Off Script, On Brand

Welcome back to another episode of Off Script, On Brand. Today I have the pleasure of chatting with Dante Amato - a mentor, speaker, facilitator, and the founder of The Community: a global community for women who are ready to create lives that feel aligned, meaningful, and fully their own.In this convo, we chat about identity shifts, nervous system safety, and what it really takes to evolve into the next version of yourself, especially when life looks “good on paper” but feels completely misaligned. Dante shares her journey of stepping out of the traditional business coaching space when she realised her work wasn’t just about strategy, it was about deeper inner transformation. What her clients actually needed wasn’t more tactics, but the courage, safety, and self-awareness to change. This episode is a grounded, honest look at what it means to outgrow versions of yourself, your work, and even the people around you, and how to navigate that without losing yourself in the process. In this episode, we discuss:The defining moment in her life when she had “everything” on paper but felt deep guilt and shame for not feeling happyWhy she made the intentional decision to step away from traditional business coaching to fully honour her deeper transformation workHow her own identity shifts and personal evolution that led her to support other women through theirsWhy identity shifts can destabilise certainty, and how women often respond by either freezing or becoming impulsively reactiveThe importance of making grounded decisions instead of reactive ones during times of changeWhy nervous system safety is essential when moving through big life transitionsHow she creates spaces where women feel safe enough to unravel, be seen, and reconnect with their truthThe belief that not everyone is meant to come with you into your next chapter—and why outgrowing people is a natural part of evolutionWhy she created a community specifically for women in their 40s navigating major identity and life transitionsDante Amato is a mentor, speaker, facilitator, and the founder of The Community: a global space for women ready to create lives that feel aligned, meaningful, and fully their own.Her work blends neuroscience, belief work, emotional intelligence, identity transformation, and grounded real-life strategy to help women reconnect with themselves and step into their next chapter with clarity, confidence, and self-trust.Through events, retreats, online programs, private mentoring, and her global community, Dante creates spaces where women feel seen, supported, challenged, and deeply connected—to themselves and each other.Her mission is simple: to help women stop abandoning themselves and create lives they are genuinely obsessed with—from the inside out.Connect with DanteInstagram: Instagram Website: The Community Inquiries: hello@danteamato.com

Welcome to Season 2 of Off Script, On Brand.We're doing things a little differently for this first episode. Instead of me asking the questions, my friend Julia (from Season 1, Episode 1) is turning the mic around and putting me in the hot seat.We talk about the winding path that led me here—from falling in love with photography as a kid, to leaving corporate life, building a business from scratch, navigating visibility, and sharing more of the personal experiences that have shaped who I am today.We also dive into entrepreneurship, vulnerability, growth, and one of the most personal chapters of my life: infertility. This one’s close to my heart. I’m glad you’re here. In this episode, we cover:Following curiosity, adventure, and my hunger for lifeBuilding a business through scrappiness, resourcefulness, and saying yes to opportunitiesThe corporate career I left behind and what came nextHow photography became my creative outlet and eventually my businessCreating safe, empowering experiences for women in front of the cameraThe off-script moments that have shaped my business journeyNavigating a season of growth, expansion, and reinventionWhat authentic visibility actually looks likeWhy business owners need to think beyond social mediaMy evolving relationship with vulnerabilityMy experience with infertility and the perspective I'm carrying todayFollow Leslie:www.lesliecarvitto.com@lesliecarvitto.photographyPS - I’m running a 5-Day Visibility Sprint! This is for founders, creatives, and business owners who want to get seen, take action, and build momentum - without burning out on social media. Over the week you’ll get daily visibility challenges to do in real time, and accountability and support inside a private group. This is all about expanding your ideas around visibility and what it can do to grow your brand. We kick off June 15th. Join here: https://www.lesliecarvitto.com/visibility-era

Welcome back to another episode (the second to last of season 1!) of Off Script, On Brand! Today's episode is with Retreat Yourself Founder and Director Kate Williams. In this episode, Kate and I talk about the journey behind building a purpose-led, multi-million dollar wellness brand, and the life experiences that shaped it. From spending seven years travelling the world after high school, to navigating a quarter-life crisis that led to a one-way ticket to Melbourne and a jump into corporate life, Kate shares how each chapter played a role in defining what she truly wanted, which is helping people actually enjoy their lives. This conversation dives into her core belief that tomorrow isn’t promised, and how that philosophy became the foundation of her brand. We also get into the realities of leadership and what it looks like to run a growing team as a deeply empathetic person. Kate shares openly about the challenge of separating emotion from decision-making, learning to compartmentalise stress, and leading a business without letting it consume her. In this episode, we explore:How forgoing university and seven years of travel shaped herThe quarter-life crisis that led to a one-way ticket to Melbourne and a move into corporateBuilding a team with flexibility and hiring from diverse walks of lifeThe challenge of leading as an empathetic person and making decisions without emotionLearning to compartmentalise stress while running a multi-million dollar businessBalancing business growth with being a present mother to her two young kidsHer intense season of burnout and how it reshaped the way she approaches life, work, and successNervous system regulation habits that helped her manage pressure and responsibilityWhy she's choosing to show more than just the highlights on social mediaFollow Kate & Retreat YourselfRetreat Yourself: retreatyourself.comRetreat Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/retreatyourself_box/Kate's Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/katebuchannn/Use "OFFSCRIPTONBRAND" to get 20% off Retreat Yourself gift boxes!!

Welcome back to Off Script, On Brand. In this episode, I sit down with Jessie Rebel, an artist, storyteller, and advocate, to talk about creativity as a pathway to healing, identity, and self-discovery.Jessi is a proud Wiradjuri person, living and creating on Wadawurrung Country. Their life has been shaped by a connection to Country and Sea Country, and both are strong influences on the works they create. Jessi has a background as a youth/social worker and also draws a lot of inspiration from interpersonal relationships and the intersection of all things. Jessi works collaboratively in community, engaging in murals and workshops with youth and students and loves bringing other’s stories to life through art. Jessi has recently graduated with a Bachelor of Arts Therapy and believes creativity and art has the power to heal the world, both within us and around us. In this episode, we chat about:Jessie’s personal and creative journey growing up Biripai Country How painting became a tool for processing their experiences working with at-risk youthThe influence of their Aunty Lisa Evans and the lesson behind not being given a piece of their art The moments she realised their work was growing into something bigger than they expectedTheir recent season shedding shame and confusion, and feeling more expansive and aligned in their art practiceThe impact of embracing their non-binary identity on their creative expressionTheir artist residency in Tasmania Reflections on why they stays in a full-time job and allows their creativity to exist without pressureThis episode is for you if:You’re exploring your identity and want to express it more fullyYou’re using (or want to use) creativity as a tool for healing or processingYou’re wondering if your “side creative passion” could become something biggerYou’re learning to trust your intuition and stop forcing your creativity Links & Resources: Jessi's websiteJessi's instagramYarrangany Exhibition: FRI 08 MAY—SAT 11 JULCurated by Jessi Rebel, this exhibition brings together First Nations artists from diverse countries, cultures, and nations, exploring identity as something relational and evolving. REGISTERWork With LeslieThe Visibility Shift waitlist is open! The Visibility Shift is a live 6 week course where we’ll tackle mindset, strategy, and practical steps to make sure your work and story get seen by the right people.Spots are limited—join the waitlist to be the first to be the first to get all the juicy details and jump in. https://lesliecarvittophotography.myflodesk.com/visibility-shift-waitlist

What if the community you’ve been looking for doesn’t exist, so you build it yourself?Welcome to another episode of Off Script, On Brand, where I sit down with Temwani Mazaba, the founder of Melbourne’s Literary Lounge — a vibrant social space for readers, thinkers, and creatives.Temwani shares the story of building a community she couldn’t find herself, and how she’s crafting a space where curiosity, vulnerability, and meaningful conversation thrive. From poetry nights and social events to a bimonthly book club, she’s creating experiences that resist superficial small talk, and build deeper, emotional connections. We dive into how she balances leadership and hosting these events with self-care and nervous system regulation, filling her cup so she can show up fully without burning out. And her game-changing mindset around rest as fuel.This conversation is full of insights for ambitious creatives, community builders, or anyone craving deeper, authentic connections in a world that can feel noisy, disconnected, and surface-level. In this episode, we explore:How the Literary Lounge came to be, born from recognising the gaps in Melbourne’s creative communityThe power of authenticity, storytelling, and intentionality in cultivating safe, inclusive spacesBalancing service to others with healthy boundaries and self-care practicesMindset shifts about rest: why “rest is resistance” and how downtime fuels creativity Strategies for hosting events that foster curiosity, deep conversations, and authentic connectionRedefining belonging, embracing diversity, and encouraging others to step into leadership and vulnerabilityThis episode is for you if:You’re a creative who wants to build connection-driven experiencesYou’re navigating leadership and community-building without burning outYou’re rethinking rest, productivity, and how to fuel your own creative fireYou’re looking to create spaces that encourage curiosity, vulnerability, and deeper human interactionResources & LinksInstagram Tik TokSubstack: Temwani WritesWork With LeslieI offer personal brand photography for creatives and founders who want images that actually reflect who they are and the energy behind their work. Learn more about personal brand photography and my packages here: https://www.lesliecarvitto.com/personal-brand-photographyInstagram

In this episode of Off Script, On Brand, I chat with Tracey Spencer: mother, author, and fiery business activator and mentor. Tracey and I dive into what it really means to trust your creative process, especially when it’s messy, inconvenient, and doesn’t come with a guaranteed outcome. We talk about following the froth, starting before you feel ready, and having the courage to be seen in the messy middle of your creations. We also unpack authenticity beyond aesthetics — what it really means to let people into your process — and why passion will trump perfectionism every single time.In this episode, we explore:• Trusting the creative niggles that keep tapping you on the shoulder• How AI is affecting our ability to connect to spirit and our higher self• The tension between the fully manifested vision and just getting started• Her new creative venture - Trace TVThis episode is for you if:• You feel called toward something new but are afraid to start • You’re letting perfectionism run the show • You want permission to start before you feel ready• You’re learning to trust your own creative rhythmAbout Tracey: Tracey Spencer is an award-winning life + business coach, Aries firecracker, creative loose cannon and keynote speaker. Known and loved for her fiery one-liners, spiritual straight-talk and hilarious business analogies, Trace writes, talks and teaches about owning your authentic power, unleashing your unique creative voice and going big with your soul work. Since 2015 she has led and coached hundreds of women out of fear and into their creative and authentic power through one-to-one mentoring, mastermind group coaching, online programs, her book Rock Your Light and live speaking events across Australia. She is currently turning the dial UP on her own creative magic with the production of her upcoming show, Trace TV.Website: https://www.traceyspencer.com.au/Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/tracey__spencer/Follow Leslie:www.lesliecarvitto.com @lesliecarvitto.photographyIf you're building a brand and want magnetic photos actually reflect who you are and the energy behind what you do, I shoot personal brand photography for founders, creatives, and women doing things their own way! Learn more here: https://www.lesliecarvitto.com/personal-brand-photography

What happens when everything you built no longer fits, and you choose to let it go?Today, we’re kicking off the very first episode of Off Script, On Brand with Julia Conti. This is the first time Julia has shared this chapter of her life publicly, and I’m deeply honoured she trusted me (and this space) with her story.In this raw and honest conversation, we explore identity, grief, and transformation — and what it truly feels like to release the life you once knew.Last year, Julia made one decision that sparked a ripple effect of change. In just a few short months, her business, marriage, location, and community all shifted, asking her to begin again from the ground up.We talk candidly about the quiet, often unseen moments of reinvention, when there’s no clear identity to cling to, no title to introduce yourself with, and no roadmap for what comes next.In this episode, we explore:Letting go of identities that once defined youStaying true to yourself even when it means disappointing othersPutting entrepreneurial pursuits on pause and going back to corporate during a big season of change and instabilityRebuilding from a grounded, embodied placeTrusting yourself when everything familiar falls awayThis episode is for you if:You’re in a season of transition, grief, or reinventionYou feel called to change, but are terrified of what you might loseYou’re learning who you are beyond your work, roles, or labelsYou’re craving honest conversations about starting overAbout Julia:Julia Conti is a coach, writer and community builder. She has spent nearly ten years coaching hundreds of women in small businesses, building an online community and running camping retreats through the Northern Territory of Australia. Currently taking a creative sabbatical, she has closed her co-working studio and coaching business to return to her librarian roots. While she rebuilds a new phase of her life, she is writing her story. Her new Substack is where you’ll find slices of her life, musings and creative offerings.Substack:https://julesconti.substack.com/Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/__jules.conti/Follow Leslie:www.lesliecarvitto.comhttps://www.instagram.com/lesliecarvitto.photography/Follow Leslie: www.lesliecarvitto.com@lesliecarvitto.photographyIf you're building a brand and want magnetic photos actually reflect who you are and the energy behind what you do, I shoot personal brand photography for founders, creatives, and women doing things their own way! Learn more here: https://www.lesliecarvitto.com/personal-brand-photographySponsored by BtnHomeBec offers trusted, experienced house and pet sitting that lets you step away — whether for work, travel, or life — knowing your pets are settled and your home is genuinely cared for. Come and say hi on Instagram to see how she works and if she’s the right fit for you: @btnohome.