17 Jul 2026
It’s OK To Say founder and CEO Stacey Turner, is preparing herself for an emotional return to her home country of Australia…
Beer gardens are overflowing. Parks are packed with picnic blankets and melting ice creams, but while St Albans makes the most of this glorious summer, my mind is more than 10,000 miles away.
It’s winter in Australia, and my thoughts are back in my home nation.
People have been asking what we’ve got planned for the summer.
It’s a lovely question. It’s also one I’ve found surprisingly difficult to answer.
The truth is, our summer plans haven’t been able to be made. Instead, we’ve been living in that in-between space where nothing feels certain, but everything suddenly feels important. Life has quietly been rearranging things without asking permission.
Instead of planning holidays, I’ve found myself considering whether to spend much of the UK summer in Australia, where it will be winter, to be close to my mum and my family during one of the most difficult chapters of our lives.
St Albans will always be one of our homes, and I’m fortunate that I can work remotely in my role as CEO of It’s OK To Say. At the same time, Australia also remains home for me, and right now I’m simply trying to be where I’m needed most.
It’s amazing how quickly life can sharpen your perspective. Just like that!
I’ve always valued connection deeply, family, friendships, and meaningful relationships have shaped both my life and my work. Anyone who knows me knows how much I value moments and the importance I place on creating memories. And yet, like so many of us, I’ve also spent years moving from one commitment to the next, often believing there would always be more time later.
I will never forget arriving in Sydney on a Qantas flight en route to Brisbane, reaching up to grab my bag from the overhead locker just as I Still Call Australia Home began to play through the cabin. In that moment, I was overwhelmed, not just with emotion, but with a deep sense of being home. Grateful. Rooted. Connected in a way I hadn’t fully expected.
Now, if you know me, you’ll know I grew up in Australia. For me, home has always been something of a split existence, memories there, life here, and a heart that belongs to both.
Lately, I’ve realised there comes a point when your priorities don’t necessarily change; they simply become crystal clear.
You stop measuring your days by everything you’ve achieved. You start measuring them by who you’ve shared them with.
For years, Australia has been home in my memories, whilst Britain has become home in my everyday life. St Albans has given me far more than a postcode; it has given me belonging.
But perhaps home isn’t always a place. Sometimes home is simply wherever the people you love happen to be.
This year, I’m not chasing sunshine anymore. I’m chasing time. And if this different kind of summer has taught me anything, it’s that no distance, no season, and no plan will ever matter more than the time we have with the people we love.
Some summers arrive with certainty, with diaries already filled and plans already made. And some arrive quietly, asking us not where we want to go, but where we are needed most.
Mentioning I Still Call Australia Home naturally stirs a sense of nostalgia, those familiar feelings of distance, belonging, and the quiet pull of home that never quite leaves you.
*If you’ve been triggered by any of the topics within this article, please don’t hesitate to reach out to It’s OK To Say, we’re in this together, and support is always available when you need it.
