Quitting your teaching position after studying for 4 years and moving internationally to pursue a family legacy is really just another day in the life for this superstar. I was super lucky to have Petra, 2IC of Breeze Balm, share with me her inspiring career journey as well as several insights into her passions. The world is in a challenging place at the moment and something everyone needs is a little laughter, something which Petra brings to my life everyday at work 🤣 I hope you enjoy this interview as much as I did bringing it to you!
Could you tell me a little summary of who you are, what you do and what you’re truly passionate about?
Hi guys! My name is Petra and I am 28 years old and currently work as the General Manager of Breeze Balm and as a group fitness instructor.
I am super passionate about my job, Breeze Balm is definitely close to home, being my grandfathers recipe! I wish he was here today to see what Breeze Balm looks like now and what it has developed into. I feel he would be just so proud.
Breeze Balm is challenging in so many ways. I love how the day can go off in an entirely different path to what it was directed to before. I love the team I work with, and the vibes of the office is just awesome. Everyone embodies real life chameleons, changing and reshaping what they do daily. We are all “Yes” women! The brand, the team and Sammy are my driving force, I have so much love for all of the above.
I also teach Group Fitness at Goodlife and gyms around the Gold Coast and Brisbane. My classes are BodyJam, ShBam, Pound (Rock out, yeah, whoooo!), Tone, and Barre. Group fitness for me is an outlet for emotions. I am so passionate about it because I feel I can connect to the members, I can walk into a class after a rough day and it can totally turn my mood around. I love bonding and creating fitness magic with the members and feeling their success when they nail a combo, or when they are just smashing out some dance moves to the beat, or when a new person comes in and says how much fun they just had, I could honestly go on forever.
It is such a unique and amazing feeling to be able to say that my ‘work’ is my passion, for both ‘jobs’.
I also love to read, I have an IPad that has a ridiculous number of books on it (I really need to invest in a kindle, this blue light hurts my eyes..). From Game of Thrones and murder mysteries to my favourite childhood books like Harry Potter and anything by Jacqueline Wilson, it is one of my favourite ways to chill.
Musical theatre has also been a passion of mine for 10+ years now. It just combines everything I love, singing, dancing and acting. I love the feeling of being on stage and just want to be involved even if it means being a tree swaying in the background… lol.
A couple of years ago you made a huge decision to leave your career as a secondary teacher in New Zealand move to Australia to pursue Breeze Balm with your sister Sammy. What was this process like and how was the transition from teacher to 2IC of a booming company?
From the get go I always said that I would get a degree first and then venture out. I thought this would be dancing, or singing, or even acting school. But once I qualified in teaching (of course I did the 4 year degree NOT the 3 year, because I am a perfectionist and don’t do things by half), I managed to get a position in an intermediate school. I then decided to do my 2 year registration, which I completed and then found I loved the kids I taught so much I stayed in for three more years.
By this time I was ready for a change, teaching is rewarding in so many ways, but I felt like I was descending into a bottomless pit and was scrambling to get out. It wasn’t until I met my partner Lance, that he encouraged me to start walking the walk.
I left teaching, and with Lance’s support moved to Australia to be with Sammy and to be a part of Breeze Balm. The transition was surprisingly fine, normally I am a mess when my routine is mucked up, but I felt this meant that my transition was long awaited.
It was tough being away from Lance for 7 months, but we were fine and nothing about what we were doing felt wrong.
Work was so hard in the beginning, because I cared so much about what I was doing and I wanted to show Sammy that just because I was her sister, I wasn’t going to take her for a ride! There were times I just wanted to hurl. I feel much better now!
What does a typical day in your working week look like?
Oh my gosh, this is tough, I start around 8.30am and finish 4.30pm and the time in between that…. Well anything can happen!
Once I finish at 4.30, I head to the gym to do my own workout, and then to my class to teach around 6.30pm and then home by 8/8.30pm to watch Riverdale, Friends or MAFS.
If you could pin-point one time in your working career where you were made to feel empowered for the work you were doing – what would it be?
This question takes me back to my teaching days, when I was working with a special needs child and believe me, it was a difficult time and I still have some post traumatic stress from this involving loud noises, but the child’s mother thanked me, and sent the most beautiful message to me that highlighted the ways I had made her life and the child’s so much better. I felt empowered by that message. All that hard work, tears and stress was worth it in that moment to know that I had helped to make some difference.
PS. Despite everything, I loved that child and the mother.
What are some daily rituals/thoughts you perform to promote happiness and wellness within your life?
I actually need to keep up with meditation. I began and it helped me to sleep, but I need to continue! I usually like to read or teach my classes!
Where can we find you #socials?
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