Erika Gleeson lives a hectic life travelling between her work in Canberra, Adelaide and Brisbane and home-base of Sydney. It's a far cry from her days growing up in Port Macquarie, but she still manages to regularly return to the Hastings for much-needed time with family and friends.
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Erika is a behaviour specialist who works with people who have an identified behaviour problem, and her specific areas of interest are intellectual disability and autism.
How does your job work? I start by conducting a comprehensive behaviour assessment and the next steps are dictated by what this tells me. The ultimate goal is to decrease the frequency and episodic severity of the behaviours, whatever they might be. In short, I design programmes; train staff; support families; make modifications to staffing, ecology, education etc. - basically facilitate change and enhance the quality of life for the people who are referred to me. It feeds my soul every single day
How did you get into bluegrass music, and why do you love it? I was going to make up some elaborate story about a short-lived love affair with a tobacco-chewing, whisky-drinking muso from Kentucky, but the reality is I don't actually know how I got into it. It possibly evolved from my love of jazz. At any rate, if you're having a bad day you throw on a bit of bluegrass and all of a sudden, the world is a better place. I've also recently started learning the guitar so have a new found appreciation for the craft itself. Everyone loves a toe-tapper.
What's the first thing you do when you get back to Port Macquarie? Do you have any rituals/necessaries while up here? Take my hound for a run and swim at Lighthouse Beach. The raiding of mum and dad's pantry and wine rack is fairly ritualistic for me, and I envision I'll still be doing the same thing in 20 years time. To me, Port Macquarie represents solid family time, sunshine & slowing down.
Who would you choose to duel in a rap battle, and why? That's a tough question. Perhaps Barack Obama. He's quite the wordsmith, but also amazingly composed. I'd like to see him break it down. I think I'd have him on toast!
You have travelled the world and seen many of its sights, have an enviable career and sharp intelligence. What would you say to local kids who want to forge similarly successful lives? A wise old fox once told me, "Don't let fear hold you back", and so I don't. Go hard! Be brave. Be on the endless pursuit of self-betterment. And be your own best friend.
