YCL Women's Series // Angela Simson
Welcome to our YCL Women's Series; a space created to share the stories & insight of women all around the world, whom inspire us.
We sat down with the multi-tasking mama of two, self-love & gratitude advocate, blogger, speaker & creator of The Gratitude Project, Angela Simson.
1. How did you get to where you are today? Tell us a little bit about your journey…
My journey has been long and full of many different stages but my journey to gratitude (which has been transformational and eventually led to me creating a business!) started when Bo was a tiny baby. I was in the car one day when Bo was only a few months old, driving to see the chiropractor because she had some problems with her neck. She was in the back of the car screaming, she hated the car! I could feel my stress levels rising and I pulled over the car for the 4th time to get her out and soothe her, frustrated as anything and wanting to cry. I was running late, Bo hated the car and it was all getting on top of me. But I had this moment when I was getting her out of the car when I realised that some people would give anything to be in my situation. I had a beautiful baby girl, I was in the car taking her to see a health care practitioner that I could easily afford and that was my biggest stress that day. Who on earth was I not to feel so incredibly blessed in that moment? But I allowed all the things out of my control, her discomfort in the car and my poor time keeping to overshadow how incredibly lucky I really was! So I made a decision there and then to stop choosing to focus on the discomfort and start focusing solely on gratitude. It changed everything for me. I became more present and happier within a week and over the long run I started to see big changes in my health, relationships and life. This experience really was a life-changing-game-changer for me.
2. Who is your ultimate muse / inspiration?
My Mum! She's so generous and kind, but also takes out time for self-care. She taught me how to be everything good that's within me! I also love Gwen Paltrow, I admire how she stands by her beliefs even when the public doesn’t agree!
3. You are based on the Gold Coast. What are your local hangouts?
Mostly at the beach at home! But when we venture out we love to explore and try new places. But with Bam Bam down the road it’s a pretty easy hangout when we want to have something tasty!
4. What is your favourite piece of jewellery & what story does it hold?
Definitely my engagement ring. I don’t wear loads of jewelry, I love to have one or two fine necklaces layered or a simple ring and the only thing I wear every single day is my engagement ring. It’s just a precious reminder every day of how much I love my husband and the life we’ve been able to live so far together.
5. Being a mama to two beautiful little girls, what practices do you have in place to ensure you are still prioritising your own health & wellness?
When you become a Mother, you really have to prioritize your happiness and health because it does impact everyone in your home. I’ve realised in the moments of crazy ‘busy-ness’ that I have the ability to just power through and be all I need to be. We all have it within us. But the beauty is we don’t have to be like that at all moments and that’s a choice. I can choose to have a perfectly clean and tidy house, or I can choose to run down to the beach and have an hour getting sandy and tired, dragging the little grains from the soles of my feet into our bed to be constantly reminded of those moments when I tuck into my doona for sleep. I can be the mum who makes only the best choices and has a child free and pure of any sugar or preservatives, only ever making healthy homemade treats. Or I can say “screw it all” every so often and we can get ice cream at the shops and laugh as it drips down our arms.
6. How does intuition play a vital role in guiding your business? For women whom are out of touch and wanting to know more, take us through some of your tips or methods in allowing this to come to fruition.
I think it comes down to taking time to listen to yourself. Mostly we act on a fear or scarcity mentality but there is abundance in and around us at all times. If you step away from the lack and into what you want to create, you always know the right answer and the right thing to do!
