Bianca Stawiarski is a proud Badimia and Ukrainian woman, a centred and purpose-driven healer, mental health practitioner, author, entrepreneur, and change maker. As the Founder and Managing Director of Warida Wholistic Wellness, Bianca is internationally recognised for her work in decolonising mental health and championing First Nations healing practices.
Grounded on Kaurna Country (South Australia), she weaves Indigenous wisdom, trauma-informed practice, and deep cultural connection into everything she does: from counselling and coaching to training, research, and global speaking engagements. Her work is guided by the principles of Gudu-Guduwa (coming together), Ngardi Guwanda (deep listening, thinking and feeling strongly), and Ngalimi Yunggudya (reciprocity), creating spaces where people can reconnect with their inner fire and heal on their own terms.
Bianca is a PACFA Registered Clinical Counsellor and certified mental health practitioner, a PhD Candidate exploring community-led Indigenous mental health and entrepreneurship, and an in-demand trainer and speaker across Australia and internationally. Organisations seek her out for her dynamic, compassionate, and culturally safe approach to wellbeing, leadership, and empowerment.
With decades of experience across community, government, business, and healing spaces, Bianca’s impact and approach is clear: to transform how we understand and support wellbeing by honouring Indigenous knowledge systems, strengthening community, and embracing the power we each hold within. Her message. that we are not broken, and that healing is a journey of reconnection, continues to resonate with audiences globally.
My Personal Journey
Walking alongside healing, leadership and change: on your terms
For many women, we’ve spent a lifetime being told we are too much… or not enough.
Too loud. Too quiet. Too emotional. Too broken.
Bianca Stawiarski knows this story intimately, and she also knows another one.
One where healing is not about fixing.
Where wisdom already lives within you.
And where coming together, gudu-guduwa, creates real, lasting change.
Bianca is a proud Badimia and Ukrainian woman, a purpose-driven healer, mental health practitioner, researcher, author and change-maker living and working on Kaurna Country in South Australia. She is the Founder and Managing Director of Warida Wholistic Wellness, an Indigenous-led social enterprise re-imagining wellbeing, healing and empowerment beyond Western clinical models.
Her work is grounded in connection, reciprocity and deep listening (ngardi guwanda) supporting individuals, organisations and communities to heal and lead on their own terms.
A lived journey into healing and leadership
Bianca’s work has not come from textbooks alone.
It has emerged through lived experience, trauma, grief, resilience, cultural reconnection, motherhood, leadership, and decades working across government, community, business and academia.
She understands firsthand how systems can silence, label and disconnect people, particularly women and First Nations peoples. And she is deeply committed to decolonising mental health and wellbeing, shifting away from deficit-based models toward approaches that honour lived experience, culture, Country and inner wisdom.
At the heart of Bianca’s work is a simple but powerful belief:
We all hold our own answers, when we are given the space to listen deeply.
Founder of Warida Wholistic Wellness
Through Warida Wholistic Wellness, Bianca has created a space where healing is relational, culturally safe and expansive.
Warida supports people to:
Reconnect with their inner fire
Heal outside of rigid clinical frameworks
Strengthen boundaries, confidence and voice
Navigate burnout, trauma and life transitions
Build wellbeing that includes economic empowerment
Lead and live in alignment with who they truly are
Warida works across:
Individual counselling and healing
Group programs and workshops
Workplace wellbeing and leadership
Community-led initiatives
Education, training and facilitation
Bianca is a preferred provider to local, state, national and international organisations, and her work is recognised for being both deeply compassionate and strategically sharp.
Professional authority, held with humility
Bianca brings together lived experience with strong professional grounding.
She is a PACFA Registered Clinical Counsellor, mental health practitioner and PhD candidate, with qualifications spanning counselling, coaching, Indigenous healing practices, trauma-informed care, equine-assisted psychotherapy and Aboriginal studies.
She is a sought-after speaker, facilitator and guest lecturer, having worked with universities across Australia and internationally, including health, counselling, psychology, nursing and public health programs.
Bianca also contributes at a governance level, serving on boards and professional bodies, including leadership roles within PACFA’s College of Indigenous Healing Practices, and as an advocate for ethical, culturally safe practice across the mental health sector.
Yet despite her credentials, Bianca’s approach remains grounded and relational.
She doesn’t position herself as the expert over others, but as someone who walks alongside, listening deeply and holding space for people to remember who they are.
What guides Bianca’s work
Everything Bianca does is underpinned by Warida’s Seven Pillars of Excellence, including:
Integrity — honest, ethical, values-led practice
Cultural safety and reciprocity — honouring Country, community and connection
Empowerment — supporting people to reclaim agency and voice
Ongoing learning — walking humbly and staying accountable
Challenging systems — with courage, care and clarity
These aren’t just principles on paper — they are lived, daily and embedded into how Bianca works with people and communities.
Accreditation
I think by now, you’ve gathered that I like balancing experiential learning with structured learning, with an ever growing list of accreditations to support people on their journey of Gudu-Guduwa, as listed below:
- Currently studying PhD in Indigenous Studies (Allied Health and entrepreneurship)
- Master (Counselling Practice)
- PACFA Mental Health Practitioner
- Certification Equine Assisted Psychotherapy (Equine Psychotherapy Institute model)
- Diploma (Life Coach)
- We Al-li Programs Lead Facilitator – Culturally Informed Trauma Integrated Healing Approach – Workshop 1
- We Al-li Programs – Facilitator Training – Recreating Songlines from Trauma Trails
- Certificate (Aboriginal Narrative Practice)
- Diploma (Wayapa Practice)
- Post Grad. Diploma (Counselling)
- Cert IV Government (Contracting)
- Diploma of Government (Contracting)
- Blue Knot Foundation – Working Therapeutically with Complex Trauma Clients (L2) – Three Phased Approach
- Accredited in Acculturation Scale for Aboriginal Australians (IPS)
- Accredited in Acculturation Stress Scale for Aboriginal Australians (IPS)
- Accredited in the Westerman Aboriginal Symptom Checklist – Adults and Youth (IPS)
- We Al-li Programs: Dadirri: Ancient Aboriginal Mindfulness Traditions
- Bachelor of Arts (Aboriginal Studies)
- Horse Archery Instructor (Level 2)
- Equestrian Australia Vaulting Coach (intro) – to be renewed
- Equestrian Australia (horse management)
- Equestrian Australia (official lunger – vaulting) – to be renewed
- International Federation for Equestrian Sports Vaulting Steward (Level 2) – to be renewed
- Equestrian Australia Steward (vaulting) – to be renewed
An invitation
If you are tired of being told what’s wrong with you…
If you’re seeking healing that honours your story, culture and inner knowing…
If you’re ready to reconnect with your inner fire and move forward on your terms.
You’re welcome here.
Bianca’s work, and Warida, exists to remind you that you are not broken, and you don’t have to walk this path alone.
Healing is not linear. Leadership is not solitary. And transformation happens when we come together.
Focus on First Nations Principles in healing
This particular testimonial shows the difficulties people are experiencing with western mental health solutions that focus on treatment of the ‘problem’ rather than supporting the person to discover their own internal healing strengths.
It also highlights a solution we always had available to us, that existed for thousands upon thousands of years, that have been forgotten through the generations and impact of colonisation across the globe – The three pillars of Warida
- Gudu-Guduwa (Coming Together),
- Ngardi Guwanda (Deep Listening), and
- Ngalimi Yunggudya (Giving To Each Other – Reciprocity)
Accolades
Awards
- 2024 Outstanding Leadership Awards – SME Business Leader – FINALIST
- 2024 Women Changing the World Global Awards (held in UK) – Indigenous Business Leader – FINALIST
- 2023 Stevie Award for Women in Business (international): Social Change Maker of the Year – Race SILVER; Maverick of the Year BRONZE.
- 2023 Women Changing the World Awards (International): Social Enterprise Award GOLD.
- 2022 Ausmumpreneur Awards: Indigenous Business Excellence BRONZE, Women will Change the World BRONZE, and Wellness and Wellbeing GOLD
- 2021 South Australian finalist in the Telstra Best of Business in the Indigenous Excellence category
- 2021 Global Business Mothers Awards: Women will change the World Award GOLD; and Oceania Business Excellence Award GOLD
Books: Co-Authored / Authored
2024: NGARDI GUWANDA
Self-Care Sips: Reconnecting with your Inner Fire
(authored)
2023: Gami Winda and Dyindi-Dyindi
(authored)
2023 Hear Us Roar
2023: Ubuntu: On Whose Shoulders We Stand
(Anthology – co-authored)
2023: Horse Sense Business Sense: Hints and Hurdles to Starting your own Equine-Assisted Program
(co-authored)
2023: Ecotherapy: A Field Guide
(co-authored)
2023: Ignite - The New Business Guide: Everything you need to know to create your dream business
(Anthology – co-authored)
2022: Goodbye Busy Hello Happy
(Anthology – co-authored)
2022: Courage and Confidence
(Anthology – co-authored)
Roles on AU boards
- Psychotherapy and Counselling Federation of Australia (PACFA) – Director
- PACFA Leadership Group Convenor of the College for Indigenous Healing Practices (CIHP)
- BilaEmpower Ltd – Chairperson
Professional Associations
- Psychotherapy and Counselling Federation of Australia (PACFA)
- Blue Knot Foundation
- Australian & New Zealand Mental Health Association
- First Person Plural – UK
Academic Information
SCAN THE QR CODE or click the button below to access further details about Bianca’s academic information.
Academic Information
SCAN THE QR CODE or click the button below to access further details about Bianca’s academic information.