Business growth strategist and coach Bianca Monley deep dives into the concept of “success”, her learnings from creating a multi-million dollar business in her 20s to looking forward to 2025 and we can all create our so-called perfect days.
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Welcome to Extra Healthy Ish. Yes, we live in the extra today. This of course is the big sister podcast to Healthy Ish from Body and Soul. I'm the host, Felicity Harley. We're joined today by a business growth strategist and coach, Bianca Monley, to take a deep dive into the concept of success. She's going to share her learnings from creating a multimillion dollar business in her twenties to looking forward in twenty twenty five and how you can create your well success whatever it looks like. Bianka, thanks for coming on Extra healthy Ish.
Thank you very much. Should say back on have you great to be as always?
How are you staying extra healthy ish, particularly at this time of year.
Oh well, early mornings is my key. Up and went for a run and a swim. I think it's forty degrees today in Sydney, so to Camp Cove run and then dived in the water. And yeah, sometimes it's a ten k run, sometimes it's a kilometer and I think getting in the water as well just really makes you feel amazing.
What time does your do your morning start?
I don't sit an alarm, but usually I'm about five thirty am.
I've wake up and ready to go.
And what did you do? How many cases you run this morning?
I only did three this morning.
I only did three at six am and a beautiful swim. But I did do the BRONDEI to Bronte yesterday and my legs are bits all from that.
So three cases enough.
Now you were one of Well, you were the pioneer of fresh, healthy delivery meals in Australia. Yes, before we talk about manifesting success, give us a quick rundown of your success.
Sure.
So I started my first business, eat Fit Food, and two thousand. So back then there was light and easy frozen home delivered meals and there was nothing else. Like the health industry didn't really exist. There was no healthy food anywhere. There was not like no pilate studios. Wearing your exercise gear outside of a gym was an absolute no no. So I started making, preparing and delivering really fresh, high quality meals to individuals who I knew through the gym where I was working at the time, and grew it meal by meal over sixteen years until I sold it and yeah, changing the lives of thousands of people through Sydney Melbourne, and then built eat Fit Farm in beerrima in the Southern Highlands and grew.
Organic vegetables to go into the meals.
So it was quite quite a journey and ended up I think when I sold it was doing ten thousand meals a week.
Wow. So yeah, quite a great journey and learning.
It's really interesting you talking about health back then, because health was all about prevention, wasn't it. It wasn't really a lifestyle. It wasn't a holistic approach. It was like, you get sick, you need to get healthy again. And it's amazing how it's just shifted in well two decades, is to health being so much a part of well our lives, and how well.
For most of it for many of us anyway.
Yeah, Well, I think, as you know, when you eat well and you exercise and you do feel so much better, So it's not even about the way you look anymore, and it's about the way that you feel and waking up every day and feeling focused and you know, bouncing out.
Of bed with new ideas and all of that is.
A direct reflection of meals. And I guess that's why Eat Fit Food was so successful, as we change people's lives just won meal the time.
Yeah, now, a lot.
Of people listening would probably be thinking, Oh, I want a bit of that success for myself. How do I you know, and whatever industry you're passionate about or whatever area of health, talk to us about, you know, if we do have these ideas and perhaps you know, goals for twenty twenty five, let's talk about how we can a bit of a roadmap of how we can make them them happen. Talk to us about the question of what is it you exactly want, because that's really the start when it comes to building something.
Yeah, and it's funny, it's the first chapter in my book. And it's also I've just launched an online course and it's the first lesson and the online course. If you don't know what it is you actually want, how do you know where you're going and how do you know how you're going to get there? So by re reversing and working out, you know, writing down what worked for you last year, what did you enjoy, where did you maybe fall back in things that you didn't achieve that you were wishing to achieve. And then something I work with my clients on all the time is right your perfect day, So with no limits or boundaries, Grab a piece of paper, go outside and write a story about your perfect day from So start it from the beginning, when you wake up, where are you, who's with you, what do you eat, what's the.
Weather light, what are you wearing?
And write the story of your perfect day from the time you wake up to the time you go to bed and everything in between. And it's amazing what it does. It starts that visualization of you know, what is it that you really want? And I think we are blocked so often by oh, no I can't do this, or no no I can't, I couldn't do that because of this I couldn't, So we actually block ourselves from think from achieving what it is we really want. So that's a really nice way of being able to create and visualize and just write it down. And you find yourself when you're going through little tricky times and ups and downs, you can come back to, oh what was in my story of my perfect day? You can automatically take yourself back to a more positive, happy place.
So yeah, I mean, I think this is a of this whole concept. I've never done it, and I actually went and did it after you, after I saw it in your book What is Your Perfect Day?
Wow? Interesting what it is now.
So I first did this when I was in the crunch of my business. So I had three children within two years two months. I had a kitchen in Sydney. I had a kitchen in Melbourne, the business running twenty four hours a day. I had one hundred acre farm and bearrimer growing vegetables, picking them, taking them back on the weekend day.
And I was I get at breaking point.
I'd you know, I am a go getter, and I want to do this and this and this, and then I've just reached a point. I was like, I'd lost complete vision of what it was I actually wanted. And I'd build this hugely successful business and I had a family, but there was some kind of something inside. I was like, I'm not sure if this is what I want anymore. So I wrote myself a story and it was, you know, spending more time with my family. It was being by the sea and eating incredible food, obviously, and just having more time to be.
Present with the ones that I loved.
And I guess back then I was up and out the door at six am and giving my little ones a kiss on the cheek at seven o'clock at night, and you know that was left a bit of a whole of being a new mum with you know, one two and three year old that some things.
Need to change.
So anyway, flash back to today and I'm helping people to start grow and grow their businesses and get their lives back on track.
But I do have that life now, so it worked.
You're living pre What about if you you know you want let's use the business as an example. If you want to build something, whatever it is, but your perfect day to build something takes a lot of does take work and perseverance and greet and you've and long hours sometimes, Yes, how do you marry the perfect day of Oh, I want time for me and I want time with my kids and with a car, I've got to build something as well. How does that kind of how do they come together?
So I think as far as starting or building a business, it has to be something that you were passionate about and that you love because the days are long and the days are tough, and when you're waking up and you don't really like what you're doing, it simply won't work. I mean, you know, ninety percent of businesses do fail, especially from Friday startup phase. Yes, so I would do something that you love, but work out you know with your lifestyle, do you have children?
What is it that you know your week looks like.
Is it a I'm going to put in a Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday into a startup or a business and I'm going to start making tea and I'm growing the herbs in my garden as an example, and then on Thursdays and Fridays, I'll be a full present mum and I'm there for my children. So looking out, So there's your you know, your perfect day obviously shows you the lifestyle that you want. But then re engineering, going back to starting a business, making sure that you're doing something that you love, and then it's about planning it out in a week to week basis so that you do have the time for the things that you love with your personal life outside of the business.
I mean, I think that's a really good idea because often we don't carve out that time for the things we really want to do and all of a sudden, our kids are grown up or you know, where we want to start slowing down or like, so actually being intentional about okay that Friday and being intentional.
And clear on your boundaries and not letting things seep in.
Yeah, that's exactly right. And there is time in the day.
I mean, I'm with three children now trying to spend the one on one and you would know that is very tricky, juggling everything. But this week I my son, I'm like, up, we get We're doing a five point thirty run up Mount Tropoulter in the Southern Highlands.
And he loved it.
So, you know, it was an hour in the morning before all the girls open their eyes to spend that one on one quality time with him before the day starts. So there is you know, getting up a little bit earlier is a really good way if you've got children, you know, a couple of hours before anyone even gets up, So.
This's not often they're happy to come with you.
Oh absolutely, yeah, yeah that I was quite surprised. And now he's running up, going.
Come on, you're slow. I'm like, oh god, what have I started.
You often hear you know people who is successful like I worked hard, you know, like or achieve goals, whatever it is, business life whatever, I've worked so hard. I really, you know, it's almost like a badge of honor as if it was the key to their success. What's your take on this? I mean, does being successful require hard work?
I think the word success is different for many many people. It's not necessarily building a successful business or having a wonderful career, as it could be you know, being a mark, it could be health goals. So defining success for yourself is everybody is different. So you know, working out what that what that is for you? But working hard it's a tricky one if you if you're doing what you love and you're working hard, then you're not really working at all. So I think it's all about trying to have have that balance and and just once again, you know, making sure that you're doing what you love, Like is it making jams?
Is it you know, running marathons?
What what is something that really makes you tick and and gets you out of bed and smiling?
And can I get marathons?
Yeah?
Well I I needed a half not a fool, but yeah, wow, And congratulations on that.
That's a great effort.
We'll be back after the short break with more from Bianca. What what does how do you define success? Has it changed throughout your life?
It has absolutely so.
In my earlier days starting my first business at twenty one, it was more and grow and work harder, and you know nothing, I would reach the goals and then I wanted to know, go to the next goal. So I've never looked back and went, oh, wow, you've actually done quite an incredible job here. I was always looking forward and more and more clients and more kitchens, and which was where I was back then. Now, success to me is actually taking a step back and being more present and you know, being able to help others with their businesses from the startup stage, which is something I never feel I had that support when I was starting my own business. So for me today, that is success, so very different than the hard work and driving forward.
How do you go about setting do you call them goals or for the new year? Like what's your kind of how do you approach that?
So I have a goal setting of workbook that I use with all my clients. We do it, you know, usually around this time of the year, at the end of November, so it's not a January thing, but you know, laying out what first of all, looking back and giving yourself, you know, what went really well last year?
What did I do well? Can I give myself a pat on the back.
Four So instead of just constantly looking forward, looking back, giving yourself a little award ceremony at the end of the year, and then you know, planning it out. What is important for me in the new year. Is it being healthier, is it starting a new business, is it starting a family? What might be those things that you would like to achieve in the new year. And then with the way I work with my clients, we break it down kind of month by month. So rather than writing a whole set of goals and then they sit in the drawer and no one ever achieves them, is breaking it down. So I've just wrote a book. It took me, you know, twelve months to write the book. So I broke it down in you know, March, in January, I'll have the first quarter written. In March, I'll have the half of it written, and then I'll edit it.
So I broke it.
All down into smaller goals. So when I look back on my quarterly checking sessions, then I can see that I was moving forward, although it was a marathon, not a spranch.
Yeah, it's a slower process writing a book, yeah, yeah, very much.
So.
Yeah, I think often we set goals. But perhaps one thing that comes through in your book and you've probably know and what you've talked about today, is that manifesting success actually takes a lot of self awareness and inner work. Yes, and it's about well questioning, you know, your beliefs, what you're telling, your stories. Talk to us a bit about this. I mean, how do you do check in with yourself and what are some daily practices and how does this influence success?
So like within my business, we would have a Monday morning catch up. What's worked, what hasn't you know, what are the opportunities that lie ahead? So it's having that check in with yourself once a week. So on a Monday morning, he's sitting down what was great about last week? Was it wasn't so great? What opportunities lie ahead? What you know, what could I do to improve myself next week? And really breaking it down to kind of you know, three things that you would do that week to be able to you know, move forward in a more positive, positive way. So rather than looking at things you know overall and they're so big, because I think when we set those goals that are too big or you know, I want to run ten marathons, in twenty.
Twenty five, and then you don't.
It has a reverse effect of oh well I tried to set goals and I didn't achieve that, so now I'm not even going to try anymore. So just making them really small and really achievable.
And having a like sitting down and having.
A real talk to yourself every Monday morning, you know, in the bathroom.
Your yeah, pep talk. Yeah, a Monday morning, people talking to you.
I think their thing is making yourself accountable to other people as well, like telling yourself but also telling those around you. I think, you know, just back to my half marathon this year. At the beginning of the year, I actually told people I'm going to run a half marathon, and once you tell people you actually have to do it, it's a bit more pride and shame involved in not doing it.
So what have you got on your list for twenty twenty.
Five, Well, I am I've just launched the Bianca Monley Academy, which is incredible, so helping people with their mindset and entrepreneurs to start, grow and scale businesses. So building a community of events in Sydney and in the Southern Highlands where we'll be doing everything we've just talked about, you know, Manifesting days and vision Boarding.
Days South Wales Non New South Wales.
Yeah, but also online that.
Yeah, I've just built an online course which I'll be launching in January, and that goes through everything, if you know, starting scaling business, but going through all the mindset and everything we just talked about as well. So yeah, and you know speaking getting on stages and motivational speaking. I've just done a little bit at the Body, Mind and Spirit Festival about how with the power of the mind you can achieve anything and you know using I guess I lost my parents at a very young age and that was the driving force to my success with the business was I channeled all that hurt and pain into right, I'm going to work and I'm going into eat fit food to make meals and change the lives of people. So my speaking is about you know, everyone goes through hardships. It's a part of life. But if we can take that energy and channel it into something that we really really love to do, then it can be useful.
Is there anything non business related you want to achieve?
Next to you?
I think.
I grow more veggies, grow more veggies, more cooking. I absolutely love, you know, love cooking and making, you know, more so these days it's you know, beautiful cheesecakes, the kids and catering and doing all of that more more exercise, but you know, just slowing down a bit as well.
I'm being more present and just enjoying life with my three beautiful children and my family.
Well, all the best for next year, yeah, we'll see soon.
Thank you.
You know.
I love the idea of writing your perfect day. I implore you all to do it and stick it up on your wall and hopefully in twenty twenty five you can manifest whatever it looks like and actually live it. I hope you did enjoy this chat. If you did, you can tell us review this episode, subscribe to this podcast anything else at to bodyansoul dot com.
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Thanks again for listening and stays to healthy