Our Team

Jo Vartanian - Co-Founder & Coach

Hi, I’m Jo. Co-founder and a Coach at Diamonds in the Rough Adventures (DITRA). Over the years I’ve noticed that women react in one of two ways when faced with a challenge. Firstly, there are those who believe that hard things, like taking on a challenging hike, are not within their reach or capabilities. Then there are those who walk head-first into the challenge and just give it a go. I’ve learned that the key difference in these two ways of responding is confidence and the support, or lack of support, from those around them. My goal is to change this situation so that all women have the confidence and support to chase their dreams. DITRA allows me to provide that safe, supportive place for women to gain skills, fitness and confidence for hiking adventures. I also know that women thrive in a community where they feel valued and that sharing adventures in beautiful locations strengthens bonds and supports mental health.

My home of 20 years is the small coastal village of Bundeena, in the Royal National Park, where I live with my husband, having raised two boys (young adults now). When I’m not working on DITRA, I can be found exploring the local trails or playing soccer with the local women’s team, kayaking the Port Hacking, indoor rock climbing or mountain bike riding. My other great love is skiing and one day I’d love to give cross-country a try.

So where did my passion for helping women to achieve more, begin? Not surprisingly, it began with those who helped me achieve more. When I began my studies in my late teens to become a PE teacher, I felt confident in my choice. I excelled at sport and academics and enjoyed being with people. I hadn’t even considered being a Maths teacher until I couldn’t decide on my final subject for my first-year university program. My father said, “What about Mathematics?” I was good at Maths, but not the best, and I had the words of my Year 11 Maths teacher in my head “you don’t need to do 4-unit (the highest school level Maths) because you’ll just get married, teach PE and have lots of babies.” Well yes, I wanted that too, so I guess I believed him and didn’t push the issue. But 2 years later, when my dad said those 3 simple words, with not the slightest bit of hesitation, I decided to sign up for a double degree that fully qualified me as a Mathematics teacher and PE teacher. It was an enormous challenge but one of the best decisions of my life. I spent 15 years working with teenage girls from diverse ethnic backgrounds and life experiences. Back then, Advanced Maths was still seen as a “subject for boys” and I made it my personal mission to inspire as many girls as I could to take the highest-level Maths courses they could and to believe in themselves.

Another pivotal moment was when I first retired from representing Australia in the lesser-known sport of Canoe Polo. Having captained the Australian team to 2 gold medals and a silver medal at World Championships, my team coach Duncan, an inspiring leader in the sport, approached me about nominating to coach the National Women’s team to compete at the World Championships in 2002. There had never been a female coach of a National side – definitely not in Australia and probably not Internationally either. I loved travelling and being with elite athletes and the excitement of competition but had never dreamed I could take on the role of National Head Coach. So, I said yes, knowing I had the unwavering support of Duncan and that he believed I could do it. I spent the next 8 years as Head Coach of women’s Canoe Polo in Australia and travelled the world supporting remarkable young athletes in striving to achieve their dreams.

With a growing young family, I needed to switch my attention again, to building my homeworld and I stopped travelling the country and the world. I also stopped exercising and began to feel the effects, so when an opportunity arose in 2012 to coach and join women on hiking adventures, I was ready to dive in. This time I did believe in myself! I had the runs on the board. I’ve always felt at home in nature, playing sport and being physically fit. As a child, exploring the Blue Mountains was a regular weekend adventure for my family of 7 and the local bushland was my playground. I had bush-walked around Australia and hiked mountains through Europe and I knew how to train women for challenging goals. I updated my Human Movement qualifications to include Certificate 3 and 4 in Fitness, completed my Wilderness First Aid certificate and took guidance from the expert trainers at my new work with Wild Women on Top. I prepared and travelled with numerous women’s trekking teams across the world, including several high altitude multi-day treks in Peru and Bhutan, challenging treks in New Zealand including Rabbit Pass and Ball Pass summit and a range of remote outback treks in Australia such as the Jatbula Trail, Bungle Bungles and The Larapinta Trail. Some of my favourite moments were preparing everyday women to participate with me in endurance hiking events such as Sydney and Melbourne 60km Coastrek, 55km Blue Mountains Wild Endurance and 100km Sydney Oxfam Trailwalker.

In 2018, I co-founded Diamonds in the Rough Adventures to have the freedom to coach everyday women for hiking adventures in a way that I believe works. Again, belief and support were what I needed to take on this new challenge. Bringing along my adventurous buddy and business partner Michele, was all that it took.

It is this belief and support that Michele and I want to give to you, as well as the technical skills, knowledge and experience that we have gained over the years. We’ve established a down-to-earth (literally), friendly culture at DITRA so that all women can feel comfortable and valued, just being themselves in our community of women. At the same time, we will never underestimate your capabilities – if you have a dream then we will support you to make that dream a reality, no matter how many doubters (including yourself) try to bring you down. I’d love to meet you and support you on your journey towards a more fulfilling way of living.

“At 60 years of age, I came to the group with lots of fear and trepidation, unfit and unused to an active lifestyle. Jo’s training was brilliant giving me confidence, skills and courage to tackle new and exciting adventures. She inspired me to believe in my own abilities. A life-changing experience.” Mary

Michele Michel - Co-Founder & Coach

Hi, I’m Michele, the other half of Diamonds in the Rough Adventures...Co-founder and Adventure Fitness Coach.

I’m excited to be part of DITRA - being part of a great community of women and sharing my love of the outdoors and adventure is something I’m truly passionate about. We spend our life fulfilling our various roles as daughters, partners, employees, parents, carers and so creating this community of women that lets you be just you, is very special. Knowing I can help facilitate that, whilst getting you hiking fit, in nature, challenged, maybe out of your comfort zone and supported, is the icing on the banana cake!

At the moment, life for me is in Cronulla with my husband and 3 young adult children, and always an assortment of pets including 2 dogs, a few chickens, some ducks and rabbits!! Weekends are spent hiking, kayaking, cycling or at our bush property at Nimmitabel…and I love to bake and do enjoy a good book too!

Having a childhood in the sixties and seventies meant weekends and holidays were spent strictly outdoors. A time when you were on some sort of outdoor pursuit from dawn to dusk. Not much changed over the next couple of decades…and I’ve got the scars to prove it! But like lots of women, somewhere along life’s journey, I lost track of myself as an individual.

Firstly, the back story….coincidently, like Jo, I also studied Mathematics at uni– which led me also, to teaching high school Maths. My teaching career was interrupted numerous times with a yearning for more adventure. ..months backpacking around Europe, 12 months solo travel around Australia, white water rafting, climbing mountains, hiking on secret trails, meeting amazing people from all around the world around campfires, pitching my tent in areas with spectacular views, and tipping the most Southern, Northern, Western and Eastern points of this diverse country… I even had my very own camel caught for me to explore the outback in the Northern Territory.

I hopped from country to country across Asia, feeding Komodo dragons in Indonesia, trekking in the Himalayas, white-water rafting in Nepal, riding elephants in Thailand, watching sunsets in Goa, scuba diving in the Philippines, dodging cows in India, swimming under waterfalls in Malaysia and being a barmaid in Hong Kong. I couldn’t do that forever so after a couple of years of nomadic life - met and married my husband, moved to Canberra, bought a house, started a family and thought I’d settle down! Well, that didn’t exactly happen. My husband’s worked asked him to manage an overseas project, so with a 2-month-old baby, packed up the house and spend the next year between London and Hong Kong before finally settling in Singapore for the next four years… two more babies and many holidays spent exploring the region. Back to Sydney, bought a house in Cronulla but after only 18 months, we packed up the 3 kids and the dog and moved to Boston!!

We eventually returned to Sydney and in between raising the kids, breeding Golden Retrievers and rabbits, and working as a bookkeeper - still tried to appease that adventurous yearning. But ‘groundhog day’ set in and the adventurous pursuits become less and less...yes, we spent some wonderful weekends at our bush property in Nimmitabel, we headed overseas whenever we could and explored Australia with 4 wheel drive adventures to Fraser Island, the MacDonnell Ranges NT, The Kimberly WA….but these were now once every year or two adventures…and of course that is normal with 3 teenagers, jobs and trying to pay off a mortgage.

I wasn’t getting any younger, the kids were busy with school and their own friends and interests, the husband was away a lot with his job…I wanted some ME time. I had to try to rediscover myself and awaken that adventurous Michele. So, for a ‘significant 0’ birthday I thought I’d take on the Kokoda Trail in New Guinea. I trained hard for over 4 months and the whole experience was just the best. ‘I found myself’…  buried under all the trappings of being a housewife, mother, daughter, volunteer, employee, was me…and I wanted more, especially trekking.

I was already a leader with Girl Guides… introducing and challenging girls to take on many “out of your comfort zone” pursuits from canoeing to rock climbing. However, I wanted to take my love of sharing my reawakened adventurous spirit further, so became a client with Wild Women on Top. After a while though, I felt I had more to offer and gained my Cert III and IV in Fitness and Wilderness First Aid and joined them as a leader and coach. During this time, I had the pleasure of being part of the teams and preparations of women to achieve their own adventurous dreams. This included events such as 55km Wild Endurance, 30 km and 60 Km Coastreks and 100km Oxfam Trailwalker, as well as The Six Foot Track NSW, The Bungle Bungles WA, Ball Pass New Zealand and Jatbula NT.

It was an exciting move in 2018 to team up with Jo and start Diamonds in the Rough Adventures. It meant we could bring our own style and ideas to coaching and empowering more women to embrace what we love to do.

I’ve been lucky to have enjoyed a life of opportunity and excitement and now use the knowledge and experience I have gained from these adventurous pursuits to the Diamond community. All these experiences have led me to where I am now. My personal mantra is  ‘you never know if you can - if you don’t try..’.

My wealth of experience in planning and organising adventurous experiences like hiking, canyoning and kayaking trips….and some fun events and weekends away…is what you can count on when you join a Diamond adventure. I love a good theme and providing my clients with all the little extras that make these adventures truly memorable!!

Whether it’s training, a trip or a social event, you can count on me to bring the fun and ‘can do’ vibe. I want to help you ‘find yourself’ whether that is the reawakening of a forgotten you from years ago or becoming a different version of yourself by trying something new. Let me help you engage fully in our amazing community, inspire you with endless adventure opportunities and support you whenever you are in my care. You’ll fall in love with my baking surprises too…even an iced banana cake!

“Michele is a ‘glass overflowing’ kind of person, exuberant, fun and has an uncanny ability to make us go hard at training even if we are unaware of our energy output.” Ali

Clare O’Brien - Coach

Clare is a Sutherland Shire girl who has always lived an active life playing sport and adventuring in the great outdoors. She has worked in coaching and the fitness industry for many years and is a certified Personal Trainer who brings a wealth of knowledge and experience to our team. Clare truly believes that once exercise is established as a habit it brings so much more than just fitness to your world. She understands that it is not always easy to start, but that it is totally worth the journey. 

Her love of outdoor adventure has seen her “have a go” at rock climbing, abseiling, kayaking, surfing and paddleboarding. A willingness to get out of her comfort zone has seen her try many new things including the Nevis Swing in New Zealand, one of the biggest swings in the world at 300m. (So scary that she did it twice!). Most recently, Clare has found a love of running and trail running, completing the Melbourne Marathon and various trail runs including the 30km Coastal Classic in the Royal National Park.

Clare is also an accomplished Softball player, having competed around the world. In recent years she has led her Sutherland District representative team to win two State Championships, inspiring women over 35 to strive for positive ways to keep exercising and achieve healthy goals.

As a busy working mum of two, 9-year-old Chloe and 4-year-old Jimmy, Clare is a shining example of how to prioritise health and well-being on a daily basis. Her other passions include gender equality and caring for the environment. She is often seen picking up debris at the beach or in the park and encouraging people to reconsider their everyday habits, to act local and think global.

When you join one of Clare’s training sessions, you know it will be fun and motivating and she will bring out the best in you, always with great care and personal attention. You will share in her love of nature as she helps you explore and appreciate the many hidden trails in your local area.

“I loved it when Clare became a Coach with Diamonds. She supports and challenges us to do more than we ever imagined we could, whilst always having a smile on her face!” Lauren

Jacq Conway - Coach

Jacqueline (aka Jacq) brings a wealth of experience to our Diamonds coaching team, and we love having her share her passion for training outdoors in stunning Sydney locales, challenging everyday women to set big hairy trekking goals, and leading all-women teams to help them to live their most adventurous lives!

She is continually inspired by the amazing women she meets and trains. “Nothing is better than seeing the journeys of women who initially doubt their abilities, commit to putting in the hard training, then go on to achieve such great things.”

Jacq’s love of hiking started when a 20-year-old version of herself naively said “yeh, why not?” to trekking the infamous Inca Trail in Peru (4 days), whilst backpacking for 4 months around South America. Very under-prepared, (with no training other than lugging a rudimentary backpack around on buses etc), her 20kg pack included 23 boiled eggs, quite a few bars of chocolate, a bag of oats, a camera & a plastic poncho. Despite suffering from the effects of 4000m altitude, battling rainy weather & a very painful back, the sense of accomplishment when viewing Machu Picchu from the Sun Gate at dawn, and the teamwork she experienced along the way stuck with her, igniting a passion to seek out further hiking experiences.
 
After studying 2 years of Fine Art on her return from backpacking, and working in photography & sales roles, she set off on a 5-day trek in Nepal and this time lots of local stair training was undertaken before, making it more enjoyable, with great results.

After having 2 young boys & introducing them to local trails (albeit short walks), Jacq was determined to get back into serious hiking and better post-baby fitness. She joined a women’s trek training group in 2006 and her future path was set. Having continually trained weekly since, she completed a 100km Oxfam event the following year, having never heard of such an event prior! It was a gruelling 31-hour odyssey & she collected major blisters along the way…but it is one of her proudest team & personal achievements to date!! Once again, the teamwork & friendships formed through the mutual experience was a standout. It made all the hardships/challenges worthwhile.

Working for an event plant hire company in the daytime & juggling family life, within 6 years Jacq saw an opportunity to become a trekking coach herself, so studied her Certificate 3&4 in Fitness, and completed Wilderness First Aid (with the wonderful Jo Vartanian). Soon she was coaching 2 night sessions a week in Northern & Inner West Sydney locations.

That was 12 years ago now!! Where has the time gone??...
…building extensive experience leading teams of women on hiking and trekking adventures to some of Australia’s and the World’s most incredible destinations including:
- Walls Of Jerusalem, Freycinet Peninsula & Cradle Mountain TAS,
- The Bungle Bungles & Cape to Cape Trail WA,
- Larapinta Trail E2E & Jatbula Trail NT,
- Camel trekking by the Flinders Ranges SA,
- Mt Barney QLD
- Mt Fansipan, Vietnam & Mt Rinjani, Lombok. 
- Day hikes, Canyoning & abseiling in the Blue Mountains, NSW
Jacq has also led & trained/supported teams of women in endurance events including Oxfam Trailwalker 100km, Wild Endurance 50km and Coastrek 30/60/100km. 

Now living in Ryde, working full time & a mother of 2 young adult men, life keeps Jacq busy like most. She’s passionate about micro-adventures or just quiet time out in nature to keep a sense of adventure & balance in our daily lives. She encourages all clients to make this a regular constant that will help ride life’s rollercoaster! Don’t just wait for the big trips! Make exercise and nature bathing part of your everyday routine.

Jacq also has a keen interest in paddleboarding, photography & the gentler art of Yoga.

You know you are getting the best training and advice from Jacq when you join her training sessions.

So, what can you expect? Did someone say stairs?? (Make stairs your friend is Jacq’s mantra!!) Best way to improve cardio & strength quickly) Combining HIIT with team activities & distance challenges with lots of good humour, Jacq ensures every training session is challenging, informative & fun. She will encourage and support you to push past your comfort zone to feel that ‘high’ of conquering something initially considered impossible, with a remarkable cohort of like-minded women, with whom you will form special bonds for the rest of your life!!

“Hi Jacq, just wanted to let you know I am totally loving trek training! As a mum of 3 young boys, it is so good getting out in the bush to exercise with a great bunch of fun women. Thanks so much for the encouragement...you make it fun which helps keep me going! Think you are a fantastic coach too. I really look forward to coming each week!” – Jackie

Thank you to Coach Jacq who gave me an extra push when I most needed it and for all of the beautiful photos that she took to remember our great DITRA adventure!  - Annette

Kalina Christova - Coach

Kalina’s life changed 4 years ago when she decided that she would stop waiting for others and started doing what she loved, reconnecting with her passion for the outdoors and her adventurous spirit. Since that time she has completed a number of long-distance endurance events including Oxfam 100, Oxfam 50 and Coastrek 60. These are all team-based events developing her leadership and team-building skills. She is also an experienced long-distance hiker who loves a challenge having completed Tasmania’s stunning and notoriously difficult South Coast track and NT’s Jatbula. She has trekked in SA’s Flinders Ranges with camels and trudged through snow and ice-covered peaks in the Snowy Mountains. While she valued the peace and the solitude of exploring ACT’s Namadgi National Park on her own, one of her favourite things is sitting by the campfire at the end of a day of hiking and sharing stories and laughs with friends. She is also passionate about Indigenous rights and firmly believes that if we want to fully engage with our beautiful outdoors we need to engage with and learn about the local indigenous culture wherever we are.  

She is a mum of two young kids living in Inner West of Sydney. When she is not fighting for worker’s rights in her other role, you can find her on the trails around Sydney, training with the Diamonds or exploring and instilling the adventure spirit in her young family.   

Kalina is a qualified Personal Trainer with extensive outdoor leadership experience. Her Trek Training sessions combine goal-specific training, team building and, most importantly, fun. She firmly believes that we need to build each other up and that with the right support and training you can achieve so much more than you think you can.