About


My story

A friend once told me I’m a paradox - deep and reflective, but also light and fun. I took it as a compliment (and it’s true). My writing goes deep, but I laugh at myself and life often. My kids make sure I never forget the fun. My inner journey began when life stopped going to plan, culminating in a blood cancer diagnosis. When I let go of control, I found something I didn’t even know I was looking for - wholeness and a sense of home within my own skin. I believe the search for feeling whole is universal, and that’s what inspired my book.
I have written professionally as a marketer and content writer for twenty years. Now, through my newsletter and book, I explore what it means to be human - with curiosity, compassion and a desire to reshape the stories we tell ourselves and each other.
Joy, rEGARDLESS out now!

Professional Bio

Residing on Darkinjung Country with her husband and four children, Lara Charles, an Australian writer, explores life’s deeper threads through her thought-provoking work. Her writing has been published in respected publications both nationally and internationally such as Mamamia and Stuff. She is the author of the Deeper Threads Substack newsletter and a teacher on global cancer website Thrivers Ark. With twenty years of professional writing experience in marketing, Joy, Regardless is her debut memoir.

AS SEEN IN

Invite Lara to speak

Let’s Talk About the Stuff That Really Matters

I love speaking at book clubs, events and community gatherings - any space with real conversation. I talk about things like writing, parenting, spirituality, health, social justice and how our personal healing can ripple out into the wider world.
Much of what I talk about draws on the themes in Joy, Regardless - reflections on what it means to live from our hearts in a messy, beautiful world.
If you'd like to invite me to speak or chat with your group, feel free to get in touch via email at hello@laracharles.com. Central Coast, Sydney and Newcastle regions only.
CONTACT LARA

A few more fun facts about me

Family life
My husband and I have four children (which includes a pair of delightful and dynamic (read: full-on) twins). The mayhem and the magic exist in perfect harmony. We have lived in the bushy hills of Wellington, Aotearoa, New Zealand for over 17 years, and are now living on Darkinjung Country in the sunny Central Coast of NSW.
Work Life
I care deeply about the world our children will inherit. My marketing career has been spent in NGOs, fighting for a better future. I don’t regret a thing - but I’ve come to see that lasting change starts within. Now, my work is about using words as a bridge back to our truest selves.
(And yes, I still work in marketing - as a freelance consultant and content writer for purpose-driven organisations. You’ll find more on that side of my life over on LinkedIn).
After Work Life
In a nutshell: I’m a mid-lifer who loves to laugh, dance, bush walk with my family, dive into the ocean, and drink wine with my girlfriends. I’m a truth-seeker, a nature lover and a big reader. I meditate, curse occasionally and fold laundry with a podcast in my ears. I’ve fallen in love with the craft of writing, and I have a bloody awesome family who fill my heart to the brim.
Health
Over ten years ago, I was diagnosed with essential thrombocythemia - a rare, chronic blood cancer in which a person's bone marrow makes too many platelets. The diagnosis was equally a jolt to my system and the catalyst for change.

SUBSCRIBE ⬎

Join our global community of curious souls (it's free) and get my latest blog posts and book news delivered straight to your inbox. Thanks for joining these important conversations.

what people say

  • "Lara's knowledge is no longer conceptual. It is no longer borrowed knowledge from spiritual teachers or teachings. Lara has taken a dive into herself in a true and deep way. Her writing reflects her special inner light of awareness, a light that many can benefit from its clarity in how to live with true purpose and in happiness."
    Shikhaa, Spiritual Teacher and Co-founder of the Wisdom of Meditation Centre, New Zealand
  • "Lara’s book is beautifully written and her unique voice shines through right from the start. It’s equal parts humorous and poignant but always unflinchingly honest. It is not only a cancer survivor’s story but a powerful story of her inner journey, which is the journey we all have in common, whether we have cancer or not."
    Petrina Hargrave, Co-founder, Thriver's Ark
Copyright © 2025 Lara Charles. All Rights Reserved. Privacy Policy Professional photography by Michelle Jacobson and Rebecca McMillian I work across the lands known as Australia and Aotearoa New Zealand. In Australia, I acknowledge the Darkinjung People and the Guringai People, Traditional Custodians of the land on which I live and work, and pay my respects to their elders, past, present and emerging. In Aotearoa, I acknowledge and pay my respect to Māori as tangata whenua (First People) of Aotearoa New Zealand.