This little girl is me.
This little grew up as the middle child in a warm and loving family of five on a sheep and cropping property in rural Victoria. She was an introvert – sensitive, self-conscious, shy and kind. A creative soul and a dreamer. She loved spending time outdoors in nature, losing herself in sun-drenched paddocks filled with daisies, and in the great night skies that blanketed their family farm.
At school she was a perfectionist – not for any reason other than she was afraid of letting other people down. She was scared of getting in trouble, of being wrong, and of using her voice. She went to a small school, learning alongside the same 18 classmates from prep to Year 12. She was academically inclined – but it didn’t come easily to her. She worked her butt off to get good results.
In hindsight, journalism was probably a strange career choice for such a shy, naive farm girl, but from the age of 14 that was all she ever wanted to do. She loved to read and write stories, and she was innately curious about people’s lives and the world around her. And that’s ultimately what led her down that path.
She studied journalism at university and harboured dreams of traveling the world and working as a travel writer. That was until she was 19 and her world came crashing down when her beloved dad was diagnosed with terminal prostate cancer, aged just 45.
Instead, when she finished her degree, she stayed closer to home, securing her first job working on a daily newspaper with Fairfax media. She worked there for almost 5 years, and in that time interviewed the Queen, the Prime Minister, and some of her greatest heroes.
She later jumped ship to broadcast media, working as a reporter and newsreader at ABC radio. She also spent some time in the world of politics, working as a media adviser to two State MPs, before establishing her freelance writing career.
For the past 11 years, while raising three sons, she has worked as a freelancer, and today leads a communications agency of storytellers, copywriters and editors, working with businesses all over Australia. Her work allows her to continue living her passion for storytelling, but in a way that allows her to prioritise the gift of her family.
These days she gets to write about the good news stories – the light-workers and the purpose-driven folk out there working to change the world for the better – and it’s the perfect fit for her. She gets to teach people about the power of positive communication and kind language – how we can all use our words to build people up – not tear them down.
This little girl has found her voice, and she’s using her words for good.
Why am I telling you this? Because 70% of women feel more confident about their career and their futures after hearing the stories of other women.
Today is the International Day of the Girl. A shout out to the many extraordinary women in my circle following their dreams and making the world a better place. And to my precious nieces and the many other young girls I’m blessed to know, please always remember that you can DO and BE anything that your hearts desire.
Thank you Inspiring Girls International for sparking this important movement.
