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 launched a podcast.
"It's been really exciting," she said. "It can be scary navigating it all but I've found the courage to do it. "I don't want to come across as someone who's that cliche person that inspires others, but I love being able to facilitate conversations and be a part of other people's journeys, especially those who are going through something.
"Throughout the years I've learnt a lot about myself and mental health and it's important for me to pass that on to others, which also creates a bit of a community, too." Ms Marcianti said she faced life with an open heart. "Ultimately for me, it's not about money or success but it's about how much can I soak in with everything that I have," she said.
"I think treatment and professional help is always at the top but it's important to have small moments of things that light you up within, whether is be a hobby or time outdoors it's all about balancing things for you too." Ms Marcianti said what was equally as important was being surrounded by like-minded people, "and community, I love my community". She said she had many people she looked up too but found inspiration from other women "getting out there and making it happen".
Kay Perry has always had a deep passion for both business and family. Raised by her late mother in North Albury, she learned the value of hard work and resilience from a young age. Together with her husband, Ross, the pair built Valentine's Bakehouse, which was originally known as John and Helga's Bakehouse, from the ground up.
"The plan was to buy a vineyard at first because my husband had always dreamed of becoming a winemaker," she said. "I could tell him he could become anything he wanted, because as I was taught growing up 'if it was going to be, it's up to me'. "Ross worked full-time as a carpenter and we would work extra jobs on the weekend.
"We didn't know anything about business. "We didn't come from a business background or even come from money." Mrs Perry said the idea to buy the bakery came after John, the previous owner, "We agreed and bought the business in 1990," she said.
"I had never worked behind a counter in my life. "But we made a pact to work really hard for five years and then we would hopefully earn enough money to buy land and plan vines and go on to the next stage of our life." Mrs Perry said they had to borrow $100 from Ross's parents for the first day of trade to put in the till.
"We had no money, and I remember going home to Ross after the first day, saying 'I can't do it' and he was like 'babe, we have nothing - but we can't give up'." Mrs Perry had always been humble in her role; today it was more advisory, but her influence continued to shape the company's success. "We have worked really hard to get to where we are," she said.
Despite challenges in business, Mrs Perry said she felt blessed. "My mum died at the age of 43 after being diagnosed with cancer at 37," she said. "That had a profound effect on my entire life and when I think about who would be my mentor I would say my mum, even though she died in 1978 when I was 17 - she gave us all the opportunities that she didn't have.
"She stuttered and she found life very difficult, but apart from that she created a warm, happy home - she never gave up and she really had a go. "Now, as a mother, wife and grandmother, I am like that too. That's what is important to me.
" She often reflects back on her life and the different pathways put in front of her. "I met Ross at an old-time dance," she said. "I found him very handsome and still do to this day.
" After high school, she went on to study creative arts at university. "Back in my day, I went to a girls' school. Girls either became school teachers or nurses.
and I didn't want to be either," she said. "I started working at a furniture store and that's where my love for business came from. "I find the whole mechanics of a business interesting.
" The pair went on to have three children - Harry, Joe and Tilly, and now have five grandchildren. She said she had always been optimistic. "I feel there's no use wallowing in self-pity; the only person who's going to fix anything or make it happen is yourself.
"Our business blossomed and before we knew it, we had three retail sites and they continued to grow." In 1996, they bought Olive Hills Estate. "I woke up every morning at 4.
30am," she said. "I would work for two hours before the children woke up," she said. "When we had kids our priorities changed a little bit but it was never tough, never difficult because I loved every moment.
" After 25 years' working, she had enough and her health had gone downhill. "The kids at that stage had finished their degrees and were working elsewhere and we were looking to sell the company after decades of hard work," she said. "But after several discussions the kids wanted to take over, and they did so in 2016.
" , but for her the hard part was "letting go of the reins and allowing someone else to take over". "But I knew for it to succeed, I had to step back." She said it had been wonderful watching the children step into the business.
"I feel my role within the company now is really just as a mentor or supporter. I love the customer interaction. I love our product and I love how happy it makes everyone," she said.
Her advice for anyone in business would be to "not be ruled by the almighty dollar or status symbol". "Do something you really love and everything else will follow," she said. DAILY Today's top stories curated by our news team.
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