ABOUT ME
Hello, I'm Erika
I am Dramatically Different, I coach girls to become more courageous, confident, and unapologetically themselves and help organisations build more inclusive, human and heart centred practice through drama-informed experiential play and learning.
Whether I'm helping a girl lead, love life, light up through creative self expression, or navigate life's challenges, my work is about helping her embrace her instincts, abilities and feel hopeful about her future.
Sometimes, just one person's belief in you can make a dramatic difference to your sense of perspective and possibility. It did for me—and perhaps it could for you, too.
My Dramatic Difference
From an early age, I was energetic, outgoing, and drawn to the creative arts. By twenty, I had received academic and performance awards, toured nationally as a comedian with the Melbourne University Law Revue, performed as a jazz vocalist, then auditioned for and was accepted into the BFA (Acting) National Institute of Dramatic Art (NIDA).
Three years at NIDA taught me the toolkit of a professional actor: How to walk in someone else’s shoes, read the room, role play & improvise accordingly—very useful real world skills. Meanwhile, below the surface of my perfect-looking life, low self-worth and imposter syndrome were lurking and I developed anorexia. After study, I went overseas and lived in another country. All around me was a babble of foreign languages. I stopped thinking about how I looked and started thinking more about what I loved to do: writing, performing, supporting and singing; and, I discovered that our bodies are for living in not looking at. This was the beginning of my recovery.
Back in Australia I wrote and directed an autobiographical one-woman show about my whole life leading up to and going through the dark tunnel of an eating disorder and coming out the other side. I wanted to reach vulnerable girls, raise awareness and create communities of understanding. To my joy and surprise the story resonated so deeply with those experiencing and treating eating disorders that it culminated in a specialist service to educate the medical profession, youth services, dieticians and thousands of girls in secondary schools, aged 12-18. The show garnered statewide recognition for its moving message and received an award for excellence from the NSW Department of Education.
With the knowledge that my expertise, creativity and lived experience are wonderful tools to help others feel safe, seen and supported, this pivotal chapter of my life determined my new career path in educative person-centred care and creative coaching. Today I draw upon over 20 years as a community inclusion specialist, creative facilitator, program designer and coach, with experience designing and delivering initiatives that support inclusion, equality, gender equity and hope that things can always be better. My aim now is to coach and support girls and organisational teams to unlock their creative thinking, express and embrace their own voice and connect more naturally and authentically with themselves and those around them.
NIDA Graduate
Graduate of the National Institute of Dramatic Art
Presenter/ Performer
Trained in professional acting and performance techniques, singer, writer, presenter and speaker
Coach/Facilitator
20+ years Facilitator/Careers Advisor/Community engagement specialist. Award winning program design and delivery, specialist coach for girls and women.
Advocate
20 + years advocacy for vulnerable cohorts and communities including gender equity and equality for women and girls
I believe what’s on the inside matters most. That access to your authentic self is a life long gift. I treasure wisdom gained as a mother, aunty, sister, daughter, advocate, friend and colleague, and hope my one of a kind coaching can help every kind of girl.
20+ Years Experience
2000+ hours coaching
Creative & Experiential
Advocate/ Community Builder
MY MISSION
To help girls feel confident, connected and true to themselves.
MY MISSION
To help girls feel confident, connected and true to themselves.
Every girl deserves to feel safe, supported and inspired to be her authentic self. I'm here to walk alongside on that journey.
Acknowledgement of Country
We respectfully acknowledge the Wurundjeri Woi-wurrung people in Naarm (Melbourne) where Dramatically Different lives, works and plays.
We pay our deepest respect to their ancestors, and elders past and present. We pay our respects to all Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people of Australia, for their stories, collective wisdom and care of country.