A career built around people, purpose and knowing when to start again.

Lara Portelli is a founder, author, Midlife Unplugged host, NDIS and private support consultant, human rights advocate and mentor.

Her career spans community health, welfare, government, disability services, the NDIS and business, including roles with the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade and organisations supporting people through some of life’s more complex circumstances.

Alongside that professional experience is a life that has taken its own unexpected turns.

Those two worlds, professional and personal, shape the way Lara works today: practical, compassionate and deeply interested in what happens when people are given the right support, the right information and the chance to be heard.

Where hope is needed ~ we go.

The road here wasn’t exactly straight

Lara’s working life has never fitted neatly into one title.

Long before the books, businesses and Midlife Unplugged, her work was already centred around people.

Her early career included casework and community services, followed by roles in community programs, housing, management, Defence environments and government. Over the years, she has worked with people facing disability, housing concerns, personal crises and circumstances where navigating the system could quickly become overwhelming.

Later, her work with the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade placed her in a very different environment, coordinating security training, working across government and agency teams and supporting training requirements during periods of international conflict.

Different roles. Different environments.

But people have always been at the centre of them.

Support that goes beyond the paperwork.

Lara’s experience in disability and the NDIS has included support coordination, direct client support, developing individual care plans, community access and advocacy.

Through YOUnique Strategic Solutions, she worked closely with clients navigating the NDIS and other services, accompanying people to appointments involving housing, guardianship and the Public Trustee when extra support was needed. She also provided coaching, mentoring and practical assistance designed around the individual rather than a one-size-fits-all approach.

That person-centred way of working has remained consistent throughout Lara’s career.

For her, support isn’t simply about knowing a system.

It’s about understanding the person who has to live within it.

Experience, put to work.

Today, Lara brings that experience into several areas of her work.

  • NDIS & Private Support Consulting

    Practical guidance and experienced support for people navigating disability, the NDIS, private support and complex circumstances.

  • Human Rights & Advocacy

    Lara has spent years advocating for people whose needs, rights or voices risk being overlooked. Her background includes client advocacy as well as work as a Discrimination and Anti-Harassment Officer within DFAT.

  • Mentoring

    Personal and professional mentoring grounded in lived experience, business, leadership and the understanding that sometimes the right question can be more useful than another set of instructions.

Then came the books. And the conversations.

Writing gave Lara another way to explore the experiences people often carry quietly.

What began with one book has grown into a collection exploring divorce, identity, mindset, scars, change and the moments that can alter the direction of a life.

Her publishing journey has also brought significant recognition, including an International Literary Titan Silver Book Award, Amazon Hot New Release recognition and international best-selling co-author status.

Midlife Unplugged grew from that same interest in honest conversations.

The show began by looking closely at women, midlife and everything that can come with it: relationships, careers, family, bodies, identity and starting again.

Now the conversation is widening.

There is still plenty of midlife, but also more of the truths people usually leave out of the polished version of their stories.


Watch Midlife Unplugged

Explore Lara’s Books

Different businesses. The same Lara behind them.

Her résumé includes previous ownership and director roles across NDIS services, personal development and body confidence, alongside a long history of management and leadership.

Today, that entrepreneurial side continues through two very different ventures.

  • Rise Again Collective

    Rise Again Collective brings together Lara’s years of experience in disability, the NDIS, complex support and advocacy.

    It exists to help people navigate situations where the next step isn’t always obvious, with practical support and genuine care for the person behind the paperwork.

    Visit Rise Again Collective 

  • Sakura Lab Diamonds

    Sakura Lab Diamonds shows a completely different side of Lara’s world.

    Built around lab-grown diamonds, custom jewellery and pieces designed to mark meaningful moments, Sakura brings together Lara’s love of business with something more personal and creative.

    Visit Sakura Lab Diamonds 

Work that has mattered along the way.

Lara’s career and community involvement have brought recognition across very different parts of her life.

Among them are recognition from the NSW Premier’s Office for her ongoing work supporting women experiencing homelessness and escaping domestic violence, a Medal of Excellence during her time at the RMC Sergeants Mess, founding Queanbeyan Women in Business and organising the inaugural Canberra Share the DigniTEA.

She has also served as a Body Image Movement Global Ambassador and has been involved with WICCI.

The titles and recognition are part of the story.

But the work behind them matters more.

And outside all of that? She’s still Lara.

There are plenty of titles attached to Lara’s name these days.

But underneath them is someone who still believes in straightforward conversations, asking questions, standing up when something doesn’t feel right and helping people find a way forward when life gets complicated.

She knows what it is to build something.

She also knows what it is to start again.

And she doesn’t believe either requires pretending you have everything figured out first.

For Lara, the next chapter isn’t about becoming a completely different person.

It’s about bringing everything you’ve learned with you.

Where hope is needed ~ we go.

Want to connect with Lara?

Whether you’re looking for consulting or support, mentoring, collaboration, or simply want to start a conversation, get in touch.

Work With Lara