Mary Smith is an advocate for authentic change and personal transformation. A photographer and dedicated mother of four sons, Mary is certainly no stranger to adversity. Born and raised in Mount Gambier, South Australia, Mary’s childhood and teenage years were spent in a repressive religious cult. With courage and determination Mary, with her husband and sons, broke free from the bonds of the cult, leaving behind her parents, siblings, friends and every aspect of life as she knew it. Mary had to learn to live an entirely new and different life, one that she wasn’t familiar with.
One pivotal moment in her life occurred whilst hiking the ancient Camino de Santiago trail, a deep and authentic transformation. A letting-go of the past and the hurts she endured. From this time on, Mary released any remnants of the past and decided to continue to step into challenges and face everything head on. Mary began to really live in full empowered freedom. Step-by-step Mary began living outside her comfort zone, not just for herself, but also for the benefit of others. Since then, new opportunities have opened up to Mary and with a new-found confidence, she is now ready to accept the challenge of new and exciting prospects.
As a member of her local camera club her entries in the monthly club competitions earned her a number of second and first places from the judges and her peers. Mary’s photography has been used in illustrating a book of poetry, Heartfelt. This book can be purchased from her website www.inspiredlifecollections.com.au/heartfelt. She is also an avid volunteer having helped in several organisations including spending three years volunteering with St John Ambulance. Mary’s goal is to help others discover their passion and to then implement that passion into their lives, a desire to help people overcome whatever is holding them back and to find their full potential. Mary believes that it is not what happens to us that is so important, but how we respond to those things that happen to us.