ABOUT ME
My Journey (So Far).
What if you were told your future pathway was either jail or life on welfare if you weren’t dead before you turned 21? Not because you did anything wrong, but because you didn’t belong. This is often what is expected of kids who grow up like me.
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After being temporarily placed in out-of-home-care (OoHC) at the age of 13 I was left by social services in a state-run girl's group home for almost a year and then relocated to a refuge that safe housed drug-addicted adult men at 14. I ran away and was homeless at 15 after which I was taken in by a local youth housing program and then exited when I turned 18 without any further support. Forced to forfeit my childhood, I literally lived out of a bag as I fought my way through my teens and early adulthood in an extremely dangerous world surrounded by abuse, violence, poverty and chaos.
But I was a tough, tenacious yet stigmatised young woman with a point to prove. After becoming a young single mum in my early 20’s with no social capital, I vowed to my baby boy that I’d be the mother I wish I had and with a talent and passion for empowering others by making complex tasks feel simple, I took the learning and skills I’d developed from being an unwanted homeless teen into becoming a business systems queen.
Always make a total effort, even when the odds are against you
For over 25 years I’ve worked in business and people management, while being mentored and coached by distinguished entrepreneurs, thought leaders and master trainers, including learning the art of professional branding in LA with Guns ‘n Roses’ original marketing manager Craig Duswalt and leading authority on the enhancement of personal effectiveness, Brian Tracy.
I ran my own consultancy and training business for 15 years, which initially started by helping small business owners implement and optimise their operational systems. It ultimately led me to spearhead corporate employee onboarding programs and deliver accredited business and workforce skills training across industries. I’ve been honoured to have worked with 2500+ job seekers, uni graduates and frontline leaders helping them develop their careers by empowering participants and clients with the practical, technical, and soft skills they need to thrive personally and professionally.
Belonging doesn’t require us to change who we are; it requires us to be who we are.
But no matter what I achieved or how hard I tried, I never felt like I belonged anywhere. I was always different and felt like I had to work twice as hard as everyone I knew to prove my value. Then in 2018 I discovered I was one of the 500,000 children referred to as the 'Forgotten Australians'. It was then that my research into the very dark history of child welfare and the current position of out-of-home-care (OoHC) in Australia began.
It is well documented that many OoHC experienced children and young people’s traumatic upbringing and disadvantage can have lifelong impacts on their self-worth, identity, health, and overall potential. Researching and going through what felt like hundreds of reports felt like I was seeing history repeat itself, so I decided to pour my personal and professional experience, wisdom and energy into pursuing my passion to support people who grew up like me by developing a social enterprise focused on supporting Australian care experienced (ACE) people and their care families.
Just get a bag and drop a dream in it, and you'll be surprised what happens
In 2022 I decided to become a bag lady, again. I founded ACE Gear Bags and the ACE Resource Hub on a mission to start filling gaps in a siloed and broken system, by giving dignity back to out-of-home care experienced young people in Australia, while also providing access to local support services for lived experienced people across the country. Ultimately we aim to generate opportunities and awareness within the wider community to create needed social capital for care-experienced people. Currently, we are collaborating with Swinburne University's Social Startup Studio to develop and build this innovative startup social enterprise.
I truly believe EVERY child matters and that our childhoods are a significant part of our story, our identity and of our journeys. No matter what, we have a right to feel heard, safe, supported and connected in ALL stages of life. We all deserve to be cared for and embraced, not judged, left behind and forgotten about.
