Bree Pagliuso

2 important things to know about Bree

1. In 2013, my life changed. Within a three-month period I was in and out of hospital for a number of different reasons the biggest was to remove a malignant tumour from my left kidney. The time in hospital was followed by a slow on-going recovery. I am a very lucky girl and can now appreciate just how smart my body was pre-cancer. I was very active and conscious of my health and I truly believe that leading up to my time in hospital my body was sending multiple warning signals as it began to slow down.

Everyone who has ever had surgery will tell you to double the recovery time suggested by your surgeon. That meant mine would be at least 6 months to a year, but its now over a year later and I’m still in recovery. My body looks the same but internally I have ongoing issues and at times I feel emotionally crippled by my experience.

It was a challenging period, but served as a reminder of life’s uncertainty and gave me the nudge I needed to make changes in my life for the better. I was; like I am now a very healthy person so when you suddenly become sick and are told you have cancer; your first thoughts are always  “How? and Why? But the answers given are never enough. Cancer has affected so many people in my life its hard to keep up. But somehow I find comfort in knowing others have been through the same journey and understand that life is more than “just existing”.

I can’t imagine wasting time ‘not being happy’ anymore; I know that there will always be sadness, challenges and stress in life, but I have decided to consciously make my life a happy one. I really believe that 2013 for me was a bump in the road- or slap in the face – to remind me of how life is short and how important it is to make it a happy one, whatever that might mean to you. Every day I tell myself I am the only one who can control my happiness and wellbeing.

2013 was the year of challenges, so I decided my 2014 would be my year of change and opportunity.

2. Early this year I made the choice to leave my corporate job. I loved my role and I loved the people I worked with but my soul craved a new beginning so I took some time out for me and went travelling with my husband (we were married in February this year) On our return, my new path led to completing my 200hr Registered Yoga Teacher training and to the start of an amazing new venture Twosixmag with Emma.

Over the last few months, the Twosixmag community has flourished and it keeps growing! I’m so fortunate to be able to spend time working on two projects I really believe in and it’s incredible how different I feel now that I work for myself. My drive to succeed is fuelled by passion and love and the ‘want’ to help others.

Although my 2014 has still had its challenges I’ve learnt to accept that, that is just life; life will always throw in some curve balls. What I know now is how to grow from the bad experiences and to “Always look on the bright side of life” . 

 

6 little facts about Bree 

• I’m an only child which makes my girlfriends my family. My family are the most important people in my world!
• Huge film enthusiast, anything and everything except horror! (I’m a scaredy cat!)
• My dad is Italian and my mum is Irish/Italian- basically I’m built to love food!
• My Daily music selection will tell you exactly what mood I’m in; It really is the window to my soul.
• I love potato! Sounds ridiculous but I do. In an ideal world, I would eat potato, with every meal!
• My favourite day looks like this: Early morning yoga session, breakfast with my husband at our local café, head down to the market to pick fresh fruit & veggies for the week. Meet friends for lunch & an afternoon walk. Then dinner with the whole family – my mother in law is the best cook in the world!  Then maybe finishing the night off on the couch watching a new movie or an old favourite. (I told you I love food!)

 

Emma Udorovic 

 2 important things to know about Emma

“When you look at a person, any person, remember that everyone has a story.  Everyone has gone through something that has changed them and forced them to grow.  Every passing face on the street represents a story every bit as compelling and complicated as yours.  We meet no ordinary people in our lives and if you give them a chance, everyone has something amazing to offer. ”

1. Simply put, I am fascinated by life, by people’s stories, by people’s reactions, how people cope with challenges, what makes them happy and what makes them sad.

I can’t pinpoint the exact moment it happened, but when it did, I realised how connected I am to people and it changed my life. I believe we are all searching for the same thing– happiness. If you take a moment to think how we all began life, we all enter this world in the same way and ultimately leave it just the same. So it’s the in-between time we call ‘life’ that is uniquely ours.

I don’t think I’m spiritual, but I do believe there is something greater than us. I believe in the power of the sprit and I believe as our body and mind grow so does our spirit.

Every challenge life has thrown me I’ve learnt to accept and grow instead of let it hinder my everyday. Even if it seems like the most negative and unfortunate position I have been in, I now see the positive – to grow, to learn and also to teach.

2. I have witnessed first hand the illness of depression. Growing up, a person very close to me suffered immensely, and today still does. With this, I took in so much. Watched how they felt, how they suffered, how no one understood. Saw how they coped, saw how it affected others and learnt so much about the human body, and to be honest, about life.

I feel like things happen in your life for a reason, and you have to embrace them. If I was to ignore these events, I would be very ignorant and I would be letting down the potential of the human – its sounds so deep but it’s really simple!

See I have always believed in the bodies ability to heal. I have experienced the power of the mind, what a simple affirmation (series of positive words) can do to your day. I have always been involved in physical activity, team sports at school, competitive gymnastics growing up, and back then it was all just for fun. Little did I know it would shape me as a person.

The drive to be on a podium at the end of a gymnastics competition, taught me the drive to succeed in life.
The hours spent unwillingly practicing piano before a recital I wouldn’t have participated in if given a choice, taught me to stick to things and not give up.
The bullying I faced at school when living abroad taught me the influence you can have on other people’s lives.

Most importantly, the moment you realise that your parents are humans, just like you! Understanding this taught me that nobody has the perfect formula to life.

A take on the Cherokee proverb rings true to my beliefs, it’s about feeding the positive-self in you, that you want to be.

“Every one of us is different, and sometimes it makes you feel so alone. But if you embrace the indifference, be content with your individual self, take from life the things you need to feed the positive wolf inside of you, you will be happy.”

My hope is to share my experiences and create a space where everyone can give knowledge and personal stories of their time in this amazing world!

 

6 little facts about Emma

• I’m a qualified Pilates instructor & I love, love, love to teach!
• I have an obsession with my beautiful French bulldog Frank – he is my son.
• I love cheese! A cheese platter and wine with my friends is up there with my favourite things to do, ever!
• I can’t stay awake through an entire movie – just ask my Husband!
• I believe that because I am unorganised, I am a more patient person because I have to deal with myself every day!
• I am possibly the most indecisive person in the universe! It took me hours just to decide what the last “thing to know about” me was, now onto what to wear today!