Vanessa Bell

[1:09] Vanessa shares her beginnings in the backstreets of Kings Cross in Sydney, when she approached an industry figure after a friend’s mum suggested she might be a good fit for modelling. She spent her twenties travelling and modelling, returning to Australia to work in finance and then media, before meeting her husband and becoming a farmer.

[2:41] Vanessa found her career purpose when she embraced and owned her story.

[4:31] When we first met, Vanessa was avoiding stepping forward and telling her story due to a fear of judgement. She began to understand we all have our own unique power, and for her, understanding the power of community and connection and leaning into a group of women that saw her, supported her and wanted the best for her gave her a sense of freedom to become who she is. Her journey through my Powerful Steps program gave her a newfound sense of vitality and creativity and today, Vanessa wants to use the contacts she’s forged through fashion to drive global change.

[7:10] When Vanessa first joined the Powerful Steps business mentoring program, I asked her who would be the ultimate person she’d like to partner her brand with, and she replied, ‘Victoria Beckham’. Then, when she simply asked, magic began to unfold. Vanessa is in the process of launching her first capsule range of women’s knitwear in collaboration with a contact from Victoria’s team.

[12:32] Vanessa talks about life on the land, living on a cattle station on the mid-north coast of NSW, which is the largest landholding on the Eastern seaboard. She shares that synchronicity with nature is a healer for her, and mentions carbon farming and other projects she works on in addition to her core business.

[12:51] Vanessa opens up about the importance of getting back to our core, and overcoming negative narratives from the past. She believes we all have the capacity to change, and that it’s important to embrace change and learning, while leaning into the community for support.

[14:44] We discuss the daily inner rituals Vanessa uses to maintain inner balance while being a wife, mum and business owner and entrepreneur driving impact, including grounding, deep breathing, gratitude, and being clear about her intentions at the beginning of the morning. She says self-care is not an indulgence, it’s a discipline.

[18:09] Vanessa talks about a traumatic life experience in 2007 after which she went partially blind in her left eye for six months, and how this led her to realise we have choices and capacity for growth and change in our lives. Since this experience, Vanessa has been passionate about bringing vibrancy to the world. Life on the farm teaches her about animals’ capacity for love, and understanding that we’re all part of this source.

[20:03] Vanessa discusses her plans to launch her capsule collection and share the message about choosing wool, reducing landfill and microplastics at a global level.

[20:56] She says that to stay in your power, you need to get back to the core of who you are, and you have a choice to ‘either cut to the core or rot to the core’. Vanessa recommends focusing on mindfulness, which she does through knitting, lawn-mowing and self-care.