Meet the physio running towards change

Natalia knows what it means to feel like she doesn't belong. After experiencing homelessness as a child, she entered university burdened by shame and self-doubt. But with the support of her peers and teachers, she found confidence, purpose, and the courage to turn her story into a force for change.

At 16, Natalia was living in student accommodation run by the Samaritans Foundation, supporting young people who are homeless or at risk of homelessness.

“That basically changed my life. It was the first time I had a stable, safe place to live.”

Not long after moving in, she was approached to share her story with a journalist to raise awareness about the accommodation and its impact. She agreed wholeheartedly.

“The next day I got a message from a friend: ‘You’re on the front cover of the newspaper... I had no idea about your circumstances.’”

Natalia's stomach dropped. Everybody in her life had just discovered the secret she had worked so hard to keep hidden.

“I was homeless throughout my early teens and came from a very difficult childhood, and I was just so ashamed of that,” Natalia says. “But from that moment I had so much support. So many of my friends and teachers, and even strangers, reached out with such beautiful messages.”

The article also sparked an outpouring of generosity, with donations flowing into the service that had helped her.

“That was a pivotal light bulb moment for me. I can help other young people, and my story has power.”

It was a lesson Natalia would carry with her into university, where she would continue to build the confidence and skills to create change.

Finding her footing

Growing up, exercise had always played a special role in her life.

“It was a way for me to feel empowered, strong, and in control of my body when I felt like I had no control over everything else.”

Combined with a fascination for the human body and its intricacies, she was drawn to physiotherapy as a career path.

“Knowing how important it is to move, and then wanting to make an impact in other people’s lives and for them to be able to do the things that they love—even just going for a walk or picking up their child—it was definitely a passion of mine to be involved with that.”

Despite her enthusiasm, Natalia entered her first year at the University of Newcastle heavily cloaked in imposter syndrome.

“Coming from my background, I questioned my worthiness and whether I really belonged,” she says. “Am I smart enough? Am I really able to do this degree and sit in this room?”

The connections she formed with her peers and academics gradually rebuilt her confidence. In time, her teachers would become some of her biggest cheerleaders.

The confidence Natalia gained at university did more than help her succeed academically. It reignited her desire to advocate for young people facing homelessness and gave her the tools to turn that lived experience into something hopeful.

Turning pain into purpose

Natalia learned earlier than most that stories can create change.

“As a young person, I wanted to help change this massive issue, but where do you even start?”

The University of Newcastle's Ma & Morley Scholarship Program resonated deeply with her. It offered an opportunity to transform ideas into action, develop leadership skills, and immerse herself in new cultures, communities, and ways of thinking.

“Just being in that environment is so inspiring and really makes you want to take action and put energy into the thing you’re passionate about.”

For Natalia, that passion was raising awareness of youth homelessness.

She had already discovered how running could be a vehicle for impact. Combining her love of movement with a desire to give back, she completed a marathon to raise funds for the Samaritans Foundation, collecting more than $4,000 along the way.

“I wanted to do something bigger, make more of an impact, raise more money.”

Through her Ma & Morley Action Project, an ambitious idea emerged: a 175-kilometre run from Sydney to Newcastle to raise even more funds for the service that had changed her life.

The challenge was both physically and mentally demanding, requiring a year of preparation.

“I was doing ridiculous hours. On the weekends I would run a 65km ultra marathon just to train for it. I was doing my university placements as well, waking up at 5am in the dark, running 16kms, and then going to placement all day.”

Yet as the run drew closer, familiar doubts resurfaced.

“I was sitting on the couch, and I'm like, ‘What am I doing? What if I actually can't do this? There's so much pressure; everyone is counting on me to do this. What if I just can't?’”

To push through, Natalia focused on positive self-talk and visualising the potential impact of the challenge, refusing to let negativity hijack her thoughts.

“Over the years, I've learned that the opportunities that really scare you, make you nervous, are always the ones where you learn and grow.”

Beyond the finish line

Amidst the utter exhaustion that accompanied her journey from Sydney’s Observatory Hill Park to Bar Beach in Newcastle, one moment stands out.

“When I finished the run, there were actually a few of my teachers there at the finish line. Their kind words and seeing how much support I got was just so beautiful. It made me feel like I was in the place I was supposed to be.”

For the girl who had once hidden her experiences of homelessness out of fear of judgement, the support she received was profoundly moving.

Now, Natalia is channelling that same determination into The Bridge Project, an initiative she founded to connect vulnerable people with the support services they need—the same kind of support that changed her own life.

Through school visits, workshops and community partnerships, she is working to bridge critical gaps in awareness and access to youth homelessness services.

Once searching for a place to belong, Natalia is now helping others find their way too.