Heartsick by Jessie Stephens

Life is full of ups and downs and we are always told not to dwell on the bad. The result? Endless times where people go through heartbreak, horror and hardship feeling as though they are the only person in the world who has gone through what they are experiencing. Heartsick is a deep dive intoContinue reading "Heartsick by Jessie Stephens"

Lane Beachley

Beachley has been appointed an Officer of the Order of Australia for distinguished service to the community and I love that her continued involvement with charity work, public motivation speaking and coaching are just extensions of the endless energy and passion she demonstrates in her actions and career.

Book Review: Three Women by Lisa Taddeo

If you're looking for a book to fall into, choose this one. I knew I would love this book from reviews I had heard but it took me a while to pick it up off my shelf and get stuck in. The minute I did, I power read through til its end. Such clever writing,Continue reading "Book Review: Three Women by Lisa Taddeo"

Huwaida Arraf

Her resilience in the face of possible repercussion is admirable, her tenacity to maintain her stance on non-violent responses after being privy to all too many examples of the opposite is, in its very essence, inspiring.

Book Review: Because of You by Dawn French

"Sometimes you applaud the people who write with such meticulous accuracy - they've researched where every tile was placed and mapped out every metre of the football pitch. That's one version of fiction. And then there is this. A book that focuses on the emotions. On the choices and the complexity of human life, and how quickly things can go from incredible to devastating in the blink of an eye."

Weekend Read: Be authentic, now more than ever

We do not have a lot of control right now. But you can choose how to spend the little moments, and the little moments of course add up to the big picture. It's also more than OK to push all of the positives aside sometimes and just be sad and scared. There is a lot of joy in this world, right now we just have to try a little harder to find it.

Grace Lee Boggs

When there is discussion about what makes the perfect leader, this is the kind of person I think should come to mind first. A person who is incredibly influential and makes waves and waves of progress, is educated and informed and knows how to generate and execute positive social movement, yet is humble enough to know that they never cease learning.

Manizha Wafeq

There is so much desperation, sadness, fear and misunderstanding flowing from Afghanistan. You can see emergent news and analysis of the situation here, but this blog was created to celebrate influential and wonderful figures of history and so that is what I will do here. Everyone should know the name Manizha Wafeq, and here's why.Continue reading "Manizha Wafeq"

Book Review: The First Stone by Helen Garner

There can be a lot of conviction in our opinions and beliefs as young people, but before I had experienced some of my own experiences in the workplace and general life I simply didn't have the depth and ability to articulate myself that I have today.

Weekend Read: Supporting someone through grief

At the end of the day, I think we can get awkward and unsure about helping someone who is grieving because we can't control the timeline and can't understand it given its likelihood to change at a moment's notice.

Book Review: There’s No Such Thing as an Easy Job by Kikuko Tsumura

Any book that brings forward these types of conditions in society are welcomed by me. For many reading this book it will seem inconceivable, but then for so many it will resonate and hit home, and both parties I think will wholly benefit from reading this.

Weekend Read: Handling the Bully

Bullying is one of those things that you hope you will leave behind at the school gates when you walk out of them for the last time. Unfortunately, however, it rears its ugly head again and again as we walk through life. Children bullies sometimes grow into adult bullies. It's as simple as that. LotsContinue reading "Weekend Read: Handling the Bully"

Book Review: The People in the Tress by Hanya Yanagihara

I was nervous about this book. If you have read A Little Life by this author you know that she is both a spectacular writer and a heart breaking story teller. Trust me when I say though, this was worth the read. I love when you start reading a book and you look up andContinue reading "Book Review: The People in the Tress by Hanya Yanagihara"

Book Review: Ask Again, Yes by Mary Beth Keane

It felt like I never put this book down once I started it. Of course life disrupts us from life's greatest pleasure, reading, but I rarely went long in my day without thinking about getting back to my book. I found myself up late often during this period due to an injury, and this bookContinue reading "Book Review: Ask Again, Yes by Mary Beth Keane"

Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez

Young people in politics is always very exciting to me. It is one thing to have a young voice, it is another entirely to have that voice represent the "lay person". Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (AOC) gives us a lot to be interested by, as the youngest elected Congresswoman and as someone representing the voices of theContinue reading "Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez"

Book Review: A Lonely Girl Is A Dangerous Thing by Jessie Tu

I had heard a lot of recommendations for this book, and was keen for it to live up to expectations. The fact that I still recall moments of the book and during the read could see in my mind's eye image of both person and place tells me that it did. I think the firstContinue reading "Book Review: A Lonely Girl Is A Dangerous Thing by Jessie Tu"