Hey there, I'm Charlie

For as long as I can remember I’ve been into fitness. From the age of five I have danced, moved and just loved being active in any way! I can even remember being fourteen and going for a run, doing push-ups and squats before I caught the school bus at 7.30am. My early beginnings as a Crosfitter perhaps?! It’s safe to say that health and fitness have always been a big part of my life.

In 2000, I became a hairdresser. I enjoyed expressing my creativity and hairdressing was the perfect outlet for me. I started taking part in national hair competitions, and I won Senior Hairdresser of the year before going on to compete in the Oceanic Masters in Auckland, NZ. Through hairdressing, I found a way to really connect with people and I strived to give them a truly personal, positive and calming experience.

Getting your hair done is way more than just ‘getting your hair done’ – its intimate and can affect your overall energy. People often treat hairdressers like their therapist, and find they’re able to vent, express their feelings or just talk openly about struggles in their life. Inevitably, this got me thinking…how could I create more and do more?

While I’ve always had a passion for hairdressing, subconsciously I wanted something else. However, as so often happens in life, it took hitting rock bottom for me to realise that I could not ignore this inner wisdom forever.

The rock bottom was a time where life ripped the ground from beneath me and my whole world fell apart. I was living through endless cycles of negativity, dealing with anxiety and depression as well as chronic fatigue and glandular fever. I was trying to numb the pain with drugs and alcohol, which of course only made matters worse in the end. Ultimately, it took a near death experience for me to realise I had to make some drastic changes if I wanted to survive. 

Out of desperation, I started researching international health retreats. I knew that I needed to leave Australia and really get out of my comfort zone if I was going to make meaningful and real change. 

In 2012, I booked myself a trip to Bali for an eight day yoga retreat. At the end of the very first class, I was on such a natural high I couldn't believe something so seemingly simple could be so poweful. From that first time stepping on the mat, I was hooked.

This lead me an adventure around the world, training to become a yoga teacher with some of the world's most renowned yogis in Bali, Thailand, Singapore and India. I even spent 6 weeks living in an Ashram in India, which was undoubtedly one of the most challenging yet rewarding experiences of my life.

It was in India that I knew I'd found my purpose and that 'more' that I had been yearning for.

Since becoming a Yoga Instructor and Reiki Practitioner, I’ve gained my Strength Coach Certification and have also become a qualified Thai Yoga Massage therapist. 

Tathra Collective is the culmination of my passions, my joy and never-ending quest to be more, do more and live life to its full potential! I truly believe that if you are alive on this earth, at this time, then you have a responsibility to shine your light into the world. Forget the past, dance in the now and get excited about the future – and this my friends is what Tathra Collective is all about.