You’re intelligent, a generally good person, and you do everything to help the people you love and care for.

But somehow your life’s been turned upside down because of a horrible event. As a victim, family member, or offender, your life’s been tainted and you can’t forget what happened, nor can you get away from it. You protect yourself and those you love by never letting anyone too close. You’re afraid they may discover your past, along with the weight and shame that you can’t shake off, which keeps you continually suffering in silence.

Hi, I’m Candice.

I coach people who have been traumatised by events, including those whose lives have been turned upside down because of crime and abuse. They want to be free but they can’t move forward because of what happened. I help them find their sense of self and overcome their fear and shame.

I’ve known crime from a young age. Apart from surviving a civil war, my earliest childhood memory is of a man entering our car while I sat in it to steal my mother’s handbag. As I grew up I heard stories of childhood friends being kidnapped and held for ransom; and ultimately I became a victim of crime in Australia where 3 people mugged and beat me up.

Recovering from crime was tough. My body would freeze in fear at anything that reminded me of what happened. I became even more wary of strangers and the world became a very dangerous place. Even though I went to therapy, their techniques didn’t help because all I wanted was hope. I needed to know that life would get better.

In time, I got involved with the Australian arm of the Innocence Project and I became a founding member of a charity called Many Rooms. I pushed my law career; I worked in private practice before I moved onto public service. I did it all to forget what happened.

Then I moved to England as a young mum and sadly experienced racial abuse. As people outside of my family criticised me because of my looks or parenting, I lost myself in a sea of depression.

The world became dangerous again. In shame and sadness I kept people at a distance. I also tried to change who I was so people would like me. I tried to be the good mum, the hard worker, the unassuming church goer. I sought people’s approval in all shapes and sizes; and this left me feeling empty, vulnerable to more abuse, and utterly depleted.

Then one day, I realised that while I couldn’t change what happened to me and how others related to me, I could change my relationship with myself.

I became open to positive messages. I reached out to friends and family overseas. I turned to God and listened to the hurting parts of me. I repaired who I was, and I became secure and free.

Today, I’ve co-authored an international best selling book and I speak up publicly about trauma. I coach people who survived unimaginable pain, including trafficking, abuse, and being exiled from their religious communities. I coach offenders and their families in their grief and anger, including when they struggle to like themselves, and when they hurt so much they can’t see a way forward.

Their stories show how strong the human will can be in rising above their pain, and how incredible joy and wisdom lie on the other side of sadness.  

In working with me, you’ll no longer wonder whether redemption is possible and whether you’re enough. You’ll learn the unique and distinctive characteristics that make you who you are so you never have to question your worth or identity.

You’ll see you won’t need to change who you are to gain love and acceptance. You will free yourself from pain. You’ll be one step closer to having a life that’s no longer tainted by fear and shame.