The World Needs Creatives with Rachael Sardelich

What happens when the work you love is built on systems that break the world? What if you stood face-to-face with the devastation your industry creates and walking away wasn't an option?Today's guest, Celeste Tesoriero, chose to stay. She decided to rebuild her industry from the inside out.Celeste spent over seventeen years building a formidable fashion career, working for iconic Australian brands and luxury houses like Roland Mouret. She launched her own label that garnered seven international design award nominations and collaborated with sustainability leaders at Vivienne Westwood and Stella McCartney through the British Fashion Council.A transformative moment in Bali changed everything, when she was confronted with the harm hidden within the fashion production industry.Instead of walking away, Celeste got curious. She studied sustainability, permaculture, and Indigenous knowledge systems. Then she did something that takes tremendous courage: she went back to transform the industry she loves.For the past eight years, through Sonzai Studios, she's been bridging worlds — the commercial and the sacred, the extractive and the regenerative. She helps businesses integrate Indigenous wisdom and genuinely sustainable practices, fundamentally challenging how we think about growth, profit, and our responsibility to the natural world.Together, we explore the themes of:What it means to be humbled by nature and learn to work with rather than against ecological systemsThe courage it takes to close what's successful but misaligned, and how that grief becomes a gateway to something more realHow to bridge the sacred and the commercial without compromising eitherWhy personal sustainability — your own capacity to endure — must come before any business strategyThe art of holding a mirror to broken systems with empathy rather than condemnationWhat happens when we stop asking "how do I grow?" and start asking "what do I value?"And how indigenous wisdom offers us a 60,000-year blueprint for working in right relationship with the natural worldJoin us for a conversation about rewilding industries, bridging worlds, and what happens when you refuse to accept that the way things are is the way they have to be.KEY SHOW LINKS:Explore Rachael's 1:1 Creative PartnershipFollow Celeste on InstagramFollow Sonzai Studio's on InstagramGet in touch with CelesteProtocols for Non-Indigenous People working with Indigenous Knowledge5 Steps to a Sustainable Wardrobe & More ResourcesYou can follow The World Needs Creatives on Instagram HERE. Explore working or collaborating with Rachael at rachael@rachaelsardelich.com and learn more about her work HERE. You can join the wider conversation and our community over on Substack via THIS LINK. The original painted work in the show design was hand painted by artist Sarah Darling. The creation of our original musical score was created by Camilla Rose Sullivan.

Your energy is the most important resource you have. It's the most influential, the most impactful thing you can share with the world, and learning how to understand and read and be intentional with your own energy is a game changer.In this solo episode, we're entering into the realm of energetics. What influences our energy? How do we manage it? And how it shapes everything from the work we create to the opportunities that flow toward us.This is about discovering who you really are underneath all the noise. Because our energy is how we perceive the world, and how the world perceives us.I'll guide you through a two-part energetic audit to purify and fortify your energetic presence. We'll look at your environment, your relationships, how you nourish yourself, the state of your nervous system, and even the words you speak. This episode is packed with practical exercises you'll want to return to, so come with your journal and pen ready. This is the tending that makes everything else possible.Enrol for Rachael's 1:1 Creative Partnership HERE.You can follow The World Needs Creatives on Instagram HERE. Explore working or collaborating with Rachael at rachael@rachaelsardelich.com and learn more about her work HERE. You can join the wider conversation and our community over on Substack via THIS LINK. The original painted work in the show design was hand painted by artist Sarah Darling. The creation of our original musical score was created by Camilla Rose Sullivan.

Josh Schrei, a teacher, writer, and mythologist known for his work on animist cosmologies, delves into the rich tapestry of creativity as a living relationship. He encourages listeners to reconnect with the animate world, seeing creation as a pulsating force that binds us all. The conversation highlights the importance of stillness in the creative process, reframing those quiet moments as sacred incubation. Schrei advocates for reciprocity over consumption, suggesting that true creativity springs from engaging deeply with our surroundings and ancestral wisdom.

What  does it take to be real? To create something pure in a world addicted to replication? To stay true when the cost of that truth is everything you've built?Today we enter the alchemical world of Holly Ryan,  — a bespoke jeweller, environmental pioneer, and founder of iconic Australian brand Holly Ryan Jewellery, and together we explore what it means to let go of a vision you've spent your entire adult life creating. Holly shares her thirteen-year journey building a cult brand to global heights —from Vogue to Bella Hadid, from fashion weeks to prestigious retailers worldwide — only to face the complete dissolution of burnout that demanded she dismantle everything at the peak of her career.This is a story of personal alchemy and metamorphosis. We witness the bone-deep unraveling that cracks you open and strips you bare, the exhaustion of creating something pure in a world addicted to replication, and what happens when your truth becomes everyone's tagline. Holly reveals the pivotal moments that shifted her trajectory — from fighting greenwashing, to reconnection with source and stepping back into her power as an educator and voice for radical transparency.You'll hear about how to befriend the liminal space between worlds, to trust what intuition whispers beyond the noise, and to embrace the process of personal alchemy with radical honesty and courage.This episode is an invitation to every creative navigating dissolution and resurrection. It's for those standing at the threshold, feeling called to evolve, and seeking permission to let their freak flag fly.Key Topics Explored:Cultivating her craft — how nature shaped Holly's earliest understanding of creation and transformationBuilding a cult brand — from fashion week to global recognition, and the price of pioneering sustainability before it was coolBeing ahead of your time Greenwashing and heartbreak The anatomy of burnoutLetting everything burnThe liminal space — inhabiting the sacred threshold between dissolution and resurrectionReconnecting to sourcePersonal alchemy — how melting down precious metals became the map for melting down and remaking yourselfFrom visibility to intimacyWhat it takes to be realRedefining successThe other side of people pleasingSHOW LINKS:- Explore Rachael's 1:1 Creative Partnership- Explore Holly Ryan Studio & Holly Ryan Jewellery & Holly's website- Link to Holly's short film - El Agua Mágica- Chris Hood - Jeweller from TasmaniaYou can follow The World Needs Creatives on Instagram HERE. Explore working or collaborating with Rachael at rachael@rachaelsardelich.com and learn more about her work HERE. You can join the wider conversation and our community over on Substack via THIS LINK. The original painted work in the show design was hand painted by artist Sarah Darling. The creation of our original musical score was created by Camilla Rose Sullivan.

In this solo episode, I'm opening up about what it really takes to leap and land when your creative work is calling you toward something new.Last week we explored the invisible lines that limit our potential in the subconscious. Today is about breaking through those glass ceilings we find ourselves pressed against, knowing exactly where we want to go but unable to move toward it.We unpack the patterns that keep us circling in place: comparison, imposter syndrome, scarcity, the comfort of what we already know, and the essential inner work that makes leaping possible: cultivating a deep sense of safety in our bodies, building unshakeable self-worth, and learning to move from a grounded, authentic place.I also dive into expanding your work through collaboration and how to land ideal partners, how to ground down and back yourself when fear arrives, and trusting that when you leap, you will be met.This is for anyone feeling the pull toward expansion but frozen at the edge. For the creatives who can see their next chapter but don't know how to step into it.Because on the other side of that leap, when you finally trust yourself enough to take it, everything changes.You can follow The World Needs Creatives on Instagram HERE. Explore working or collaborating with Rachael at rachael@rachaelsardelich.com and learn more about her work HERE. You can join the wider conversation and our community over on Substack via THIS LINK. The original painted work in the show design was hand painted by artist Sarah Darling. The creation of our original musical score was created by Camilla Rose Sullivan.

This week we're turning the tables. Beloved guest Dee Kawai Tang from episode #16 takes over the mic and interviews me about my own creation story – from growing up in a caravan, to an international career working alongside creative visionaries, and the winding journey that has led me to build a life and business fueled by meaning and creative advocacy.What emerges in our conversation cuts right to the heart of transformation – how do we move beyond the lines of limitation we've grown accustomed to believe? What if "just doing our thing" is actually a disguise for playing small? What might change for us if we actively choose to become a leader of our own destiny?Together, we dive deep into the dance between masculine and feminine energies, unravelling ancestral patterns, the courage it takes to go for gold, how to walk your path without a map, and what it means to reclaim your unapologetic creative voice.For every creative ready to take up more space - this one's for you.In this episode, we explore:Ancestral patterns that shape our creative voice and what we think is possibleHow the environments we enter shape our expressionDe-conditioning from corporate cultureThe warrior spirit that lives within every creativeWhat it means to give yourself permission to winStepping into creative leadership and self motivated powerWhy community and collaboration elevate individual creativityEPISODE LINKS:Listen to Dee's first episode HERE on Conversations Across Realms, Embodying Grief and Clearing Karmic Knots.My Substack article around my childhood.Dee's 3 Part Guide to Self Publishing.Read Dee's infamous Substack WOO-Tang HERE.Learn more about working with Rach HERE.You can follow The World Needs Creatives on Instagram HERE. Explore working or collaborating with Rachael at rachael@rachaelsardelich.com and learn more about her work HERE. You can join the wider conversation and our community over on Substack via THIS LINK. The original painted work in the show design was hand painted by artist Sarah Darling. The creation of our original musical score was created by Camilla Rose Sullivan.

Today, we walk the Dreaming Path with Dr. Paul Callaghan — a Worimi man, storyteller, dancer, consultant and author whose life journey and cultural wisdom teach us how to live out our best story.We travel through his early years of spirituality and cultural roots, into the western system that pulled him away from them, and toward a breakdown that became the portal back home.In this conversation, Paul invites us to reflect on what it means to find The Dreaming Path, to reclaim our power with gentleness, and to nurture a creative life in harmony with Country. He shares practices to help us pay attention and reconnect to the living world, to find belonging in the land beneath our feet, and to remember that community is the true source of originality.This episode is an invitation to step out of the rush of our modern world, to trust the wisdom of Country, and to begin walking your own Dreaming Path back to wonder, authenticity, and peace.This episode is full of rare and precious Indigenous wisdom, truth telling,  transformative insights, practical tips, and rich inspiration for the creative heart.In this episode, we explore:The power of owning and sharing our storyPaul’s journey from corporate success to a pivotal breakdown that led him back to reconnecting with his cultural rootsThe wisdom of Aboriginal spiritualityPractices for listening to Country and finding true belongingCreativity as medicine for healing and transformationHow to reclaim our power with gentleness rather than forceThe ache of loneliness and the pathways back to connectionThe wisdom of slowing down in a world that rushes aheadWhy originality is born in community, not in isolationThe sacred responsibility of sharing knowledge with integrityYou can purchase Dr Paul's book - The Dreaming Path HEREAnd his new children's book - Adventures on the Dreaming Path HERE.You can follow The World Needs Creatives on Instagram HERE. Explore working or collaborating with Rachael at rachael@rachaelsardelich.com and learn more about her work HERE. You can join the wider conversation and our community over on Substack via THIS LINK. The original painted work in the show design was hand painted by artist Sarah Darling. The creation of our original musical score was created by Camilla Rose Sullivan.

In this deeply personal solo episode, I'm sharing something I rarely do, telling the raw, unfiltered truth about what it feels like when you're ready to collapse under the weight of your own creative path.If you've ever felt like you want to pack it all in, melt into a puddle, or simply shut down because it all feels like too much, this episode is for you. I'm speaking directly to the visionary isolation we experience when carving our own path — that deep aloneness that exists even when we're surrounded by people, clients, and endless to-do lists.I open up about hitting my own rock bottom, the exhaustion that comes from constantly planting seeds without seeing blooms, and that familiar cycle of giving and giving until there's nothing left. It's the kind of loneliness that comes with being a visionary of your own destiny, creating something meaningful and tender that hasn't been done before.But this isn't just about the struggle — it's about the way back in. I share the three essential steps I use to replenish and return with a new trust and momentum.This episode is my commitment to you — a reminder that you're not alone in this messy, chaotic, beautiful work of creating something meaningful in the world.Often it's those moments that bring us to our knees when we reach the tipping point for the tide to change in our favour.You can follow The World Needs Creatives on Instagram HERE. Explore working or collaborating with Rachael at rachael@rachaelsardelich.com and learn more about her work HERE. You can join the wider conversation and our community over on Substack via THIS LINK. The original painted work in the show design was hand painted by artist Sarah Darling. The creation of our original musical score was created by Camilla Rose Sullivan.

What if the shape of your work was allowed to change with the shape of your evolving spirit? In this illuminating conversation with creative director and founder of Ro And Co, Roanne Adams, we explore the sacred tension between inner evolution and outer expression. Roanne shares her journey from the heights of creative industry success to the quiet inner call that asked her to slow down, recalibrate, and reimagine. Together, we traverse the terrain of identity, spiritual awakening, and the courage required to dismantle what no longer aligns — even when it's still working.We speak of befriending uncertainty, of learning to trust what intuition knows beyond the mind, of unlearning old measures of success and rewriting the creative path as one of contribution, clarity, and wholeness. Roanne reveals the pivotal moments that shifted her trajectory and how she learned to embrace the process of metamorphosis with grace, trust and courage.This episode is an invitation to every creative heart navigating a turning point. It's for those who feel the edges of change approaching, who sense there's more to contribute — more truth, more beauty, more meaning — and are seeking permission to honour what's stirring within.Show NotesKey Topics Explored:The transition from creative director to spiritual facilitatorNavigating burnout in the agency world and the journey toward meaning-makingBuilding Ro and Co branding agency while maintaining spiritual integrityThe role of synchronicity and symbolism in spiritual awakeningBalancing commercial success with personal fulfillmentThe Hoffman Process and embracing transformational changeListening to your inner leader during career transitionsRedefining success and aligning work with evolving valuesConnect with Ro: HEREState of FeelingRo And CoRomance JournalResources Mentioned:The Hoffman ProcessYou can follow The World Needs Creatives on Instagram HERE. Explore working or collaborating with Rachael at rachael@rachaelsardelich.com and learn more about her work HERE. You can join the wider conversation and our community over on Substack via THIS LINK. The original painted work in the show design was hand painted by artist Sarah Darling. The creation of our original musical score was created by Camilla Rose Sullivan.

Today, we journey into the dreamscape with writer, philosopher, historian, and radio DJ Marieke McKenna — where the symbols of night speak to the stories of our waking lives.Together we explore the mysterious language of dreams: how they carry hidden truths and unwritten maps, how listening to them can unlock creative depth, and why paying attention to the unseen is essential in a world that moves too fast.Marieke shares her own story — from a multicultural upbringing in London and the Scottish Highlands, to her explorations in philosophy, spirituality, and cultural history, and a profound near-death experience that reshaped her relationship to dreams. We wander through scientific perspectives, cross-cultural traditions, lucid dreaming, and the creative fire that emerges when we let the dreamworld influence our waking lives.You’ll also hear practical ways to begin or deepen your own dream practice: how to recall and record dreams, how to listen to the body’s quiet signals, and how the symbolic language of night can enrich your artistry, intuition, and imagination.This is an invitation to every creative mind curious about the invisible threads that guide us: to listen more deeply, create with intuition, and trust the whispers that arise in the spaces between sleep and waking.LINKS:Marieke McKenna's InstagramCultivating A Dream Practice Course with AdvayaYou can follow The World Needs Creatives on Instagram HERE. Explore working or collaborating with Rachael at rachael@rachaelsardelich.com and learn more about her work HERE. You can join the wider conversation and our community over on Substack via THIS LINK. The original painted work in the show design was hand painted by artist Sarah Darling. The creation of our original musical score was created by Camilla Rose Sullivan.