From the Beginning....
I grew up in a home filled with music, laughter and warmth. My dad worked in construction but was always home in time for dinner, and my mum was a stay-at-home mum with the odd job here and there. It was the kind of childhood where someone was always singing, and there was always a sense that we were safe, held, and loved.
But as I got older, something in me got smaller. My world dimmed a little. I became shy, unsure, quieter. I adored my sister and, without ever saying it aloud, I lived in her shadow. She was confident, bold, sure of herself. And I copied everything she did — even down to whether I said “yes” to a drink. I didn’t trust my own voice, so I borrowed hers.
In my early teens, my parents’ marriage fell apart — and it was messy. My dad struggled, my mum struggled, and my sister, my brother and I bounced between two homes trying to act fine when nothing felt fine. I wore confidence like a mask, but behind it I was anxious, nervous, and constantly trying to hold everything together.
That pattern followed me into adulthood.
Job to job.
Relationship to relationship.
Always feeling like I wasn’t quite enough, never fully grounded, never truly myself.
Then came the moment that changed everything...
When I was 28, my dad passed away suddenly. He’d been unwell for a few years, but nothing prepares you for the final moment. I remember getting the call. The rush to the hospital. The shock. And when I stepped through my front door afterwards, I just fell to the floor — completely crumpled. It felt like the world had shattered and forgotten to take me with it. That moment broke me… but it also cracked something open.
Because when someone you love dies, you realise how painfully short life is. Suddenly you question everything. Suddenly the life you’re tolerating feels unbearable.
So I did something I never imagined I would:
I booked a solo trip across the world.
This was coming from the girl who barely got on a train to London alone. And yet I found myself packing a backpack, walking through airport security with shaky hands, and boarding a plane into the unknown.
Travelling changed everything for me.
I found confidence I didn’t know I had.
I found independence.
I found peace.
I found me.
I devoured self-help books and podcasts.
I journalled.
I meditated.
I did a yoga retreat in Cambodia where I had a course of life-changing coaching sessions on a beach — waves rolling in, sun setting, the whole thing feeling like a scene out of a film. That experience made something shift inside me. It showed me what inner work could do. It showed me that change wasn’t only possible — it was within reach.
When I came home, life pulled me back into old routines and the job that fell back into my lap… but I wasn’t the same. Something inside me had shifted forever.
I kept working on myself — the mindset, the gratitude, the healing, the understanding of who I wanted to become. And slowly, I started growing into a version of myself who finally believed she deserved more.
It was a few years later — after building that inner foundation — that I met Justin.
I had spent so many years believing I wasn’t worthy of a healthy relationship. I’d bounced between toxic partners, convincing myself that “this is just how it goes.” But meeting Justin showed me what real love felt like. What safety felt like. What being seen felt like.
And with him came three teenagers — honest, open, emotional, sometimes hilarious and sometimes other things (huthum) — and blending a family was a journey in itself. There were ups, downs, resistance, breakthroughs, and a lot of learning on all sides. I also doubted whether I’d ever find balance between motherhood, personal growth, work, and trying to support a blended family… but that balance began to take shape slowly, imperfectly, and beautifully.
Then in 2023, our baby boy Jackson arrived — and everything shifted again.
The teens were nervous about us having a baby, but once he came along, they softened in ways I didn’t expect. Jackson became this tiny piece of glue that pulled us all closer.
But even with all the love, I struggled quietly.
Struggled to find balance.
Struggled to find myself in motherhood.
Struggled to keep up with my own growth while life pulled me in every direction.
And yet, I kept going.
Kept studying life.
Kept growing.
Kept healing.
Kept choosing to do the inner work even when it was uncomfortable.
And that is where everything changed.......
Because now?
I’m calmer.
More grounded.
More understanding.
More confident.
And — most importantly — I stay true to myself.
I handle overwhelm differently.
I breathe instead of spiral.
I respond instead of react.
I see situations clearly instead of letting them consume me.
And I trust myself in a way younger me never knew was possible.
Busy But Balanced isn’t just a coaching brand.
It’s the philosophy that rebuilt my life.
It’s my proof that anyone can change.
It’s the roadmap I want to pass on to other women — especially the busy, overwhelmed, stretched-too-thin mums who feel like they’ve lost themselves.
And if you’re reading this and you feel parts of your own story in mine, I want you to know this:
You are not stuck.
You are not behind.
You are not failing.
And your story isn’t done.
You can transform your life — just like I transformed mine.
If any part of this hits home, I’d love to offer you a complimentary breakthrough session — a safe, supportive space where you can gain clarity, feel seen, and begin rewriting your own Busy But Balanced life.
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