At 45, Victoria Brooke was out of love with her life.
She found herself overweight, drinking heavily and without friends or hobbies.
"I just got to such a low point in my life ... I'd hurt my children, I'd hurt my marriage, myself and my friends," she said.
"I was sitting in a lot of shame … I was really lonely.
"I just realised I had lost who I was."
She knew something needed to change, and while scrolling on social media she came across an unlikely video that instantly ignited her childhood love of dancing.
In a seemingly plain brick building in the city heart of Mackay, in regional Queensland, Ms Brooke found herself by glamming up as a burlesque girl.
Finding the courage to be loud
From the first time she stepped into the studio, she was hooked.
The movement was slow and gentle, something she needed while she battled with her weight and confidence.
She was shy at first and hid at the back of the class, hoping not to be noticed.
"I'm quite a loud, over the top person and generally it's like, 'Be more quiet, calm down'," she said.
But in this space, she had to encourage herself to "do it again and be louder".
Losing yourself a common problem
Mental health professional Deb Rae said it was very common for women to get to a point where they feel like they've lost themselves and need to rebuild who they are.
"They've spent a lot of their lives raising their children and putting everyone else first ...which is an expectation that society often has on women," Ms Rae said.
"You're just buried in all of those expectations.
"It's a process of unlearning, of stripping back and going well ... who am I?"
Professor Jolanda Jetten is an expert in social psychology and said forming connections with other people was the key to a happy life.
"We know from research that if people are well connected, it's associated with important health benefits," she said.
"People who feel connected simply live longer."
Dr Jetten said she understood how easy it could be to lose sight of who you are while juggling work, children and relationships.
And when children leave the nest and you suddenly find yourself with more time on your hands, reconnecting with old passions or people is often difficult.
Rebuilding relationships
For Ms Brooke, burlesque was a way for her to reignite her relationship with herself.
"I was at a point in my life where I was rediscovering who I was and reclaiming my body because I was quite overweight," she said.
"I wanted to be around other women because I had lost that community."
Three years on Ms Brooke said she was the happiest she had ever been.
She has found sobriety, fitness and joy in her life.
"It fills my cup incredibly, you just walk in and never feel alone," Ms Brooke said.
"I feel most myself when I'm on stage."
