The Youth Mentor Conference is coming!
The Youth Mentor Conference is coming!by Amanda Rootsey OMG! For the past couple of years I've been longing to bring together experts and youth mentors from around the world for a live virtual conference. Imagine, spending a couple of days on zoom with a bunch of...
#TheNewSuperheroes – Jazz Jennings
The new superheroes: Jazz Jennings!By: Madhumalika Bharani For the last couple of years, we've enjoying shining a spotlight on young leaders around the world. We call them #thenewsuperheroes! Jazz Jennings is one of the most influential young adults of the current...
PODCAST: Season 3 Episode 4 – Building Resilience through Long-term Programs with Janaiha Bennett
In this episode Amanda is joined by Janaiha Bennett, the Executive Director of Youth Leadership Foundation (YLF). Janaiha shares generously about: // her journey from a participant with YLF to becoming Executive Director // how she encourages young people to see...
Meet our Mentors: Rashmi Balakrishnan
Meet our Mentors: Rashmi BalakrishnanInterview by Madhumalika Bharani Would you like to introduce yourself? Tell us where you’re from and a little more about yourself? First off, thank you for considering me for this, I am very humbled by that. So, about me, I am...
School wellbeing retreats
School wellbeing retreatsRecently, Shine From Within was asked to deliver a wellbeing workshop covering some big topics for a school. The topics they asked for were: Nourish your body Positive body image Friendships, forgiveness and you Strengths, values and social...
PODCAST: Season 3 Episode 3; Starting a youth non-profit with Grenita Brooks
In this episode Amanda is joined by Grenita Brooks, who doesn’t hold anything back in sharing how she started her not-for-profit for girls, how she then expanded and changed the not for profit to include all genders, how her community and school programs run, how her...
PODCAST: Being an inclusive youth mentor with Sharyn Holmes
Know what you need to be aware of, and the work that needs to be done, to ensure we're minimising harm with marginalised youth and the practical steps we can take to ensure we're holding inclusive spaces, from the way we design programs, how we hold space and even the...
From UN to youth mentor
From UNICEF to becoming a youth mentorby Aruna Pant, Kathmandu The Regional Project I had been managing since 2015 in South Asia with UNICEF was coming to an end. Wrapping up the programme, completing the financial aspect, compiling the lessons learnt and good...
PODCAST: Season 3 Episode 1 – Welcome with Amanda
Welcome to season 3! Amanda is solo in this episode, sharing what's been happening this past year at Shine From Within HQ and what you can expect from this new season of the podcast (like how to be an inclusive youth mentor, how to engage with teens online and so much...
Supporting teens online with the Online Academy
Supporting teens online with the Online AcademyIn response to the global pandemic, we wanted to find a way to hold a safe, nurturing and fun space for teens online to remain engaged and connected with each other. There are, of course, LOTS of spaces they can hang out...
How we support youth mentors
Ok so we’ve done LOTS since launching in 2012. What started out as a ‘side hustle’ doing what I felt called to do has grown and evolved over the last 9 years.
We have supported teens with:
Celebrating our Commitment to Better Business
Celebrating being a Better Business We just became a certified B-Corporation!! Over the last few years, our Commitment at Shine From Within has been to be a 'Better Business.' It’s not just about what we do; why and how we do it are just as important. We believe in a...
2020 – a reflection
2020 - a review 2020 was a hugely challenging year, and I suspect there are very few people who weren't impacted by the pandemic in some way. The Shine From Within team also experienced a number of personal and family challenges mixed in too...talk about a huge year!...
PODCAST: Sustainable Period Products with ModiBodi Founder Kristy Chong
Kristy’s the CEO and creator of Modibodi™. She’s a mum on a mission, a fash-tech entrepreneur and a social advocate for women’s health issues and rights. With over 13 years in senior PR roles for organisations including McDonald’s Australia, sanofi-aventis and Edelman...
PODCAST: Reviewing O-Week with Amanda Rootsey
Today's episode is a little different than our usual episodes, our host Amanda Rootsey is jumping on to have a special chat about our Online Academy and the O-Week that was run during school holidays in Australia. In this episode Amanda discusses: How we came...
PODCAST: Coaching Parents and Teachers with Coach Chantay
Chantay Golson is a therapist, family systems expert, parenting teens coach and author. Her mission is to teach parents of teens how to communicate with their teenagers without drama. In this episode we discuss… Connecting and building a loving trusting bond with your...
PODCAST: Raising Girls Voices with Mandy Dante
Mandy Dante is the CEO & Founder of Flourish Girl. She is an ex-speech pathologist, TEDx Speaker, Model and an Australian Accredited Facilitator. Mandy is the first-senior female facilitator at The Rites of Passage Institute and is paving the way for their school...
PODCAST: Giving a Voice to the Elephant in the Room with Steph and Suzy from Batyr
Batyr is a community, a herd, a passionate group of young people united through vulnerability, respect and a drive to change the conversation around mental health & increase help-seeking rates. On the youth mentor podcast today we’ve got Steph, the national...
PODCAST: Parenting during COVID-19 with Adefolashade Fadeyi
Today we interview Adefolashade Fadeyi The Brighter Girls team is led by her founder Adefolashade Fadeyi, a Person Development Expert for Teens. A Certified Girl Empowerment Coach, Trained Youth Mentor and a Curriculum Developer with over 15 years of experience...
PODCAST: Self-Care for Teachers and How To Prevent Burnout with Ellen Ronalds Keene
In this episode Today we interview Ellen Ronalds Keene, she is passionate about preventing teacher burnout, improving teacher wellbeing and supporting teachers to overcome their barriers to self-care. We discuss What it was like to step away from teaching and going...
PODCAST: Welcome to Season 2 with Amanda Rootsey
Welcome to Season 2 of the Youth Mentor Podcast! I’m excited to share some wonderful guests with you in this season...I've had some incredible conversations about: An amazing mental health program in schools that empowers young people to own their story How to deal...
PODCAST: Supporting young people with learning difficulties with Claire Curyer
In this episode I chat with Claire Curyer from White Blank Pages. Claire was diagnosed with dyslexia early on in her schooling and at the age of 11, she had the reading and writing of a 7 year old. Although the traditional schooling style and learning proved to be...
Meet our Mentors: Noelle Fritsch from Sparks to Flames
We’re so excited to introduce you to some of our mentors in this series of posts. This week meet Noelle from Sparks to Flames. It’s been incredible to watch Noelle build this beautiful business and offer such inspiring and empowering events for...
3 Ex School Teachers Doing it for Themselves
We're excited to introduce these three special women. Each one is an ex school teacher who now does their own thing and they're sharing their stories and tips for us here. Introducing Heather Dooley... What did you teach? I taught middle school (12-14 year olds)...
PODCAST: Understanding Gen Z with Tanya Meessmann
Youth mentor and founder of Girl Shaped Flames, Tanya Meessmann, shares how she built her business before diving into what this current generation of teens is really going through and how we can support them. In this episode Tanya focuses on: How Girl Shaped Flames...
Teen Retreat 2019
10 teens from all over Australia and New Zealand, school holidays and a beach house in sunny Queensland, Australia. Seriously, can it get any better than that?! For the third year running we have held our week-long Personal Development course for teens aged 13-17 in...
Meet our Mentors: Nicole Dargie from Inside Out Yoga
We're so excited to introduce you to some of our mentors in this new series of posts. This week meet Nicole from Inside Out Yoga. It's been incredible to watch Nicole build this beautiful business and offer such inspiring and empowering events for teen girls. Enjoy...
Meet our Mentors: Nicole Morris from Empower Me Program Inc
We're so excited to introduce you to some of our mentors in this new series of posts, starting with Nikki from the Empower Me Program Inc. Nikki's been working in this space a long time and it's been such a joy to get to know her better through our Youth Mentor...
YMP024 – Taking the Fear Out of Having a Period with Demi Spaccavento
In this episode, we’re joined by Demi Spaccavento from Bright Girl Health. She’s a women’s health educator and passionate high school teacher. She’s dedicated to breaking the taboo surrounding women’s health in schools all across Australia by helping girls understand...
Empowering Teens to Deal with Bullying: Noelle Fritsch
I’m really excited to introduce you to Noelle Johnson with Sparks to Flames. Noelle is a graduate of our Youth Mentor Training Program and she’s also a school teacher who’s really passionate about supporting students when it comes to bullying. We Chat About... How we...
YMP022 – Young People, Leadership, and Activism with Nora Kramer
Let me introduce you to Nora Kramer, who has dedicated herself as an educator and activist to be a force for good in the world. In combining her obsession with activism and social change with her passion for working with youth she founded Youth Empowered Action (or...
YMP021 – Project-Based Learning with Nicole Dyson
Nicole is a seasoned education professional, who's transitioned out of the classroom and into her own project-based learning projects! She's the Founder of Future Anything and Mayk, as well as a contributor to the foundation for young Australia’s YLAB program. In This...
Meet our Mentors: Tanya Meessmann from Girl Shaped Flames
We're so excited to introduce you to some of our mentors in this new series of posts, starting with Tanya from Girl Shaped Flames. It's been incredible to watch Tanya build this beautiful business and offer such inspiring and empowering events for teen girls. Enjoy...
YMP020 – The Parent Approach with Anika Vassell
In this episode, we're excited to introduce Anika Vassell! Anika Vassell is a psychologist from the UK with over 25 years experience specialising in adolescent behaviour. Having spent her own teenage years disconnected from parents Anika has gone on to dedicate her...
Episode 19: Helping Teens Find Their Spark with Maggie Dent
In this episode, we're excited to chat with Maggie Dent! Maggie Dent is commonly known here in Australia as the 'Queen of Common Sense.' As a parenting author and educator, Maggie shares how we can support teens to find their spark, how we can be the lighthouse for...
2018 – a reflection
2018 - a reflection Well, what can I say about 2018?! It's been huge! As we've done in previous years, here's a little reflection process you can follow and a little wrap up of the most exciting moments for us in 2018. REFLECT: Often what happens at this...
Episode 18: Period Talk with Tasha Lawton
In this episode we’re talking about periods with Tasha Lawton! Specifically about a new program, Period Talk, which involves kids talking to kids about periods. We talk about how the program was developed, why it’s important to talk to kids as young as possible about...
Episode 17: How to be a Gutsy Mum and Raise Yourself Up to be the Example with Sharyn Holmes
In this episode, we'd like to introduce you to Sharyn Holmes! Sharyn is a gutsy leader, artist, speaker, teacher, sacred activist and writer. She holds a wonderful space for teens to feel their inner power and explore their creativity and we can't wait to share her...
#Thenewsuperheroes – Adrian Young
Only 8 years old and this young boy is changing the lives of many. Adrian Young first realized the plight of the homeless after walking by a man lying on the sidewalk in Toowoomba. His heart was touched when he saw a homeless man covering himself in blankets on a cold...
Coaching Teens
Earlier in the year I had the honour of being a key note speaker at the Beautiful You Coaching Academy Inspiration Day. I was asked to speak about coaching young people. While I have recorded over 60 hours of video trainings about this topic in the Youth Mentor...
Episode: 16 Helping you Avoid Those ‘Term Breakdowns’ with Jess Demunck
In this episode, we're introducing you to Jess Demunck! She’s a year 3 teacher, a life coach and has set up some incredible initiatives in her own school community including a mindfulness club. If you’re a teacher, parent or mentor who expects to have regular ‘term’...
#TheNewSuperheroes – Georgie Stone
MEET GEORGIE. Georgie Stone grew up as a typical girl. Loved playing dress ups, picking flowers and dancing. She had long brown hair and insisted that she was a girl. Except, she wasn’t. She was born as a boy, George. After battling years of bullying, Georgie didn’t...
Podcast: Episode 15 – Announcing Our New Book, Out Now with Hay House!
This could be the most exciting episode I’ll ever do for you…. Sharing all about our brand new book, Shine From Within; a teen girl’s guide to life, out now with Hay House! This book has brought together years of research, teaching, 1:1 mentoring sessions and fun...
Book Launch, Garden Party Fun!
Fairy lights, flower crowns, music, food and sunshine. It was the perfect setting for a garden party. 6 years ago our director Amanda Rootsey ran her first Shine From Within, Personal Development course on the Sunshine Coast in Queensland, Australia. So with the...
PODCAST: Episode 14 – Shift Your Gendered Language with Cameron Airen
I feel very lucky today that I get to introduce you to Cameron Airen. Cam is a feminist mindset coach, gender consultant, writer and podcaster helping you reclaim your gifts, thrive and shine in the world, and increase your gender and social awareness so you can be...
The New Superheroes – Muzoon Almellehan
Muzoon Almellehan is one of nearly 5.3 million refugees who have been forced to flee Syria as a result of the civil war there. At just the age of 14 in 2013, Muzoon and her family packed everything into one small bag and left the big city. After fleeing the warzones,...
The New Superheroes – Jade Hameister
Jade is a 16 year old student from Melbourne, Australia who loves being active and outdoors. At age 12, Jade completed the trek to Everest Base Camp andin April 2016, Jade became the youngest person in history to ski to the North Pole from anywhere outside the Last...
July Teens Retreat 2018
How does spending a week in a beach house on the Sunshine Coast sound? Well that’s exactly what we got to do in the July school holidays with a group of incredible teens from all over Australia and New Zealand. For the second year running we have held our Personal...
#TheNewSuperheroes – Amelia Telford
The 2015 Young Conservationist of the Year, has created an environmental network that has given a voice to Aboriginal youth. Amelia Telford, a young Aboriginal and South Sea Islander woman from Bundjalung country is the National Co-Director of the Seed Indigenous...
#TheNewSuperheroes – Molly Steer
Meet Molly Steer, the ten-year-old fighting to save the Great Barrier Reef marine life. Cairns girl Molly Steer has been running her Straw No More campaign for about a year and has already convinced more than 90 schools in Australia and overseas to do away with...
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