, play with my man, have fun, feast my eyes on new sights and BE. To give myself permission to step out of Rach the Coach, Blogger, Friend, Email Writer, and be Rach the Free-Spirited, Joy-Loving, Big Dreamer That Craves Adventure. 

It’s time.

I’ve had a few chats with friends and clients lately around the idea of fun and have been reminded that life can get all too serious if we don’t actively carve out time for play and downtime, so before we launch into this week’s love list, I want to pose this question to you:

How do you have fun? (and are you having enough of it?) Share away in the comments, sweet pea, and feel free to leave your declaration to have more fun if you need.more.of.it.now.dammit. When it’s declared, it happens. Simplest formula for success out.

Sunday Hangs

I woke up on Sunday with a craving to “go bush,” so my handsome man and I jumped in the car, grabbed ourselves the best freaking vegan pizza in the world from Mandala (check it out on my Instagram if you want to drool) and… found a lemon tree.

I know, I know. Wild. Livin’ on the edge over here folks! Somebody stop us.

Speaking

{photos by Hannah Millerick}

Ahh! Soulpreneurs. WHAT A NIGHT.

Last Thursday in Brisbane, alongside 4 women I adore, I took the stage to talk authenticity and abundance in business, blogging, and y’know, life. It was EPIC.

How it went

We were blessed with an audience of curious and wonderful women (and a few men) who asked awesome questions, scribbled notes and were highly engaged, making it a true “workshop” style format, and a journaling exercise punctuated the end of the night so that everyone walked away with a “next right action” to take them ever-closer to their big dream.

How it felt

Exhilarating. Divine. Addictive! Seriously loved it.

I was super calm all day leading in – appreciated, body, thank you – and while my heart let me know I was pole-vaulting out of my comfort zone as we kicked off the night, those feelings very quickly made way for a sense of connection with the audience and the message. When you’re speaking on stage, it’s SO not about you… and I truly felt that. It’s about the audience. Always.

I adored

Meeting some of the gorgeous souls that read this blog in the flesh, and being able to wrap them up in a big hug.

Hearing women in the front row say YES! and knowing that in that moment, something had shifted. Life would be different. Brighter. Dreams: bigger.

Listening to the stories and wisdom pour out of the friends I shared the stage with.

Seeing Yvette’s beaming face all night – this woman has created something truly beautiful and powerful with Earth Events, and it’s a true joy to witness her (rapid) evolution with this biz. Sky’s the limit!

I’m excited for

Tomorrow night. Soulpreneurs Melbourne. BRING IT!

Gratitude Wall

We’ll call it “Post It Art”… and one day, it will be a Post It HEART.

I wanted to create something at home that reminded me of all the beautiful blessings in my life and my husband’s life, because as I’m sure you’re well aware, bringing our attention to what we’re grateful for attracts more of it into our lives. Gratitude is a magnet. It keeps us humming along at the kind of high vibin’, electric frequency that breeds more of the good stuff, and I plan on layering this wall with as many notes of appreciation as I can.

And now to you! What’s lighting your life right now? Drop some love (like it’s hot) in the comments. 

This past week has been a bit of a mixed bag – from spending a day in hospital after my husband had a collision with the nose of his surfboard and required plastic surgery to stitch his lip back together again (I’ll spare you the photos) to high energy mornings like this morning, where a speedy run in the dark has left me bouncy and chock-full of endorphins.

Such is life.

There are slow days, low days, days that speed by so quickly you wonder if they even happened. Days where you feel like someone has cranked the dial up to a billion decibels, where you’re unstoppable, on point, sofreakingalive. And that’s A-OK, beautiful. However you feel today, tomorrow will be different. 

I’ve been practicing the fine art of viewing All of the Days through a lens of non-judgement lately, and instead looking at the occasional slower-lower day as “a bad day,” I’ve been embracing them as an opportunity to check in and re-centre.

When something pops up for me – I’ll use a recent example, which has been feeling cabin fever-ish from sitting inside our small apartment on the computer far too much – I’ve been asking:

What can I learn? That I’m fuelled by social interaction and need lots of variety in my working week. Also: fun! Ushering more of that back in, pronto!

When am I most ‘me?’ When my life contains a healthy balance of in-person, dynamic conversation and meditative, introspective time. Ahh. There you go. 

What conditions do I crave in my life that aren’t currently being satisfied? A bigger house with a sweet office, yeah, but also, two days a week out from behind the screen and in communion with creative goddesses/change-makers (I’m thinking workshops, women’s circles, power meetings, the whole she-bang!) 

It’s about realising what works best for YOU, in any given situation in your life, then asking questions, correcting course, and moving on.

Why don’t you give it a go? Apply those q’s to a situation that feels inflamed in your life and circle back to tell me how you went!

Speaking!

Tomorrow night. Five women rocking the stage (did you hear my girl Jess Ainscough will be joining us for part of the event?) Authenticity. Abundance. Soulful business. Making a living doing the work you’re called to do. OMG, I.CANT.WAIT.

Brisbane is almost sold out (in fact, it may actually be sold out now), but if you’re Melbourne-based, don’t miss the event next Thursday 16 May. These are the kind of candid chats that spark something special (you know, like the courage to make that big, gorgeous dream a reality), so if you’re ready to leap… join us. 

Kinesiology

Kinesiology still blows me away. I can walk in to a session thinking we’re going to have a nice chat with my body about energy levels, and walk out having a fear that I’ve been carrying around for 20 years unblocked.

Mind-boggling and wonderous. Obsessed.

Meditation + Mindful in May

I’ve been meditating for years, but these days, getting still has definitely become a non-negotiable, daily practice in my life. It’s without doubt the quickest way I know to bust through bullshit, clear scramble-y thoughts and access that innate inner wisdom we all possess.

I tend to mix up my meditations depending on my mood. After a run, I might sit at the beach or at the lookout in the National Park across the road with the sun dancing on my face; other days, I’ll listen to a guided medi like Doreen Virtue’s Chakra Clearing or something from Brain Sync before bed.

To complement that big ol’ love of meditation, I’m so proud to be a part of the Earth Events team for Mindful in May, raising money for Charity Water. I’ll let you read all the details, but if you’re called to, you can ‘sponsor’ me with a donation by selecting my name in the drop down on the donation page.

Visioning

I’m in simmer-mode with my blog (and business) at the moment before I head off to Italy to let the creative juices really bubble up and the plans take shape. I have to admit that, along the way, the limbo phase has brought with it a hefty dose of impatience (yesssireee!), but I know I’m going to be mentally zinging and ready to ramp things up in a mega way.

The anticipation! The dreams about how I can best serve you and work on YOUR dreams! Ready to catapult.

PLUS…  

Honeymoon dreaming (2 weeks and counting) + my incredible husband + The Law of Divine Compensation + The Great Gatsby soundtrack (killer) + new goods from The Village Markets (follow me on Instagram to see what I bought + visual inspo galore).

I’m going to wrap up with some words from the inimitable Rumi, who said: “Gratitude is the wine for the soul. Go on. Get drunk!” 

So… let’s get drunk on love and appreciation in the comments, shall we? Share the things that are making YOU happy, I’m hanging to hear all about them.

Image: VisionCity

I want to talk a bit about facing fears and leaping – with reckless abandon – out of our comfort zones, because it’s something I’ve done a lot of in the past 5 months and will most definitely be doing when I take the stage in Brisbane and Melbourne for the Earth Events ‘Soulpreneurs’ events.

Taking the leap is something that my clients and I work on continually, and can I just say thrilled-down-deep-in-my-bones I get when I see one of my girls launch a new site out into the world with love, or release their first video blog (even when it freaks the pants off them) or step into the life they’ve been dreaming of… forever. Yep, it’s pretty awesome, this feeling the fear and doing it anyway biz.

In the video above, you’ll get a little taste of what Julie Parker, Susana Frioni, Denise Duffield-Thomas and I will be covering at the Earth Events Soulpreneurs ‘workshops,’ and you’ll hear me mention that courage isn’t the absence of fear, it’s jumping in regardless. I’m hanging to speak more on this and on how friggen empowering and rewarding it is to do the very things that quicken your heartbeat and sweat up your palms. It’s revolutionary (and let it be said – totally addictive).

For me, stepping up and out of my comfort zone right now means embracing opportunities to spread my message in a different way and meet/ hug/ engage with women like you who read this blog, in person. I’m feeling incredibly calm and excited about this public speaking thang, but as I prep for this leap, you can betcha I’ll be ramping up my meditation and journalling and going gangbusters on all the other practices that keep me connected.

I have a request today: let’s keep leaping, together. What do you say?

And because I know you’re going to walk away with SO. MUCH. VALUABLE. INFO. from these two joy-fuelled events, jump on board below so I can give you that big ol’ squeeze I was talking about above:

BRISBANE BABES: click here to grab your ticket for the Brisbane event.

MAGNIFICENT MELBOURNITES: click here to grab your ticket for the Melbourne event.

Beach Days

Autumn weather on the Gold Coast is the kind you want to pop in a jar and spoon-feed to yourself for the rest of time.

On Friday, the sun beckoning, blue skies whispering our names, Tara and I said aurevoir to our home offices and decided to hit the park at Burleigh Point to do some eBook writing, talking, a bit more writing, somuchmoretalking… and THEN! rounded it all out by sipping a gorgeous mojito at Justin Lane (the best mojito I’ve ever tasted, in fact).

This is the stuff dreams are made of and seriously, entrepreneurship just keeps getting better.

Still pinching. Pinch pinch pinch.

New Treasures

It’s been far too long between visits to The Village Markets so I got my booty out the door early Sunday morning and thank god I did, because I scored some beautiful little goodies!

Dreamcatcher and Afghan hanging (for good luck) from Dos Ombre.

Chakra balancing crystal bracelet from Violet Gray Design.

Adore supporting (supremely cool) local businesses/ people. There’s a real groundswell going on on the Gold Coast at the moment, and it’s so inspiring to watch.

Holy Blow-My-Mind Crystals

That fluorite. No words.

Let’s hear it honey, what’s on your love list this week? Unleash in the comments!

“When you do things from your soul, you feel a river moving in you, a joy.”  ~ Rumi

Good morning from the glorious Gold Coast!

Look at Mother Nature showing off today. Autumn seriously rules and I’m full o’ beans this morning so let’s leap – with vigour and verve – into this week’s round-up…

Earth Events

Hugely excited to announce that I’ll be part of the Soulpreneurs event being run by Earth Events in Brisbane on 9 May.

It will be my first speaking gig (!!) and I’m BEYOND stoked to be appearing beside these gorgeous women: Julie Parker, Denise Duffield-Thomas and Susana Frioni. Talk about a power panel!

We’ll be talking about authenticity and abundance in business and life – tying in blogging and building a biz online, of course – and there will be a big Q & A component as we know there will be lots of juicy q’s around living your purpose, following your heart into a business that truly lights you up and everything in between.

The tickets are selling super fast (highly recommend getting in today if you’re keen) and you can get your hands on one right here. Would love to see you there, gorgeous.

Running

Late last year, I was running 8 – 12 kms on average about three times a week but this year, with my training buddy pregnant, I’ve been doing shorter (faster) runs without any real consistency to my training.

I’ve only run two 10km runs since January, so my head nearly fell off (along with my toes, haha) when I ran my fastest ever 10km run yesterday morning, completely randomly.

I said last week on Twitter I’d like to get under 50 minutes for a 10ker, and I did it in 48:19mins. YIPPEEEE!

Moral of the story: run less, go better?

Real moral of the story: shorter, (significantly) faster runs (particularly if you run with a husband who likes to sprint the whole way) DO help. Who woulda known?

Universal Support

One of my favourite things to do, once I’ve set a clear intention for something I want to bring to fruition, is to hand it over and ask for support from the Universe/ Spirit/ Guides – simply by saying “I’m ready to receive support for this. Lead the way.”

By practicing this on the regular, I’ve been having some crazy incidences of ‘guidance’ and receiving just the right messages at the right time. Loads of clarity. A thick ‘n’ fast ‘n’ steady stream of reinforcement. I feel open, full of love and incredibly grateful. YEEHAH.

(ps: I learnt about orbs in photos from the gorgeous Amy, and check out the photo I took at the beach this morning).

My Girls

Mind-boggling fact: I’ve worked with over 50 women since starting my business 4 months ago! Is that INSANE or what? Far out. Refer to the note above. Thank you, thank you, thank you Universe.

Because Skype connections can’t be trusted in hotels, I’ve decided to take a month off coaching while we’re honeymooning in Italy/ Switzerland from mid-May to mid-June, so if you’ve been thinking you’d like to team up with me (I’d be so honoured) before I go away, please drop me a line on rachel (at) inspacesbetween (dot) com and I’ll shoot through details on my packages, pronto.

Here’s what two of my girls had to say about our time together:

“Before I started working with Rach, I was so lost and terrified. I had ZERO clarity and I didn’t know what how on Earth I was going to express my unique voice. I was SO stuck and didn’t own my FUN energy and intuitive gifts. I had a handful of coaching clients, but struggling in this identity crisis! I was on my knees begging for help – and Rach literally saved me.

One of her (many) gifts is bringing out the BEST within you. She relentlessly cheered me on and empowers me to step up my game. She made owning my unique, fun, playful energy so easy and simple. Once I truly owned my voice, well … let’s say the quantum leaps began.

The results speak for themselves! I have experienced wonderful growthsm both in my personal life and intuitive coaching biz. Today, I am living my dream life and biz! I work with amazing clients who ADORE me for ME, and I have so many exciting opportunities lined up in the future. My coaching schedule is booked out WEEKS in advance! I am so fulfilled and aligned with my life purpose and mission.

Working with Rach is an immense joy, something I look forward to SO much! We SMASH my goals and celebrate huge wins (and do celebratory dances and fist-pumps) ALL THE TIME. The best type of FUN!

After a month of coaching with Rach, my Facebook fans have grown by 1,000, my mailing list increased in size by 300. Another one of her (many) gifts is in creative strategising! One of her beautiful ideas generated me $700 of passive income – in under 48 hours.  I have also tripled my income – YES, all within ONE MONTH of working together!

I highly recommend Rach’s services to every gorgeous soul in the world who’s passionate about blogging and spreading your message. It’s really no brainer that her schedule is booked out months in advance – she is worth her weight in GOLD. There are no limits, and the possibilities are endless with Rach as your coach.”

JIA NI TEO | HAPPY HEALTHY ABUNDANT  

“Walking in to my first session with Rach, I had no idea what to expect. Never having had any sort of life coaching before, I wondered if I’d see any tangible results, or if I’d come away thinking, “yeah, but what next?”

I needn’t have worried. As a long time follower of In Spaces Between, my goal in working with Rach was to sit down with someone I knew would inspire, motivate and just generally “get” where I wanted and needed to go, providing me with honest, soulful guidance and a few ridiculously well structured spreadsheets to propel me on my way!

I discovered one of the best things about a life coaching session with Rach is that it’s impossible not to come away feeling like you could take on the world. Her enthusiasm is infectious, and her passion for seeing big changes in the lives of her clients is one of the reasons she’s so good at what she does.

My time with Rach has left me saying, “I can do this!” and honestly believing it’s true.”

CLAIRE KELLY

Did anyone say “dream job?”

I’d love to work with you if you have the sneaking suspicion there’s more out there for you, too.

Gwinganna Seminar

Last night I trekked up to Brisbane to attend one of Gwinganna’s lifestyle seminars. The event was centred around movement and the ways in which us modern folk tend to do our hour of exercise (if that), and then sit on our butts all day long – and the detrimental effect doing so has on our bodies physiologically and from a longevity perspective.

One of the presenters, Karl, got us all out of our seats doing Asian Squats, which are deep squats that stretch out all the muscles in the legs and back, and we heard some fascinating research done around incidental exercise and how important it is to move frequently.

Here’s to squatting up a storm between clients today!

Extra sweetness:

Deep and utterly fulfilling chats + dinner meet ups at Mandala with our B-School babes (no photo evidence, unfortunately) + one month holiday countdown + eBook writing (watch this space) + when my husband wakes me up by whispering “You’re the love of my life”… and I melt + seeing how in love my friends and their gentlemen are (this fills my heart SO DAMN MUCH) + journalling.

Share your stand-out moments – big, small, wonderous – in the comments below! 

Images: Alice is Wonderful | Goodbye Babylon

It’s been another big week at In Spaces Between headquarters with lots of coaching, lots of socialising, big days on the computer catching up on work and some grand idea concocting thrown in for good measure.

The vibe? High. Energetic. Productive.

The fun? Long chats in the park. Hilarious texts. Emoji icons (I’m only a year late to the game…. not sure why I resisted but I’m TOTALLY ON IT now).

Other? Random tears of gratitude for my husband’s endless support and general radness. Hypoxi. Lazy Sundays. Clarity. Realising it’s time to start planning our Italy honeymoon. Product visioning (stay tuned for news on this one).

Also…

The Wedding Harvest

Weddings? Wha? Didn’t I do all that last year?

Yes, as you all know I’m a happily married lay-dee, but I’m surrounded by girlfriends who are getting hitched in the not-to-distant future, so on Sunday I found myself attending The Wedding Harvest with the gorgeous Sophie from Peppa Hart Bride.

As you can see by the photos, the showcase, which was co-created by my friend Judi from Little Gray Station, was absolutely stunning and I left wishing there was something like it last year when I was in the throes of planning our Big Day.

A highlight was meeting one of my In Spaces Between sponsors, the lovely Dana from Birds of a Feather Letterpress Co. If you’re looking for super spesh paper goods – invites, calendars, you name it – she is definitely your gal (write that down).

Summer Smoothies

I’m such a smoothie fiend and my favourite mix at the moment is banana, frozen mixed berries, chocolate Sun Warrior protein powder (berries + choc = cherry taste!) with water and ice. YUM.

Gorgeous Necklaces

My new necklace from Faith Design has been getting royally loved-up. Aqua pow-ahh! (hey look, I’ve even got lightbeams coming out of my forehead – I always knew I was a unicorn!)

Our New Burleigh Neighbours + B-School Plans

I’m sure you’ve heard Tara and I banging on about it enough but let it be said one more time – we’re freaking amped to be living just a few minutes drive away from each other!

On Friday night, Ramai and I wined and dined at the Bliss/ Farmer “restaurant” for the (the first of many) team dinners and, well, the raw cheesecake above pretty much says it all doesn’t it? The bar has been raised.

BUT WAIT, there’s more… 

In other Tara + Rach related news, the two of us are teaming up to offer any of you that are thinking of signing up to Marie Forleo’s B-School a truckload of “extras” if you jump on board through us. Think full access to us both, personal attention, behind-the-scenes secret sharing and a whole lotta love.

Keep your eyes peeled for an announcement on Monday.

Good Life Project

I’m a long-time fan of Jonathan Fields and I’ve been thoroughly enjoying the interviews on his Good Life Project site.

Check out his chats with Marie Forleo (random aside: she’s such a Sagittarian, I felt like she was speaking the words straight from my soul), Kris Carr and Brene Brown (no surprises that I love these three in particular), but above and beyond that, I recommend acquainting yourself with the other vids over time because I know you’ll adore them too.

Smart, soulful people changing the world via the internet. Hot damn, it’s an incredible time to be alive.

Wise Words for Wonderful Women

There are few things I love more than receiving a fresh book in the mail and this gift from Megan Dalla-Camina has definitely landed in my lap at the right time!

Looking forward to curling up in bed over the weekend and tucking in. YES.

That’s me today, and now you…  

Check in beautiful. How are you feeling? What’s going on in your world? Share away below. x