Nurture Ambition
About Merly
Finding Inspiration in Every Turn
I'm a Burnout Recovery and Wellbeing Coach and Career Management Specialist. who is passionate about helping female professionals (especially mums) who are ready to build a career they love without sacrificing their energy, health or family life.
But more to that, I'm someone who understands what it feels like to hold it all together on the outside... while feeling exhausted and disconnected on the inside.
Merly Hartnett,
Career Wellbeing Coach
My work is grounded in a simple belief:
You can do meaningful work and feel well.
Through my coaching, I guide you to:
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Slow down enough to understand what’s really going on
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Build the capacity to move forward with clarity
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Take aligned steps toward a career that fits your life
No overwhelm. No pressure. Just steady, supported progress.
The Work I Do
Today, I support female professionals across Sydney, the Gold Coast, and Australia-wide to recover from burnout and rebuild a more sustainable, aligned way of working.
After building most of my career in Sydney and relocating to the Gold Coast for a sea change, I’ve been working remotely since 2016, supporting clients nationally across Australia.
This isn’t about quick fixes or pushing through.
It’s about:
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Rebuilding your energy and capacity
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Reconnecting with what truly matters to you
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Creating a career that supports your life, not drains it
My approach combines career coaching with wellbeing and behaviour change, so you’re not just changing jobs, you’re changing the way you work and live.
Where needed, I also support the practical side of career transition, including LinkedIn profile optimisation, resume and cover letter development, and interview skills training, ensuring you feel confident and competitive in today’s job market.
My Background
I’m a qualified and HCANZA-Accredited Health and Wellness Coach with 17 years plus experience in career transition and occupational rehabilitation. I hold a Certificate IV in Career Development and am currently completing my Post-Graduate Certificate in Career Development and Counselling with Queensland University of Technology (QUT).
I’ve supported individuals navigating:
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Career transitions
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Workplace stress and burnout
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Injury and return-to-work journeys
This experience has shown me that sustainable careers aren’t built through pressure, they’re built through clarity, support, and aligned action.
My Story
For a long time, I believed the answer was to keep pushing.
Work harder. Do more. Hold it all together.
But eventually, that way of living caught up with me.
I’ve experienced burnout firsthand, alongside the mental load, workplace pressure, and even psychological injury that so many women silently carry. As a working mum who has studied, worked, and homeschooled at the same time, I know what it feels like to be doing everything and still feeling like it’s not sustainable.
My perspective isn’t just personal.
With over 17 years in occupational rehabilitation, I’ve supported individuals across Sydney, the Gold Coast, and Australia-wide who have reached a crossroads in their careers, whether due to burnout, injury, or the desire for something more aligned.
I’ve worked across multiple paths myself as an employee, a contractor, and now a business owner, and I’ve walked through the same uncertainty, transitions, and decisions that my clients face.
So when I coach, it’s not just theory.
It’s grounded in lived experience, combined with the insights I’ve gained supporting clients through both private coaching and occupational rehabilitation.
What I’ve come to understand is this:
Burnout isn’t a sign that you’re failing.
It’s a sign that something needs to change.
