Nice to meet you
As a passionate strategic communications and stakeholder relations professional, I have worked across the media, government, and not for profit industries for more than ten years.
I have vast experience developing and implementing content and stakeholder engagement strategies that streamline communication channels to deliver informed, trusted and timely content that meets key objectives and optimises user experience.
As a process driven, results orientated person, I have developed sound verbal and written communication skills. This is underpinned by extensive experience in community and industry engagement, project management and marketing, geared towards providing exceptional user experiences.
I have played a lead role in implementing corporate membership-based initiatives and cross-cultural engagement strategies with a focus on building relationships and expanding partnerships.
Embracing the plot twists
I’m a storyteller. An opportunist. An old-school lover. And at my heart, is community.
For as long as I can remember, I have had a passion for writing and sharing the stories of people who are inspiring change, working to make an impact in their community, or taking the road less travelled to create a life they truly love – be it through their career, hobbies, with friends, family or on adventures.
But more than anything else, I have always had a thirst for the unknown and the curiosity to explore – seeking that little something more.
Over the past 10 years I’ve lived in 9 cities, across 3 countries, held 6 jobs, and lived with 29 different housemates. In a million years I’d have never guessed I’d be where I am now.
But that is the beauty of life. And deep down, I couldn’t be more proud of who I am and all the experiences I’ve been lucky enough to enjoy so far.
One first step at a time
I grew up in Wagga Wagga - a regional town in New South Wales, Australia. When I was sixteen, I said yes to my first big adventure and travelled to England as part of a six-month student exchange program. Finding my feet in Nottingham, the short stint abroad opened my eyes to the impact our cultural values, beliefs and learned behaviours have in shaping our relationships and friendships - especially those that span countries.
I returned to Australia with a greater understanding of who I was, and the thirst to challenge myself to experience as much of life and collect as many stories as I could along the way.
After graduating from the University of Notre Dame with a Bachelor of Communications, I interned at several magazines and public relations firms before undertaking a journalism cadetship with Fairfax Media.
Through the traditional baptism of fire, I mastered the art of newspaper rounds and fell in love with telling people’s stories.
Heading north to Queensland, I found paradise on the Fraser Coast and learned more life lessons than I ever thought possible as a journalist at an independent newspaper. It was here I gained vast experience in feature writing and commercial copywriting, researching, and creating social media content. Among my greatest feats was leaving Derryn ‘The Human Headline’ Hinch - momentarily - speechless during an interview.
In 2014 I embarked on an adventure to Cambodia where I worked alongside humanitarian Geraldine Cox, AM, as the Media and Communications Coordinator at Sunrise Children’s Villages (now Sunrise Cambodia) – an international NGO that provides care and community development opportunities for some of the most impoverished and at-risk children and families in rural Cambodia. Living in a third world country and working alongside the Khmer team was a once in a lifetime experience that had a profound impact on how I viewed the world, both professionally and personally.
I lived on National Road 21 in the Kandal Province, approximately 50 kilometres from the Vietnam border for six months. The poverty and inequality, combined with the heart-breaking post-traumatic stress evident in the survivors of the Pol Pot Regime was often confronting and overwhelming.
As my understanding of the Khmer culture deepened, I gained a unique insight into how family and community values shaped their relationships, and was routinely inspired by the mindset of joy, gratitude and optimism young people possessed as they found opportunities for growth in moments of challenge and hardship.
To this day, hindsight continues to build upon the lessons I learnt and show just how greatly our relationships and sense of community both shape and underpin our identity.
Returning to Australia, I spent three years exploring South Australia from my home in Adelaide while working in digital marketing and customer acquisition across the tertiary education and charity sectors.
In 2018 I spent 18 months journeying across New Zealand, working for leading e-commerce companies and international award-winning marketing firms, mastering the hongi and dipping my toe in the magic of Te Reo and Māori culture.
I am an advocate for mental health and balanced living. As a qualified hypnotherapist, NLP and Reiki practitioner, and breathwork facilitator, I love infusing the practices and teaching of the methodologies into both my daily life and approach to work.
