The Winding Journey that Led Me to Where I’m Supposed to Be.
In the earlier chapters of my adult life, I identified as a vehemently anti-establishment, bohemian, radical, get-me-out-of-the-rat-race individual. Many years spent adventuring in the back waters of foreign lands, disappearing into the fabrics of eastern cultures, and connecting with ‘strange’ people from vastly different places, gave me perspectives no university degree ever could.
To fund these extended vagabond years, I found myself working a vast array of jobs; from fire-dancer to tattooist, motorcycle courier to kindergarten teacher, labourer to volunteer, healer to actor, singer/songwriter and too many more ventures to mention here.
In my early thirties, as a married man and new father, I realised it was time to ‘grow up’ and get a ‘real job’. Not knowing what else to do with no qualifications, I started my career as a travel consultant in a multi-national travel company. I did well enough to climb the ranks and end up in a senior leadership position with a lot of staff, plenty of zeros after the revenue numbers in the spreadsheets, the accompanying pressure to relentlessly drive net profit growth and way too many hours in a suit and tie. I was pretending to be happy.
When my father and brother both died (2009, 2010) we moved to the Great Ocean Road to be closer to family and raise our children.
Enter stage left – Midlife Crisis. Actually, I prefer to think of this transformational chapter in my life as my Midlife Opportunity. I did have to lose almost everything in this cathartic process (thankfully keeping my kids 50/50), to emerge ‘re-born’ and find myself all over again. Marriage, career, home and most belongings, apparently all needed to be shed, in order for me to move through grief, re-identify, learn to completely accept myself, find my true path-of-the-heart vocation, and live a more meaningful life.
The last ten years have seen me slowly but surely building my leadership coaching practice; working consistently to establish myself with a trustworthy reputation in the Geelong community and beyond, as an authentic practitioner with integrity, and the real ability to help leaders find more clarity and create much healthier work-place cultures.
Through this time of juggling single parenting and business building, I’ve also managed to form an international retreat company (taking people yearly to the remote regions of Indian Himalaya, the northern jungles of Bali, and deserts of NW Australia), have my online resilience course endorsed by the NDS, publish my first book, perform a TEDx talk and branch out into the USA market.
I am very grateful to have had the opportunity to work with clients like Kardinia Park Stadium Trust, genU, Work Safe, NDIS, GMHBA, The Committee for Geelong, TAC, NAB, The Sheriff’s Department, Brae Restaurant, The Surf Coast Shire and so many more awesome Geelong and Surf Coast based organisations.
Although I didn’t grow up down here, I’m glad my kids did, and that this part of the world is their home. Geelong and Surf Coast, you’ve found a way deep into our hearts. You won’t be getting rid of me now!
HuG 