Rochelle Courtenay is the Founder and Managing Director of Share the Dignity and the 2023 QLD recipient of the Australian Awards for Excellence in Women’s Leadership.
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What does self-care mean to you?
Leadership is not just about others; it is about leading your best life. Self-care to me is speaking to myself with kindness, treating my body and mind with respect, and giving myself what I need to be the best version of myself. I like to follow a life recipe to ensure I balance my priorities. But it is never one size fits all, I am committed to adjusting my life recipe to ensure I get everything I need to live my best life!
My current life recipe for a general workday is:
The Base
- 8 hours of sleep
- 1 hour of exercise
- 2 hours of meal times
- 1 hour of family time (Husband, Grandchildren, Mother)
- 2 hours of nothing! (eg. Gardening, TV, Reading, Painting)
The Main Work Day
- 2 hours of emails only in a day
- 2 hours of uninterrupted project work (writing, budgeting, forecasting etc.)
- 2 hours of meetings external
- 2 hours of meetings internal
- 2 hours up your sleeve (AKA Wiggle Room – something always comes up!)
How do you know when you’re feeling stressed or burnt out?
I travel a lot for speaking events and sharing Share the Dignity’s mission across Australia, and while it’s easy to stick to my routine when I am home, it’s a lot more difficult when travelling. My choices change and I feel like I need to be better at keeping to my routine as best I can. When I don’t get enough sleep, make poor food choices, have too much wine here and there, and don’t exercise, it doesn’t work well for me. When this happens, I tend to find myself feeling stressed and anxious at the enormity of the tasks needing to be done.
Do you have a regular self-care routine? If so, what does it look like?
I absolutely do, 8 hours of sleep is crucial for me, and I need at least an hour of exercise a day. A beautiful bubble bath with a candle and no bra and pj time are also self-care must haves during the week. I also try to get a massage at least once a month to treat myself.
What bumps you off your self-care routine and how do you get back on course?
Travelling and trying to fit in as many meetings as I can when I am interstate always seem to get me off track. I feel like I am getting better at putting boundaries in place to ensure I get my hour of exercise a day, but it’s the sleep I miss. I just don’t sleep well when I’m not in my own bed! I think it’s best to say that I am a work in progress when it comes to self-care and being away from home. When I’m home I’m okay sticking to a routine, I know what works for me now.
Where do you go for inspiration, ideas or tools for self-care?
I am always reading or listening to books. I love Brené Brown and Dr Libby Weaver, but I also love to follow a lot of clean eating and exercise Instagram pages and read a lot about the power of food in my spare time.
What do you think you need to improve in terms of your self-care practice?
I certainly touched on this before, but I really need to do better when I am travelling! I would love to hear any tips and tricks, I always want to learn and grow to be a better version of myself!
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