I wanted to do something on my own terms...
the story so far
Have you ever heard the saying /one day can change your life’? That day for me was July 10 2014.
I woke up knowing something was wrong. I could hear my husbands alarm shrieking from his phone and he always woke up when the alarm went off. But this day he didn’t. He had died in his sleep. At 44. I was 40 and was now alone with three very distraught, very small children.
What followed was a dark and lonely time full of questions, confusion and panic. My body went into survival mode. My brain stopped working the way it had before. All I could do was keep myself alive, keep my children alive and make sure the most basic of daily duties were complete.
The grief of my small family was so so huge. Many people we had turned to or relied on we’re unable to cope with out sadness and our darkness. I found myself virtually alone and desperately wanting to save my family from sinking.
In September 2016, I packed up my children and the house we had lived in for 10 years and I moved us all to the coast. I wasn’t even sure why I was doing it - just that I needed a new perspective, the ocean and sunshine.
We were living in a small regional town that was cold most of the time and the sun didn’t shine often. Since my husband died, it seemed all the lights had been turned off. I was craving light and sun and warmth and the South Coast offered that.
Healing is not something that happens quickly – or overnight. It is a slow process with twists, turns, backstops and lots of falling over. Healing also takes bravery which is ironic because you usually need healing when you are feeling at your least brave. But I have persevered and so have my children.
In 2022, after finding some quiet time in the chaos that was Covid – and being able to be at home with children and find some real peace – I decided it was time for me to push myself out of the fog and get back into the world.
I thought long and hard about what I wanted to do. I had worked for many years in marketing and journalism and loved both those industries but wanted to do something on my terms. I’d also learned a lot about anxiety, depression and why mental health is so important from some pretty epic psychologists and psychiatrists.
So ever so slowly, the idea for Sunshine came to life. At fist – I wanted a place outside of my home to sit and be creative in. Then I decided it was important I share that place with people. As a former homes and gardens journo and with an insatiable appetite for everything interiors and decorating, I opened a little retail store in Woonona – the suburb I lived that brought me so much happiness and light.
I then decided I needed to write again – write about the things that mattered to me. Creating happy homes, loving people with food, hospitality and kindness. This led to the idea of producing my own magazine that focused on homes and lifestyle on the South Coast of NSW.
I hope you enjoy this website, and reading about everything I’ve discovered, learned and found through my journey.
But hopefully – I hope to bring a little Sunshine and light to the world so those who are in a dark place like I once was can be reassured that the sun rises again and happiness will return.
Jen x