2022 AusMumpreneur Awards Winner – Dr Richardson

Dr Jodi Richardson

An educational leader, Dr Jodi Richardson is one of Australia’s leading lights in managing anxiety and amplifying wellbeing. She supports parents, teachers and other professionals to understand anxiety, change their relationship with it, move it to its rightful place and light the way for their children and students to do the same.

Jodi is professional speaker supporting whole school communities and workplaces around Australia, the best-selling author of the books ‘Anxious Kids’ and ‘Anxious Mums’, a wellbeing science consultant, host of the podcast ‘Well, hello anxiety’ and a mum of two.

When did you start your business?

I started my business in 2014.

What was the inspiration behind starting this business?

A few years after completing my PhD I studied the Science of Happiness. The learning was inspiring, practical and the science showed that consistent happiness and wellbeing habits were transforming lives. Mine included; especially in terms of my mental health. I immediately knew that sharing this knowledge and inspiring others to bring these strategies into their own lives was my next professional step. I also knew exactly where I wanted to launch my workshop; the beautiful Peninsula Hot Springs in Victoria. I attended a business network breakfast where the owner of Peninsula Hot Springs was presenting. His most resounding advice was ‘if there’s something you have in your head and on your heart to do – tell someone’. I emailed him that afternoon, shared my vision, and after multiple meetings ‘The Happiness Retreat’ was launched. It was my first public offering, my first foray into professional speaking, and was an absolute joy to deliver. I’ve since gone on to study Acceptance and Commitment Therapy and my business has evolved into the work I do now, primarily in the area of anxiety.

What are you most excited about in your business?

I’m excited about many things that are happening in my business at the moment! In particular, the new physical and online resources I’m creating to support people who struggle with anxiety or care for someone who does.

What has been the most challenging thing about starting your business?

One of the great early challenges of my business was decision making with respect to exactly who to serve, what presentation topics will be most impactful and the types of complimentary resources that will best support my clients and their audiences. The possibilities are endless and so thoughtful decision making is imperative.

What advice would you give to other women thinking about starting a business?

There’s so much to learn when starting a business but two key messages I’d love to share are these:

1. While it’s important to know and understand your competitors, it’s incredibly important to be authentically you. Starting and growing a business takes an extraordinary amount of time, effort, energy, sacrifice and commitment. All of this is made infinitely harder if you’re trying to be something, or someone, you’re not.

2. Know and remember why you’re starting your business and the impact you can have on people’s lives. This is something to come back to over and over again as you experience the highs and lows that are inevitable when building a business for the first time (or any time!).

Why did you enter the AusMumpreneur Awards?

I was excited to enter the awards after being nominated and considered it a wonderful opportunity to share the podcast I create to positively impact people’s experience with anxiety, with a wider audience. It was also a great opportunity to benchmark my progress as a podcaster against others, and a chance to reflect on how my business and the podcast have grown over the past 12 months. Winning an award is always a huge honour and a chance to celebrate lots of hard work!

What did you enjoy the most about being part of the awards?

Connecting with and celebrating other women in business was the most wonderful part of the AusMumpreneur Awards. I met and re-connected with incredible business women, I was inspired by the successes of others and loved hearing the stories women shared about overcoming challenges as they nurtured and grew their businesses.

What surprised you most about the awards?

I was genuinely surprised by the incredible stories of adversity so many AusMumpreneurs shared as they pulled back the curtain on their businesses and family life. It was moving and inspiring to understand the hardships experienced by so many and to join with everyone in attendance to celebrate their success.

How did the awards help you in your business?

Entering the awards is something I wish I’d done years ago! Firstly, entering the awards was an opportunity to reflect on the growth of my business, my financial position, challenges overcome, my successes over the previous year and my vision for the future. Local press coverage brought more attention to my work and my podcast and attending the conference and awards introduced me to women who have been wonderful supporters and cheerleaders for my work; many have, or are scheduled to, join me as guest on my podcast which enables me to promote their work too. Placing third in the podcast category is something I’m incredibly proud of. It’s very special to have my work recognised and to have the opportunity to bring awareness of my work to a wider community.

What advice would you give to other mums thinking about entering the awards?

Don’t hesitate! And don’t wait for someone to nominate you, you can nominate yourself. The process of completing the nomination form gives us all an important opportunity to reflect on and articulate our successes, our challenges and our future plans. The experience of attending the conference and awards is incredibly rewarding.

What has been the best thing about starting your own business?

Flexibility to do the work that lights me up, work that makes a meaningful difference in people’s lives, and to be able to schedule my work around family life.

What’s happening next in your business?

I have a number of incredible resources in production to support parents who need help understanding and supporting children and teens who are struggling with anxiety.

What are your big plans for the future?

My vision is for families and schools around the country to connect with my work, to trust that I can make a meaningful difference in their lives, and to look to me and my resources to support them with their own mental health, and that of their children, students and school communities. Anxiety is a challenge affecting the lives of millions of Australians of all ages. The podcast, speaking, writing, online courses and on-demand webinars will all support me to continue to educate and empower Australians in ways that can change the trajectory of their lives.