And then I went back to corporate life.

Strategy meetings. Airports. Repeat. My soul felt tired.

A few years later, feeling exhausted from the grind at work, I visited Bali. Everything shifted. I heard this thing called ‘yoga’ was supposed to be good for you. So I tried it – it wasn’t a great first encounter but I stuck with it and showed up every day. The daily massages felt like they gave me life back bit by bit. Time to remember who I was beneath the titles.

One morning at breakfast after meditation, I scribbled an idea on a scrap of paper. A retreat for women. A space with no couples, no kids and no pressure. A space to rest deeply and reconnect.

I flew back to Sydney ready to resign and follow the dream.

Plot twist.

Just as I was preparing to leap, I was head hunted for a dream role. I moved to New Zealand and pushed harder than ever. Three years later, I hit burnout. The kind that slowly steals your spark without you realising.

So I finally listened.

I let go. I packed my bags. I moved to Bali. I sold everything! Not without turbulence first. I tried to open my retreat concept in Brazil and lost almost my entire life savings. I arrived in Bali with ten thousand dollars and a dream I refused to let go of.

Escape Haven was born. Retreats weren’t really a thing back then. But I trusted what I felt was a concept that was so needed in the world.

And then life surprised me again.

One summer’s day, when I was 41, I met Trent. Love at first sight. He had never been to Bali and within weeks he agreed to move there with me. Together we built a life of flow. We worked together. Lived together. Dreamed together. He helped me grow the business in ways I could never have imagined on my own.

Somewhere along the way, society decided that our biggest risks and boldest dreams must happen in our twenties or thirties. I never subscribed to that thinking. I have never believed in outdated rules about age and stage. I met the love of my life at 41. We had our two girls in our mid forties. I built and scaled retreat brands after 40 and one when I was 51. I am living proof that your dreams do not expire. Life gets bigger with age, not smaller.

Escape Haven grew quickly. Over 10,000 women from around the world came to press pause and rest.

Then, Trent and I opened Palm Tree House, a relaxed villa style retreat inspired by slow living and community. Women loved having a choice.

And this year, we expanded again. Together we opened Mana Sanctuary, Bali’s first elevated recovery and longevity retreat where men and women can reset together.

From one dream scribbled on a scrap of paper, three retreat brands were born.

Since opening, more than 10,000 women have joined us. They arrive full. Full schedules. Full responsibilities. Full hearts. They leave lighter, clearer and softer. They remember their spark.