Speaking
I’m no stranger to changes in my own life – job changes, moving house, moving countries, illness, family deaths and divorce have all been a part of my story. But in February 2009 I experienced perhaps the biggest and most traumatic change in my life to date as I first survived and then learnt to thrive after Australia’s biggest natural disaster – the Victorian “Black Saturday” bushfires which killed 173 people.
I lost my house and all my possessions and was lucky to escape alive, emerging with only the contents of my handbag, the clothes I was standing up in, one dog and 2 traumatised horses. The year which followed saw me embark on a very personal journey of re-construction and transformation and inspired me to write a book – The Flipside of Misfortune – a memoir about change and choice at an extraordinary moment in my life. After numerous public speaking engagements, and appearances on both local and national radio and on the BBC, in 2018 I worked with Renegade Films and the ABC to produce Aftermath: Beyond Black Saturday – a documentary looking at how people fared 10 years after the fires.
In 2021 I faced another tough time – this a time an unexpected ovarian cancer diagnosis which became a time both of immense personal challenge during a time of pandemic – but also incredible growth and change. I speak about how I felt about what was happening to me and the choices I made to allow myself to return to health.
As a speaker I share my stories but also what I’ve since learnt about handling change and adversity in difficult times. My message is hopeful and inspirational – that we all have choices, even in the worst of times and that how we choose to think and feel about a change can deeply shape our experience of life. Growth and opportunity can exist right alongside misfortune.
If you’d like to see me talk, check out the clips below:
Karen talks about her Black Saturday story: