Rethinking and Reinventing Diversity | Gloria Ewe

Gloria: there I was 17 years old, two babies in hand and it just really reflected significantly on where are you going from here? And it was those decisions, am I going to get a job to be able to feed these children? Or am I going to get a career that my kids can then look back on and learn from me?

Matt: Welcome to Push To Be More with Me, your host, Matt Edmundson. Now this is a show that talks about the stuff that makes life work and to help us do just that. Today I am chatting with Gloria Ewe from AU. Also pronounced oh about where she has had to push through, uh, what she does to recharge her batteries and to be as well as what she, well, what's gonna be more for her. Now

the show notes and transcript from my conversation with Gloria will be available on our website, pushtobemore.com. Uh, on our website you can also sign up for our newsletter, and each week we will email you the links along with the notes from the show. Automagically direct to your inbox. They come to you totally free.

Which is amazing. Now this episode is brought to you by Aurion Media, which helps entrepreneurs and business leaders set up and run their own successful podcast. Gloria, you know what I have found running my own podcast to be insanely rewarding, it opens doors to amazing people like nothing I have seen.

I've built networks, made friends, had a platform to champion my customers, my team, and my suppliers, and I think just about any entrepreneur or business leader should really consider hosting their own podcast because it's had such a huge impact on my own business, which of course sounds great in theory.

But in reality there's a whole chunk of problems to think about, isn't there, like distribution, setting up and all that sort of stuff. What's the right strategy? The questions go on. You see, I love talking to people, but not necessarily all of that other stuff, I'm not gonna lie. So the team, the fab team that we have at Aurion Media takes it all off my plate.

I get to do what I'm good at, which is chat to amazing people like Gloria here. Uh, and they brilliantly take care of the rest. So if you're wondering if podcasting is a good marketing strategy for your business, Do connect with them at aurionmedia.com. That's A U R I O N media dot com and we would of course link to them on the podcast website as well, which if you've forgotten already, is pushtobemore.com.

Now that's the show sponsor. Let's talk about today's guest. Now. Gloria Ewe is a passionate New Zealand entrepreneur, co-founder of AU Consulting, a trailblazing minority-owned management consulting firm with over 20 years of experience in learning and development. Gloria has made a name for herself by helping clients transform their digital learning capabilities and fostering diversity and inclusion strategies.

Drawing from her unique journey as a young mother, her successful career in aviation and her unwavering resilience let me add, Gloria champion's innovative, lifelong learning and cultural engagement practices. Her ultimate goal is to create a lasting legacy of social good and maintain a competitive commercial edge for her clients and the community.

Gloria, great to have you on the show. Thank you for joining me at this unearthly hour for you, uh, all the way from New Zealand. How are we doing?

Gloria: I'm very good. How are you?

Matt: Yeah, good. It's good, but it's not, it's not like approaching midnight for me, so, you know. Has it been a, has it been a long day or has it been a, a, been an alright day.

Gloria: It's been a very good day, and to be fair, I perform better at night, believe it or not. So I am right in my element right now.

Matt: Fantastic. The night owl, right? I'm the same way. And then I had, I had kids and it made me a young person, uh, the early hour kind of guy. And then I dunno whether,

Gloria: so I'm lucky. I'm lucky.

Matt: Yeah, I can imagine. I can imagine. Now Gloria, you've had a pretty remarkable journey, right? Um, we had a, we have something, uh, if you don't know, dear listener, we have something called a pre-call here on the podcast, which is where we chat for like half an hour about what we're gonna talk about on the podcast.

I just get to know the guests a little bit and, uh, I always find 'em quite fascinating. And, uh, Gloria, your pre-call stands out, right, because. Like I say, you've had this sort of remarkable journey becoming a young mother at quite a young age, just something that we talked about. You've built a successful career in aviation.

You have faced the challenges of cancer and the pandemic. How have the, I put all this together and you, you seem like a remarkable, resilient person with insane determination. Uh, how, how? How did it all start for you in terms of, if I can, let's jump into the fact that you had your first child when you were 15, which to maybe someone like me is a little bit surprising, but it seems to have shaped you quite well.

Gloria: Oh, significantly. I, I sit back, um, in, in a very fortunate position right now and reflect on, on my. Babies who are now in their mid twenties, so no longer, uh, babies anymore. Ut if anyone asks what has shaped not only who I am today, but what's given me the skills, the knowledge, um, and the attitude to persevere.

It is being a mother, um, it is being a mother at that young age that has given me those skills well and truly above any role or any corporate role that I've ever had. So, um, yeah, my first baby came along at 15 and, and my second at 16 and that. Those were the cards that I was dealing with at that time.

And so I make some pretty adult decisions at a very young age, and that was very clear to me at 16. Okay. You, you've got adult decisions to make. Uh, and fortunate enough, um, they were good decisions from there on in. And my career flourished and I had to raise two children, uh, alongside building my own career at the same time.

Matt: Well, well, and well done. I mean, I'm listening to you talk and there's a, a member of my family, I won't mention her name. Um, uh, mainly cause I've not asked her if I've got permission to do so. Uh, but I, member of my family, she had her son when she was 17. And, um, so no, not an, not, obviously not planned for her, but I, I say obviously this wasn't planned for her at 17, but she did get pregnant at, um, at 17.

And I would have to say, looking back, It was properly the making of her. In a lot of ways, Do you know what I mean? That um, that out of this sort of situation, she is the most beautiful and resilient woman, the, uh, and, and is traveling the world in, in quite remarkable ways. And so with her son as well and, and doing some quite extraordinary stuff.

And, um, I do wonder what life would've been like for her had that not have happened and, and what path she would've been on. I dunno if you ever do that.

Gloria: Oh, significantly. And I think about, you know, I, I just think about the traditional resume. The traditional resume. outlines your skills and your experience really based on your career. But what would your life experience resume say? So if we put weight to a life experience resume. Um, what does that really say about an individual? Because that's where we pick up a lot of lessons in life.

Matt: Hmm. Yeah. I, I love that. The life experience resume. That's, um, that's brilliant. And I, it's almost like a, the title of a book, maybe you should write. Um, it's, uh, it's, it's a fascinating idea, isn't it? Because you're right, it's so often we get, I think we get caught up, don't we, in the. In the, I've had this career I worked from, and you go on the LinkedIn, I worked from this company from this date to this date, and this is, you know, this is what I did.

But it's like, but over here in life, you've probably got much more interesting stories.

Gloria: Significantly. Who are you? What shaped you? You know, we all talk about values and we talk about, um, soft skills, but what, what are yours?

Matt: Hmm.

Gloria: know, rather than being defined by what they should be, just being able to share what yours are and what shaped them. It's your life experience that shapes all of those innate traits in people.

Matt: that's so true. I love that. So you became a young mother. So how did this sort of, um, life experience then, I mean you, you said you had to stop making some pretty, pretty adult decisions at sort of 15, 16 years old. So how did that actually shape your approach to life and your, and your career? I mean, what, what were some of these adult choices you had to make?

Gloria: Yeah, look from a very young age. Um, so you know, there I was 17 years old, two babies in hand and it just really reflected significantly on where are you going from here? And it was those decisions, am I going to get a job to be able to feed these children? Or am I going to get a career that my kids can then look back on and learn from me?

Um, so I had to choose between a job that would pay me a wage so I could take care of family or the career, and I chose the pathway of, of a career. And so from a. Again, you know, 18 years old is, is the minimum age that you can enter aviation. And so I was 18 years in 2, 18 years and two days, uh, was my age when I became a flight attendant, um, And I was very fortunate at that time, um, that a major airline was recruiting here in New Zealand and was successful in that application.

I put my heart and soul into that application. My heart and soul went into that interview because I knew that I had two babies, um, to, to, to bring up in this world and to build a future with. Um, so from the age of 18, I started flying as cabin crew.

Matt: Wow. Well, that, I mean, it, it's an interesting one, isn't it? Uh, so you, because that job there, I, I can imagine, um, the, sort of the, the immediate questions come into people's minds listening is how did you then cope 18 years old, your flight attendant, you, you are flying. I'm imagining into some quite interesting places.

Uh, and I mean, I know quite a lot of, uh, flight Crew. Um, and on one hand it sounds idyllic, on the other hand it sounds insane. Hard work. How did you handle in time zones, everything? How did you manage that with the young kids? Cuz first and foremost, I mean, you're obviously missing your kids. You're away from your kids. How did you, how did you juggle all of this?

Gloria: Oh, it was a, a significantly supportive family. Um, Husband, mother. So surrounding yourself with the right people who support you in what it is that you're doing, that that's absolute key. And then as an individual and as a mother and, and as a, um, having that working career, you have to have a lot of structure in your life.

You've got to have a lot of drive and rigor just to keep going and keep pushing. Um, so I look, I think having the right, um, family surrounding you to support, having a support network around you, but also having the right mindset. Not every day is seamless. Not every day a flight is going to arrive on time at home when it says it's gonna, and you could be delayed, and it's happened many a times.

So, Being able to have structure, rigor, but be adaptable as well. Those were key attributes to kind of push and, and launch off. Um, what became the starting of my career then.

Matt: To be fair, those characteristics you just described of structure, rigor, adaptability, and mindset, they actually sounds like the characteristics of a, of a mother as well. Right? So you, you need all of those to be a mom. Uh, having watched my beautiful wife raise our kids, um, structure plus, plus adaptability, I think it's, you

Gloria: I know, how do those go hand in hand? How does structure and adaptability go hand in hand? Um, but they have to, you know, in terms of you can plan that. You've gotta pick your kids up by five o'clock, but if something isn't in your control that won't enable you to do that, how can you quickly adapt? Um, so.

All of those skills, those life skills that make you a better, a better person, um, and you carry those skills in into the workplace.

Matt: Hmm, no doubt. No doubt. So let's fast forward, right? So here you are, 18 years old. In, in two days you've submitted your application, you've got your job, you fly in the world. Um, in fact, before we carry on, let me ask you this question, best place you've ever visited?

Gloria: Oh, I, I, look, I'm a fan of Hong Kong. I, I just love Hong Kong. I love the culture. I have always loved the culture. So it was a family tradition, uh, to go there every year, uh, for, for, for quite some time. So even me and my family, um, went there a lot.

Matt: Okay. Hong Kong top tip. I remember last time, um, last time I was in New Zealand. Normally I go over once a year to New Zealand, but of course we had this thing called the pandemic, uh, which kind of messed everybody's travel plans up. And so I've not actually been to New Zealand since the pandemic. But I remember flying to New Zealand and the pandemic was in, its sort of rumbles, and I always do this thing whenever I fly to New Zealand, I try to fly via a different country.

So I can go and explore that country. So I've done Dubai, Singapore, um, KL, you know, all these, and I thought, I've not done Hong Kong, so I'm gonna go, um, I think it was Cathay Pacific, the airline that I went on. And you go via Hong Kong, right? So I was like, as in Hong Kong, I could see out the window, you know, the, the, the beauty of it all.

And I was like, right, I'm in the airport, looking forward to exploring this city. Cause I was gonna do it on the way back on this trip. I was gonna go to New Zealand. And then come back. And I've been in New Zealand a couple of weeks at this point and then the whole world tells me that, you know, the news is like everything is now on lockdown.

And so I had to leave New Zealand like four or five days earlier. Otherwise I, I mean, I'd love New Zealand, I just didn't want to get stuck there cause I wanted to be with my family. Um, and. I had to cancel my trip to Hong Kong. I just literally went through the airport again with, you know, and I was, and you could see in the airport, you can see this sort of beautiful view, can't you?

Over the mountains and the hills, and it's sensational and you're just like, Ugh. So I've still gotta do Hong Kong, uh, is what I'm trying to say. Gloria, it's still on my bucket list.

Gloria: It, it's, it is a musto. It is just so rich in culture and wherever you look, wherever you eat, whatever you do, you are just entrenched and, and infused with, with their beautiful culture all around you.

Matt: Oh, great. Well, uh, when I go, I'll, I'll, I'll message you and say, Gloria, where do I need to stay? What do I need to do? I'm sure you can gimme some top tips.

Gloria: Lots.

Matt: Gloria's Guide to Hong Kong. Uh, no. That's awesome. That's okay. So, um, so here you are, you’re travelling the world. Fast forward a few years. You are now the co-founder of AU Consulting. Pronounced o as I've learned, um, au is a Maori term. So just explain what the term means, and then I want to dig into the consulting side of your business a little bit.

Gloria: Yeah, our company. So Au about you, about us. Um, it is the meaning that sits behind Au is more, more sits around a proverb, um, which is, I'm you and you are me. Um, that is the full meaning of it. But if we take that in terms of English translation about you, about us, it's about what companies are needing what the clients are needing, what companies are needing, um, to propel their people into the future, and how we can support them.

So how we as Au, uh, can support them in doing that.

Matt: Wow. So, uh, you grew up in, obviously in the Maori culture in New Zealand. Um, and one of the things that I remember from our, our precall was just how much, obviously your culture and your heritage just impacts everything you do. And it's beautiful actually. I remember listening, thinking though, this is amazing.

Um, how it all works. And I love the fact how you've brought that into, um, your consultancy. And one of the things that we talked about was. If I, correct me if I'm wrong, the sort of the four pillars of wellbeing, the physical, the mental, the spiritual, and sort of the work family thing. Have I, have I remembered that correctly?

Gloria: Absolutely. So we were talking about Hauora, uh, four walls of the wellbeing, which was very aligned to, um, Um, very much aligned to, to this Copa, this, this, this conversation.

Matt: Yeah, yeah, yeah. So let's just, let's just, let's tell the, the listeners all about that because I, I found it, uh, fascinating. So just run through the four walls, uh, as you call them.

Gloria: So when we think about Hauora and when we think about, um, wellbeing, we think of it more holistically, and it's about having all of the energy from all of these four different areas. one is not more important to the other. So we need all four walls to make our, wellbeing, our Hauora.

thrive. And so those four walls, as you described, taha wairua, which is all about our spiritual wellbeing, uh, we've got Taha whanau, which is our family wellbeing. Taha tinana is our, is our physical wellbeing and taha hinengaro is our mental wellbeing. And so we look at these four pillars. And sometimes one of our pillars might be down.

So I'll give you an example. One of our children may, may be ill, or, uh, one of our grandparents, you know, might, might be, um, not well as well, so, It may be diminished, so that pillar may be diminished slightly, but what we need to be able to do is pull on the other pillars to, to keep our overall strength in place.

Um, and so recognizing when one pillar is stronger to support another, or when one pillar is weakened, um, what are the things that we can do to enhance our wellbeing in that area? Uh, so for example, if our children were sick, we might need to take them to the doctors to get them better. We might need to care for them a little bit more, um, than we normally would.

They might not go to school. And so what we are doing is we're focusing on building that that pillar, um, essentially back up to good health. So in, in an idyllic world, we'll have all four pillars. Um, You know, thriving, but that's not the world that we live in today. One of our pillars are impacted at some point in time. And so it's about recognizing which one is being, uh, slightly diminished. Um, is, is the term I call it. Uh, and what are the things that we can do as either individuals, um, or your support network to, to bring that back up again?

Matt: That's

Gloria: So it's a, it's a term that we call Hauora. So it's called the Four Walls of Wellbeing, uh, that was developed, um, by Sir Mason Durie here in Ulti, or, uh, a, a massive champion, uh, when it comes to Maori health and wellbeing.

Matt: Hmm, fantastic. Fanta. So I'm curious, right? You're, you are flying the world. You, you've obviously got this culture and this heritage. Now you've got Au consulting. What was that journey to bring these sort of, the four pillars? Uh, the four walls, sorry, these sort of lessons to a consulting practice. You're, we're going to, I want to get into the diversity, the, the, the cause, the championship of that.

But I'm kind of curious about your journey. How did you go from, you know, flying, uh, in airplanes to, to what you're doing now?

Gloria: Yeah, well I was fortunate enough to be heavily involved in learning and development and organizational development throughout my aviation career. So my flying career didn't last us it, it didn't last significantly long. Um, but I transitioned, um, into learning and development, organizational development.

Where I had the opportunity to be, um, heavily involved in various projects across the organization within aviation, specifically, uh, for major airlines, but being involved in those types of trans, I, I, I would say there were transformational projects within inside the organizations. I could see I could have a bigger impact, um, if I could work with more organizations to create long lasting systemic change.

And so like many a people during the pandemic, it was an opportunity to sit back, reflect, um, and at a healthy 39 years of age, uh, say, what is the next 20 years of your career going to entail? And being brave, being bold, being able to make that decision to do something different for a greater purpose of having greater impact.

Matt: So here you are again then in your late thirties in the pandemic, uh, doing what you did when you were sort of 17, 18, you were being brave, you're being bold and stepping into, um, if I can picture it this way, a different plane, which is taking you on a different journey. Um, What was that like? I mean, was that scary? Was that, uh, exhilarating? Was it a, a mixture of everything,

Gloria: It was. I would say more exhilarating because it was with the right people at the right time. Um, so I'm not the only, um, co-founder of this business. There are a handful of us, um, Surrounding yourself with the right people who are very much aligned on the same passion. There was a, an entire whanau of us who stepped into this, um, so exhilarating.

Um, significantly challenging to learn something new every day and not be afraid to make mistakes has been my biggest lesson coming into this so far.

Matt: Yeah. Yeah, it's, um, I'm laughing because I'm right there with you. Uh, the to, to be okay with making mistakes is just have a go and make mistakes and see what happens is, um, it's quite an interesting thing, isn't it? So, so it, it, obviously this, this company then was enough to draw you away from, um, I don't wanna use the word security.

I can't think of a better word of a traditional job. Do, you know what I mean? It's stability is maybe a, a fair word. Um, because I don't know if traditional jobs are, are secure, especially during the pandemic, but, um, so there's, there's this sort of stability and here you go again and, and you're rocking that it's exhilarating.

So what was it about the collective vision of this new company that. That, that drew you in, in that you were willing to walk away from that into, uh, willing to walk away from what was stable into the unknown skies for for better expression.

Gloria: I think I, I reflect back and I, I ask, I make sure that I'm, remind myself all the time. It's to have an impact on the future generation. It it, it's the future generational workforce. It's to be able to create workplaces that are. safe spaces for everybody into the future. I think we are going to have, we already have, and it's only going to grow a lot wider.

Such a diverse, um, we've got such diverse talent coming through the pipeline, so. What are we doing with an organizations to set them up, uh, for success they walk in the door. So ultimately that's what keeps driving me, us, uh, to do what we are doing to have a greater impact, um, you know, both here in Ulti and globally as well.

Matt: So the, if I can ask you, uh, Gloria, you, you use this phrase, you want to create safe space, um, for future work. Um, And you are right I mean the, the diversity and inclusion is a, is a, is a, is a, is a hot topic right now is, I mean, and rightly so in a lot of ways. Um, when you were working, flying the skies, did you feel yourself that it wasn't necessarily safe space?

Is that what's drawn you in or were you like the recipient of quite open minded people and you want to help others bring that to their workplaces?

Gloria: I would say more so probably in the last five years of my, my career with Inside Aviation and being, um, involved with many of, of projects, you know, that are associated to, um, You know, diversity, equity, and inclusion, um, type of type of work is really what drew my passion towards. We could be doing more, we could be doing, um, we could be doing so much more. Um, so it's about creating a space where we can do that and have a greater impact.

Matt: mm-hmm. No. Great. So if I, I, I appreciate this might be a, a rather strange question, uh, and if it is, just tell me to move on. Um, but I'm kind of curious if people are listening to this, um, and obviously people run companies, they own their own business, et cetera, et cetera. What do you see are some of the common mistakes businesses are making around this area of creating these safe spaces or, or diversity or include and bringing this talent into their business?

What are some of the, if you could just say, right, if I could fix one or two key things, uh, in the majority of businesses that we work with, what would that be?

Gloria: People want to be themselves, their full, true, authentic selves when they walk into the workplace. I think we've lived in an environment where we are one person at home and then we are another person when we go to work and that. The, the future generation is not going to accept that. They want to be who they are, um, 100% of the time.

And so that comes through multiple lenses. That comes through. Can they see themselves physically, like can they themselves physically when they come into the workplace? So do people talk like, talk like them? Do people dress like them? Do people, um, in multiple ways. And that goes across the whole organization.

So being able to be their full authentic selves. If they wanna wear, um, converse shoes because that's what they're comfortable in that environment, then those are the shoes that they wear. And guess what? Someone else is either wearing them or there's a photograph of, um, one of our billboards and it has somebody wearing shoes just like them.

So, how are we making it safe for people to actually show up physically every day would be just a really simple, um, solution to being, you know, uh, more culturally, um, appropriate for everybody.

Matt: Yeah.

Gloria: It would be one simple

Matt: yeah, I, and I think it's really practical as well, isn't it? And, and understanding that, I mean, I was, um, I was always intrigued. I once, I said, I'm going back a few years, Gloria, but I, I once owned, um, a, a, a beauty salon here in the UK. And, um, I remember saying to the, the team at the beauty salon, listen, I want, I want us to go through the entire salon. And collect every single photograph that we are showing to our customers, right? Every single photo, I wanna see all of them, whether it's in a brochure, whether it's a poster on the wall, whether it's in a magazine, on a coffee table, or whatever it is.

And I remember we looked at all of those images and I said to the team, I said, right, let's, let's remove every single image, which we think is been photoshopped, right? That's actually not a true representation of the human race. Um, and let's see what's left and everything. I mean, I mean, we're in the beauty industry, right? Everything instantly disappeared and those images that were left, I'm like, well, let's, out of the images that are left, which ones of these represent the clients that come through our doors?

i.e. Are they a stock image of a family in America playing on a lawn somewhere, which has no bearing on a family from inner city Liverpool. Right. It just doesn't. Um, and the bottom line was Gloria there was no images left, uh, after we did this. And so we were like, well, what do we put in the salon? Because all these images have gone.

So I literally, I, the thing that I did, um, was I went to the, the good old fashioned internet and we bought some of these, um, Photographic books like Time did, of just photographs of people from all around the world, all different cultures. And we just put those everywhere. And you know what, the comments from the customers was unbelievable.

Um, just, yeah, just that sense of I feel like I'm much happier in this place. Like I'm not. You know, you see a picture of a beautiful lady on the wall that's not real. It's been photoshopped, and they feel the need to try and conform to that rather than going, actually, there's a beautiful lady in this book here that's, well, it's sagging everywhere, but it's, she's, she's still lovely, right?

And so these are some of the comments that we had from, from the customers. And so I'm listening to you talk and thinking it's true across everything, isn't it? This desire to be ourselves.

Gloria: It really is and, and I'm so, um, grateful you went down that, that, that pathway around imagery, you know, even for us as we create, um, we create a lot of e-learning, um, a lot of electronic online learning and even with our vector images, our graphic images, it was really hard to get imagery, um, from stock because it just wasn't replica.

It, it just wasn't a true reflection. So we've built all of our avatars from scratch. Um, all of our avatars have been built using photographs of either our own family or ourselves, and if someone has a being a tattoo, then that's on the image. So everything is true replications of what you would see every day,

Matt: hmm. Yeah. That's powerful yeah. No, I know what you mean. I know what you mean. It's, um, stock images are, are not, they're not necessarily great for, in indigenous New Zealand. It just, it just, they just don't, they just don't work. I mean, we've had this problem with clients before in New Zealand and I, I totally get what you're saying.

Um, so what I, you are running this business. Um, you talked about the four walls a little bit. Let's just rewind, uh, if I can. Uh, Gloria and ask you, you know, what do you personally do then to be what, how do you recharge your batteries in this crazy driven world where you are doing all this amazing stuff? How do you, how do you make sure you stay sane?

Gloria: Uh, look, I've got, um, number one would be having all my three children under one roof. That gives me a lot of energy because they are, you know, two of my, my children are growing up now, they're in their mid, mid twenties, so I've got to have them all under one roof, at least a couple of times a, a year now, uh, because they, the older kids have moved out and that.

Fills my bucket and can last a lifetime. So just ensuring that that connection with family, um, is strong. That bond is strong, um, for multiple reasons, but that fills my tank, lasts a lifetime. Um, secondly, if I think and I reflect on just me, um, Look, I'm gonna be really honest, uh, here on a new skill or something that I've just started doing is riding a motorbike.

Never thought I'd do it in my life. Um, a little bit, you know, am I living on the edge? I hope not. Um, I only started about nine months ago, but it has been pure joy to find something that you actually have to switch the world out and be 100 focused on. Uh, so I'm already nine months into my, my motorbike journey so far, uh, but absolutely loving it and thriving.

Matt: Oh, I bet, I bet. Have you got all the, I mean, I dunno if you'd have this in New Zealand, I assume you would, the leathers, the helmet, you know, the whole kit. Kit

Gloria: Yes. Oh, absolutely. See, for, I've really enjoyed learning so much about the attire and about the motorbikes and, um, you know, What kevlar, uh, and leather, what the difference is. And it, it's just a whole new world. It's a whole new world.

Matt: a whole new

Gloria: not

Matt: world.

Gloria: Not only a learning hat on, but I've also found it incredibly, um, rewarding in terms of being able to switch off to daily life.

Matt: So how, what, what happened there? I mean, did you just wake up one day and go, man, you know what, I'm just, I'm just, I'm not doing a motorbike today. It's just, was it, was it something like that or was there with a bit more thought into this?

Gloria: It was a little bit of pressure from the husband. Um, so it was pressure from hubby, and when I say pressure, it was, would you like to learn type pressure? Just posing the question. And he had, um, Has had his, uh, learner's motorbike for quite some time and he was looking at selling it and I said, well, hold on before you do that, let me see if I can do this.

So it was a pivotal moment where he was making a decision to part ways with a, a very old bike that he learned to ride on many moons ago. And I thought, okay, let's give this a go before you get rid of it. And I haven't looked back.

Matt: Fantastic. That's, I mean, that's awesome. Uh, that is awesome. Um, you're, you're having a go with that. And describe to me what a family get together looks like for you then. So the kids come home, they're all under one roof. Um, is there a big cookout? I mean, what, what's the, what's the. The typical family get together, do you all sit around play board games or is that, uh, I'm, I'm curious.

Gloria: Oh, do you know like, like I just have to be completely open here and say my, our typical night would be, um, someone ar one of them arguing with somebody else. I'm like, oh. I watching them try and vie for who's in control because normally it's been the oldest the daughter. But as the, and now the youngest wants to challenge that title, um, and it's just not working. And then every now and again, the middle dude, um, the middle boy will just kind of either one or the other on. So I just love sitting back and watching them. Watching them do their thing. You know, do we do, we cook out, we eat out, we eat out, and we come home and I just sit there and listen to them.

Matt: You know what? That, it's great. No, no, no. That's, that's really fascinating. Is, uh, the reason I'm laughing so hard is because, um, well, uh, my two eldest boys have subsequently left home. Uh, my middle child moved out this year. He's gone to uni. Um, but whenever I go back to see my mum, she lives like a hundred miles away.

So whenever I go back to see my mum, um, the thing that always amuses me is just how much her and my brother argue. I mean, my brother still lives in the same village and so they see each other a lot, but they are, there is a constant bickering there. Um, which a lot of people find slightly distressing. I just find it really amusing and I just sit there like you and I just watch it and go, this is just, this is fantastic. This is better than tv, no doubt.

Gloria: It really is. It really is. You know, and who gets half of what or half of the other, and, you know, has everything been shared equally. Like I just miss those conversations now. Um, you know, has everyone shared that the cake evenly and oh, it's just pure bliss now.

Matt: Yeah, I can imagine. I can imagine. Uh, so what's the, what does the next three to five years look like for you, Gloria? Where, where's, where's more for you?

Gloria: Uh, more for us is being able to partner with global organizations. You know, currently we are, um, you know, that's where we really ultimately wanna be to. Our mission since day one, is to be, to have a greater impact. Um, Across organizations. And the way we're gonna do that is to work with more global organizations and be more visible around the world.

So that would be where we would wanna be in, in three to five years. Um, we would want to be able to see all of our. Um, service our, our products, um, and services. Um, just thriving inside organizations, uh, to make them better at what they do. Um, and, and that's build being able to have, um, you know, being able to have that capability with inside organizations. So that would be what success looks like for us in three to five years.

Matt: That's, that's good stuff. I mean, if I, if you think about your business now, what's your, if I can ask this question, what's the biggest barrier you think you've got to achieving that?

Gloria: I, I really believe ourselves in being able to, um, You know, being an old New Zealand, you can at times restrict your thinking, um, in terms of, you know, you are of what you see or, or what you're exposed to. So I think for us to. You know, ensure that we are putting one of our pillars within our, within our three, three year strategy, putting it at the forefront every day, and living and breathing, and making sure that we're, we're making connections with the right people.

Uh, where i.e. We are networking with the right people, um, as to where our products are targeted for, um, and making sure that we are purposely putting time in our diary. So we always talk about time when we put time. Our diaries for, you know, um, be it picking the kids up or be it, um, you know, an hour to go for a walk.

It's that we are being, um, very strict and, and rigorous about putting time in our diaries to make time to ensure that our strategy is, it keeps moving forward to be global. So making time.

Matt: yeah, I, I totally get that. It's scheduling time for the big rocks, isn't it? Getting those, uh, important things in there

Gloria: Significantly.

Matt: and, and doing that. Listen, Gloria, I'm gonna pull out the question box now because I feel like this is a good time to do this, right? So the question box, my state of the art graphics on the screen, if you're watching the video, this is my box full of random questions that we are gonna flick through.

You're gonna tell me to stop wherever we stop. That's the question I'm gonna read. Are you ready?

Gloria: I'm ready.

Matt: Okay, let's do it. Here we go.

Gloria: I'm sure it's gonna be a good one. It's gonna be kind.

Matt: Yeah, yeah, yeah. You didn't tell me to stop, so I'm gonna have to go with the last one. Okay. So are you ready?

Gloria: Ready.

Matt: As I say to all, I guess this was your choice, how could older people be more valued?

Gloria: Oh wow.

Matt: I just wanna be clear here. I'm not saying you're an older person because that, that would be me in this, in this, in this, uh, conversation.

Gloria: And I'm just reflecting because there is a wonderful movie and I can't remember the name of it. Um, how can older people be more valued? They've got a lot of knowledge and a lot of skills to offer. Um, I think younger workforce can be more educated on what the older workforce can bring. Um, so that would be, I would actually flip that question.

Am I challenging the question? Not answering it? I would actually flip it. I would flip it and say that the younger generation need to, um, be more understanding of the skills and the knowledge that our older, uh, workforce bring to the table cause it's significant. Uh, it, it's significant and I, I think there needs to be more work done, uh, within organizations when it comes to that retirement age and how we support our people during retirement.

Um, you know, whether it be in, in whatever role they're in, what is, we talk about transitioning into companies, but what does transitioning out of companies look like too? Um, and so what does that that period look like for people? Would people wanna work longer um, if they were offered a different type of role?

If those were available in the organization? Could they come back in and consult, um, in a different capacity to share their knowledge on different projects that that occur? So I think we as a younger workforce need to be more in tune with the different opportunities, um, and just different ways of working.

I think we've learned that through the pandemic. So how do we apply that, um, to our older workforce? So, sorry. That was a very long answer

Matt: that's a good answer.

Gloria: a lot can be done.

Matt: Yeah, it's an interesting point, isn't it? Because I think when I think of my own attitude towards. What I would class as older people or the elderly generation. I, it's not always been good because you've always, as a younger person, you've always gone well they're, they're kind of past it, aren't they?

Uh, but if I go back to a comment that you made earlier about the life experience resume, theirs is full, mine is empty. Uh, you know, especially when I'm in my early twenties, right? It just is, uh, sorry if you're in your early twenties, it just is. Um, and so actually, It's quite arrogant. I think I'm, I'm just thinking back to me in my twenties, I think I was probably quite arrogant in my, especially where technology is concerned, right?

Because it's easy if you are younger to go, well, you are older, you don't get tech, so therefore, I am the know-it-all In this scenario where tech is just a small part of the conversation, isn't it? There's this whole experience about life and how to deal with people and setbacks, how to manage trauma, how to manage, you know, disagreements, how to keep your marriage strong, all of these things.

Um, I, I'm a big fan of the, uh, as I've got older, I'm, I've become a big fan of the. The grandfather, father philosophy, which says, as I get older in life, so I've just, I just turned the big five oh recently, Gloria, my, I celebrated my 50th and I think it's incumbent upon me. I have a really good relationship with my wife and I have a phenomenal relationship with my kids.

But not everybody's in that position. And so there are a lot of people out there who don't have a dad who need a father figure. Well, I can, I can do that. I can mentor, I can be a father figure. And as I get older, I think you need the grandfathers to the fathers, if that makes sense. And I'm really lucky to have a few of those in my life.

And I look at those guys and I go, you guys are amazing. Um, you know, sort of the father to the fatherless want of our expression. I think keeping that intergenerational connection is so powerful.

Gloria: Yeah, and that's very similar to him. We think about mentoring as well, you know, like a mentoring relationship. Uh, the grandfather. Uh, relationship there is a lot of benefit that, um, you know, those with wisdom can bring to the table.

Matt: Yeah, absolutely. Um, as you know, this show is sponsored by Aurion Media, which specializes in helping good folks like yourself set up and run their own podcast.

So I want you to imagine you have set up and run your own podcast, whether personal one or one for Au Consulting. I'm curious right? On your podcast, you get the chance to interview and chat to amazing guests. Who is on your guest list, right? Um, in terms of someone from the past or the present, you can't have anybody choose anybody from the past or the present that's had a big impact on you and your life. Who is on your guest list and why?

Gloria: I am going to go with quite an iconic figure as my first guest. Um, and I'm going to, um, anyone who knows me well enough will, will have a slight chuckle, but I am going to, uh, request that Beyonce, uh, would be on my podcast as my first guess. Now, she is an icon. I understand that. But I see beyond the icon and I see sign her work ethic, and I see a career that she has built for herself.

Uh, And remained very consistent and has gone from nothing but strength to strength with, with her own personal brand. And so, yeah, that's behind the icon, um, is she's a driving force. If you've ever watched her perform, she will perform her entire set. Um, and it's just the drive that that woman has. Um, I would love for her to be the first guest on my podcast,

Matt: Beyonce. Okay. Uh, anybody else?

Gloria: Anybody else? I would, um, absolutely love to have my look. If I could go back in time and I, and I'm gonna pull it, it is somebody who has passed, but I would love to have a conversation with my grandfather in a podcast. Um, and the reason for my grandfather is that, um, he was a man of service, a man who did nothing but serve his community, uh, for, for, no, he got so much out of it, but from a, um, it, it was through his own passion that he did that.

It was non-paid work, uh, for his entire life. Um, and when he went to work, Monday to Friday to, to feed his family. But outside of that, he served his community. And so I would love to have a conversation with him and, and go back in time and understand the drivers behind, you know, his giving, his giving,

Matt: Wow. Wow. That would be amazing. I mean, Beyonce would be amazing, but I think your grandfather would probably be more amazing.

Gloria: Yeah, they would both be amazing.

Matt: I'm not gonna lie, Gloria, I did not see Beyonce coming. Uh, that was, um, that, that, that was, that was, that was great actually. I, and you're the first person to mention Beyonce, uh, to that question, so,

Gloria: her work ethic is beyond measurable.

Matt: yeah.

Gloria: her work ethic and her entire career from a young age to where she is now and what she's built, um, has been significant.

Matt: Yeah, no, totally agree. Uh, and Beyonce, if you're listening, uh, by all means, if you wanna come onto Gloria's podcast, do let me know. Uh, I would love to connect you to, uh, but come on this one as well. Uh, Gloria, listen, uh, it is been a phenomenal conversation. I've, I've loved, uh, chatting with you and I'm sure people listening have.

Uh, enjoyed your conversation as well. So if people wanna connect, if they wanna do that, reach out. What is the best way for people to connect with you?

Gloria: Look, a Google search of Au, um, going to our website, www.au.co.nz. Um, and all of our info, and our contact details, um, are on our website, so that would be the easiest way.

Matt: Great. I like that Dub dub dub. Uh, au nz dot co dot nz rather. Dub dub dub. That's awesome. I'm gonna be using that. It's not www. No, it's dub dub dub. We just like dub dub

Gloria: We

Matt: dub.

Gloria: We do. We do.

Matt: It's much better. Much, much better. Fantastic. Well, Gloria, listen, uh, we will link to your info and show notes. Of course. Uh, we will link to your info in the show notes, which you will get along for free with the transcript, at pushtobemore.com or direct your inbox if you signed up for our newsletter.

Gloria, listen, thank you so much for coming on to uh, the Push to Be More podcast. Thoroughly enjoyed the conversation. Thank you for staying up to the wee hours of the, of the night, uh, to, uh, just to share your heart, and it's been wonderful to hear it.

Gloria: Yeah. Thank you for having me and uh, thank you to all the listeners and it's been an absolute pleasure.

Matt: Fantastic. Fantastic, Gloria. Thank you. What a great conversation. Uh, huge thanks again to Gloria for joining me today. Also, a big shout out to today's show sponsor Aurion Media. If you are wondering if podcasting is a good marketing strategy for you, do connect with them at aurionmedia.com. That's a u r i o n media dot com.

Uh, we will of course link to them on the podcast website as well. Uh, just to be clear, it's pushtobemore.com. Now be sure to follow push to be more wherever you get your podcast from because we've got more great conversations lined up and I don't want you to miss any of them. And in case no one has told you yet today, you are awesome.

Yes, you are created awesome. It's just a burden you have to bear. Gloria has to bear it. I have to bear it, and you have gotta bear it as well. Now Push to Be More is produced by Aurion Media. You can find our entire archive of episodes on your favorite podcast app. The team that makes this show possible is Sadaf Beynon, Estella Robin and Tanya Hutsuliak.

Our theme music was written by Josh Edmundson, and as I mentioned, if you would like to read the transcript or show notes, head over to the website, pushtobemore.com where you can sign up for the weekly newsletter and get all of this good stuff direct to your inbox totally for free.

That's it from me. That's it from Gloria. Thank you so much for joining us. Have a fantastic week wherever you are. I'll see you next time. Bye for now.