An Australian style icon turned mental health entrepreneur reveals how Sydney and Melbourne have shaped her identity, ambitions and a new understanding of what truly matters.

A change of lense: From the catwalk to the digital space, Gordon has made the ultimate transition. Image supplied, Jodi Gordon

Jodi Gordon remembers the moment her life changed. She was 18, fresh from Milan and preparing to move to Miami when she auditioned for her favourite television show, Home and Away. It was her first acting audition, and her scene partner was none other than Chris Hemsworth.

Walking out, she burst into tears.

“I called my mum and I was like, ‘I think I just got that role,’” she recalls. “I was really proud of myself for doing something ... I'd never acted.”

She was right. The role of Martha MacKenzie launched a television career that would make Gordon one of Australia's most recognisable faces, later taking her to Neighbours as Elly Conway.

But more than two decades after that extraordinary beginning, Gordon has experienced another defining moment. This time, there was no audition, no camera and no script.

A friend visited her home three years ago and asked a confronting question: without modelling or acting, who was she? And wasn't it time she got a job?

“The humility in that delivery,” she laughs. “It was like, yeah, what do I want to do with my life? Where's purpose?”

The question prompted a remarkable reinvention.

Today, Gordon is a qualified counsellor, mental health advocate and founder of The Modern Recovery Group, a digital counselling and recovery venture designed to make mental health support more accessible, practical and connected.

For someone who began modelling at just 13, the transition from public recognition to purpose-driven entrepreneurship has fundamentally changed her understanding of success.

“Success is finding the peace with no attachment to an outcome,” she explains. “It's doing things for the love of the art or the creativity or the art of service.”

The traditional markers of achievement... lucrative jobs, international travel, relationships and financial rewards, they no longer hold the same significance.

“Whether you get everything you want, or you don't get anything at all, it feels the same way when you're chasing the wrong thing.”

It's a philosophy that now informs both her personal identity and professional ambitions.

The business of being human

Behind the screen. Gordon has a fresh perspective on success today. Image supplied, Jodi Gordon

Gordon's venture, The Modern Recovery Group, is built around a deceptively simple philosophy: recovery is regenerative, growing when it is lived, learned and shared.

After three years working on the frontline of mental health support, she believes there are significant opportunities to rethink how Australians access care, particularly before they reach crisis point.

“I think there's prevention in digital care because there's more access,” she says.

Online counselling, she argues, offers flexibility, privacy and a less intimidating first step for people who might otherwise never seek support.

For regional Australians, frequent travellers, single parents and those juggling demanding schedules, digital services can remove substantial practical barriers. But Gordon's ambitions extend well beyond individual online sessions.

She envisages a broader recovery ecosystem incorporating face-to-face therapeutic groups, men's circles, digital resources and specialised retreats addressing addiction, gambling, relationships and mental health.

She's particularly passionate about creating spaces where men can discuss difficult subjects without judgement or shame.

The work has also taken her towards the political arena. At the time of our interview, Gordon was preparing to speak at Parliament House about preventative mental health services and the importance of funding peer support.

She believes lived experience offers something that traditional clinical models cannot always provide. “It's just someone showing up for you, meeting you where you're at.”

Her ambition is not simply to build a successful business, but to challenge the stigma that continues to surround mental health.

“Rather than talking about change, let's be change,” she says.

And while the career transformation is considerable, Gordon sees a surprising continuity between acting and counselling.

Whether exploring the complexities of fictional characters or supporting people navigating real-life challenges, her fascination with human behaviour has remained constant.

A tale of two cities

On stage: Gordon takes centre stage @wayaheadmentalhealth as Mental Health Month Ambassador. Image supplied, Jodi Gordon

Away from her professional ambitions, Gordon retains an unmistakable affection for the fashion, culture and creative communities that have shaped her life.

Sydney remains home, although her relationship with the Harbour City is deliciously complicated.

She describes Sydney as the glamorous, slightly wild auntie best enjoyed in small doses, while Melbourne is the stable, intelligent and grounding uncle.

“Melbourne to me is New York, and Sydney's like LA,” she laughs.

Having spent four years commuting between the cities while filming Neighbours, Gordon knows both intimately.

Every Sunday evening she would fly south, returning to Sydney on Fridays. The experience revealed two very different social cultures.

Sydney, she suggests, welcomes newcomers quickly. Melbourne requires patience.

“You've got to play the long game,” she says, recalling how it could take months for casual invitations to turn into actual dinner dates.

Yet she loves Melbourne's understated confidence and enduring sense of community.

Sydney, meanwhile, offers its own irresistible energy, from the creative pulse of Paddington to the relaxed familiarity of Bondi.

And despite her affection for Melbourne, Sydney ultimately wins for one very personal reason: her daughter is here.

A different kind of influence

Up close and personal: Gordon speaks @wayaheadmentalhealth. Image supplied, Jodi Gordon

There is something fitting about Gordon's latest chapter.

The woman who once built a career interpreting other people's stories is now helping others navigate their own. She still loves fashion, beautiful places and the creative energy of Australia's two biggest cities. But the ambitions driving her forward have changed.

“I want to be known for being someone that really cared about people,” she says.

For Gordon, influence is no longer simply about being seen. It's about what happens when people feel heard.

And perhaps that's the most meaningful reinvention of all.