As the year comes to a close, this solo episode is a gentle pause — a moment to reflect, recalibrate, and intentionally step into the season ahead.

This year has held immense polarity: expansion and contraction, joy and grief, certainty and surrender. In this episode, Tess reflects on the lessons, growth, and quiet moments that shaped the past year, while offering a grounded and soulful approach to welcoming the new one.

Rather than leaning into the typical “new year, new you” narrative, this conversation is about alignment over pressure — closing chapters with intention, reconnecting to your inner compass, and creating space for what’s next.

Tess shares her personal practices for:

• Reflecting on the year that’s passed through journalling and compassionate self-inquiry
• The importance of symbolic closure and why it matters for emotional and energetic clarity
• How she sets goals rooted in identity, values, and how she wants to feel — not just what she wants to achieve
• Her manifestation process, combining meditation with intuitive journalling
• How vision boards can act as visual anchors for the life you’re consciously building
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This episode is an invitation to slow down, release what no longer belongs in the next chapter, and step into the new year feeling grounded, clear, and aligned — without hustle, urgency, or reinvention.

If you’re craving a more meaningful way to welcome the year ahead, this episode is for you.

Follow me on Instagram: @tess.shanahan & @tesstalksofficial

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Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Today on Tess Talks, I’m joined by Kelli Zakharoff — midwife, author, educator and one of Australia’s most outspoken voices challenging the modern maternity system. After decades working across public hospitals, private practice, alongside obstetricians, and as a home-birth midwife, Kelli has seen both the beauty and the deep fractures within birth care.

Her book The Midwife Crisis: From Trust to Trauma exposes the emotional toll placed on midwives, the systemic failures impacting women and babies, and the realities no one wants to say out loud. This conversation goes beyond birth stories — it questions power, autonomy, trauma, and who our maternity system is really serving.

In this episode:

• Why midwives feel “muzzled” and unable to speak openly within the system
• The emotional, physical and psychological toll of being a midwife
• Home birth vs hospital birth — autonomy, safety and evidence
• Caesarean rates, medicalisation and risk-driven maternity care
• Birth trauma and the rise of obstetric violence
• What really happened at the end of Kelli’s midwifery career
• The lack of support for healthcare workers after traumatic events
• COVID’s impact on maternity wards and frontline staff
• Why continuity of care matters more than most women realise
• The myths — and realities — around home birthing
• Empowerment, choice, and reclaiming trust in birth
• What midwives actually need to survive in the system
• Why telling these stories is the first step toward change

This episode will challenge what you think you know about birth, hospitals, and the people entrusted with bringing life into the world. It’s essential listening for women, parents, healthcare workers — and anyone who believes women deserve to be heard.

Follow @kellizak

Read Kelli's Book: midwifecrisis.com.au

Follow me on Instagram: @tess.shanahan & @tesstalksofficial

Follow me on TikTok: @tessshanahan

Follow me on YouTube: TessShanahan

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

In this practical and personal episode, Tess sits down with her husband Shaun to unpack what high-performance really looks like, not just in business, but in life, leadership and long-term relationships.

From building one of Australia’s most successful consumer brands, Bondi Sands, to navigating marriage, parenthood and loss, this conversation explores the habits, mindset shifts and communication tools that sustain momentum through seasons of growth, pressure and change. Together, Tess and Shaun share how clarity, curiosity and consistency can shape both professional success and a strong, connected partnership.

In this episode:

• What “Big, Hairy, Audacious Goals” really mean, and why long-term thinking matters
• How to break big goals down into executable behaviours and daily habits
• Why focus beats hustle, and why fewer goals lead to better outcomes
• The role of curiosity in innovation, leadership and personal growth
• Building high-performance cultures through clarity, candour and trust
• Delegation, energy management and knowing where your highest impact lies
• Why routines, sleep, fitness and organisation underpin sustainable success
• How high-performance habits translate into strong relationships
• Treating your partnership like a team — supporting each other through different seasons
• Practical communication tools for alignment, including mirroring and weekly check-ins
• The importance of values, long-term vision and evolving together over time

This episode is a powerful reminder that success isn’t just about what you achieve — it’s about how you live, lead and love along the way.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.