7 Days of Leadership Lessons from Mt Kilimanjaro (Day 2)
Day 2 started at 6.30am (which I quickly learned was to be our regular wake up call, but luckily with a hot drink brought to our tent 🙂 ) After such a great first day trekking through the rain forest I can honestly say I thought I was ready for...
7 Days of Leadership Lessons from Mt Kilimanjaro (Day 1)
Day 1 of the trek to the summit of Mt Kilimanjaro started the night before. After a couple of days volunteering at the orphanage the group was in high spirits but as we came together the evening before the start of the hike we were asked to put it...
Insights from an African Orphanage
I've been fortunate that through the organization I work for I have had the opportunity to volunteer for many community service activities. But there is definitely something different when you undertake such an...
How long does it take to achieve a goal?
As I write this post, I am sitting on the plane traveling from Doha to Tanzania approximately a 5hr flight. We have already travelled 15hrs from Sydney to Doha and then had a 3hr layover. By the time we arrive at Tanzania we would have been...
What have I learned while training for the mountain?
So when Adrian and I decided 8 months ago to climb Mt Kilimanjaro, I thought 'Perfect at least I've made sure I have plenty of time to prepare and train!' (And for someone who dislikes to exercise and had never hiked/camped before I thought this...
Why would I climb to 5,895m above sea level?
In approximately 2 weeks from now I will be getting on a plane to Tanzania, Africa in order to climb Mt Kilimanjaro with my husband. Kilimanjaro is a mountain in the middle of Africa, the tallest on the continent at 5895m (19,340ft). Standing on...
Ignite Your SPARK – Step #5 Hone Your Knowledge
For as long as I can remember I was referred to as a "good student". Maybe it was my early need to please others or gain approval but I liked the thought of doing well. I certainly wasn't the best and the brightest and did work hard for my grades...
Ignite Your SPARK – Step #4 Rebound with Resilience
Unfortunately this post has taken me a little longer to get out, but in some ways has been a real live example of Rebound with Resilience, the fourth out of the 5 steps to Ignite Your SPARK. No stranger to setbacks, I have had a few to start off...
Ignite Your SPARK – Step #3 Act with Authenticity
Act with Authenticity. As mentioned in my post 5 steps to Ignite Your SPARK, 'A' is for 'Authenticity'. So why do I say "Act with Authenticity", surely that is an oxymoron? I have found that over the course of my life I have "acted" in a number of...
Ignite Your SPARK – Step #2 Power Your Performance
The P in SPARK is for Performance. My performance is something I have always been conscious of. Even when I was 'asleep'* I was always acutely aware of how I was performing. Particularly in relation to what I perceived as the performance standards...
Ignite Your SPARK – Step #1 Unleash Your Spirit
In my last post I described how I re-lit my own SPARK after spending so many years 'asleep'. The first of which started with my Spirit. Regardless of your beliefs, albeit religious or otherwise, I do feel that most people understand we all have an...
5 steps to Ignite Your SPARK
I was asleep for 40 years. Let me explain. For all my life, I had lived by the plan laid down by my family, society and culture. I was a relatively 'good' girl, did well at school, went to university, got a good job, got married, bought a house and...
Confused about your life Purpose?
For a long time I struggled with the idea of 'purpose'. The daunting questions of "Why am I here?" and "What's my ultimate mission?" just seemed to overwhelm me. And the more I thought about it the more anxious I became. So of course I just avoided...
Presence is Power
In my last post I explained my perspective on what it means to be 'present', essentially not being absent. And I discussed how this is one of the quickest ways to influence. But how do you become a master at being present? How do you ensure that: •...
The quickest way I know to Influence!
What's the quickest way to build your influence? In my experience and what I have heard my mentor Blair Singer say is "the person with the highest energy wins". But what exactly does that mean? Whenever you are engaged with another person (or...
This Productivity tip is almost too easy…
What does it really mean to be productive? These days there are a multitude of 'productivity' apps e.g. reminder apps, to-do list apps, scheduling apps etc. But are these apps actually helping with our productivity? Productivity is defined as the...
Understand Your Physiology and Supercharge Your Performance
I was so excited to write my post this week on how important it is to Master Your Physiology in order to ensure high performance*. Physiology is the branch of biology dealing with the functions and activities of living organisms and their parts,...
Are you a ‘sometimes’ High Performer?
High performance* has always been a part of my life. I may not have called it that when I was in grade school but the desire to achieve, do well, make my parents proud was embedded at an early age.  But it was never something I could sustain...
3 quick tips to achieve more Influence
For the past couple of weeks my husband has been away and I have been home with our children. And that's a little different for us, usually I'm the one that's away and he's home! I've absolutely loved the time with my kids, and so the sobering...
Time Management – a Waste of Time!
How much time have you wasted learning how to manage your time? If you're anything like me, you have probably attended countless time management seminars over your career.... but here is the thing... I believe they are a waste of time! I say this...
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June 9, 2021 Disrupt Magazine
Stephanie attributes her transition from employee to entrepreneur as a result of when she felt the ‘Universal Slap’ that woke her up and ignited her spark. In this article, Stephanie reveals her 5 steps to “Ignite Your SPARK”.
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May 29, 2021 Yahoo Global
Stephanie shares why her mission is to enable women to succeed in their own unique way to fully engage at work and home and remain happy and confident without the risk of burnout.
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Jun 11, 2018 The Asian Entrepreneur
Stephanie Barros is playing a small part in helping others reach their full potential.
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