About
Exploring what it means to be uniquely human •
Exploring what it means to be uniquely human •
I’m an educator, adventurer and organisational thinker dedicated to helping people and workplaces evolve through change with clarity, connection and integrity. My work explores how identity shapes adaptability, belonging and performance — and how understanding who we are beneath what we do transforms the way we lead, work and live.
My approach blends lived experience with evidence-based psychology. I draw from more than three decades in education, leadership and human development — and from my own journey climbing some of the world’s highest mountains while living with Multiple Sclerosis — to explore what truly enables people and systems to thrive.
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Academically grounded, practically tested
With postgraduate study across leadership, education and positive psychology, I bring academic depth to real-world complexity — translating research into practical, human-centred approaches that create lasting change.
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Master of Applied Positive Psychology, University of Melbourne
Master of Business Administration (Leadership) Charles Sturt University
Master of Education (Research), Monash University
Postgraduate Diploma of Education (Secondary), Monash University
Bachelor of Arts (Outdoor Education), LaTrobe University
Social and Emotional Intelligence Coach Certification, Institute of Social and Emotional Intelligence
Narrative Practices Certification, The Dulwich Centre
Non-Violent Communication Foundation Training, Communication Group
Evidence Based EFT Practitioner Training, Evidence Based EFT
Professional Course in Positive Neuroplasticity, Dr Rick Hanson
Project Management Certification, Swinburne University
NLP Master Practitioner
An unconventional path shaped by experience — learning how human identity evolves through challenge, culture and change.
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Managing a remote outdoor education centre, accessible only by flying fox across a river
For two years, I lived and worked in true pioneer style — mirroring life before modern conveniences reached the Australian bush. There was no power or running water; fires were lit for cooking and warmth, and life ran by daylight and weather. While raising a toddler and giving birth to my second child, I learned that resourcefulness, shared purpose and community spirit build a deeper kind of resilience than comfort ever could.
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Working as a Risk Manager in an international school in South Korea
In a role shaped by uncertainty, I was responsible for crisis planning — including protocols for potential geopolitical conflict. It was here I learned that effective risk management isn’t about control; it’s about calm, communication and trust. When systems are tested, it’s people — their awareness, adaptability and connection — that determine stability.
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Leading as Principal of a school founded on Buddhist philosophy
This experience revealed the transformative power of compassion in leadership. Embedding mindfulness and holistic wellbeing into a full academic program showed me that culture is the heartbeat of any organisation — and when values are lived, belonging naturally follows.
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Living and working across four countries while raising a family
From the USA to Vietnam, South Korea to remote King Island, every move reshaped my understanding of identity. Immersed in new cultures and communities, I saw how we evolve not by changing who we are, but by expanding our sense of self to include new perspectives, values and ways of belonging.
An inquiry into adaptability and meaning •
An inquiry into adaptability and meaning •
A living inquiry into adaptability and meaning
In 2018, life took an unexpected turn when I was diagnosed with Multiple Sclerosis. Rather than allowing it to define me, I chose to explore what adaptability truly means — not just in theory, but in the lived experience of uncertainty. That exploration eventually led me into the world’s highest mountains, including climbing to over 8,000 metres on Mount Everest.
The climb became more than a physical pursuit—it became an immersive study in awareness, endurance and purpose. Stripped of comfort and control, I began to see how identity holds — or fractures — when the familiar falls away, and how meaning becomes the anchor that steadies us in chaos.
From experience to insight
The months that followed were as profound as the climb itself. Returning home, I found myself reflecting on the deeper patterns beneath resilience: how people make sense of disruption, rebuild coherence and find their footing again after loss or change.
Out of that reflection — and three decades in education, leadership and psychology — the Identity Realignment Cycle emerged. It maps the human process of navigating change, integrating new meaning and returning to alignment. Grounded in Positive Psychology, Narrative Therapy and Emotional Intelligence, it bridges lived experience with research to illuminate the forces that sustain belonging, trust and performance.
Today
Today, my work brings these insights to individuals, teams, leaders and organisations navigating transformation of their own. I help people understand the deeper patterns beneath behaviour and culture — so they can respond to change with clarity, connection and integrity, staying true to who they are as the world continues to evolve.
Based in Australia | Working globally
“My purpose is to help people and organisations understand the human side of change — the identity shifts that shape adaptability, belonging and performance. When we realign who we are with what we do, growth becomes grounded, meaningful and sustainable.”
— Jen Willis, Speaker & Organisational Educator