About me

Who I am

I’m an English-born Aussie of Anglo-Celtic heritage, and my pronouns are she/her.

I first contemplated suicide at the age of 15. 

We were all under pressure to choose the academic stream which would lead to the university course and career for life.

I didn’t know the choice could be changed later.

I didn’t know who I was or what I wanted, or even what I might be good at.

I didn’t know it was normal not to know your life purpose at 15, because nobody in my world expressed any doubt (though in hindsight I’m sure we all had it).

I chose to follow in my father’s footsteps, not because he wanted it (in fact, he bent over backwards NOT to push me). 

And it turned out to be utterly wrong for me.

Thankfully, I found my path in life.

Or rather, I found some paths.

I’ve been a professional puppeteer (remember those sheep in the movie Babe? If they’re talking in close up, I’m the one operating their ears).

I’ve been a union organiser for actors and, later, for academics - both professions where people are vulnerable to exploitation because they love their work.

I’ve been involved in progressive politics, both on the campaign trail and in the electorate office.I’ve had two career-ending injuries, both caused by overwork, perfectionism and an addiction to productivity.

Both times, I was more than ready to leave that career because it wasn’t enough - it still wasn’t The One Thing I Was Supposed To Do.

I’ve known deep grief, when my beloved father died in 2010; and I’ve learned that joy is not incompatible with grief, at all.

I learned how to create a space where it’s safe to be vulnerable, to feel the feelings and know you’re not broken.

How to break out of the old prisons of perfectionism and the other patriarchy BS which creates so much pressure, it made 15yo me suicidal.

How to create a business that fits ME, that has room for the spaciousness I require AND lets me be useful AF and work with fabulous humans on a regular basis.

How to blend two seemingly incompatible disciplines (science and magic) into a seamless whole, for the benefit of myself and others.

How to break out of a working life that feels like doing the zombie shuffle on the daily, and create a whole new relationship with ‘work’ that is fuelled by joy.

Now, I live in a sleek and spacious townhouse, in a regional city in south-east Australian, with my hilariously funny and talented actor/musician husband of thirty years.

I love chocolate and liquorice and coffee and a good martini - though not all at once.

I saw the first ever episode of Dr Who go to air in 1963, and I'm still a devoted fan.

I love reading science fiction for its wild imaginings about the future and for asking “what if…?”, and I’ve written SF and poetry for fun.

I'm unabashedly devoted to social justice and progressive politics, a fair go for all, and pro-active inclusivity; and I’m always, always in the process of unlearning the many unconscious biases with which I was raised.

I believe everyone deserves equal access to opportunities, and sometimes that means setting limits on the greed of the privileged. 

I’m pro-science, pro-choice, pro-vaccine and pro-magic, all at the same time.

I spent many years battling myself over depression, worthlessness, self-loathing and powerlessness. 

I spent many years trapped in a life I did not love, never realising that although ‘the system’ built the cage in which I lived, I was the only one with the key to the door, all along.

Coaching helped me shine a spotlight on the cage, the key and the door, so that I was able to make my way out. 

Now, I do that same thing for other people.

Because when you tap into your own most resonant, sustainable joy, the Universe cannot avert its gaze. 

What I believe

I believe you came to planet Earth to express a singular, unique human life - one out of billions and billions.

I believe we all grow up in systems of oppression, which are wired in us like a kind of Acquired Brain Misery, making it harder to be fully and authentically ourselves.

I believe that Acquired Brain Misery can be rewired and rewritten, setting your authentic YOU-ness free, like a Shawshank redemption.

And I believe THAT is the source of deep, sustainable, eternally-available joy.

I believe all our human emotions have value, not just the shiny-happy ones.

I believe you have waaaaaay more power than you imagine you do - and I know for damn sure that if you feel self-doubt or think you're worthless, then somewhere, someone sold you a lie.

I believe you are radiantly beautiful, no matter what your body looks like or feels like on any given day.

I believe you came here to make a difference, to make plenty of money, and to make your own heart sing.

And I believe in good coaching

Good coaching isn't about getting the fastest results at the expense of your own wellbeing. It's about growth and expansion undertaken with superb support for good mental health, because that creates growth which is sustainable, long-term, and filled to the brim with joy.

Good coaching isn't merely about the essential breakthroughs and epiphanies. It's about supporting the rewiring of the brain so those new concepts become a foundation of reliable, default perspectives - and that takes a little time and effort.

Good coaching isn’t only about the ‘aha’ breakthrough moments - it’s about the practice of new habits, so those ‘aha’s become your default setting, your own new wiring.

Your human brain is a miraculous, creative, inventive, change-embracing, problem-solving machine - and it loves you. Any time it's behaving like an arsehole, it's because it mistakenly thinks it is keeping you safe.

You are full of superpowers and gifts, just waiting for full expression.

You might feel like Sleeping Beauty in her tower right now, but you're also the Prince on his noble steed, slicing through the thorns with that sword, to set you free.

I believe the best coaching experiences feel like girlfriends on the couch at 2am, splitting a bottle of red or a spicy hot chocolate.

That means in my world, you show up just as you are, let your hair down, feet up on the coffee table, yoga pants or PJs and bare feet or slippers, in all your gloriously messy humanness.

Oh, and there will probably be swearing and a lot of laughter.