Shows / Doing it Messy
Doing it Messy
Doing It Messy is for women who are competent, ambitious… and still figuring it out. If you’re juggling too many things, navigating burnout, a career change, or just feel stuck in a life that looks good on paper but doesn’t feel like yours, this is for you. Each episode, Ruth, a lawyer, coach, and founder of VIP Mindset in Aotearoa New Zealand, shares honest reflections on work, identity, ambition, and what it looks like to keep going when things don’t go to plan. She brings a values and…
Episodes
- Doing it Messy
The Twelve Decisions of Christmas
The 12 Decisions of Christmas If you don't decide how you want December to go, December will decide for you. In this episode, I share the twelve decisions I'm…
- Doing it Messy
How a Not-Very-Organised Person Actually Gets Things Done
How a Not-Very-Organised Person Actually Gets Things Done How does someone who isn't naturally organised juggle a legal career, a business, two stepkids and…
- Doing it Messy
On Her Own Terms: Building a Business That Matches Your Values, with Christine Corcoran
In this episode of our On Her Own Terms series, I'm joined by Christine Corcoran, Brisbane-based coach, host of The Next Level Life podcast and founder of…
- Doing it Messy
Designing for the season you’re in: Ambition, trade-offs and planning your life without pressure
Ruth also explores why trade-offs need regular check-ins rather than daily agonising, why so many valid seasons of life deserve respect, and why women in…
- Doing it Messy
On Her Own Terms: Steph Dyhrberg on balance in a career that doesn't allow for it
In this conversation, Steph talks about her life experience and how she looks after herself in a career that doesn't really allow for balance. She's…
- Doing it Messy
525,600 minutes: how to value your time and energy
There are 525,600 minutes in a year. So how are you actually spending yours? In this solo episode of Doing It Messy, Ruth explores why our time and energy are…
- Doing it Messy
Why Rituals Matter: Grief, Gratitude and Celebrating the Small Wins
Ruth reflects on how rituals help us heal by acknowledging loss, gathering together, and letting sorrow and laughter sit side by side. She shares ideas from…
- Doing it Messy
Why normal doesn’t work: on careers, parenthood, and designing life on our own terms
Society sold us one version of "normal" and it was never built for most of us. This episode unpacks some mental load research, the gender pay and leadership…
- Doing it Messy
Whose Life is it Anyway? Reclaiming your life from other peoples’ expectations.
What happens when you stop making life decisions based on what everyone else expects, and start asking whose life this actually is? Ruth shares the personal…
- Doing it Messy
Good Girl, Undone: How burnout, ADHD, and one messy divorce built this podcast
This is the full story of how a self-loathing people-pleaser with undiagnosed ADHD became the founder of VIP Mindset: the burnout, the slow unravelling of a…
- Doing it Messy
Wear the rhinestones
Have you ever put something off because you assumed there would always be time? In this episode, I’m reflecting on knowing what we want, building towards the…
- Doing it Messy
Who are we choosing to be today?
What does it mean to choose who you want to be, even when you know you’ll never get it perfectly right? Today I’m sharing a story about a childhood friend, a…
- Doing it Messy
Why you feel stuck and what to do about it
Short description What if feeling stuck isn't about needing to try harder? What if we're simply being pulled in so many directions that we've stopped making…
- Doing it Messy
Seeing is believing
A friend named a number for what she was capable of — and it made me realise how small I’d unconsciously made “possible” for myself. This one’s about seeing…
- Doing it Messy
Permission to choose again
Have you ever caught yourself wondering, Is this really the life I want? Maybe you've found yourself daydreaming about quitting your job, moving overseas…
- Doing it Messy
Health, habits, and community
This week Ruth explores te whare tapa whā, a model of health and hauora by Sir Mason Durie. She discusses what she’s trying right now, and why habits and…
- Doing it Messy
Why I hate the phrase Work-Life Balance | Doing it Messy
We hear the phrase work-life balance all the time—but what if the problem isn't balance at all? In this episode of Doing It Messy, Ruth questions why we've…
- Doing it Messy
Progress over polish
Some weeks you don't get polished — you get real. This one's about choosing presence over perfection, protecting what matters (hi, parkrun and Alignment Circle…
- Doing it Messy
When ambition changes
**When Ambition Changes** What happens when the life you've been working towards no longer feels like the life you actually want? In this episode, I explore…
- Doing it Messy
How does your wallet reflect your priorities?
Money is one of those things I sometimes wish didn't exist... but since it does, I want to be intentional about how I use it. In this episode, I'm sharing how…
- Doing it Messy
VIP for family
A real-life example of how I use the VIP framework to help me live an aligned life at home.
- Doing it Messy
The space between stimulus and response
A broken tooth, family dynamics, and the power of a few deep breaths.
- Doing it Messy
Foundations First
Before we set new goals or chase the next milestone, what if we checked the foundations first? In this episode, Ruth shares reflections from her mid-year…
- Doing it Messy
Mid year reset
How is it almost half way through the year? Ruth takes us through a reflection exercise using the VIP mindset framework to help us finish the year strong, not…
- Doing it Messy
The people we give access to our hearts
Ruth reflects on friendship, growth, and the people we give access to our hearts. A messy, honest conversation about energy, alignment, hard conversations…
- Doing it Messy
Why ‘Just Do It’ isn’t always great advice
n this episode of Doing It Messy, Ruth explores why “just do it” can sometimes feel dismissive rather than motivating. Through personal stories about health…
- Doing it Messy
Dressing for the version of you you’re choosing now
A conversation about identity, intentionality, and the surprisingly powerful role clothing can play in helping us step into different parts of ourselves. From…
- Doing it Messy
Adjusting along the way
A real-time reflection on noticing when your energy is stretched too thin — and making small, honest adjustments before burnout hits. Ruth shares how she’s…
- Doing it Messy
Everything everywhere all at once
When life pulls you in a million directions, it’s easy to default to burnout mode. In this episode, I share practical ways to navigate “crunch time” without…
- Doing it Messy
Leaning into our strengths
So often we think there’s something wrong with us, that we need to change who we are to achieve what we want. But what if there’s a different way? What if…
- Doing it Messy
Micro-rituals, taking ownership, and boundaries
The small moments that make us who we are. Saying sorry, for real. The things we accept, and the things we don’t.
- Doing it Messy
When life makes you re-prioritise in real time
In this episode, I share a week where everything shifted unexpectedly — and I had to make real-time decisions about what truly mattered. It became a powerful…
- Doing it Messy
Choosing Joy (Without Guilt): From People-Pleasing to Priorities
Do you ever get to the end of the day and realise there was no time for you? In this episode, I’m exploring what it really means to choose joy—without guilt…
- Doing it Messy
Why Adults need Sticker Charts too
How do you become the person you want to be? In this episode of Doing it Messy, Ruth explores the power of small habits — from kids’ sticker charts to a physio…
- Doing it Messy
Thirty Strokes
In this episode of Doing It Messy, Ruth shares what a freezing ocean swim taught her about identity, nervous systems, and commitment. If you’re someone who…
- Doing it Messy
When you want to do it all
Do you ever get really inspired and wish you could do everything? Then real life hits you like a tonne of bricks? This episode is about that.
- Doing it Messy
Dust in my hair
Adapting when nothing goes to plan. Welcome to doing it messy, where I take my values, identity, priorities framework and apply it to my real life. I do things…