Redefining Life

I grew up in religious, suburban Sydney. I was the classic middle child, hoping for attention in a middle Aussie social bubble that valued achievement and religious obedience.

My adulthood became anything but normal. I bounced back from a heartbreaking divorce in my early twenties. I focused on public speaking and a marketing career.

My grandparents guided my early training in presentations for communities. I appreciated their decades of experience. However, my grandmother was more than a mentor. She was a home away from home as I settled into single life.

Then, in my mid-twenties, I went on an emotional spiral. I enjoyed meeting some of the big names of the networking scene in the Sydney CBD at the time. Everything was at my doorstep, but life felt too unpredictable. I felt lost when my grandmother was diagnosed with cancer. I struggled professionally and personally.

I wanted more. I thought I had found stability when I married in my late twenties, which looked normal on the surface. We moved to Queensland and appeared to be living the dream.

However, I became isolated during early parenthood and the pandemic. I found comfort in wellness and eco-living, such as whole foods.

We crossed the border to NSW in 2020 to farewell my grandmother before she passed away. The marriage fell apart in the months afterwards. My ex found authenticity in splitting.

Post-pandemic life in Newcastle became a journey in itself. I started to rediscover myself - my passion for community, curiosity about alternative forms of relationships and finding ways to be in the world.

I redefined myself in each era - and found freedom from labels in my mid-thirties. I am more than the granddaughter, the mother of an extra special child, the veggie hippie, the presenter… we can be a bit of everything and more.

The upcoming book explores a journey to authentic living.