My Aerial and Coaching Journey
Have you ever found that one special place where everything else disappears? That moment where it’s just you, suspended in peace and joy? That’s exactly what I found with aerial arts. I couldn’t dwell on the chaos of adult life while upside down in the air, tying intentional knots around my body, and learning to trust the tension that held me.
Finding aerial arts was a complete fluke.
Back in 2018, I was an ex-corporate worker, dog walking, gym junkie, deep in a hole of grief. I loved my community, but the workouts started to feel boring. I needed something different—something that could challenge me physically and psychologically. Then, one day, I saw a video of someone dancing with a hula hoop and thought, “That looks like fun.” I Googled ‘circus classes,’ and to my surprise, found a school—Roundabout Circus Inc.—just 40 minutes from home. Without hesitation, I booked a hula-hoop class… and an aerial class. I’d never heard of aerial arts beyond traditional circus, but it looked fun, and it looked challenging.
I loved hula hooping—but nothing could’ve prepared me for the sheer ecstasy of getting upside down on silks for the first time. I couldn’t stop giggling. My mind, usually buzzing from ADHD and life in general, was quiet. Still. Present. That had never happened before.
Was I scared of falling? Absolutely. But the wraps made sense. I saw the mats below me. I felt held by my coach’s encouragement and the rigging systems in place. So, I let go. Despite my nervous system screaming, “this is NOT logical,” I trusted myself, the environment, and the experienced coaches around me. Letting go like that—of control, of fear—was something I had never done before. That moment sparked a love and obsession that would change my life.
I started taking regular aerial classes in 2018, and it wasn’t long before I was volunteering and shadow-coaching mixed circus and aerial classes with students of all ages. By early 2019, I officially joined the team at Roundabout Circus Inc., coaching my own group classes and facilitating 1:1 private lessons. That same year, I was sent to Melbourne for a few days of intensive circus and aerial coach training with Circus Training Australia (CTA)—an opportunity that deeply expanded my understanding of what it means to coach.
And then, of course, came early 2020: the toilet paper hoarding era. Suddenly, I was running online circus lessons and stretch & strength classes from my living room (can you believe that was five years ago now?!). By late 2020, in-person classes resumed, and I was right back in the air. The CTA training had sparked something in me. I realised just how powerful it is to have a coaching toolbox full of technical knowledge, intentional cueing, meaningful class planning, adaptive language, and creative drills. And, in true ADHD fashion, I started spending more money than I had on every course, training, and resource I could find on aerial arts and coaching in general.
It’s safe to say I highly value lifelong learning. And that value was amplified in late 2023, when Roundabout Circus Inc. invested in my growth by supporting me through a 200-hour online, university level, aerial coaching certification. That course lit a fire in me. I came out of it changed—not just as a coach, but as a person.
Working with neurodivergent, neurodiverse, and hypermobile students over the years has taught me that bodies are complex. Studying psychology has shown me the same truth about brains, and humans in general. But that 200-hour course—combined with lived experience, personal study, and a problem solving brain—pulled everything together. It didn’t just light a spark. It ignited something in me.
And I’ve been flying high ever since.
