"I remember thinking, constantly ... It's not the things you have ... it's the people around you"

As a teenager, Monique Power was exposed to the death of a friend’s father and this became an early catalyst for her to realise “Life is Short”. She felt there was a need to do things.

In her early 20’s, this took her to Ghana, Africa on volunteer work … Quickly, she realised her passion was not necessarily being on the ground, so to speak, but it was in influencing policy to make change … and using her ability and privilege to leverage.

She also discovered that “Passion is well received” by others and used this thought for motivation to pursue a higher education in Political Science and International relations on her return to Australia.

But just as the degree was being completed, her life changed with the conception of her first child.

She was diagnosed prenatally with a very rare disability.

The pregnancy was highly challenging and the medical professionals painted a dire picture for her chances of survival at birth. But Monique relied on her ‘passion’ and used this to influence her intuitive beliefs and decision making to guide her, not only during the pregnancy, but also following her daughter’s birth.

From this point, Monique acknowledges that her daughter had given her life a new purpose. And using her drive for systemic change through her knowledge of how to influence policy, she made it her life’s mission to change the policy narrative for children with significant disabilities.

To facilitate this journey, with a co-founder, Monique established an organisation called Ripple Ability. This has now become her life.

So, as a big believer in progress … and doing better … Monique continues to break new ground, be a driver for change and implement initiatives that will help many others into the future. This has seen the next stage of her life with the establishment of a Not for Profit organisation called RAFI – RippleAbility Family Incorporated …designed to prevent families of children with complex and pro-found disability being excluded from essential “care environments” before they are ready for school.

 Her story is compelling and is important to hear … I am sure you’ll be inspired to continue to follow her journey.