Rebecca (00:00.622)
Hello and welcome to the Champagne Lounge podcast. If you're new to the show, this podcast is all about our fabulous members. Each and every week, I bring one of them on to talk about who they are, what they do, and what makes them tick. Today, I am so excited to welcome to the show Claudia Neil-Shaw, welcome.
Claudia Neal-Shaw (00:19.383)
Thank you so much for having me and for having me inside the Champagne Lounge, one of the coolest groups of women I've ever been in.
Rebecca (00:26.946)
Thanks, babe. And I know from conversations that we have had, and you've met people inside the lounge, that you've met people that you met years and years ago, or wives of husbands that you used to work with and all the things. Like it's a collective of people that seems to be bringing humans together from all areas of their lives and careers, which I'm really enjoying.
Claudia Neal-Shaw (00:47.367)
Me too. I think there's zero degrees of separation and you're only one or two questions away from finding out how you're either related to someone or you've met them before.
Rebecca (00:58.954)
in your case worked with their husband or just down the road. I love it. I love it. Now you're obviously in the champagne lounge because you are a business owner. Tell me about the start of your entrepreneurial journey. What made you start on that trip?
Claudia Neal-Shaw (01:00.491)
You're correct!
Claudia Neal-Shaw (01:15.047)
Well, my background is in law and communication. So I was always a very multi-passionate kid, multi-passionate teenager, young adult. And I studied law and comms really to pursue those two interests, very different. And I soon found out after all of that study, all of that work experience and being admitted as a lawyer that...
it probably wasn't going to be the space where I could really shine. I'm someone who is a very natural communicator, relationship builder, connector, and within the confines of law, it didn't really seem to mesh with me. So in my early twenties, I started my first business, which was just freelancing in marketing. And it was in 2019 that I decided to take that full time.
into Canda Consulting, which is it was a really traditional marketing consulting business, and has now transformed into really an educational and networking platform for incredible women in business.
Rebecca (02:20.822)
Love it, I love it. And 2019 to start a business, like we look back at that now and go, hmm, it wasn't 2020, but 2019 was very close to the beginning of the global pandemic where everything shifted and changed. And how was that for you, having taken the leap of faith to go full time in your own business, to then get faced with something like the pandemic where your whole world and the world as we knew it got turned upside down?
Claudia Neal-Shaw (02:48.151)
I think when you take a risk as a business owner, you continue to embrace risk as an everyday challenge, opportunity, and going full time in my business, it was really the financial year, that 1st of July, 2019. And so it was about kind of six months into that, that I thought, interesting, challenge accepted, this pesky little pandemic.
But I must confess, Bec, that I didn't really feel the big brunt of COVID until that maybe 2021. I really was embracing this. Being in business is an opportunity. It's always going to be risky. So what can you create here that is going to be really powerful for people? And I think really embracing the idea that we all had to adapt.
and all of our businesses needed to survive. And because my clients were female led businesses, they still needed to share their message with the market. They needed to articulate why it is that they were still changing people's lives despite the pandemic. So I really was super thankful to long-term clients of mine who were very focused on maintaining that consistency for their clients. So I really feel like I was lucky there.
Rebecca (04:09.354)
Yeah, and it's interesting because you're like, being a business owner is a giant risk and risks aren't something that the legal profession like to take.
Claudia Neal-Shaw (04:18.376)
No, which is why I clearly didn't stay there.
Rebecca (04:23.795)
And I guess also, you know, hearing from that, yes, you've got some long-term clients in there and yes, everyone needed to continue their messaging and their marketing. But if I look at how I've had to build something new, I have been building something new this year with the Champagne Lounge, I would say that if I was doing that in COVID, which I probably should have done and could have done and all the things if I wasn't in the video industry, right, at the time. But I would have loved almost that hibernation phase of...
Claudia Neal-Shaw (04:41.547)
Hmm.
Rebecca (04:52.05)
Ooh, I don't actually have to go anywhere, see anyone, do anything, but focus on this new thing that I'm creating.
Claudia Neal-Shaw (04:55.745)
Yes.
Yes, and it was a massive opportunity, I think, to also say, what do we truly want our lives to look like in this period of time? And I remember having a conversation with my now fiance and saying, what a beautiful opportunity for us to really be in our little bubble, be walking in nature every day and reevaluating what do we want our life to look like? What do I want this business to look like? So an incredible reflection moment really for me, definitely.
Rebecca (05:27.038)
And what did, what can you share what that conversation like came out as? Like what are the things you decided that you wanted your business to do for you and for you to have in your life? Like a lot of the conversations I have on here, well, you know, it's around, I've put this boundary in place. So these are my non-negotiables. I've had to learn my business and pivot it and do something else. Whereas you've had the joy of creating it from scratch and the time during COVID to go, well, hold on, what do I really want it to look like before it runs away with me?
Claudia Neal-Shaw (05:57.655)
I think the biggest reflection for me was that when I was getting dressed up in my corporate suit and my court shoes and getting on the one hour bus ride to go into my legal job, I would often think, gosh, I wonder what it would feel like to wake up every day and throw on some sneakers, a leather jacket, have my hair out, wear what I want, be what I want and turn up to work in the way that I want. What would that actually feel like?
Rebecca (06:24.942)
Yes. Yeah.
Claudia Neal-Shaw (06:26.459)
And so for me, it was actually starting to define like, what does that freedom look like? Does it mean that I get to work in my business three days a week and I get to kind of redo what that traditional structure looks like? And for me, it was really important to say, okay, because I really wanna play into those strengths, that public speaking, that communication and delivery.
I also need to give myself time on either side of those deliveries to replenish, to spend time with the people that I love. And so one of the biggest, I guess, physical changes that I made in structuring my business is I generally deliver from Tuesday to Thursday. Those are my on days. We're doing podcast interviews like this. We're delivering master classes. We are doing advisory for clients.
And Monday is really spent in that planning and strategy within myself, not speaking to anyone else. And then Friday, we see where the wind blows us. We're doing fun stuff on Friday. So really challenging that very traditional employee mindset of you don't have to work nine to five and you don't have to work Monday to Friday. There will be some times where you're working 12 hour days and it's, there's a bit on, but really embracing that flexibility and choosing.
your business every single day. Because in the end, I could wake up and go and get a job tomorrow if I really wanted to, but I've made a very intentional decision to get into this business. So making sure that every day, I'm actively choosing that rather than what I think everyone else thinks I should do.
Rebecca (08:07.07)
I love that. And actually, you know what? It is like you've looked at my calendar, you know? So one of the things that I did was Tuesday to Thursday, on Monday is a quiet time, Fridays, if I want to do it, I'll do it, if I don't, we'll see what happens. So I love that, but I'm curious, now that you've put that in place or wondered, have you actually stuck to those rules? Because I find that sometimes I slip.
Claudia Neal-Shaw (08:19.177)
Yeah
Claudia Neal-Shaw (08:30.647)
Oh, it really depends in terms of also what season of business I'm in. So I certainly find, for example, the autumn and spring months of the year in Australia are my absolutely gung-ho busiest times. And so sure, there are some times where my weeks are a little fuller than I'd like them to be. But I also really treasure those winter and summer times where business is a little bit quieter and I really get to lean into that. I find myself pretty good with Fridays.
Rebecca (08:59.703)
Mm-hmm.
Claudia Neal-Shaw (08:59.783)
in terms of saying, do not book anything and sticking to that. Sometimes it's the Mondays when things start to go, oh yeah, we'll just catch up then. And cause I got a little space for you here, but really checking in with myself and saying, how does it feel to take away from that time? You know, if I'm looking in my diary and Monday's completely full, there are some Sunday scaries happening and I don't want that to be the case.
Rebecca (09:17.504)
Oh, it's massive.
Rebecca (09:25.566)
No, I love that term Sunday scaries. Wow. Oh, that might be my golden nugget for the day. Like I haven't, I don't think I've worked on a weekend for a very, very long time. And even now I'm in startup mode. Like I still, I dabbled a little bit doing something, but only because I took a whole chunk of time off during a week and yeah, taking that time and factoring into how you want to work is so important. But with your, does your fiance run his own business or is he working a nine to five? How have you sort of managed?
Claudia Neal-Shaw (09:27.684)
Yeah.
Rebecca (09:55.07)
that's sort of dynamic because I know from my experience, I know when I was starting it and we first met, me and my husband, he was like, are you actually working though? Are you actually making money though? Yeah, I am. I just don't need to actually just be on today. So let's just let me have a Monday to myself. How's that happened in your household?
Claudia Neal-Shaw (10:14.847)
It's a really good question. It's a question that, or it's a discussion that a lot of my clients and I have together. My partner, he's also a lawyer and he is employed. He's got a great job that he loves and he works really hard. And we have had to have some really interesting conversations about this concept of what does it mean to work hard? How does that actually manifest? Because
We've got two very different styles of working. I'm in that very entrepreneurial and very, not very like risk of a, I am risk, no. When I embrace risk.
Rebecca (10:54.178)
He's worth it.
Claudia Neal-Shaw (10:57.343)
Whereas he's completely the opposite. He's incredibly detail oriented, very conscious of risk and really used to working within a particular framework. So to be really honest, it took us quite a long time to get into the rhythm of what does it look like to be successful in our own careers? And I've definitely noticed this year an enormous appreciation and gratitude.
for each other in the way that we excel in our spaces. It's incredibly different. But I think having that respect and appreciation for each other, that both of our careers are equally as important. And being open to having discussions and voicing concerns, perhaps at times where we think, you know what, one of us is working a bit too hard right now and it shows in our personal life, the stress, the burnout, the exhaustion.
but being very willing to address it rather than letting it kind of bubble and fester, which I see a lot.
Rebecca (11:57.746)
Yeah, that's good. And I love that you've got to have the conversations and the communication channels open and to be able to call it. Right? Do you have you gone to the level I know some people have and I tried this to go like we're gonna have like a weekly check in time like together where we just sort of check in on the week or do like, I know people call them family meetings. Do you guys do anything like that?
Claudia Neal-Shaw (12:04.65)
Yes.
Claudia Neal-Shaw (12:19.039)
We, I have certainly tried to implement it in the past. What I found is it didn't really suit the rhythm of our life. It created sometimes a little bit more pressure to turn up in this particular way. And I think what we've been able to really manage now is say, where are we at every now and then checking? And it probably on average is about once a week saying like, how are we feeling at the moment? I can sense your.
Rebecca (12:30.085)
Mm.
Claudia Neal-Shaw (12:47.167)
working really hard, you're really tired. And there's that wonderful interview with Brene Brown where she talks about how no two people in a relationship are showing up at an equal percentage. And so she has this exercise with her husband where they come home and they say, how much you got in the tank? And that, you know, her husband might say, you know what, today I got 20%. I'm riding low, I'm not there, I really need some help.
And the other person goes, okay, well, this is my time to step up. I've got you. I've got us for that other 80% for now. And then in times it kind of sways to either side. So, you know, I don't ever think it's an equilibrium, but really having that opportunity to voice it pretty directly. I think is just the most crucial thing. And that's how I like to communicate. So it suits me.
Rebecca (13:26.474)
and
Rebecca (13:36.191)
Yeah.
Rebecca (13:41.33)
It suits me too. We're very similar in our personalities. I do like that having the ability to... And Brené Brown's... The exercise you just gave us, I constantly... Oh, that would be good. I remember having a conversation with my husband about spoons. We were talking about spoons, but also pebbles. Whatever you want to call the theory of... You know, you've got 10 spoons of energy a day. And he sort of looked at me and he goes, I don't know what you're talking about. Like, I don't understand any of this, whatever, whatever.
Claudia Neal-Shaw (13:43.223)
I know!
Rebecca (14:08.01)
And it was until a few months later that a friend of mine came around and she was cooking dinner at our house for us. I have gorgeous friends and she goes, you know what? I'm just out of spoons. And Alex goes, people actually do that. Yes, my love, they really do. But it kind of, you needed to see it in action for it to sort of resonate. So I think this is really important for listeners to go. It takes time to get partners, husbands, family members, all the things.
on the ride of the journey that you're doing as an entrepreneur.
Claudia Neal-Shaw (14:39.511)
Yes. Totally. And I think vice versa. And when you start your business and you're scaling it, and it is your baby, it is something that is so important to you. And I think sometimes you have to recognize that just because it's the most important thing to you doesn't mean it's the most important thing to other people. I mean, you could say that about kids, right? Whatever it is.
Rebecca (15:04.747)
Yeah.
Claudia Neal-Shaw (15:05.511)
It's never going to be more important to anyone else except you. So I think there does need to be that recognition that everyone has something valuable in their career and in their life and that it's of equal value. And just because you think it's all consuming, sometimes you've got to say, you know what, let's get a little perspective on this.
Rebecca (15:27.018)
Yeah, I love that. I love it. Now changing tech back to business away from home. I want to know if there's anything that you implemented in your business that you've sort of gone, yeah, that didn't work. I didn't like that. I'm gonna change it up. Like in terms of boundaries or time, any real lessons, you thought this would be a great idea to do. And then you've realized actually, nah, that doesn't work for me in my energy levels or the way my business needs to run or the way I want my life to be.
Claudia Neal-Shaw (15:55.319)
I mean, I would argue that every business decision I have ever made has come with some level of, this is not what I thought it was going to be. What are we going to do? Because you have a level of naivety when you bring something to the market or you try something new. For that purpose, we are trialing and erroring, if erroring is a verb. I think for me, it's been...
Rebecca (16:04.811)
I'm sorry.
Rebecca (16:16.574)
Yes. It is now. Yes.
Claudia Neal-Shaw (16:23.515)
The thing that I really danced with for a long time is that I was really taught that a traditional consulting firm or an advisory style model was where I needed to play in order to build a successful business. And what I learned pretty quickly is that my capacity to be in that space of strategy and advice all the time can be incredibly draining.
And trying to build that style of model is actually not something that suits me. I want to teach, I want to connect, I want to share. And so I think that initial choice of a business model that was consulting based and saying, great, we're retainer style. This is how much we charge. This is what we deliver on. In time became pretty cyclical and, and a little bit boring. It wasn't.
Rebecca (17:17.472)
Mm-hmm.
Claudia Neal-Shaw (17:18.135)
what I really wanted to do. So I have some really core clients who I absolutely adore working with, who are still my long-term retained clients. But the decision to move into more of that education and connection piece really suits me. But it suits me within the framework that we discussed, right? Like those set days of this is when I'm showing up for other people.
Rebecca (17:36.875)
Yeah.
Claudia Neal-Shaw (17:46.323)
And this is when I'm showing up for myself and protecting that energy with a lightsaber and a sword and any other weapon that I've got available to me.
Rebecca (17:55.414)
Yeah, yeah, that's so important. It is. I love that you shared there and articulated it very well that it's always trial and error. I think we jump into things as business owners expecting it just to work. And I know particularly for me right now going through the journey of starting something new from scratch, like without so much that's got some of a safety net, but not a long like a runway of where it needs to go to, to go, oh, it's actually harder than I thought.
Claudia Neal-Shaw (18:14.58)
yet.
Rebecca (18:22.218)
Like, oh, I've got to keep tweaking this and doing that. And the mental load, if I didn't give myself the grace of time, because I could very easily just keep pushing through and find myself just in a crumpled mess. I have no doubt. Cause I have the energy to keep going. Um, but you're right. Keep identifying when you can be on and when you need to be able to switch off and look after you is key as a business owner.
Claudia Neal-Shaw (18:36.244)
Yes.
Claudia Neal-Shaw (18:44.887)
And I think it's also, you have to work that out in practice too. Did I ever think that I was gonna be working 12 hour days, five days a week, pretty early on in my business to actually generate genuine revenue? Absolutely no idea. But I had to have that experience to know, this is not a sustainable way of doing it. So what are you going to change? And really having an attitude of every single day,
you are making micro adjustments in your life, in your business to make it what you truly want it to be. And sometimes you actually might not have that knowledge yet, but you're discovering it on the way. And sometimes you go down a pathway and you go, oh, this is cool. This is new. I couldn't have ever dreamed this up because we don't know what we don't know. Keep giving it a crack every day so that you can know what you like and don't like.
Rebecca (19:41.594)
Yeah, yeah, so much. Oh, so much so. Claudia, I've loved every minute about this and you and I could talk for hours because we have done previously, but I'm curious to know from this business journey now, and obviously you're part of the Champagne Lounge, so you should have a good answer to this question. As you're going through your business, it's really easy to just keep going and keep going and actually not stop and recognize the achievements that we've done and...
the wins that we've made along the way, because we're always looking for the next shiny thing. What was the last thing that you really genuinely celebrated in your business and how did you go about celebrating?
Claudia Neal-Shaw (20:19.039)
That is a really fantastic question. And I'm definitely someone who skips from kind of milestone to milestone and says, okay, onto the next thing. But the really conscious way that I've tried to prevent that this year is, it's my 30th birthday in January. And in July, I set myself a goal of 30 joyful things I wanted to do by the age of 30. So within six months.
Rebecca (20:48.523)
Amazing.
Claudia Neal-Shaw (20:49.507)
And I have really used that as an incredible tool to stay very present in doing the things that bring me joy. So it can be doing anything from playing golf with my dad on a fortnightly basis. One of the things was hosting my first business retreat which I did last week in the Southern Highlands. Another one is finding my next beautiful red signature dress that makes me feel amazing. And so...
Rebecca (21:07.746)
Yay!
Claudia Neal-Shaw (21:17.947)
I think having these things in place and even having kind of a quiet moment of reflection to say, wow, wasn't that incredible? And whether it's like taking myself out for a coffee, whether it's taking a day off during the week, going to the beach, just prioritizing doing the things that bring me joy. So after that retreat last week, I got home and I really gave myself permission and said, you need to celebrate what's happened. Take this time off. Spend that time with your loved ones. So it's...
More in the daily stuff for me, if anything.
Rebecca (21:50.01)
I love that. I love it. Well, I was talking, um, on a podcast that I recorded earlier this week around micro moments of joy and having those, I call them little VIP moments. Um, but the way you described that then, like you've obviously put it in your 30th year and I do a thing at the beginning of every year where I've gone. It's 52 weeks this year. What do I want to do? Like this, I came from a, um, someone flippantly said it in a conference once if there's 52 Saturdays, like.
Claudia Neal-Shaw (21:58.455)
I love that.
Rebecca (22:17.826)
how many Saturdays do you want? I think it was around children at the time. How many Saturdays do you want to spend with the kids? You've only got this many Saturdays in a year. And it got me thinking going, okay, well, what are the things I want to do, the joyful things like coffee by myself or go for the cinema by myself or those little things. And so I don't necessarily tick one off every single week, but I do like to get to the end of the year and go, I did this. Like, that's cool. Like those fun little things and they don't have to be big things at all. I think that's beautiful.
Claudia Neal-Shaw (22:47.159)
I think sometimes we get caught up in trying to make every moment a big moment because we only think that the big moments are worth celebrating and it's really not. If there are moments in my week where I get off a podcast interview like this and I say, you know what, that was a really beautiful conversation and I really want to ignore, you know, it's the feeling and if you can create those micro moments of joy, I am absolutely stealing that.
Um, every single day from as easy as going for a beautiful walk, going to the beach, um, you know, having lunch with your partner, having lunch with a loved one, whatever it is, if you can incorporate those things, that's what building your own business is all about.
Rebecca (23:35.214)
Yeah, it is. Yeah, it is. Oh, and on that note, I'm going to thank you for such a fabulous conversation today. And I know our listeners have taken away a heap of golden nuggets there that you've shared and guidance that we've given and I'm going to link all of your beautiful links into the show notes below so that people can come and connect with you. Thank you so much for taking the time.
Claudia Neal-Shaw (23:52.523)
Thank you so much. That was such a beautiful conversation. Loved it.
Rebecca (23:57.226)
It was fabulous. Thanks, babe.
