The Four Words That Changed Everything
"I'll pay you for that." Four words that transformed a corporate marketing executive's career uncertainty into a thriving consultancy. Tania Fielding's journey from imposter syndrome to strategic partner reveals how the 'messy middle' of career transition can become your greatest professional asset—and why premium businesses need marketing partners who understand both corporate strategy and entrepreneurial soul.
From corporate marketing executive to strategic partner for premium brands.
How one moment sparked a revolution.
"I'll pay you for that."
Four words delivered in a text message. Four words that would unravel twenty years of corporate marketing strategy and rebuild a business from scratch.
Tania Fielding almost didn't hit send on the brand strategy advice she'd crafted for her Pilates studio owner. After four years at home with her children, following two decades developing marketing campaigns at Nova, Fairfax Media, and WIN Corporation, the imposter syndrome was deafening. Who are you to give business advice?
But she pressed send anyway.
The response changed everything.
"It was my light bulb moment," Tania reflects from her South Coast base. "Not just about my own capabilities, but about how we as women underestimate our strategic expertise. We think time away means skills lost, when actually, experience evolves into something more powerful."
That evolution became Little Luxe Marketing, where Tania now partners with established businesses ready to scale strategically. Her unique position - having developed high-level marketing strategies for media giants while understanding the entrepreneur's reality - allows her to translate premium corporate thinking into growth strategies that actually work. She's moved far beyond her uncertain "messy middle" phase to become the marketing strategist luxury brands seek when they're ready to think bigger. Her clients aren't just any businesses - they're the ones who understand that premium positioning requires premium strategic thinking.
"I work with visionary women who've built something meaningful and are ready to elevate it," she explains. "They know their worth, they deliver exceptional experiences, and they want marketing that matches their sophistication."
What sets Tania apart isn't just her corporate credentials, it's her understanding that sustainable growth requires both strategic rigour and authentic connection. She's witnessed firsthand how the traditional corporate playbook often fails entrepreneurs who are building something deeply personal. Her approach bridges that gap, bringing institutional knowledge to businesses that refuse to sacrifice soul for scale. "Too many marketing consultants offer tactics without strategy, or strategy without heart," she says. "I've learned that the most successful businesses are the ones that stay true to their vision while being smart about how they grow."
“I work with visionary women who’ve built something meaningful and are ready to elevate it,” she explains. “They know their worth, they deliver exceptional experiences, and they want marketing that matches their sophistication.”
Yet Tania hasn't forgotten the isolation of career uncertainty. Her upcoming launch, The LUXE Method, crystallises both sides of her mission - premium marketing strategy for businesses ready to scale, with the empowerment element that supports women wherever they are in their journey.
“Whether you’re building your first million or your next million, the principles are the same,” she says. “You need strategic thinking that honours your vision and the confidence to charge what you’re worth.”
The marketing executive who once questioned her worth now partners with Australia's most ambitious businesses, from coastal entrepreneurs to established brands seeking that rare combination of corporate-level strategic thinking with genuine understanding of what it takes to build something meaningful.
"I see your vision, and I bring it to life," Tania explains. "That's what premium businesses deserve - a marketing partner who operates at their level."
Sometimes the most profound business transformations begin with four simple words. Sometimes they change everything.
Learn more about strategic marketing partnerships at littleluxemarketing.com.au
The Regenerators: Cultivating Land, Sea & Soul
For many of us, work is like a whirlwind, wearing us down as it sweeps us through the daily grind of routine. But for others, their work is to cultivate. To work with the land, the sea or the soul to make something better, create something deeper, or restore something lost. These are the regenerators, the people who toil with the seasons, embracing the flow of nature’s rhythms, rather than battling against them. Their work is a dance, a slow process of patience and understanding. And although they work through very different elements and mediums, they each strive to leave a positive impact in their wake. Here, we tip our hat to some of Salty’s favourite Regenerators.
Whether it’s nurturing the environment, the body or the mind, regeneration is a process of net improvement, and that’s something worth celebrating.
By Carolyn Beasley
For many of us, work is like a whirlwind, wearing us down as it sweeps us through the daily grind of routine. But for others, their work is to cultivate. To work with the land, the sea or the soul to make something better, create something deeper, or restore something lost. These are the regenerators, the people who toil with the seasons, embracing the flow of nature’s rhythms, rather than battling against them. Their work is a dance, a slow process of patience and understanding. And although they work through very different elements and mediums, they each strive to leave a positive impact in their wake. Here, we tip our hat to some of Salty’s favourite Regenerators.
Farming for the future
For dairy farmers Mahlah and Kel Grey, their journey to regenerative farming was not born of idealistic green notions, but rather an economic imperative.
Tucked into the bucolic Kiama hills, the farm was founded in 1854. Taking over in 2008, the couple were confronted with an evolving and less profitable dairy industry.
“We weren't in a position where land acquisition or intensifying was an attractive or viable option for us,” Mahlah explains. Instead, the couple sought to reduce their input costs, starting with the grain-based feed. But how would the cows get enough nutrients from a pasture-based system?
“It led us down that rabbit hole of ‘We need to improve our pasture, we need more biodiversity, we need better management in the grazing systems,’” Mahlah says. Mahlah and Kel soon switched to a cross-breed animal that would perform better on this non-grain diet, yielding a higher fat and protein milk, albeit it at lower volumes. This would play into their new ambitions to create higher value products, like cheese and gelato.
“We were putting out fires as we went, that's probably why we didn't realise we were going down a regenerative path,” Mahlah laughs. Eventually, the couple paused, considering their farm on a whole-system level.
What followed included cell-based paddock rotation, where cows graze each paddock for only 12-hours, before being moved to the next. Each paddock is usually rested for 60 days between grazing. Soil and pasture are chemical-free, nurtured with the farm’s compost and biodynamic preparations involving cow horns and silica. In winter, a diverse cover crop is added.
“We put on a lot of nitrogen fixing peas this year, which came out as really pretty purple flowers in the paddock,” Mahlah explains.
Intertwined with the science, is a desire to work gently; an understanding of the power of rest, for pasture, for cattle, and also themselves.
“We’ve stopped milking the cows year-round,” Mahlah says. “We now calve them all down in spring and milk them for a season, and then we dry them off coming into winter, and they get a rest, and we get a rest, and then we start the process again.”
Mahalah and Kel sell their regeneratively farmed products in their store, The Pines Panty in Kiama. They also hold farm ‘pop-up’ events, where the public can meet animals and experience farm life. For Mahlah, it’s gratifying to see people, especially the younger generation, forming connections with nature.
“I know from having my own kids here, they have a whole different understanding and ability to be present in a landscape,” Mahlah says. “My youngest, she'll catch any bug. And I had to pull her up and be like, ‘Babe, we have to talk about the type of spiders you're handling.’”
Unlike kids, adults often hold tightly to traditional ways. But for Mahlah, it’s important to let go.
“I know for us, the majority of the changes we made only came through a mindset shift first, Mahalah says. “And that's my biggest takeaway. In any space that you are working in, if you have very set paradigms around that, it's really, really hard to create that change.”
Saltwater inspiration
Cultivating food with care and patience is not restricted to the land, and for James Wheeler, his farming takes place in the saltwater of Merimbula Lake. James is a second-generation oyster farmer, continuing a legacy that he doesn’t take for granted.
“Hopefully when my kids are at that age, they have the opportunity to take it on if they want, too,” James says.
For James, the lifestyle is part of the draw. Saltwater and sunshine are his daily tonic.
“I grew up surfing, so I've always been in and around the ocean,” James says. “I really appreciate being able to go out on the lake, especially on still mornings.”
With each oyster taking around three-and-a-half or four years to reach market size, it’s definitely a slow food. Oyster farming is inextricably linked to nature’s rhythms; the seasons, the tides and the daily whims of south coast weather.
“It’s an early start, about seven,” James says. “We usually try to go out in the morning when the wind's not up, because the wind just makes the easiest jobs hard.”
James says that if he’s harvesting oysters, he’ll zip down to his lease area near the entrance of Merimbula Lake. But the main job of oyster farming is thinning out the oysters in the mesh bags, using a size grading machine.
“If the oysters are too dense in the bag, it stunts the growth,” James explains. “So, our job is to try and keep the oysters as comfortable as possible.”
Then there’s the repetitive job of flipping bags of oysters, exposing the oysters to air for up to a week at a time to remove marine fouling organisms. It can be hard work, especially if conditions are less than ideal.
“One of the good things about technology is we can sort of predict the weather, and if it’s looking terrible, we’ll try and do what we need to the day before,
But some days, you just have to go out there and just grit your teeth. Put the rain jacket on and just try and stay warm.”
Nature hurls other challenges at oyster farmers, too. In recent years, south coast farmers have dealt with damaging ash from bushfires, heavy rainfall and oyster diseases such as Vibrio, a naturally occurring bacteria that can reach dangerous levels during prolonged underwater heatwaves. These events can all trigger health regulations and a temporary ban on harvesting oysters, sometimes for weeks at a time.
Oyster farmers need a thick skin and stoic resilience to combat these stressful and unpredictable events.
“It's like for any farmer, if their animals get sick, it's devastating,” James says “I think with farming in general, you don't know what's going to be around the corner. You’ve just got to try and plan ahead as much as you can.
Perhaps one of the best ways to plan ahead is to diversify the business, and this spring, James is launching oyster tours on Merimbula Lake.
“I'll be pointing out different techniques of oyster farming and the history,” James says. “And as we scoot across the water, there's a white table cloth set up on a table, with Champagne and lemons.”
Standing in the water with the guests, James will lead an oyster shucking master class, sharing decades of cumulative experience. By putting his own stamp on the family business, James hopes to be ensuring its sustainability for future generations.
Soulful stirring
From her home in the Shoalhaven, in the shadow of the Illawarra escarpment, artist Anna Glynn has fostered a deep connection to nature that manifests in her creative works. While she is known to document nature’s regeneration, the beauty in her art works also benefits the viewer, perhaps regenerating souls.
“I have a kind of dual layer in my works, whether they be video or sound or paintings or drawings, and so there's a deeper meaning,” Anna says. Sometimes Anna’s works contains sadness about the way humans are impacting nature, but first, people will be attracted to the beauty, and that can be spiritually regenerative.
Anna says her natural inspiration is often found in her forest home.
“We're surrounded by wallabies and wombats and lyrebirds, so it's just lovely to be somewhere where you're just part of nature with the other creatures,” she says.
With a backyard full of habitat, Anna has the chance to observe or record these animals at close range.
“I've got a low timber coffee table on the deck,” Anna explains. “The baby wombat went under it one night, and I didn't know, and I just heard this sort of horrible scraping, and I went out, and the whole table was just moving around!”
Then there’s the elderly wallaby that Anna has been filming, with his penchant for citrus fruits.
“I've got lovely footage of him from last week eating a whole orange, and then the juice was dripping down his hands, so he licks all the juice off,” Anna laughs. “This is my life, kind of sharing the space with nature.”
Over the course of her career, Anna’s work has touched on regeneration in literal sense, particularly after the 2019-2020 black summer bushfires. Anna’s home was in the path of the fires, and she was forced to evacuate. In a stroke of luck for Anna and heartbreaking misfortune for others, the winds changed. While Anna’s property was spared, many in Kangaroo Valley were not so lucky.
“I spent about four or five months recording, and I set up time lapse cameras at different people's properties and filmed all the lovely new growth and did sound recordings,” Anna says. “One of the most traumatic things was the lack of sound. It took six weeks before I heard an insect.”
This moving-image art work, called ‘Love kindness…walk humbly’ is part of the Australian Parliament House and National Museum collection.
“It's just been showing on a loop in Parliament House for months and months,” Anna says. “So, I like the idea that the parliamentarians can see it, just to acknowledge that's what the communities are living with.”
All along the nature-rich South Coast, we live immersed in the environment. And those that nurture the land, gently cultivate the sea, and nudge our consciousness through art provide us with the threads that tie us back to nature. Sometimes they’re obvious and often they’re hiding in our midst; these are the regenerators.
Soul on Canvas: Josh Burkinshaw
The alarm sounds at 4:30am, but Josh Burkinshaw is already awake. In the pre-dawn darkness of his South Coast home, anticipation courses through him like electricity. "When all the forecast research I've done lines up and the conditions are perfect, there's a rush of anticipation," he explains. This is the ritual of a man who has found his calling in the marriage of ocean and light, where split-second decisions determine whether fleeting beauty becomes eternal art.
Where light meets water.
By Charms Baltis
The alarm sounds at 4:30am, but Josh Burkinshaw is already awake. In the pre-dawn darkness of his South Coast home, anticipation courses through him like electricity. "When all the forecast research I've done lines up and the conditions are perfect, especially for a sunrise shoot, there's a rush of anticipation," he explains, camera gear already packed beside the door. "That moment sets the tone and leaves me on a high for the rest of the day."
This is the ritual of a man who has found his calling in the marriage of ocean and light, where split-second decisions determine whether fleeting beauty becomes eternal art.
“My jaw drops, and it feels almost unreal, like I’ve stepped into another world,. Then, in what feels like the blink of an eye, it’s gone, and I’m left thinking, ‘What did I just witness?’”
There are moments Josh can recall as if they happened yesterday, standing waist-deep in churning waters, watching colours explode across the sky. "My jaw drops, and it feels almost unreal, like I've stepped into another world," he says. "Then, in what feels like the blink of an eye, it's gone, and I'm left thinking, 'What did I just witness?'"
These ephemeral encounters fuel his passion, the pursuit of moments that exist for mere seconds before dissolving back into time and tide. "At the heart of it, I'm chasing moments that will never happen again, unique scenes that exist for only an instant. I want to capture them not just to share, but to be able to look back and relive that exact feeling."
For Josh, photography transcends hobby or profession. "When I'm out shooting, I feel free. All the noise of life fades away, and there's nothing but peace and the moment in front of me."
The South Coast has become Josh's canvas, its waters his muse. "Reading the ocean starts long before I arrive at the break," Josh explains. "I plan my shoots based on swell direction, swell size, and cloud cover. When I get there, it's about fine-tuning that plan, watching how the light interacts with the water, and sensing the energy of the ocean."
Positioned in the lineup, camera housing protecting his equipment as waves build around him, the dance between capturing the shot and staying safe requires constant vigilance. "In wave photography, you win some and you lose some, I might take a thousand shots to get ten I'm truly happy with," he admits.
Josh's philosophy extends beyond technical expertise to perspective itself. "For me, 'capturing the epic beauty of life' is about looking beyond the obvious- finding a perspective that reveals something new. It's about showing the world from a different angle, one that invites people to pause, look closer, and experience it in a way they've never seen before."
In the solitude of dawn sessions, surrounded by nothing but water, light, and possibility, Josh finds his truest self. "When I'm alone in the ocean at sunrise, capturing waves, I feel completely free and at peace. It's the place where I truly find myself, my happiest moments are out there, surrounded by nothing but water, light, and the rhythm of the sea."
““But Mother Nature always has the final say, and you have to respect that.””
What sets these South Coast waters apart isn't just their beauty, it's their character. "The South Coast is unique because of its rugged coastline and incredible variety," Josh notes. "We have powerful slab waves, crystal-clear waters, and untouched, empty beaches. It's a rare mix of beauty and rawness that makes this stretch of coastline truly special."
This raw authenticity translates into images that carry more than visual appeal, they hold the essence of place, the spirit of untamed Australian coast where power meets poetry in every breaking wave.
When someone chooses one of Josh's wave prints for their home, they're inviting a piece of the ocean's soul into their daily lives. "I like to think I'm sharing a peaceful moment, frozen in time, the softness of a wave, the beauty of the colours in the sky. When someone hangs one of my prints, they're bringing a piece of that tranquillity and the ocean's spirit into their home."
In a world that moves at breakneck speed, Josh's work offers something increasingly rare, an invitation to pause, to breathe, to remember that some of life's most profound moments happen in the space between one wave and the next. "Those fleeting, surreal moments are what I live for," he reflects. And in sharing them, Josh ensures they live beyond the moment, captured forever in frames that hold the very essence of what it means to be fully present at the edge of the world.
Josh Burkinshaw's ocean photography captures the raw beauty and power of South Coast waters. View his collection at joshburkinshawimages.com.au
Life’s better Salty…
More from our Cultivate Series…
The Art of Holding Space
In an industry built on transformation, South Coast hair stylist Grace Roby has discovered that the most profound changes happen not through what she does to her clients, but through the space she creates for them to simply be themselves. In this intimate conversation, Roby shares how her philosophy of "holding space" has built a thriving salon business where clients don't just book appointments—they seek sanctuary. From her coastal Milton studio, she reveals why choosing presence over pressure became her competitive edge, and how relocating from Sydney's pace to the South Coast's rhythm transformed both her life and her business model. The story includes Roby's own words on what it truly means to hold space for others, offering a rare glimpse into the emotional intelligence that's made her salon a sought-after destination and positioned her as a quiet revolutionary in the beauty industry.
In a world that rewards the loudest voice in the room, a new breed of leaders is discovering something counterintuitive: the most powerful influence comes not from speaking, but from creating space for others to be heard.
The best leaders aren't loud. They quiet their voice so others can find theirs.
It's a radical idea in our attention economy, where personal branding and "owning the room" have become business gospel. But across industries, from boardrooms to hair salons, a quiet revolution is taking place.
Grace Roby built her thriving South Coast hair business on this principle. Over fifteen years in the industry, she's discovered that the most successful enterprises aren't always the loudest, they're the ones that truly understand their clients.
"I can feel it the moment someone walks in," Grace says, describing the business intelligence that's made her salon a sought-after destination. "Sometimes it's in their eyes before they've said a word." This intuitive approach to client service has become her competitive edge.
What Grace has mastered is creating an environment where clients don't just receive a service, they receive an experience that keeps them returning and referring others. "Holding space means creating an environment where people feel completely safe to be seen, heard, and celebrated exactly as they are" she explains. It's a business philosophy that's proven remarkably profitable.
Her one-on-one salon model was a deliberate business decision. "Being one-on-one is welcomed by my clients, I can be completely present with each of them” Grace explains. This premium positioning allows her to charge appropriately for the personalised experience she delivers. "While someone may book in for a haircut, what they leave with is often something much deeper."
When Grace relocated her business from Sydney to the South Coast, it wasn't just a lifestyle choice, it was a strategic business move. "There's a slower rhythm to life here. It invites stillness, softness, and presence," she says. The coastal location aligned perfectly with her business vision and allowed her to build the practice she'd always envisioned.
The move also catalysed another business venture. Frustrated by mainstream hair care brands that prioritised profit over quality, Grace developed her own product line. "I wanted to offer my clients something Australian-owned and made that ticked all the boxes, paraben and sulphate-free, vegan, cruelty-free, and organic," she explains. "Something I could use myself and be confident giving to my clients."
“Holding space means creating an environment where people feel completely safe to be seen, heard, and celebrated exactly as they are”
The Grace Roby Hair product range represents everything she stands for as a business owner: quality, authenticity, and genuine care for her clients' wellbeing. Soon to launch on Shopify, the line will extend her reach beyond the salon chair to customers across Australia.
"I've laughed with clients. I've cried with clients," Grace reflects, describing the deep client relationships that form the foundation of her business success. This emotional connection translates directly to business outcomes, client retention, premium pricing, and powerful word-of-mouth marketing.
Grace's willingness to share her own journey, including the challenges of building a business while raising her son, creates authenticity that clients connect with. "Moving to the coast brought me and my son back to what matters. It shifted how I show up in life and business," she shares. This transparency has become part of her brand story, the successful entrepreneur who chose presence over pressure.
Her business model challenges industry norms about volume and efficiency, proving that focusing on quality over quantity can be highly profitable. The approach has created a waiting list of clients and established Grace as a leader in her field.
"Intentional. Nourishing. Empowering," Grace says when describing her business approach. "I want people to leave feeling more themselves." It's a philosophy that's built a thriving enterprise and positioned her as an innovator in the beauty industry.
Grace's success demonstrates that in an age of connection scarcity, businesses that master creating space rather than noise will thrive. Her quiet coastal salon proves that the most powerful influence isn't about how loudly you speak, it's about how deeply others feel heard in your presence.
Grace Roby Hair is located in Milton on the NSW South Coast. For bookings and to explore Grace's natural hair care range, visit gracerobyhair.com.au
This story celebrates the deeper currents that flow through our coastal community, the healers, the space-holders, the quiet revolutionaries who remind us that true luxury lies not in excess, but in presence.
The Quiet Rebellion Against "Good Enough"
A vision for what coastal hospitality could be has sparked something beautiful.
"We're building more than a business," Bede says. "We're building a quiet uprising against 'good enough'."
Supercalla Private Properties chose the details no one else thinks about. Birthday candles for forgotten celebrations. Compostable slippers waiting beside lush robes. The tiny heroes that transform holidays.
The rebellion is spreading. Small, independent operators are raising the bar, choosing soul over scale, stories over statistics. Creating something bigger together while holding onto that rare warmth only the thoughtful ones can deliver.
Because true luxury isn't thread count or marble benchtops. It's the feeling that someone thought of you before you arrived.
Read how one vision sparked a movement reshaping luxury hospitality.