Teacher, spa maven, mother.
This was a bit of a special interview for me, because this is my mum, Leanne. Now this might seem like a little bit of nepotism, and my sister will most definitely call me a suck up, but my mum is one of the people in my life who has inspired me the most. To work hard, to be a caring, loving human, and to bring joy and light into the world.
A self-proclaimed below-average student, Leanne started teachers college at the tender age of 17, with a determination to keep furthering her education beyond just learning a skill. A teaching career that has now spanned around 40 years (with a break somewhere in the middle), she is renowned and celebrated for her innovative and exceptionally creative approach to the classroom, becoming a much-loved and much-requested leader for students and teachers alike.
In a stroke of chance and perfect timing, Leanne bought the very first two franchises of the highly successful Endota Day Spa, in Mornington and Red Hill on the Mornington Peninsula, mid-way through her career.
The pair sold businesses off at the height of its success, and without an ounce of regret, besides maybe the loss of free treatments (or maybe that’s just me). Not one to sit still or even contemplate retirement, at least as long as my dad is spending like it’s going out of fashion, Leanne is back in the now-virtual year six classroom, helping guide our female leaders of the future.
I spoke to her about teaching now and then, how expectations around the role have changed, taking the leap to start a business in your 40s, and how her fear of failure has ensured she’d never settled for less than she knows she can achieve.