Britt is an accomplished Australian surfer, health advocate, and occupational therapist from the Far North Coast of NSW. She has a zest for life, a vibrant personality, and there’s a warmth about her that people gravitate towards. She’s a glass-half-full type of person, with everything she does. Britt’s journey has been defined by resilience - diagnosed with Crohn’s disease at the age of seven, she has faced and overcome challenges most people could never imagine, all while pursuing her dreams in and out of the water. Crohn’s disease is a lifelong inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) that causes inflammation and ulceration within the gastrointestinal tract. Learn more about IBD - click here.

From Local Grommet To The World Stage
Britt loves sports and took to surfing around the age of twelve. Britt was determined to follow a path in professional surfing, despite ongoing health battles. Some of Britt’s competitive surfing career highlights include various Pro Junior results, three consecutive NSW State Titles, an Australian Title, a World Surf League (WSL) world ranking of 24, Team Australia representation in the ISA World Surfing Games (2016 and 2017), and selection as Australian Team Captain (2017).

The Long-Term Rival That Changed Everything
After a very long and complex health journey (including the requirement of three ileostomies on separate occasions), Britt now has a permanent colostomy. While Britt does surf with her ostomy bag, the persistence of health obstacles did eventually force her to step away from competitive surfing as an athlete. However, she is still passionate about the sport and about helping other people.

Britt has since worked in the surfing industry in numerous roles, including as an Event Commentator; Administrator; Community, Participation, and Education Coordinator; High Performance Camps and Competition Coordinator; State and National Team Manager; High Performance Surf Coach; and Head Coach for the Irukandjis Australian Para Surfing Team at the 2022 ISA World Para Surfing Championships in California.

Turning Pain Into Purpose
Britt has been a volunteer Ambassador for Crohn’s and Colitis Australia for over ten years. Additionally, she was recognised as the Northern Rivers Adult Volunteer of the Year in the NSW Volunteer of the Year Awards for 2020. Britt hopes to raise more awareness about IBD and has openly shared her journey in the media, at youth camps, luncheons, corporate events, and Parliament House - Canberra. Britt has become a genuine mentor not only for kids, teens, adults, and other athletes…but also for other people with an ostomy, IBD, or health condition.

A New Calling: Occupational Therapy
Off the back of an unpleasant personal experience with an Occupational Therapist post major surgery in 2020, Britt decided to undertake a career transition to study a Bachelor of Health Science / Master of Occupational Therapy. Her experiences with her health journey have contributed to her ability to be compassionate, actively listen, and advocate for client/patient needs. Britt completed her studies in 2024 and now works as an Occupational Therapist, aiming to support other people to overcome obstacles and live meaningfully.

Learn more about Britt in the July 2022 issue of Allied Magazine - click here.