The photo on the left was taken in 2020.
At the time, I was the Deputy State Coroner—a role that carried weight, responsibility, and a deep sense of purpose. On paper, I was at the peak of my career. I had the title, the status, and the long hours to prove it. But behind the polished professional exterior, I was struggling.
The truth? I was exhausted. Burnt out. Disconnected from myself. I had spent so long pushing, striving, and achieving that I barely knew who I was outside of my work. I was consumed by stress and riddled with imposter syndrome. My self-worth was tied so tightly to my role that I didn’t know how to function without it.
And you can see it on my face. The sadness. The fatigue. The emptiness.
Looking at that photo still haunts me—but it also reminds me just how far I’ve come.
Fast forward to 2025, and I barely recognise the woman I used to be.
Not because she wasn’t strong—she was. Not because she wasn’t doing meaningful work—she was. But because she was so deeply disconnected from her inner world, her needs, her truth.
Today, I am more empowered, energised, and aligned than ever. I’ve done the work—deep, uncomfortable, liberating work—to unravel the stories I carried for decades. Stories that told me my worth was in my productivity. That burnout was just the price of success. That being everything to everyone was noble.
I now know that true power doesn’t come from pushing harder. It comes from pausing. Listening. Reconnecting with the part of you that always knew who you were—before the world told you who to be.
I’ve redefined what success looks like. For me, it’s not about external achievement—it’s about internal alignment. It’s about waking up with peace in my chest, knowing that I’m living in a way that honours my values and my truth.
This is what doing the work looks like. This is what transformation feels like.
And now, it’s my mission to help other women—especially those in mid-life who have given so much of themselves to careers, families, and expectations—do the same.
If you feel stuck, burnt out, or disconnected from who you truly are, please know this: there is another way. You don’t have to keep surviving. You can choose to thrive.
You are not broken. You are becoming.
Let’s find the light within you again. 🔥
By Jacqui Hawkins
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