ABOUT AMANDA
Hi, I’m Amanda!
I’m a registered counsellor, certified master life coach, Montessori educator and someone who’s revolutionised their entire life after deciding that living a life of ‘shoulds’ just wasn’t for me.
But here’s the funny thing. For a really long time, I was actually very good at following the script. I was the good girl who followed the rules. I got good grades, did what I was supposed to do and became very good at working out what was expected of me, often without anyone actually having to say it. I did the sensible career thing, went into corporate finance and followed the path I thought I was supposed to follow.
It wasn’t until later in life that I started questioning how much of my life had been built around shoulds: what a good mum should do, what a successful career should look like, how relationships, education and family life were all supposed to work. And as it turns out, trying to make me (and my daughters) fit into some textbook, cookie-cutter system doesn’t always work terribly well.
A peek inside our tiny house on wheels.
So I started doing things differently, and quite a lot changed. To be fair, everything changed. I changed careers, went through the breakdown of a marriage and found myself a single mum with two little girls, relying on Centrelink and trying to work out what on earth life was going to look like for the three of us. I didn’t have some beautiful five-year plan at the time. I just worked out what we truly needed next, what lit us up and what lined up with our real values, then did that.
We homeschooled because that was what worked for our family at the time. We lived in a tiny house on wheels, then converted a barn into our home because eventually bigger kids required a little more room! And when homeschooling stopped being the right fit, we changed that too and my girls are thriving in Montessori and Steiner education respectively.
I built a six-figure business around our life, giving me the flexibility to be the present mum I wanted to be without giving up my own ambitions and giving us financial freedom. None of it was about being alternative for the sake of it. I just wanted a life that worked for us, even if that looked completely different to what everyone else was doing.
So, what does all that mean for you?
Well, for starters, I know what it’s like when the textbook answer doesn’t fit the actual person standing in front of you. I know what it’s like to live real life, including multiple diagnoses and chronic illnesses. There truly is no ‘generic’ advice from me!
My background brings together counselling, coaching, Montessori education, business and plenty of lived experience. I’m also autistic, and my autism-powered pattern recognition is genuinely one of my favourite things I bring to this work. I notice connections, different perspectives and the little thing you mentioned ages ago that suddenly makes what you’re telling me now make WAY more sense.
I’ll help you question things, explore possibilities and work out how to put your ideas into practice. And yes, I’ll lovingly call you out on your shenanigans when necessary! I’m not interested in handing you another generic formula for how to live. I want to help you create something that actually works for your life.
A little more about me
Outside of work, you’ll probably find me at the beach, wandering around an organic market, camping, crafting with my girls or rearranging something in my house. (I used to flip houses for fun, so apparently I just can’t help myself!)
I’ve been through chronic illness, disability, family court and plenty of periods where life looked nothing like I’d planned. But I’ve also created a life that I genuinely love, and I don’t believe you have to choose between being responsible and wanting something wonderful for yourself.
Our life isn’t textbook and it’s definitely not perfect, but it’s ours and we love it, and that’s the whole point.
Enough about me. Let’s talk about you.
If you’re ready to question a few things, explore what’s possible and create a life that actually feels like yours, I’d love to hear what you’ve got in mind.
Looking for something else?
Alongside Unscripted Life Coaching, I still offer a limited number of appointments for counselling, relevant NDIS-funded services, homeschooling support and full-day decluttering/home organisation packages.