< Back to directory
TiPS Graduate

Mariana Araujo

She/They

About

Professional Title

Disability Support Worker

Organisation

Unconventional Support Services

Locations

  • All of Victoria

Areas Of Expertise

  • Advocacy and Inclusion
  • Community
  • Creating Safe and Inclusive Spaces
  • Creative Expression and Activism
  • Diversity and Identity
  • Identity and Faith
  • LGBTIQA+ Awareness and Inclusion
  • Skills and Empowerment

Presentation Topics

  • Advocacy
  • Awareness storytelling
  • Community Engagement
  • Creativity and Communication
  • Empowerment
  • Faith
  • Family
  • Family Violence
  • Group facilitation
  • Healing and Compassion
  • Health Equity
  • Hope for the Future
  • Improving our Impact
  • Inclusion
  • Large groups
  • LGBTIQA+ Advocacy
  • LGBTIQA+ advocacy through storytelling
  • LGBTQI+ visibility
  • Mental Health
  • Motivation
  • Motivational speaking
  • Neurodiverse Perspective
  • Neurodiverse perspectives
  • Neuroqueerness
  • Non-binary inclusion
  • Organisational inclusivity
  • Power and Privilege
  • Preventing Future Harm
  • Queer activism
  • Solidarity
  • Transgender and Gender Diverse Identities
  • Transgender and Gender Diverse Inclusivity
  • Womens rights
  • Youth Engagement

Socials

Open to Negotiating Fees

Yes

Biography

Mariana (she/they) a dedicated advocate and Disability Support Worker who speaks from lived experience and a heart-centred perspective. Born and raised in Brazil, now based in Melbourne/Naarm, Mariana’s journey started with the fierce guidance of a single mother who taught them that life belongs to the "fighters"; those who fight for what is right and stand up for those who can’t fight for themselves.

Having navigated a society that often equates authenticity with failure, particularly in the context of Brazil’s high rates of violence against gender-diverse people, Mariana chose to step out of their comfort zone to find where they truly belonged.

After more than a decade in the high-pressure travel and tourism industry, Mariana pivoted into Human Services and Library Services, during the pandemic, eventually partnering up with Unconventional Support Services® alongside their partner.

Today, Mariana provides authentic, “100% true-self” support to the queer community. A cross-cultural navigator, they offer unique insights into the “sweet and sour” of immigrant life in Australia, gender diversity, and reclaiming space in a neurotypical, white-centric society. They also share Brazilian political gossip and can even organise a very “chill Brazilian-style meetup”!

Experience

Telling It With Pride 2025 Graduation Showcase.

Book a Speaker