I grew up in Australia, a land of opportunity with a genuine hustle harder culture.

Advertising carried me across the world. I shot commercials in the favelas of Rio, climbed volcanoes in Guatemala, used Paris as a weekend getaway from our offices above the Eurostar, had a fling with a Swedish folk singer who was famous, but only in Norway. I wandered Guangzhou with a tattooed colleague to the curious delight of locals. Sydney to Amsterdam to London to Athens.

They called me a warrior woman. I took on challenges and success came in waves with bigger jobs and bigger opportunities. I was good at what I did, sometimes really good. I reached the promised land, CEO of an advertising agency and I was exhausted. My mind was foggy, my body was tired all the time, the weekend never gave me enough time to recover before the week started again. I was at the pinnacle of my career and I was worn down.

I'd love to say I had some elegant epiphany at that point but I didn't. I crashed from the compromises we are forced to make, time and time again, in pursuit of satisfying the world around us.

The hustle harder culture I had bought into made me unwell. It also turns out it is scientifically nonsensical as our bodies are simply not designed for constant overdrive. A mind-blowing concept, I know.

That is when I realised I had been extraordinarily competent for an extraordinarily long time, in conditions that were quite unsustainable. Which left me with one question: why do capable women keep running themselves into the ground?

My 2026 research confirmed four foundations, Competence, Strength, Dignity, Joy, that when maintained well, keep you functional.

I am a strategic lead by training and now a researcher by necessity. I became an educator because I believe that this problem is solvable. I believe this education should be engaging, so I use lots of storytelling in my work, because the data alone doesn't appear to be changing anyone's mind. I have a very low tolerance for advice that tells professional women to be more resilient in systems that are the actual problem.

If any of this sounds reasonable to you, you are in the right place.

Healthy. Capable. In that order.