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A Good Place to Grow: Secrets in the Garden

Pia van StraalenCanning Gazette

IT TOOK the realisation her partner was suffering through depression alone before Amy Radunz chose to follow her butterflies.

At the time, Ms Radunz was busy; she was caught between existing and experiencing and internalised her issues, not seeing that the home she had built was falling apart.

“I had quit my job and took on other work while I was trying to work out my passion,” she said.

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“I didn’t realise at the same time my partner was going through depression, he eventually left me to find himself.”

It was jarring for Ms Radunz who had moved from Alice Springs to Applecross, and felt stuck.

“I made the decision to follow my butterflies; that was my trigger to do something that made me feel butterflies in my stomach,” she said.

“So I ran away to Thailand where my aunt runs an orphanage and I worked there and there I came up with Secrets in the Garden.”

Secrets in the Garden (SITG) is something like no other, initially a blog, Ms Radunz noticed her holistic approach to life became inspiration to other women around the country.

“I shared a lot of highs and a lot of lows on that blog but it was about eastern philosophies and the idea that to have a fulfilling life all aspects need to be going in the right direction,” she said.

“You cannot have good work life at the risk of a bad home life, all aspects of life need to be positive.”

Ms Radunz’s transition to business took SITG to a new level, attracting women who wanted to return the work force, most often mothers.

“Mothers especially reached out to me, and I saw that a lot of business speakers were men and if women want to step into the space of business we need to give them the tools,” she said.

Last year SITG evolved to a one-day event in the Swan Valley a day to inspire women through speakers, pampering and real talk– no one is hiding behind the façade.

“So many of us live such a stagnant life, it’s nice to have some excitement,” Ms Radunz said.

Along with fellow directors Marnie LeFevre, Tenille Bentley and Bexx Boyd, the “ultimate festival for women” has provided a compassionate and inspirational space for women to take the next step.

On March 6, 3000 women are expected to head to Belvoir Amphitheatre to participate in yoga, cooking, personal development with celebrities such as Michelle Bridges and Jackie Gillies.

Ms Randuz said SITG would remind women to value themselves and take care of their own needs.