happiness | Dani Matthews

Can We Have It All? The Belief That Shapes the Answer

Posted on March 1, 2026 Leave a Comment

Can we really have it all?

This question came up over dinner with a friend before the theatre this weekend.

We were talking about family, friendships, health and work, and the Four Burner Theory surfaced, the idea that if you want to succeed, something has to be turned off.

It made me pause.

What if the biggest limitation isn’t time or energy… but belief?

As we head into International Women’s Day and conversations about balance, ambition and capacity, I’ve been reflecting deeply on what it means to live an integrated life rather than a divided one.

I wrote about it here.

I’d love to know, where might you be underestimating your capacity to hold more?

Reflections from 2025

Posted on January 2, 2026 Leave a Comment

As I take some time to look back on 2025, I notice that my biggest learnings didn’t come from pushing harder or doing more. They came from slowing down, creating structure, and paying attention to what was already there. At the start of the year, my New Year’s Evolution was simple. Structure to thrive. Not […]

Lessons from Chelsea the Miniature Groodle: Gratitude, Agility & Loving Unconditionally

Posted on March 2, 2025 1 Comment

Since Chelsea, our miniature groodle, joined the family, I’ve softened. She’s taught me presence, patience, and the joy of life’s little moments—like finding the perfect stick. Even balancing two coffees mid-walk when she decides to double-poo is a lesson in agility. I see why dogs are our best friends.

Lessons from the Fijians

Posted on January 7, 2023 Leave a Comment

Reflecting on the warm, welcoming nature of the Fijians and lessons from their spirt and culture that thought are worth paying forward.

“I have more than enough time not to rush.”

Posted on October 3, 2022 Leave a Comment

Family Matthews travelled to Jindabyne last week set in the beautiful Australian snowy mountains which always seems to generate some writing inspiration… It was my first experience of a ‘workcation’ where I worked half days in the mornings and then had the afternoons to enjoy time exploring the area with the family. I found it […]

The Power of Performance and Experience Goals

Posted on July 31, 2022 Leave a Comment

Last Sunday I participated in the Real Insurance Sydney Harbour 10k running race on a beautiful winter’s day. It was a race of two halves for me and I thought I’d share my reflections in case they resonated with others. I had a performance goal for the race of sub 42 minutes and was excited […]

The Parent Gap

Posted on August 22, 2021 Leave a Comment

Much has been written about the gender equality gap and the gender pay gap and now another gap has become evident, what I’ve called ‘The Parent Gap’ – the gap emerging between those currently in lockdown home schooling children whilst concurrently working and those not.

What I Know for Sure

Posted on July 11, 2021 Leave a Comment

The question “What do you know for sure?” stunned Oprah Winfrey when she was first asked it in an interview, and she’s spent years since reflecting on this and asking it to others.

Give Forward

Posted on June 6, 2021 Leave a Comment

with the mental health impacts of Covid very real, I think community service and giving forward is more important than ever. In the words of Jay Shetty, “Service connects us, when you’re serving, you don’t have time to allow loneliness to creep in. In addition, service causes us to step out of ourselves, physically going out into the world to help others.”