About Us
The Birthing of Mi'djam Woman
Content Note: This story speaks truthfully about lived experience, including domestic and sexual violence. We share it with care and respect for those who may find it difficult to read.
Natalie Lewis is a proud Juru Woman of Aboriginal and South Sea Islander descent and one of the 'Forcibly Adopted First Nations' children from the early 1970s. Her story—rooted in strength, survival, and self-determination—embodies the resilience of generations who endured cultural separation yet continued to rise with courage and grace. Her powerful testimony has been shared on the Jigsaw podcast (Australian Adoption Agency, Spotify) and through UnitingCare Queensland's Cultural Awareness Training, where her voice continues to educate and inspire others. Over the past decade, she has volunteered and worked tirelessly for the Uniting Aboriginal and Islander Christian Congress (UAICC). In 2019, she became the first Aboriginal person in Queensland to hold the role of First Nations Resourcing Officer within the Uniting Church Australia's Queensland Synod—a milestone for truth-telling and representation in faith-based leadership. But it was through her personal journey of pain and healing that Mi'djam Woman was born. The name, drawn from the Kabi Kabi language where 'Mi'djam' means Woman, honours the Traditional Custodians of the Sunshine Coast and the enduring spirit of First Nations women. It emerged during a time of deep reflection following a traumatic experience in 2021. In a sacred dreaming ceremony, Natalie received a message of renewal: that her pain could be transformed into purpose. Guided by her Ancestors and Creator Father, Yabu, Mi'djam Woman became more than a name—it became a movement of healing, unity, and rebirth. Her calling grew into advocacy for those whose voices are silenced. She founded the movement 'I Did Not Consent,' supporting First Nations women and young people impacted by sexual violence within their communities. Through this work, Natalie creates safe and honest spaces where truth can be spoken, healing can begin, and silence can no longer protect those who cause harm. 'We are Women. We are the architects of our own Queendom.' This declaration embodies all that Mi'djam Woman stands for: strength in softness, power in truth, and healing through culture, education, and art. Rooted in First Nations values and shaped by lived experience, Mi'djam Woman blends creativity, community, and consciousness to foster spaces of cultural safety and empowerment. Its purpose is generational—ensuring that healing does not stop with one woman, but ripples outward through families, communities, and nations. Having walked across the intersections of faith, government, and community, Natalie's lived experience bridges worlds—between trauma and transformation, silence and song. Mi'djam Woman is her offering and her legacy: a safe, culturally grounded space where Aboriginal women and youth can reconnect to identity, culture, and self-determination through storytelling, art, and collective wisdom. 'Healing is our birthright. Justice is our responsibility. Love is our greatest act of resistance.' Through Mi'djam Woman, Natalie reminds us all that transformation is possible, healing is powerful, and every dot tells a story of courage, culture, and connection.