Lee Clements loves to share her knowledge and support people to achieve a healthy lifestyle through yoga and meditation. She has studied extensively in complementary health therapies, meditation and yoga. She has taught in some of Australia’s leading colleges and has managed health and wellness centres and day spas.

She brought the first flotation tanks to Newcastle in 1985 and now the journey continues for Sensom Health and Wellbeing, guided by Lee’s many years of experience of massage, meditation, yoga and flotation.

Sensom delivers an unparalleled opportunity to reconnect and restore body, mind and spirit.

• What journey led you to start your own business?

I started my first business when I was 23 years of age. I started the Natural Health and Float Center in Newcastle. I’d floated in Sydney and knew that that’s what I wanted to do and I wanted to bring them to Newcastle.

So, I set myself up at the tender age of 23 in the financial and legal sector of Newcastle. I had a lot of fun doing it and learned an incredible amount. That was my first business and now has led to me opening Sensom Health and Wellbeing in Lambton.

• Did you always know you wanted to be an entrepreneur?

I’ve never thought of myself as an entrepreneur to be honest. I knew I always wanted to be in my own business. The word entrepreneur; I always thought that was fanciful and for the Richard Branson’s of the world.

Yes, I am an entrepreneur now, I gladly take that on board. All the ideas that I’ve had over the years and the culmination of this business that I’m running now, that is an entrepreneur.

• What is one action or task you ensure you incorporate into a diary each week?

On the business level, I have a weekly meeting with my partner and we review everything that happened the previous week.  We pull it all apart, strategise and look at things we can do or possibly tweak.

On a personal level, for me, it is my practice of yoga and meditation and my weekly float. That helps me keep focused, motivated and it also allows me the opportunity, when I’m floating, to get some new ideas. To be creative in where I’m going with my business, rather than just following a structure.

I am a creative person and I love to create those new ideas and have a bit of fun with them. So, the floating is actually my key to that.

• What do you attribute your success to?

Being of good faith. Listening to my clients. Listening to my students, my customers. Creating a space for them to grow and to get results for their health and wellbeing. Positive results really help your wellbeing. Empathising is the biggest thing.

• Which local business person do you find inspiring?

I find that question difficult because there are so many. I think everybody answers the same way with this one; there are a lot of entrepreneurs in Newcastle that are inspirational. For me, I’ve got one from my past and one from the present. The person from my past was Beulah Richardson who started Richardson Recruitment, which is now known as peoplefusion. She’s been inspirational for me. She still acts as a mentor to me and a sounding board. I love her dearly and still find her inspiring, even though she’s retired.

The person in the present is Bec Bowie from Estabar. I’ve watched her start her business, grow her business and go through the ups and downs. I love her passion, her commitment and her vision and how she doesn’t waive from her vision. I have a lot of admiration for her.