Discover your unique dream and purpose and follow it with passion.

Vanessa Bonnette lives on acreage near Yamba on the NSW North Coast. She battled with an addiction to drugs and alcohol between the ages of 14 and 19, which ended when she was hospitalised after an overdose and a near-death experience. Having overcome her addictions, Vanessa has spent the last two decades undergoing healing and professional training to pursue positive career paths and business opportunities. She is a keen communicator and a ‘people person’ with a wealth of knowledge and experience to share. Her passion is to ignite, inspire and support others to follow their true purpose, and she feels she has much to offer despite being labelled as a ‘high school dropout’ early in life. Vanessa has successfully raised two happy children, a son aged 18 and a daughter aged 11 -  for the past eight years as a sole parent. During this time Vanessa has managed to complete six years of professional training, build her own home, establish her healing and counselling business ‘Empowered For Life’, and to write and facilitate workshops. She is also the author of two books which entail personal awareness and spiritual development. Vanessa’s most recent venture is a website aimed at showcasing and supporting home-based and small business entrepreneurs.

What gave you the motivation/inspiration to follow your dream?

Many experiences, both positive and negative, have motivated and inspired me to follow my dreams. One major hurdle was overcoming my drug addiction in the 1980s. My drug addictions came to an abrupt end after overdosing and consequently a near-death experience on my 19th birthday. I was celebrating my birthday with friends at a hotel in Bondi. We had gone there to see two iconic Australian rock bands, The Radiators and Rose Tattoo, and I was given some LSD (acid) and speed (barbiturates) while consuming a lot of alcohol. I said to my friend that I wasn’t feeling well and wanted to go to the toilet to escape the crowd for a while. From that point on, my ‘big night out’ became a nightmare. I fell down some stairs and my friends managed to get me into a car and race me to the hospital. My head felt like it was being hit with an axe and my heart pounded so fast and loud that I thought it was going to burst out of my chest. I was in agony and the pain was excruciating. To this day I have not known any pain like it ... and I gave birth to both of my children naturally! The pain affected my entire body and felt as if every nerve was exposed and my insides were being mutilated and tortured. I spent the night in Intensive Care.

The overdose was my catalyst for change. I became so afraid of drugs, pain and death that the experience inspired and motivated me to want to live. I decided to go to church as I felt a need to thank God for saving my life. It was there that I began to view myself in an entirely new way and to see life from a different perspective. I could see all the possibilities for myself (and others) and began to understand what was holding me back and why. Basically, I was a severely wounded soul who suffered from low self-esteem and a lack of confidence, and I couldn’t trust people. I had been abused extensively throughout my childhood and adolescence by my parents, relatives and teachers. It took me a very long time to understand how life really works, and what my role is in choosing my own destiny. Eventually I decided to pursue a positive path and was determined to find ways of overcoming all of those negative obstacles. My negative inner-self led to outwardly seeking love and acceptance in all the wrong places and on to addictions to ease the pain within. It has taken a lot of work and I’ve had to make some difficult decisions, but I wouldn’t change a thing. I have found the secrets to living a dream life and it all started with healing, loving and believing in me.

At what point did you realise that your dream was actually possible and what was it that made you think you could really do it?

Once I understood that it was possible for me to make my dreams happen, the hardest thing was transforming an invisible idea, or dream, into a more concrete form. I have learned to start by breaking down my big ideas or dreams into smaller prioritised steps. Setting out goals and focusing on one goal at a time within a timeline is essential. Each goal represents a signpost which measures success along the journey. By reaching each goal, I am assured that I’m one step closer to making my dream a reality, and it’s an extremely invigorating experience. Achieving my goals provides me with the strength required to keep going. For instance, with my New Era Women home-based and small business entrepreneurs’ project I had to do a lot of dreaming, planning and research before the actual building of a website could take place. It took two months just to develop the concept and theme for how the website would look and function overall. Seven months have passed and whilst we are online, the process itself is organic and will continue to grow with any new features and ideas.

When you were a child, what did you want to ‘be’ when you grew up?

I wanted to be a singer, dancer, surfer and horse rider. I have done all of those things and still love to do them.

How did your childhood influence you in later life?

From a positive perspective my family moved from Sydney’s western suburbs to Port Macquarie when I was aged 10. It was the best thing they could have done. I love the coastal country lifestyle that Australia has to offer. As someone who has travelled abroad, I can honestly say Australia is the best country in the world! On the flip side, I encountered the negative effects of domestic violence, abuse, poverty, cigarettes, alcohol and divorce throughout my childhood. For a while I followed that same path, but one day I made a conscious decision to change my life, and I did.

Who are your role models?

The ultimate role model for me is Jesus, but not in a religious way - in a more spiritual way. By that I mean that Jesus didn’t tell others what to do - He changed people’s lives by showing them how to live and leading by example. He always expressed wisdom, hope and love. Jesus knew exactly how to handle every situation to achieve the greatest outcome for all.

What does success mean to you?

Success for me is multifaceted, impacting on all aspects of my life. In essence it is to experience love, joy, peace, health, wealth, wisdom, freedom and truth.

What has been one of the biggest barriers you have had to face, what happened, and how did you overcome it?

Apart from the huge challenges that I’ve already spoken about, major barriers have been a lack of finances and the lack of a good education. To overcome these barriers I had to seek out the appropriate people and learn to ask the right questions. By doing this, I have been able to access the resources and solutions I’ve needed for whatever it is I’m doing. But answers can also come in many other forms, such as books, seminars, training courses, and referrals to appropriate services. I’m a strong believer in the power of positive influence, and that can come through networking.

Where do you see yourself in 10 years time? What is your vision for the future?

Wow ... ten years, I don’t usually plan that far ahead! Overall I see a positive picture of ongoing success and the incredible joy that’s experienced by sharing a wonderful journey with inspiring and amazing people. As for my business, I hope to be recognised for my innovative achievements through industry recognition such as the Ernst & Young ‘Entrepreneur of the Year Award’ and other awards for women in business. I am currently planning a magazine which is currently available online. It will include stories from people from all walks of life who have awakened their ‘inner entrepreneur’.

On a more personal level, I hope I would have assisted my son to buy his first home and maybe with his wedding plans. Who knows, by then I could even be a grandmother! I will have helped my daughter pursue her choice of career and no doubt our family will be madly planning her 21st birthday party! My ‘big’ vision for the future is to live in a world of love, joy, peace, health, wealth, wisdom, freedom and truth.

What would you like to say to other women who may be just starting out on a ‘Daring to Dream’ journey?

Discover your unique dream and purpose and follow it with passion. Plan well and connect with positive people. Never listen to the negative voices on the inside or the outside - trust your inner guide. Pursue your potential and don’t forget to reward your successes and learn from any failures along the way. Most important of all ... enjoy your journey!