If someone had told me years ago that the most devastating chapter of my life would eventually lead me to create a business helping thousands of Australians, I don’t think I would have believed them. In fact, I probably would have felt offended at the suggestion that anything meaningful could come from so much loss.
But life has a way of breaking us open so that something new, something truer, can rise in its place.
Like so many Australian mums, I didn’t start my business from a place of confidence, clarity, or long-term strategy. I started it from rupture. From grief. From complete overwhelm. I started it because life demanded a level of strength I didn’t know I had, and because I didn’t want anyone else to go through what I went through alone.
My story isn’t polished or tidy. But it’s honest. And if you’re reading this feeling stuck, tired, lost, discouraged, or wondering how you could possibly grow something meaningful while raising a family and carrying the weight of the world… I want you to know this:
You are more capable than you think. And purpose often grows in the places where pain once lived.
The Moment Everything Changed
Losing both of my parents changed my life in ways I still struggle to put into words. I found myself grieving while navigating a mountain of administrative responsibilities I had never been prepared for. I was overwhelmed, exhausted, and heartbroken, yet also expected to make complex legal and financial decisions while barely holding myself together.
In that fog, something crystallised for me:
No one should have to navigate death and paperwork alone.
It wasn’t a business idea at first, it was simply my heart speaking. A pull to help others through what felt almost impossible for me.
That whisper turned into a concept.
The concept turned into courage.
And eventually, courage turned into Sage Executor Solutions.
Starting a Business While Grieving and Mothering
Let me be clear: the early days were not glamorous.
I built my business in moments, stolen moments, late-night moments, emotional moments, and sometimes moments where I sat staring at my laptop wondering if I had made a mistake.
Here’s what I’d tell any mum who is building something during a difficult season:
- You don’t need clarity to begin, just willingness.
Clarity comes after action, not before it. You learn by doing.
- Your story is part of your strength.
The thing you’ve survived might one day become the thing you’re known for helping others navigate.
- You can start small and still make a big impact.
I didn’t launch with a perfect website or a detailed plan. I started with one client. Then another. Then a system. Then a message.
- Healing and building can coexist.
You can be grieving and still growing. You can be uncertain and still moving forward. You can be tired and still building something extraordinary.
Serving While Honouring Your Heart
My business is deeply emotional “heart” work. I sit with families in some of the most vulnerable moments of their lives. I guide them through a system they never expected to face. I carry their overwhelm so they don’t have to.
Running a business in a space that touches grief has taught me three things:
- Softness is not a liability – it’s a superpower.
Mums in business often doubt themselves because they lead with empathy.
But empathy is the future of business. It builds trust. It changes lives.
- Structure creates safety – for you and your clients.
As mums, our time is not always our own. Systems, templates, workflows, and boundaries are what make flexibility possible.
- Purpose prevents burnout.
When your work comes from a place that feels meaningful, it sustains you in moments when motivation wavers.
What I Wish More Women Knew About Starting Again
Whether you’re starting a business, restarting your confidence, or rebuilding your life after loss, I want to offer the words I wish someone had said to me:
- You don’t need permission.
- You don’t need to have it all figured out.
- You don’t need to wait until you feel ready.
- You don’t need to be perfect to make a difference.
The best businesses I know were born from lived experience — from women who turned their challenges into strength and their strength into service.
You don’t need to be fearless.
You just need to take the next kind step toward the life you want.
A Life You Didn’t Choose Can Still Lead You Somewhere Beautiful
My business came from grief, but it has become one of the most meaningful chapters of my life.
Not because it’s easy, but because it matters.
To you, the mum reading this while juggling family life, healing, responsibilities, finances, ideas, losses, or dreams you’re afraid to say out loud, I want you to know:
You are already stronger than you realise.
Your story is already paving the way.
And the world needs exactly what only you can create.