Leonie Dawson's Blog, page 38

FREE Mini Course!!!

Lovebugs!

Today is a good day. It’s not just an eBook freebie day…

It’s a MINI COURSE freebie day!

15 Reasons You Need To Sell An E-Course: mini video training & illustrated e-book!

This is the first step to creating an eCourse that will earn you $$$!

A question I get a lot is, “Leonie, if you had to start your business all over again, if you lost EVERYTHING… What would you do?” and my answer is and always will be: eCourses eCourses eCourses.

You’ll get:

a 15 minute video that covers all the reasons to sell eCoursesa gorgeous 11 page eBook that you can download and print out

Seriously, it’s free and available right now!

Just click HERE to score your free membership, it’s that easy.

I’ve helped thousands of peeps create, launch and sell their eCourses.

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eCourses are a brilliant way to double, or even triple your income.

So what are you waiting for?

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With shining love and abundance,

P.S. Want something more in-depth? I gotchu babes. Check out 40 Days to Create + Sell Your eCourse

This e-course journey is for YOU. In the space of 40 days, you are going to get your e-course DONE.  And master the tech like a pro. And start SELLING it like crazy.

40 Days to Create + Sell Your eCourse is accountability, tech + marketing advice on SPEED.

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Frugality < Self Care

Pookybears,

Just wanted to moodle something with you that I’ve been thinking of.

But first…

I want to acknowledge my numerous privileges when it comes to life and money. I’m a white woman, living in a developed (and stolen) country. I had the privilege of a stable home, parents who could afford food and invest in education. I also have the privilege of appearing cishet, and having disabilities that are invisible. My privileges are bountiful and unearned.

Righto… Now, let’s talk FRUGALITY!

I’ve been on an obsessive binge with Frugalwoods – an excellent personal finance blog and book. I think they are brilliant and deeply inspiring. They practice a kind of extreme frugality, and manage to save up to 82% of their income.

Because I’m a competitive motherfucker, I immediately started thinking:

UGH I NEED TO DO MORE! I SHOULD NOT BE SPENDING SO MUCH MONEY! I WONDER IF I SHOULD PRACTICE EXTREME FRUGALITY!

If you’ve taken my Money, Manifesting & Multiple Streams of Income program, you’ll know that we’re conservative spenders. Despite being a multi-millionaire, I still have a budget, and still save probably more than half our income. Probably closer to 75% of it, once I count in all our company dividends.

But still, I thought: maybe I should up it. Maybe I should do MORE.

But after thinking about it for a while… I’ve realised:

I don’t think extreme frugality is the best financial decision for me.

Here’s why:

The income of most business owners depends on the energy levels of the owner. The healthier the owner is, the more they are able to make good strategic decisions and create better work. Their income can greatly increase when they are doing awesomely. (Their income can also potentially falter if their health fails too, depending on how they set up their income streams and business systems.)

And the cost of self care & ensuring good health is much smaller than the potential earning power. It’s usually a good return on investment.

Here’s an extreme example:

When I had hyperemesis gravidarum in my second pregnancy, I was horrifically and chronically ill, and required a lot of emergency room visits to survive. I could barely function, and was looking at nine months of this unrelenting shitshow. In the early months, acupuncture helped by giving me a few hours of manageable relief.

So I paid for daily acupuncture – it enabled me to work for a little bit. It was a worthy expense. $50 each day to be able to get about $3000 worth of work done each day. Plus… $50 was worthwhile just to be able to connect with my family for a bit and take a breath of air before I was submerged again.

Another (somewhat) extreme example:

Last year, I dislocated both hips and prolapsed a disc from… walking. Yes. Walking. I’m hypermobile so my limbs dislocate way too easily. Anyways, it took about months to recover from it, and in the meantime I was doing osteopathy every 3 days for a wee while. Again: a good investment, because if I didn’t, I wouldn’t be able to function or work.

And now for some non-extreme examples:

Whatever I can do to keep myself functioning physically, mentally & emotionally is a good investment.

My average rate of income per day is about $5,000. And it can be even more if I’m feeling clear, energised and productive. And it can be less if I’m out of commission (it’s not highly susceptible however – I have good business systems and support in place). So my income potential can increase exponentially if I’m in good nick.

Anything that can fix or prevent injury and pain is a good investment for me. It’s not worth being frugal for.

This includes:

massageosteopathacupuncturereflexologyany other body work.Anything that keeps me functioning well and improving my health is also a good investment.

Some good healthy investments:

buying my favourite $10 smoothie everydaystocking up at the health food storebulk-ordering my favourite snackstherapy & coaching when I need it.

Plus, again: I already save 75% of my income. I’m not a spender, I don’t have any debt, I already have a budget. I used to live paycheck to paycheck with maxed out credit cards, and I changed all my money habits about 15 years ago. It’s still one of the best things I’ve ever done. So I know when I talk about good investments, I know I can actually afford them to begin with.

There’s some things I CAN be more frugal with… without impacting my income

I definitely think there’s things I can cut out however:

most online shopping (as evidenced by last challenge)clothes shoppingI think (OMG) I can probably stop buying shit tonnes of graphic novels, as my kid is starting to moving onto other novels which are easier to source.But what should YOU do with your money?

Is extreme frugality the right path for you? How much should you spend on self care?

That’s up to you to answer, my loves. Moodle it around, and see what’s right for you & your specific situation.

Big love,

P.S. I think I will treat myself to another round of expenses challenge (the first activity in Money, Manifesting & Multiple Streams of Income). We do it every year anyway, and I reckon it will be bonza to go through again.

Maybe I should do it publicly and share the results with you? Waddya reckon?

 

Enrol now & save!

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Free Poster: Make Your Soul GLOW!

Hello darlinghearts!

You might recall a little while back a social media post I wrote went viral.

But, since I’m not using social media anymore (have you heard? I’ve baaaarely mentioned it ) I thought I better turn the words into something more permanent.

I made this poster from words I wrote in one of my most viral social media posts… for whatever reason, it seemed to deeply touch people’s hearts. and I didn’t want it to be ephemeral or temporary anymore…

Fill out the form below to download your glowing new poster!

I wanted to create something tangible for people to hold.

If you put this up anywhere in your house, PLEASE SHOW ME!

I love love LOVE seeing my art in people’s lives.

It’s one of the most rewarding, bestest parts of being an artist.

With a glowing & delectable soul,

Enrol now & save!

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Dear Diary… where I’m at right now.

Panda bears,

I’ve been churning out a bunch of big, intensive blog posts of late. And I’m bloody THRILLED with them. And so excited they are finally out in the world.

AND also feeling like I can’t pump out super intensive stuff everyday… because that way leads to blogging burnout. So I thought I’d just spend some time today and just… write to you. Like a penpal. How this all began back in December. And tell you what I’m thinking of today.

Last night I was journalling and meditating, wondering why I’ve had a vague sense of soul-itchiness the last week or so. And I realised there are some changes that I’ve been holding off on making because I had planned for them to be 21 day challenges… but it turns out… I just want and need and crave doing them now.

So here’s what I currently do daily:Journaling (this started organically at the start of the year because my assistant bought me the most beautiful journal for Christmas… and it’s in my journal that I came up with the idea of 21 day challenges!)Meditating (current challenge)Blogging (current challenge)No social media & no internet browsing (last 2 challenges that I’ve loved so much I’ve kept doing)Yoga (this is a recent uprising that I’m doing for pain management reasons. My hypermobile shoulders have been fucked lately, and it’s the only thing that keeps pain levels down).

And these things are forming into actual HABITS, you know? Like: I am starting to feel like they are essential elements of my day.

Which is completely surprising to me, because I have tried for YEARS to develop great daily habits like this, and nothing has worked like these 21 day challenges.

I think 21 day challenges work for me for two reasons:I’m a sprinter, not a marathon runner. If you tell me I have to meditate everyday for the rest of my life, it would be too much pressure, and I’d run screaming. But 21 days? That’s manageable! I can do that sprint!Once I’ve done the 21 days though… it’s enough time for it to be a habit and me to experience the benefits of it… so I don’t really wean off from doing it!But there’s more habits that I am craving right now!

And I don’t want to wait until that challenge to do them.

It’s funny that I felt like I was having to hold myself back in order to wait for them.

And then I remembered when I started these challenges I made a bunch of freedom-honouring promises to myself:

These are NOT in order, and none are compulsory. They are merely a menu of options!

I might always log my challenges as I go, I might not. I might always announce what challenge I’m undertaking, I might not.

I may even do more than one challenge at a time!

I also give myself complete freedom & permission to abandon any challenge (or the whole lot of them!) if they don’t end up being helpful to my mental health.

One thing I realised last year is this:

The Leonie of Today Is Not The Expert of the Leonie of Tomorrow.

Last year I had a bunch of goals in mind for the year, but by 3/4 of the way through the year, I realised they weren’t the right fit anymore. But I still felt hemmed in by my original goals. I don’t want to do that this time. I am making this optional on every level.

I can change my damn mind anytime I want!

I needed to remind myself that I had complete permission & freedom to take on challenges – as many or as little – or none – as I wished.

And honestly… the more I have changed my habits, the more I feel confident and powerful that I can make other changes too!

So, what changes do I want to make?

I need to make some healthful lifestyle changes. Nothing feels majorly off – my body just feels uncomfortable. So I know it’s time for a reset. I’m not interested in doing the Fast800 again – it was wayyyy too fucking hard. Plus I don’t think I need a full lifestyle overhaul, I just need to make gradual good changes.

Changes I’d like to incorporate:

Daily walkingContinue with daily yogaMove back to more nutritious foods – specifically, stop eating ice-cream, bread & bakery food, and start eating more nutritionally dense foods.

I’m also booked in to see a naturopath in 3 weeks. It’s funny, I was looking through my papers and realised I’ve worked with a naturopath for a reset every 10 years – once when I was 18, then when I was 28, and now I’m 38!

Until I see her, I’m going to keep:

a daily hormone diarya daily food & exercise diary.

(I found them as handouts on her website before I even booked in & promptly printed them out & made a study folder. I AM GOING TO BE AN A+ CLIENT I TELL YOU! HA!)

What today looked like:Woke up at 7.45am (stayed up late last night reading this adorable book last night)Breakfast of chai tea + LarabarShoulder yoga & meditationOrganised some appointments & talked to our property manager about our investment propertyWent for an hour-long bushwalk through the eucalyptus forest at the end of our street. It’s rained so much that the lakes and rivers have overflowed onto the walking paths so I had to take my Birks off a few times to wade my way through. There were red, green and blue dragonflies everywhere, tiny fish and miniscule frogs. It was the greatest thing ever.Lunch: steamed veges on rice. Usually I do 1 TBSP peanut butter, 1 TBSP sweet chilli sauce and a squeeze of lime juice to make the fucking NOMMMEST satay sauce on the planet. I decided to just be a basic beetch today and put plain peanut butter on the veges instead. Lazy Person’s Peanut Satay, if you will.Hauled out all my cookbooks and got some healthy cooking inspo.Organised our pantry to see what we had and what I needed to get. Moved all my pizza and bread-baking supplies to the top shelf. Put the quinoa and chia seeds and other healthy cooking supplies centre stage.Talked to Chris for a while. Watched the kids bounce on the trampoline.Toddled off to bed to do a wee bit of work before dinner.

And now I’m here.

I’m off to make dinner…

Thank you for listening. Thank you for being here. Thank you for being you.

Big love,

Enrol now & save!

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Scrapbook: Bubbles & Investments

Pookybears,

Gosh I’ve been finding some bloody wonderful things lately to read, think about, be inspired by.

And… you guessed it… NONE OF IT WAS ON SOCIAL MEDIA!

Settle in with a cup of tea as I take you on a roaming tour of Glorious Things I’ve found!Because I’m officially middle aged, I’ve developed a deep yearning to return to the Mother Country (i.e. England & Denmark). The best AirBNBs in the UK had me SWOONING.How to deal with creative rejection – by my pooky bear Katie.What I think, not what I thought – the gift of short term business planning.The picture above and this post from Effy Wild made me cackle & nod furiously:

I’ll never tell you what you should or shouldn’t do in the realm of relationships, but I’ve listened to enough of this stuff from various sources to suspect that “twin flame” relationships seem to be nothing more than insecure, anxious attachment styles colliding with avoidant attachment styles in disguise. These kinds of relationships seem to create trauma bonds that keep one party stuck in a holding pattern far, far longer than is healthy….

The whole thing. Garbage. Trash. I’ve been in therapy way too long to buy this bullshit anymore. I’m over it. I’m not here for it.

I’m fascinated watching Design Mom’s restoration of a centuries-old home in France… especially this post about her making limewash paint!Mr Money Mustache on investing in bubbles.The Incredible Video Game Box Designs of Hock Wah YeoSaying no in order to say yes. When I had my first baby (who never slept) I suddenly had to get very very good at focussing on ONLY the shit that was mission critical.

Accurate. via John Saddington.

Found & fell hard in love with Frugalwoods this week. Talking about money in sane, sensible ways, with bonus touches of LIVING IN THE FUCKING WOODS WOO! Have been consuming their blog whole. Their Reader Case Studies are particularly brilliant. I even started their book last night as well, so the obsession is gripping.An infertility story in comics.10 Reasons To Write A Book – from Seth Godin.John Saddington has been sharing comics about Autism all this month. These two are some of my favourites.

I can’t stop laffing over this. So simple. So great. Via, of course, The Oatmeal.

Craig Mod’s short video about pizza toast is beautiful. I feel like I just visited a Japan for a few moments.Paul Quit The Internet: I followed Paul Jarvis for years online… and then he quit the internet. This is the podcast episode about why he decided to delete his personal brand and stop his newsletter with 30,000 subscribers.An analogue autoresponder. Just brilliant.Also from Cal Newport: In Defense of Thinking.I haven’t stopped thinking about Austin Kleon’s diagram above of Books That Suck You In & Books That Spin You Out.Blockchain: The Amazing Solution For Absolutely Nothing.I’m A Person of Colour & Suddenly Everyone Is Interested In Me: Something Bad Must Have HappenedThe New Dot Com Bubble Is Here: And It’s Online Advertising. This fascinates me… especially since I just don’t really like paying for Facebook ads. I’ve built 95% of my business on organic traffic and word of mouth.

Marketers are often most successful at marketing their own marketing.

Is online advertising working? We simply don’t know.

The way Joshua Kennon buys a car makes me laff. Total inspo for how I want to buy my next car… I DETEST buying cars because of the time & shenanigans involved!

I called a local car dealership while Aaron was taking care of something else, gave them a list of specific VINs that interested us, and asked that they send us a list of their bottom-line prices; that we would not counter or negotiate because we didn’t have the time.  Rather, if the price was good enough, we’d come in and buy the car, if it wasn’t, we wouldn’t even bother returning their call.  Within ten or fifteen minutes, the gentleman who had given us his card during one of our test drive trips called us back and gave a list of bullet points, model by model.

Hollister & Porter Hovey’s home tour is just brilliant. I fucking LOVE the way they just paint whatever shit they want in their house!Living Like It’s 1999: No Social Media & No Phone – FASCINATING:

Life is not just more peaceful without a smartphone, it has great effects on your productivity too. More ideas, better results, memory, concentration… Most of the good ideas I have brainstorming are during these moments where everyone’s on their smartphone, waiting in line, commuting on the subway, etc… These “waiting” moments when you can instead let your mind go free and wonder.

Opening your phone every time you are bored kills your creativity and imagination.

Hope this brings so much joy & inspiration to you!

Just remember… this world is FULL of good and inspiring things! Make sure you’re spending your valuable attention on the important things!

Big love,

Enrol now & save!

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My New Favourite Investment: Mutual Funds

Please note: this is not financial advice! I just wanted to share what I’m loving, learning & thinking about. Before you make any financial decisions, make sure you talk to a financial advisor! Also: this is not a sponsored post. I don’t ever do them, so you don’t have to wonder about that! 

Pooky bears,

Mama Leonie LOVES talking about money and investing. And I love learning about money too – what other people do with it, how to be an even better custodian for it.

I wanted to tell you about the investment I’m most excited about lately. (And if you want to get even more behind the scenes in my finances & learn the easy but powerful ways to reduce your debt and increase your savings, Money, Manifesting & Multiple Streams of Income is the right place for you. It’s doubling in price at end of the month, so if you want it, grab it now to save $$$)

Early last year I made a big change with our retirement funds.

It was fuelled by the hellish Australian bushfires and my awakening to the climate crisis.

I decided it was time to put my (retirement) money where my mouth is, and move it from a normal retirement fund into an ethical retirement fund. Specifically: a fund that does not invest in mining, gambling, tobacco, guns, human rights abuses, logging etc. Instead they invest in clean energy, sustainable solutions, innovative tech and more.

I ended up choosing Australian Ethical and the transfer process was super simple… it honestly took me a couple of minutes online, and all it needed was my tax file number… it was pretty bloody amazing! I put it off for so long thinking it would be hard, but it was so stupidly simple.

There are a bunch of other similar funds in Australia including:Verve Super (women run)Future Supertraditional super funds often have an “ethical” or “environmental” option as well.

Honestly, it’s about the best thing since sliced bread. The more people move their superannuation funds into ethical options, the more it becomes difficult to fund invasive mining operations, gambling and tobacco.

Plus: it makes good investing sense. The way of the future is sustainable, as evidenced by the world’s largest fund manager dumping thermal coal as an investment.

Hot tip: if you do decide to move, make sure you take into account life insurances & other insurances that are often attached to your super! Sometimes they are calculated by how long you have contributed, so a move may hurt your life insurance.

Making my super ethical totally made me excited to do more ethical investing!

I ended up doing an interview on the Ethical Change podcast with Bindi Heit. She mentioned she not only had moved her super into ethical funds, but had invested in ethical managed funds too.

That of course made my wee ears prick up, and I researched further. I didn’t actually know what managed funds were. All I knew about was shares – buying particular stocks in a company.

Managed funds is like a collection of shares. So instead of picking ONE company to invest in (and exposing yourself to the risk of all your eggs in one basket), you instead invest in a whole bunch of companies at once (so many eggs in your basket!). When you buy one share in a managed fund, that share gives you mini-shares in all the companies the fund are invested in.

Which is exactly what’s happening with your superannuation – your money is invested in a big ole range of companies! You don’t have to decide what stocks to buy and sell, the fund does. And in the case of ethical managed funds, they also make sure the companies are sustainable.

Plus: it makes good investing sense. The way of the future is sustainable, as evidenced by the world’s largest fund manager dumping thermal coal as an investment.

Paul Jarvis describes managed funds/EFTs as an investment burrito. As in – you’re not buying one single ingredient, you’re buying a whole bunch of things wrapped into one.

I must admit – I’m pretty shithouse at buying individual shares.

I held shares for YEARS in Woolworths (one of Australia’s biggest grocery stores)… and sold them about 2 weeks before the pandemic started and Woolworth’s sales went gangbusters. LOLLLLLZ. LOLLLLLLLZ I SAY.

Learning about shares & keeping an eye on the stock market regularly isn’t a big passion of mine – not enough to be great at it anyway. I like that I can invest in managed funds instead, and they can do manage it for me, and mitigate my risk a lot more.

Ethical Managed Funds > Managed Funds

This was the part that excited me most – that not only could I get managed funds, but I could choose ETHICAL managed funds. They follow the same guidelines as ethical super – they usually don’t invest in mining, gambling, tobacco, guns, human rights abuses, logging etc. Instead they invest in clean energy, sustainable solutions, innovative tech and more.

That makes me super happy. I want to make sure I put my money where my mouth is.

Because I was already set up, I used Australian Ethical again for managed funds. Again: there are plenty of options out there for this. Again, this is not a sponsored post. Aus Ethical have no fucking clue who I am. I’m just a bossy motherfucker who likes to talk about everything I’m excited by!

What’s my end goal?

Eventually I’d like to get to a point where we can live off the returns of our investment portfolio without our balance going down. I reckon I’ll need about $3 million in managed funds to get there. I’m already over a third of the way there which is exciting. At the rate I’m going at, I’ll be able to fully retire easily at 45, but I don’t think I’ll retire… I like blogging and creating and making shit far too much. Plus, I’ve been partially retired since I was 27 – I’ve only worked 10 hours a week since then.

We do have other investments and income streams, which I go into deep detail about in Money, Manifesting & Multiple Streams of Income. They will factor into retirement funding and I won’t need as much as that, but I like having one clear simple goal to fixate on and work towards.

I’ll be honest – I used to have a really shit attitude about money. I thought it was selfish and shallow to care about money at all. Meanwhile… I didn’t have the cash to do anything to help what I cared about.

I love being abundant now.

I love having extra funds we can easily donate to charities we give a fuck about. For example – last year we could donate $25,000 to Australian Wildlife Conservancy to help them buy more land for wildlife. I love that we can offer up to 400 scholarships a year. I love knowing we can choose alternative education options for our kids. I love that we can take care of our extended family when we need to.

I reckon the world needs more of us… heart centred hippies who give a fuck about the world, and will redirect funds to the places that need it!

If you’ve got any other money questions, pop me an email (support@leoniedawson.com) and I’ll see if I can answer them in a future blog post.

And I know as well that talking about money can be very triggering. I want to send you love to exactly where you are right now.​ Thank you for listening to my sharing. I hope in some ways it is useful.

To womxn being bold and brave and financially savvy!

Big love,

Enrol now & save!

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My Favourite Female Autism Books, Resources, Checklists & more

Pooky bears,

This will be my regularly updated resource post for all things autism… my favourite books, checklists, resources, how I got diagnosed and all my blog posts about it too.

Autism does not usually appear the same in females as it does for men.

Females usually have different characteristics, and are FAR less likely to be diagnosed. This is for a range of reasons – a lot of medical professionals are only aware of the male characteristics of Autism, and female autists tend to “mask” their behaviour socially to appear normal by copying other people’s behaviour.

We are NOT female Sheldons. If you are considering Autism and are female, make sure you look at the female checklists for Autism, and if you go for an official diagnosis, make sure it’s with a person who is fully educated about Autism especially in females.

Online Tests & ChecklistsTania Ann Marshall’s Adult Female Profile of AutismFemales with Aspergers Non-Official ChecklistI haven’t tried the Aspie Tests here, but have friends who found it usefulWhat I’ve written about having Autism:Aspie GoddessWhat I do when I’m in Autistic shutdownASD AF: My official diagnosisHow I navigate my Autism on a business photoshootBooksI am AspienWoman by Tania MarshallAspergirls by Rudy SimoneThe Asperkid’s (Secret) Book of Social RulesCamouflage: The Hidden Lives of Autistic WomenThe Complete Book of Asperger’s Syndrome by Tony AttwoodThe Autistic Brain by Temple GrandinAwesome ASD peeps who are rad ASD educators:The Autistic AdvocatePrincess AspienPaige LayleKieran Rose: The Autistic AdvocateHow I got diagnosed

I self-diagnosed myself in 2014 after reading female Aspergers checklists and feeling like my whole inner world and history had been exposed on paper.

At the time, I received some criticism that I should not speak about my Autism unless I’d been formally diagnosed.

When I finally did get diagnosed six years later, my diagnosing psychologist said:

“Please know that self-diagnosis is still valid and important and should not be dismissed. For most people around the world, being able to receive an official diagnosis is impossible due to lack of funds, the long waitlists for diagnosis and/or lack of access to available psychologists who are able to diagnosis, especially when it comes to diagnosing ASD in women.”

I decided to go through the diagnostic process in 2020 to confirm.

I went through Unique U Psychology in Melbourne which specialises in ASD in women and girls. It was done via telehealth.

The assessment cost $1,000 to do. I was on their waitlist for about 6 months before I could do my assessment.

Here’s what the assessment looked like:An 8 page application form to fill outA 3 hour assessment (via telehealth) where I had to answer a lot of questions about my childhood, personality traits, preferences and relationships. The assessment is done by a psychologist.Afterwards, I had to complete about 8 questionnaires that measure and test for different things. One included a questionnaire to be completed by a caregiver from when you were a child.My diagnosing psychologist also asked for the contact details of my closest friend to ask her some questions and get a holistic perspective.A few weeks after the original assessment, we had our 1 hour review to discuss the diagnosis. My psychologist said: “Congratulations, you are on the Autism Spectrum.” Me: “WOO! WHAT A RELIEF!” My diagnosis was Autism Level 1 (meaning I need the least level of support). Still a strong Autism diagnosis however – I needed 65 points to qualify, and I got 135. Fucking NAILLLLED IT GUYZZZ. I don’t know why I feel so chuffed about this. Ha! I am also borderline ADHD, but the Autismz is my primary diagnosis.Some more things to discuss about diagnosing:Unique U Psychology are fairly exhaustive in their assessment (clearly). They are checking whether you’ve got something else entirely different, and for comorbidities (aka whether you’ve ALSO got a bonus complimentary condition! A wee 2 for the price of 1 neuro atypical!)ADHD & Autism can be misdiagnosed for each other, and they can also co-exist together as comorbidities.Not every joint follows the same diagnostic process as the above. I have a friend who was diagnosed in one 30 minute session with a psychiatrist.In Australia you may be able to get Medicare funding for the assessment – check with your doctor.NotesSome of these books and some of my earlier writings use the terminology of “Asperger’s” instead of Autism or ASD (Autistic Spectrum Disorder). Asperger’s terminology has a , and is no longer considered a separate diagnosis from ASD. The use of Asperger’s terminology can be hurtful to some members of the ASD community.Some of these books and some of my earlier writings also use the terminology of “high-functioning”. I now know this is problematic, and causes pain to other members of the ASD community.Some members of the ASD community also are pushing for a change in terminology of Autism Spectrum Disorder to Autism Spectrum Condition (ASC). I really love this. I don’t feel like my autism is a disorder. It’s just how my brain is set up, and I love the way it is set up!You will notice that many people with Autism refer to themselves as autistic, instead of using person-first language like “I have autism.” For example, a person with cancer doesn’t call themselves a cancerous person because it is not their whole identity. However, some people with Autism prefer to call themselves autists because it does form their identity and can’t be separated from the condition. For most conditions and situations however, person-first language is appropriate. So if you’re talking about someone with autism, use that language instead of “autistic” (unless that person asks specifically for it.) Read more here.I so hope this was helpful!

I’ll continue updating this post as I research & read more!

Big love,

Enrol now & save!

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Hello to the Newbies! Here’s Me In 600 Words…

Hiyaaaaaaa!

Thought I would introduce myself for newbies! There are many new faces, and I am DEEEELIGHTED you are here!

Plus… why not try and describe myself in 600 words or less?

I’m Leonie… ze Magnificent Turquoise Unicorn!

My pronouns are she or they. You can call me either and I’m happy.

I live with my husband of a billion years (20) and our two daughters.

My husband and I both used to work in the public service, but both quit when we had kids to look after them and work part-time in my company.

We’ve lived all over Australia in the last 10 years… from Hobart to Canberra to Cairns and everywhere in between. I feel so lucky to have had the adventures we’ve had. We are now living on acreage on the Sunshine Coast, and will probably be here for a while now.

I homeschooled our girls for 3 years or so, and they are now currently in a small independent school. I’m wildly passionate about alternative education options.

Business-wise, I feel ridiculously lucky to get to do this thang as my job. I’m an online course teacher, blogger, author & illustrator.

Since beginning my business, I’ve brought in over $11m in revenue and always worked only about ten hours a week.

A few years ago I tried having a large team but I hated managing staff instead of creating so I streamlined back to just me and a part time VA. It’s the best!

In terms of what I sell, I mostly concentrate on courses and books. My most popular programs are Sales Star, Money, Manifesting & Multiple Streams of Income, 40 Days To Create & Sell Your E-Course and 40 Days To Finish Your Book.

I also write and illustrate the internationally bestselling 2021 Goal Getter workbooks. They are used by 450,000 around the world now which just blows my freaaaaaking mind.

I’ve been blogging & teaching online since 2004. It’s still one of the greatest loves and passions of my life.

I’m committed to building an intersectional business & life. I have learned so much already about racism, ableism, homophobia & transphobia and have a lifetime more of learning & unlearning to do. I’m committed to sharing what I learn as I go, and directing you to the teachers of this important work.

I talk a lot about business and marketing, creativity and parenting, mental health and neurodiversity, books and goals. Mostly, I want to talk about how life is a river that tumbles us around, grinding off our edges, polishing us into riverstones of compassion.

I try to teach what my elders taught me.

I have a podcast called Leonie Dawson Refuses To Be Categorised if you’ve ever thought to yourself: you know what? I wish I could listen to a podcast where it just feels like a best mate talking shit over a cup of tea.

I’ve sent weekly-ish newsletters to about 50,000 readers/friends/glorious humans for the last 17 years. You can get that newsletter free here.

I’ve also started a daily-ish newsletter sharing everything I create & write. That’s a new offering I’ve just started that about 1,000 readers/friends/glorious humans receive. You can get that newsletter free here.

I no longer market on social media for a whole range of reasons, nor do I use it personally anymore. It’s one of the best things I’ve ever done.

I swear a lot, and I’m TMI, and I am the opposite of polished and refined. And that’s the way I fucking love it.

Mostly, I spend my time reading books, making art with my kids, perving on my husband, and thinking about how you and me can change the world.

I’m so very glad you’re here.

Big love,

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Great Graphic Novels For Tween Girls 9-12 Years Old

Panda bears,

My eldest kid has been on an absolute BENDER with graphic novels the past few months… so much so that I consider it my part time job/hobby/obsession hunting for new titles for her to consume!

It seems she’s not the only one – the market for tween graphic novels is BOOMING right now. Especially for girls. There is a whole comic kids subgenre that’s less about superheros and more relational drama.

This is my kid’s favourites out of the 70 or so graphic novels she has read in the last three months… so the research was fairly extensive!

If you are ever concerned about your kids reading graphic novels instead of “real novels” – don’t worry. Whatever fosters a love of reading is a great thing!

Plus – I’m an addict to graphic novels & memoirs myself… so I completely get the love affair. I often use them as a way to learn about difficult topics too – like learning about the racial injustice of the US prison system.

Raina Taigmeier

Raina is the undisputed Queen of Tween Girl Graphic Novels, I reckon.

Check out some of her book range here. My kid especially adored her graphic versions of The Baby-Sitter’s Club, but the Smile/Sisters/Guts series were brilliant too… and Drama… and Ghosts… Oof. JUST GET ALL OF THEM ALREADY. Raina 4 President.

Go With The Flow – this one is slightly older focussed, but an important feminist read nonetheless. It’s about 4 friends who band together for menstrual equality.

Terri Libenson has a tonne of books out, but this middle-grader Emmie & Friends series was a hit with my kid.

These two books are all about girl power & friendship. One protagonist is 11, the other is 12. They were a real delight for my 11 year old.

Jen Wang’s “Stargazing” is talked about in reverential tones by my kid. She says it’s magical and dreamy and can’t wait for the next Jen Wang book.

The Click series by Kayla Miller is up to #4 now. My kid gobbled them up and inhaled them whole like it was some kind of tween lifeforce.

The Sunny Side Up series by Jennifer L. Holm was another hit. A middle school girl deals with life changes & school transitions. Also, unrelated but related: my kid loved books that were a series so she could dive even deeper into them.

Another series that drew my kid into a glorious dreamlike book state. Molly Knox Ostertag‘s Witch Boy series is magic. Slightly scarier than most of the other books I’ve listed here, but my sensitive 11yo was fine with them.

Lorena Alvarez‘s Nightlights series bewitched my kid in the very best of ways.

Ma De Radigues is the only dude author on this list… feel privileged, dude! His adventure series Stig & Tilde was adorable enough to enchant my fairy of a kid.

Svetlana Chmakova’s Berrybrook Middle School books were so good my kid just kind of… disappeared into her room for days to consume them whole. The mark of some wonderful books indeed.

I hope these books bring as much joy to your kid as they have mine…

It’s taken me an assload of time to find all the graphic novels I have for her… even though the market is growing, they are finding it hard to keep up with demand! Especially since a graphic novel takes at least a year to complete… and my kid can read up to 5 a day. We need more graphic novelists in the world, clearly!

If you’ve got any recommendations, please pop me an email so I can stock up some more!

With love & book gladness,

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A Day In Emergency

Blossoms,

I just had one of those regular heart-tune ups: one where I spend some time in Emergency ward. Today was an especially good session: 5 hours of waiting in 3 different waiting rooms. I reckon they are essential eye and heart openers for me. I get to glimpse another world – one that is more precarious and vulnerable – a world that doctors and nurses inhabit everyday. I get the honour of experiencing other humans on one of the hardest days of their year. I get to remember that nothing much matters if you don’t have your health.

Intensifying the experience, I just finished reading “This Is Going To Hurt” by Adam Kay – a darkly funny and wrenching memoir by a UK doctor working in emergency wards. His words are emblazoned all over me still, the stories which broke him. Made my skin even more translucent to all the pain and hope and sweat around me.

It was a busy day on the ward: four days of public holidays have pushed people who usually go to the doctor into the hospital instead. I didn’t mind the wait, not when the others around us were suffering so much. Two women with fingers that needed stitches, a man with a bad spider bite, two elders who curled over themselves in pain, two people in wheelchairs with feet swollen twice their size. There isn’t any staff in this waiting room, just a doctor that comes in and out occasionally. I look around and realise I’m the only well and able one there, make my contingency plans: if this is shaking elder falls, I’ll try to cushion their fall and call for help. If this, then that. My kid and I made ourselves comfortable: I read, she did interior designs on my phone, her leg straddled over mine. We were cosy, we were fine. Please, look after everyone else before you look after us, I pray.

Three hours in, all of us are beginning to wilt. Everyone bar me & my kid are alone – because of Covid hospital restrictions. Most can’t walk. I hatch a plan. Me & my kid hobble down to the vending machine I glimpsed down another long corridor, load our arms with cold water & snacks, and dispense them out to our little waiting room family. They behave like they’ve won the lottery, and it’s the best money I’ve spent in ages. When the doctor sees us, he apologises for the wait. “No need to be sorry! We’ve had a lovely time eating chips!” He laughs, and says: “Where’s mine?” then bends over my kid’s foot with care.

We follow each other from room to room: emergency ward to consult waiting room to x-ray waiting room. Each time one of my water beneficiaries sees me, they thank me again. We trade stories of what we’re in for, discover neighbours we would not have known otherwise. We end up sitting beside Starry’s swim teacher, turn an associate into a friend. Meet a landscaper with a busted leg, he tells me he’s moved 52 times since being married.

We’re all invested in each other now: we want each other to be ok. For the scans to come back clear, for the cures to be easy, for this to be a beginning not an end.

The last time we see the doctor to review the x-ray, I bring him his own bag of chips. Again: jubilant. It is, in fact, quite cheap to buy someone’s joy for a moment or two.

We head out, say goodbye to our waiting room friends, noting the vacant places where some should be. Maybe they’ve gone home already. Maybe they’ve been admitted. Wherever they are, whoever they are, I hope for them all.

Love,

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