Published: 7 April 2025
Journalist Hayley Gleeson, winner of Emerge Australia’s Media Awards for Excellence in Journalism 2025 (Long COVID), shares the story of Sarah Williams, after chronic illness forced Sarah to leave her university job, a planned six-month break turned into eight years. Battling ME/CFS, she returned to her childhood home in Tasmania’s Meander Valley — where she eventually transformed her grandfather’s guesthouse into Cedar Cottage Meander, a thriving eco-stay business.
Her story reflects a growing reality: some career changes aren’t chosen, but necessary. “Productivity doesn’t equate to self-worth,” says Sarah, now financially independent and embracing a slower, more meaningful life.
The article makes reference to the results of Emerge Australia’s 2019 Health and Wellbeing Survey, which can be found here.
