SHANNON ROBERTSON

MANAGING DIRECTOR

Lead Support Worker

A Little Bit About Me

Personally, I am a dad and have a beautiful 19 year old daughter who is strong beyond her years, caring and compassionate, and a 15 year old son who is one of the most resilient, charming and vibrant people in my life, he also has cerebral palsy. 

Professionally speaking, I am a registered nurse and for 19 years of the past 23 I have been leading services and communities in the delivery of person-centered care in regional, rural and remote locations across north Queensland and the mid-north coast of NSW. My experience spans health, aging and disability with significant time spent in senior leadership roles. 

Recently I have been the General Manager of a disability support organisation in Townsville;

Chief Operating Officer of a large Aboriginal Medical Service where I was responsible for the operations of both health services and 3 residential aged care facilities across 4 communities in North West Queensland; and 

I now run my own business and as the Managing Director of Lived Potential I provide support services for people with psychosocial and physical disabilities as well as nursing, health and service management consultancy.

I am passionate about ensuring that people are able to live life to the full, without the societal, organisational and governmental barriers that so often get put in their way.

What drives me and what I’m most dedicated to, is the opportunity to invest in people; both the people supported by services and the people that work with them. I love to talk and approach my work in this way, the opportunity to show people that being present and available to people rather than sitting behind a computer screen is actually the only way to make a difference. 

I look forward to meeting you and working together for great outcomes and bright futures.

COORDINATOR OF CARE AND SUPPORT

A Little Bit About Me

Firstly, I’m a mum, fiancé, sister, aunty and daughter. As a child/teen I grew up in Cobar NSW, Townsville and Cairns we spent most of our spare time camping, fishing, horse-riding and adventuring this gave me a lot of appreciation for the outdoors and the ability to think on my feet and enjoy the little things our country has to offer.  

I first started my career in disability 4 years ago as a support worker, very quickly I knew this was the sector in which I wanted to pursue. After a couple of years on the ground as a support worker I moved to rostering, then to lifestyle co-ordination for a small Townsville organisation which has led me to my career with Lived Potential.  

Three years ago, my family's life changed. My Dad at 48 years old had a severe stroke, causing left side paralysis and a brain injury. Although Dad has made a good recovery relearning to walk, talk and eat again, Mum and Dad now have support workers in and out of their home 5 days a week. This has given me a greater understanding of what families go through having support constantly in and out of their lives, the private family moments are often shared with another person in the room.  

My greatest goal when supporting a family is to ensure that you are treated how I want my family to be treated. I put the person and their abilities before the disability!

SUPPORT WORKER

A Little Bit About Me

Following my passion for science and helping people, I moved from Melbourne to Townsville in 2022 to start studying my medical degree at James Cook University and pursue my dreams of becoming a doctor and it’s safe to say I absolutely love it so far! 

When I'm not buried in textbooks, I’m out in the community working or volunteering. In my role as a support worker, I pride myself on my wholeheartedness- I like to give everything in life my all and that means no less than my integrity, dedication, patience and my passion. I find engaging with people extremely rewarding and the positive connections I can make, inspiring. I have lots of experience working with children and teenagers in particular (and the creativity and imagination to show for it) whether it be tutoring high school students in my favourite subjects like literature or teaching swimming (a personal passion of mine). There's something about kids and young people that never fails to make me smile, and seeing the world through their eyes is incredibly inspiring. 

I have accrued many hobbies over the years; I love animals, being active outdoors and travelling but I also enjoy a quiet afternoon reading, doing craft or watching movies, I’m yet to work with someone who I don’t discover, or inspire a new, common interest with. I’m all about trying new things and working with you encouraging, supporting and giving you the confidence to do the same. After all, life is too short not to explore and embrace every opportunity that comes your way and I’ll be right there beside you cheering you on towards your goals! 

I'm also an avid traveller having lived overseas in London, Auckland and Abu Dhabi and while Melbourne will always be home, I've fallen in love with Townsville's beautiful beaches and the opportunity to keep my scuba diving skills fresh in waters warmer than Victoria’s. I also can't forget my family including my younger brother, who's back at home with our parents looking after the love of my life...my golden Labrador, Harry. 

SUPPORT WORKER

A Little Bit About Me

I am student studying a Bachelor of Psychological Sciences at James Cook University, inspired by my lifelong passion to become a qualified psychologist and in doing so, facilitate the best possible care for those around me. By becoming a support worker, I have learnt so much about my community and the applications of my study in real life and find the job extremely fulfilling and enjoyable!
Being a psychology student, I am constantly looking for different ways I can support the  wellbeing of others and learn new practical applications through listening to clients, professionals, and parents on what works best and giving my job my all. I enjoy working with a wide array of people with different strengths, and most importantly I love being able to give my all to my job and getting a smile on people’s faces!
One of the most amazing aspects I have found within my role as a support worker is the new opportunities and activities I have come across. For example, I have had the privilege of joining a wheelchair basketball team, which has been an amazing experience benefitting my physical and social health. I also enjoy engaging with younger students through tutoring one of my all-time favourite subject – mathematics. One of my favourite aspects of my job is helping others to achieve their goals, in whatever areas that may be. Travelling is also a significant part of my life, having so far travelled to London and Paris. My next endeavour is to travel around Australia! I have a beautiful and supportive family, with two younger brothers who are like my best friends. I am so excited to be working at Lived Potential, and I am always down to learn new things and have new experiences! 

SUPPORT WORKER

A Little Bit About Me

I am a family orientated Townsville raised man who puts others first. Growing up I was bullied for being overweight and I know how it is to feel like an outcast, which is why my philosophy on life has always been “treat others how you want to be treated”. After I left high school I lost 60kg and fell in love with gym and dieting and started feeling good about the way I look and feel.

After high school I didn’t know what I wanted to do trying new things often. I worked at McDonald’s as a manager, Coles in the deli, labourer at National Glass which lead me to an apprenticeship as a glazier for Twin Cities Glass & Aluminium. After 6 months as an apprentice I decided it wasn’t for me and decided to take a leap of faith and quit without a plan. I had some time off and did a few odd jobs to keep me busy after working nearly 8 years without a real break. One day I came across an opening on seek for Lived Potential and I have not looked back! I love supporting people to live the greatest life they can!

I pride myself on making people smile and enjoying themselves even on the hardest of days. I’m a big mental health advocate struggling with depression & anxiety myself, so I always have an open ear to listen if ever needed (despite my not so great hearing 😂).

I love NQL Cowboys and try to make games whenever I can as well as music and breaking down the deeper meaning behind songs/ lyrics. I am excited to go to a music festival later this year called Spilt Milk in Canberra (mostly just for Post Malone).  I love movies and am a big Marvel nerd, and occasionally play my PlayStation and love a good narrative driven game.

SUPPORT WORKER

A Little About Me

Hi my name is Samantha (Sam) I was born is Darwin 3 months early and became the bush baby that was born on the side of the road. I wasn't meant to survive but I did! I have 1 older brother and 6 other siblings from my bio dads side. My older brother and I have a great relationship. See my mum has a mental illness so we became best friends because we felt like we didn't have anyone else. Over the years we moved around a bit while I was young due to my mother's mental illness. We finally settled in Townsville and my mother met a wonderful man who became our step father who we now call dad. He has taught me so many things in life that i would never know how do without him such as going to school. School was hard for me simply because i didn't know where mum would be or what she woul be doing when i got home. My mother's 

Friend's daughter has cerebral palsy and when i was 5 years old I was shown how to feed her. I loved this so much and just knew that I wanted to help people when I got older. High school came around, my mum got sent away and my teenage struggle started; I lost a couple of close friends due to mental illness. My year 12 formal came and went and I didn't have  my mum there; I had my dad. I started work a little while after I left school and became a support worker. The joy I got going to work was incredible. A few years go by and I met my partner. He's super supportive and understands all the struggles I've had in life and can see how much I've grown because of all of it. A few more years go by an we decided to have a baby but my body was broken an it didn't want to work. I found out I have PCOS, but we didn't let that stop us. Soon enough we had a beautiful little girl. That incredibly smart an funny little girl is now in school and I'm ready to go back to work. My life has been crazy and full of so many ups an downs but there is also so many positives to come out of everything. I'm very excited to meet everyone an get to know you all. 

SUPPORT WORKER

A Little About Me

Growing up in a family with special needs has opened my eyes at a very early age, I knew what i wanted to do was always going to be helping people, it was just a matter of how.

I started support work with personal experiences and with the knowledge i had i knew this is something i would succeed in whilst also loving every second.

I am starting my studies at CQU in Nursing, my goal at the end of this journey is to be a FIFO Nurse, going to remote and rural areas to help others that don’t have access like we do. I also have a massive passion for mentoring, I am currently in a Volunteer program- yLead, i get to go around to schools to speak and work alongside like minded people that want to succeed.

I worked as a Department Manager at Mcdonald’s, Optical Dispenser at Specsavers and now Support Work.

My favourite thing to do in my spare time is painting, i’m not the best but I absolutely love it, it’s very relaxing and can shut off your mind for awhile when you need.

I also do Competitive Allstar Cheerleading and Dance, I have done this for 8 years all together with a couple years break.

I am living out of home with my bestfriend and my two cats- Enzo and Kai (from the vampire diaries).

I am so happy to be given the chance to work with all our lovely clients at Lived Potential and i cannot wait to meet more!