Elle Australia – June 2017

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Š••¢˜ž››’Ž—œœŠ¢Ž˜—‘Ž‹›’Žǰ ˜ž•¢˜ž“ž–™˜ěǵ

‘ŠȂœ —˜ ‘˜  ‘Ž œŠ¢’— ˜Žœǰ ’œ ’ǵ— ¢Ž œ˜–Ž‘˜ ǰ Š

the age of 23 – when almost everyone I knew was embarking

˜—Š™˜œȬ›ŠžŠŽŽ›ŽŽ˜›œŽĴ•’—’—˜‘Ž’›ę›œœŽŒž›Ž“˜‹

ŠŽ› ž—’ŸŽ›œ’¢ Ȯ ˜ž— –¢œŽ• œ’Ĵ’— Š•˜—Žǰ ’— ‘Ž Š›”ǰ˜—

‘Ž ŽŽ ˜ Š ‹Ž ’— Š Žœ ŽœŽ›— ‘˜Ž• ’— Š‘›Š’—ǰ ŠŒ’— ‘Ž

‹›ŽŠ‘Š”’— Œ˜—œŽšžŽ—ŒŽœ ˜ ‘Ž •ŠŽœ ’— ŠœŽ›’Žœ ˜ –Šǰ ˜ěȬ

‘ŽȬ‹›’Ž•ŽŠ™œ‘Š‘Š™ž—ŒžŠŽ–¢•’Žǯ

— ‘’œ ’—œŠ—ŒŽǰ ’  Šœ ‘Ž ˜ŸŽ›—’‘ ’Œ‘’— ˜ –¢

Œ˜–˜›Š‹•Ž •’Ž ’— ˜—˜— ˜› Š œ’— ›ž——’— Š  ˜–Ž—Ȃœȱ

–ŠŠ£’—Žǰ Š‹‹•’— ’— ˜›Ž’— Œ˜››Žœ™˜—Ž—ŒŽ

Š— ŠŒ’— —ŽŠ›ȬŽ™˜›Š’˜—ǰ ’— Š ›˜ž‹•Ž Œ˜›—Ž›

˜‘Ž’•ŽŠœǯ Šœ“žœ˜—Ž˜–¢–Š—¢—žĴ¢

’–™ž•œŽœ‘Š‘ŠŸŽŠ•œ˜’—Œ•žŽ›ž——’—Š Š¢˜

›Š—ŒŽǰ ŠŽ ŗŞǰ ˜ •’ŸŽ Š œ˜•’Š›¢ Ȯ Š ’–Žœǰ

œŽ›’˜žœ•¢ •˜—Ž•¢ Ȯ Ž¡’œŽ—ŒŽ ’— Š  Ž’› ŠĴ’Œ

Œ˜—ŸŽ›œ’˜—Š‹˜ŸŽŠŽŠŽ•Ž›•¢Œ˜ž™•ŽŠ—ǰŠŠŽ

ŘŜǰŠ‹Š—˜—’—–¢Œ‘Š›–’—ǻŠ—ž—Ž›œŠ—Š‹•¢

šž’ŽœŠ›•ŽǼ–Ž›’ŒŠ—ꊗŒ·’—Ž——ŽœœŽŽǰŠ•˜—

with the future we’d started to plan in detail, to

œŠ› –¢ Šž• •’Ž ŠŠ’— ›˜– œŒ›ŠŒ‘ ’— ˜—˜—ǰ

›˜ž‘•¢ ŜǰśŖŖ”– Š Š¢ ›˜– ‘’–ǯ — ‘Ž –˜–Ž—ǰ

’—Ȃ ‘’—” –žŒ‘ ˜ ‘ŽœŽ ‘’—œǯ ˜—Ȃ ›Ž›Ž

Š—¢˜‘Ž–ǰ‹žȂ–˜ŒŒŠœ’˜—Š••¢ŒŠž‘˜ž–žŒ‘

•ŠŽ› ‹¢ Š œžŽ— ™Ž——¢Ȭ›˜™ ›ŽŒ˜—’’˜— ˜ ‘˜

–’‘‘ŠŸŽ‘ž›˜› ‘ŠȂŸŽ•Ž‹Ž‘’—ǯ

Pressure from our peers usually pulls us into

›ŽŒ˜—’œŠ‹•Ž ™ŠĴŽ›—œ ˜ ŽŒ’œ’˜— –Š”’—ǯ ›˜–

ŽŽ—ŠŽ›’Žœ˜™ŠœœŠŽǰœžŒ‘ŠœŠ”’—Šę›œ™žě

˜—Šœ™•’ěǰ˜œŽĴ•’—˜—ŠŒŠ›ŽŽ›™Š‘Š—Œ‘˜˜œ’—

‘Ž›’‘“˜‹•ŠŽ›’—•’Žǰ–˜œ˜˜ž›‹’Œ‘˜’ŒŽœŠ›Ž

’—ĚžŽ—ŒŽ ‹¢  ‘Ž‘Ž› ˜› —˜ ˜ž› ›’Ž—œǰ Š–’•¢ǰ

peers or people we admire have done something

œ’–’•Š›ǯȱ‘’œȱ’œȱ–˜œ•¢ȱ›žŽȱ˜ȱ–¢ȱŠ¢Ȭ˜ȬŠ¢ȱ•’Žǯȱ

›ŽŠ••¢œ ŽŠ‘Žœ–Š••œžěǰŠœ•’”Ž˜ŽŽ•‘ŠŽŸŽ›¢‘’—

’œ’—˜›Ž›Š—‘Š‘ŠŸŽ’›ŽŒ’˜—’—›Ž•Š’˜—˜ ‘Š˜‘Ž›

™Ž˜™•Ž Š›Ž ˜’— Š›˜ž— –Žǯ  ˜›” ˜ŸŽ›’–Ž ‹ŽŒŠžœŽ –¢

™Š›Ž—œŠž‘–Ž˜ŸŠ•žŽ–¢›ŠŽœ˜ŸŽ›ŠŸŽ—ž›ŽǯŽ

teased about my history of “take home to your mum”

Œ˜˜”’ŽȬŒžĴŽ› ‹˜¢›’Ž—œ ‹ŽŒŠžœŽ ŒŠ›Ž ˜˜ –žŒ‘ Š‹˜ž

’Œ”’— ‘Ž ›’‘ ‹˜¡Žœ ˜› –¢ žž›Žǯ ›ŽŠ ‘Ž ‹˜˜”œ

everyone is talking about and go to the shows featured in

ELLE’— Š Œ˜—ŒŽ›Ž ŠĴŽ–™ ˜ Š• Š¢œ ‹Ž Š™™Ž ’—˜ ‘Ž

£Ž’Ž’œǯ — ›’—” –ŠŒ‘Š ŽŠ Š— šžŽžŽ ž™ Š’•¢ ˜›

‘Ž œšžŠ ›ŠŒ”ǰ ‹ŽŒŠžœŽ –¢ ꝗŽœœ ™Š•œ ‘ŠŸŽ ˜• –Ž ‘ŽœŽ

‘’—œ ’••Œ˜—›’‹žŽ˜–¢•˜—ȬŽ›– Ž••‹Ž’—ǯž‘Ž—ǰ

ŽŸŽ›¢ Ž  ¢ŽŠ›œǰ œžŒŒž–‹ ˜ Š œžŽ— ž›Ž ˜ –Š”Ž

Š Œ‘Š—Ž ‘Š œŽŽ–œ Šœ •ŽȬꎕ Šœ ’ ’œ ’››ŽŸŽ›œ’‹•¢ •’Ž

Š•Ž›’—ǯȂŸŽ›ŽŠŒ‘ŽŠ™˜’— ‘Ž›Ž—ŽŽ˜Šœ”–¢œŽ• ‘¢ǯ

œ™˜”Ž˜Š™œ¢Œ‘’Š›’œŠ‹˜ž’ǰŠ›’Ž—˜–¢Š‘Ž›Ȃœǯ

’›œ˜ěǰ‘Ž•Šž‘ŽŠ–Ž˜››¢’—˜Ž˜‘Ž‹˜Ĵ˜–˜

–¢ ˜ — ™œ¢Œ‘Žǯ™™Š›Ž—•¢ ‘ŠȂœ —˜ œ˜–Ž‘’— ¢˜ž ŒŠ—

“žœ ˜ǰ ŽŸŽ— ’ ¢˜ž —ŽŽ ˜ ˜› Š— Š›’Œ•Žǯ Ȃœ  ‘¢

™œ¢Œ‘’Š›’œœ‘ŠŸŽ˜‘ŠŸŽ‘Ž’›˜ —œ‘›’—”œǯž‘Ž Ž—˜—

˜’ŸŽ‘’œ ˜ŒŽ—œ˜—‘Ž–ŠĴŽ›ǰœŠ¢’—ǰȃ˜ž”—˜ ǰ¢˜ž

and your dad are the only two people who’ve ever told me

‘Ž¢›Žž•Š›•¢œ›ž•Ž ’‘‘˜ ˜ŽŽ•Š•’ŸŽǯȄ

‘’œœ›žŒ”Šœ˜ž›—˜Žǰ‹ŽŒŠžœŽ–¢Š’œŠ–Ž•Š—Œ‘˜•¢

sort of man, who seems often in futile pursuit of extra

–ŽŠ—’—ǯȱ¢ȱ–˜–Ž—œȱ˜ȱ ’•ȱŠ‹Š—˜—ȱ–Š¢ȱ’—ŽŽȱ–Š”Žȱ

choose

LIFE

Natasha Bird has always opted for thepath less travelled

• her impulsive adventures a positive reminder that she’s in
  charge of her own destiny. Now dangerously close to contented
  stability, she’s sizing up herbiggest leap of faith yet

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