A little of my story so far . . .

A few years ago, I looked in the mirror one morning and thought to myself, “is this all there is?”. I was in my mid-forties, it was the middle of a global pandemic, and I had no idea what the heck I was doing with my life.

I’d spent my youth bouncing around various retail jobs and trying to ‘make it’ as a singer and musical theatre performer. I managed to book the odd paid gig here and there, and spent a few years teaching kids to sing, but what I deemed as ‘success’ was elusive. My thirties became my travel era, and I managed to build a highly rewarding career as a travel manager of a very successful travel agency. During those years, I took every opportunity I could to see the world and have loads of incredible adventures. But it came at a cost. I had spent so many years chasing financial success and prioritising the needs of my clients and my team, that I forgot to take care of myself. I was completely burnt out and chronically ill to boot. Not to mention that my biological clock was ticking so loudly, it was deafening.

Single, and desperate to become a Mum, with or without a partner, I spent years undergoing gruelling IVF treatments on my own. Years of hormone injections, cycle after failed cycle and two devastating miscarriages later, I finally had to let go and accept that motherhood was not on the cards for me. It was a very painful journey and one I could never have navigated without the support of family and friends or a great therapist.

Just as I was starting to reemerge from the fog of grief, perimenopause hit me like a freight train. I had no idea what was going on. It was a constant onslaught of debilitating symptoms, everything from joint pain, to crippling anxiety and panic attacks, to hair loss and brain fog. It wasn’t until the hot flashes started that I finally connected the dots and started to seek answers from medical professionals. Once I managed to get treatment for my physical symptoms, I started to take stock of my life.

I suddenly realised that I was half way through my life (at least I hope so) and I had a choice of how I wanted to spend the rest of it. What did I want this next chapter to look like? The travel industry came to a grinding halt, and my heart just wasn’t in it any more. I wanted more. 

Everywhere I turned, women around my age were all saying the same thing. They were stressed, overwhelmed, burnt out, drowning under the weight of caring for everyone around them, lacking direction and feeling like they no longer recognised themselves. All of a sudden I realised that I wanted to help other women so they didn’t have to suffer alone. I knew that many of our mothers and grandmothers had suffered in silence through their own menopause transitions and I just knew there had to be a better way. And I could see what was on the other side - the glorious older women finally stepping into their power and claiming a life lived on their own terms. I wanted that for myself, and for all women. 

So I started on the path to becoming a qualified counsellor, specialising in helping women in midlife, and haven’t looked back. I completed a Diploma of Counselling through the Australian Institute of Professional Counsellors in 2023 and am a Level One Member of the Australian Counselling Association. The ACA has strict criteria for membership ensuring that counsellors are suitably qualified and that all members undertake ongoing professional development and supervision which I complete regularly.