I am a very proud wife, mother and grandmother and have one tiny chihuahua. Family is extremely important to me and I love spending time with them.

I enjoy a good night out with friends, as much as a quiet get together at home.

Self-care is important to me and includes my favourite oils, candles,  baths, books, walking along the beach and listening to music that makes my soul take notice.

My passion for quality mental health support and suicide prevention, comes from lived experience of losing my brother to suicide. He was my drive to start Fortitude. I have taken this personal experience, grief and learnt experience from my career and training and turned it into my dream of, not only supporting people, but also supporting an amazing team to feel inspired to do the same.  Nothing makes me prouder than seeing our Participants feel supported and develop trusted relationships with our team, where they feel safe and heard. Walking along side people through their journey, is a privilege that we here at Fortitude, don’t take for granted. When our Participants kick goals, so do we. Supporting them to live their best life, is what it’s all about. While there is life, there is always hope.

I am a mother and a wife but more than that, I am a mental health warrior. My passion to work in mental health stems from my own lived experience and remembering the feeling of the low points that makes me want to help people who feel like they’ve lost their shine.

In my spare time, I enjoy eating really good food and indulging in our local area’s treasures. I love to make people feel better and help support them to become the best versions of themselves. My remedy to any bad day is a walk on the beach or dancing around the house to music.

I always aim to provide resources and tools to Participants that help them gain back their power through their own recovery.

I’m a very proud Mum and MeMa. I have 3 children and 3 grandchildren whom I adore. In my spare time I enjoy spending time with my family and friends, walking at the beach with our dog, bike riding, surfing, camping and weekends away with my husband and family.

I wanted to use my past experiences healing myself and working with clients, to work within community services and support people to be their best selves.

I love working with Melinda and the Fortitude Illawarra team. The opportunity I have to make a difference in our community, is something I am very proud of.

I am a proud mother of three wonderful adult children, and a doting Nanny to two beautiful granddaughters and an adorable little grandson.

My career has been rooted in healthcare for most of my adult life. I began in aged care before my son became unwell at the age of two, requiring many blood tests. This experience inspired me to pursue a certificate in blood collection, which led to a fulfilling 12-year career as a blood collector. It was during this time that my passion for mental health care began to grow. Being able to be a support to vulnerable people having tests, not knowing the outcome, really made me see that supporting people is what I do well and where I wanted my career to go.

That led me to working for Fortitude Illawarra. The time I spend with Participants is deeply rewarding. Whether it’s supporting them with daily living, enjoying a walk by the beach, or simply sharing a laugh. My goal is always to brighten their day, while building trust and meaningful connections that help them work toward their personal goals.

I am a mum of four boys and three pups. I enjoy the outdoors, from the bush to the beach and everything between. I just adore being around animals.

I had a change of career in 2023 and chose to move into mental health. I wanted to pursue a career where I could feel that I am making a difference to the lives of people that need it the most.

I came to Fortitude with lived experience, supporting people close to me struggling with their mental health. I have watched and experienced how hard this is for people and their family.

Being a mental health support worker is very important to me. I love that we can make a difference, no matter how small that may be and that we can help empower people to believe in themselves and their individual qualities.

I am a mother of three sons and a beautiful fur baby. I am an avid netball player, I enjoy taking my dog for walks along the beach, Pilates, catching up with friends and travelling around to tennis tournaments with my son. Having had my own lived experience, I discovered self-help and mindfulness practices that have been valuable within maintaining a positive wellbeing. I try to incorporate daily self-care practices in my life which include journaling, meditation and using essential oils. I love a nice bath with candles and a book for those ahh moments.

11 years ago I decided I wanted a more meaningful career, so I made the decision to leave my job in finance to study disability and see where this led me. After the course finished, I knew this was the type of work that had been missing in my life. I continued studies in Community Services, Alcohol and other Drugs and Mental Health. Since then, I’ve worked within the Disability and Mental Health sector.

My objective is to help participants build self-confidence and independence, while empowering them to live their best lives doing the things that make them happiest. By identifying the needs of the participant, I can provide strategies and tools to assist building capacity and support the individual to take charge of their own learning and decision making. I enjoy helping others, and being able to support people to work towards achieving their personal goals is very important to me.

With strong organisational, communication and problem-solving skills, I take a person-centered approach to Support Coordination, working closely with each participant to understand their goals, preferences and individual circumstances.

I am passionate about helping participants understand their options, connect with the right services and providers, and feel confident making decisions about their supports. I take the time to listen, explain things clearly and make sure the participant remains at the centre of every decision.

Whether it’s coordinating multiple services, communicating with providers, helping resolve issues, finding new supports or advocating for a participant when something isn’t working, I am someone who stays organised, follows things through and looks for practical solutions.

Building genuine relationships is a big part of my approach. I believe effective Support Coordination isn’t simply about managing appointments and services, it’s about getting to know the person, understanding what matters to them, and helping them work towards the life they want.

I strongly believe that no one is free of problems and facing problems isn’t easy, so if I can be there for someone without judgement, that’s the perfect start to building a positive relationship where goals can be achieved and people can feel supported.

I am a wife and a Mum of two young women and my beautiful fur baby Frankie. In my free time, I love taking my dog down the beach, grabbing an iced coffee and spending time with my family and friends. Recently I have started dabbling in a little pickleball.

I have spent the past few years discovering some of the many beautiful parts of the world that Indonesia has to offer and after raising a family, I am now making time to travel. As my kids have grown, I have spent the past few years being able to focus more on my career and have really enjoyed my role at Fortitude Illawarra.

Although I am the Team Leader of Fortitude Illawarra and mainly work within the office with our founder Melinda, I still do some mental health support work as I really enjoy my time with Participants and feeling that I am contributing to our community. I have learnt so much from Participants and they have brought as much to my life as I have to theirs. I believe respecting every person as an individual, and being able to adapt to different personalities and support needs is an absolute must within this role. I enjoy having a good laugh with Participants, and having a great sense of humour goes a long way with building rapport. Being reliable, consistent, and following through with doing what you say you are going to do are all important qualities to me and that I always try to live by.

As a Team Leader, I prioritise being available to staff and Participants, being approachable and supportive, and always trying my hardest to lead by example. I ensure we are all always working towards the common goal of best supporting our Participants. I encourage communication, accountability, and reflective practice so that I can help staff shine within their roles.

I am proud of the work I do within Fortitude Illawarra and they team we lead. An amazing bunch of women who have empathy, understanding and amazing professional boundaries, all qualities that the leadership team ensures staff stay consistent with.

I’m an empathetic, curious and encouraging support worker who genuinely loves getting to know people and helping them feel confident, connected and comfortable being themselves. I particularly enjoy helping people get out into the community and finding ways to make things that might initially feel daunting, more enjoyable and achievable.

I’m naturally curious and a big problem-solver. If I don’t know something, I’ll find out! I love learning about the people I support and finding creative strategies that work for them as individuals. I’m also a big fan of good food and really good conversations, especially the deeper ones where you get to know people's strengths and challenges.

Outside of work, I love spending time with my family. I enjoy caravanning, camping, travelling and being outdoors. You’ll usually find me enjoying bushwalking, swimming, snorkelling, and at live music or concerts. I have a fun, creative side too, including a little bit of cosplay! I’m definitely young at heart and love connecting with people of all ages.

For me, support is about more than completing tasks, it’s about connection, encouragement and helping someone get the most out of their day.