Speaker 1: 0:01

Hey, ellie, yes, andrew.

Speaker 2: 0:03

You know I used to hate facial hair.

Speaker 1: 0:05

Did you really?

Speaker 2: 0:07

I got better though.

Speaker 1: 0:08

You know, why?

Speaker 2: 0:08

Why it grew on me.

Speaker 1: 0:12

That's a very classic, obvious dad joke.

Speaker 2: 0:14

I like it and it's so true it really is, because I have a lot of facial hair now and it's very good, impressive facial hair Andrew.

Speaker 1: 0:22

Thank you, you're welcome and hopefully the listeners you're contemplating my- facial hair right now, although the top part of the head is rather bald. Andrew, get out of it, we're moving on.

Speaker 2: 0:29

David hit the theme song. We need to get into this podcast episode. Thank you very much. All right, Thank you, Ali, for raising awareness of bald Andrew You're welcome.

Speaker 1: 0:50

Well, you did do it by choice, did you not I?

Speaker 2: 0:52

did, I did, but yes, thank you, friends and family.

Speaker 1: 0:57

Welcome back to another season. Right Does family listen to this podcast no, they do not.

Speaker 2: 1:01

I don't think my family do no.

Speaker 1: 1:03

I know my friends do.

Speaker 2: 1:04

We should Clients do yeah they do not.

Speaker 1: 1:05

I don't think my family do, no, I know my friends do.

Speaker 2: 1:06

We should Clients do, yeah, they do.

Speaker 1: 1:07

Accounting industry. Does they?

Speaker 2: 1:09

do. Well, you're listening to it listener right now. I know you should hit us up and let us know why you're listening to this what?

Speaker 1: 1:14

is going on? Do we want them to tell us Anyway? Because we're starting a new season and I want you to tell me, Andrew, what is this season all about? I can do that.

Speaker 2: 1:26

Thank you. So we always want to make sure that whatever we talk about here when we hang about has some level of relevance to our industry, but also likens to our experiences and the like. And whilst we don't necessarily do content that I would say is topical, as in current, right now, what's happening? Not political, not political, but also it's not like, oh, yesterday something happened. We don't do that, we're about evergreen content.

Speaker 1: 1:54

Evergreen content that will last forever.

Speaker 2: 1:56

Luscious content, but we are inspired by what goes on around us.

Speaker 1: 2:00

We are.

Speaker 2: 2:01

And I think right now there's a really good recognition and realisation of what it looks like to be better.

Speaker 1: 2:08

Yeah.

Speaker 2: 2:08

And I know John Knight, good mate of ours, good mate of the podcast. I saw him speak a little while ago and he said a phrase which I've heard before, but it just reminded me really well, and it was you know, better is better than more.

Speaker 1: 2:22

Like it.

Speaker 2: 2:23

And so Ali and I were having a bit of a chat about what do we want to talk about? And it really came up with like what does it look like to be better, and not just better in general terms, but let's try and be a bit more specific, so we're going to spend a bit of time there. But, ali, we're going to talk about better yeah, and look, I strive to be better. You strive to be.

Speaker 1: 2:40

I strive to be better, yeah.

Speaker 2: 2:42

But can you tell me a time when maybe you weren't better, maybe you were trying to be better? Give me a story.

Speaker 1: 2:47

I think there are many times and look, sometimes it's about when you lack the focus or you're not even thinking about trying to be better but I think there are most probably two really significant times in my life where I most probably could have been better and the first of those was really when my kids were like super little and I was very work-driven and was into career progression and I took my focus most probably too much off of my family. And you know those really baby, little bubby years, you don't get those back, right?

Speaker 1: 3:18

You don't, no, and so, thankfully, I had this stick in the sand moment where my first marriage exploded, which happened very early on in my children's lives and like they were five and 18 months. And it was that moment where I was like, oh my gosh, I need to be a better mum, I need to be better for myself, and that was a really poignant moment that has literally transformed my career and my mumming and has made me I feel a better person. It made me more engaged, more focused, because I wanted to be better. It was at that point that I realised that I needed to be better, not just for myself but for my kids, and so that was a huge moment for me, transformational in so many ways, a real game changer.

Speaker 2: 4:03

So I think that's interesting. What you just said there is that you want to be better and and. I feel like I have a lot of conversations with people at the time where they express the desire for something, but but you know the phrase actions speak louder than words yeah so like you want to be better.

Speaker 2: 4:20

But do you really want to be better? Or is the idea of being better what you want, not actually being better, or is the work that it requires to be better? Are you willing to do that? And I'm always, I think, challenged by the idea of like. I don't think anybody out there wants to be bad or worse, but but at the same time, I'm not sure that people truly understand that they want to be better or what that means for them you also need to be in headspace to be able to be better and to even think through that.

Speaker 1: 4:46

Sometimes we go through periods in life where we're down or depressed or flat or have no energy, and it's really difficult during those times to even want to be better. You know, you're kind of stuck in a rut and you have to be at that space in the right moment to take advantage of trying to be better and taking actions towards it and what even is better. And this is the thing. It's a personal challenge. Oh well, gosh, go down the rabbit hole. I'm with you, let's jump.

Speaker 2: 5:11

Because you might say this is what I think better looks like, and I would disagree with you on some of these things right, but that's why it's such a personal choice.

Speaker 1: 5:23

It is it is so personal and do that because it doesn't resonate with me. And this is one of those things. To actually take action, you actually have to believe it in your heart and soul and want it for yourself. Nobody can make you better. You need to make yourself better yeah, absolutely. I want you to tell me, though, andrew, your story of when you felt that you needed to be better, or the place that you took some action. What was that thing? What was that moment?

Speaker 2: 5:50

I think, and thank you for sharing your story, by the way. I think, for me and I can't probably bring really specific details into this because it was probably a lot more like I felt it than I knew the detail behind. But I think there's been a couple of times through business where things have gone well. You know, we kicked the goals with both feet and our hands tied around the back. We're like, hey, this is fantastic and whatnot.

Speaker 1: 6:20

And when we have a sustained period of that.

Speaker 2: 6:24

You lose sight of why you're doing that or what you're doing to achieve that, and I think what I felt during those times is you kind of lose sight of what you need to be doing and all of a sudden you fall into a false sense of security yeah right, and you start acting and behaving and making decisions in a way that are not smart and not empowering and are not helpful, and very quickly I would find that my team are all of a sudden not aligned and not feeling it and recognising that like there's a large part that I have played with in there in terms of me being content. Now I think it's important to sit here and say it's not, it's not the battle. You kick back and relax and enjoy when things are going well, but it's you. You lose all the structure and all the environment, all the things that actually allowed you to do well because you, because it's like oh we, we got to the top of the mountain.

Speaker 2: 7:18

Now I don't have to worry about it yeah, um, whereas all of a sudden you're falling down the side because you're unable to stay up the top there.

Speaker 1: 7:24

Yeah, and it was the structure and all of the actions that got you to that point in the mountain.

Speaker 2: 7:28

But it's also equally important, like if I kind of liken it to other sites it's when you go too structured. So when all of a sudden, like you build it up to a point and you're like oh no, we have to keep like here's the structure and follow the. And it doesn't empower or allow people to do their job. And you're worrying so much about the input and you're not actually trying to focus on the output.

Speaker 2: 7:50

And as a result once again, your team sits around and you're like, oh geez, we're not aligned and we're not connected and we're not performing at the level where we need to be.

Speaker 1: 7:56

Yeah, right. So why do you can I ask the question, why do you think we need to be better? What is that thing? Why?

Speaker 2: 8:04

I mean, what's the saying Like if you're not moving forward?

Speaker 1: 8:08

you're going backwards.

Speaker 2: 8:12

And I don't want to be negative when it comes to that kind of stuff, right? So I think there's a fine line between understanding. Being better doesn't mean you're not good.

Speaker 1: 8:24

No, not at all.

Speaker 2: 8:26

And for me, I think, as the way I think and the way I operate is, I always want to be understanding how I can create impact and how I can improve to be the better version of myself for my team for my family for my friends, for my community.

Speaker 1: 8:43

And they're all topics that we're actually going to work through this season. By the way, Did you see how I typed that in? I didn't even mean it. That's off the top of my head. What a bomb drop.

Speaker 2: 8:51

But I think if you're not paying attention to that stuff, you do get stuck. And you get stuck in that kind of quicksand and all of a sudden you're sinking down. You're like holy crap and then tend to recover from. That becomes so much harder because you're not paying attention to those things.

Speaker 1: 9:03

And the word I put around that is intentional. Intentional will be better. And this actually leads well into my second story of Hold on, Hold on Before you do remember how we have sponsors. Oh, yes, of course.

Speaker 2: 9:17

Those wonderful, amazing, not so we're going to have a listen to them and we'll come back in a minute, and then I'd love to hear some good stories from you Absolutely 100%. Hey, ellie, who do you use when it comes to additional resourcing for your accounting business?

Speaker 1: 9:37

Ugh, 100% Tail Global. They're the bomb and you. Yeah, me too.

Speaker 3: 9:41

Oh will we.

Speaker 1: 9:42

We are both the best. Why do you use them? Elite talent, my friend for an accounting firm and people are job ready.

Speaker 2: 9:48

Ready to rock and roll. I love it. I think it unlocks firm potential. I think it's really good and I think it allows you to build a strategy that's better A hundred percent. Get onto it, get amongst the friends Tower Global. That's where the good stuff's. At Ali, I'm sure you get asked all the time, just like I do. Who do you use for digital signatures? But I know we use the same team the crew at FuseSign, right.

Speaker 1: 10:17

They're the absolute bomb. Yes, I get asked that all the time. It is digital signing done. Simply, my friend, it is amazing, it's so simple.

Speaker 2: 10:24

I love it. It gives you great control, heaps of flexibility, and the experience for clients and team is quite exceptional too right.

Speaker 1: 10:30

Super easy to use on both sides, bloody amazing.

Speaker 2: 10:33

Excellent. Get amongst it, friends. Fuse your signatures today with FuseSign. Today, with Fuse Sign. As you all know, marketing, branding and identity is something that's extremely important to me personally, as well as my business, illuminate Ali. I know it is for you as well, important to us too.

Speaker 1: 10:55

And do you know what Practice and Pixels they are the best for digital marketing, website design and brands, for accountants, they absolutely are, and they look after our brand here.

Speaker 2: 11:03

Yeah, they do so you have a great experience, so good. But what I love about them is they take the time to truly understand what makes your firm different within the industry so they can accelerate your growth through fantastic marketing, connecting your clients, your team and your community for good prosperity going forward.

Speaker 1: 11:18

Absolutely Get onto the branding practice, practice and pixels, my friends Yo.

Speaker 2: 11:28

All right, ellie, you're almost going to share too early. That's not like me at all. I would throw a very inappropriate joke around, do not? I think everybody knows where you're going and I thought that too.

Speaker 1: 11:42

Um, ellie, can you?

Speaker 2: 11:45

can you tell, us tell?

Speaker 3: 11:46

the other.

Speaker 2: 11:47

We've talked about how maybe we realized we weren't good or we weren't better. Are we going backwards? Or something needed to happen and we've talked about, um, you know intention. We've talked about uh, self-awareness lead me I will.

Speaker 1: 12:00

I want to lean into that intentionality, because that, for me, is an incredibly important thing and that's the thing that actually makes me move forward and what I like to call conscious choices. And this one leads back to when I had my third baby, livvy. I was around 41 years old and I'd let go of my health and well-being and the priority was all of my family, and I'd lost those boundaries. I'd lost the priorities of what's important, what's not, and, yes, my, my family was my main priority. And, yes, I was putting a lot of boundaries around my business, but what I wasn't doing was looking after myself, and so I had to become really intentional around my own health and well-being.

Speaker 1: 12:36

so that's when I led in and started on my health and well-being journey and actually entered the gym for the first time in my life, when I was 41 years old and I was so.

Speaker 2: 12:44

Hold on. That was the first time you went to the gym. That was the first time I ever went to the gym. I honestly couldn't. I couldn't imagine you not having spent a lot of time in the fitness, and I was never into health and wellness and sport.

Speaker 1: 12:53

I was a ballerina when I was in my younger years, the age of about 30, and then, during my 30s, completely and utterly lapsed into nothingness, did not look after myself in any way, shape or form, and so after I hit Livvy, you know there was certain I didn't feel good, hold on, hold on.

Speaker 2: 13:09

Hit Livvy after Livvy was born. Yeah, just want to, just re-clarifying that.

Speaker 1: 13:17

I started on my own health and wellness journey and what a game-changing experience that was for me, because it led to so many things that I hadn't expected. Like, yeah, the weight loss was super important for me, but it was around the intentionality of being fit and healthy and strong, but that led to enormous benefits for me and my mental health in relation to patience, and I find with you like it's.

Speaker 2: 13:40

It's very rare that I find that you're flat and I feel like I feel like your approach approach to your health and wellness in that space in ensures or gives you a better chance of having the energy and having the focus and whereas like like we were joking earlier. We were out last night for for dinner with a bit of ketchup and I just hit a wall and fell over because I haven't been looking after myself.

Speaker 2: 14:00

I mean, you'd be surprised to know, Ali, that when I was young I in fact was not a ballerina. You weren't, I wasn't.

Speaker 1: 14:06

You would have been the best you could have lifted.

Speaker 2: 14:09

We could have been a great team. I was a skinny skinny fella growing up. We could have been like a dirty dancing team that you lifted me up no.

Speaker 1: 14:16

No.

Speaker 2: 14:17

Don't want to picture that. Okay, I'm not much of a dancer, you're not. No.

Speaker 1: 14:21

Really, but you're a drummer, right.

Speaker 2: 14:22

So you've got the rhythm, yeah.

Speaker 1: 14:24

I like that, not my Livvy.

Speaker 2: 14:27

Jeepers.

Speaker 1: 14:28

Edit that out. David Drummers have rhythm right, yeah, so surely you could dance.

Speaker 2: 14:34

Yeah, there's a combination of having rhythm but also having like a functional body to enable that, as well as having the desire to Let me lean into this.

Speaker 1: 14:42

Male dancers are really there just to lift right You're there to look pretty and to lift.

Speaker 2: 14:47

All the dancers listening to this. Can you please send some hate mail to Ali about that?

Speaker 1: 14:50

That is horrific. In classical ballet You're pigeonholing men into things. We are more than that. In classical ballet, you are literally there to lift the woman.

Speaker 2: 14:57

Well, I'm not about the classical, I'm about the modern version of life these days let's do a little bit of ray gun break dancing.

Speaker 1: 15:05

Are you into that?

Speaker 2: 15:06

ah yeah, no, I don't do the dancing.

Speaker 1: 15:08

Fair enough, and I did get reagan in so I'm happy about that, you are, you are. What were we talking about?

Speaker 2: 15:12

you've got a little bit of ray gun. Do I really well?

Speaker 1: 15:15

that's because no do you know what that's? Because I'm actually rocking her outfit.

Speaker 2: 15:19

Okay, okay, yeah, I was going to say, if I just look the chin up.

Speaker 1: 15:22

I'm like. Remove the glasses, put a hat on. Oh my gosh, we should do that comparison. We could do it. She's younger, so I'll take it. Don't? I'm younger than you, Don't? I knew you were going to go there.

Speaker 2: 15:33

I was going to say when you said you hit the gym for the first time at Haven't even got there, yet Half of your life away.

Speaker 1: 15:38

So you've still got time. I've still got three years. I can look like you in however many years that might be Absolutely, absolutely. You could be ripped. Do what you need to do so for me.

Speaker 2: 15:46

I think like being better is like, it is a journey, right Like to do so.

Speaker 1: 15:51

And I think it's important to note that there's ebbs and flows Consistent.

Speaker 2: 15:56

Right and so better. For me is always a challenging one, because I have the type of personality that changes. Bright, shiny objects.

Speaker 1: 16:06

Yes, I don't.

Speaker 2: 16:08

Yeah, definitely the fellow with ADHD is you.

Speaker 1: 16:11

But you know what A lot of people do in all different parts of their life.

Speaker 2: 16:15

Absolutely, and so what that means sometimes is what I think is better could change because I'm distracted by something else, so it was better um so it could be like oh, I'm focusing on that, that's what I'm focused on.

Speaker 1: 16:26

Then I won't actually achieve it, because my attention moves to something else, and so am I ever better when you leave that thing that you were trying to be better and you leave it behind. Is there any guilt attached to that or do you just keep going on to the next big brush?

Speaker 2: 16:39

you don't even know that you've left it. Oh really, there's no recognition of it and there's no understanding or appreciation that potentially, if there are other people involved, when they're getting better, that you might have left them high and dry oh my gosh yeah you can talk.

Speaker 2: 16:52

Talk to my wife about um periods of our life where she she would recognize that we would be mid conversation with someone and it was like I got distracted by someone nearby and I would literally turn my back and have a conversation with the person next to us. Halfway through a conversation with someone, do you?

Speaker 1: 17:08

know, I think we are polar opposites.

Speaker 2: 17:10

Yeah.

Speaker 1: 17:10

Because I am the most consistent person and I don't get done by the bright, shiny lights.

Speaker 2: 17:15

You don't? No, no, never. But I do yeah, but, no, never, but I do yeah. But when I am focused, motherfucker watch out.

Speaker 1: 17:21

Oh yeah, you just get in there. And you deliver really quickly.

Speaker 2: 17:25

Yeah.

Speaker 1: 17:25

Like you make things happen.

Speaker 2: 17:28

Give me half an hour.

Speaker 1: 17:29

I'll do a week's, Whereas I will deliver short bursts over a long period of time Gets me to the same outcome as you would get, but it takes me longer to get there.

Speaker 2: 17:37

Yeah, I just get there faster.

Speaker 1: 17:40

But you know, is it the tortoise or the hare? It could be.

Speaker 2: 17:44

But what I've learned about being good in this space, though.

Speaker 1: 17:46

Oh yeah, sorry, let's get back to it how.

Speaker 2: 17:48

I've been better is it's I mean it's being better at listening and involving others in that space too, and so if I think about improving, myself, and you are good at that. Or being better at other elements. Sorry, that wasn't a cry, that was Sorry. That wasn't a cry, that was a coffee throat.

Speaker 1: 18:03

Fair enough, there are no tears. I can, not today, maybe next week.

Speaker 2: 18:13

But it is when you take the time to ask questions of others that are broader than just what you want to know about, and that's that care component, because you learn, then right you learn about what's important for others. You listen, you engage and you go oh crap, actually's, that's actually important for me. I just forgotten about it because I'd moved on to the next shiny thing or I'd forgotten about that thing, and so I feel like I feel like better for me is like you're constantly taking little. It's like collecting magnets I used.

Speaker 2: 18:36

I did that when I was younger and we traveled from whatever town we're in, and I've lost them all most of all of them now. Um, but it's that kind of thing. So you're collecting those little things and it's remembering and you can you can pull back into your backpack and go okay, I've got that there. So for me it's it's it's trying to ensure that I'm better at like having the conversations to gather the information that I hold on to, instead of just running whirlwind through stuff going. This is what better is, because this is what I think better is yeah and look and look.

Speaker 1: 19:02

it's so relative to everybody, but I think that's what we really want to focus on this series is, how do we be better in so many factors of our life and be really intentional and make those conscious choices around that? And it's really just food for thought, is it not?

Speaker 2: 19:16

It is, and we're going to get into some detail around running accounting firms and being better.

Speaker 1: 19:21

We're going to talk about our industry. Yeah.

Speaker 2: 19:23

Like how can we be better for our industry? How can we be better?

Speaker 1: 19:25

for our families, which is so relevant right now.

Speaker 2: 19:27

How can we be better for our team and how can we be better? I'm looking forward to hearing Ali's 12 steps to health and wellness.

Speaker 1: 19:34

There are about 15, but that's all right. I'll see if I can dance it to 14.

Speaker 2: 19:38

And you do them every bloody day.

Speaker 1: 19:40

It has been absolutely transformed. It's been transformative for me and you know, I think in everybody in life we all have our good things and our bad things. But what does it help me do is it has helped me to lift above the bad things. So, even though those bad things happen, all the time I've been able to keep a constant level of joy and excitement and happiness in my life because of my health and wellbeing journey, and that's I really do honestly want to share what works for me.

Speaker 2: 20:08

I'm feeling I'm very much feeling like an ai obsession episode coming up when we go there do you know what it's.

Speaker 1: 20:12

Not even do you know what. I'm not even going to focus on tech I'm not going to do. Oh no, I mean that you're just going to be.

Speaker 2: 20:17

You're obsessed with health and wellness I'm obsessed with health and wellness, absolutely, um, but maybe we'll just run, run, like Ellie's going to start up her own health and wellness podcast and like all Aussie accounting health and wellness tips, tricks and things to make you better.

Speaker 1: 20:32

Watch this space. There might be something coming out, who knows?

Speaker 2: 20:35

No, there's not. I mean you might do, I have no idea. There might be something I fully condone it, if you would like to do it.

Speaker 1: 20:41

I'm very strategic about these things, Andrew, so maybe there is.

Speaker 2: 20:44

Oh, now you've got me thinking what's going on. Well, friends, thank you for jumping in for our episode Absolutely. We're talking about what does being better look like some of our stories around what that looks like. I know that each and every one of you have stories of your own where you recognise these are moments where I was better. These are moments where I learned that I could have been better. Don't forget to jump in and have a listen to Amy and Jack on the Tech Adventures.

Speaker 1: 21:06

They're going to be talking some cool stuff, I think.

Speaker 2: 21:09

I mean I'm talking well in advance of an episode coming out but I'm pretty sure they spent half an hour talking about emails. They did, I know which sounded crazy but then when they started talking to me, I'm like I want to be in that conversation.

Speaker 1: 21:18

That sounds amazing. It's a big part of it, I think. And we've also got a newsletter that you can sign up for which keeps us in the know. You get one of those once a month.

Speaker 2: 21:27

And potentially even by the time you listen to this, there might even be a website.

Speaker 1: 21:31

We are willing that into existence, andrew, as soon as anything's happening.

Speaker 2: 21:34

You might see us around at some conferences and some webinars and bits and pieces. So don't be afraid to come up and say, hi, tell us that you love us or that you don't love us. Do you know?

Speaker 1: 21:43

what I love about the community because I've just been doing the BGL Roadshows is that people are listening and they come up and they're so grateful and they love it. And do you know what the most poignant piece of feedback is? It feels like they're talking with us.

Speaker 2: 21:55

I like that Kick back, grab a drink and come on the next adventure.

Speaker 1: 21:58

But you're also insane. If you think that you're with us, kick. Think that you're with us, kick back. Enjoy absolutely, andrew. Let's, let's, let them go all right, see you, friends.

Speaker 3: 22:07

Catch you in the next adventure wasn't that a fun adventure, my friends, thank you so much, so incredibly much, for hanging out with us today. Ali, you've been amazing. Andrew, you've been all right. How good is it to be able to have adventures together.

Speaker 1: 22:30

It so is, and you know what. Keep following us. We are all over the socials at Accounting Adventures. Check us out on the website. Give us a bit of a like. You know how much we love that stuff.

Speaker 3: 22:41

The best thing about the adventure is the people that we do it with. So thank you so much for listening, thank you so much for hanging out with us, and please bring all the ideas, keep them coming. We can't wait to share more cool adventures with you.

Speaker 1: 22:55

We love you guys.