Powering Up Lived Experience Workforce SummitReflection – February 2025 Written by Heidi Höynk   Attending the Powering Up Lived Experience Workforce Summit in February 2025 was an eye-opening experience. As a long-time carer navigating Queensland’s mental health system, I’ve often found myself feeling frustrated, unheard, and exhausted—not because support doesn’t exist, but because the system itself can be isolating and unresponsive. Organisations like Arafmi have been invaluable in providing a space for carers to feel supported and heard, helping to pick up the pieces when the system fails us. However, the treatment of carers, of loved ones and the systemic issues within mental health services remain draining and disheartening. Stepping into this summit, surrounded by others who truly understood these challenges, I felt a renewed sense of purpose and possibility. Over two days, I had the opportunity to listen, learn, and reflect on what lived experience means in the context of systemic change. Dr. Louise Byrne set the tone with a simple yet profound truth: the lived experience workforce is real, it’s on the ground, and it’s making a difference. Authenticity is key—our stories, both the good and the ugly, are not just valuable but necessary in shaping better services.