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Lucy

We're back and welcoming a well-loved friend of moms and co to my mission today. Kate Christie is a bestselling an award winning author of five books Time management and goal setting. Expert, international speaker, media commentator, corporate advisor and coach, and a moms and co expert to boot.

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Lucy

Kate, welcome back to my mission. It's been a while.

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Kate

know Lucy, and I have missed

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Lucy

Know I've missed you, too. And I'm really looking forward to sharing all the wonderful things that you've done. I think you were one of our first podcast seasons when we started this podcast.

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Lucy

So that's two years ago now, which is unbelievable. So. We thank you so much. 100 episodes. Nothing to sniff at, you know. Yeah. So I'd like to open our conversation up today with the opportunity for you to give us your 32nd pitch for your business and yourself.

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Kate

Okay. My name is Kate Christy. I am a time management and goal setting expert and the bestselling author of five books and I am a speaker coaching consultant. And my job, essentially is to help you find the time you need to design and live the life that you love.

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Lucy

Perfect. And, of course, being a time management expert, you would have perfectly nailed that in 30s. Down to the point. So you started your business a while ago now because you wanted a better work life balance. You had three small children, and you were working in. You're a corporate lawyer? Way back then. I know, you know, a lot has evolved since that time, but a lot of our community are who you were.

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Lucy

So if you can just take your imagination or your memory back to that time where you first started the very first business that you had. What do you wish that you'd really know? And is there one thing that you wish you'd known then that would have changed things?

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Kate

we we do often, and we all should reflect. We all should sort of think back as to what happened and how we went about it. What can we have done differently and all of that?

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Speaker 1

Yeah.

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Speaker 1

Yeah.

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Speaker 1

And I think.

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Unknown

That.

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Speaker 1

Yeah.

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Lucy

Someone like, Super interesting. Super interesting. And also, I mean, I know, you know, the whole world came online, you know, during Covid. Really? And but mums and co's probably always had that online community network anyway. But I guess when you started that wasn't such a big thing. The online world. So it was probably more about using the connections that you were creating in the, in the real life, in the real world.

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Kate

and also just about understanding the

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Speaker 1

Often.

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Speaker 1

Yeah.

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00:05:05:12 - 00:05:27:20

Lucy

Yeah, 100%. So time is your expertise, and you have been helping out some of our wonderful members, you know, for the past nearly four years. With wonderful sessions. And when it comes to your own work, though, and your own business. Now, I know you're someone who walks your own talk. So you do what you teach others to do.

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00:05:27:22 - 00:05:44:08

Lucy

But how do you make that decision when you've got lots of things coming at you at once? And you know, it doesn't mean that bad. Can sometimes be lots of great opportunities at once. But how do you make that decision on on when to work, on what to work on, when?

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Kate

I guess there's a simple process I follow. The first thing is that I've been very, very clear, on just understanding the type of business I'm in. So a couple of years ago, I thought about it, and I made the decision is my business is scalable. Business or is my business a lifestyle business? So the first decision I made was that I wanted it to be a lifestyle business.

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Kate

I wanted to enjoy what I was doing. I wanted to enjoy who I was working with, so I didn't want to take over the world. And so I basically came at it from the premise of how much do I need to earn each month in my business to live the life I want to

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Speaker 1

Yeah.

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Kate

So it was the first decision, the second decision as I got very, very clear on what it was that I most valued. So not what are my values. You know, you know, your values dictate the way you behave.

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Kate

The question I asked is what do I

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Speaker 1

And.

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Kate

for me.

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Kate

You also get very used to asserting and understanding your boundaries. You know, a lot of people are going to come to you for advice. A lot of people are going to come to you and want what you deliver for

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Speaker 1

Yeah.

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Lucy

You.

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Kate

understanding that and having really hard and fast rules about where you're going to invest your time away.

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Kate

You're not going to invest your time.

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Lucy

I absolutely love. I love that, And I wonder, you know, you've worked very hard to get to the place that you're in, that you're able to do that. Do you think that's something you can start off doing? I mean, obviously, it's really important to know your values from the word go. As you've said,

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Lucy

but maybe that takes practice.

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Lucy

Or does it take success to kind of.

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Speaker 1

Yeah.

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Kate

out and you, you're running a business, and say, for example, you want to be a speaker, then you do take all the free speaking opportunities you

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Speaker 1

Yep.

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Speaker 1

Yeah.

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Speaker 1

Yeah,

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Speaker 1

Yeah.

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Speaker 1

Yeah.

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Speaker 1

But I.

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Speaker 1

Yeah.

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Lucy

Yeah. It's all about planning. That's what I'm here. This being about conscious and planning. So we're in this interesting, you know, space and time now in the world where you're hitting, being hit over the head all the time by things like AI and

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Lucy

how we can use that to streamline our lives and our meetings and changing the way we work and all those kind of things.

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Lucy

Do you think, how do you see that changing if you do see it changing the way people are approaching the value that they place on time?

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Kate

I think that I is, it's, it's a tool. It's an enabler. Like any tool you need to invest time to learn how to use it properly.

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Speaker 1

Yeah.

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Unknown

You know.

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Speaker 1

Yeah.

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Lucy

Very true, very, very true. And speaking of tools, can you share, you know, one tech tool maybe that you use in your own work life and one that you might use at home that you value if you use them.

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Kate

in my work life, I, I have a couple I use. I mean, I'm addicted to zoom.

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Speaker 1

Yeah,

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Kate

I'm at that stage in my life where I'm thinking of, you know, being working more remotely, being a bit of a digital nomad.

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Kate

I've got plans in place to make that happen. And Covid accelerated that opportunity for me because people became so used to, dealing with each other online. So zoom is a tool that I use a lot. And, every day without without doubt. And it has definitely made my life a lot easier to reduce the amount of travel I have to do.

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Kate

It's, you know, sometimes you'll have a client who, you know, really wants to see you face to face or may have a speaking gig, and, you know, so I travel up the night before because the airlines are no longer completely reliable. I do my gig and I fly back, and it's almost like a 24 hour experience.

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00:14:50:20 - 00:15:05:07

Kate

Whereas if I do something like that online, it's a two hour experience. So zoom definitely has changed everything. In terms of private life, personal life, probably not. I'm I'm trying to actually, I

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Kate

do take a B. I get into like, everybody, I probably get into a few bad habits, you know, where I wake up and I sort of, you know, check the age and then I check the ABC website and then I, you know, check Insta.

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Kate

And it's a bloody slippery slope. So, I'm really trying to detox from all of that in my private life.

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00:15:28:03 - 00:15:35:03

Lucy

love that. Good reminder too. But. Yes. Excuse me. Is a slippery slope in the mornings. I agree.

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Lucy

Thank you for sharing that. So in recent years, we've really watched your business thrive. Lots of speaking opportunities as you've referred to there. And incredible book writing. But what I really want to focus on is the wonderful book that you published early last year called The Life List.

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Lucy

Tell us a bit about that and also about the process of writing a book. But tell us about the book first.

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Kate

Yeah. Okay. So look the life list is essentially a goal setting book. And there's a I guess is a really lovely segue between eating what I typically write about, which is how to find

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Lucy

Yeah.

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Lucy

Trajectory.

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Lucy

That's heartbreaking. Yeah. Yeah.

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Kate

You know, a bucket list is what do I want to do before I die? And it's everything we put off until we kind of 80. I don't want to put off leaving till then. So the life list is a list. And how to write a list of everything you want to do while you still young enough to love it and live it.

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Kate

And and it includes frameworks and practical advice for how to live life right now, and how to set goals and how to, you know, climb the mountain without feeling overwhelmed by every step you have to take.

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00:20:02:05 - 00:20:23:18

Lucy

How beautiful. Gosh, what a journey you've been on with that to. Unbelievable.

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Kate

that as time passes, they start to realize everything that they're going to miss out on.

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Kate

And it's, you know, it's devastating. It's. And, you know, I just don't want anyone to sort of I don't want any of my readers to have the catalyst changing tragedy in order to change. I'd like everyone to pick up that book and think, shit, that could happen to me. I want to lead differently from today on, just in case.

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00:20:55:16 - 00:21:00:05

Lucy

Incredible. Incredible gift that you passing on to everyone with that too.

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Speaker 2

Yeah.

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Kate

Look, I, I, I think and I get emails from women all around the world sort of saying, you know, thank you and sharing their stories because we've all got tragedy in our lives. You know, you don't kind of get to our age without having had a break of a marriage or a death of a parent or death of a partner, or I had a exchange with a lady the other day who she read the life list when her nephew, a little four year old nephew, was

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00:21:29:13 - 00:21:31:05

Speaker 1

Oh, God.

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00:21:58:02 - 00:22:03:03

Speaker 1

Oh, wow.

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00:22:03:05 - 00:22:09:22

Lucy

It's going to say how does that make you feel when people that people are sharing this stuff with you. How does it feel.

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00:22:09:22 - 00:22:25:07

Kate

it feels firstly, it feels heartbreaking because I read the stories and literally cry every email I receive. But then I just feel so incredibly privileged that firstly, the person took the time out to write to

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Speaker 1

I. Yeah.

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Speaker 1

Yeah.

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00:23:23:23 - 00:23:34:13

Lucy

Just extraordinary. Congratulations. That's just a real a real achievement in in every possible way with that book. I feel. Absolutely.

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Speaker 1

I mean, the latest.

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Kate

news is that it's, being published in China.

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00:23:38:21 - 00:23:40:11

Speaker 1

What?

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00:24:11:09 - 00:24:12:18

Lucy

So. Sure.

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00:24:23:21 - 00:24:33:13

Kate

is, is really critical. I had a, discussion last week with these an Australian represent represent entities,

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Kate

based in Shanghai and and her role is basically to facilitate Australia and business people exporting and developing business opportunities in China.

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00:24:43:17 - 00:24:49:14

Speaker 1

Ten.

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00:24:49:16 - 00:24:56:19

Lucy

How phenomenal. Kate.

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00:24:56:21 - 00:24:59:13

Lucy

No, no.

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00:24:59:15 - 00:25:01:03

Speaker 1

Three.

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00:25:01:05 - 00:25:24:03

Lucy

Just amazing and so interesting. Their your insight about the awareness in in China the female coming of. Yeah. How you expressed it was beautiful. That's fascinating. All fascinating. Well done. Well, please tell us all about that after it happens. I wanted to ask you. Good. I wanted to ask you, actually, about the process of of writing a book.

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00:25:24:03 - 00:25:41:16

Lucy

Because, I mean, that wasn't just the only thing that you were doing at the time. You were clearly running the business also. How did how did that I mean, that's not the first book you've written either. I do understand that, but what what has the process of writing books taught you about productivity?

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Kate

Yeah. Yeah. So look in the past so I've written five books. My

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Speaker 1

Yeah.

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00:25:58:21 - 00:26:01:04

Lucy

The way through it.

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00:26:01:06 - 00:26:02:07

Speaker 1

Yeah.

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00:26:31:18 - 00:26:33:01

Speaker 1

Stuff.

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00:28:49:08 - 00:28:51:04

Lucy

Oh, beautiful.

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00:28:54:18 - 00:29:11:21

Lucy

So so beautiful. Extraordinary. Thank you so much for sharing all that with us. Makes my next question feel very, very left. Feels. Yeah.

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00:29:15:01 - 00:29:36:00

Lucy

Well, I mean, I don't know, is risk fun? So my question is around risk because it's something we ask all of our guests. And, you know, when we were reflecting on our last 100 episodes, it's like it's often the really interesting answer in terms of, I think often people go, oh, women don't really women in business don't really think about risk.

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00:29:36:00 - 00:29:53:01

Lucy

But yes, they do. And actually, thank you very much. We are very good at it and we're very good at mitigating it. And I have no doubt that you are two also you have you come to this with your legal background? So my question is, what processes do you use to navigate risk in your business? You've kind of alluded to some of them anyway.

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00:29:53:02 - 00:30:00:10

Lucy

Obviously, even with the book you took you you mitigated risk there. Within your family.

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00:30:00:11 - 00:30:01:17

Speaker 1

Yeah.

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00:30:01:17 - 00:30:21:02

Kate

that I do in my life I'm a planner. So I think things through and I plan them very carefully. I have all of the relevant insurances and they're up to date. I have contracts. I don't have to do any engagement with any clients without contracts.

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00:30:21:04 - 00:30:38:01

Kate

When my clients insist on using their contracts, I read every single word of that contract. It could be a 30 page contract. But I read it, and then I ask for the changes that I require. I don't do any work at all without having full payment

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00:30:40:03 - 00:30:44:03

Kate

Because I've seen a number of colleagues get caught that way.

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Kate

I also have a, I'm, I'm much better at this now, but I also, when someone approaches me and wants to work with me, particularly if they want to work with me one on one, I go through sort of a chemistry call process with them, because I want to make sure that they're the sort of person I want to work with.

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00:31:02:10 - 00:31:22:21

Kate

I want to make sure that they going to do the work. And if there's any red flag in that discussion, then I'll politely decline or I'll say I'm at capacity or whatever. I've become very good at that. And making decisions during the past often, you know, particularly really start

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00:31:56:22 - 00:31:57:20

Speaker 1

Yeah.

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00:31:58:22 - 00:32:12:22

Lucy

I love that. I love that you've got a process for that. Thank you for sharing that. And thank you for sharing all that you have. Is there anything else that you'd like to add before we wrap up? And also, is there anything we can do here at Mums and Co to help support you?

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00:32:12:22 - 00:32:32:19

Kate

Look, I think that the work mums encourage us is just fantastic in the way you support women in business. I, I, I love it. I mean, you've you've given me enormous support over the years and having me as a guest on your podcast, inviting me to speak to your members, you know, all of that. So you already support me beautifully.

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00:32:32:21 - 00:32:40:11

Kate

Thank you. Nothing that I would love to add. Apart from the fact that, you know,

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00:32:40:11 - 00:33:00:02

Kate

for everyone who's listening to these, you know, you only live once. Later might be too late. So start intentionally living a life by design right now. Do all the things that you love right now and. And hold those people you love close and and tell them how much you love them every single day.

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00:33:00:09 - 00:33:01:01

Kate

Even when they're

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00:33:01:01 - 00:33:01:04

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00:33:01:04 - 00:33:01:17

Kate

you.

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00:33:05:02 - 00:33:11:06

Lucy

Beautiful. Beautiful. Last line. Kate, thank you so very much for joining us on ambition today.

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00:33:11:06 - 00:33:25:17

Lucy

And if you'd like to hear more from Kate, there's several ways to do that. One of them, you can reach out via our Mums and Co business directory. Two, you can find Kate on Facebook and LinkedIn. And is your website the best place now?

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00:33:25:17 - 00:33:27:10

Lucy

Kate, share. Share with you.

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00:33:27:12 - 00:33:28:08

Speaker 1

I'm

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00:33:28:08 - 00:33:38:20

Kate

Christie. Secondary. You, there's contact forms on there. There's, you know, speaker inquiry forms, coaching inquiry form. So there's just, you know, hey, Kate. Forms.

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00:33:39:22 - 00:33:52:22

Lucy

Hey Kate from Love It. And, anyone looking for a great book to read over the summer because this is when this will be launching. What a great opportunity and what a great read. And please share with Kate your feedback, because I'm sure she'd love to hear your stories.

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00:33:53:20 - 00:34:07:22

Lucy

Thank you so much for joining us on the podcast by Mums and Co. This interview has been part of our wonderful summer series that will continue into early March. Before we kick off into a whole new season of mums season.

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00:34:08:00 - 00:34:25:14

Lucy

You can reach out to any of our guests in this series via our Mums and Co Business directory at WW, UK mums and code.com today you and if you have any questions whatsoever, please don't hesitate to reach out to one of our friendly team or book a member. Chat with one of us today.

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MUSIC

I know one silver lining mean.

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