About

Instead of a list of attributes, here are six stories that have influenced who I am.

Third culture kids

I was raised by my Chinese mother and my Scottish father in the western suburbs of Sydney. The oldest of three kids, it was the early 1980s and although multiculturalism was on its way, it was just lapping at our shores. You still got teased for being Asian and ate funny food. Many of our classic family stories revolve around trying to fit in and just how hard we failed. We were raised between three cultures, which means being a part of each, but never fully belonging to any.

We were exposed to a lot of different stories as children

My family showed us that there are many ways to live. We housed refugees, missionaries and friends who needed help. Our dinner table was always full. We shared holidays with foster kids. Our home was filled with people’s stories. We weren’t allowed to hold onto anything and donated everything. Yet within all of their generosity, I saw the marriage of my parents fall apart and realised that the bonds of religion aren’t necessarily the bonds of real friendship. My parents gave without ever filling their own tank and it wasn’t sustainable.

School was a bit rough and we were told it was ok to fail 

I went to a relatively tough high school and we had a special assembly at the beginning of our final year where we were told it was ok to fail. Statistically, over 75% of the class would get under 15/100 for their final grade. I couldn’t wait to leave, however remember feeling quietly grateful for my rougher upbringing during my first job in PR. The women rode around the office on scooters, asked me if I lived with farm animals and insisted security guards accompany them to an event in Parramatta, the nicest suburb we used to hang out in as kids. Over time, I realised that my experiences led me to different insights and the fight to do well would create resilience.

The dotcom boom… and crash

Starting off as a volunteer youth worker in my late teens, I ended up writing for a youth publication and through a friend there, started a dotcom for young women. We wanted to rebel against mainstream stories for women and I still have a soft spots for many of the ideas we had. A tech incubator agreed to fund our venture and we worked alongside six other startups and accessed some heavy hitting talent for a year before the dotcom burst in 2001. I worked for my investors after the crash before venturing into the land of marketing.

A party of two

My world fell apart when I was 28 years old. My relationship of eight years ended and I was left alone with our two year old son. Estranged from my family and without any financial support, I was completely terrified. I worked really hard at being a good mum and on my career and everything else took a back seat. They were very dark years, however I think they shaped me. I learnt that I was far stronger than I ever could have imagined; the importance of a tribe, even if it’s a very small one; and that I could experience depression without it defining who I am. We are often told that we can do and have anything and everything we want, however my experience is that you can’t have and do it all at once.

Less really is more

I reached a pivotal point in my life in 2015. I had been GM of an agency for over a year. I had worked hard to see the business grow, achieve good things and completely adored my team and our work. However the mix of my life was wrong. I was in an abusive relationship and the weight of that along with motherhood and work was pushing me too far. I felt empty. So I stripped everything back. Left the relationship, resigned from my position and focused on culling everything back, from my spending to my social media habits. And what I learnt/am still learning is that less really is more.

Oh and a few last bits…

You can connect with me on LinkedIn here.

You can check out my old blog here.