I recently attended a parent-teacher conference at my son's school. His school had introduced something interesting. Students are now asked to self-assess their progress against set learning criteria, with no prior input or correction from the teacher. These self-assessments are then shared with parents during a one-on-one conference. My son scored himself quite well in some areas; confident, clear, and honest. But in other areas, I noticed something familiar. He marked himse

An international student in Australia recently reached out to me, feeling discouraged and overwhelmed. Before coming to Australia, they had built years of professional experience and a solid career. Yet after almost a year of applying for jobs, they had been unable to secure work, even in roles well below the level they had previously held. The repeated rejections were starting to erode their confidence and make them question their worth. We arranged a time to talk. During ou

You don’t always notice when you’re shrinking. It’s subtle. Gradual. Easy to explain away. For a few years, I lived in a small town. At the time, it made complete sense. I was raising my kids as a single mum, working full-time, and completing my PhD. I needed a setup that allowed me to manage everything, and it worked. But after a while, something started to shift. From the outside, it looked like I was holding it all together, but quietly, something in me was changing. I los