From Corporate Life to Entrepreneurship: Vanessa Medling's Inspiring Journey

In this episode, Liz chats with Vanessa to discover her path from Corporate employee to self employed. 
Ness paints a vivid picture of the power of community and collaboration. She shares the story of a networking group she co-created to support women taking their first steps into business. Discover how this group became a strong support system, contributing to the success of many businesses in East Gippsland. We also chat about her popular podcast 'Thriving in Business Together', where she and her business partner Nikki offer invaluable insights for entrepreneurs. Tune into this inspiring conversation and witness how resilience, innovation, and courage can shape your professional life. 
A tale of transformation awaits you!

Transcript

Speaker 1: 0:21

Welcome to the Rural Venture Collective podcast, the show that celebrates the strength, innovation and resilience of women across East Gippsland. Whether you're a local resident or someone curious about the unique spirit of East Gippsland, this podcast is for you. Together, we'll explore the triumphs, the lessons learned and the dreams that fuel these East Gippsland women. Through this podcast, we'll dive into the heart of East Gippsland and shine a spotlight on the incredible women who are shaping business, creating art, nurturing the land and fostering connections across this vast region. Get ready to be inspired, to learn and to be a part of a collection that celebrates the shared experiences that make East Gippsland more than just a place but a home. So grab a cup of your favourite local brew, find a cosy spot and tune in as we embark on a journey of connection and discovery together.

Speaker 2: 1:19

We would like to acknowledge the traditional custodians of the country throughout Australia and their connection to the land, sea and community. We pay our respects to the elders, past and present, and extend that respect to all Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people today.

Speaker 1: 1:45

Hello everyone and welcome to the Rural Venture Collective. I'm your host, Liz Weischel, and I'm delighted to welcome today's guest, Vanessa Medling. Ness has had a fabulously interesting professional life and I'm keen to chat more about it. Thanks for joining us in the studio and welcome to the Rural Venture Collective Ness.

Speaker 3: 2:12

Thank you so much for having me. I'm really honoured to be here.

Speaker 1: 2:15

Talk to us a little bit Ness about how you transitioned from working in local government to operating your own business, sure thing.

Speaker 3: 2:23

It probably goes back to 2013. That was the year that I did the GCLP program, so the Gippsland Community Leadership Program and at the time I'd been in my job for a very long time and I was probably getting just a little bit. I'd outgrown it and one of the things that this community leadership program sort of exposed me to was not only all of Gippsland which was pretty amazing, having worked in Benzdale for such a long time but also every program day. We would go and listen to people who were so passionate about what they did and that would inspire me. And I'd be driving home and I used to think imagine what it'd feel like to be that passionate about what you did.

Speaker 3: 3:07

And then, at the end of 2013, a relationship I'd been in for a few years that I thought was going to be a forever relationship kind of ended suddenly and I didn't see that coming.

Speaker 3: 3:15

So I really went into a bit of a pity party for a few months and just thought you know, I could wake up and be in the same job in 10 years time and my life will go past me. What I thought was going to happen in my future wasn't and I could create the future that I wanted to. And what did I want to do? And it was really just by chance. I went to a party and somebody told me about a book, and I read this book and right at the end it mentioned coaching and I thought I reckon I could do that. I think I'd be pretty good at that. So I went off and found a place that I ended up doing four years of training with them and about 12 months after I started my study, I bit the bullet and left my safe, well-paying job to start a business, and I had absolutely no idea what I was doing so.

Speaker 3: 4:10

It was just a bit hectic and crazy. But here I am, gosh, eight years later and two businesses under my belt, and it was the best thing that ever could happen. And you know, sometimes that happens, doesn't it? You think you're experiencing the worst thing in your life and it ends up being this golden opportunity just to create something completely different.

Speaker 3: 4:32

Absolutely, and it's always good to look at in hindsight and recognise that yes there are two ways you can go when you hit that kind of fork in the road. Right, you can either stay put, stay sad, think the world's happening to you and you don't have any control over it, or you get up, you dust yourself off and you create the next phase of life. So I like to think that I've been a good role model to my children around that kind of thing as well.

Speaker 1: 5:01

So you took part in the leadership program. You got some training under your belt. Did you take any other inspiration from community leaders or other women in the community or other people in the community?

Speaker 3: 5:11

Absolutely. I mean, one of the aspects of the community leadership program is to do a community project and it's very community focused and I think that that gave me the opportunity to see that there are people out there doing amazing things and, as part of the alumni of the program, it's great to see every year the projects just get better and bigger and make a bigger impact. And I think that for me at the time, looking to start a new business, there weren't a lot of networking opportunities around band style and Painesville where I lived, and it was really just the opportunity. Like I connected to one lady through her sister and then another group of mums at the school and we just had this passion to make a difference and to support each other as we were starting our businesses but also support other women. And that's how we decided.

Speaker 3: 6:05

It's back in the day.

Speaker 3: 6:06

I don't know if anyone listening will remember it, but it was called the PNBN and we partnered with the Painesville Neighborhood Centre and created a networking night once a month where women who were running their own businesses or wanted to run their own businesses could come together, connect with other women and learn, in fact, a lot of the people that were there.

Speaker 3: 6:28

A lot of the women that I met there I'm still connected to and still friends with and all these years later, still watching their businesses grow and take form and develop, and just that amazing support. I think that was the key that I learned from growing a business in a regional area that didn't have the opportunities that my colleagues were talking about in Melbourne. It's the philosophy of if it's not here yet, go and create it, and I think that that for me around that time, connecting with those amazing women one of them I know has been on this podcast already, karen I just think that that is where we get to make things happen and where we get to create not just for ourselves but for others, and I know that group made a difference. I remember stories of people talking about how they felt and then what that community group did for them and the inspiration and courage it gave them to go on and do bigger and better things.

Speaker 1: 7:26

Yeah, great. So supporting one another to watch everybody grow, personally and professionally 100%, and I think that was the thing.

Speaker 3: 7:33

We were just always there, supporting each other, and the four of us created what we called our own mastermind, before it was even such a thing. So it really is about looking at opportunities to give support and receive support, because I think, especially if you're running your own business and you're a solo operator, it can be really lonely. You know, coming from a working in corporate where there's a lot of people around you every day. I remember the first few months of my business going well.

Speaker 3: 8:04

I always had a manager I could ask a question of. I'm looking over both shoulders, going who can? I ask? Oh, that would be me. Now I have to come up with the answer and I don't know what that answer is. And that's where connecting to others, especially if they're on a similar path, experiencing similar things to you, and I know part of the success I've had in businesses being because of the people I have around me, not just because of what I've done. It's the clients that I've worked with, a lot of them around East Gippsland and it's the ability to just have a shoulder to lean on and somebody who can give you some great insights or ask great questions at the right time.

Speaker 1: 8:45

Great. So collaboration is something that you do in your everyday work, and I should comment that I feel like I'm interviewing the podcast queen here, because you collaborate with a friend, nikki, on Thriving in Business, together with Nikki and Ness a very successful podcast series.

Speaker 3: 9:03

Yes, well, she's one of my closest friends and she's my business partner, nikki Miklosch Woodley. So Nikki and I met many years ago when we were training to become coaches, and just connected and stayed friends, and now we run business together. Nikki lives up in Queensland and I live in Victoria. So and we started this business, strangely enough, way back in you know, that time that we never talk about, I had an old photo of me, she had an old photo of her. We mushed them together and for 18 months before we could be in the same room together to get new photos, that was our business photo, right? And so we've now been in business for over two years and at the beginning of this year, our mentor said to us why don't you start an accidental podcast? And we went sure, that sounds easy. Accidental podcast Meaning you don't have to make it perfect. Why don't you just stumble into it and see where it takes you?

Speaker 3: 10:00

And podcasting isn't as easy as falling into it. There's a lot behind the scenes, but, my goodness, we love it so much. We love talking about the topic, which is all about helping particularly women. But really cool people thrive in business without burning out, and to do that it's really about breaking cycles, about how we should be doing business and creating a thriving business. That is all about making sure that you prioritise life just as equally as you look to business growth and look to how you manage your money. And so we love doing this podcast, we love a chat and we do interviews and we also talk a lot around helping people understand, you know, all the different aspects of getting out of the busy trap, getting off Juggle Street and stop feeling like business is chaotic, because the people that we talk to really want to achieve time freedom. They want peak performance for themselves and their teams and they want to look at how to grow their business in a smart way.

Speaker 1: 11:04

As someone deeply connected to the East Gippsland community, what do you think the strengths and opportunities for the region's growth and development are?

Speaker 3: 11:12

Well, I can't go past the word collaboration. What I see from being a member on the board of East Gippsland marketing is the opportunity for smart people who are passionate about this region, who want to see it thrive, who want to support others coming together to make things happen. It's really about what we can achieve together is so much more than just what one voice over here and one voice over there can.

Speaker 1: 11:41

You referred earlier to being a board member on Eskips Land Marketing, or EGMI as it's known locally. What advice would you give to other people who are interested in getting involved in organisations like EGMI and other regional and community organisations that really can have an impact on their direction of their community?

Speaker 3: 12:01

Well, the first thing I'd say is that it is extremely rewarding to be involved in a volunteer capacity on any kind of not-for-profit or somewhere, like I just mentioned that, where you're making a difference. So I would say that, if it's interesting, new in any way there are so many wonderful boards out there doing great things Connect with people, talk to them, ask them what they love about it, ask them how they feel like they can contribute and make a difference and really be aligned to whatever it is that you're going into, so you can bring that passion with you.

Speaker 1: 12:36

And what you've said before is absolutely correct the skills and experience around the board, in particular the EGMI board, but other boards all over the region. There's a lot that you take away from it as well. So it's not just contributing, it's the learning along the way that we get from working with these amazing people.

Speaker 3: 12:56

Absolutely, and it's the connections and friendships that you make as well, and what I love about it is that it's a group of like-minded people. However, people with a different perspective, and you want to be able to have a contribution, but we don't all agree necessarily, but it's really respectful and we get to talk things through and nut it out, because, really, I think board roles are really important because it helps set the strategic direction of wherever that business is going and we get the opportunity to recruit amazing people like you and making a difference, and I applaud you and the team for this amazing podcast and I'm super grateful to be one of your guests.

Speaker 1: 13:37

Well, we're delighted to have you here. So, ness, tell me what's next, what's next for you, what's in the short term and the medium term plan for your business and for you personally.

Speaker 3: 13:48

Wow, I'll get my crystal ball out. You can borrow mine if you like. Look, I don't know that. There's a straightforward answer to that. The business is still going. We love what we're doing. We work with corporates and we work with small business owners and bringing that leadership experience but also bringing in our business experience. So it's that sort of like big organization thinking with the agileness of the small business. So Nikki and I continue to support businesses still in East Gippsland and right across Eastern Australia with her presence up in Queensland. So that will still be a part of it. My children have grown up, my son's moved to Queensland, my daughter is still here and I've decided there's another adventure awaiting me in the future. So I have put a foot outside of Gippsland for now, but still very deeply connected in here and just going to wait and see where the cards fall.

Speaker 1: 14:42

Well, we look forward to watching, we look forward to listening on the thriving in business together with Nikki and Ness and Ness Medling. Can I thank you for joining us in the studio today, so welcome.

Speaker 3: 14:53

Thanks for having me.

Speaker 1: 14:59

Well, that's us for today. Thanks for joining us on the rural venture collective. Remember to like and subscribe so you'll be updated when our next podcast lands. Most importantly, stay connected and get out there and enjoy our beautiful East Gippsland Bye. This podcast is brought to you by East Gippsland Marketing with the support of the Victorian Government, recorded at the James Yates Studio, bend style.