Fifty & Fearless – In Conversation with Sharon Parker

Tell us a little about yourself. Who are you, where do you live, and what chapter of life are you in right now?

That’s such a big question, isn’t it? I’m Sharon. I’m 54, I live in Melbourne, I’m the creative founder of Sharon Parker Curated, and I’m incredibly proud to be Mum to my daughter, Eden and 2 fur babies, Abby and Boston.

If you’d asked me that question five years ago, I probably would’ve answered with all the labels. Interior designer. Business owner. Mum. Daughter. These days, I’d simply say I’m a woman who’s still learning. I don’t have life all figured out... and honestly, I don’t want to. That’s the privilege of life, isn’t it? We get to keep learning and growing.

I think that’s what my 50’s have given me. Permission to stop trying to know everything and instead become curious about what life is trying to teach me.

Professionally, I spend my days designing homes. Personally, this season has been about designing a life that finally feels like my own.

What’s been your biggest lesson during this stage of your life?

Without question, it’s learning to stop fighting life. For years I believed that if I planned long enough or worked hard enough, everything would unfold exactly as I imagined.

It doesn’t. And that’s not a bad thing.

When I look back now, I can see that every celebration, every heartbreak, every friendship, every disappointment and every unexpected moment or opportunity has become another chapter in a much bigger story.

I’ve come to believe that what is truly meant for us, will somehow find us.

One thing I’ve been reflecting on lately is how easy it is to resist life’s challenges. We all do it. Our ego gets in the way and we forget there’s a lesson to be learnt. The universe is trying to teach us something, and it we don’t face it head on then all that heartache, all that energy... it almost feels wasted. Make it count, otherwise life keeps placing the same lesson in front of us until we’re finally ready to learn it.

I’ve also realised how much value we place on labels. Successful. Single. Divorced. Business owner. Strong. We attach so much meaning to them that before long they become the story we tell ourselves.

These days I’m far more interested in the value I place on myself than the value other people place on me. That has been one of the most freeing lessons of all.

And kindness... I don’t think we talk about kindness enough. Not just towards other people, but towards ourselves. Life has taught me that everyone is carrying something we can’t see, and a little kindness can change someone’s day... including our own.

Was there a moment where you felt like you’d done a full circle then came back to yourself?

Without doubt, losing Mum changed everything. Honestly it has been the most untethering experience of my life.

People often say, “I’m so sorry for your loss,” and I genuinely appreciate that, but I don’t think I realised, until I lived it, that grief isn’t just missing someone. It changes you at the core. I knew Mum and I had an incredibly special bond, but I never understood the gravity of what losing her would do to me.

When she died, it honestly felt like she took a little piece of me with her. I know that probably sounds difficult to explain if you haven’t experienced that kind of loss... but for those who have, I don’t think I need to explain it. They’ll know.

It wasn’t just that I missed her. I didn’t know who I was without her. That was the part that surprised me. I lost my identity and it completely rattled me. I spent a good part of two years after Mum’s death trying to be the old Sharon again. Until one day I realised if Mum wasn’t coming back…. neither was the old me.

That was heartbreaking. But strangely, it was also the beginning of healing. I stopped trying to go back and eventually opened the door to discovering a new version of me.

That moment eventually led me to Sharon Parker Curated. People often think SPC was simply a business rebrand. It wasn’t. It was so much more personal.

White With One (my former business name) had carried me through some incredible years and I’ll always be grateful for everything it gave me. But I had changed, and I needed my business to evolve because I had evolved.

Looking back, I don’t think I was rebranding a business. I think I was giving myself permission to become the woman loss had quietly reshaped me into.

One unexpected gift grief has given me is a much deeper understanding of people. There’s an unspoken connection between those of us who’ve experienced profound loss. We don’t always need words; we simply recognise it in each other. It has changed the way I move through the world, the friendships I value, and the grace I try to extend to others.

Friendship and community are important themes in your story. What do they mean to you in this season of life?

I think friendship means something very different to me now than it did 20 or 30 years ago. When we’re younger, friendships often revolve around where we are in life. School, university, work, raising children... those shared experiences naturally bring people together.

As we get older, life takes us in different directions. Some friendships naturally drift, others find their way back, and then there are the rare ones that quietly walk beside you through every chapter.

I’ve come to realise that every friendship serves a purpose. Some arrive exactly when you need them. Some teach you something about yourself. Some are only there for a short while, and that’s okay too.

Then there are the friendships that become part of your story. My friend Victoria is certainly one of those people.

What began as a client relationship has become one of the most meaningful friendships. We live 4 hours apart and there’s almost 10 years between us, yet somehow we’ve become each other’s greatest supporters.

We’ll talk most days, sometimes for hours on end. We laugh, we cry, we solve the world’s problems... and sometimes we don’t solve anything at all, we’ll share funny memes and look too much into horoscope predictions.

People often ask about Sharon Parker Curated and how it evolved. Whilst I did the work, it was Victoria who encouraged me to think bigger. She challenged me. Encouraged me. Celebrated me. At times she saw something in me before I could see it myself. She believed in me when I was still learning to believe in myself, and I hope I’ve been that person for her too.

That’s what real friendship is to me. It isn’t one person carrying the other; it’s taking turns reminding each other of your strength when you’ve temporarily forgotten it.

And then there are my beautiful school friends. There are 7 of us, and we’ve been in and out of each other’s lives for more than 40 years. I love that.

They’re the women who knew me before I knew myself, the 11 year old Sharon. Before careers, marriage, motherhood, businesses and all the labels we collect through life. And honestly, every time we’re together, I leave feeling like I’ve come home.

There’s something incredibly grounding about being around people who’ve witnessed every version of you and still choose to pull up a chair at your table.

The older I’ve become, the less interested I am in having a large circle of friends. I’d much rather have a small table filled with people who truly know me than a room full of strangers who only know my name.

There’s a traditional Japanese art called Kintsugi, where the pieces of broken pottery are put back together and repaired with gold. Instead of hiding cracks, this technique highlights them, treating the repair as a visible part of the object’s history.

I’ve always loved that idea because life isn’t about pretending we’ve never been broken. It’s about honouring everything we’ve lived through.

When I think about friendship now, that’s what comes to mind. These are the women who didn’t try to fix me or put me back together. Only I could do that. But they sat beside me while I did. Kintsugi.

Sometimes that’s the greatest gift another woman can give you. Those are the friendships I’ll treasure for the rest of my life.

What would you say to another woman who’s wondering whether it’s too late?

I’d probably lean across the table, grab her hands and say... “It’s never too late.”

Growing up, I don’t remember anyone talking about this stage of life. There wasn’t much conversation around midlife, reinvention or what happens when your children grow up, your parents become older, relationships change, careers shift, and suddenly you’re standing there asking, “Who the heck am I now?”

I certainly wasn’t prepared for it. After losing Mum, I genuinely thought the answer was to change everything. I convinced myself I needed to sell my house and move to the country. When that didn’t happen, I decided the next sensible thing was to go back into full-time corporate work until I found my feet again.

I applied for job, after job... after job. More than 60 applications. And nothing, not even a conversation.

I’ll be honest, that really shook me. For the first time in my career, I started wondering whether my age had become my biggest disadvantage. After more than 30 years in the industry, I found myself questioning my experience, my value and whether I’d somehow become an older version of myself that the world no longer needed.

Looking back now, I can see I was asking the wrong question. Instead of asking, “Why doesn’t anyone want me?” I should have been asking, “What if life has other plans I don’t know about yet?”

Because had one of those jobs landed in my lap, Sharon Parker Curated may never have existed. My friendship with Victoria may never have been so impactful. The clients and projects that now bring me so much joy may never have found me.

It’s funny how life works like that. Sometimes what feels like rejection is actually redirection. Sometimes the door that refuses to open is quietly making space for the one you’re meant to walk through.

We’re the generation changing the conversation around women in their fifties. We’re proving that we still have enormous value, creativity, wisdom and ambition - not because someone finally gave us permission, but because we’re beginning to give ourselves permission. Fifty and Fearless is a testament to that.

So if life hasn’t gone to plan, don’t lose hope. Some of the most meaningful chapters of my life began the moment I stopped clinging to the old plan and started being curious about a new one.

It’s just like the ‘oxygen mask’ analogy. We spend so much of our lives looking after everyone else that we forget to care for ourselves. Putting your own mask on first isn’t selfish; it’s essential.

If you’re still figuring it out, know you’re not alone. You don’t have to have all the answers. You don’t have to be fearless every day. Sometimes simply showing up is enough. And if all else fails... call me. The coffee’s on me.

What are you most looking forward to now?

Honestly? Just seeing where life takes me, and to have more fun. I’ve missed having fun.

There was a time when I wanted every detail of the future mapped out for me. I thought I needed all the answers before I took the next step.

These days, I’m much happier allowing some of life to unfold as it does. It’s weird how the older I’ve become, the more comfortable I am with not knowing exactly what’s around the corner.

I’d love to continue growing Sharon Parker Curated in a way that feels intentional. I want honour the gift of creating beautiful homes for beautiful people, continue learning, and say yes to the projects that genuinely excite me.

I’d love to travel more, spend time with people who fill my cup, watch Eden continue to flourish, and hopefully buy another investment property one day.

And who knows... maybe love finds its way back into my life too. For a long time, I wore independence like a badge of honour, but I’ve realised there’s something quite beautiful about staying open to whatever life has in store. Whether that’s new adventures, new friendships or sharing this next chapter with someone special, I’m no longer trying to write the ending before the story unfolds.

I’m excited by the idea that my best chapters are still ahead of me!

Finally... what’s one thing you’d love women reading this to know about you?

I’d love them to know that I’m still becoming. People sometimes assume confidence arrives one day and never leaves. It doesn’t. Some days I still question everything, and I’ll wobble. Self-doubt can be awful but the difference now is I don’t stay there. I’ll give it a moment, feel all the feels then let it go.

I’ve stopped trying to become a perfect version of myself. I’m wearing the mask less and tuning in to being authentic. I’m definitely in my ‘No Fucks Era’, and honestly it’s so liberating and empowering.

Finally, one of the greatest privileges of my life has been raising my daughter, Eden as a single mum. People often talk about what children learn from their parents, but I think we underestimate how much we continue to grow because of them.

Watching her become this kind, intelligent and capable young woman has been one of the greatest joys of my life. I’m incredibly proud of who she’s becoming.

I hope she’s seen that life won’t always go to plan, and that’s okay. I hope she’s watched me rebuild, evolve, make mistakes, begin again, and keep believing that life can still surprise you.

I hope she’s learnt that resilience isn’t about pretending you’re okay. It’s about finding the courage to keep moving forward, even when your heart feels broken.

If there’s any legacy I’d like to leave, it isn’t that I built a successful design business. It’s that I showed my daughter - and perhaps a few other women along the way - that it’s never too late to become more of yourself.

If sharing my story gives even one woman permission to believe that her best chapters may still be ahead of her...then sharing it has been worth every word.

Love Sharon xx