September felt like a transition. Not a dramatic reinvention. Not becoming someone new. More like recognising someone familiar again. There were little moments this month where I caught myself thinking, there she is. I’ve missed her. And perhaps that’s what this month has taught me most. We don’t disappear when life moves us through a difficult season. We are still there. Life happens. Seasons ask different things of us. We gather the lessons and the wisdom, and eventually something begins to shift.
I kept saying to a beautiful friend this month, I feel like I’ve arrived. She reminded me that perhaps I hadn’t arrived anywhere.
I had always been here. I had simply been moving through a season.
I also kept noticing 999 throughout September. I took it as my own little confirmation of completion ~ old beliefs, old ways of operating, a season coming to an end. And I can feel the beginning of something different.
Pause Here
I’m turning up the volume on silence. September has invited me to truly change the way I operate and simply slow it down a notch. I’m giving my body and my mind truly present moments to switch off. Space where my creative mind doesn’t need to be working, overthinking or processing the next thing. I want it to feel refreshed rather than overworked and cloudy.
And I’m already noticing the difference so much. I can’t tell you how much. I’m having the most beautiful, vivid dreams. My clarity feels crystal clear again, like it used to. There’s more space in my mind, and I can actually feel what creating that space is doing for me. So that’s where I’m pausing this month.
Turning up the volume on silence.
My Monthly Meeting
This is why I continue to protect my monthly meeting with myself. It’s the space where I honestly meet myself where I am ~ in life and in business. I reflect on what’s working, celebrate how far I’ve come, reconnect with my values and vision, set my goals and notice what might need to change or be released. This beautiful monthly rhythm has helped me create so much more alignment, momentum and flow in both my life and business.
In fact, this very Editorial you're reading was born from creating that space. Without those quiet moments to dream bigger, listen to what’s calling me forward and make room for new ideas, I don't think I would have had the clarity to bring it to life. And that’s what I love about this practice. There’s no force. No perfect time or place. Sometimes I take my printed workbook and beautiful folder to a café. Sometimes I sit in the sunshine with my favourite drink or find a quiet corner at home. Some women in my world love doing theirs snuggled up in bed before sleep, others on a slow Sunday morning over breakfast.
It's simply one intentional meeting with yourself each month, when your energy calls you to it. A space to slow down, dream, set goals, make decisions, let go of what no longer aligns and consciously choose what comes next. And now, you can walk through my exact monthly practice too. Be Her Now is your invitation to practise being the woman who intentionally designs a life and business she loves.
Watching the beautiful women inside celebrate their wins, make changes and create their own momentum absolutely lights me up. I'm so grateful we get to walk alongside one another. Take yourself somewhere beautiful. Pour yourself something you love. Give yourself the hour. You never know what can open up when you create the space to truly listen.
The Energy I’m Living In
Earlier this month, Hina said something to me that landed in a way I don’t think she realised it would. She described my creative mind as a hard drive stuck in overdrive. And I could immediately see it. I could almost hear it ~ that hard drive working and working, too many tabs open, constantly processing, throwing out heat even when I thought I was resting. It was such a simple analogy, but something in me went, yes, that’s it. I love my creative mind. I love how quickly I can see something, create something and bring an idea to life. I don’t want to change that part of me, but I realised I could change the way I operate it. So I have. I’ve become much more intentional about creating white space in my days, keeping my phone further away, not responding to everything the moment it arrives and letting something wait until tomorrow simply because it can. Closing the tabs. I’m still creating. I’m still dreaming. I’m still me. I’m simply learning that I don’t have to operate at full capacity just because I can. And I can feel the difference.
This month, I’ve also been noticing the peaceful hours. Those beautiful moments where nothing extraordinary is happening. There is nowhere I need to rush to, nothing I need to prove, and for a moment, life feels beautifully still. I received a message from my beautiful friend NJ that reminded me that life is a continuous journey along our own unique path ~ and sometimes, when we become still enough to reconnect with ourselves, time almost seems to pause. That stayed with me. Because perhaps we don’t always need to be moving forward. Perhaps some of the richest moments of our lives are the ones where we simply notice that we are already here. A peaceful hour is not an empty hour. It is a full one. Full of presence, gratitude and the life we can so easily rush past while looking for the next thing. So when a peaceful hour finds me, I want to notice it. Put the phone down, look around, breathe a little deeper and think, this is my life too, and I am here for it.
At the very beginning of September, my son said something to me in a moment when I really needed to hear it. Everything’s going to be all right. Something about hearing those words from him completely shifted my energy and my mindset. Sometimes we have to do hard things, but we can also decide what we do differently from there. This month, I’ve been incredibly mindful of the energy I’m living in. I believe we attract the energy we are, so I’ve been consciously filling my cup even more with the things I love and the things that align with my values. One of my intentions for September was to get back to hot yoga. I made it happen, and it felt bloody amazing. More of what fills me up. More of what feels aligned. More attention to the energy and thoughts I choose to carry with me.
And this is why my monthly meeting with myself continues to matter so much. It gives me the space to notice what’s working, what isn’t, what I want more of and what I’m ready to let go of. To reconnect with my values, make intentional changes and ask myself one of my favourite questions: How could this feel even better? It’s the exact practice I’ve now opened for you to walk through alongside me inside Be Her Now. Because designing a life you love isn’t about constantly doing more. Sometimes it’s about slowing down enough to recognise what truly matters, making space for it and trusting yourself to move forward when the energy feels right. And right now, I’m loving this quieter, more intentional way of living. Everything’s going to be all right.
KATE ~ Watching her vision become her reality
Photography Jennifer Borg
Kate and I actually met as school mums. Our boys had organised some playdates and catch-ups, and somewhere along the way we realised there were other connections too ~ she had worked with my dad and my brother. I remember loving the beautiful home they had built and telling her, you have such a creative eye. You could be a designer, both interior and exterior.
Then one afternoon at footy training, our conversation somehow moved into energetic design. I started asking Kate about her design and gave her a little mini reading right there at footy. She was blown away by how much it resonated. From there, we started talking about values. Did she actually know what her highest values were? Because yes, most of us will say we value our family, but when we do this work, there are usually deeper layers underneath that.
Kate eventually stepped into my 1:1 Vision Intensive, where we explored her values and began painting the picture of what she truly wanted her life and work to look like, but most importantly, how she wanted it to feel. I still remember taking her through the visualisation. We went so deep into the vision that suddenly we looked at the time and thought, Oh my goodness, we have to pick up the kids! We had completely lost track of time. And from there, I’ve had the privilege of watching Kate put that vision into action.
Here below are the early days ~ bringing Kate’s personal brand to life. I remember loving this shoot so much. It felt like I was photographing something straight out of Country Style Magazine. And now I pinch myself, because I've created my own version of a magazine online, right here for you beautiful readers.
FROM A FEELING TO A FLOWER FARM
One thing about Kate is that she can move quickly when something feels right. She has brought so much of what we first spoke about into physical reality, while also learning to honour the slower pace she now loves so much. Taking on my slower way of living too x
Over the years I’ve photographed different seasons of that evolution ~ her beautiful home, her work, her awakening, the beginnings of the flower farm and, more recently, the vision for her flower market that literally opens tomorrow while I’m finalising this write up! Talk about visions to reality.
At our recent shoot we created her market stand for the very first time. It was still a vision of what was coming. I remember Kate talking about multiplying the garden beds and putting more beds in, not knowing exactly how everything would unfold but believing in what she was creating.
And now I’m watching those beds overflow with colour. I’m seeing her flowers appearing in local businesses. I’m watching something that once existed in conversations and visualisations become something other people can actually experience.
I remember those early visions of buckets of flowers filling the boot of her car and her homestead overflowing with blooms.
To now see pieces of that picture becoming her real life is pretty special.
THE WOMAN BEHIND THE FLOWERS
There is another part of my relationship with Kate that I want to share, because she’s not simply a client of mine. She’s become a true friend. The day before one of our recent shoots, I lost my cousin after her struggles with mental illness. I was in deep shock. I could easily have cancelled the shoot. On the way there, I drove past masses of wattle overflowing where I walk. I pulled over and filled the boot of my car with it, celebrating my beautiful cousin’s life while picking every stem for Kate’s shoot.
When I arrived, Kate asked me how I was. I couldn’t lie. I couldn’t hold it back. I told her what had happened. Kate understood grief like this in her own way, having lost two friends of hers when she was younger. And somehow, while we photographed and created and laughed and jumped between what we were making and what had happened in my life, she helped me through that day. The shoot ended up giving me something I didn’t even know I needed.
And that’s something I’ve been thinking about a lot lately. I have the privilege of helping women see things they sometimes can’t yet see for themselves. But there have been moments when the beautiful women around me have done exactly the same for me. More recently, an opportunity came my way that I almost let go of. I was in my own head and couldn’t see clearly enough to make the decision. Kate could see what I couldn’t. She reminded me how aligned the opportunity actually was.
I touched on this in August, but it’s worth saying again: There is something incredibly beautiful about having women looking out for you as much as you are looking out for them. Women who want to see you succeed. Women who can remind you of who you are when, for whatever reason, you can’t quite see it yourself. I’m putting it out there that I want even more women like this in my life. And Kate is absolutely one of them.
A Conversation With Kate
Photography Jennifer Borg
Watching a dream that we first explored together many years ago become Kate’s reality has been so beautiful to witness. From those early visions to seeing Kurrajong Ridge Flower Farm flourishing today, I couldn't think of a more beautiful time to celebrate Kate and feature her here in She Designed a Life She Loved.
I invited Kate to reflect on the journey, the seasons we've shared, what she's learned along the way and what it feels like to see something she once only imagined come to life.
I'm so happy to share this beautiful conversation with you. Enjoy the read. 🤎
1. Thinking back to when we first worked together, what was the original vision you were holding for yourself and your business at that time?
When we first started working together, I don't think I had all the answers.I just had a feeling. I knew I wanted to create a life that felt slower, more intentional and more connected to beauty. At that point, it wasn't really about flowers or even having a flower farm. It was about creating a home and a life that felt aligned with who I was.
The flowers came later. They became the expression of everything I was trying to build a life rooted in the seasons, beauty in the everyday, and creating moments of joy for other people. Looking back now, it's amazing to see how that original feeling slowly found its shape.
2. Since then, we have now captured multiple seasons of your journey together. What has it felt like watching your vision slowly evolve into something tangible and real?
It's honestly been surreal.
There are moments when I walk outside and see the gardens, the flower fields or the farm stand and have to remind myself that this all started as an idea we spoke about years ago.
Because we've documented every season not just the highlights, but the quiet, in-between moments I can actually see how far I've come. Dreams don't happen overnight. They happen one small decision at a time. Looking back through the images reminds me that every season mattered.
“Dreams don't happen overnight. They happen one small decision at a time.”
3. We first began with deeper vision work together before bringing your ideas into physical reality. How important do you feel clarity has been in helping you build what you're creating now?
I think clarity changes everything.
When you become clear on what you're trying to create not just what it looks like, but how you want it to feel. It becomes so much easier to make decisions.
There have been so many opportunities over the years that probably looked good on paper but didn't align with the vision. Having that deeper clarity meant I could say no to things that weren't really for me, and keep building towards something that felt authentic instead of chasing what everyone else was doing.
4. Looking back across all of our shoots together—your home, your spiritual work, your flower farm and now your flower market vision—what has this journey taught you about trusting your own ideas?
It's taught me that the ideas that keep returning are usually there for a reason.
For a long time I questioned whether people would understand the vision because it didn't fit neatly into one category. Was it flowers? Was it slow living? Was it home? The truth is, it's all of those things.
Working with you helped me realise I didn't need to simplify my vision to make it make sense. I just needed to trust that if it felt true to me, the right people would understand it too.
5. How has having someone consistently document your journey helped you see your own growth differently?
When you're living your life every day, it's easy to feel like you're not making much progress.
Having someone document it consistently gives you the gift of perspective. I can look back at photographs from years ago and see the tiny changes I would have otherwise forgotten.
It's made me realise growth is rarely dramatic. It's usually quiet. It's showing up over and over again until one day you look back and realise you've built something you once only imagined.
“Growth is rarely dramatic. It's usually quiet.”
6. I’ve had the privilege of witnessing your dream evolve in real time. What does it feel like seeing the flower market vision now becoming something real after once only existing in your imagination?
It's emotional.
The flower market wasn't part of the very beginning it became part of the vision as the journey unfolded. What started as a desire to create a slower, more intentional life gradually became a flower farm, and now a flower market where people can experience that feeling for themselves.
For a while now, it's lived in Pinterest boards, sketches, conversations and ideas. Now I can picture people pulling into the driveway, choosing flowers, taking them home and making them part of their everyday lives.
That's always been the dream not simply growing flowers, but creating a place where people leave with more than just a bunch of flowers. A place that helps them slow down, notice the seasons, and discover that joy really can be found in the everyday. Seeing that become real is incredibly special.
7. What would you say to another woman sitting on an idea, or vision that feels exciting but still uncertain?
Start before you feel ready.
You don't have to know every step. You don't need the whole business figured out. You just need enough courage to take the next small step.
The version of your dream that eventually exists will probably look different to the one you're imagining today anyway. Give it room to evolve. Trust yourself enough to begin.
8. In your own words, how would you describe what it has felt like having me walk alongside you throughout so many seasons of your journey?
It's felt like having someone who believed in the vision before there was much evidence that it would become what it is today.
You've never just taken photographs. You've held space for ideas while they were still fragile. You've helped me slow down long enough to actually see what I was creating, and you've captured moments that I know I'll treasure forever.
Years from now, these images won't just remind me what everything looked like they'll remind me how it felt to build it. I don't think many people get to have their dream documented with so much care, and I'll always be grateful for that.
9. What are you most excited about stepping into next?
I'm excited to see Kurrajong Ridge Flower Farm become everything I now quietly dreamed it could be.
This next season feels less about building and more about welcoming people in through the flower market, flower subscriptions and whatever unfolds from there.
More than anything, I hope people leave with more than just flowers. I hope they leave feeling inspired to slow down, notice the beauty around them and create little moments of joy in their own everyday lives.
If Kurrajong Ridge can become a place that makes people feel that, then I'll feel like I've built something truly meaningful.
This Month On The Farm
For Father’s Day, I decided to surprise my husband by cleaning up and refreshing his orchard. Quality time and acts of service are definitely his love languages, so I didn’t tell him what I was doing. I just started. And let’s just say, by the time I was finished, it looked amazing. He was so lit up by it. I could see how loved it made him feel. And then, being the Generator he is, he responded to that energy and started cleaning up other sections of the farm and tending to our trees. It turned into such a beautiful time out there together.
Right now we have an overflow of blood oranges, lemons, mandarins and oranges. I’m picking whatever I can get my hands on and eating it fresh from the tree every day. Our garlic is coming along too, although I’ve discovered how delicious it is picked a little early, almost like a big garlicky shallot. I planted over 100 and I’ve probably already eaten my way through ten, so I may need to back off. 😂
Our oats, barley and wheat are thriving too, and everything is looking so beautifully green. We’re only on ten acres ~ I’m sure the farmers with hundreds or thousands of acres would laugh at us calling it a farm ~ but to us, it’s our little farm, and Andrew makes the absolute most of it.
And we had ducklings born this month, which might just be one of the sweetest signs of spring. One of them even made a little appearance during a Stepping Stone shoot with one of my beautiful little boys. Those tiny hands holding a tiny duckling ~ honestly, so cute.
A Little Getaway, A Lot Of LOVE
September was also a month of celebrating love. On the 19th, Andrew and I celebrated our wedding anniversary ~ 16 years married and 27 years together. We were invited to my beautiful cousin's wedding in Yamba the day before, so we thought, why not make a beautiful long weekend of it? We left Thursday morning and road-tripped up the coast, just the two of us. We could have taken the boys, and I know they would have loved it, but I'm so grateful we decided to have this time together. I think it's so important to continue making space for one another as a couple. Whether it's a date night, a weekend away or a beautiful holiday, there's something special about stepping out of your everyday routine and simply enjoying each other's company. We had seven hours in the car to talk, laugh and connect, and honestly, it was beautiful.
The wedding itself was so much fun. Celebrating with our family and cousins, we had an absolute ball. And then there was Yamba. Oh my goodness, I could easily live there! Even Andrew said the same thing, so who knows, perhaps we'll be Yamba retirees one day. The beautiful place we stayed had electric bikes, and let's just say we made the absolute most of them. We were hooning around Yamba, up and down the hills, along the breakwall and through town, laughing like a couple of kids. The bikes even had big baskets on the back, so naturally we decided to load one up with all our fishing gear and head right out to the end of the breakwall for a fish. We enjoyed the most beautiful breakfasts, fresh seafood, oysters and prawns. One afternoon we met up with my cousins down on the rocks, enjoyed more seafood and watched the boys pull up a massive jewfish. What a fish!
On Saturday night, we'd planned to go out for a beautiful dinner. There were so many lovely restaurants to choose from, but after a big few days, I looked at Andrew and suggested we do something different. Why don't we just grab that incredible authentic pizza we'd discovered, ride our bikes back and watch a movie? And that's exactly what we did. We rode through town, collected our pizza and spent the evening relaxing together. Nothing fancy. No big plans. Just the two of us, doing exactly what we felt like doing. And do you know what? If you asked me what my favourite part of the weekend was, apart from celebrating my cousin's beautiful wedding, it was probably those moments of Andrew and me laughing and hooning around on those bikes. Absolute gold.
It reminded me how important it is to never lose that spark you had when you first met. Keep having fun together. Be spontaneous. Laugh. Make time for love, affection and connection. Do the little things that remind you why you chose one another in the first place. And something I always come back to in our relationship is remembering to put myself in Andrew's shoes ~ to zoom out, see his perspective and approach one another with compassion, love and respect. After 27 years together, we're still learning, still growing and still choosing one another through all the different seasons of life. And I think that's something worth celebrating.
Never stop dating the person you chose to do life with.
This Month In The Studio
Things are moving inside the studio. We have electricity! I’ve been in there sanding away, prepping and getting everything ready for paint. Slowly, this space I’ve held in my imagination is becoming real. I’ve always envisioned it as more than somewhere I photograph. I can see myself connecting with like-minded women from this space ~ women close to home and women on the other side of the world.
And as I write this, I’ve been invited into an Instagram Live conversation. I think I might sit right there in the unfinished studio and have it. No perfect walls. No finished paint. Just me, in the middle of creating the space I once imagined, already beginning to use it for exactly what I imagined it could hold. Women coming together, sharing ideas, stories and energy ~ near and far.
And on the 30th of September, I did exactly what I'd imagined. I moved Andrew’s work platform into the middle of the unfinished studio to use as a table and began preparing the space for my Instagram Live conversation with Jess from the Global Flower Summit on the 1st of October. And there I was, bringing to life something I'd envisioned for this space long before it was finished. So many beautiful women joined our conversation, with many more watching the replay. One lovely woman even tuned in all the way from Ireland!
And that was such a special moment for me. Because this is exactly what I'd envisioned for this sacred space ~ somewhere I could share my inspiration, ideas and little activations with women near and far, all around the world. And there it was, happening right before my eyes, while I was sitting in the very space I'd imagined it all happening in.More on this beautiful experience in October's Editorial.
What I’m Loving Right Now
I’m loving hot yoga again.
I’m loving Rose’s fascia facials.
I’m loving the blood oranges straight from our trees ~ yes, I’ve probably mentioned them three times now, but they’re that bloody good.
I’m loving my new intentional chair, otherwise known in our house as the Instagram chair.
I’m loving Jasmin’s banana, oat and cinnamon bake.
I’m loving watching The Studio get closer and closer.
I’m loving my vivid dreams.
I’m loving the clarity.
I’m loving a quieter mind.
And more than anything,
I’m loving feeling like myself again.
Until Next Month
September has reminded me that not every season asks us to do more. Some ask us to listen more closely. To create a little more space. To put something down. To notice the peaceful hour when it arrives. To let the people around us pour back into us. To trust that even when life looks different for a while, we haven’t lost ourselves.
Maybe we’re simply living through another season. And perhaps we don't always need to rush into the next one. For now, I’m enjoying this one.
There she is.
Until next month,
Jen x 🤎
