Right now, my primary work is bringing regenerative tourism to life - both through research and real-world application. As a PhD candidate, I’m focused on developing a novel Regenerative Tourism Framework that places communities and nature as equal stakeholders in tourism transformation. I explore how local voices, values, and knowledge systems can shape tourism in ways that regenerate ecosystems, cultures, and economies, rather than extract from them. My work challenges top-down sustainability models, instead advocating for place-based, community-led approaches that empower people to define their own tourism futures, while ensuring the rights of nature are recognised in decision-making.

Beyond academia, I see myself as a social impact entrepreneur and change agent, working at the intersection of tourism, conservation, and systems thinking. I’m passionate about helping communities, businesses, social enterprises, NGOs and policymakers move beyond “sustainability” to truly regenerative approaches. Whether through advocacy, strategy, or collaboration. At the same time, I am still learning... I see my journey as an evolving process, and I’m excited to keep learning, unlearning, and co-creating solutions with those who share a vision for a more regenerative future.

I also have another incredibly important role - being a mother to my 9-month-old daughter, Tallulah. She is my greatest priority and my biggest motivation. Becoming a parent has given me an even greater sense of urgency and responsibility toward regeneration. I want to help shape a world where her and future generations don’t just inherit what’s left—but thrive in landscapes, communities, and economies that are actively healing, resilient, and deeply connected to nature.

I see my role as a connector, bridge-builder, facilitator, deep thinker, working at the intersection of tourism, conservation, and community empowerment. My purpose is reimagining tourism as a force for good - travel must contribute as much to the well-being of the people and places we visit as our own.

I'd like to play the role of a listener, collaborator, and change agent—ensuring that community voices, Indigenous knowledge, and ecological systems are truly centred in decision-making. My role is not to impose solutions but to co-create pathways where both people and nature thrive. Through research, advocacy, strategic action and social entrepreneurship.

My primary goal is to help establish regenerative tourism as a recognised and measurable approach, ensuring that tourism actively contributes to ecological restoration, cultural resilience, and long-term community well-being. To achieve this, I aim to:

* Complete my PhD and publish my Regenerative Tourism Framework, making it accessible for communities, businesses, and policymakers.
* Develop new tools and metrics to measure "regenerativeness" in tourism (moving beyond GDP and visitor numbers toward ecological and social well-being indicators).
* Work alongside local communities to support place-based, community-led regenerative tourism initiatives.
* Continue advocating at a policy level to integrate Rights of Nature and systems-based tourism governance.
* Listen, learn and collaborate with others in the regenerative space, ensuring cross-sector learning and collective action.

Motherhood has added a new dimension to this journey. Raising Tallulah has taught me patience, adaptability, and the power of being fully present—qualities that are essential for regenerative leadership. She reminds me daily that true transformation is not just about ideas and systems, but about nurturing, listening, and creating space for growth in the most human way possible.
I want to continue developing:
* Greater emotional and relational intelligence, ensuring that my work is not only intellectually sound but also deeply human, compassionate, and inclusive.
* A more embodied regenerative practice, ensuring that I live the principles I advocate for—staying grounded, adaptable, and in alignment with nature’s rhythms, slowing down and taking pause more often.
* Expanding my creative capacity, I want to cultivate new ways of thinking, problem-solving, and storytelling.
* Create more than I consume - art, music, writing, fire twirling and experiences that add meaning and beauty to the world.

Professionally, I am looking to:
* A stronger ability to lead systemic change—balancing humility, intuition, and confidence in guiding regenerative processes.
* Expand my PhD work beyond research and into direct implementation, working alongside communities, tourism operators, and policymakers to bring regenerative tourism into practice.
*Refine my facilitation skills, so I can guide others through systems thinking, regenerative design, and deep collaboration processes.
* Engage in policy development to influence governance structures and tourism strategies at both local and destination levels.
* Grow a network of regenerative tourism practitioners, fostering cross-sector collaboration and shared learning.
* Continue contributing to global conversations, whether through keynote speaking, workshops, research or consultancy work.

My journey has been anything but conventional—I’ve invested in multiple paths of learning, lived experiences, and deep engagement across tourism, conservation, governance, and activism.
* Four years of full-time PhD research, developing a Regenerative Tourism Framework that challenges traditional models.
* An alternative life as an adventure guide, where I sought out as many diverse experiences as possible—leading, learning, and immersing myself in landscapes, cultures, and ways of knowing. It wasn’t always easy, but the perspective gained from working in remote regions, Indigenous tourism, and conservation projects has been invaluable.
* Co-founding Adventure Junky, a B Corp-certified travel company, pioneering gamified sustainable travel and carbon offsetting before the concept was mainstream.
* Grassroots activism and governance, working with the Bob Brown Foundation, running for the Australian Greens, and serving voluntarily on the Board of Australian Desert Expeditions
* Taking on pro bono work in Indigenous tourism and conservation, believing that some of the most meaningful projects aren’t the ones that pay, but the ones that shift the paradigm.
* Deep self-directed learning, investing in courses, conferences, mentorships, and hands-on experience in systems thinking, regenerative development, and sustainability innovation.
* The people I surround myself with—I once read that we are the average of the five people we spend the most time with, and I’m proud to say my friends and family challenge, inspire, and support me in ways that push me to be better. They keep me grounded, curious, and committed to the work I do. I see this investment in relationships as just as valuable as any formal education.
My investment has been in lived experience, not just academic knowledge—and while the road hasn’t always been straightforward, every challenge and adventure has added depth to my ability to navigate complexity, hold multiple perspectives, and contribute to meaningful change.

Fields of learning range from:
* Indigenous Knowledge
* Biomimicry
* Gamification
* Governance & Rights of Nature – Exploring how nature can be recognised as a legal stakeholder, shifting governance from extraction to stewardship.
* Design Thinking, Human and planet centric design
* Impact Investing & Holistic Capital
* Tourism (sustainable / Regenerative)
* Adventure, Exploration & Nature
* Artificial Intelligence – How emerging technologies shape human potential, problem-solving, and the future of sustainable systems.
* Resilience Theory and Positive tipping points
* Experience Economy

Thinkers & Influences:
* My Parents – I have two of the most extraordinary and interesting parents, who shaped my love for science, exploration, and deep inquiry. My father, a mathematician, astrologer, geologist, and adventurer, taught me to see the world through the lens of patterns, cycles, and the deep time of Earth’s story. My mother, a robotics and AI expert, instilled in me a fascination for emerging technologies, human-machine collaboration, and the ethical considerations of innovation.
* Yvon Chouinard – Founder of Patagonia, pioneering regenerative business, responsible capitalism, and long-term environmental stewardship.
* David Attenborough – Champion of planetary awareness and conservation, showing the interconnectedness of all life on Earth.
* Anna Pollock and Dianne Dredge – Pioneering regenerative tourism thought leaders, advocating for tourism as a healing and regenerative force
* Jane Gleeson-White’s Six Capitals and the idea that economic success should be measured not just financially, but across natural, social, human, and intellectual capital.
*Kate Raworth – Creator of Doughnut Economics, showing how economic systems can function within planetary boundaries.
* Robin Wall Kimmerer – Author of Braiding Sweetgrass, bringing Indigenous knowledge into the global conversation on sustainability and reciprocity.
* Valerie Taylor – A fearless advocate for marine conservation
Ethical Companies & Movements That Inspire Me:
* Patagonia
* B Corp Movement
* 1% for the Planet
* Ecologi
* The Long Run
* Palau Pledge
* Tiaki Promise
The list could go on......

My philosophy is rooted in:
* Friluftsliv - free air living
* Animism and Interconnection – I resonate with the idea that everything is alive, that the natural world is not made up of resources but of beings with spirit, agency, and intelligence. Rivers, forests, and landscapes are not just ecosystems but communities of life that we exist within, not above.
* Reciprocity and Relationship – Nature gives to us, and we must give back.
* Kindness & Curiosity – I believe in approaching the world with openness, humility, and a willingness to learn. Kindness is the foundation of all meaningful relationships. Curiosity allows us to remain adaptable, engaged, and receptive to new ways of thinking and being.
*Regenerative Potential – Every system has the capacity to heal, restore, and thrive when designed in alignment with natural rhythms and ecological intelligence.
* Interconnectedness & Complexity – There is no separation between economy, culture, ecology, and spirit—we must work in wholeness, not in silos.
* Time as a Teacher – learning from the past, acting in the present, and thinking seven generations ahead.
In essence, I see humans as both students and stewards of life. Capable of destruction, but also of deep care, innovation and renewal. Our challenge is to step into a role of responsibility, humility, and co-creation - not as separate from nature, but as an active participant in its renewal, resilience, and evolution.