I grew up in Bratislava, Slovakia, but my roots are in the mountains. Every weekend my father would take us to the countryside, into the forests and up toward the peaks. I learned to ski before I learned to swim. Trees and forests are something I have never been able to stay away from for long.
Almost two decades ago I migrated to Australia. I threw myself into the hospitality industry, managing organic cafes and a grocery store across NSW and Victoria before moving into a joint venture, co-owning a restaurant and catering business for seven years. I loved it deeply but the relentless pressure eventually took its toll. I began experiencing anxiety, memory loss and the typical physical and mental symptoms of living with chronically high cortisol levels. I did not realise until later just how long I had been stuck in a permanent state of fight or flight.
Nature brought me back to myself.
Slowly, intentionally stepping outside, breathing, moving and being present in the natural world, I came back. That lived experience changed everything. I retrained, I redirected, and I built a life around the thing that saved me.
Now I spend my days doing the work I was always meant to do. Taking people Beyond Guidebook. Connecting them to nature, to each other, and to themselves. Whether that is on a trail in a national park, on a quiet one on one walk through Sydney, or through a small bottle of forest brought to their door.
I am driven by purpose above everything else.
Welcome to my world.