My Journey to Reclaim the Narrative

Yesterday, I received an email from Adele Peek that made my heart sing. After submitting my expression of interest for Reclaim the Narrative, she reached out wanting to connect – not just about the movement, but about me, my work, and what drew me to RTN. That personal touch, that genuine interest in building relationship first, perfectly embodies what RTN represents.

When Academic Study Meets Movement Practice

Through my Graduate Certificate in Wiradyuri Language, Culture and Heritage, I've been exploring the critical work of narrative deconstruction and truth-telling as a citizen entrepreneur leveraging First Nations rebuilding principles. This academic journey has prepared me to recognise and embrace the groundbreaking work that Adele has already established through RTN.

Becoming an RTN Ambassador: Bridging Theory and Practice

What excites me about becoming an RTN Ambassador is that Adele has created the very movement my studies pointed me toward. She's built the framework for the systematic narrative transformation I've been studying – a three-stage process that's essential for true reconciliation:

1. BREAK DOWN (Expose the Truth)

• Dismantling the sanitised colonial narratives that have shaped Australia's understanding of Indigenous peoples
• Revealing the genocidal nature of government "protectionist" policies that were systematically designed to erase our peoples, cultures, and very existence
• Exposing the lies that have been perpetuated for generations, dressed up as benevolent acts when they were anything but

2. CHANGE (Rebuild with Truth)

• Replacing false narratives with authentic Indigenous voices and experiences
• Centring Indigenous knowledge systems and perspectives in national conversations
• Creating space for uncomfortable truths to be acknowledged and processed

3. RECLAIM (Indigenous Sovereignty Over Our Stories)

• Indigenous people controlling how our stories are told
• Moving from reactive correction to proactive storytelling
• Establishing Indigenous leadership in narrative creation

Standing on the Shoulders of Pioneers

What Adele has created through RTN, and what she and Cara have built together through The Cultural Intelligence Project, represents the descendants of the First Entrepreneurs. They've built the frameworks, opened the doors, and created the movement. My Graduate Certificate work flows naturally with what RTN is doing – whilst I've been studying the theory of narrative transformation, Adele has been building the practical movement.

Prepared to Lead: Academic Training in Action

My Graduate Certificate has equipped me to be a more effective ambassador for RTN's vision, to help translate their movement into academic and policy spaces, and to support the rigorous truth-telling that RTN demands.

What excites me about contributing to RTN is the opportunity to offer specific skills – my academic training, my Indigenous chocolate social enterprise platform, my regional perspective – to amplify the incredible work she and Cara have already established.

This isn't about me bringing new ideas – it's about me stepping into the work Adele has already mapped out and contributing my specific strengths to strengthen the movement. My studies have prepared me for this moment, but RTN gives me the community and framework to put that preparation into meaningful action.

As a citizen entrepreneur, I'm simply trying to do my best for Mob – a principle recognised as a key component of building effective Native Nations. Adele and Cara are the leaders; I'm honoured to support their vision and contribute where I can to the movement they've created.

Chocolate as a Vehicle for Truth-Telling

Through Chocolate on Purpose, I'm already part of this three-stage journey. Every chocolate bar tells the truth about Indigenous botanical knowledge, breaking down narratives that position us as passive recipients rather than active innovators. Every partnership with Aboriginal growers changes the conversation about Indigenous capability and expertise. Every story I share reclaims our rightful place as Australia's First Nations entrepreneurs.

Waynha (Transformation) Through Truth

As I prepare for my conversation with Adele, I'm reminded of the Wiradyuri concept of "waynha" – transformation. The RTN movement represents exactly this kind of transformation: from colonial lies to Indigenous truth, from reactive defence to proactive leadership, from individual storytelling to collective narrative sovereignty.

When Adele welcomed me as an RTN Ambassador, quoting my words, "Changing the narrative is a critical component of rebuilding our Native Nations, and my contribution as a Citizen Entrepreneur is how I work to change it," she articulated what my work has been building toward – the understanding that we're not just reclaiming narratives, we're fundamentally transforming how Australia understands its history and its future. The wellbeing of our little ones depends on it.

Standing Together as #TheFirstEntrepreneurs

As I commented on Adele's LinkedIn post:

"Mandaang guwu (thank you) Adele and Reclaim The Narrative – A Global Movement. We are #TheFirstEntrepreneurs 🖤💛❤️ Stand with Us! Please share this with your networks: #RTNMovement let's keep shifting the power dynamic together. Waynha (transformation) through changing the narrative to truth, and reclamation of the narrative 🦋"

This is what RTN represents – not just individual success stories, but collective transformation. Not just changing what stories get told, but changing who gets to tell them. Not just reclaiming narratives, but rebuilding the very foundations of how Australia understands itself.

I'm thrilled to contribute to building on this work with the movement created by Adele and RTN. Together, we're not just telling different stories – we're creating a different future.