If you ever need proof that saying yes can change your entire life, Jo is your girl.
She has sailed oceans, raced motorbikes through the bush, flown gliders since she was sixteen and somehow still finds time to keep projects ticking like a finely tuned engine.
She likes to joke that she arrived in Australia over 10 years ago thinking she would be doing a tiny data entry job for a few months.
“But guess what? I’ve managed to stay a little bit longer,” Jo laughed.
Jo grew up in Poland, spent six years in Ireland upskilling, and then moved her whole family to Australia.
She still remembers stepping off the plane, swapping Irish drizzle for blazing Pilbara heat and diving straight into her first Aussie role.
“It was my first job in Australia after moving from Ireland with my Husband and three kids,” she said.
“From rainy winter to Karratha in the middle of the summer.”
That short-term start in 2013 became the beginning of a career built on curiosity.
“Data entry was just the start. I was looking for more work every day,” Jo said.
“It is all about the hunger for learning and saying yes to opportunities.”
And she meant it. She moved from site admin to accounts, then to payroll, then to project control. She tackled technical support, document control, maintenance planning, offshore planning and anything that would stretch her skills.
She even had a short break between Karratha and Perth before coming back.
“Just one year in Australia without Monos’,” she admitted about her time in Australia so far.
Jo treats work the same way she treats flying, sailing or tackling an off-road track. She sees it all as one big puzzle to figure out. She loves working with specialists across every discipline because it gives her a fresh challenge each day.
“Every machine or facility has its quirks, and I enjoy tailoring plans to each environment,” she said.
For her, the real satisfaction is in the calm, unseen side of the job. The part that most people never notice but rely on completely.
“I absolutely love the behind-the-scenes brilliance of it. Making sure everything runs smoothly and safely.”
Outside of work, she is still an adventurer at heart. Jo started flying gliders at sixteen, sails whenever she gets the chance and discovered motorbikes after arriving in Australia. She began on a Harley but quickly switched to off-road riding.
She’s also incredibly proud of how her family has adapted and grown through every new chapter of life’s adventure together.
Jo believes what pushed her through life was ambition and simple chance.
“It was just pure luck. I had no idea how life can surprise you if you are keen to say yes and not afraid to get out of your comfort zone,” she said.