Hey, I’m Madelaine. Avid reader. Story-collector. Blossoming photographer. Recovering hustle culture casualty turned full-time wanderer.
Everyone says your thirties are so much better than your twenties (thank god – no one burst my bubble, I'm clinging to this reassurance).
I turned 30 last year, planted my proverbial flag in the ground, and swore this next decade would be different.
Now, I'm on a quest to fall in love with life again. Travelling slowly, spending anywhere between 10 days to three months in a single place. Gentle immersion as a temporary local, rather than skimming the surface as a hurried tourist. Reconnecting to the joy of writing as expression and photography as art. Sharing stories of the people I meet along the way; the moments of kindness and connection that are restoring my faith in humanity (or our faith, now that you're here with me 👋🏼). And collecting moments that remind us of how much beauty there is in the world when that's what we choose to pay attention to.
I don't know what's in store (which is equal parts exhilarating and terrifying, eek!) but my intention is this: stay open to possibility, and trust that life will show me the way.
No more survival mode. No more relentless hustling in pursuit of goals I'm not even sure were mine to begin with. No more trying to force myself to fit into something I know is not aligned with who I want to be or what I want my life to look like.
I knew the freedom, adventure, and true aliveness I craved were out there in the world.
I grew up in Brisbane, Australia, but have called the Gold Coast home for the past six years.
I freelance in marketing and copywriting, which allows me to work remotely from anywhere in the world. You'll usually find me at a cool or cosy cafe, sipping on an almond latte or iced matcha.
I saw snow falling for the first time this year. This was my face. Do you think I was excited?
I lived and worked in the Whitsundays for two years, which was one of the most fun chapters of my life, and where I met almost all of my closest friends.
One of the best experiences I've ever had was living off-grid in the Costa Rican jungle for one month and training to become a yoga teacher.
since you asked...
A few of my favourite things
SEASON
WINTER (YES, REALLY ❄️)
FOOD
PIZZA OR GYOZAS
PICK ME UP
FACETIMING A FRIEND
VACAY
SPOT
SLOVENIAN ALPS
COCKTAIL
ORDER
JUST DISCOVERED A HUGO SPRITZ. 10/10.
JUST DISCOVERED A HUGO SPRITZ?!
BOOK/ SERIES
THRONE OF GLASS
NEVER
WITHOUT
MY CAMERA
AN ANTIDOTE to ADULTHOOD
I believe in delight as a form of devotion. Reverence as an act of rebellion. And travel as a tonic for the apathy of adulthood.
Tonic Travel is my antidote to the slow anaesthesia of growing up. A rejection of the lie we were sold that told us life gets smaller as you get older. That wonder and delight are for children. That enthusiasm and exuberance are weird.
Hustle culture is a symptom. The deeper disease is disconnection. From ourselves, from each other, from presence, from nature, from soul-deep inspiration. We have forgotten what it feels like to delight in slowing down, to feel unbridled and unapologetic joy, to burn with a zeal for life that won't be satisfied by anything less than extraordinary.
My hope is that you leave here feeling a little more in love with the world. A little more in love with yourself. Reminded that the life you’re dreaming of is not too much to ask for, that there is more good in the world than your feed is willing to show you, and that wonder – real, unguarded, spine-tingling delight and wonder – is the whole fucking point of being alive. There is magic all around us. Let's go find it.
To birthdays being "just another day" and Christmas becoming synonymous with stress. To the belief that this relentless grind is "just how life is" and anyone who wants more is being unrealistic.
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