What happens when a colourful, hand-illustrated goals workbook accidentally goes viral? In this episode, Leonie shares the wild, unfiltered story behind the globally loved Goals Workbooks — used by over half a million people and generating over a million dollars in revenue.
From a $9 backyard PDF to hitting #1 and #3 on Amazon Australia at the same time, this is the real journey: the magic, the meltdowns, the missing dates, the horse posters, “Operation Rescue,” print runs gone rogue, and the moment Leonie realised she never wanted to run a big product-based business again.
If you’re an online business woman, planner lover, or goal-setting girly, this is your up-close peek at what scaling a physical product REALLY takes — and why simplicity, sustainability and sanity matter more than spirals and stickers.
What we cover:
How a homemade PDF became a million-dollar global movement
The viral moment on Twitter that changed everything
Coaches, workshops + the yearly ritual the workbooks created
Why the workbooks are unapologetically colourful, magical + for women
The messy truth behind printing 80,000+ products and shipping worldwide
Distribution disasters, held-hostage stock + “Operation Rescue”
The infamous planner missing January 1
When customers received a giant horse poster (or a memorial plaque) instead
Burnout, illness + why Leonie simplified her business model
The Workbook Charity Program that has served 250,000+ people
The 1% goal-setting rule and why writing goals down actually works
Timestamps:
00:00 – The accidental workbook empire
How a $9 PDF became a global bestseller.
03:19 – Why Leonie created her own planner
No cute, holistic, magical goal-setting tools existed — so she made one.
04:17 – The viral launch
1,000+ sales in two weeks and the start of a worldwide movement.
06:46 – How the workbook community grew
Bulk orders, workshops, and annual planning traditions.
07:48 – The workbook vibe
Maximalist, rainbow, unicorn energy — and why it’s not for the “beige girly” crowd.
11:52 – Expanding to a full product line
Life + biz workbooks, planners, diaries, posters + pads.
13:31 – The huge print runs
$450k+ in printing, 100+ countries, custom shipping systems, and endless logistics.
18:47 – When the US distribution house stopped shipping
Thousands of Christmas orders stuck. No answers. Rising panic.
20:52 – Operation Rescue
A contractor drives across the US in snowmageddon to retrieve pallets after extortion-level “release fees.”
26:59 – Running the business during rainforest blackouts
No power, no reception, and answering thousands of customer emails from the car.
28:43 – The missing-January-1 disaster
The planner misprint that still haunts Leonie and Tam.
35:49 – The Lulu era: horse posters + memorial plaques
A 10% error rate and brand chaos — the final straw.
43:19 – Choosing sustainability over scale
Why Leonie walked away from the old model to preserve her health and joy.
46:20 – The charity program
How 250,000+ people in floods, cancer treatment, prisons and low-income communities have used the workbooks.
49:00 – The 1% rule of goal-setting
Why writing and reviewing your goals puts you in the highest-achieving category of all.
51:20 – Get the 2026 Goals Workbooks
Digital versions ($9.95) or printed editions on Amazon worldwide.
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