A need to be perfect, to be brilliant, to push myself gripped me. In the wake of my parent's divorce and the overnight dissolution of my family support, I'd wake in the morning with my heart already racing, already bracing for life to strike me with the next devastating blow.

I also thought, like many people, that the anxiety was propelling me toward success. In some ways it did, but what I later learned was that there was a more efficient way to do all the things I wanted to do in the world. And anxiety, overthinking and a vicious inner critic weren't a prerequisite.

After seven years of university study and figuring out the answers to my own anxiety, I found myself drawn to the freedom of working online. I travelled to Portugal and Bali, writing books, hosting my podcast and running my online programs helping people around the world access a deep inner calm that lasted beyond one meditation or breathwork class, altering the trajectory of their lives. I eventually settled in a slow, earthy life in Byron Bay, and later, moved a little further north to a mix of city excitement with hinterland peace, the Gold Coast.

These days, you'll find me enjoying a long beach walk or sipping an iced almond matcha, looking out over the open, blue sea, pondering my next book idea.