Several years ago, while running down Mount Maroon in Southeast Queensland, I quite literally crossed paths with someone who would unknowingly influence the direction of my life.
He was running up the mountain — strong, energised, and radiating vitality. In his 50s, yet easily mistaken for someone in his late 30s. We struck up a brief conversation, and he shared that he worked as a Support Worker on the Gold Coast. At the time, it felt like nothing more than a pleasant exchange between two runners. In hindsight, it planted a seed that would surface two years later.
At that stage of my life, I had just stepped away from a successful decade-long career in business technology. I had been leading Go-to-Market Strategy and Operations for the Asia region of a global software company, advising senior executives on digital transformation and growth. The role was high-impact, strategic, and professionally rewarding — but internally, I knew I had reached the end of that chapter.
I ventured into entrepreneurship, developing an AI-based self-awareness tool designed to help people better understand why they are the way they are. After nine intense months, the venture ran out of funding and momentum. What initially felt like failure became a turning point.
I took a six-month sabbatical, travelling throughout Asia. The time away created space for clarity. When I returned to Australia, I made a deliberate decision to begin again — at the bottom rung of a very different ladder. This ladder, however, was leaning against a wall far more aligned with who I truly am.
I began working with several NDIS providers, supporting individuals with a wide range of disabilities including spinal cord injury, cerebral palsy, multiple sclerosis, stroke, and autism. Over time, one thing became increasingly clear. While I valued supporting every individual, I found the greatest alignment — and impact — working with adolescents diagnosed with autism. Interestingly, they seemed to connect with me just as naturally.
During this period, I noticed something important. Many of the challenges these adolescents faced were not entirely different from those experienced by their neurotypical peers. They grappled with identity, social dynamics, communication, and emotional regulation. The difference was intensity and persistence. Their experiences were often more overwhelming, more misunderstood, and more isolating. They longed for independence, yet developmentally were still building the maturity required to manage it. Parents, understandably, found it difficult to step back. The result was often frustration, confusion, withdrawal — or rebellion.
It was here that I recognised I possessed a rare combination of experience and perspective. Years of executive-level coaching, strategic thinking, business-building capability, and deep personal development — combined with hands-on frontline support — positioned me uniquely to bridge the gap between adolescents and their parents during this critical stage of growth.
I formalised this direction by studying to become an Autism Coach and committed myself exclusively to working with children and adolescents on the spectrum. My focus became clear: to help young people develop self-awareness for autism, communication skills, emotional regulation, and independence — while giving parents the reassurance, clarity, and tools they need to confidently support their child.
What began as a brief encounter on a mountain trail ultimately led to work that feels purposeful, aligned, and deeply meaningful.