My Favourite Quote: Jordan Wilkes, Stride

“Hell on earth would have been to meet the person you could have been” – Tony Robbins


I adore this quote because it preaches individual fulfillment. We all have different goals in life and we should strive to be the best version of ourselves. We should take those risks, start that new business or persevere with that project… because one would hate to meet someone in 20 years’ time and think ‘that could have been me’. It’s tempting fate in the best possible way!

Jordan is the founder of Stride – Australia’s leading ethical fashion store with over 75 local labels.

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My Favourite Quote: Chloe Ballatore, Chloe’s Consciousness Training

“You only know how much you love yourself or anyone else by the commitments you’re willing to make and keep.” – Dr Pat Allen
I run all my relationships through this rubric. It is an excellent test to see who really cares about you and what you really care about.


Chloe Ballatore is a relationship and communication expert helping people fall in love and stay in love. Learn more at Chloe’s Consciousness Training.

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Recipe of the Week: BBQ Ribs

Slow cooked ribs are pure comfort food. Whilst time is required to cook them, this recipe can be prepared in minutes with simple ingredients. Pop them all in your slow cooker in the morning, and you’ll return home to the glorious aroma of slow-cooked meat.



Ingredients:
Spice Rub:
– 1 teaspoon of dried thyme
– 2 teaspoons of smoked paprika
– 2 teaspoons of chilli (optional)
– Half a teaspoon of ground black pepper

BBQ Sauce:
– 2 tablespoons of apple cider vinegar
– 2 tablespoons of brown sugar
– 1 tablespoon of Worcestershire sauce
– Half a cup of tomato sauce
– Half a cup of water

Method:
1. Combine dry spice ingredients and rub over the meat well. You can do this the night before and leave in fridge overnight for extra flavour.
2. Turn slow-cooker on low
3. Combine BBQ sauce ingredients on a bowl
4. Place meat in slow cooker and cover with sauce
5. Cook on low for 8 hours, or on high for 6 hours.

TIPS:
– Serve with grilled vegetables and mash, or salad and chips.
– This rub and sauce also work well with pork shoulder roast. Pull the pork and serve with coleslaw in buns for the perfect pork sliders.

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How to make a cake for a birthday or special occasion

I have lost count of the number of nights I’ve been up until 3am in the morning, making my children’s birthday cakes. And chatting with fellow mum friends, I know I am not alone!

When I come across businesses like Delice By Wish, I always wonder why I bother, when there are talented people like this who are able to miraculous turn your vision into a perfectly crafted masterpiece. A far cry from my late-night attempt to roll fondant and create Disney characters more akin to my kid’s playdough creations. We caught up with fellow Canberran, Wishmi from Delice by Wish to uncover her top tips on creating cake masterpieces at home.

1. What is the most popular cake flavour?
“The most popular cake flavour would be chocolate sponge cake with chocolate buttercream topped with berries.”

2. What trends are you seeing in cake making at the moment?
“The most popular cake trend at the moment would be naked cakes with natural flowers. Almost 90% of my orders are for these types of cakes. Fault line cakes which are usually decorated with buttercream with a visible under layer peeking through the midsection in contrasting colours and designs are also very popular.”


3. What are your tips for making a cake for people who are allergic to dairy, gluten or eggs?
“When making cakes for people with gluten, dairy or egg allergies it’s important to use recipes with substitutes to these ingredients. For example, a substitute for wheat flour would be buckwheat, rice or coconut flour and a substitute for dairy would be recipes using oil instead of butter. There are also heaps of recipes for vegan lovers that don’t use any animal products.”

4. What is the easiest way to decorate a cake, for people who have limited cake decorating experience?
“The easiest way to decorate a cake with minimal experience would be to just add a layer of buttercream and top it with berries or chocolates. Another easy but pretty method is to add a chocolate ganache and using your imagination to finish it off.”


5. What is your top tip for people making a cake at home?
“Top tips to making a cake at home would be to find a good recipe and follow it properly. Have all the ingredients such as butter and eggs at room temperature to avoid any messes, measure properly, and use cake flour if you’re a beginner so that you don’t have to worry about adding the correct amount of baking powder. Make sure not to over or under mix and use parchment paper for the baking trays to avoid burnt edges. A substitute to parchment paper would be to grease the tray with oil or butter, sprinkle a bit of flour to cover the whole surface, turn it upside down and lightly tap the tray to get rid of the excess flour. Finally insert a toothpick to check whether the cake is done, if it comes back clean the cake is ready!”

Wishmi is the baker and decorator at Delice by Wish. We are a small home based local business in Canberra specialising in wedding cakes, novelty cakes and various cookies and cupcakes. We admire everyone’s unique preferences and budgets and do our very best to create their dream cakes.

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My Favourite Quote: Josh Currier, Currier Marketing

“Amateur performers operate from delusion, pros operate from objective reality. The great ones’ habits, actions, and behaviors are totally congruent with the size and scope of their ultimate vision. That’s why we call them champions.” -Steve Siebold


Josh Currier is a marketing consultant and founder of Currier Marketing, a digital marketing agency.

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My Favourite Quote: Anne, Dianthus Miami

While I did my Bachelor thesis at a company in the Netherlands, I came upon the quote: “Insight without action is worthless.”Marie Forleo

A Lot of the employees had many ideas and opinions to make a positive change but didn’t share their insights with the company, so nothing actually changed.
Ever since I started my traineeship at Dianthus Miami, I shared my insights and encouraged others to do the same. The team-spirit has significantly changed and created a more out-of-the-box thinking workflow. That’s what lead us to our new motto: Be Different. Be Unique.

The quote does not just apply to work-related matters, but has been my daily inspiration to make our world a better place.


Anne is a Dutch Trainee at a Floral Designing company, Dianthus Miami.
Dianthus Miami specializes in providing exquisitely designed flower arrangements and plants on land and sea while offering world-class customer care.

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My Favourite Quote: Camille Hugh, In Stitches Games

The best thing my mum taught me is that patience is a virtue. With all of my business and personal ventures, this advice has proven timeless and sound. It pays to be patient and do things the right way versus rushing and getting worked up over things I cannot control.

Camille Hugh is the owner of In Stitches Games, a company dedicated to helping people laugh out loud, release their inner child, and learn about each other in a fun and unique way. Camille has recently launched a kickstarter for Cards That Make You lol – the game of hit or miss party tricks.

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My Favourite Quote: Pam Thomas, What’s Within U

“Not everything you do is going to be a masterpiece, but you get out there and you try and sometimes it really happens. The other times you’re just stretching your soul.”Maya Angelou


Many years ago my mentor coach sent me a card with this quote on the outside. That card hangs on the wall of my office where I can see it every day. It reminds me it’s OK if some of my work in the world falls flat.

Sometimes there’s nothing more epic than stretching the soul by creating something that falls a bit flat. It’s not the flat that’s the soul stretching part …it’s what we learn from putting ourselves out there and trying something on for size…now that’s the stretch!

Pam Thomas offers mindset coaching to keep your inner critic from talking you out of doing extraordinary things! Learn more at What’s Within U.

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My Favourite Quote: Jacqui Olliver, End The Problem

“You don’t have to say a word to change someone’s mood for the better.” This was quoted alongside Dolly Parton’s famous quote, “If you see someone without a smile give them one of yours.”


One of the best things we can do to influence others is to choose to consciously live our lives from an emotionally empowered state. By being consciously aware of how we want to be and feel, we can take small steps each day and consciously evolve into the person we have always known we can be.

Psychosexual Relationship Specialist at End the Problem, Jacqui Olliver is a published author who renews relationships by solving mental, emotional and sexual issues for men, women and couples. Connect on Facebook or @endtheproblem.

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My Favourite Quote: Tom Adam, Canberra Martial Arts

My personal favourite quote is:

Reality = Perceptions minus Expectations.



I learned it working for a major hotel chain in 2002 – it has always been attributed to anonymous.

There are many variations of this formula, but I have found this works best – and I’ve grown my Martial Arts school around it. Not to mention I’ve seen failures that my team have made that we could have all worked better if we’d applied it.

The formula – Someone will have a negative reality if their expectations are greater than their perception of any particular experience. Basically put, it’s better to under sell and over deliver than visa versa.

It resonates for me, as a business owner and Master Martial Arts instructor, I have found people who expect too much are never happy with the their negative reality…. because their perceptions didn’t match or exceed their expectations. Like most, if you think attaining your Black Belt is the end of your training you’ll be bitterly disappointed as it’s just the beginning…

Tom Adam is the Managing Director/Founder/Chief Instructor of Canberra Martial Arts.

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