Reflecting on my night at the 2025 Vinnies Sleepout it wasn't really about the CEOs who slept out for one night. It’s about the 122,000 Australians who do not have the choice to go home in the morning. It’s about the fathers escaping domestic violence with their children in the dead of night. It’s about the 15-year-old girls who become “mothers” to their siblings because there’s no one else left. It’s about those who slept in cars, or under bridges, or in doorways last night - and every night. These are all true stories that I heard.

In 2025, Vinnies asked us to focus on those moments that matter. So, I did. I noticed how, upon arrival on the night, I instinctively searched for the exact spot I’d slept in the year before. Familiarity made me feel safe. And I found that bitterly ironic. Because I was surrounded by peers, security, shelter - even cardboard - and I still craved something to make me feel more secure. What about the thousands of people across NSW who had no such reassurance last night? No familiarity. No safety. Just the unknown.

One of the most powerful moments of the evening came from a man who shared his story on stage. A working professional who, after fleeing domestic violence with his young son, found himself living out of his car. Homeless. Scared. Alone. Until he found Vinnies. His son, now 15, is doing his work experience at Vinnies - to give back to the place that gave them back their future. The perfect circle. That story broke something open in me.

And then there was the music. “Forbes Street Band” played for us. A band formed out of the OLC, a community centre operated by Vinnies. They performed Beds Are Burning, that 1987 iconic Midnight Oil anthem of social justice. The lyrics hit differently last night: “How can we sleep while our beds are burning?”

How indeed?

Because last night my bed was a piece of cardboard. Damp from the dew. Thin against the concrete. But just for one night. Just one. The following morning, I packed up my sleeping bag, accepted a hot coffee, and got into my car - my beautiful, warm car - and drove home to my beautiful, warm, home. I’m not saying that to boast. I’m saying it to contrast the reality for too many others. Because that experience, brief as it was, reminded me how fragile that line really is. How quickly life can turn. How easily those comforts can be lost.

On my drive home… I cried.

Not because I was tired, or cold, or stiff. But because homelessness is such a heartbreakingly complex problem - one that no single act, no one night, no one person can solve. It’s a jigsaw puzzle with too many pieces. Yes, money helps. Yes, services help. Yes, the government helps. But the full picture? It still feels painfully far away.

This was a night that humbled me. A night that reminded me of the kind of human I strive to be - one who chooses discomfort in pursuit of empathy. One who knows that leadership is not just about driving strategy or growth but standing up - and lying down - for what matters.

Representing The CEO Institute, a membership organisation that provides peer support, leadership programs, and professional certifications for CEOs, senior executives, and managers, I am fortunate to know so many brilliant and visionary business leaders and we have the collective power to make a significant impact when working towards a common goal. Since 2018 this is exactly what The CEO Institute’s Sleepout team has done raising over $1.5 million for Vinnies. An accomplishment I am proud to be associated with, not just because of the dollar amount, which is impressive, but because of the amount of people this money has been able to assist in getting back on their feet.

As part of The CEO Institute’s ongoing support of the Sleepout and continuing with the theme of giving back, we have gifted annual memberships to individual Sleepout CEO participates in QLD, NSW, VIC and SA. It’s our small way of supporting those advocating for Vinnies and their clients affected by homelessness.