The Life We Don't Plan

EPISODE 1

A conversation with Carley Johnston

A deeply personal conversation about cancer, intuition, identity, resilience and the long road beyond treatment.

About this conversation

Carley and I first came to know each other through our work in the Australian Public Service. I knew her as an intelligent, warm and thoughtful leader, but I knew very little about the story behind the woman I saw at work.

At just 29, Carley was diagnosed with cervical cancer after nine months of searching for answers — an experience that would profoundly reshape her relationship with her body, her intuition and herself.

This conversation is about cancer, but it is also about so much more.

We talk about the devastating loss of fertility, learning to advocate for yourself, and what happens when the intuition you have always trusted suddenly feels as though it has betrayed you.

Carley speaks openly about having to slowly reconnect with her body and mind, rebuild trust in herself and eventually learn to dream again.

We also explore something that isn't spoken about enough: what happens after treatment ends.

For Carley, surviving cancer wasn't the end of the story. Recovery brought its own difficult work — rebuilding identity, learning to love herself where she was, and finding a different way of moving through her personal and professional life.

Her experience deepened her empathy as a leader and her awareness that so many people we encounter are carrying stories we know nothing about.

Ultimately, this is a conversation about becoming. About backing yourself, finding hope again and creating a meaningful life even when it looks nothing like the one you once imagined.

Carley's philosophy now is beautifully simple: one percent better every day — because sometimes the smallest step is enough to begin finding your way back to yourself.

Meet Carley

Carley Johnston is the founder of Lustre Me, a platform created to support and empower people living with, recovering from, or caring for someone with cancer.

As a cancer survivor herself, Carley shares real-life, practical insights drawn from her own experience — the kind of honesty that helps women feel seen, heard and empowered through a journey that can often feel isolating.

Her mission is simple: to help women not just survive cancer, but truly thrive in the life that comes after it.

Through Lustre Me, Carley gets real about the not-so-pretty parts of recovery, blending candour with her unmistakable sense of humour to bring light to conversations that matter.

Visit LustreMe.

From our conversation

Finding your way back to yourself
Cancer profoundly changed Carley’s relationship with her intuition. An important part of recovery became slowly reconnecting with her body and mind, rebuilding faith in herself and learning to trust that inner voice again — eventually allowing herself to hope, and dream big, once more.

One percent better
One of Carley’s guiding philosophies is beautifully simple: one percent better every day. On the good days, the bad days and everything in between, even the smallest action can become the beginning of growth — sometimes it really is just making the bed.

Redefining success
Success looks different to Carley now. It is still about meaningful work and making a contribution, but also about eight hours of sleep, spending time with good people, doing things she enjoys and putting her wellbeing front and centre.

After the conversation

What stayed with me after speaking with Carley was the idea that thriving doesn’t necessarily mean returning to who we were before life changed us.

Sometimes it means meeting ourselves again — with greater compassion, wisdom and intention.

Carley’s story reminded me that rebuilding rarely happens in one great leap. It happens gradually: learning to trust ourselves again, choosing what matters, and taking the next small step.

Perhaps that is why the philosophy of one percent better every day stayed with me.

Some days, one percent might be a meaningful step forward. On others, perhaps it is simply saying:

“I’ll try again tomorrow.”

And perhaps that is enough too.

Continue the conversation

Carley and I talked about the experiences that change not only our lives, but how we see ourselves afterwards.

What stayed with you from this conversation? Has something in your own life changed the way you see yourself or the way you show up in the world?

I’d love to hear your thoughts below.