A deep curiosity about the lived experience of others has been a hallmark of Maddi’s career to date. An undergraduate placement at The Royal Victorian Eye and Ear Hospital, led Maddi to undertake a Master of Clinical Audiology at the University of Melbourne. Following graduation, she gained broad and varied experience working in adult and paediatric rehabilitation in regional Victoria. This experience was life changing for her, with the sense of community and place very strongly felt. Returning to Melbourne in early 2020, Maddi joined the team at Soundfair as the organisation’s first Connection Coach. This newly created role is fundamental to delivering Soundfair’s vision of person centred services. It is here that Maddi’s empathetic approach to people’s lived experience has found a rewarding professional expression in delivering improved outcomes for clients. She describes her role as unique because the focus is wholly on the person and not so much on hearing devices, although sometimes they play a part. Maddi also enjoys working with clients, who are often from CALD backgrounds, to help them access Soundfair's Hearing Bank. Communicating through interpreters and meeting clients from different contexts is an exciting new challenge for Maddi and one that she approaches with the same open curiosity that drew her to the profession.