We are at our fourth “Real World” Women interview series, and I am SUPER excited to introduce you to Melbourne based, dynamic sister duo Grace and Georgie Gorman! Grace and Georgie are co-owners of Holistic Sister, a Melbourne based fitness and wellness hub inspired by women, for women. Combining carefully designed small group classes, nutritional support and education, the Holistic Sister vision is to provide a ‘stage’ for all women to be their best. With an already insane schedule both ladies still find time to explore all that life has to offer and I can’t wait for you to hear about their lessons and learnings below!
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Ladies, we are so excited to hear your stories – to get us started, in a couple of sentences can you please give us a bit of a bio of who you are, what you do and what lights you up?
Grace – I’m a Brand General Manager of ladies Fashion Brand Elka Collective, a shopping enthusiast with a love & appreciation for how products are designed, made & make people feel. I love beautiful quality products that are made with love and care. I’m a denim addict, intrigued by human psychology, a people watcher and Holistic Sister Part-Owner. I am a keen student to all thing’s health and fitness, but above all, I’m Mum to my beautiful little boy Oscar.
Georgie – I’m a Holistic Strength Coach, nutritional medicine student, food enthusiast, dog lover and secret introvert. I am also the other half of Holistic Sister!
I am fascinated by the human body, it’s innate knowledge and wisdom to heal itself, and its reaction to external & internal stimuli. With this, I love helping others recognise that the answers to their health questions are pretty close by, and very rarely come from fancy packaged miracle cures.
Georgie, what is the biggest personal risk you have taken and how did you arrive at the decision to take the leap?
Investing EVERYTHING (incl. my entire being) into opening Holistic Sister. Opening a business was way outside my comfort zone, and would not have been possible without Grace’s (business experienced) nonchalant ‘can do’ attitude.
It’s been the most wonderful learning experience of my life.
With so much going on in your lives, how do you both stay motivated and how do you work out what you want to achieve in your life?
Grace – My surroundings keep me motivated. My family, work colleagues, Georgie, a general love for this amazing life we have and a love of getting shit done. I get an unhealthy satisfaction from ticking off lists. I don’t (anymore) have large “I want to be blah blah blah” goals - continued learning & experiences will take me to where I am meant to be. My biggest goal right now, is my 1-year old baby boy and providing him with the best opportunity to be his best in the future.
Georgie – Staying motivated is the easy part when you’re living your passion day in day out. Especially when your surrounded by beautiful strong women at 6am every morning to remind you how lucky you are to live this life. The hardest part right now is finding the time to fulfil all the things I’d like to achieve, for myself and the business. I’d buy time if I could.
Grace, as well as being part-owner of Holistic Sister, you are also the Brand General Manager for women’s fashion label, Elka Collective AND recently became a mumma to a beautiful baby boy – how the hell do you juggle it all?
Grace – Sometimes I really don’t know - the juggle is real! But, that’s life. For me (& I am sure many other Mum’s) it’s in the prior planning and organisation that keeps me sane. Being resilient to change and adaptable when things don’t go to plan also helps avoid mental breakdowns. At the end of the day you just do what you can do.
When we talk about success, it often means different things to different people depending on what is most important to them – In one sentence, how would you both describe your own unique definition of success?
Georgie – For me; success is waking up happy to go to work, accepting responsibility for each challenge as my own, and seeing them as potential opportunities for growth.
And comfortably being able to buy avocados.. all of the avocados.
Grace – For me personally, success is feeling happy and content with work, home and within myself. When I take care of myself, replenishing with the right foods, physically feeling strong and fit, and taking care of my mental health too, I’ve always found that the path for achievement / success opens up naturally. I’m a firm believer in hard work pays off, I know no better.
You are both successful business women who have had amazing journeys so far. You must have times where you experience Imposter Syndrome, or the feeling of overthinking, second guessing yourself, etc. How do you deal with this and what advice would you have for other women who doubt themselves?
Georgie - Every damn day! Imposter Syndrome is the worst. And is debilitating to your growth, in all aspects of life.
Unfortunately (or fortunately) modern society leads us to believe that everyone else is an expert, and has their sh*t together. The truth is, most successful people don’t know what the f*ck their doing, but are willing to let their ego subside, and have a crack at what they believe in anyway. Trust your intuition; learn to listen and act on your gut (not your head), it’s often the wiser of the two. And if you’re far removed from your own self-awareness. Learn to meditate. Then...push your own boundaries. Nothing happens inside your comfort zone.
Grace – I am often overthinking or self-doubting, but I’ve learnt over time that those voices are just trying to protect you from the potential “danger” of failing. Once you thank them for the advice and let it go, just have a crack… trust and back yourself, and at the end of the day reflect on what is the worst worst worst that is really going to happen if you do make a mistake - probably not much you won’t be able to navigate through.
Grace, as you know, the Eating your cake too methodology talks a lot about getting the fuck out of your own head and your own way. Can you tell us about a time where YOU were the one getting in your own way, how did you realise it and what did you do about it?
Grace: Haha, there are probably quite a few I could talk about, but in the early days of my career I was very protective (preferred doing everything myself), which in turn meant I was putting far too much pressure on myself and burning the candles at both ends. One of my biggest learnings was to trust people. Accept and understand that people are always trying to do their best. Include others on the journey with you, including all stakeholders, up, down and sideways. They’ll be more inclined to want to work with you and the results are ALWAYS better with a team. Plus, it’s much more fun working with others, I love seeing others flourish.
Georgie, what would you say has been your biggest lesson learnt through the start-up of Holistic Sister?
Geez, where do I start? I’ve learnt more in the last 2-3 years than the previous 28.
I’ll leave it at this; ‘The Obstacle is the way’ – Ryan Holiday
Grace, what advice do you have for women who wonder if they can manage the mumma juggle, or feel like they have to make a choice between a career and motherhood?
Do what makes you happy. Whether that be being home full-time, working fulltime, part-time, do what makes you happy as that will rub off on the rest of your life.
I feel very fortunate to work in a very flexible and fair working environment that 110% walks the walk and talks the talk when it comes to supporting working mothers. This is key to my happy working and home environment. You can definitely do both if you want to, it certainly doesn’t come without challenges and sacrifices, but I stand by anything is possible if you want it.
Georgie, what do you think often prevents women from asking for what they want, and what advice do you have for the EYCT community to help them build confidence?
The ego. We are so caught up in our own heads, and forever wanting to keep up appearances that we limit our potential from fear of failure, looking silly, and/or the feeling of not being worthy.
Failing or looking silly might happen at some stage, and that’s ok. That’s normal. You just need to remember, no one else actually gives a f*ck, so don’t believe that society see’s your failures the same way you do.
The hard stuff is the best stuff. That’s where you learn, and become the master of your craft.
Lastly...The world around you will keep on spinning, so don’t get left behind dwelling in self-doubt.
Thank you so much ladies for your taking the time to share your stories with out community!
If you have any other questions you would like to ask Grace, Georgie or myself, please flick me through an email at yo****@ea***************.com
If this interview has prompted you to want to start focusing more on YOU, your goals or your career aspirations, then perhaps it is time to book a free coaching consult with me – check it out HERE.
