#3. The woman behind the founder

What it really felt like to build a company as a migrant, a woman, and a mother.

They see the founder. But they do not see what came before her.

Before MadeComfy was an idea, I was wandering through shopping centres trying to find a problem to solve. Literally. I walked around for days, eyes wide open, looking for something that sparked purpose. I did not just want a business. I wanted the right one.

Then one day, it came to me not through a grand insight but through a cardboard box used as a bedside table.

My partner at the time (now my husband) was renting out his Cremorne Point apartment on Airbnb while travelling for work. One day, he asked me to help manage a guest check-in. I looked at the listing and could not help but notice the photos were... not great. The bedside table was a box, and the linen was from his mum. So I gave the bedroom a makeover, restyled the space, and reshot the photos.

Almost immediately, the listing performed better.

That tiny win lit a spark. I dug into what was happening overseas and saw successful models in the US and UK, but nothing like it in Australia. The market was booming, and the need was clear.

Still, I hesitated. I had a great job. A safe path. A corporate career I had built from scratch as a migrant woman in a new country. But then I had dinner with a mentor, Andrew, a successful Australian entrepreneur I trusted. When I shared the idea, his reaction was simple and direct.

 “This could be big. Why haven’t you quit yet?”

I started rambling about my job, my career, and what I had built.

And he said,

 “If it does not work out, just get another job.”

Something about that broke the spell. The next day, I handed in my resignation.

I had six months of runway. No safety net. No investors. Just an idea, grit, and belief.

What I did not know was that by leaping, I was inviting opportunity to meet me halfway. During my notice period at Kellogg’s, a colleague introduced me to his best friend, Trish. She became our very first investor, and her belief carried me through when cash was almost gone.

The truth is, I have come very close to failing. More than once.

I have had to clean apartments myself. I have cried in the dark after long days, only to open my phone and find more angry messages. I have pitched in boardrooms full of men who left the room one by one as my co-founder and I argued mid-pitch. I was left standing there alone. I have made strategic mistakes that nearly broke the company. I have wanted to quit more times than I can count.

But every time, I stayed. Because of the people who believed in me. Because of the responsibility I feel to those who took the leap with me. Because the mission mattered.

What surprised me most was not my resilience. It was what changed in me.

I always had strong self-belief. I moved out at sixteen. Studied far from home. Migrated to Australia alone. Built a career from zero. But building a company taught me something new: to believe in others.

In the beginning, I clung to control. I thought I had to own every piece of the puzzle. Over time, I learned to see the unique magic in each person around me and to grow that. I became a leader who empowers, who develops, who lifts people up. That has been the most profound evolution.

And then I became a mother.

Motherhood shattered and rebuilt me in the best way. It gave me empathy like nothing else could. Suddenly, my team was not just employees. They were someone’s child. I saw them with softness. I led with more care. I understood the strength of mothers. And I became fiercely protective of my time, sharper in my focus, and more ruthless with what mattered.

I have learned to lead with both edge and heart.

And no, I did not slow down after becoming a mum. Not because I had to keep going, but because I wanted to. I love my kids. And I love what I do for work. I will not apologise for that.

It is harder now, with two kids. The early postpartum months nearly broke me. Not from lack of love, but from lack of sleep. But I had support. I had love. I had a partner who stood beside me in life and business, and we made it work.

Not perfectly. But with full hearts.

These days, there is no clear line between work and life. I live in the blur. But I have learned to be present where I am. To show up fully, at home and at work. And to give myself the grace to try again tomorrow.

Because the woman behind the founder?
She is still becoming.
She is still dreaming.
And she is not here to play small.

Think back to a moment when you chose courage over comfort. What did you risk?

What did you discover about yourself on the other side?

And who are you becoming because of it?