Big Stuff With Danielle Colley

Danielle Colley
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You know who's going through BIG STUFF? Literally everyone. But it's how you handle it that makes the difference.  Award-winning author and life coach Danielle Colley gets real about the relentless expectations we put on ourselves, the comparison trap, and the gap between how life looks and how it actually feels. For ambitious women who may be crushing their goals but are feeling crushed by them. Conversations that matter. A little advice, a little inspiration, and a lot of humanness. No toxic positivity - just raw honesty about what it really takes to thrive. If you're burnt out from achieving everything or tired of pretending it's all fine, this is for you. Because life should feel GOOD to live. New episodes weekly Follow @daniellecolley

  1. Why You're Undercharging (Even If You Love What You Do)

    1D AGO

    Why You're Undercharging (Even If You Love What You Do)

    Enjoyed this and want to let us know? Drop us a text “I love what I do… but am I limiting myself financially?” This How Are You Really? episode is inspired by a listener question that hits closer to home than most of us would like to admit. What happens when you’re motivated by meaning, impact, and being genuinely helpful… but struggle to ask for money, raise your prices, or advocate for your worth? In this episode, Danielle unpack's the tension between purpose and ambition — and why the story we tell ourselves about money isn’t always the truth. We explore: – Why being “not money motivated” isn’t always what it seems – The hidden link between self-worth and income – How values and fear can look identical on the surface – Why undercharging leads to resentment (even when you love your work) – The real reason you avoid money conversations – How to identify where you might be holding yourself back Plus, practical prompts to help you reflect on your own patterns and start shifting them. Because purpose and profit aren’t opposites. And charging what you’re worth isn’t greed — it’s self-respect. If you have a question you want Danielle to dig into, email ping her on instagram @iamdaniellecolley or reach out at bigstuffpod@gmail.com

    32 min
  2. Are You Misdiagnosing Your Relationship?

    APR 8

    Are You Misdiagnosing Your Relationship?

    Enjoyed this and want to let us know? Drop us a text We’ve never known more about relationships. Attachment styles. Red flags. Narcissism. Trauma bonds. We can diagnose a relationship in under 60 seconds… or at least we think we can. But what if all this information isn’t actually helping? In this episode, I’m joined by clinical psychologist Dr Michelle Olathe to unpack what’s really going on when therapy language goes viral — and how it might be distorting the way we see our partners, ourselves, and our relationships. In this episode: – Why “therapy speak” can oversimplify complex relationship dynamics – The difference between real patterns and reactive labeling – How social media amplifies insecurity and misinterpretation – What attachment theory actually means (without the jargon) – Why conflict is normal — and what healthy relationships really look like – The single biggest predictor of long-term relationship success – How to take ownership of your part (without self-blame) – A simple tool to help you understand your own patterns This is a conversation about nuance, responsibility, and the messy, unglamorous reality of doing relationships well. Because the framework isn’t the finish line. And the work… is still the work. Chapters: 00:00 Introduction03:00 Why everyone's ex is a narcissist — the rise of therapy speak10:00 Pathologising the shit bits: where labels help and where they don't17:00 Attachment theory explained simply26:00 How social media amplifies our insecurities33:00 Owning your part — the bins, the napkins, and the death of a thousand cuts42:00 What healthy relationships actually look like50:00 How to do the self-reflection work — and why friends aren't enough58:00 The mood diaryThinking points: Next time you're heated with your partner, notice whether your nervous system is telling you that they are the threat — or whether it's something outside both of you. That distinction changes everything about what you do next. And when did you last track your own patterns? Not theirs. Yours. Michelle's mood diary suggestion is deceptively simple. Try it for a week. Resources mentioned: Free Relationship Reality Guide — Online Psychologists AustraliaThe Gottman Institute — gottman.comDr Helen Fisher — TED Talk: The Brain in LoveHealthBright — healthbright.com.auDr Michelle Olaithe — The Sleep PsychologistIf this episode resonated, share it with one person who needs it. And don't forget to subscribe so you never miss an episode. Find out more about Danielle at daniellecolley.com.au

    1h 1m
  3. The Truth About Imposter Syndrome; You Haven't Caught Up To Yourself Yet

    APR 1

    The Truth About Imposter Syndrome; You Haven't Caught Up To Yourself Yet

    Enjoyed this and want to let us know? Drop us a text Have you ever walked into a room — a meeting, a new job, a boardroom — and felt that quiet, creeping sense that someone is about to find you out? That somehow you've tricked your way in and it's only a matter of time before everyone works that out? That feeling has a name: imposter syndrome. And in this How Are You Really? episode, Danielle gets into what it actually is, why it hits hardest precisely when you've most earned your place, and — most importantly — what to do about it.  Drawing on her own experience walking into the Women's Weekly newsroom as a blogger among award-winning career journalists, and the stories of women she coaches across high-stakes industries, Danielle unpacks the real reason so many capable, accomplished women still feel like frauds: their self-concept simply hasn't caught up to the person they've already become. Episode Chapters 0:00 — Welcome  2:30 — The Women's Weekly story: earning your place, and the trap that comes with it  8:00 — What imposter syndrome actually feels like, and why it lives at every new level  13:00 — The software problem: old programs running in the background  19:30 — Three ways to start catching up to yourself  23:00 — Two questions to sit with before you close this app Three Ways to Manage Imposter Syndrome Audit the evidence, not the feelingUpdate the story — retire the old narrativeAct like the version of you who has already arrived Find Danielle  Website:⁠ daniellecolley.com.au ⁠ Instagram:⁠ @daniellecolley ⁠ Got a question for a How Are You Really? episode? Email: ⁠bigstuffpod@gmail.com⁠ or DM her on Instagram

    24 min
  4. Melinda Schneider - 40 Years Being Perfect And The Cost No One Saw

    MAR 25

    Melinda Schneider - 40 Years Being Perfect And The Cost No One Saw

    Enjoyed this and want to let us know? Drop us a text Melinda Schneider has been on stage since she was three years old. She's released fourteen albums, won six Golden Guitars, sold out the Sydney Opera House more than once, and just debuted at number one on the ARIA charts. By every measure, she is a success story. But in this conversation, Melinda shares what was quietly happening behind all of it — the perfectionism that drove her, the workaholism she couldn't stop, and the breakdown at 47 that finally forced her to put it all down. She talks about the flags she ignored for years, her resistance to accepting help, the terror of going public with her mental health story, and what it's actually taken to rebuild a life that feels good from the inside. This is a conversation about the cost of performing perfect — and what becomes possible when you finally stop. Connect with Melinda:  Website:⁠ melindaschneider.com.au ⁠ Instagram: ⁠@melindaschneiderofficial⁠ The Barbra Streisand show The Way We Were tours nationally from August — including the Sydney Opera House Concert Hall. Find out more about Danielle at ⁠daniellecolley.com.au⁠ Or follow her on Istagram - ⁠@iamdaniellecolley⁠ TIMESTAMPS 00:00 — Introduction  05:00 — What it's really like being a successful working artist 09:30 — Where does expectation end and you begin?  11:30 — The perfect impersonation of perfect — and the collapse at 47  20:00— What she was most afraid of: being a disappointment 23:00 — The flags she ignored  27:30 — The trigger, the breakdown, and going to bed 30:30 — Resisting medication — and why surrendering to it was the hardest part  34:00 — "Should is shit" — reprogramming the critical inner voice  40:30 — The sandwich generation 46:00 — The number one album and what success feels like now  52:00 — Painting with her mum, "I wonder what will happen," and letting go of perfectionism  55:30 — What's next: touring, the Barbra Streisand show, keeping the balance

    58 min
  5. What Your Home Says About You | Swedish Death Cleaning, Identity Shifts & Letting Go with Cindy Kavanagh

    MAR 18

    What Your Home Says About You | Swedish Death Cleaning, Identity Shifts & Letting Go with Cindy Kavanagh

    Enjoyed this and want to let us know? Drop us a text What if the clutter in your home isn't just stuff — it's a story you're still telling about yourself? In this episode, Danielle sits down with Cindy Kavanagh, former fashion photographer turned Swedish Death Cleaning practitioner, for a conversation about identity, letting go, and what's left when you strip it all back. Cindy spent over thirty years making women look and feel extraordinary — first through fashion photography, then through her portrait studio The Modern Muse, and then through a Masters of Art degree exploring identity and belonging. Now she's doing the most radical thing she's ever done: clearing it all away. Her accumulated beautiful life, her professional identity, and the roles she's been playing — and helping others do the same through the Scandinavian practice of Swedish Death Cleaning. Not because life got bad, but because she started to wonder what was actually left when you stopped holding onto the proof of who you once were. This one goes deep. Danielle and Cindy talk about the grief of an empty nest arriving earlier than expected, the quiet liberation of choosing simplicity after decades of accumulating, and why your home might be the most honest mirror of who you really are. There's also a bumblebee. A large one.  CHAPTERS 00:00 — Introduction  03:30 — Meet Cindy: from fashion photographer to Swedish Death Cleaner  08:00 — Selling dreams, not dresses: the heart behind the camera  15:00 — Danielle's dad's sailing journal and the art of honouring what matters  22:00 — What Swedish Death Cleaning actually is (and isn't)  28:00 — How your home reflects your internal state  33:00 — Sentimental objects, obligation, and letting go with love  40:00 — The empty nest: grief arriving earlier than expected  46:00 — Joy and grief in each pocket: the duality of life's transitions  53:00 — What simplicity looks like after a life of accumulating  59:00 — Your home as a mirror: the five objects question RESOURCES MENTIONED The Gentle Art of Swedish Death Cleaning by Margareta Magnusson HOW TO FIND CINDY Cindy's business: Simplify with Cindy Instagram - @simplify_with_cindy Enjoyed this episode? Share it with one person who needs to hear it. And if you want to get in touch or submit your own How Are You Really, reach Danielle at bigstuffpod@gmail.com or @iamdaniellecolley

    57 min
  6. Your kid isn't the problem. You are - with family therapist, Lisa Taylor

    MAR 11

    Your kid isn't the problem. You are - with family therapist, Lisa Taylor

    Enjoyed this and want to let us know? Drop us a text Have you ever completely lost your cool with your kid and then spent the next hour feeling like the worst parent alive? Family therapist and author of The Perfect Parent Trap, Lisa Taylor, has spent 25 years sitting across from families in crisis — and what she'll tell you is that in almost every single case, the child is not the problem. In this deeply honest conversation, Danielle and Lisa get into the real reason the teenage years can feel less like raising a family and more like surviving one, and what you can do about it. Lisa introduces her concept of "Heartprints" — the invisible imprints from our own childhood that quietly drive our reactions under stress. When your teenager slams a door or goes into full shutdown, the heat you feel rising in your chest? That's rarely about them. This conversation is warm, practical, and full of the kind of insights that will make you stop mid-scroll and think: oh, that's me. In this episode: 0:00 Introduction4:30 Why parenting feels unsolvable9:00 Behaviour is information, not a problem to fix12:00 What's happening in your teenager's brain17:00 Heartprints: how your childhood drives your reactions24:00 Does the inner work ever end?29:00 When your kid completely shuts down34:30 Parenting from fear vs love39:00 Why taking things away doesn't work43:30 Screens and the technology experiment49:00 Spicy brains, blended families and unmet needs53:00 Protecting your relationship through the teen years57:00 Why repair is more powerful than perfection1:01:00 The five fundamentals1:04:30 Danielle's thinking pointsResources mentioned: The Perfect Parent Trap by Lisa Taylor — available at Amber Press, Amazon, Booktopia and good bookstores  Lisa's website: strengtheningfamiliesaustralia.com.au  Lisa on Instagram: @lisataylor.au Connect with Danielle:  daniellecolley.com.au   bigstuffpod@gmail.com IG- @iamdaniellecolley

    1h 2m
  7. Redefining Success on Your Own Terms; Building a Life That Actually Fits

    MAR 4

    Redefining Success on Your Own Terms; Building a Life That Actually Fits

    Enjoyed this and want to let us know? Drop us a text In this episode, Danielle sits down with double ARIA Award-winning musician, Elana Stone, to explore what it really means to build a sustainable creative life when the entire economic system has shifted underneath you.  Twenty years into a career what looks successful from the outside - international tours, collaborations with incredible artists, awards and recognition - Elana opens up about the gap between external achievement and internal reality.  They dive deep into the brutal economics of streaming (spoiler: you need over a million streams a month just to earn minimum wage), the necessity of doing "everything" as an independent artist, and why creative sustainability often means piecing together multiple revenue streams rather than chasing the singular dream of "making it." But this conversation goes beyond industry economics.  Elana and Danielle discuss the ego death that comes from loss and parenting, the tension between what we think we're supposed to want and what actually sustains us, and why community music-making - like the choir Elana leads - creates the kind of resonance and flow that reminds us why we do creative work in the first place.  From Elizabeth Gilbert's "one hour a day" practice to the question of whose definition of success we're actually following, this episode asks: How do you stay the course as a creative when it's so unreliable and uncertain? And what will matter more than any award or recognition when you're looking back at 80? 00:00 - Introduction03:45 - The Gap Between Success and Reality13:15 - The Economics of Streaming: How Musicians Actually Earn24:30 - Working in the Cracks: Multiple Creative Streams31:45 - Ego Death and Redefining What Matters40:30 - Why Choir Matters: Flow, Resonance, and Community48:00 - Creative Practice: Elizabeth Gilbert's One Hour a Day59:30 - What's Next and Letting Go of Old Dreams62:15 - Final Question: What Will Matter at 80? Books mentioned:  Big Magic by Elizabeth GilbertSignature of All Things by Elizabeth Gilbert You can find Elana's latest album tagged below, and find her at  IG: ⁠@elanastoneworld⁠ WWW: ⁠elanastone.com.au⁠ Support live music. Buy merch. Go to gigs.

    1h 3m
  8. Gender Violence, Healthy Masculinity and The Conversations We Need To Have With Boys

    FEB 25

    Gender Violence, Healthy Masculinity and The Conversations We Need To Have With Boys

    Enjoyed this and want to let us know? Drop us a text What happens when a Muay Thai champion decides the real fight isn't in the ring—it's saving boys from the stereotypes that are killing them? Richie Hardcore knows exactly what happens when boys grow up watching men solve problems with fists and bottles. His father's severe alcoholism and the family violence that came with it could have destroyed him. Instead, it became his mission. Now, as a White Ribbon ambassador and TEDx speaker, Richie walks into schools across Australia and New Zealand having the conversations most adults are too scared to have. He tells teenage boys it's okay to cry, to feel confused, to not have it all figured out. He works with incarcerated young men through The Rise Above Charitable Trust, showing them the violence can stop with them. But here's what's keeping me up at night after this conversation: our boys are struggling more than we realize. They're ordering hard drugs via Uber. They're learning about sex from pornography that teaches the opposite of intimacy. They're consuming manosphere content that's gone mainstream—not Andrew Tate anymore (he's "cringe now") but gym influencers and self-help bros peddling the same dangerous messages about what it means to be a man. And they're desperate for someone to tell them it's okay to take off the mask. This is essential listening if you're: Raising or teaching boys and watching them shut down emotionallyWorried about gender violence in your communityTrying to understand what healthy masculinity actually looks like in practiceConcerned about online radicalization and manosphere influence on young menLooking for actual conversations to have with the boys in your life CONTENT WARNING This episode contains frank discussions of family violence, alcoholism, substance abuse, sexual violence, domestic abuse, and the impact of pornography on young people. Listener discretion advised. Resources mentioned -  Jess Hill - "⁠See What You Made Me Do" ⁠(book on domestic violence and gender violence)Jess Hill -⁠ "Asking For It" ⁠(SBS documentary on consent culture)⁠The Rise Above Charitable Trust ⁠- Richie's organization working with incarcerated youth⁠Our Watch (Australia)⁠ - Gender violence prevention resources CONNECT WITH RICHIE HARDCORE ⁠On Instagram⁠ ⁠On Website⁠ If you enjoyed this episode, please share with just one person.  Connect with Danielle at danielle@daniellecolley.com.au or on ⁠Instagram⁠

    1 hr
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About

You know who's going through BIG STUFF? Literally everyone. But it's how you handle it that makes the difference.  Award-winning author and life coach Danielle Colley gets real about the relentless expectations we put on ourselves, the comparison trap, and the gap between how life looks and how it actually feels. For ambitious women who may be crushing their goals but are feeling crushed by them. Conversations that matter. A little advice, a little inspiration, and a lot of humanness. No toxic positivity - just raw honesty about what it really takes to thrive. If you're burnt out from achieving everything or tired of pretending it's all fine, this is for you. Because life should feel GOOD to live. New episodes weekly Follow @daniellecolley

Information

  • Creator
    Danielle Colley
  • Years Active
    2025 - 2026
  • Episodes
    33
  • Rating
    Explicit
  • Copyright
    © 2026 Big Stuff With Danielle Colley
  • Show Website
    Big Stuff With Danielle Colley

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