🎙️ Episode 51: Grit, Grace and the Cost of Strength

In this episode, I had the absolute pleasure of sitting down with Donagh, the creator of the Grit and Grace podcast, and I walked away feeling so deeply moved by her honesty and her heart. 🌿 Donagh has spent 34 years in the accounting industry, and yet what struck me most wasn't her professional expertise — it was the quiet, hard-won wisdom she carries from living a life that has asked so much of her.We talked about what it means to be seen as strong, and how rarely anyone thinks to ask what that strength has actually cost. 💔 Donagh shared, with such grace and vulnerability, that eight months ago she woke to find her husband had passed away in his sleep — and how in that moment, her world stood still while everything around her kept moving. She spoke of grief, of not being given permission to grieve properly, and of choosing — consciously, bravely — to grow rather than be defined by her loss.I loved hearing Donagh talk about self-doubt and imposter syndrome, and how 'progress over perfection' was the phrase that finally got her podcast off the ground. 🎙️ There was so much I recognised in what she shared about being a woman in business who underestimates herself, who says 'I'm just an accountant' — and how she's slowly, steadily moved past that story. She also opened my eyes to Winnie the Pooh in a way I never expected, and now I genuinely want to be a little more Christopher Robin in my day-to-day life. 🍯What healing looks like for Donagh right now is steadiness — not getting over what she's lost, but learning to move forward with it. I found that so quietly powerful. 🌅There's also a book on the horizon, a women's networking group she's deeply involved in, and a whole lot more gold in this remarkable woman than even I knew about.May this conversation remind you that strength and softness can live in the same heart — and that your story, every layer of it, is worth telling. 🤍You can find me at 🌐 Website: https://www.juliemargerison.com  📩 Subscribe to my fortnightly newsletter to stay connected https://www.juliemargerison.com/newsletter 🎧 Available now on all platforms.🔗 Stay in touch:Follow me across my social media platforms here:Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/heartfeltwithjuliemargerison Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/share/16kXnE4SGn/?mibextid=wwXIfr YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@JulieMargerison-q5l LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/julie-margerison-1a4513374 Buzzsprout: https://www.buzzsprout.com/2514174 Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/3IqNNE9VP8FrCZgDyhZsWK?si=5898476e481a4622 Apple: https://podcasts.apple.com/au/podcast/heart-felt-with-julie-margerison/id1824601386 ✨ Connect with Donagh:Website: https://www.chisholmaccounting.com.au/ Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/chisholmaccounting Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/chisholmaccounting YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@Chisholm.Accounting LinkedIn: https://au.linkedin.com/in/donagh-chisholm-199570105 Tiktok: https://www.tiktok.com/@chisholmaccounting #HeartFelt #GritAndGrace #WomenInBusiness #HealingJourney #YouAreEnough