Tell us a fun fact about yourself!
I dressed up as a carrot for my 40th birthday. I had always wanted to dress up as a carrot and thought that would be the perfect opportunity. So, I made everybody that was coming to my party dress up as something that started with the first letter of their name because my name is Cindy and carrot starts with C!
What do you love the most about your job?
This is such a hard question to answer because there are so many aspects of my job that are incredibly rewarding. I have pure moments of joy when I can physically feel a breakthrough with a new client after a certain period of time. Each new client that comes to us is a different person which means we need to change the way we adapt our service delivery to make them feel welcome, included, safe and encouraged. Sometimes that feeling of success can come early. Sometimes it takes a little while longer but every single time I feel that moment of “Oh my goodness we just made progress and this person now feels safe and included” is one of the best feelings that I can have in my job.
If you were an animal, what animal would you be?
I would like to be my dog “Mavis”. She is a toy poodle and lives the best life in the world with me. I adopted her four months ago. She is five years old and was used for breeding. She is quite anxious, however, we are working on building her confidence, much like what I do in my job in everyday life. She has come so far already. My favourite thing to do is to hang out with her and feed her, yummy doggy treats. She has become my best little friend and I love her.
What was your most memorable moment?
I’ve had many memorable moments in my life but the one that comes to mind still has me pinching myself. It was literally last week in Bali when my long-term partner Daz who also works in disability proposed to me in a stunning exclusively prepared private dinner setting on the beach. He had planned the whole night with a team in Bali prior to us leaving Melbourne and I have never been more surprised in my life. It was the single most romantic setting I have ever been in complete with a professional photographer who captured the moment perfectly along with a photo shoot along the beach. Of course,I said yes!
What were you like as a kid?
So different to the person I have become now. I have my parents to thank for bringing me up to be a very well mannered and respectful young lady who really didn’t do anything naughty when I was going through my teenage years. I was always scared I was going to get in trouble if I snuck out of the house or waged school. I once got in trouble at school for smoking behind the lockers but it wasn’t me! I had to do the detention anyway. I never liked smoking. Overall I was a quiet child which over the years has changed. I am now a much louder and vibrant person with a very colourful personality and zest for life which I believe everybody should have. I don’t tolerate nastiness or disrespect this extends into my business. I simply treat everybody with respect and kindness and think the world would be a better place if everybody conducted themselves in the same manner.
What event, past or present, would you like to witness?
I would have loved to have gone to an Elvis Presley concert. My late mum Sofie was a huge Elvis fan. She also was the first volunteer as part of the Umbrella Support program. She gave me a love for 70s and 80s music and I still listen to that type of music every single day.
Which six dinner guests, dead or alive, would you invite to dinner?
Oh, this is a very hard question because my dinner table would probably have 50 people seated, not just six. Okay let’s give this ago!
Oprah Winfrey
Marilyn Monroe
Princess Diana
Barack Obama
Helen Keller
Elvis Presley
What three words would your friends use to describe you?
Loud
Outgoing
Kind
What would you do on your perfect ‘day off’
I would start with coffee in bed with my little dog Mavis then a trip to a day spa where I would indulge in a ridiculously long massage treatment and facial. Then I would meet my best friend Deni for a long lunch and a few cocktails and finish with dinner at home with my brand new fiancé Daz and my beautiful toy poodle Mavis watching trashy TV and planning our next holiday together.
Where is your happy place?
Definitely at home. I recently moved to a much quieter location and it’s beautiful. When I first moved I missed my son and our dog Louie. That’s when I decided to adopt Mavis and life got much better for both of us. My home is definitely my happy place but it’s especially great when Daz is with us which is a lot of the time.
If you had to compete on MasterChef, what dish would you cook?
This could possibly be my most favourite question yet. MasterChef would definitely not be my choice of reality TV show. Everybody who knows me is very aware that I do not cook. It’s not that I can’t cook. I just cannot stand the mess. The preparation just seems so long for such a short time to eat. I’m sure people who enjoy cooking don’t mind the mess but I can’t see the point in pulling everything out of the cupboards and then spending hours chopping and slaving over a hot stove or oven to put a plate in front of you and eat for just a few minutes. I’m all about prepackaged meals and Uber eats! Judge away if you will I won’t be offended at all ha ha ha.
Where is your dream holiday destination?
I have been to so many places in the world. I am very fortunate to have seen a lot. Daz and I once spent Christmas Day in New York which was a bucket list tick but I think the place I am still yet to see and will one day look forward to visiting is Santorini. With that said I am still on cloud nine after coming home from Bali last week and Daz’s most unexpected romantic proposal. I would go back to Bali tomorrow to relive that evening but Santorini is definitely on my list.
