I’ve spent much of my adult life building communities around storytelling: nurturing relationships with writers and cultivating connection with audiences. Most significantly, I do this with Astray – a travel publication and educational experience provider I founded in 2013. With a strong emphasis on sustainability and media justice, Astay publishes stories centred on journey: creative non-fiction, essays and features. As the founding editor, this sees me manage dozens of freelance writers – something I've done in many roles over the years, including at triple j, Your Friend's House and Freely. This breadth of experience has given me the tools to spot potential in pitches, weave narrative threads together, and work with writers to organise and polish stories. Since 2015, Astray has also been hosting writing workshops and field trips, from overnight hikes and weeklong foraging retreats to month-long investigative journalism courses. In that time, we've welcomed more than 500 adults from 18 countries on programs in Australia, Indonesia, Spain and Japan. I produce, write curriculum for and teach these programs, some have which have been accredited by dozens of universities.As a writer, I’ve been a journalist (bylines at New Matilda, news.com.au, The Courier Mail, rapplr and more), copywriter (clients include Contiki, Destination NSW, Tourism Tasmania, Jeep, Great Northern Brewing Co., Japan Tourism and more) and academic researcher (masculinities). Years spent authoring high-school textbooks and writing standardised tests in line with the Australian curriculum gifted me razor-sharp copyediting skills, too.In terms of audio storytelling, I'm a competent interviewer, presenter and producer. I hosted a breakfast radio show during the pandemic, made podcasts for a domestic violence prevention service, and have MC’d and spoken on various panels. My research and investigative skills are well developed, and my background in presenting, tutoring and teaching means I'm comfortable coaching and speaking publicly. I'm also confident in my ability to foster a warm, respectful and safe work culture.A keen traveller, I've lived and worked with diverse communities in many countries and consider myself adaptable. I started in the travel industry as a backpackers' travel agent, then launched my own tours: camping trips, pub crawls and now, educational field trips. In all that I do, I strive to embody and promote sustainable, ethical practices, and am happiest working on projects underpinned by meaning and purpose.