intuition versus instinct

A 20-Year Journey Through the Magic of the Great Southern and Finally Home Near Greens Pool Sometimes I look back at the places I've lived and feel incredibly grateful for the life I've been given. I've been lucky enough to live in some truly magical places, and each one has left me with memories I'll carry forever. Looking back now, I realise I've been collecting these little pieces of magic all along, without knowing where they would eventually lead me. In 2006, I arrived in Perth from the UK. I'd only ever seen the east coast of Australia before that, so Perth was completely unfamiliar to me. And honestly, I didn't like it. I remember driving down the coast thinking,  I really want to go back to Queensland.  But our container was arriving by sea, so we had to wait for it, and in the meantime we started driving south. Then I saw Greens Pool. I remember looking at that incredible water and thinking,  If I can live near that, I would be happy forever.  It wa...

There’s a particular kind of tiredness that can arrive in the middle of winter. It’s not always dramatic. Sometimes it’s just a quiet feeling of being flat, depleted and a little over everything. The days are colder, the light disappears earlier and somehow even the simplest things can feel like they take more effort. And when you’re feeling like this, there can be a strange pressure to somehow pull yourself out of it. To be positive. To be productive. To exercise more, eat better, get organised, get motivated and generally become the person you think you should be. But sometimes you’re just tired. Maybe shining like the sun doesn’t mean being bright and energetic all the time. Maybe it means finding small ways to bring a little warmth back into your day. Open the curtains and let whatever sunlight there is into the room. Get outside for a walk, even if it’s only for ten minutes. Put the kettle on. Make something nourishing. Put music on while you potter around the house. Ring someone ...

One of the greatest lessons life continues to teach me is that not everything is meant to unfold according to my plan. For so long, I believed that if I worked hard enough, wanted something deeply enough, or stayed focused on a particular outcome, I could make it happen. While determination certainly has its place, I've come to realise that there is a fine line between taking inspired action and trying to control life. The more I have experienced, the more I have seen that some of the things I fought the hardest for were never actually meant for me, and some of the greatest gifts I've received came through doors I never would have chosen to walk through myself. It's easy to become attached to a vision of how we think our lives should look. We create timelines, set expectations, and convince ourselves that happiness exists on the other side of a particular relationship, career, opportunity, or achievement. When those things don't happen, or when they suddenly fall apart,...

I came across a story the other day about a bloke tackling the Gibb River Road in a beaten-up old Toyota Corolla. Not a $150,000 touring rig. Not a fully kitted-out four-wheel drive. Just an old beaten-up Corolla, a pool noodle, a bit of tarp, and a simple coffee machine in the back. He's pulling up along the way, making coffees out of the back of his Corolla and selling them to fellow travellers. I love that. It reminded me how often we tell ourselves we need more before we can start living. More money. More time. Better gear. More experience. The perfect opportunity. We convince ourselves that adventure has to wait until everything falls into place. But it doesn't. The people who seem to get the most out of life aren't usually the ones with the fanciest equipment or the biggest budgets. They're the ones who look at what they already have and ask, "What can I create with this?" Life has a way of becoming repetitive if we're not careful. We get caught in r...

 Choosing Possibility in Uncertain Times. There seems to be a question quietly growing in the minds of many Australians. Not, "How do we get ahead?" But, "Is there another way to live?" For years, the Australian dream was relatively simple: work hard, buy a home, raise a family, and enjoy the lifestyle that made this country the envy of much of the world. Today, that dream feels increasingly out of reach for many people. The cost of living continues to climb. Housing affordability remains a major challenge. Rent increases are forcing families to move repeatedly or make difficult compromises. Everyday expenses, from groceries to insurance and utilities are consuming a larger share of household budgets. At the same time, the news cycle rarely offers a sense of relief. Security concerns, economic uncertainty, political division, and global instability create a constant backdrop of anxiety. Whether it's justified or amplified by the 24-hour media cycle, the result i...

Over the last few years I've become increasingly interested in infrared light therapy, not because it's the latest wellness trend, but because it sits in that sweet spot where modern research and practical experience seem to meet. You may have heard it mentioned on podcasts such as The Joe Rogan Experience, where guests like Dr Andrew Huberman have discussed the growing body of research behind red and near-infrared light. Like many things in health, the conversations can sometimes become a little overexcited, but underneath the headlines there's a surprisingly solid foundation of science. What I find fascinating is that this isn't really a new therapy at all. Scientists have been studying the effects of therapeutic light for decades. NASA even explored red light technology to help promote wound healing and maintain plant growth during space missions. Since then, research has expanded into sports medicine, physiotherapy, dermatology, neurology and rehabilitation. The bas...