The person
behind the role.

The person before the player.

Across 16 years coaching Australian rules football—from juniors and youth through to talent pathways—I became passionate about developing the person as much as, if not more than, the player.

I wanted young people to be playing for the right reasons, in an environment that supported their development, mental health and wellbeing. What happened away from the field mattered as much as what happened on it.

I saw how feeling supported and empowered could help people grow, connect with their teammates and perform together. Caring for people and wanting a team to do well weren’t competing priorities.

Supporting others.
Losing sight of myself.

I’ve lived with generalised anxiety disorder, and supporting others was one of the ways I coped. It gave me purpose, connection and a way to get out of my own head. That care was genuine—but I wasn’t always giving myself the same attention.

When a couple of life-changing events unsettled my world, I struggled deeply. Despite the work I had done supporting and educating others, I found I had lost sight of some of my own needs.

It made me wonder how many other people were doing something similar: showing up for their families, teams and workplaces while finding it difficult to support themselves.

I don’t share this as a neat story of having overcome everything. I share it because looking capable doesn’t mean we don’t need support—and caring for others doesn’t make us immune to struggling ourselves.

The conversation
after the session.

Delivering mental health education in youth sporting clubs, schools and businesses deepened my interest in what happened after a session finished.

Who would continue the conversation? Would a parent, coach or trusted adult feel confident enough to listen, ask a question or help someone take the next step?

I wanted to support young people, but also the people trying to support them. With shared understanding and practical capability, the conversation could keep going beyond the room where the education happened.

Why I’m here.

That is where ModiMinds began: a passion for building connection and capability across organisations, sporting clubs, businesses and communities.

These aren’t separate worlds. The people in our workplaces are also parents, coaches, friends and community members. Supporting them can help strengthen the environments around others, too.

I want to work alongside organisations to make wellbeing more understood, supported and embedded—not simply deliver a session and leave. I’m also interested in how the connection between people, growth and performance I saw in sport can translate into healthier, better-connected workplaces.

My lived experience shapes how I listen. My coaching and education work shape what I bring. My story won’t be everyone’s story, but I hope parts of it feel familiar enough to make a conversation easier.