Who am I to sit on what I know
while others are drowning?
I'm Yvonne Summer. I live on a hobby farm in regional Victoria with my husband Cleighton and our animals. I run my business from here. I'm currently converting a shipping container into a studio. And I've built something I believe will change the way Australian business owners work and live.
It's called Grounded Academy.
Grounded Advisory is the practice behind it — working directly with councils to bring business clarity, real financial understanding and practical direction to the business owners in their communities. Not theory. Not motivation. The actual tools and frameworks that help a business owner get clear, get control and build something that works for their life — not the other way around.
Because a business should be your path to freedom.
Not your prison.
We are currently accepting
Founding Council Partner applications for 2026/27.
Places are limited.
If you want your business community to be part of what we're building, register your expression of interest below.
Your business should be your path to freedom.
The reality that made this impossible to ignore
Small business owners are losing their way. They started for freedom, for independence, for a better life — but many work massive hours, feel completely overwhelmed, and don't pay themselves nearly enough. Running on empty with no idea how to stop.
Since COVID, suicide rates in the small business community have risen sharply. This isn't a statistic I read in a report. I've felt it close to home.
It was that reality that made me stop and ask — who am I to sit on what I know while others are drowning?
We are not machines. We cannot simply be worked until we break.
I found a better way. And once I found it — I couldn't keep it to myself.
Born from real life
No fancy degrees. No borrowed frameworks. I am not an accountant, a financial advisor or a consultant with a wall full of degrees. I am a pattern recogniser. A dot connector. Someone who has built, broken and rebuilt businesses across twenty years and multiple industries — and paid close attention to what actually works.
Clarity is always the first step. There is always a way forward.
That's what Grounded does.
The ripple is bigger than you think
A business owner with clarity is a better partner. A better parent. A better employer. A better neighbour. Their calm touches everyone around them — their staff, their customers, their community, their children.
In these times of uncertainty that ripple matters more than ever. Stronger business owners make stronger communities.
A note on support
Grounded is not emergency counselling or crisis support.
If you or someone you know needs urgent help please reach out to one of the following services:
Beyond Blue: 1300 22 4636
Lifeline: 13 11 14
Your local council can also help connect you with support services in your community.
Ready to roll up
your sleeves?
Get involved!
Shoot us a message if you would like to get involved in our project.
We’re converting this shipping container into our Heart of operations right here on our farm in central Vic.
It will double as our film studio and office from where we build programs that help overwhelmed business owners build businesses and lives they love.
We work with partners whose values and path align. If that sounds like you click the link below. We would love to hear from you!
“Thinking we can run a business by ourselves is an illusion.
Business is a team-sport. You need the right people in the right roles to do it successfully and stay sane.”
KEEP YOUR SANITY - BUILD AN ECO-SYSTEM
(your support team)