#awinewith Catherine Isaac
MEET Catherine Isaac, Founder of Two Souls Co
You can find them here:
Transcript
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Danielle Lewis: Amazing, Catherine. Welcome to Spark TV! I'm so excited to have you here.
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Cath Isaac: Thank you so much for having me.
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Danielle Lewis: And who is our guest today?
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Cath Isaac: This little Isla.
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Danielle Lewis: Oh, hello, Isla!
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Cath Isaac: How you can see.
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Danielle Lewis: And we're not well today.
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Cath Isaac: No, she's got parainfluenza, so she's been spending a lot of time on Mummy's lap the last few days, so…
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Danielle Lewis: Oh, gosh.
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Cath Isaac: Yay.
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Danielle Lewis: Isn't it wild, as women in business, that we just have to do all of the things and keep showing up when circumstances aren't perfect?
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Cath Isaac: Yeah, yeah, you're not wrong.
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Danielle Lewis: Got a 6…
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Cath Isaac: I've been trying to get to sleep for an hour and a bit, so… but hopefully she'll be right, so, yeah.
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Danielle Lewis: It's all good, thank you. Thank you for being here, and yeah, jumping on the show to share your story. Thank you. Let's start out by telling everyone who you are and what you do.
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Cath Isaac: Yeah, sure. My name's Catherine Isaac.
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Cath Isaac: Normally I'm a nurse, but in terms of small business, I started back in 20… well, the catalyst to start my small business was in 2021, when I experienced two early pregnancy losses.
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Danielle Lewis: Boom.
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Cath Isaac: Yeah, so, the first was probably the one that inspired the whole business more than anything. That was the most traumatizing, of my 3 losses that I ended up having, so…
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Cath Isaac: Yeah, and then that 2021 was probably one of the worst years of my entire life, apart from when I lost my dad, the year…
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Cath Isaac: that I lost him to cancer, so, and at the end of the year, I was just like, oh boy, I have to do something to turn this year around, and start the new year with something positive, and bring something positive out of
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Cath Isaac: the horrendous year that was, and my experience that was. And after my two first experiences of loss, I remember standing in the living room here and just going, you know what?
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Cath Isaac: I have to do something to help these women, you know? After learning all of the statistics of how many people are experiencing early pregnancy loss.
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Danielle Lewis: Mmm.
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Cath Isaac: and then realizing what they're experiencing at home, and potentially going home to experience, if it was anything based off what my experience was. I just felt so deeply that I had to do something to try and change it, because it's just not good enough, how the system treats
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Cath Isaac: early pregnancy loss in women, and families, and the babies. So, yeah, that's,
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Cath Isaac: how the business got started. So, basically, my business is called Two Souls Co.
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Cath Isaac: Two Souls was created after the first two losses, as,
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Cath Isaac: memorial to them, I guess. Their losses weren't in vain, and they were for a reason, I think. So, and yeah, unfortunately, I had a third loss in 2022, but I'd already locked in the business name by then.
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Danielle Lewis: I have to find other ways to acknowledge that baby. Yeah, I'm sure they know, I'm sure they know.
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Cath Isaac: Yes, but otherwise, we, provide trauma-informed resources to health professionals, like obstetricians, midwives, GP clinics, And…
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Cath Isaac: They include a collection kit, so it gives women and families the choice of what to do with their baby's remains, and gives them the option to collect their baby if they're delivering at home, because that's what happened with me. I, chose a natural treatment option, which meant that I was
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Cath Isaac: sent home with a brochure, and then had to deliver the baby, and I didn't know what…
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Cath Isaac: what I was going to see, and how it was going to evolve, and all I knew, because I've been a nurse for 23 years, I work in operating theatres.
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Cath Isaac: And I didn't want to go straight to surgery, because I know what happens after seeing my baby rest in my uterus. I didn't want that for my baby. So, I did all I could to collect the baby, and that was just incredibly traumatizing, so…
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Danielle Lewis: True.
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Cath Isaac: Yeah, the collection kit allows women to…
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Cath Isaac: Collect their babies with a lot more dignity than, Hello, Laura.
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Cath Isaac: Then the alternative options of… of basically being expected to flush their baby's remains, so… and unfortunately, as I've learned, there are a lot of women that aren't fully informed of the whole process and what's going to happen, so there's so many women that have to live…
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Cath Isaac: With the guilt of knowing that they've flushed their baby.
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Cath Isaac: Yeah, it's just, I don't think it's fair, and that… that option should be provided.
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Cath Isaac: to women in this day and age, and families, you know, so… I just think that…
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Cath Isaac: The babies are, are more than medical waste.
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Danielle Lewis: Mmm.
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Cath Isaac: And, I guess that's how society has looked at
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Cath Isaac: early pregnancy loss, really. And for some women, you know, they don't want to see their babies, and they're quite happy to just flush, and that is totally fine.
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Cath Isaac: You know, it's everybody, each to their own, but for the women that don't realize and aren't informed of what's going to happen, it's just…
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Cath Isaac: Living with that guilt and shame for the rest of their lives is just not fair, so…
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Cath Isaac: Yeah, we're trying to change that, and I've also got a new, product. I'm working with industrial designers at the moment to bring a new resource.
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Cath Isaac: Into the space as well, but that's still in the stages of design, so I cannot wait to bring it out as well, because it's, definitely needed in the space of early pregnancy loss.
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Cath Isaac: For families, and yeah, I'm really hoping it's gonna have a huge impact, and
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Cath Isaac: Positive impact on the support that families receive, following their loss, so… Yeah.
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Danielle Lewis: Wow. Oh my god, this is incredible. It's really interesting because, you know, oftentimes when people talk about starting a business, they talk about, you know, you solve a problem you have.
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Cath Isaac: But this is so interesting that it's a business created from a personal experience, and quite a traumatic experience as well. I just think it's so important, because oftentimes.
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Danielle Lewis: You know, you can only imagine how many women have gone through this, and are just suffering…
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Danielle Lewis: Forever, quietly, alone.
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Danielle Lewis: it does take somebody to actually stand up and say, no, it's not good enough, and do something about making change. Why do you think that we don't have more awareness about this issue?
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Cath Isaac: I think… It's something that people have just.
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Danielle Lewis: Kept.
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Cath Isaac: behind closed doors. You know, there's the 12-week rule that you don't, announce pregnancies until after your 12 weeks, just in case, you know, you might lose the baby. I think it's, like I said, it's…
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Cath Isaac: societies… Opinion. I… I don't know what the word… the right word is, but it's…
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Cath Isaac: the way that early pregnancy loss has been treated, you know, I guess up until 20 weeks, they're not considered a human, or a real life. So, once you hit 20 weeks, then they're considered a human, but before then.
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Cath Isaac: You know? And essentially, there are no rules and regulations
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Cath Isaac: exactly in place regarding what you have to do with your baby's remains either. So, that was on the flip side of… on that tail end of everything that I experienced. I was like, well, now what do I do? Yeah. You know, how do I manage? What do I do now, you know? So…
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Danielle Lewis: Mmm.
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Cath Isaac: Yeah, I think it's a societal thing that, you know, it's just the way it's been.
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Danielle Lewis: Yeah.
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Cath Isaac: It's all been hidden, and people just don't talk about it. There's a local business that had been in touch, actually, to encourage me to apply for their grant program.
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Danielle Lewis: Love it. All of us out there peddling our grants.
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Cath Isaac: Yeah, yeah. And… but it wasn't really appropriate for me, because they wanted me to display a sign of their business on, I guess, on my website or things.
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Danielle Lewis: episode.
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Cath Isaac: of the deal, and unfortunately, it is an abattoir, and…
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Danielle Lewis: Oh my god.
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Cath Isaac: really not appropriate for the sensitive niche that I'm working in, and so I very gratefully, thanked them for their offer. However, I declined their offer to apply for the grant, because I said, sorry, I just can't do that. But having said that, it got.
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Danielle Lewis: That's working.
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Cath Isaac: about early pregnancy loss, which was amazing, and then they realized how many women and their staff had experienced loss.
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Danielle Lewis: Mmm.
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Cath Isaac: they realized how many of those women would have appreciated something like the kit that I offer while they were going through their loss. And so that's got me thinking about…
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Cath Isaac: Well, what does it take for people to feel safe enough to be able to talk about.
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Danielle Lewis: Mmm.
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Cath Isaac: their losses in the workplace. And so, yeah, I'm… October is Pregnancy and Infant Loss Awareness Month, and so, I thought, well, I could start… I could run a campaign just to bring awareness that workplaces.
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Danielle Lewis: All they have to do is print out this wall of honour. Staff can receive…
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Cath Isaac: a digital form, or this little printed form, and then they can pin it on, and they can just acknowledge their losses, you know? So, I just think trying to find a way to start opening up the conversations.
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Cath Isaac: It might be a way for people to feel a little bit safe if they can see that other people have experienced it in their workplaces and go, oh.
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Cath Isaac: It doesn't have to be,
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Cath Isaac: identifiable or anything, you know? But if it at least starts more conversations, then that's something. It's a start, so…
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Danielle Lewis: Yeah, and I think, too, for the people who haven't experienced it.
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Danielle Lewis: I guess being more aware and compassionate that there are people around you that you probably interact with for 10 hours a day that might be going through something, and you might need a little bit of extra care at different times.
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Cath Isaac: Yeah, yeah, that's right. You know, I remember returning to work, and I was a zombie. I was there in body, but I wasn't there in spirit. I hate everybody asking me, how were you… how were you? How are you? I hated those three words, because every time I was answering them, I knew I wasn't telling them the truth.
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Danielle Lewis: Yeah.
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Cath Isaac: And, you know, I was standing there at the operating table, and I had a big loss of blood, and I had to excuse myself at the operating table, because the process hadn't finished yet. So.
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Danielle Lewis: Oh.
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Cath Isaac: you know, it's, it's something that does impact people in the workplace as well, so… Yeah. It impacts women anywhere and everywhere, you know, and I've read stories of other women who just have to keep on working, you know, they're in high-ranking jobs, and they'll be knowing they're losing their baby, but they're still pushed through it, so…
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Danielle Lewis: Yeah…
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Cath Isaac: Yeah, there's… yeah, it's,
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Cath Isaac: Yeah, it's… it's a lot more common than people realize, and, you know, there's that statistic in 1 in 4, but I… I don't know, I… that's just… it feels very cliche now.
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Cath Isaac: that statistic, I feel like it could be more, I don't know, so,
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Cath Isaac: Yeah, but… Wow. How have you?
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Danielle Lewis: How have you gone, taking such a sensitive topic.
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Cath Isaac: Hmm.
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Danielle Lewis: and turning that into a business. I can only imagine, you know, if we're having a conversation about how hard it is to have a conversation with people.
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Cath Isaac: Yes.
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Danielle Lewis: You know, spreading the word must have been real, or must still be really challenging.
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Cath Isaac: It is, it is, and…
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Cath Isaac: I'm really asking the health profession to change the way that they are treating their patients and informing their patients. The midwife that I speak to and have had a lot to do with, she said it's only because of the collection kit that she now actually has the entire conversations and fully informs the women of what is actually
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Cath Isaac: going to happen, so…
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Danielle Lewis: Wow.
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Cath Isaac: From that conversation, and she said it took her quite some time to come around with the terminology and
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Cath Isaac: the way to introduce the kit in itself, or even to describe entirely, and in reality, what was going to happen. And so from that conversation with her, and I said, well, would it help if I created a resource for the health professionals.
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Danielle Lewis: 2.
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Cath Isaac: For them to be able to sensitively introduce the kit.
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Cath Isaac: She said, yes, that would be amazing. So that goes out with every bundle of kits now, and so I guess there's that whole education piece around health professionals. But yeah, it's… I'm finding that…
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Cath Isaac: I've spoken to a lot of midwives, but… and they think it's a great idea, they can see a lot of value in it, but they're not the ones
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Cath Isaac: with the dollars, especially in the public hospital systems, and the public hospital systems have a lot of hoops and processes and procedures and policies in place to even take, you know, consumables and things on board, so…
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Danielle Lewis: What was your primary customer the hospitals rather than the end woman?
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Cath Isaac: Yes, yeah, so the consumer receives the product, but… and I realized that I needed to approach the hospitals and the healthcare professionals, because they're the ones that need to offer it to the women.
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Danielle Lewis: Yeah.
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Cath Isaac: To be offered at the time of diagnosis, because.
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Danielle Lewis: Hmm.
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Cath Isaac: It's an unknown time frame of when the loss will happen. They need to receive it at the time of diagnosis, because one, they've got to find me, which is going to be pretty hard, you know.
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Cath Isaac: You don't really go searching for things necessarily like this in anticipation, because you don't anticipate a pregnancy loss.
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Danielle Lewis: Hmm.
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Cath Isaac: And two, then it's the whole, well, how long does a postage take to get there? Because it could take 24…
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Danielle Lewis: 4 hours, or it could take 48 or longer, depending on where in Australia they are.
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Cath Isaac: The loss can have started by then, and then it's futile, having…
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Cath Isaac: waited that long and purchased the kit, so that's why it's really important to get it
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Cath Isaac: when they're diagnosed, so that's why my focus turned towards the health professionals and things like that. But yeah, it's been a real challenge, but I think that with this new product that's coming out, I think that's going to be a lot easier to,
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Cath Isaac: to share the story about that, and I think with having that in the systems, then that will also then give me opportunities to introduce the kits as well, so…
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Cath Isaac: Wow. But it's all about money, because I want to produce… I want to develop the kits even more, but the industrial design guys have said that they would cost a minimum of 25 to 50K US dollars just for tooling alone.
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Cath Isaac: Yeah.
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Danielle Lewis: Physical products are crazy. Like, I really take my hat off to people in the physical product space because, yeah, it's…
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Danielle Lewis: so time-intensive, so expensive, so risky, like, unknown, like, is it… I'm gonna purchase a thousand of these, or 10,000 of these, is anyone… am I actually gonna ever sell them? You know?
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Cath Isaac: Yep.
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Danielle Lewis: It's a wild ride.
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Cath Isaac: what I've been going through, you know, I'll feel like I… I so… I know the need for these.
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Danielle Lewis: Yeah.
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Cath Isaac: I know that there's such a big gap in the system for it.
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Danielle Lewis: Mmm.
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Cath Isaac: It's just… I haven't cracked through yet, but I'm hoping with this new product, it's certainly going to help. I'm pretty sure it will, because the hospital that I've been working with
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Cath Isaac: they already can't wait to tell people about what we're creating. So, you know, that will help. And they're one of the major, like, women's hospitals.
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Cath Isaac: you know, in… certainly in our state, so… Wow. That will be helpful. So, but yeah, it's… I definitely have a lot of moments of, am I in too deep? Like.
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Cath Isaac: But I also cannot stop, and I also know the need, and that's what keeps me going.
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Cath Isaac: because I know it's… it's… it's going to be so valued, yeah, when it gets out there, so… for the families that need them, so…
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Danielle Lewis: Yeah, and it does take that, doesn't it, you know? Like, it is such a…
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Danielle Lewis: Hard road, you know, going through a hospital system, you know, changing something that's so, you know, regulated, having that physical product, having all that capital intensiveness, like, so many reasons why you could give up.
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Danielle Lewis: You know, it really does take someone who's experienced it and understands the impact that it will have to fight the fight. Yeah.
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Cath Isaac: Yeah, yep, so…
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Cath Isaac: you know, it is a huge risk, but yeah, I've just got to keep rolling with it, so it's… it's… it'll be worth it. So, yeah.
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Danielle Lewis: Oh my god, wow. Well, good on you that it's… it's… Oh, my God.
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Cath Isaac: be worth it, so it has to. Something good has to come out of all of this, so…
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Danielle Lewis: Exactly. How did you… and this is so an interesting question, you know, you obviously had the lived experience, but, you know, physical product creation, selling into hospitals, running a business, all this stuff. What was your background before you started this?
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Cath Isaac: Oh yeah, I'm a nurse. I'm a nurse. I have been for 20-something years, so I'm learning along the way.
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Danielle Lewis: Yep.
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Danielle Lewis: Mummy stays in the radio. Yeah.
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Cath Isaac: Mom! Yay.
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Cath Isaac: Oh, she wants… Excuse me.
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Danielle Lewis: No, you're right.
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Cath Isaac: Hashtag mumlife.
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Danielle Lewis: Exactly.
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Cath Isaac: Come on, here goes… I'll just shift the camera up north.
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Danielle Lewis: See, ladies, this is what we have to do to get work done.
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Cath Isaac: Yeah, that's it. Yeah, so it's been a huge learning curve. I've definitely had a lot of challenges.
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Cath Isaac: In terms of knowing where to start, what to do, I was getting to a place where I was like, what else do I need? Like, I know there's things missing in this puzzle, and I need more help. So, I've been doing an e-commerce program, I've joined.
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Danielle Lewis: Nice.
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Cath Isaac: Ack,
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Danielle Lewis: Yes!
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Cath Isaac: I've got a… a mentor as well, and she's really been phenomenal in really helping me to,
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Cath Isaac: really solidify the foundations of the business, which I really missing.
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Danielle Lewis: Yeah.
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Cath Isaac: Because I've, you know, everything was in my head, and she said, that's great, you've got to get it out of there. Yeah.
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Cath Isaac: So, yeah, that's, been a huge learning curve, but it's been really good. The IT side of things has been probably my biggest nightmare. My website's been redesigned ridiculous three times already.
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Cath Isaac: Okay, yeah, 3 times already. I had a…
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Cath Isaac: I thought I had a good relationship with my web developer last year. She was.
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Danielle Lewis: map.
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Cath Isaac: I was, you know, you trust the people that you're working with, and you.
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Danielle Lewis: Yes.
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Cath Isaac: guidance, because
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Cath Isaac: Well, I didn't have any other options, because I'm not the one with the knowledge and the skills for techy things.
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Danielle Lewis: Yeah.
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Cath Isaac: And then, in the new year, she just decided to completely and entirely ghost me, so… and my entire website is built… was rebuilt by her, and…
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Danielle Lewis: What?
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Cath Isaac: Yeah, she just… I sent… I tried every which way to contact her.
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Danielle Lewis: Oh, my God.
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Cath Isaac: Absolutely nothing. So, I found this amazing guy now, who's actually turned around and said, oh, look, I've… I've just asked him to… to add a page, like a resource information page on the website.
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Cath Isaac: he turned around and said, actually, I've redesigned your whole website and code.
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Danielle Lewis: What?
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Cath Isaac: about that? And I was like, okay, but what's the catch?
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Danielle Lewis: Yeah, what does this actually mean for me?
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Cath Isaac: Yeah, yeah, and he's like, no, it's fine. He said, you can have it, and I'm working on it, and you can choose this new way, or you can, go back to the old way. And I was like, well, that would be a silly…
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Danielle Lewis: Yay!
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Cath Isaac: I thought about it for a little while, you know.
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Danielle Lewis: Except one.
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Cath Isaac: Yeah, really not a catch here, but, yeah, so he… it's just taking a really long time, because obviously, yeah, he hasn't asked me for anything for it yet, so…
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Cath Isaac: Yes.
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Danielle Lewis: No, what?
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Cath Isaac: I think I haven't made a wrong choice there, so…
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Danielle Lewis: It is interesting, isn't it? Like, you know, I feel like everyone goes through this, you know, you find… you need a job done, like a website build, you find someone, it feels amazing, you pay them, and then it's, like, falls apart.
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Cath Isaac: Yay!
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Danielle Lewis: And, like, even you, like, saying you're on your third go.
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Cath Isaac: Yeah.
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Danielle Lewis: I mean, it's just Crazy, like, that… how often that actually happens to people, and…
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Cath Isaac: Yeah, oh, that's good to know, because I'm like, oh my gosh, I feel like I'm just an idiot.
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Danielle Lewis: No, absolutely not. I can't tell you how many people this has happened to. Okay.
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Cath Isaac: Yes.
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Danielle Lewis: seriously, and it is… it's really… I mean, on one hand, I think, you know, how tragic that is and awful it is. On the other hand, I think, you know, gosh, if you are a service provider, how easy is it to, like, get good customers and keep them forever? Just do what you said you were gonna do. Like, the bar is so low.
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Cath Isaac: Yeah, exactly. And the other thing is, as well, like, just treat people with a bit of respect, too, you know? Like, I've got… so my website and my emails are hosted through another guy, who.
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Danielle Lewis: connected to the very first person that helped me with the website. Yeah.
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Cath Isaac: And I was interacting with him yesterday, and…
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Cath Isaac: He so quickly… I… I thought I was asking a very simple question, but he very quickly turned it into, I feel like you're asking for free advice, and, and what was the other thing?
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Cath Isaac: oh, you're not sharing the information that I need, and I was like, hold on a minute, I was really insulted by it, because I thought he had started
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Cath Isaac: Questioning me more about something that wasn't entirely related to what my question was.
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Cath Isaac: flipped the switch, and turned around and started telling me that I'm expecting all this stuff, and I was just like, no, hold on, mate, like…
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Danielle Lewis: That's weird.
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Cath Isaac: I had to stand up for myself there, and I, yeah, which I did, which I was grateful.
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Danielle Lewis: Good.
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Cath Isaac: But now, he's gonna lose me, you know, because I'm not going to be treated like that.
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Danielle Lewis: Exactly. And that's what I mean, like, it's so… it just blows my mind, like, how low the bar is of, like.
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Cath Isaac: People just…
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Danielle Lewis: Treating other people like human beings.
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Cath Isaac: Yeah, yeah, exactly right. So, you know, we're not here to…
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Cath Isaac: You know, I'm really not trying to rip anybody off, just trying to.
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Danielle Lewis: Yeah. And it's also, like, if we're non-tech people, of course we ask weird questions.
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Cath Isaac: Yeah, yeah, you know, and surely a tech person at some point in time has to realize, okay, I'm going to be receiving basic questions, like.
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Danielle Lewis: Exactly.
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Cath Isaac: Not everybody has the same amount of knowledge as what everybody has, you know?
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Cath Isaac: that's why they're skilled in their areas, but anyway, so… but everything that's happened, I feel like it's happened for a reason in the whole journey. Yes. That's got to, up until today, so… and it is taking me time, you know, I've got the two girls, I'm a single mum, I'm working two part-time jobs, so, you know, it's just… it's the time thing, but I'm kind of like, you know what? It's all happening as it should, because.
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Danielle Lewis: Yes.
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Cath Isaac: If everything had come on really full-on really early, I would probably have swallowed up and given it away, potentially, because Queensland Health actually got in touch with me last year.
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Danielle Lewis: Mmm.
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Cath Isaac: said, we've seen your product, we think it matches the brief of a project that we've got, happening.
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Danielle Lewis: now.
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Cath Isaac: will you provide us a boat? And I said, yeah, sure. And so, I was so excited, thinking that, you know, I was going to have a massive breakthrough so soon. But then that whole process took 7 months.
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Danielle Lewis: Until I received a phone call to say, thank you, but no thanks, it didn't fit the brief, and I was like, well, can you please explain.
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Cath Isaac: to me what it was that you were looking for, and…
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Cath Isaac: They were looking for a sensitive way of collecting remains as well, but they're…
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Cath Isaac: what they were actually after was a plastic sealable bag, so I was like.
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Danielle Lewis: Oh my god, that's not sensitive at all!
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Cath Isaac: Yeah, this really isn't exactly…
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Cath Isaac: Obviously, the people that are, asking these questions and trying to figure this out aren't going down the same track that I'm going down, because.
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Danielle Lewis: Wow.
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Cath Isaac: I'm trying to offer is respectful and dignified, and a plastic sealable bag is not. So, I thought, that's okay, that's fine. You're right, it doesn't fit the brief.
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Danielle Lewis: But at the same time, like I said, I think if that had landed on my table, and it did hit the brief… Yes.
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Cath Isaac: yeah, I probably wouldn't have been as prepared as what… but then I would have pivoted, you know, it's all just about pivoting, so…
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Danielle Lewis: Exactly. And I love your comment around, you know, things just happen as they should, you know, and it's so spot on. I think sometimes we…
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Cath Isaac: want things to happen super quickly, and we kind of, I think, get a bit down on ourselves sometimes that we're not doing enough, or not achieving enough fast enough, but it's like…
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Danielle Lewis: You know, life is long, like, you know, we've got time. It's probably not going to happen today or this year, but, like, what you can achieve over the course of years is huge.
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Cath Isaac: Yeah, and that's something that I'm really having to remind myself a lot of at the moment with this new product that is coming out.
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Danielle Lewis: Because I look back through my emails, and I realized it was actually August last year that I raised this with the design guys, because I…
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Cath Isaac: I thought that this would have been the quicker and easier one, but…
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Danielle Lewis: Always.
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Cath Isaac: Yeah, the guys are so invested in it as well.
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Danielle Lewis: Yep.
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Cath Isaac: They want to get a really good outcome, which has been amazing,
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Cath Isaac: But, yeah, I'm, you know, just waiting for emails from them, and I'm like, do I email them to check? I'm like, no, I know what the answer's gonna be. They're waiting to hear from manufacturers, you know? They're waiting themselves. I'm sure I'll hear from them when I need to, so…
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Cath Isaac: I've had a few gentle emails to them, you know, a few weeks down the line, or just checking in, what's happening? Oh, yes, yes, we'll follow up, so… but, yeah, and, you know, I was thinking that I was going to have the product here this year, but it'll push into next year now, just because, like, what is it now? September?
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Danielle Lewis: Yeah.
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Cath Isaac: you know, Halloween will be here, and then it'll be Christmas, so…
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Danielle Lewis: Oh my gosh.
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Cath Isaac: Yeah, no.
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Danielle Lewis: Hopefully we're talking about Christmas already.
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Cath Isaac: I know, it's insane!
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Danielle Lewis: Hmm.
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Cath Isaac: It's… yeah, you know, it will happen next year now, so… but that's okay. That's okay.
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Danielle Lewis: Oh, I love it. I mean, I just think that, yeah, your story is so incredible, and you're just doing something that's so needed and so impactful, so good on you for sticking it out, and pivoting, and changing, and not giving up. I just think…
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Danielle Lewis: You are amazing. Now, I could talk to you all day, but I'll… I'll let you get back to mum duties.
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Cath Isaac: Oh yeah, that one needs to go to sleep.
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Danielle Lewis: Now, I always love to wrap up these podcasts with one last piece of advice. So, reflecting on your time in business, what would be a piece of advice that you would give to another woman on her business journey?
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Cath Isaac: I think… Just, like we've been talking about, just roll with it, you know?
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Danielle Lewis: Okay.
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Cath Isaac: Just keep rolling with it. And pivot where you need to, you know?
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Danielle Lewis: Hmm…
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Cath Isaac: even though I was really devastated and upset about the fact that I didn't get that,
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Cath Isaac: that, that work with Queensland Health, I was like, you know what, okay. Just gave it a little bit to settle in, and then we'll find something else. And then this new product ended up coming
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Cath Isaac: and becoming more of a thing. So, you know, if I had gone down that track, then I wouldn't have had the time or the space to be able to create this beautiful new product, so…
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Danielle Lewis: No.
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Cath Isaac: you know, pivot when you need to, and just roll with it. Because that's what I'm doing. Just rolling with it.
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Danielle Lewis: I actually love it, because oftentimes people will say, just keep going, and it's kind of… there's a real, like, hustle-push vibe with that, and I love just roll with it, because it's like, meh, you know, like, things are gonna happen, and you can keep going, and, you know, it will be okay.
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Cath Isaac: Better vote.
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Danielle Lewis: vibes. Better vibes with Just Roll With It.
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Cath Isaac: Yeah, yeah, I'm all about… The organic…
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Danielle Lewis: Relationship building as well, not because I've.
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Cath Isaac: I'm not in business, I'm not salesy at all, you know, I, hello, sweet girl.
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Cath Isaac: that's… that's just not me. I'm not a salesy kind of person, so I have had a few sales that have been organic, you know, from…
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Cath Isaac: someone that I've reached out to on LinkedIn, and then I wanted to do their bereavement course, and then she came to my website, ended up saying, oh, actually, what you're providing is really great, do you mind if I introduce it to my workplace?
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Danielle Lewis: Oh, wow.
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Cath Isaac: Why for it.
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Danielle Lewis: Yeah, wow.
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Cath Isaac: But that was just so amazing, because it was an organic build in the relationship, and an organic sale, so…
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Danielle Lewis: I don't know, but that really suited me, and the way that I…
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Cath Isaac: prefer to work, I think, so… yeah.
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Danielle Lewis: Yeah, I often talk about soft selling, I call it. It's like, let's just chat about what we're up to, and the right people will hear it when they… when they need it, you know?
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Cath Isaac: I'm not sure how,
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Cath Isaac: bar that kind of idea will take me in business, but I guess I'm gonna find out and figure out… Well, you just have to check…
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Danielle Lewis: That to every person on the planet in that industry.
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Cath Isaac: Yeah, exactly right. Which is very time-consuming, but, you know, we can get there, so…
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Danielle Lewis: Oh, I love it. Well, Catherine, thank you so much for sharing your time. I know you have things to attend to, and little Isla to look after, so thank you so much for being here and sharing your story. I can't wait to keep following your business growth.
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Cath Isaac: Thank you, thank you very much for having me.
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Danielle Lewis: Love it! Cool! And we just cut there! Oh my god, we did it! We are so good. You're so good, I did nothing.
✨ Thank you to IP Australia for supporting the SPARK podcast and women in business ✨
