What a terrible, unforgiving, miserable week. I feel as if I’ve just narrowly escaped death’s cold grasp as I eat my first meal that wasn’t solely a cocktail of panadol and Ibuprofen. This flu has been truly awful and I honestly feel lucky that I didn’t have to take myself or any other members of my family to the hospital. I still can’t breathe through my nose but the overwhelming anxiety caused by a shocking fever is finally starting to dissipate and I’m beginning to imagine what life might look like beyond the couch.
I know I sound dramatic but this was the type of illness where you start to question if you’ll ever feel ‘normal’ again. I was having such fevered dreams, both awake and asleep that I had trouble remembering what I had to do next. Luckily Grandma took the kids on Tuesday for some much needed attention since neither Matt nor I had been able to offer them much during the first week of the holidays. Grandma also arrived with a freezer load of soup for us which almost brought me to tears. There is no greater kindness than someone offering you a meal when you’re in need (as well as taking your restless kids off your hands). It’s such a shame I couldn’t taste the soup at all but I know it had healing powers - soups made by Mum’s normally do.
I’ve decided to take advantage of this moment of fresh lucidity to think about my future and ponder my application for the Williamson Community Leadership Program next year. There is no better time to reflect on what’s most important to you than after a time when you honestly believed you had nothing at all to give. I haven’t had a cup of Melbourne Tea, my favourite of all the teas, for over a week now because there is simply no point. It tastes like nothing. So please humour me as I use this newfound clarity and appreciation for life to think through my application.
What are you most proud of achieving in your career to date? *
I’m most proud of my exceptional level of resilience. My overlapping careers as a freelance graphic designer, writer, entrepreneur, owner of an Advanced Manufacturing company and now educator, have presented so many challenges that I’ve become accustomed to facing them head on. I’m an expert at finding the silver lining that inevitably reveals itself. This gift has been developed through raw grit yet it is only through this method that I’ve been able to elevate this skill from something that’s nice to have, to being a formidable asset and an important part of my character.
What is the most significant leadership challenge you have faced in your career? How did you approach it, and what did you learn? *
The most significant leadership challenge I’ve ever faced was deciding, with my husband, to put our Prefab building business into voluntary liquidation in October last year. After nearly 10 years of putting absolutely everything into a business that showed so much promise of building affordable, sustainable and fully insulated homes we simply couldn’t afford to stay open. We approached it with the only thing we had left which was our integrity. We were completely transparent with our staff and are still doing everything we can. We learnt that without trying, we’d never know how far we’d get.
What are your three key leadership priorities in your current role? *
Currently I’m working at the Ballarat Tech School as a STEM educator which involves working with a group of 12 student leaders. These young people are at the start of their leadership journey and it's a great privilege to share with them the importance of connection, collaboration and creativity. It’s easy to forget that we have to learn everything! Exploring the art of introduction has been awesome. Seeing our students look an adult in the eye, shake their hand and introduce themselves will create countless opportunities for them in the future. Creative and critical thinking is the key.
How have you approached your personal and professional growth to date?
My approach has been self initiated and led by curiosity and opportunity. I’m a firm believer that you’ll never get anything if you don’t put your hand up so I simply keep raising my hand. Last year I was the recipient of the Peter Davies Scholarship for Future Shapers, a Ballarat based Community Leadership program and had an extraordinary time creating meaningful and important relationships with my 20 strong cohort. Being exposed to so many areas of community I didn’t know about gave me a different way of interpreting the world. One with less judgement and more time to listen.
Outside of your career, what has been your most fulfilling contribution, and why? *
My most fulfilling contribution would be my beautiful children Frank 9 and Alice 8 but if I was to extend it beyond the obvious then I’m most proud of a weekly blog I’ve written for the last 290 weeks. What started as a practice to get me more confident at articulating myself in words had developed into a public therapy session that, at times, connects deeply with people in my community. The vulnerability I’ve become accustomed to often helps others see different perspectives in their own situations. Their feedback when this resonates has been incredibly humbling.
What is an issue for our society that matters to you, and why? *
The housing crisis is the most important and dividing issue in this country. As a life-long renter, having put anything of value into our prefab business, I have lived a second tired existence in this country because we can’t afford to buy our own home. We have to beg for the simplest of amenities and are at the mercy of landlords who have no intention to improve our home. In Ballarat, hundreds of rentals have been bought by interstate investors speculating on our homes while driving first home buyers out of the market. They contribute no value to my community.
How active are you on addressing that issue? What barriers prevent you and others from acting? *
There simply aren’t enough voices in the room for renters. Of the 227 members of Federal Parliament, 44% own at least 1 investment property, some own 5. Australia's entire economy is so intrench in housing that any meaningful change to policy would almost be impossible to imagine because it would require people to ‘want less’ so others could have ‘some’. We need a huge shift in mindset. I’m actively addressing this issue by writing about it. I share our experience as renters and I’ve become an Australian citizen in case I need to get into government and do it myself.
Why are you applying for Williamson, and why now? What do you hope to gain? *
I believe I’d make a meaningful contribution to my cohort. I’m at this incredible crossroads of growth where I’m agile and open enough to make the most of what Williamson has to offer. I want to make meaningful connections with the people in my group. I want deep dialogues that challenge my way of thinking that lead to new and more articulate perspectives. I want to be able to collaborate with people who are as passionate as I am about life. I’m excited about the countless possible outcomes that would happen if I was part of this program in 2026.
What leadership strengths, personal attributes, professional and life experiences would you bring that would enrich the 2026 Williamson cohort?*
Along with my relentless resilience I bring energy. I have a natural zest that creates and brings projects to life. I’m excellent at harnessing others strengths and helping to create a vibe that up-lifts others. I’m from New Zealand and regional Victoria which are two unique perspectives that combine to create a no-bullshit, fun, hardworking type of person. I believe that you can never have too many friends and EVERYONE has a story that is as important as our own. It’s only when we take the time to listen to the stories of others that we can make meaningful connections.
What shift in your behaviour would help you to be a better leader? *
I need more exposure to different types of leadership. I want to be able to study and absorb other peoples methods to both enhance and critique my own. I want people to bring out the best in me while I bring out the best in others. I need to iterate and adapt my leadership style and doing so surrounded by expectational leaders who are open and willing to be vulnerable will create a version of leadership I’m yet to fully grasp but I know will be extraordinary.
In what ways do you hope to contribute to community beyond your Williamson year? *
I hope to come out of Williamson feeling empowered to take on more influential roles in the youth leadership space. It’s a mystery what the end of 2026 will look like for me and my family but I do know that I’ll take every opportunity that comes my way. I’m actively seeking connection and collaboration with like minded people to help create real, tangible improvements for the people who aren't invited to sit at the big kids table. I know I can have an impact there and being part of Williamson is the catalyst to whatever happens next.
Thanks for reading my application. Feedback is welcome as it is my first cup of tea!
Please note: I’ve been reading Careless People by Sarah Wynn-Williams about her time working at Facebook. Unfortunately, I no longer think I can be on the platform which sucks because it is how I keep in touch with high school friends especially. If you read this blog regularly then can I ask you to sign up to the newsletter version below? I’ll continue posting it on LinkedIN but not Meta. I highly recommend the book. Facebook is fucked and responsible for so much that is wrong in world!
