I'd like to begin by acknowledging the traditional custodians of the lands on which we've recorded this episode and also pay respect to the elders and communities of the many lands where you, our listeners, are joining us today.

We honour the continuing connection to country, culture and story.

Welcome back to Find and Tell.

I'm Andanara Bales and this is the podcast where First Nation storytellers take the mic and tell it like it really is.

Each episode, we follow a theme and our storytellers take us wherever that

theme leads. This episode, our theme is The Road Less Travelled, and no one walks that path

quite like Aaliyah Jade Bradbury. Alia's story starts in a plumbing supply store and ends with

her becoming the first Torres Strait Islander

woman to win an international Emmy. But this isn't a fairy tale. It's not overnight, it's not

clean, it's raw, it's funny and it's proof that sometimes the scariest thing you can do

is listen to the voice that says, you were made for more.

Let's get into it.

I didn't know a single thing about plumbing.

Not a bloody thing.

Like, if you were to ask me what a flange was back then, I'd probably would have said something

dirty.

But there I was.

Hair in a please don't talk to me, bun, still caps on my feet, name badge, sharp, serving

tradies, counting washes, filling out all the forms, like I knew what I was doing.

And for a while, I kind of did.

I got good at it, too good.

I started anticipating people's knees,

...