Following her heart and her intuition, author and hypnotherapist Courtney Jones found an enjoyable and idyllic life working from home on the Central Coast.
Courtney lives in Toukley with her partner, Ian Rhodes, their dog, Edith, and three chickens, Gwyneth Poultry and Belinda and Jackie Brown.
Courtney grew up in Newcastle and thought she could never leave. But after five years in Toukley, she feels very settled.
"I always thought I would grow up and buy a house in Newcastle, and when we started looking around there are so many different areas on the Central Coast," she says.
"We're not far from the beach; there's a wetland. It's so peaceful, a real find."
They think the two-bedroom weatherboard cottage was built in the 1950s. Before they moved, the previous owners had renovated the house but kept its original style and open-plan feel.
I think we hit the jackpot. It would be hard to leave.
"In the summer, when it's really hot everywhere else, it's beautiful and cool here off the coast coming from the wetlands," she says.
The pair did their own renovations recently, including changing the bathroom and the layout to optimise light and enhance its feng shui.
They've managed to keep the character of the house, inside and out. They're working on becoming more self-sufficient too, using reclaimed timber with solar panels for their outdoor power and adding a water tank.
"We're composting and worm farming and we're really conscious of the chemicals. We don't use any chemicals in the garden, try to limit the chemicals we use when we're cleaning the house," she says.
The natural environment with the wetlands, trees and lake complements Courtney's home office, where she works as a metaphysical psychologist. She describes her work as "a beautiful blend of mind body hypnosis."
Specifically, her passion is helping women reconnect with their intuition, making decisions about their life and career.
Courtney's been working on her business since 2014 and various aspects of what she calls emotional mastery, giving women the tools to learn how to let go of self-sabotaging patterns.
She's finally reached the stage where she can work from home and she's enjoying it.
Courtney's a master practitioner and trainer of modern hypnosis, which means she teaches people to become hypnotherapists. She's also studied energy medicine such as reiki and tapping, which will be incorporated into sessions.
"I've become more confident in saying I very happily include spirituality in my work. I work with my healing guides and my intuition. I do use some crystals and some herbal remedies like Bach flower remedies," she says.
What is now her little studio out back was previously a garage with a roller door. Courtney found the best way to start working from home was to convert the shed into a light-filled space.
"Ian is very clever and creative. He came up with the plan and measurements and I did the design and decided where the crystals would go," she jokes
Courtney has written a book, The Leader Within - 7 Steps to Ascension Leadership and Intuition in Business, while working from home. She started in January 2020 and published in September.
When she finally sat down and made the time to write the book, she felt that it "fell out of her head" in the space of two months, although she's been planning to do it for three or four years.
"It articulates the model I use with women in leadership roles to reconnect with their intuition and identify outdated thinking styles that are keeping them stuck, and their new understanding in how they create through their thoughts," Courtney says.
She's content with her current work-life balance and lifestyle. The two love their neighbours, the nature and the location.
"Every day we're reminded how close we are to nature, even in the middle of suburbia," she says.
"It's a lovely balance of feeling connected with nature, but being close to things. I think we hit the jackpot. It would be hard to leave.
"This place would be hard to beat."
