Once upon a time, this TV-obsessed NYC kid begged her parents to attend an open call for beloved (cult?) children’s show, Romper Room. No doubt such a thrilling early peek behind the scenes cemented my fate. From making 16mm films in college to working various roles on professional sets, I ended up at HBO in the original programming department. Five years of invaluable lessons in the business of screen storytelling informed my passion for the craft. I completed my MFA in film at Columbia University where I also met my partner, who was from bloody Australia. We relocated to Los Angeles. Wrote pilot scripts. Directed shorts and web series. Produced branded content. Landed a sweet job in development at Leverage Management. And suddenly I was pregnant, welcoming a baby and moving to Melbourne.

This disruption of career/identity/body/mind has recently been branded the Power Pause. You can even put it on your C.V. But navigating postpartum and starting over in a new country tested my resilience and forced my (Anti?)-Hero’s journey. I struggled with loneliness, insecurity and mourning a perceived loss of purpose. Alongside some admittedly less healthy coping habits, I leaned into my meditation practice and trained to be an instructor, facilitating classes through the pandemic, birth of my second child and beyond. Started an accountability club for writers. Found myself back on set and in TV writers rooms. Slowly built a community. And as a lecturer in Film, TV and Animation at Deakin University I get the joy and satisfaction of supporting emerging storytellers.