It's hard to imagine Rachel Goodchild sitting around doing nothing - she seems to have an endless supply of energy and good humour. Which is a good thing when you take a look at how much she manges to fit into a week. I caught up with the mother, teacher, writer, speaker, catwalk model, TV personality, networker extraordinaire in a Ponsonby cafe recently and found out her secret. Good old fashioned determination.

Although she began her career as a teacher, Rachel always knew she wanted something more - something diffferent.

"I loved it but I always wanted to be someone who was advising people in an Oprah-esque kind of way,"Rachel said. "For a long time I've known that I feel most alive, and happiest on the stage or screen- not as an actor but as a speaker. Something comes over me when I am in that type of environment- it's like knowing it's where I am meant to be. So I guess my focus has been on how to get there. The problem is you can't just wave a wand and make it happen. And sometimes life happens in such a way that it builds in you the character and experience you need in a way you could never have seen it happening."

Life in Rachel's case was a marriage breakup, economic pressure, losing a lot of weight, and just to make life interesting: bringing up her three daughters on her own. But Rachel doesn't see herself as a victim or as someone to be pitied.

"It's all contributed to what I've learnt. I'm a big believer in setting your eye on an end goal, then keeping your eye out, and being aware about how every experience that comes across your path fits that plan."

Last year Rachel released a book on dating. 88 Dates is in fact her 27th book and it has begun to open some exciting doors.

"I wrote the book 88 Dates partly because I was so fascinated about dating myself, coming out of a long marriage, and also because I knew the subject had the potential to launch me and show what I could do. I was a little shaky on what was going to come out of it to be honest- the goal was to just see what it could do- while writing something I believed in and had alot of fun researching."

What the book did was lead to a spot on TV3's Sunrise first as a dating specialist then as an Agony Aunt. Although the spot was successful, it wasn't long before people were paying attention and Rachel made the move to TV1's Breakfast, commentating on all types of relationships. And if that's not enough she's also running seminars for businesses and educational groups on how to have great working and client relationships.

"It all ties into together somehow and it's all sprung from the book," Rachel said. "Your passion comes out from whatever you put your time into."

At times, though the road wasn't as easy as Rachel would have liked.

"Last year I was a pretty successful freelancer and I still do some freelancing. But building a brand, and living a life that fits that brand has cost me. It's been expensive- not so much in output but in the amount of money coming in. I've almost given up a few times when I've felt nothing is moving, then someone will ring out of the blue to encourage me, someone remembers to pay me or I get a little break. The hardest is that when working with media and "brand" alot of it is about giving of your time and resources for free. My blog for example is not really paying it's way but it's my chief marketing tool (with twitter and facebook).  But I also know it's worth fighting for what you believe in."

So what keeps her going when the days are long and her feet are dragging (although it's hard to imagine Rachel's feet dragging)?

"People encouragingme, the fact my kids are happier with a poorer but happier mum, the fact I can feel I'm getting somewhere AND making a difference, and that the more I do it, the more I can see the next step and can feel where I'm going next."

Rachel warns it is very important to be focussed on the goal while learning to look at at a variety of different revenue streams.

"I've been really lucky. I really struggled in the first half of the year, and  I'm still trying to catch up from that. But things are definitely turning around! I've learnt to take on all sorts of work if it's going to pay the rent."

But more important still is to believe you can do what you have set out to do and to enjoy it.

"You really need to believe in yourself . I have to commit myself to this almost every morning- and believe the work will pay off. I've seen real moments of that happening- I'm not at the end goal yet- but I am definitely enjoying the journey."

One is not born a woman, one becomes one.  ~Simone de Beauvoir

Every day women get up and go to work - in our homes, in our offices, in our businesses.  We are partners, wives, daughters, sisters,mothers, employers, employees.  And some days are harder than others.  Some days it's hard to hang out one more load of laundry, attend one more meeting, make one more phone call, do one more thing.  At those moments most of us look to other women for inspiration - forgetting that we are ourselves inspiring. 

This  is a collection of interviews with women from around the world - women of different cultures, nationalities, faiths, upbringings.  The one thing they have in common is they are, each in their own way inspiring.   

From stay at home mums to film makers - and every possible variation in between - they are all ordinary women who lead extraordinary lives.

They are Women of Inspiration.

"Every day of my life has been an event" 

 Ozzy Osbourne

Now and then a book will sneak up on you, take you by surprise and turn out to be real gem. I am Ozzy is one of those books.
I'm not an Ozzy fan - most definitely not on my 'want to interview' list. Heck, I'm not even a Heavy Metal fan. I do however have two sons who are both - so in one of those moments of wanting to connect with them I figured I would give it a whirl.
I'm not sure what I expected but I do know what I didn't expect. I didn't expect Ozzy's name to be John, I didn't expect him to be quite so funny, and I certainly did not expect him to touch me.
I have a sneaking suspicion that Chris Ayres simply taped Osbourne, transcribed him and then made the decision to simply put the full stops and commas in the right places. This book reads exactly the way I have heard Osbourne speak - fast and slightly disjointed. Also, if you are not fond of profanity I should warn you the word 'fuck' appears on almost every page.
But despite this - I am Ozzy was an enjoyable read - at times sad, at times funny, always riveting.
The only thing that is as startling as the profantiy is how much Ozzy Osbourne loves his kids and his wife. Sharon, I have to say, must have the patience of the proverbial saint; although I supect she can hold her own against her soul mate.
Ozzy Osbourne hasn't always had an easy road. Granted much of the difficulty has been of his own doing - but he knows and accepts that. He hasn't always made the right choices but he doesn't try to pass the buck - and better yet he doesn't try to apologise. He doesn't care if you like it or not - he's just telling it like it is. He is a rock and roll musician. He's done a lot of drugs and a lot of booze and a lot of dumb things. But as he says "A lot of it aint been pretty. I've done some bad things in my time. I've always been drawn to the dark side, me. but I ain't the Devil. I'm just John Osbourne: a working-class kid from Aston, who quit his job in the factory and went looking for a good time."
My sons were disappointed to discover when I had finished I am Ozzy that I am still not a Heavy Metal fan (sorry guys thirty years of Bruce are going to be hard to undo). I am however now a huge admirer of Ozzy Osbourne - it's impossible not to be. And if I ever got the chance to interview him I would jump at it. Because every day of his life has been an event - and that is a story worth hearing. More than once.

I am Ozzy
Ozzy Osbourne with Chris Ayres
Hachette NZ
RRP: $39.99

The biggest obstacles to our progress exist within our own lives in the form of cowardice and the tendency to give up. Breaking through these barriers will unleash a surging wave of change.  - Daisaku Ikeda

Have you noticed that the minute you determine to do something - challenges come thick and fast?  And immediately.  Don't believe me?  Go on a diet. I'll bet you a double chocolate frappe that should you declare to the world that you are only going to eat organic vegetables for the next six weeks, within an hour someone will be offering you the very foods you have turned your back on.  And not your average garden variety chokky bix either. No it will be your favourite rich double icing gooey kind.

I haven't decided to go on a diet but I have decided to commit to my writing and boy am  I getting obstacles thrown at me thick and fast and it's awfully tempting to give up on both of them.

The first thing I committed to was signing up  for NaNoWriMo - partly because I need the discipline in my fiction writing and partly because I would like to actually finish my damned novel.  Having attempted NNWM twice before and never got beyond Day 2 I made a vow that come hell or high water I was going to write every day and get this rough draft down. I made it through Day 1 and the dreaded Day 2.  Didn't get anywhere near it yesterday and it's hovering on another open tab as I write - taunting me.  A part of me - mainly the part with the thumping headache I've been nursing for a fortnight - would like to just throw up my arms and concede defeat. After all it's not like NNWM is a huge deal right?  It's not like it's important or anything.  Only - it is.  I want to finish this manuscript.  I want to submit it for publication.  And I can't do that if I don't write it!  And if I can't commit to writing once a day for NNWM - when am I going to commit to it?

Not long after making the committment to NaNo, I made the committment to launch this site and work on my non-fiction.  People were supportive and showed intereset.  Within days the idea of documentary writing came up .  All of the things that keep you going.  Then life began intruding.  Things like cooking dinner, housework, going to yoga, cuddling kids, work - and please tell me I don't have to tell you these are in no particular order - showering.  For the first time in ages, when my head hit the pillow, The Man of The House has been all out of luck.  Suddenly, I am struggling to get everything done.  And again that desire to give up began to niggle at me. Luckily I took some advice from blogger extraordinaire Ben Young from www.bwagy.com  who pointed out that consistency didn't have to be three times a day, seven days a week. Not yet anyway.

You see I love to write - it's my driving passion.  And I've worked really hard over the past six years to be in a position to be able to write - so I don't want to give up.  I also don't like to think of myself as a coward. Well not in this instance anyway.  Tell me a shark is heading my way, and I'm more than happy to wear that label - but a coward when faced with writing.  No thank you.   What about facing becoming a successful writer?  Nu-uh - no cowards here.  So if there are no cowards, I should just be able to get on and do it.  Which leads me all the way back to the blasted obstacles. 

And that is when I had my efip...eppyf...my realisation occurred (and I should point out that it was only about a half hour ago).  I realised the obstacles were of my own making - so I could in fact break through them.  Life getting in the way? Plan better.  Lacking confidence?  Draw on faith.  Can't concentrate?  Turn off the TV, take the laptop outside.  Too quiet?  That's why Bruce was put on this piece of granite.  In other words - there IS always an answer if you just choose to look for it instead of giving up. And it doesn't have to be perfect right away - the important thing is you keep working at it.

So if you'lle excuse me, Bruce is cued on the mp3 player (dear Santa...iPod.....), the kids are asleep, I don't need to be at work until 7 tomorrow morning, and I've got some chanting under my belt - I think I'm ready to go smash an obstacle or two.

See you further on up the road