Brea’s Story

How it all started 

Leaving Home
I grew up in a small country town, in a pretty low socio-economic area. My school was rough – fights would break out in class all the time. But even in Year 9, I knew I wanted to go to university.
At home, things were difficult. I don’t share all the details, but by Year 12, I no longer felt safe. One night at 3 a.m., I walked out of the house with nothing but my phone, a charger, and a teddy bear. I was still in my pajamas. That’s when my life completely changed.
Couch Surfing
I began couch surfing – staying with friends and extended family, moving from place to place while trying to finish my final year of school.
The stress took its toll. I was constantly sick, battling tonsillitis five times that year. My school even told me not to bother with exams because they didn’t think I’d do well.
My lived experience has shaped everything I do:
  • Founder & CEO of Pink Leopard – a charity supporting sex workers, improving workplace safety, and driving systemic change.
  • Director at ValYou Collective – a holistic women’s health and fitness brand, empowering women through personal training and mindset coaching.
  • Lived Experience Consultant – advising government, services, and research bodies on housing, youth policy, and social innovation.
  • Public Speaker & Advocate – sharing my story to raise awareness, challenge stigma, and create change.

I’ve beaten many odds – but my proudest achievement isn’t the degrees, the boards I sit on, or the organisations I’ve founded. It’s my emotional growth.

Because real success isn’t just about a list of achievements – it’s about learning to value yourself, finding stability, and building self-esteem after hardship.

And that’s what I now dedicate my life to: using my story to show that transformation is possible, and to fight for a world where every young person has the chance to thrive.



A New Future
At Foyer, I wasn’t just surviving – I was learning how to build a future. With the support of youth development workers and a safe environment, I slowly rebuilt my self-esteem.
From that foundation, my life began to transform.
Beating the Odds
Today, I live on a dairy farm surrounded by animals – horses, dogs, cats, and chickens. I’m studying a Bachelor of Politics, Philosophy and Economics, and I’ve become a confident public speaker, consultant, and advocate.
Searching for Support
Living in a regional area made it even harder. Support services felt out of reach, and no one seemed to know where to send me. At one point, a teacher even asked what I’d done wrong at home – as though being homeless was my fault.
By chance, I met another young person living at a Youth Foyer. She explained it was a place where young people experiencing housing instability could live while studying. I was already linked with three different services, and none of them had mentioned Foyer. Finding out about it was sheer luck.
I applied, and it changed everything.
Slow Steps Forward
The Foyer became my first safe home. Forty young people lived there, each with their own story. I had my own room – a space to breathe and focus.
Still, the effects of trauma ran deep. I would push furniture against my door at night. I avoided communal areas. Even filling my car with petrol gave me panic attacks, so I would let it run empty instead.
But little by little, I began to grow. I learned essential life skills: cooking, cleaning, budgeting, and setting professional goals. One exercise stands out – we had to draw a circle showing how confident we felt in different areas of life. My circle was tiny at first. Six months later, it had grown so much.