What we know matters, but who we are matters more.
~ Brené Brown
Hello and welcome! 
I’m Colleen
I’m a freelance writer, traveller, photographer. For 25 years I worked as a writer and editor in the corporate and government sectors. But life has changed. I’m building a new life around working with words — to tell my stories and to help you tell yours. It began with the desire to live a passionate life.
In the past my life played out in three different spheres—communication professional, blog writer, and traveller—unconnected, each with its own story.
Reflection and journal writing helped me to find the golden thread connecting all three spheres which brings my narrative together in this new chapter of my life.
Writing is that golden thread.
The written word has been my passion since childhood. Through books I adventured to far-flung places in my imagination. And since my first secretly scribbled words in notebooks as a young girl, writing has been a constant — it weaves through my work, my journal writing, and my travel stories.
Words are my foundation for living a passionate life.
Our new chapter is different in some life-changing ways. Selling our home and business, amore and I moved with our princess dog Lily, from suburban Adelaide, South Australia to the south coast of New South Wales in 2017. Clearing out, closing down and packing up a life occupied us for twelve months and we began to weave the threads to create a new tapestry.
But life is all about change, isn’t it? Our dream of finding a home in New South Wales was a good one, but that dream was difficult to bring to fruition. After two years searching, we have come full circle and find ourselves in a village by the sea, back in our home state of South Australia.
My writing
After many years of writing and editing in the corporate world, I worked with my husband in our small business. Not only am I well versed in the communication structures and requirements of the corporate world, I appreciate the writing needs and challenges of small business owners who follow passions, roll up sleeves and pour hearts and souls into their enterprises. My words work across all media — in brochures and magazines, on websites and social media, in press releases, user manuals and annual reports. I’m here to write new words, refresh your existing words, or edit your words to enable you to connect and engage effectively with your audience.
My journeys
I weave words and images to share stories about experiences, culture, food and people, in my neighbourhood and places far away — especially Italy, a place of my heart. It was love at first sight with this ancient land on my first visit eleven years ago. I discovered a place of belonging, an affinity with the people, and an infatuation with the musicality of the Italian language. I travel there every year and my sense of wonder and awe burns brighter with each journey.
My passionate life
This website had its genesis as a blog called A passionate life. It came about through my desire to change the way I live. My journal chronicles my progress on this path to living a passionate life. It’s about what matters to me, the joy and challenges along the path to a purposeful life. Because change isn’t easy.
I share my story as an example. There’s no advice here. I don’t have the secret to living a passionate life. It’s my wish that you find inspiration, that my stories resonate with you. However, living a passionate life is a personal journey and all of us walk a different path, learning our own lessons along the way.
I believe in:
● effective communication — being aware of the messages we send and receive and how they are received and understood by others
● sincerity — heartfelt words always win over saying what you think others want to hear
● integrity — honesty and fairness are my friends
● good relationships — those built on a foundation of good communication
● having the courage of your convictions — being willing to stand up for what you believe
● appreciation — being grateful very day
I love:
● beauty — it’s all around us
● words — they are my world
● learning — I’m a lifelong student
● Italy — a place of my heart
● chocolate and Italian gelato
● my princess dog, Lily
What brings me here:
My life evolved to no great plan. I was born in South Africa and emigrated to Australia with my family when I was seventeen. I found a job, found the love of my life and by 25, was a mother of two.
I graduated with a communications degree, worked as a writer and editor in the corporate world and continued my studies in business, PR, visual communication and Italian language.
Life threw its punches and after some scary health issues about twelve years ago, amore and I travelled to Italy. What an eye-opening, life-changing trip it was! After living for years in a sort of limbo, my quiescent heart was aflame with awe and wonder.
In short, I fell in love with Italy and all things Italian. I travelled there every year — sometimes solo to study Italian language, the rest of the time I worked in our business.
But my life was still blowing in the wind. . .
. . .until our life-changing decision to transition from the suburbs to a place near the sea. It’s been a long and twisted path to arrive in this village by the sea, but we have arrived and the new chapter of my life has begun.
My aim is to live a meaningful life, not just skim the surface of experiences. I want to live in the present, to find joy in the everyday, to discover the extraordinary in the ordinary and weave my words through all of it!
I’m really happy you’re here. I hope you’ll find something in my story that resonates with you. Please, stay a while and if you’d like to engage and share your own stories, I’d really love it!
