Out and about
I thought I was going to Melbourne for a conference...
Turns out, God had a few other plans.
After Mandurah, I said we were taking this little show on the road. I just didn’t expect the road to lead all the way to Melbourne, and quite so soon.
A week before the Massage Association of Australia 2026 Conference and AGM, Melbourne wasn’t even on my radar.
Then came an unexpected invitation from my friend Christie.
If you know my health journey, you’ll understand why saying yes wasn’t as simple as booking a flight. Living with fibromyalgia and POTS means I have to think about what travel might cost my body.
So I prayed about it, and felt that quiet nudge from God...
Go.
Flights booked Monday. On a plane Friday!
And that’s when things started getting interesting.
The people God placed in my path
On the flight over, I found myself sitting beside Steve, a massage therapist from Margaret River, heading to Melbourne for a business course.
Of all the people I could have been seated beside!
I was travelling across the country to connect with hands-on practitioners, and God had already placed one right beside me.
And it didn’t stop there.
At Melbourne Airport on the way home, I met Gabby and her husband, Paul. Gabby built several successful businesses in the beauty and aesthetics industry before leaving it.
We clicked straight away, and the conversation just flowed. Hearing another story from someone who had left the industry reminded me why I started The Practitioner Longevity Project.
Every story matters. There’s still so much we don’t know about why talented practitioners leave the work they love.
And that’s exactly what I want to change. More on that below.
Back amongst my people
Walking into the conference felt wonderful.
Massage therapists, remedial therapists, physiotherapists, doctors, educators...people who spend their days looking after everybody else.
After almost 25 years in the cosmetic and dermal industry, and losing my clinics and career to chronic illness, being back in that room was incredibly special.
We had meaningful conversations about burnout, recovery, nervous system health and the physical demands of hands-on work.
When your body is the tool you rely on to earn a living, looking after it isn’t optional.
I want to help practitioners keep doing what they love for as long as possible, rather than being forced out early, as I was.
Sharing The Carnosine Lab
Christie had invited me to join her in introducing practitioners to LactiGo, the carnosine + magnesium gel that’s become such a meaningful part of my own wellness journey.
And what a reception we had!
In Mandurah, it was older people trying the gel. This time, it was the professionals who look after bodies for a living.
They were curious, engaged and keen to know more about the science behind carnosine, and where it might fit in their own lives and practices. Watching them try it for the first time and ask questions was so rewarding.
A new chapter unfolding
I came home with new connections, fresh ideas and plenty to explore, including some fascinating conversations about red light therapy and oxymels. (Oxy means acid or vinegar, mel means honey. I’d never heard of them before this weekend!)
And yes, my body needed some recovery time afterwards. This time I knew the drill.
I put everything I’ve learnt about looking after my body into action. In the days leading up to the flight, on the way home, and once I was back in my own space.
But I wouldn’t trade the experience.
When chronic illness closed one door in my life, God quietly opened another.
I’ve shared those words before, but this weekend gave them even more meaning.
From Steve on the flight over, to Gabby and Paul at the airport, and all the practitioners in between, I couldn’t help feeling God had arranged connections I never could have planned myself.
I’m so grateful to Christie for thinking of me and inviting me along.
I don’t know exactly where these new connections will lead, but I’m excited to find out.
What I thought was going to be a conference turned into another reminder that our purpose doesn’t disappear when our circumstances change. Sometimes it simply takes on a new shape.
And I have a feeling this is only the beginning...
Be part of the data
The Practitioner Longevity Project came out of my own story.
When chronic illness took me out of my clinics, I went looking for answers. Why do so many hands-on practitioners leave the industry? What does the work really cost their bodies? What might have helped them stay?
I couldn’t find any data.
No evidence to take to the industry and say, this is what hands-on practitioners and therapists are facing every day, and this is why we keep losing great ones.
So as an industry, we need to create that data ourselves.
Are you a hands-on practitioner? Or have you already left the industry? Either way, your experience belongs in it.
And when I say practitioner, I mean anyone whose hands and body are how they earn a living. Hairdressers, beauty therapists, nail techs, lash and brow artists, massage therapists, physios, chiros and everyone in between. If your body is your tool, this is for you.
Please complete the survey, then share it with the practitioners in your life. Every response adds to the evidence.
You can also explore my own experience with carnosine and my resources for practitioners.