Western Australia, Australia
What if we tried to find a way that was grounded in hope and care, that turned its back on cynicism and putting ourselves before others - to look for a pathway together? What if leadership looked like support, care, nurturing, integrity, generosity and lifting others up? Being a leader that can’t find hope and care is not leadership. I believe in working with people, supporting people, finding the common solution and the point where we feel like we are doing something for the good of the people we care for. I am a firm believer and practitioner in intentional silence and deep listening in my work – with people, with country, with problems. I used to rush – forwards with passion and enthusiasm and solutions. I used to try and talk a lot in meetings. Now I work slower, with greater care and with far more listening to those around me to get the best from myself and my team. And far better outcomes. I work from my heart and with my heart. I work with my values. I have some training and education that gives me frameworks and knowledge, but my greatest sources of knowledge and guidance have been my family – great people who did very much with very little. People that believed in hope, in community, and in caring for others. They are the reason I do the work i do in the way I do.
National Clinical Advisor - Clinical Leadership within the headspace National Clinical Practice team. Working on headspace model alignment and innovation. The core focus of my recent work has been working on the team authoring the headspace Plus Model of Care. I work with teams across headspace to help develop up and deliver exciting opportunities across the headspace Network, with a focus on the Federal election commitments, the headspace model and outreach initiatives.
I am currently serving my second two‑year term as Board Chair, providing strategic leadership, governance oversight and long‑range planning as the organisation continues to expand its impact. My focus is on strengthening Board effectiveness, maturing governance systems, and ensuring the organisation is positioned for sustainable growth beyond traditional funding cycles. Across my my time as Chair, the Board delivered several major governance achievements. These included the recruitment of a new CEO, the appointment of five new Directors, and the successful purchase of a clinical premises in Albany to support income diversification and long‑term financial resilience. With these changes, I am now the longest‑serving Director on the Board, providing continuity through a period of significant renewal. My current term is centred on consolidating this foundation. This includes refining decision‑making frameworks, strengthening committee structures, embedding clearer accountability, and ensuring strategy, culture and risk remain aligned with mission and community need. The role continues to draw on my experience in governance, organisational development and regional service delivery, with a focus on building a Board that is future‑ready and impact‑driven.
I serve as a Director for this medium‑sized not‑for‑profit organisation delivering Allied Health services to adults and children across the Great Southern, Goldfields and Wheatbelt regions. I work alongside a highly experienced Board and an effective, professional executive team who are deeply committed to accessible, community‑centred care. I previously served as Treasurer before being elected Chair, and I am now the longest‑serving Director on the Board. My governance work focuses on strategic oversight, organisational sustainability, risk management and ensuring strong alignment between mission, culture and service delivery.
As Clinical Lead at headspace Albany, part of Youth Focus, I led a skilled team of Access Clinicians and Counsellors delivering youth‑centred mental health support for young people aged 12–25 and their families. My work focused on strengthening early intervention, building clinical capability, and embedding evidence‑informed practice across the service. I oversaw delivery of Single Session Thinking, Single Session Family Consults, and ongoing therapeutic support, while coordinating the only regionally based eating disorders program in WA. I also supported the development of emerging clinicians through the headspace National Early Careers Program. A key part of my role involved consulting with 15 headspace centres nationally on implementing Single Session Thinking in their services, helping teams shift toward a more flexible, youth‑centred, session‑at‑a‑time model. I also contributed to national strategy and service development through the headspace Clinical Leads Advisory Group. Locally, I worked closely with the Aboriginal community to strengthen culturally grounded engagement and ensure our service reflected community priorities. This role shaped my leadership deeply. It blended clinical governance, innovation, and community connection to create meaningful outcomes for young people in the Great Southern.
Working with the dynamic and highly successful headspace Albany team. Clinical role relying on my nursing qualifications and experience.
I am a sessional marker on the following subjects with the School of Public Health: Global Public Health Unit - 2021 - current Health Promotion Strategies and Methods - S1 2023 - S1 2024 Promoting Mental Health and Social Inclusion - S2 2022 Health Promotion, Media and Advocacy - S2 2023
Distributed 15 was a multi‑artform project that explored how knowledge, action and shared responsibility could be distributed across people, place and the natural world. It brought together cultural, environmental, tourism, artistic and scientific partners to create a deeply collaborative, cross‑sector body of work. The project ultimately evolved into The Stars Descend, a large‑scale contemporary performance created by Annette Carmichael Projects. This work unfolded as a trail of five outdoor dance performances presented across the 1,000‑kilometre Gondwana Link ecological corridor. Each chapter was co‑created with local communities in Margaret River, Northcliffe, Porongurup, the Fitzgerald Biosphere and Kalgoorlie, weaving together movement, sound and landscape to inspire climate hope and deepen people’s connection to Country. Gondwana Link was a central partner throughout the project. Their long‑term vision to restore and reconnect resilient ecosystems and abundant wildlife across southern Western Australia shaped both the creative process and the final performances. The work celebrated the biodiversity, restoration efforts and community leadership along the corridor, grounding the artistic experience directly in the landscapes it sought to honour. The final performances were staged outdoors in spectacular natural settings, bringing together artists, community members and audiences in a shared experience of place, care and ecological imagination.
Annette Carmichael and I delivered Circuitwest's capacity building project around Community Engagement.