This month I got to interview and learn a lot more about someone I’ve know for a while, albeit vaguely, until now.

She is joyful, charismatic and has a smile that lights up any room, a real pleasure to be around.

We met at a particularly charged breath-work session in Hervey Bay, Qld around eight months ago. It was the last session of the season and the biggest tribe to date. It’s hard to say what exactly made the difference but the energy was palpable and almost everyone shared intense experiences.

Our host shared some tea and delicious, homemade, healthy treats and those who were free, sat around chatting after. One of the remaining was Shania, someone whose passionate and animated share had my attention. I could tell there was an interesting story to be told from this enigmatic individual.

Fast forward to assignment time last month, it was finally on the cards for me to learn more.

Our time together was nice and relaxed and our connection allowed us to cover much ground including many laughs and some of the deep dark stuff related to being a human. Having met initially through breath-work, we had plenty of common ground and similar goals, and we quickly forgot we were from different worlds and had such an age gap.

Funnily enough, the weather gods chose not to bless us with conditions conducive for our portrait session that took place a week later. Instead we spent the time chatting beyond the scope of the article about travel, creativity and the many, many resultant rabbit holes.

The following is the resultant article and photography from said meetings for the Alive Magazine.

As always I enjoy hearing from you beautiful people about my recent work, so please feel free to share your thoughts either below or on my socials. I hope you’re having a smashing week and I hope that this piece of writing brightens your day!

Not coincidence, but DESTINY

We find ourselves in the second month of 2025 and I’m curious how you are going with your resolutions or intentions? Also curious and if you’re accidentally putting a little ’24’ on pages still?!

If ‘Self-love’ was on the agenda for the new year, we have you covered.

I had the pleasure of connecting with an interesting, inspiring and luminous friend of mine and we had a beautiful session discussing all parts of this paramount topic.

Allow me and my new partner in digressions (we had so much to discuss there were conversation threads on threads) to dive into this topic with you and see what we can discover!

The Oxford dictionary defines it as, “regard for one’s own well-being and happiness.” I think we can do better than that though. I feel like there’s too many layers to keep it defined in just one line. I also found this month that it’s something of a pandora’s box tending to spiral upwards.

A mentor of mine recently said that it’s important to have, what he coined as, “healthy selfishness” especially when it comes to relationships. There are several metaphors for this, including classics such as; filling ones own cup and making sure to attach your own oxygen mask in case of emergency on a plan.

The rationale being that if you truly care about someone, it is important to share from a place of personal nourishment and holistic wellness. In the latter example (admittedly and extreme one), it becomes impossible to help loved ones at all, if you are no longer breathing yourself.

It’s been great having a monthly topic to reflect on, and a pleasure to meet a new person to discuss it with, learn about and apparently, learn from. This month is no exception.

Having already met once, myself and this months guest are not exactly strangers, but had not connected properly at all until we met up for the interview. What came from it, surprised us both.

Shania McCormack is a born and bred Hervey Bay local who is taking life head on right now

and making massive, positive changes in her life.

We both were surprised with the ground we covered in our time and went from highs to lows and back again. I enjoyed the depth of our conversation and the levity of many laughs.

“I was just following someone else’s idea. I think I did that for a good part of my life so far.”

Although pretty normal in society, it was interesting to hear the introspection and relative wisdom as she began to tell of a previous version of herself.

She talks of ‘perceived milestones’ and the ‘should’s’ that were running her life. Again, quite normal in society, she realised, through some uncomfortable circumstances, that that wasn’t who she wanted to be.

Her honestly and willingness to be vulnerable is commendable. She shares of her past that was difficult and had her constantly feeling alone and misunderstood. It’s a powerful testament to her character, that even before the work itself she knew she didn’t want to end up a product of her environment.

Having an upbringing that pushed her to learn a lot of her own lessons and parent her self was difficult but also a blessing that bestowed a real strength and independence.

More proof of her big heart, she chose a career in corrections because she wanted to make positive change in a negative industry. This was a turning point in her shift towards choosing self-love in a corner of the world, so far from it.

“But now, like, my whole mindset has been adjusted. I know what I want, and that’s what I’m going to to.”

Understandably it took a lot of work to get to this new mindset and she understands it’s a way of life now, not a destination per se.

A lot of holistic, eastern practices formed the core of her new curriculum.

“Breathwork was first and that opened the door to meeting more and more like minded people.”

Kirtan, meditation and yoga round out the eastern practices that she’s been exploring and finding success with.

It’s always refreshing for me to hear of the younger generation finding these timeless healing tools at such a young age. At just 24, Shania exudes an intoxicating thirst for life and life experiences, especially since her transformation.

She credits some of the biggest shifts to a woman’s group that she joined recently that was the most surprising to her and lead to monumental self-discoveries and resultant healing.

She has been reading a lot and generally consuming a lot of new, healthy, positive material in alignment with the new and improved version.

Finally, the classic item on most peoples list— exercise. The intensity and consistency of her training rests at the forefront of her positivity. “I have to move, or I don’t feel like myself,” she shares and I relate completely.

As the conversation flows we get to arguably the biggest transformation experience that occurred in August last year. An incredibly expansive month in Peru.

“I knew I had to go. I don’t know anything about the place, but I knew I had to be there.”

She tells me about the calling she received and pushed through the doubt of others (actually cancelling twice!) to follow what felt right in her heart.

On the topic of following guidance she tells me about how the new, self-love version of Shania, moves towards fear and discomfort where the old version would avoid and shrink away.

“It cracked me right open” she says as she explains the impact the trip had on her and her growth.

I smile as I hear the highlights of her trip being the little moments of true connection instead of the ‘checklist’ moments of the masses.

One story in particular involves not moving with the pack and choosing her own pace, which lead to a very rare opportunity to observe the great Condor soaring high against the sunset that the rest of the hurried tour

group miss for that reason. I notice a pivotal moment and consequently a new life mantra emerge when her guide corrects her initial labelling of the coincidence, “it’s not coincidence Shania, it’s destiny.”

We share a moment of silence as we ponder the gravity and depth of such a profound statement.

As a perfect intermission, we are visited by a friendly little dog named George. His owner shares a quote that is so on theme we can’t help but laugh about it.

“The world according to George, is that everyone loves George.” Just, really good self-love stuff right there!

The segue leads the conversation back to what feels like the ribbon tying part of the conversation as we return to the theme of the issue.

“I love who I am now. I had a big shell over my heart that I’m cracking open. And the light is shining out, and the pieces are falling off.”

She goes on to tell me how she wants to share that light with others and spread love and joy with the world.

“I’m so thankful that I get to witness this (life), I’m so thankful I get to have connections with people that matter. Despite everything that has happened and how much it hurt, I get to be here. That’s beautiful and I’m so grateful.”

Shania has a smile that lights up a room and is on track to light up the world. I got so much from our interaction and it gave me a lot of food for thought.

I’m also grateful for this life and grateful for the people I get to meet on a regular basis.

Imagine what a beautiful world we could create if we all choose to fill up our own cup and share the overflowing love and light!