Elise Marcianti's journey has been a blend of "recovery through discovery." or signup to continue reading Initially, she was drawn to the Mount Beauty region, having grown-up in Melbourne, three years ago for its snow and outdoor activities. But she soon found it was much more than just a scenic location - she discovered a community and a place to help her heal.
she turned to the mountains, hiking a ultra-marathon - 300 kilometres from Mount Kosciuszko to Bright - to raise awareness and money for Eating Disorders Families Australia and to also find her own path in life. Through that experience of 17 days' alone, she touched many people in the community and inspired many others. "When I was going through my journey of recovery in Melbourne I was in a lot of treatments and hospitals and it was hard to find something that kept me wanting to push forward," she said.
"After being around a lot of people that had found their purpose here, it has helped me." The 24-year-old said she reached a turning point realising that her future depended on her own actions. "Nothing was going to change if I wasn't going to change," she said.
"When I was younger I had all these goals and aspirations, but I didn't do it and that scared me," she said. Determined not to let negativity block her path, she made a commitment to instead embrace the challenges and use these as a way to help others. Through her journey she has also rekindled her passion for mural art, creating pieces around town, and launch.