Michelle Fitzgerald - Counsellor & Clinical Psychotherapist

24/12/2025

✨ Christmas Message to Our Community ✨

As Christmas approaches, I want to pause and acknowledge that this season can hold many different emotions.

For some, it is a time of connection, love, and togetherness.
For others, it can be a time of deep loneliness, isolation, and grief.

This year, our hearts are especially with the Bondi community, and with all who are carrying loss, shock, and sorrow. At times like this, the importance of kindness, compassion, and looking out for one another becomes so clear. A gentle check-in, a shared cup of tea, a listening ear, or simply being present can make an immeasurable difference.

If this season feels heavy, please know you are not alone. Your feelings make sense. Go gently with yourself. Reach for connection where you can — and if all you can manage is to rest and breathe, that is enough.

Thank you for the trust you place in me and for allowing me to walk alongside you in your healing journeys. It is a privilege I never take lightly.

I will be taking some intentional downtime with my precious family over the coming weeks and will return to rooms on 19 January 2026.

Until then, may you feel held in love, supported by community, and surrounded by moments of kindness — both given and received.

Wishing you peace, connection, and gentle care this Christmas 🤍
CareAndConnection WeAreNotAlone MentalHealthMatters

18/12/2025

I am sitting with deep sadness, shock, anger, and confusion in the wake of the horrific violence at Bondi.
What should be a place of sunshine, community, and safety has been shattered by an act of senseless hate.
I am reflecting deeply — as someone who has long held a strong anti-political stance — because something has shifted in me.
Silence no longer feels neutral.
Silence feels like complicity.
We are first and foremost humans.
We walk together best from a place of love, compassion, and peace — a place where antisemitism, Islamophobia, anti-Christian sentiment, racism, and all forms of hate simply do not belong.
If there is one word for it all, it is dehumanisation — and it has no place here.
Australia’s culture is one of “stand by your mate.”
It is not one of violence, hatred, or division based on race, culture, or faith.
Our shores have always been welcoming — but let me be clear:
We welcome peace, not guns.
Belonging, not hatred.
Unity, not ideologies that seek to tear communities apart.
Disrespecting and dishonouring our flag — the symbol of a nation built on fairness, mateship, and multicultural respect — is not on.
If you bring this hatred to our shores, understand this: Australians will unite to eradicate it.
What this violence intended to do was divide us.
What it has done instead is unite a nation.
And we will not tolerate this.
To my Jewish friends in Bondi and across Australia — we are heartbroken and devastated with you. You are not alone.
To my Muslim friends — thank you for showing up, standing beside your neighbours, and reminding us of the power of unity and humanity.
To my Catholic, Christian, Jehovah’s Witness, Mormon, and all other faith communities — thank you for being part of the rich, respectful fabric of Australian life.

This is who we are.
This is what we stand for.
And this is where we draw the line.

🇦🇺
Love will always be louder than hate. 🩵 if you wish to comment in support of unity and love you are welcome. Any hate or divisive commentary will be deleted. Thank you.

02/10/2025

Legend of a woman!
Vale Jane Goodall 🩷

Dr. Jane Goodall, the world-renowned chimpanzee researcher, anthropologist, and conservationist, has died at 91.

02/10/2025

💕 𝐁𝐫𝐞𝐚𝐬𝐭 𝐂𝐚𝐧𝐜𝐞𝐫 𝐀𝐰𝐚𝐫𝐞𝐧𝐞𝐬𝐬 𝐌𝐨𝐧𝐭𝐡 💕

Behind every diagnosis is a face, a family, a story.

Right now, 𝟏𝟎𝟕 people in the Hawkesbury are walking their breast cancer journey with the support of Pink Finss — 𝐢𝐧𝐜𝐥𝐮𝐝𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝟐 𝐛𝐫𝐚𝐯𝐞 𝐦𝐞𝐧.

💗 Breast cancer does not discriminate.
💗 It doesn’t matter how young you are.
💗 It’s not only a women’s disease.

Your life matters. Your family matters.

Please, know your body. Trust your instincts. Book that check-up.

Because early detection doesn’t just save lives — it saves moments, futures, and love.

29/06/2025

https://www.mycause.com.au/p/371967/team-fitz

Thanks for playing a part in Jodie's 15kms for 15 days Challenge! Team Fitz is taking on the challenge of getting out there and hitting the pavement, helping those in our community navigating the jour

29/06/2025

“Karen’s Story”

Day 15 | 15km for 15 Days
Raising money for Pink Finss Cancer Charity 💗

Today’s story is deeply personal — and the reason I became involved with Pink Finss.

In Nov 2014, I got a call I’ll never forget. My dear friend Karen McLean rang to tell me she’d been diagnosed with metastatic breast cancer — stage 4. I remember the time, where I was, how my heart shattered.

Karen was just 38. Full of life, the life of every party. A much-loved local beautician with a “girlfriend circle” as big as her personality. She was the kindest, most thoughtful soul — adored by her husband, her son, her family, her countless friends. A fixer of all things, determined, unstoppable.

She’d struggled with her health and was dismissed by her specialist, so I urged her to see my endocrinologist. It led to the scan that found the cancer — devastating news that changed everything.

Kas found Pink Finss and connected me with them — that’s how my journey with this incredible organisation began. Over a decade later, it’s been one of the most profound experiences of my life: supporting women & men with cancer, sometimes walking with them to the end, helping families make sense of the insensible.

Kas was more than my friend — she was a force of love. She died at home on Feb 7, 2019, surrounded by all of us who loved her back. To be loved by Kas was a privilege. So many hearts broke that day.

This 15 days isn’t just a challenge, or a fundraiser. It’s about humans loving humans. It’s about standing together, helping each other through the fight of their lives. Kas showed us how to live, love, and let kindness glow even in the darkness of cancer.

Thank you for following our journey. If you can, please donate a little or a lot — it all helps. 💗
Link in bio or comments.



Stats Day
🦄Shell 8.19km Walk
🦄Glenn 5.1km Walk
🦄Sharon TBA
🦄Lynette km Walk3.01
🦄Elloise 3.01walk
🦄Alex TBA walk
🦄Dallas 7.02km Walk
TOTAL TODAY: 23.32km

28/06/2025

“What do I do now???”

Day 14 | 15km for 15 Days
Raising funds for Pink Finss Cancer Charity 💗

Today’s story is about something most never think of — the chapter after cancer treatment.

For years, life revolves around fighting: surgeries, chemo, immunotherapy, radiation, endless scans, blood tests, consults, pain management. Calendars crammed with appointments, hours mapped by when to eat, rest, take meds — all while still getting kids to school, paying bills, working, cooking dinner.

Then, almost suddenly, it stops.

Appointments slow. Scans become rare. The once-busy calendar is painfully blank. And many are left asking:

“Now what?”

It might seem like the end of treatment brings pure relief. But often, it’s terrifying. If you’re not actively doing something to keep cancer at bay… what if it comes back? Anxiety can surge. Depression can creep in. You’re left in a body you’re not sure you can trust.

That’s why our Pink Finss support groups, activities & ongoing connections matter so much. They help members through this uneasy time — to share fears with others who truly get it, to hear from those further along, to feel not alone in this quiet aftershock.

It’s the gentle, unseen work Pink Finss does — catching people as they step off the treatment treadmill, helping them process, breathe, and find steady ground again.

Please, if you can, donate via the link in bio or comments. Your support keeps us walking beside those still finding their way. 💗

Stats Day 14:
🦄 Shell 5.4km walk
🦄 Glenn 5.2km walk
🦄 Sharon TBA
🦄 Lynette 6.5km walk
🦄 Elloise 3.22km walk
🦄 Alex TBA
🦄 Dallas 5.34km walk
TOTAL TODAY: 25.66km

27/06/2025

The Power of the Collective!

Day 13 | 15km for 15 Days
Raising funds for Pink Finss Cancer Charity, who walk alongside individuals and families in our community facing cancer 💗

Today’s story is about the power of the collective — how connection and compassion can change everything.

When Jodie, the founder of Pink Finss, first recognised the gap in support for women with cancer in the Hawkesbury, she started small — gathering women in local cafés once a month to talk, share, and simply be together.

Fifteen years on, those humble beginnings have grown into something extraordinary.
Now, both our women’s and men’s support groups meet monthly in the warm, welcoming upstairs rooms of the Old Hawkesbury Hospital. Downstairs, I offer counselling sessions for those who need one-on-one support. We host guest speakers, run well-being sessions, create art, share meals, and offer space for laughter, tears, and everything in between.

We’ve even had a television crew come and tell our story — because what’s happening here is real, raw, and deeply needed.

But the most powerful thing isn’t the events, or even the services. It’s the connection.

It’s the bond formed between people who understand each other in ways the outside world sometimes can’t. It’s the comfort of being truly seen — in your pain, in your fear, and in your hope.

Because cancer is complex. It’s heavy. It’s isolating.
But healing happens when we come together in that darkness — when we walk side by side, hold each other up, and remind one another that we are not alone.

That’s what we do at Pink Finss.
We listen. We hold. We walk with you. As best we can, for as long as we’re needed.

Please help us keep this going. Donate via the link below or in our linktree. Your support keeps our arms open to those who need them most 💗



Stats Day 13
🦄Shell 7.31km Walk
🦄Glenn 6.3km Walk
🦄Sharon TBAkm Walk
🦄Lynette 4.27km Walk
🦄Elloise 5.7 walk
🦄Alex 11km walk
🦄Dallas 5.38km Walk
TOTAL TODAY: 39.96m
YAY!!

26/06/2025

It’s Day 12 of our challenge…

We’re walking to raise funds for Pink Finss Cancer Charity, who provide vital support to individuals and families in our community affected by cancer 💗

Cancer doesn’t just touch one person — its reach is long, deep, and wide. It ripples through families, leaving no heart untouched.

Today’s story is about a mother’s love — the kind that never wavers, even in the darkest moments.

She came to me feeling lost. Her daughter had just received a devastating diagnosis. As a mother, she didn’t know what to do or say. She felt helpless. Hopeless. Broken in all the places that mattered.

Together, we began to build a path — not to fix what couldn’t be fixed, but to help her walk beside her daughter with strength and presence. We helped her support her daughter through surgeries, treatments, and the emotional waves that followed. We put practical supports in place: worked with her grandchildren’s schools, liaised with her daughter’s compassionate workplace, and helped her son-in-law feel less alone.

We created space for memories. For connection. For love.

And in the midst of uncertainty, a sense of peace emerged — because the family knew they were held.

That mother — who once sat in front of me not knowing how to help — became a quiet anchor for her family. She made deep, lifelong friendships through our support group, and to this day, she’s still part of the Pink Finss community — giving back, supporting others, and walking beside new families just beginning the journey.

This is the ripple effect of care. This is what Pink Finss makes possible.

Please donate if you can — for this family, and for the next one that needs us.
Link in comments. Thank you 🩷🦄🩷



Stats Day 12
🦄Shell 6.5km Walk
🦄Glenn 5.9km Walk
🦄Sharon TBAkm Walk
🦄Lynette 2.2km Walk
🦄Elloise 2.9walk
🦄Alex 6.2km walk
🦄Dallas TBAkm Walk
TOTAL TODAY: 23.7m
YAY

25/06/2025

Day 11 | 15km for 15 Days
Raising funds for Pink Finss Cancer Charity, who support individuals and families in our community navigating the impact of cancer 💗

Today’s story is one of quiet courage, deep transformation, and the healing power of being truly seen.

When you work in the health industry, asking for help can feel impossible. You’re used to being the strong one, the fixer, the person who holds everyone else together. But cancer has a way of stripping back those roles — and showing us what it really means to receive.

This lovely woman took some time to walk through my door. When she finally did, she carried herself like a martyr — deeply anxious, angry at the world, and carrying the weight of her experience in silence. She downplayed her cancer. She dismissed her own needs. Her long-term relationship had cracks, her friendships were few but loyal, and emotionally, she was at breaking point.

Over months of sessions, we unpacked it all — her childhood, her illness, the way she viewed herself and the world. Slowly, something began to shift.

And now… she’s cancer-free.
Her anxiety has softened to near silence.
Her relationship is alive with connection.
Her friendships are more open, more real.

She no longer sees cancer as the enemy, but as the turning point — a moment in time that asked her to reflect, to heal, and to begin again.

She tells me she’s filled with deep gratitude for what she calls the “gift” of cancer — the chance to live the rest of her life with meaning, joy, and honesty.

Pink Finss made that possible.
They were there to walk beside her when she finally let herself be supported — and they’ll be there for the next woman who needs the same.

Please donate if you can. We’re walking for stories like this. 💗
Link in comments.



Stats Day 11
🦄Shell 5.5km Walk
🦄Glenn 5.8km Walk
🦄Sharon 4.0km Walk
🦄Lynette 4.04km Walk
🦄Elloise 2.0 walk
🦄Alex 6.9km walk
🦄Dallas 4.4km Walk
TOTAL TODAY: 32.64km

24/06/2025

It’s Day 10 of our challenge…

The Tale of Two Brothers

It’s Day 10 of our fundraising challenge for Pink Finss Cancer Charity — and today’s story is one of legacy, love, and the quiet power of keeping a promise.

A year ago, a remarkable young man passed away from cancer. He was a father, a bit of a renegade in his younger days, and someone who met the end of his life not with fear, but with peace, resolution, and a deep sense of completion.

Just days before he died, he said something that stayed with me:
“You need to help my little brother — help him through the grief of my passing, and a few other things I know he’s carrying. He’s going to need you.”

Today, I sat in session with that younger brother.

Since his loss, we’ve walked a path together — through grief, through healing, and through the challenges his big brother once hoped he’d face head-on. And we’ve done it with the support of Pink Finss.

This is the quiet work Pink Finss does every day — holding families through loss, through love, and through the long road of what comes after. It’s about connection, continuity, and never letting someone walk alone.

There are 5 days left in our challenge — and stories like this are why we keep going.

Please donate if you can. Link in comments. Thank you for helping us continue this life-changing work. 💗




Stats Day 9
🦄Shell 5.70km Walk
🦄Glenn 5.8km Walk
🦄Sharon 4.0km Walk
🦄Lynette 3.0km Walk
🦄Elloise 2.0 walk
🦄Alex 14.2km walk
🦄Dallas 6.0km Walk
TOTAL TODAY: 40.7km
YAY!!

LINK IN THE LINK TREE

23/06/2025

It’s Day 9 of our challenge…

Not every cancer story is only about heartbreak — some are about hope, connection, and the quiet power of community.

One of the women we’ve supported through Pink Finss was diagnosed with breast cancer in her 30s. A young mum, newly returned to work, and full of plans for the future — her diagnosis shook everything. But from the very beginning, she was surrounded by a circle of care.

Friends started a meal roster. Neighbours helped with school pick-ups. Her workplace allowed flexible hours so she could rest. But it was through Pink Finss that the real magic happened.

She was connected with a local support group — women who understood, instantly. She joined in on walks, morning teas, and workshops. She received counselling, advice on navigating treatment, financial assistance, and — perhaps most importantly — friendship.

She said it best herself:
“I walked in thinking I was alone, and I left realising I was part of something bigger. Cancer brought me to this beautiful community I never knew I needed.”

Today, she’s out of active treatment, back at work part-time, and still walks alongside the new women entering the same journey. She bakes muffins for the support group mornings. She speaks at our events. She sends flowers to women finishing their last round of chemo — because she remembers how that felt.

That’s what Pink Finss does.
We don’t just offer help — we build hope, connection, and kindness into every step of the journey.

Please help us keep doing this beautiful work. Donate via the link in the comments — every dollar goes toward changing lives 💗





Stats Day 9
🦄Shell 7.0km Walk
🦄Glenn 9.3km Walk
🦄Lynette 3.62km Walk
🦄Elloise 2.0 walk
🦄Alex 6.0km walk
🦄Dallas 7.17km Walk
TOTAL TODAY: 33.09km
YAY!!