Newcastle entrepreneur Dr Bliss Cavanagh to reveal her personal and sensory business journey at I2N's Start-up Stories

"From being a child who was terrified of public speaking to someone who enjoys to share my story, I am a transformed person who is making a difference," she says.

Diagnosed with Tourette syndrome at nine, Dr Cavanagh suffered anxiety as a child and was "distracted by sensations inside my body I didn't understand."

"It's like having an itch you have to scratch which presents in a myriad of different tics," she explains.

In adolescence, she faced depression and withdrew to prevent being stigmatised.

Moving to Newcastle to do a fine arts degree in 2009, the now 31-year-old's decision to create her own personal and therapeutic sensory art environment for her honours project was life-changing.

"I got to explore my art practice and delve into what made me feel calm and relaxed and focused, and that was creating more immersive installations, working with colour, light and texture," she says.

"Suddenly, everything clicked. I realised that's what I had been creating my entire life: cocoons in my home, candles, mood lights, music, sounds and smell. And that's what I was starting to create through my art."

Her honour's sensory installation received an overwhelming response from families with children who opened up to share their own stories, prompting Dr Cavanagh to found Creative Sensory Spaces. [Dr Cavanagh's Phd was on sensory rooms and mental health to validate their use in everyday life.]

Its mission is to support the world's well-being by creating evidence-based sensory experiences. Her clients include schools, hospitals, disability organisations, occupational therapist and allied health practices.

"Every space is unique, we work with our client to create spaces that express the wow factor and the point of difference that organisations are looking for to support their participants mental health and wellbeing," she says.

"We only specialise in complete sensory room fit-outs so people gain the optimal benefits."

Dr Cavanagh says that humans experience their lives through their senses, and the way we processed sensory information corresponded to how we regulate emotions, moods and behaviour.

Her created sensory environments supported sensory needs and helped people to regulate emotions.

"As a child we are very much encourage to explore our senses and learn through sensory play but as adults we forget we are sensory beings and our environment plays a huge role on our emotions," she says.

Dr Cavanagh said she was looking forward to speaking at Start-Up Stories on July 6.

"I'll be talking about my unique experience to become an entrepreneur, something I never expected of myself growing up," she said.

"I always knew I wanted to be an artist but never knew what my impact could have across Australia."

Her advice to entrepreneurs, whether they are neurodiverse or neurotypical, is to follow their passion.

"If you know what you are doing and pursuing is authentic and true it can have a ripple effect you can't imagine," she said.

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