I woke up in hospital with no idea of why I was there.

My family had been waiting for 3 long weeks with a mixture of hope and dread in their hearts. They hoped I would survive my critical injuries, but they dreaded having to tell me the devastating news: I had lost my partner and my 8-year-old daughter, Jessica Grace.

On 9 October 2016 four of us had been involved in a head-on collision after a memory-filled weekend away. Only two of us survived.

In that moment, everything changed.

Jess and Clint were gone and my condition was touch and go. I had sustained a traumatic brain injury, smashed both my feet, broken my sacrum and had so much internal bleeding that doctors didn’t think I would make it through the night. My eldest daughter, Tyla, was also in critical condition and family were told to prepare for the worst.

It was not my time and some deeper, stronger part of me fought to survive. I pushed through the pain, worked through the grief and have come out the other side - stronger, wiser and more connected to who I truly am and to what life is all about. I refuse to let this tragedy be for nothing and I have a deep desire to use my experience for good.

I love people and value deep and real connections with them. I don’t do fake and have been described as having “no filter” due to the head injury I sustained. I have learned to ask for help and to stop being so stubbornly self-reliant!

In 2012 I stopped drinking and joined a 12-step recovery program. The spiritual tools I gained there became life-lines through my grief. One of my greatest fears had always been losing someone I loved and I imagined I would completely fall apart if it ever happened. By learning to feel my feelings and live by the principle that “acceptance is the answer,” I discovered that healing and peace were possible, even in unimaginable loss.

As part of my emotional recovery, I was introduced to a creative process called SoulCollage®, which became a meaningful way to explore and embrace my “new normal.” It revealed inner strength and wisdom I didn’t know I had, and it taught me to trust my intuition - to remember that the answers we seek are usually found within us.

In time, I became a SoulCollage® facilitator and later qualified as a Life Coach, Grief Coach and Relationship Coach. Today, I weave these experiences and tools into my work as a Self-Recovery Coach, walking alongside others as they find their way back to themselves.

The intention I set while still in hospital was: something good will come from this. Over the years, that intention has unfolded into a clear calling - to support others as they navigate loss, life transitions or the disconnection that comes from losing their sense of self.

I hope my story is a reminder that, no matter what life throws at you, you always have a choice in how you respond. Healing is always possible and you don't have to do it alone.

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