How Australia tested my voice and revealed my truth
Turns out almost passing out in hot yoga is great for personal growth.
It’s June 2013 and after four months of travelling across Asia, I've landed in Australia. Join me as I discover the Great Barrier Reef, survive ‘death yoga,’ reconnect with friends and learn what happens when I finally find my voice.
"I can't—"
The words caught in my throat as I bent so far backwards I thought I’d snap, gasping in the intense heat.
My heart hammered and sweat poured. Still, I smiled - my default defence when things got hard.
Four months of solo travel across Asia had made me resilient. But despite building a successful communications career, advocating for myself remained a challenge.
Australia, it seemed, wasn’t going to let me off so easily.
Arriving in the Australian winter
I shuffled through the airport, barely functioning. After my flight from Bali and a 4am transfer in Darwin, I was running on empty by the time I reached Cairns.
Blinking against the brilliant Queensland sun, I grabbed a taxi to my hostel. It was winter here, but the skies were clear - a sharp contrast to the perpetual grey back home in London.
"Where to?" asked the driver, his accent unmistakably Australian.
Smiling, I gave him the name of my hostel. I was happy to return to a country where English was the native language and communication was easy again. I couldn’t wait to meet up with my friends here.
First, I had a date with the famous waters of the Great Barrier Reef.
It was time to dive into the blue.
