12/10/2026
I never set out to build a business. I think I kept noticing people who needed help, and kept trying to understand what kind of help would actually make a difference. At 16, I worked as a front-shop assistant in a pharmacy, and in 2004, while completing my Masters, I began tutoring and working with students experiencing disabilities and learning barriers. Something changed for me. I became fascinated by how we learn, rather than what we learn. I realised what I was doing wasn't really tutoring. It was about skills, understanding the learner and making difficult things accessible.
That is why I created EduHelp.
But before I started EduHelp in 2009, I taught scuba diving in 2006 and 2007, which reinforced something I loved: taking difficult, technical, or practical concepts and finding ways to make them accessible. Teaching 12 metres underwater certainly taught me that context matters! Nature, adventure and challenge have always been part of who I am. I like figuring things out, exploring and finding another way when the first way doesn't work. That has shaped both my methodology and my life.
I am grateful to the schools that allowed me to learn alongside learners, families and educators, and to an exceptional remedial therapist who significantly influenced my understanding of learning support. My qualifications span education, psychology, disability studies, and wellness. But I know something important: My qualifications are part of my story. They are not my whole story. They represent training and professional development, but they don't capture the person behind them: my experiences, challenges, curiosity, interests, mistakes, adventures and the people who have shaped me. I tend to mention my qualifications when my knowledge or experience is questioned, rather than because they define me.
Over 17 years, EduHelp has evolved from learning support into functional development, educational wellness, teacher wellness, professional development, resources and broader integrative approaches to learning and well-being. It hasn't always been easy. My views don't always fit comfortably within established thinking, and challenging ideas has sometimes created disagreement. Yet I value those who have challenged me: some showed me where I needed to change; others where I needed to stand my ground.
What has remained constant? Grit. Curiosity. Methodology. And a willingness to take on the next challenge. I am deeply grateful to the schools, educators, professionals, families, learners and collaborators who have shaped this journey, particularly Loudine Heunis, Lisa Theunissen, Robyn Moses (nee Hawes), Presheka Budhrani, Jeanne Kruger and Lehandra Riley.
17 years is worth celebrating. People see the success. They don't always see the challenges it took to get there, the amount of time, effort, failures and dedication it took. I see the next mountain. The next challenge: to learn, adapt, question and grow. I cannot wait!
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