Show Notes
In this episode of Changing Lanes, Susan steps into the interviewer’s seat to deep dive into Rachel’s story, who she is, what shaped her, and how her many lane changes led her to the life she has now. Rachel shares what life looked like before Changing Lanes, from studying fashion, marketing, nutrition and journalism, to working in health, becoming a mum of three, opening Pilates studios and eventually making the decision to sell the business she had built. This episode is for any woman who feels like the life, business or career she built no longer quite fits, but is not sure what comes next. In this episode, we cover: • Rachel’s story before Changing Lanes • Motherhood, business and raising three kids • Why Rachel has always loved learning, studying and exploring new paths • Her early career ideas, from fashion design to marketing, medicine, fitness and nutrition • How her different career pivots eventually started to make sense • Starting a business from home while on maternity leave • Building and running Pilates studios • The decision to sell her business and step into a new chapter • The self-doubt and emotion that came with letting go • Why selling the studios helped Rachel create a more aligned life • The messy middle of career change, motherhood and business • Why your first version does not have to be perfect • Rachel’s advice for women who know they want more CONNECT WITH US Changing Lanes Instagram → https://www.instagram.com/changinglanesthepodcast Pilates Retreat Club Instagram → https://www.instagram.com/pilatesretreatclub The Pilates Retreat Club → https://www.thepilatesretreatclub.com.au Balgownie Estate Yarra Valley Retreat → https://www.thepilatesretreatclub.com.au/barre-box-bubbles-yarravalley If you are a busy woman, mum, professional, business owner or someone quietly wondering whether the life you built still fits, subscribe to Changing Lanes for honest conversations, practical encouragement and real stories to help you navigate your next chapter with more clarity, confidence and support.
More from Changing Lanes
Join our next retreat 🧘♀️ → https://www.thepilatesretreatclub.com.au/shop Her husband was about to burn the newspaper. Then he spotted the ad. In this episode of Changing Lanes, Rachel and Susan chat with Susan Dean, founder and CEO of Dean Publishing. Susan has done it all, from working in jobs that weren’t fulfilling, to mature age study to running businesses. Then came the newspaper ad. Four words, “do you like helping people,” torn out of the paper her husband was ripping up to build a fire. She rang the number and became the world’s first female Mars Venus coach for Dr John Gray. In this episode, we cover: The newspaper ad her husband nearly burnt, and the career change that followed
Join our next retreat 🧘♀️ → https://www.thepilatesretreatclub.com.au/shop In this episode of Changing Lanes, Rachel and Susan chat with Marika about changing careers over and over again, including starting a science degree with a baby on her hip. Marika is a functional nutritionist now, but she got there the long way. She was living in New York when the GFC hit. She lost her job, her husband lost his. And with $13.67 in their account they came home. Built an e-commerce business out of her mum’s house, grew it into a store and a wholesale label, then sold it when she fell pregnant. They talk about everything from going back to uni as a mum, to losing almost everything during COVID, to her son’s autoimmune diagnosis. In this episode, we cover: Going back to uni at 30 with a six month old, and finishing just after her second baby
Join our next retreat 🧘♀️ → https://www.thepilatesretreatclub.com.au/shop You sent us your friendship breakup stories, and some of them left us speechless. In this episode of Changing Lanes, we read the stories you sent in after last week's friendship breakups episode. A best friend who had an affair with a husband and is now the children's stepmum. A mum friendship that ended with an ultimatum at a train station and then silence. A friendship from school that fell apart over a bridesmaid fitting. We couldn't fit every story into the episode, so the rest are on our Substack → https://changinglanesthepodcast.substack.com/p/the-friendship-breakups-we-never In this episode, we cover: Losing a best friend to an affair, and what happens when she becomes your children's stepmum
Join our next retreat 🧘♀️ → https://www.thepilatesretreatclub.com.au/shop Losing a friend is a breakup too, and we don't talk about it enough. In this episode of Changing Lanes, we get honest about friendships in our 30s and 40s. We talk about how friendships change through the years. What it means to outgrow friends and how it feels to be in a one-sided friendship. We both share friendship breakup stories and what it taught us. If you're going through something with a friend right now, this one's for you. In this episode, we cover: How friendships change after 30 when kids and work take over
Join our next retreat 🧘♀️ → https://www.thepilatesretreatclub.com.au/shop In this episode of Changing Lanes, Rach and Susan chat about the whys of life. These are the everyday habits that seem to come up with every woman they know. If you're a people pleaser who replays every conversation on the drive home, this one's for you. They talk about everything from why we feel guilty when we rest and how hard it is to say no without feeling guilty, to why we downplay our achievements, compare ourselves to strangers on social media and keep waiting for the right time while feeling stuck. They also get into why we seem to care less about what people think in our 40s (they're blaming the hormones). It's a fun, honest chat between two friends owning all their habits, and by the end they've decided everyone needs a little therapy. In this episode, we cover: Why we're always running late, overcommitting and leaving no buffers