About Me
Hi, I’m Joanna! Most people first meet me as a keynote speaker, coach or facilitator. But what brought me here runs a lot deeper than a job title.
From a young age, I realised that life doesn’t come with a script. I had to learn how to hold my own in difficult conversations, trust my gut, and back myself when things got uncomfortable. That’s where I found my voice. And once I did, I never looked back.
I’ve built a life I’m proud of. A loving relationship of nearly 14 years. Friendships that are deep and loyal. A career that feels aligned with who I am. None of it came from playing it safe. It came from getting real, having the hard conversations, a few tears and showing up fully, even when it’s messy.
Everything I teach, I live. I don’t just talk about vulnerability and connection. I practice it, every day, in my work and in my life. I believe authenticity isn’t just something you say. It’s something you are and it SHINES out of you, and people can not only see it, they feel it.
Somewhere along the way, I realised how many of us are walking around saying we’re “fine” when we’re anything but. That moment, and every conversation since, is what inspired Obviously, I’m Fine.
Because sometimes, it’s not obvious. And it’s okay to not be fine, as long as you’re being real.
That’s why I do this work. That’s why I talk about vulnerability—not just as a buzzword, but as something that saved me.
I learned how to set boundaries, how to regulate my emotions, how to communicate when everything in me wanted to shut down.
And I want others—especially teenage girls and grown women who never got to be teenage girls safely—to know they can learn those things too.
I’ve always been a little different. The kid who’d rather play tig than dolls. The woman who loves systems and a good spreadsheet but also wants to jump out of a plane just to feel alive. I’ve shark cage dived in South Africa, bungee jumped, skydived… and next up is wingwalking. (Yes, really. Look it up.)
I’ve made it my mission to take lived experience—the grief, the rejection, the bullying, the breakups, the healing—and turn it into something useful for others.
I’ve worked in hospitality, taxis, corporate, and coaching. I’ve learned what to do by watching what not to do.
I’ve always been an action kind of girl. When I moved to Melbourne and found myself crying on the floor saying, “I don’t have any friends,” I created a wine club. When I noticed people struggling to connect, I built spaces for it.
That’s what this work is to me: real, human, messy, powerful connection.
I believe:
Growth doesn’t have to be serious.
Fun is a leadership strategy.
You can be powerful and vulnerable.
You don’t need a degree in psychology to know yourself.