Hello and welcome to Something to Talk About.

For Stella Podcast.

I'm Sarah La Marquin, your host, and every week I sit down with some of the biggest names in the country because when Australia's celebrities are ready to talk, they come to Something to talk About.

For years, Jacinta and Lance Buddy Franklin live their lives at full speed.

As one of the greatest AFL players of his generation, Lance became a household name during his time playing for the Sydney Swanites.

Meanwhile, a nineteen year old Ja Center was crown Miss Universe Australia, turning her beauty pageant platform into a career as a television commentator, model, ambassador and advocate.

So when they got married in twenty sixteen, it seemed like the ultimate power couple moment.

Two people in demand, working NonStop and both saying yes to everything.

But over the next few years things changed.

The couple welcomed to children, Lance retired from the AFL, and Jacinta's focus shifted from the glamour of red carpets and the runway to more purpose driven work.

They packed up their life in Sydney and moved to the Gold Coast and with that came a whole new chapter, including a decision to become business partners and launch a project very close to their hearts, Honey for Life, which has origins in Lance's home state of Western Australia.

You know, we worked really hard from what both really seventeen years of eight to be able to do every pick up and drop off and be there for every concert.

That is just a privilege that we don't take for granted.

In this episode of the Stellar Podcast, Lance and just sin to open up about what it takes to step out of the spotlight.

Why balance was always the end goal, the important cause behind Lance recently taking on the New York Marathon and using their platform to help make a real difference.

They also give us a candid glimpse inside their home life as they prepare to move house and welcome a third baby into their family later this year.

Jacinta and Lance Franklin.

Welcome to the Stellar Podcast.

Hello Hope, thank you for having us this, Thanks thank you for being here.

You're on the cover of Stellar today, so done a fabulous shoot with you.

You're no strangers to the Stellar brand.

You've both been featured in the title over the years individually and a couple of times as a couple, but it's the first time you've been on the podcast, either individually or together, so sincere welcome to you both, and unfortunately couldn't be in the same room because you're living the dream life.

Well that's what it looks like.

Yeah, a lot going on, your growing family, ever growing.

As we're speaking here in November twenty twenty five.

You know believe closer.

To the end of the year you will be welcoming another bundle of joy into your family.

It's been quite a busy few years for you both professionally, and of course you moved to the Gold Coast.

But before we get to all of that, Lance, I'd love to actually start off if I could, by asking you, right, you recently returned from New York where you ran the New York Marathon.

I mean it feels like your whole life is a bit of a marathon.

For the two of you.

But literally, congratulations on the New York Marathon.

And if that wasn't enough of an achievement, I believe that you ran it with formre NRL player Jonathan Thurston, another friend of the Stellar brand for the Indigenous Marathon Project, Can I ask you a little bit about that?

Yeah, thanks for that.

It was It's been a pretty busy six months.

Obviously coming on bord as an ambassador for the IMF Foundation with JT has been incredible.

Been a pretty.

Taxing six to seven months to get as fit as possible to get over to New York and finish it.

But what an incredible journey for myself, for JT and then the twelve participants, the Aboriginal in Torres, Straightlanders throughout Australia that came on board to finish New York.

It's been an incredible journey.

There's been certainly some challenges along the way that's come with it.

Obviously some early not so early, some morning starts, but some late night running.

Finding time has always been challenging too.

Obviously having two young kids at home, it's definitely been a challenge, but something that I've absolutely loved.

It's been an incredible journey to finish the New York Marathon.

Probably got halfway at the twenty one k mark both my ankles blew up and was struggling to get through it, but ended up finishing it, which was an amazing achievement.

Like it's something that I don't take for granted, Like not many people get the opportunity to run New York.

But to finish that, see the smiles on everyone's faces that participated throughout that, it's incredible.

And then to see JT after the finishing line was awesome too.

So it was very special in terms of the training and getting to that level of fitness.

Of course, as a retired elite athlete, has it reignited anything in you when you got through that literal finish line where you're like, Okay, I'm going to start booking in I'm going to sit down with you center and say here in the next four global marathons, I'm aiming to run over the New next twelve months or did you think okay, great, another one off the lifetime bucket list.

Going to put the training shoes away for a little bit.

As soon as I finished it, I said, I'll never do that to myself ever again.

And literally a halfway mark, I said, why am I doing this?

But you know, like for me, it's always been about that.

The foundation was a big part of this, and you know, giving back to my people and my community and seeing the impact this foundation has had on these Aboriginal Torrostralia Landers throughout Australia has.

Just been incredible.

You know, it's not with out challenges.

Like everyone everyone's got a story and everyone comes from all walks of life.

So to sort of give back and see the smile on their faces and see them all finished in New York marathon was really special for myself and I really took a lot out of it, and you know, I think it just showed me how strong your actual mind can be and to push through adversity was massive, and even for me, that was really really challenging, and I'm super proud of myself that I was able to finish it.

I think, you know, anytime you finish a marathon, there's so much dedication that goes into it.

Even being an ex professional sportsman, you've still got to put in the time and effort.

And I did find that challenging throughout to make sure that you can schedule in two or three hours to go for a long run.

You know, when you've got a young family and you've got a pregnant wife, finding that time can be challenging.

But you know, I was able to do that and to finish the marathon was really special and I'm super proud of myself out that I was able to do that.

But I'm trying to schedule in another marathon.

I'm yet to say whether little whiffill let me let me do that with a third on the way, but we'll say.

You know what, Mum said it because we He called me as soon as he finished, and he was quite emotional upon finishing because he had had to push through so much.

And I said to him in that moment, I said, You've got to realize that not many people have twenty years of professional sport under their belt prior to running a marathon, So of course there was going to be extra challenges, you know, just your body, the wear and tear on it.

But I said that to Mam.

I said, oh, I just got off the phone to Bart and he was quite emotional because he really had to push, you know, to finish it.

And she said, you watch, it's going to be like giving birth.

When you first do it, you say you're never going to do it again, and then you forget and you go back and do it all over again.

So I think you said maybe Berlin next.

Something a bit flat.

I'm not sure, something a little bit flatter for my body.

But I think, like you said, I probably didn't respect the fact that how much football I'd played nearly nine and nearly twenty years of my life, the wear and tear on my body was a big impact on my body.

So that's why I'm certainly proud of myself that I was able to finish it and do it for a really good cause.

I think that's the most important thing.

And the kids were so proud too, to Laula took his medal to show and share when did you get back last week?

She took it, She took it yesterday, She took it to school yesterday.

She showed everyone.

The teacher said she was so proud of you, and I was, Ah, that's that's what it's about, isn't It's about family and your kids and seeing them smile.

That's what laughs about.

Just into what about for you, any any medellin coming your way, because as Lance was saying, that I could not a bad not a bad consolation prize.

But you know, as Lance was saying, just trying to find the time for that training schedule.

At this point in your life with two young children at home, you're heavily pregnant with the third child.

You both got a lot happening professionally as well.

A lot of people would say that's a marathon as well, that you ran at home while Lance was away.

Well, there's lots of memes going around Instagram that say being pregnant is the equivalent of running a marathon, like on your body every single day.

And I think every single day Bud went out and went for a run and came back and said I'm sure, or I'm tired, or i'm this, or I'm that.

I would just remind him that I'm also running a marathon, but every day in different capacities.

So yeah, it was obviously there's a lot of sacrifice, but I think, you know, being married to a professional or elite sports person, you kind of get used to that.

You understand the what's required of them, and you know, and equally Bud supports me with my endeavors as well, and I think that's kind of why we work so well, is that we do want to see each other shine and achieve our own dreams and goals.

So yeah, whilst there was a lot to do behind the scenes, you know, especially when he was in New York for nine days and I had a f on a five year old and I am this heavily pregnant.

You know, It's what you do for each other when you love each other and you want to see each other, you know, achieve your dreams and goals.

So yeah, it was easy to do when you see the fulfillment that it bought him.

But yeah, I did remind him that Chanel was on fifty seventh Street in New York.

No, I'm joking.

I'm not a present girl at all, but yeah, I was just really proud of him and for him to come home with that metal and that sense of achievement was kind of the present that, you know, the only present we needed as a family, because it was so fulfilling for him.

Just sin to as you're expecting your third child together now, and five years ago, I asked you to write I Guess Colin for Stella, which you very generously did, and it was about particularly your relationship with Lance.

Your marriage and then having children together had really changed your already fairly evolved and sophisticated view about the experience of Indigenous Australians in this country, and particularly on what still considered a very i think sort of divisive issue and conversation that's hard to have with empathy and compassion, but you have both beautifully managed, which is why I like to talk to you about about changing the date.

Five years later, January will be upon us a couple of months after this conversation is released.

Can I start with you, Jacinta, how do you think if it all the conversation has shifted in Australia partly because of people like yourself and Lance speaking out as I say, with nuance and compassion, Because it is still sometimes a difficult conversation to have.

People can get quite defensive about the issue.

Absolutely, and I probably still feel as nervous as I was back then five years ago talking about it because it's probably more divisive now, it's probably more controversial now.

I definitely feel like more people are coming to understand it and the conversation is getting louder and stronger.

But my thing it all comes back to is, like you said, it's kindness and compassion.

There's a group of people in this country who are standing here saying and it's not all Indigenous people.

I think I really have to clarify that as well, because there's some Indigenous people who feel really strongly about changing the date, and others that don't, And I certainly don't speak on or behalf for either of those those people.

So it's really hard to tackle.

But like you said, it comes back to compassion and kindness.

There's a group of people who are saying it's really hurtful to celebrate our country on this day.

I don't think anyone on that side of the argument is saying don't celebrate it at all.

You know, a lot of people want to celebrate this country.

It's a beautiful country.

There are so many amazing things about living here.

I am, for one, so great for the opportunities that it's given me in my life and will give you know, my children in their life.

But we have to have some compassion around this.

And you know, if you simplify it, like even the conversations we have with our children around the dinner table, there might be a child at school, and even if it's one child who's feeling left out or feeling like something that you're doing is hurting them, do you then continue doing what you're doing?

You know, you should, as a human being, want to change those actions to make everyone feel included.

And it's quite simplistic for me, but I understand that it is quite complex and layered and nuanced for a lot of people in this country.

But I would just say to anyone who is grappling with it or doesn't understand it is just try to listen.

That's all I have simply done, is I've listened.

I've learned.

There was a time when I did celebrate Australia Day because I didn't understand why you wouldn't celebrate it.

And there's no reason why we can't change there's no reason why we can't evolve with our thoughts around around why we should or shouldn't be doing something.

And you know, I think when you really dig deep, you educate yourself on the history of that day and what it means to a lot of people in this country and the hurt and pain that it causes.

Then for me, it's just it doesn't make sense why we wouldn't celebrate it on another day if someone's hurting on that day, even if it was for one person, I would change it because that's how I live my life, and that's how I want our kids to live their life too, to have kindness and compassion towards other people.

And I don't want to hurt anyone.

That's not a nice feeling to have.

So yeah, that's kind of where I stand.

It's complex, and I'm sure Bud has different views on it, and other people have different views on it, but that's just kind of where I sit.

Lance.

Do you mind if I ask you next question?

I don't really like to get too involved with it.

Obviously.

For me, it's all about education.

I think being open Australia, being open and accepting of the indigenous culture, of our great culture, the longest living culture in the world.

It's all about education and being open to speak about it and being proud and accepting.

I think that's the biggest thing for me.

I think it's all about education and even being a part of that foundation.

You see so much sadness within our people still.

Racism plays a huge part in our country in it and until that changes, I think for me it comes back to education.

What are we teaching kids in school?

I think racism plays a huge part in this country still, and it's so sad.

It is so sad.

But for me, I think you strip it all back and it's all about education and teaching people about our amazing culture.

And I think that's kind of the hardest thing and the saddest thing about talking about this right now is we know when this clip goes up on Instagram, we know what's going to come with it.

We know the vitriol, we know the trolls, we know the racist comments.

So that's why a lot of people don't want to talk about it, because as soon as this clip comes up, we know exactly what is going to happen.

And that's hard too.

And I think that's where Bud comes from too when he says, next question, let's move on, because it's quite awful what happens when you speak about this.

And yeah, we kind of know the pathway bored and what happens from here just by simply speaking about it.

And I think we speak about it in with real gentleness and kindness and once again compassion, but it's not met with that.

It really fires people up, and in the worst way possible, not in a positive let's have a really good debate about this or conversation.

It just turns to vitriol straight away.

I can only imagine that sort of level of vitriol that the two of you would be exposed to.

And also in a unique choy and of course how it would hit differently with each of you, given your different lived experience of this lands.

The fact that you said it's about education, I just and what you've done with the Marathon project most recently, and you know, I think that is something that I would like to think will help shift the dial and even the trolls, well, let's be honest, trolls are always going to find something to get angry about.

But that sort of practical work that the two of you do, can I just ask you a little bit about that, And I mean it must be so gratifying, I imagine to be able to use your platform in such a tangible and constructive way.

Yeah, but I think even sort of with back sort of to the foundation, I think for me that like the marathon was like the smallest part of what the actual foundation is doing.

And I think for our people, it's all about leadership and then them taking that leadership back to their communities and being leaders within that community, because that's that's how people grow and change.

So leadership, living a healthy lifestyle and then them taking it back to their communities.

And like, even within the six months that I met these guys, that are part of the foundation.

You could see the change.

You could see the change.

They were comfortable in their own skin, they were able to communicate, they became leaders and seeing that growth within them was just incredible and actually really inspiring because you know, everyone's got a story, and everyone's got a journey, everyone's been through something in their life, and you know, just I was inspired by what I saw and you know, them being leaders within their community, Aboriginal to Australians looking up to them and going, you know what, I can do this.

If you can take a small bit away from that, I think that you're sort of doing your job.

You know what I'm saying.

We're young Aboriginal tour Astralians can look up to others and go, you know what, this is what I want to do.

And coming up.

I asked Jacentra and Lance about the looming arrival of their third child.

The two of you both became very successful at early ages in your respective careers.

Of course, Lance coming through as an AFL player, you know, it's a career where you're obviously training and building for that career really incredibly during your formative years.

And then it's a career where you know, you then are moving on into other chapters of your life professionally by really relatively early age, you know, like twenties and thirties, just inter similarly for you, I mean, you became well known on the Australian landscape as a model and then a contestant for Miss Universe Australia.

I mean more than a decade ago now and still so young today.

For the two of you where you are professionally at this point in your career, I'm going now specifically about some of the working on, including the fact that you've recently become co owners of Honey for Life Manuka Honey Company based in w a Lance, where I believe you're from originally.

But at this point in your life, a lot of people talk about work life balance.

It's a little bit of that, you know, that golden ticket that we're all clutching for.

For the two of you that both had to work so hard on your respective career paths at such a young age when probably a lot of your fellow you know, friends and schoolmates were more worried about watching TV or you know, whatever they were doing as kids.

And now here are you able what would be the division not to put a ratio on it, but between your family life so you know, two young children, a third on the way, your marriage, your professional ventures, but then the time to do work that is important to you, advocacy work, work on the foundation, giving back to the community, And.

How would that ratio look for each of you?

Just to start with you, we were actually talking about this the other night.

We're having a conversation just about life and where we're at.

We're obviously about to move to a beautiful new property, big a career to hobby farm, and I said to Bud, we are so lucky.

And I don't say that lightheartedly.

We you know, we worked really hard from what both really seventeen years of age, for the first twenty years of our lives, and we really are now in this position where we do every single school pickup and drop off, we get all the holidays with the kids, and that to us is what like a rich, luxurious life feels like like that is like success.

And it doesn't mean that we don't still work hard, but it's more in these blocks and we can say no to the things that don't you know, inspire us or set us alide.

And obviously we still have to make money.

So we still have to show up and do things and work, but it's very different to how it was back in the day where I remember there was probably those first six years after winning Miss Universe, there was almost not a day that I didn't work.

It was full time for six to ten years, I would say, of just saying yes to every opportunity, whether that it was paid or unpaid.

Obviously the ones that areligned, but yeah, it was.

It was really hard.

And even with football, like right up until you retired, like that is an eight to nine month long commitment every year where you work pretty much every single day of those nine months.

So I think the whole goal for us in moving to the Gold Coast was to have that work life balance.

You know, the kids are only this little for very short amount of time, and yeah, to be able to do honestly ninety to ninety five percent of every pickup and drop off and be there for every concert.

And that sometimes might be Bud or me, you know, because I might have to go off and do my thing or whatever.

But that that feels really, like I said, rich and luxurious to me, Like that is just a privilege that we don't take for granted, And yeah, it's just I would say we've got a really probably more family.

We've spent way more time with the kids than we do working now, if that makes sense, so we feel like that's a full time job.

But yeah, it's just a really nice balance.

And since Bud's retired, it's given even more balance to our life because you know, he could go off to New York for nine days and do his thing, and you know I could go off and do my thing if I needed to for two weeks or whatever it was, or have a really busy, you know, quarter or whatever it is.

So it's definitely given us more balance by you finishing football.

And I've loved it.

It's been awesome obviously playing playing the game for nine and years.

It's been nearly two and a half years nearly coming up since I've beenish start playing sport.

But it's been awesome.

I've loved it, like I love being a dad, loved being able to be there for them.

You know, you have your moments, is no doubt about that.

I think as a parent, you have your moments where you get frustrated or whatever.

But you know, I wouldn't change it for the world, Like to be able to get the opportunity to spend every day with your kids watch them grow.

There's been something I've absolutely loved.

We've got number three on the way, so yeah, it's been it's been something I've absolutely loved.

It's been awesome, really nice, just equilibrium to life now.

It feels really peaceful, and I'm sure it's just going to get even more peaceful.

Well maybe not within you, bab, but you know, moving out to acreage and all of that, there's just a real shift in in in the pace of our life, which is really beautiful and something, yeah, something I'm very grateful for, you know, like that is it just yeah, it's not lost on me.

Every day I wake up and I'm even with the kids screaming in your face and asking, you know, for all the things.

I'm like, no, this is what we're going to look back on in life and be really grateful that we put those you know, hard twenty years of work in when we were young.

Yes, we missed out on you know, concerts and trips away and the European summers we're friends and all of those things when we were younger, but we now get to do that with our kids.

Which feels even more fulfilling.

Are you moving house again before your third child arrives?

We are.

We are.

So everything's pretty much happening within the next couple of weeks before this third one comes.

So we're trying to get everything sort of get set up in the new place and then the number three pops out.

But literally I'm crossing my legs and trying to get through this move before the baby is born, because yeah, we move in like three weeks time, and the baby's honestly not too much or not even three weeks time.

Yeah, not too much later than that.

So yes, there's a lot to do, but it's going to be worth it.

This sort of rhythm of your life that you've just spoken about, that equilibrium and especially over the last few years lance since you retired, and just center as you've spoken about, you know, that intensity of your respective careers in the early days and then being able to get this really lovely balance.

How has where you have lived reflected that, you know, in terms of if it was a graph, it sounds like it's been quite closely intertwined.

You know.

Obviously you just into it from Queensland, from the Gold Coast originally lance from Western Australia and then your careers obviously brought you both to Sydney, traveling a lot, but you know, obviously based in Sydney for a while and then moved to the Gold Coast and now this new move.

What does that say about it?

If you were sort of to look at your real estate history, would I be right to say it's a bit of an accurate snapshot for what's probably going on in your minds and hearts.

Well, we definitely this is hard for sure.

Like I think, I absolutely love my time like living in Sydney.

Sydney was amazing, but I think for us, especially when we had kids, things definitely did change.

It felt a little bit.

Too chaotic there.

It wasn't much open spaces, which I think when you have kids.

I like being on land.

I love being on country and just seeing the kids run around.

So I think that for me and just In it definitely shifted.

We wanted to change, we wanted to experience something a little bit different.

But don't get me wrong, we love Sydney, but unfortunately we weren't able.

To enjoy it as much as other people.

And that's towards the back end of my career the last four or five years, I didn't enjoy the other stuff that came with living in Sydney, in terms of always looking over your back for paparazzi.

I just I hated that part of it.

And for the last.

Couple of years I was like, I just wanted something different.

I wanted a new experience and moved to Queensland.

And we're absolutely loving it lot like it's one of the great states.

The beaches are incredible.

We won the Origin, we won the Origin.

I'm a Queenslander now.

But no, it's been just like a really good change, something we definitely needed as a family.

And yeah, everyone loves it.

Yeah, it was good.

And it's so funny going back to that, you know, geographical ride that we've had.

Bud took us back to when I first found out I was pregnant.

Actually the timing was crazy.

Took us back to where he grew up in Durren, out on the wheat belt in w A.

It was the first time he'd taken me back and we had the kids, and I always knew Bud grew up rurally and in the bush.

But when we drove to we drove and sat out the front of his childhood house where he grew up, and all the stories and things he told me.

It was amazing to be able to piece it together.

But I honestly don't think people understand when Bud says I was born in the bush, he was literally born in the bush.

I don't think there was another house within twenty minutes drive from where he lived.

And these beautiful, long, open red earth or dirt roads with the big, beautiful ghost gums and that real quintessential Australian landscape.

It was so beautiful to go back there.

And obviously I grew up on the Gold Coast, which is nowhere near as Remoters where Bud grew up, but there was a simplicity to growing up here.

And it's funny that we've both kind of come back full circle and you know, we've done Sydney, we've done Melbourne, which both were beautiful cities to live in and served us perfectly for those times in our lives.

But we've both done these full circles and come back.

And it's funny when we moved up here, we thought we wanted to be, you know, kind of in the suburbs and close to our local shopping center and close to the beach, and then after a year of being here, we're like, ah, we want to be like out, we want to be far away.

We don't want to worry about neighbors.

We want to have horses and chicks and bees and grow our own fruit and veg and do all of that stuff.

And it's just really funny because I'm I guess it was always in us, But I think if you had have told us at seventeen that that's where we would end back up, we probably would have said there's no way.

But here we are.

You've sort of gone back to your I guess your origins in a way.

Yeah, yeah, for sure.

Like it just feels right like when we're we're even at the creek, like we really gravitated towards you know, the creeks and the waterfalls here on the Gold Coast and taking the kids there, and when we're there, there's just this I don't know, this sense of like peace and calm that comes over you, and we're like, this is this is how we're meant to, this is how we're meant to live.

And you know, the kids are really lucky.

They do an amazing bush KINDI on Thursdays and Fridays, and even just seeing the change in them and how they are as little people when they're in that environment is so beautiful.

So yeah, we can't.

We honestly cannot wait.

Like we've got a creek on our profits.

I'm looking forward more to them with the kids, you know, I think that's like for us, the kids absolutely love being on the land and country, so that's why we've done it so they can have a childhood like we had, climbing trees being kids, you know, climbing trees, being down by the creek, going to get the eggs.

From the chicken pan, doing stuff that you know, is awesome.

That's what that's That's what laughs about, isn't It's about having fun?

Yeah, I think it's so funny.

Like you know, you start off your careers and your things, and you've got all these big goals and these dreams, and you're working towards seeings and you think, oh what you know, kind of superficially, you know, maybe that car, and I want to own that house, and I want to have these things.

And for us, it's like less is more now, Like it feels like the less you have, the more you actually have.

And I say that respectfully because we're obviously in a very privileged position, but yeah, the need for that, that hustle and that that want to have all of these things just doesn't exist for us anymore.

It's really just quite simplistic, you know, time with the family, a beautiful block of land that hopefully the kids.

Our brief when we were looking for this land was we want the kids to come back here when they're older and hopefully get married on this land and you know, bring their kids back if that's you know, the path that they want to choose.

But yeah, that they're the things that we crave now couldn't care less.

Not that we really cared before about like cars or things like but I'd say we're not really materialistic, but you.

Know, you do.

I think when you're young, you're like, oh, you know, we both didn't really grow up with a lot, so that you know, oh, yeah, it'd be nice to have that car and that thing.

I just don't have that desire anymore.

It's just so different the things that were that we're chasing.

Would you say that, yeah, definitely, Yeah, it's just yeah, it's funny how it changes when you get older.

And it sounds so cliche, but less is definitely more.

I think the main thing all you worry about is your family.

Yeah, your kids, their health.

That's all I worry and just cinem worries about it is just making sure that our kids are happy, healthy and living a great life.

Yeah, and being there for them.

Yeah.

Sometimes you've got to go through the complexity and the busyness and the chaos and the color of it all to reconnect with the simplicity of it.

I think that that evolution.

We're all evolving, aren't we.

You know, to have that path and then it brings you back to a certain place with a whole new perspective.

I think that's something in our own way.

So many people listening and reading and watching this would actually really relate to what you're saying.

Let me ask you then about the work that you prioritize, and I would imagine there's lots of opportunities that you would be presented with.

So with something like Honey for Life that you've chosen to invest in, what what do you look for in a project and what was it particularly about that venture that attracted each of you and you together as a family and a couple to take that on.

Well, I think for us, we've always taken on work that aligns with us.

I think there was a lot of times that we could have taken on things that were just for the money or you know, the brand alignment, but if it didn't feel right, I always I always had this thing with my manager that if I personally wouldn't go out with my own money and buy something, I won't promote it because it just it's just that's just how it had to sit with me, like personally.

And so we've always navigated you know, our careers and ow the collaborations that we take on like that, because it has to be authentic at the end of the day.

We have to sit here and look people in the eye and say go and buy this or you know, I'm putting this on my skin or I'm eating this.

It is.

But yeah, when Honey for Life came up, it's you know, it's a business run by great like our great friends and family friends, and there's just this beautiful ecology to the brand right and the company.

So most of the times when a brand becomes successful, the more landfill you create, the more of the world's resources you use.

That's what you have to do to make a brand successful, right.

But the more we do with this business, Honey for life, the more we have to give back to the earth, the more we have to regenerate land, the more effort we have to take to take care of these beat like these bees and bees are just so important to us and our survival and that's something that I didn't quite understand before taking this on.

But it's also just such a happy product.

Like whenever you say honey, like look, you've got a smile on your face.

I'm officially a beekeeper.

By the way, too, I did my beekeeping call, which I've told a few friends and they couldn't believe that, said absolutely, who would have thought after football, that's.

The part you're going to go down.

So it's for me, it's been you know, interesting, like I've actually really enjoyed being part of the company.

We're doing some really good things, constantly learning and involving, Like I'm learning so much on the run, which has been really good.

You know with that without bees we don't survive, which I find.

Fascinating, fascinating.

So yeah, it's been pretty cool to be a part of.

It's a beautiful company, and I think, like we said, like health and fitness is a big part of our lives and has been from a professional and personal point of view for so long now, and it's just such a beautiful healthy product to promote.

And we went to Perth.

We go to Perth a couple of weeks ago now to shoot all the assets.

And because we're co owners now, we are really involved in the business, so from the styling to you know, all the pre to the products, to how everything rolls out.

And we did this beautiful shoot and we got to see some of the beautiful trees and the hives and meet all the bee keepers and yeah, it just feels very aligned to us and where we are in our lives right now.

It's just a beautiful product.

And yeah, the kids love it.

The kids love it.

They've we've got these little honey snaps.

Rocky has about fifty a day.

I'm like, mate, that's too many.

Will we like doing the vacuum beIN and we'll finally these little sticky honey snaps under the couch, Like, what is going on?

Even in New York when I was just the gun was about to go off to race anyway, I had the honey snaps in my pocket and one of the girls goes, oh, buddy, there's a bee on your shirt middle of New York.

Bee just sitting there.

I thought, you know what, that's a sign.

I don't know.

For some reason, I just thought, well, that's incredible.

Out of the whole New York bee decides just to obviously smell the smell the honey.

But I was blowing a whale, like wow, it was just weird.

Yeah, it's so yeah.

He told me that story this morning, and I was like, we're on the right path.

I'm a little bit woo woo like that, like I see certain birds or insects and I'm like, Okay, we're on the right path.

That's a sign from the universe.

But I think as well, the fact that it's all out of WA, like, our connection to Wa is really strong.

It's where Bud was born and bred.

We have lots of family there, and just the fact that we're working with you know, family and friends on this business.

It feels like a real legacy piece for us.

It feels really special, and yeah, we've got a lifetime's worth of honey.

Now, just grt.

Obviously, it being on my country where I'm from Nunga, being a Nunga man, being on my land over there is really special to me, and that's that's a big reason why we got involved in this company.

We could say we're doing really good things, but obviously that piece of being on my country is really special to me.

And this is something I want the kids to be really proud of in the next few years and see it grow and expand and maybe in generations the kids can be involved in the company too, do you know what I'm saying.

So it's really special to me and my family, and yeah, just being really incredible to be a part of.

And yeah, you haven't been stung yet.

I haven't been stung yet.

No, I haven't.

I haven't been stung.

Keep my gloves on.

I'm saying that you should see us.

We're in like the full new bees.

We've got the hats on the you know, all of the mesh on, the gloves on, our socks are tucked into our suits.

Yeah, it's we're definitely newbies to this and there's just so much to learn, which is great, and.

That's what I'm really loving about it.

You're constantly learning, and I think for me, the best way I learn is being around people that are there, do you know what I'm saying?

And learning on the run and just having conversations and just talking.

And that's the way I learned personally, rather than sitting down and having too many meetings.

It's about having in depth conversations with people.

And a funny story.

Actually when we first started kind of posting a few things because we did our beekeeping course through the Gold Coast Amateur bee Keeping Society and it was a three day course.

It was so funny.

It was like going back to the classroom and learning and it was it was great.

And then I think we did a few posts on our social media about it and Alistair Clarkson reach out to Bube because bub tell me more about the bees.

And then Horse reached out and was like, tell me more about the bees.

But Alistair Clarkson's taking at one level further.

We sent him his own colony of bees and he's now got a whole setup on his farm.

So there's a whole bee culture out there that we didn't know about.

There is a secret society it is.

So it's a nice little hobby for people.

People love it.

That's awesome.

Jacinta are you, like Lance, also a certified bee keeper.

I'm not sure if we're certified, but we definitely did our course.

Yeah we did.

I sweated through the course nearly three months pregnant with severe morning sickness and in those bee suits standing in the sun.

I was like, I am not coping here.

But no, I did the course and it was the best thing we've ever done, you know.

I just I went into it with no knowledge at all, and I feel like we've got maybe the smallest bit of knowledge.

Now.

It's going to be a life long journey and lesson.

It is such a complex system, the way that bees work, and you know, always learning and yeah, but I did the bee keeping course to it.

It was I reckon, everyone in their lifetime should do a bee keeping course because it just gives you so much respect for nature and these little creatures.

Like I said, you would people would.

It would blow people's minds if they actually knew how important bees were to our own survival.

As Bud said, we in our current state humans would not survive without bees, so we have to protect them.

And yeah, they're pretty magnificent.

And the Queen runs the show which I.

Love, and Lance, you were saying earlier, you know, sort of being more confined to an office, isn't your sort of natural rhythm?

Can I ask you a little bit about the logistics of working together on this venture?

You know, is there a component of it that is, you know, more sort of corporate like is there a home office?

I would imagine, especially as co owners, there's obviously would be a lot of as opposed to bee keeping, a lot of bookkeeping component of the role.

And then obviously, as you say that, the more sort of hands on aspects of the role.

Can you just tell me a little bit about the dynamic of working together and you know, is there a sort of natural I suppose, sort of delegation between areas that you're more naturally inclined to be drawn to.

So we've just signed, like all the paperwork and all of that, and just getting to that point was like a bit of a journey as well, like sitting in on all the legal meetings and going back and forth, and a lot of it went over our heads, didn't it.

So that in itself was like a learning experience.

But the company itself is extremely established.

So we have a CEO and we have a whole team which is wonderful.

And then we're basically across a lot of the comms.

So I've now been introduced to something called slack yes, which I'm like, Okay, this is not usually how I work, but all right, this is a lot of information at once.

And then yeah, we're across everything.

So there's actually a lot of product development at the moment, which is so exciting.

So you've been heavily involved with the second drop of that, say what that is, but there's been a lot of hands on stuff that Bud has been doing for that.

And then once I have the baby, I've been invited to join the board, which is really exciting.

But we are definitely finding our feet.

I don't think there's like defined role at the moment.

There's just a lot of communication and a lot of information to absorb, and then I think once the dust settles, we will definitely probably settle into into roles and find our strengths.

Then in that Bud was very good at being the model on set.

It definitely outshone me in the campaign.

It happens, It happens.

I was like, this is so unfair.

You are the fittest and trimmest you have ever been in your whole life and I am thirty three weeks pregnant in a beekeeping suit trying to shoot in this thirty eight degree heating perth, Like what is going on?

But yeah, our roles will definitely become more defined.

And I think your product development is probably where you're sitting at the moment with things.

But I don't know that's my read on it.

I'm not sure that's your read.

Yeah, yeah, I'm not sure.

I'm not sure.

I just sinter said.

I think we'll just go with the flow work still early on in the business in terms of what exactly our role roles are.

But you know, I think that'll work itself out, there's no doubt about that.

Can I ask each of you what would be the most surprising component of your career so far?

I mean, just see the little things that I've heard, Like Jacinta, you're on slack now, you know Lance, you're interested potentially in product development, the fact that you both have done a beekeeping course.

What it would be the most unpredictable part of your career today?

Lance?

If I could start with.

You when you look back to you know, when you were a young boy, and then even when you were in the final stages of your footy career, starting to think what might be next for you.

Being involved in this for me is exciting and learning new things.

And that's why, like I haven't been got back involved in football because I was, like, you know, it's a lot of time and effort to be back involved in football and commitment, and for may, I wanted to experience something different separate to a f l learn new things, experience new things, use my leadership I've learned throughout my football career and help out a business light honey for life.

Use what I've got and what I've learned throughout my journey and use that in the business world too, which is which is really exciting.

And yeah, I think this is this is a challenge.

This is going to be a challenge for me, something that I'm really excited about.

Obviously, learning new things all the time, that's what really excites me.

Being involved with great people in business along the way is really exciting.

And Yeah, putting myself out there, I'd say that and making myself uncomfortable.

Is really important to me.

I think, you know, it's sometimes putting yourself out of your comfort zone is a good thing, and you know, having meetings in business can be hard at times, but it's putting yourself out there and learning along the along the way.

I think that was really intentional for us as well, for you not to go straight back into footy.

When he retired, I said, you have to have a year off.

I don't care what that looks like, whether you want to study, whether you want to just be with the kids.

And I worked really hard in the lead up to his retirement for him to have that year off, because I just think the biggest disservice a footballer can do is retire from football and go back into football, if that makes sense.

And of course it's your comfort zone and it's everything you know, but it can also be quite limiting, and especially when you spent a long time in the system, you've got to get out and experience new things.

And I think if you said to us when Bud retired, what two years ago, three years ago, that we would now be co owners of a honey company, we probably would have laughed at you because it just seemed like such, you know, so so left a field and such a pivot that we probably weren't going to take.

But now this is our main job.

This is this is our main yeah work, this is what we're doing.

So yeah, I don't think that would have happened if you didn't have that year off football.

And it's been such a blessing and we feel so lucky to have really found something that we feel truly so passionate about and can learn so much from too.

Of course we can take you know, like Bud said, his skills from football leadership, the ability to be able to do hard things and put yourself, you know, in situations that you haven't been in and thrive, and you know, the skills that I have from the seventeen years of working in media and entertainment.

Put all of those things together and use it for something that's a little bit different is really exciting and testing for us as well.

And I think just center for you for your career, it's always been from I would say my observation how it feels to you, of course might be different.

It's always had that unexpected component, the platform that you originally entered the industry through winning Miss Universe Australia twenty fourteen, to have taken that and then build the career that you did.

But also, as I touched upon, earlier in our conversation.

To become such a thoughtful advocate and a commentator and really ignite conversations around a whole range of issues.

That was something that I would argue, No one, of all the amazing women that came to prominence through something like Miss Universe Australia, no one used that platform to build a particular voice and career and niche in the way that you did.

I would argue, Well, thank you.

That's very kind.

Yeah, I guess it is unexpected to have a UNI queen.

I suppose, yeah do these things.

But I kind of also never felt defined by that role either, but also so grateful for us at the same time, Like I never tried to shy away from the fact that that was my introduction to this industry.

But I've just always felt a responsibility if to give back, and especially if you have a platform, especially if you are privileged, especially if you're financially able to I've just always it's something Mum and Dad instilled with both my sister and I from a very very young age to speak up when others can't, or to use your platform for good and give back in any way or in any opportunity.

Like any opportunity there is to give back to do that.

It's just being ingrained from me from the beginning.

So I'm really grateful that you recognize that because it is something.

That I.

Have tried to do along the way.

You know, we had this conversation with our daughter, she's only five, the other day.

Life isn't just about taking, You've also you know, you have to give, you know, Mummy, I want this, Mummy, I will that.

And it's like, well, there's given take in life, that's what it is about.

And yeah, I hope she grows up to have those values instilled in her too, because my whole career, no matter what it is, and I think it comes full circle back to this b thing now too.

You know, if we're going to take, we've got to give back.

So yeah, it feels it feels like a full circle moment.

Well, look, thank you so much for your time today, as we've touched upon a busy couple of months to round out the year for you both leaving house, third child soon to arrive.

Final question for you.

Each each chapter that a family takes changes the dynamic, you know, getting married, having one child, having a second child, and obviously there's a multitude of other human experiences, but now expecting a third child, especially with your older two children, how are they feeling about welcoming as sibling?

And can I just finish up.

By asking the two of you what are your biggest sort of hopes expectations as you are your family is about to change yet again.

Well, I think I'm excited.

I really am.

Obviously to get into the new place, really excited for that, and then obviously the third on its way.

It is going to be awesome.

Both the kids are really excited.

I think it is a big gap.

I think it's going to be nearly six and five years gap between them, But what a time to be alive.

Really, it's going to be the time of our lives.

We can't wait.

It's going to be exciting.

Obviously, my parents are coming over for Christmas this year, so we'll be set up in the new place.

It'll be awesome for my parents and just sing his parents to be there for the arrival of the third baby and spend a pretty low key Christmas at home.

And yeah, it's going to be an awesome time.

I'm really excited about.

But always has this thing.

The more the Maria for him, So if I could keep going, we keep having kids, but I'm drawing the line.

But no, there's for me.

Obviously, there is so much excitement and happiness around welcoming a new baby, but there is also this feeling and I don't know if it's something that just a mother has, but also kind of grieving just the time that I'm going to have with just t Laula and Rocky.

And I remember having that same feeling when I was welcoming Rocky, thinking, oh, have I spent enough time with Ta Laula?

Am I going to have enough love to give?

Is my heart going to expand in the same ways that it did when I had you know, the other two?

But yeah, obviously really struggling to get pregnant with the first to Laula and then Rocky and this one to just come along very unexpectedly is a true blessing.

And yeah, so I do feel very excited.

I've just got to get through some of this heat in this and the move and then I'll be able to relax.

Yes, well, look, it's a good time of year for the more the merriest sentiment, isn't it?

As your family is growing we're hurtling towards Christmas.

Well, all the best for what lies ahead over the next few weeks and a very busy time for you and also with the business.

And for more information on Jacinta and Lance's new venture, visit Honeyfolife dot com dot au and we'll have a link to that in the show notes.

Lance and Justinta Franklin, it's been an absolute pleasure to talk to you.

Thank you so much for your time today, Thank you, thank you for joining me today.

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