MY PATH TO PSYCHOLOGY, & ULTIMATELY, PROGRESS, has been anything but linear.

But looking back, every detour feels like it was pointing me exactly where I was meant to go.

From the time I was eight years old, tearing through the latest issue of Barbie Magazine before we’d even left the supermarket, I knew I wanted to tell human stories. As a neurodivergent kid trying to make sense of myself and the world around me, magazines became my lifeline — a way to decode people, emotions, and the beautiful chaos of being human. I would study personality quizzes like homework, determined to understand why we are the way we are.

That curiosity evolved into a Bachelor of Journalism and, eventually, a career in publishing. At Take 5, I interviewed everyday Australians about their most vulnerable moments, holding space for their stories with empathy and care. Later, as Deputy Editor of Girlfriend Magazine, I helped young women navigate identity, body image, and belonging. In digital roles like Noom, I combined psychology and communication to create behaviour-change content that genuinely improved lives.

Emma Clark-Norris, progress expert, behavioural scientist; provisional psychologist; author; founder of Progress Magazine and The Progress Co.

Still, I felt an ache for something deeper — a desire to go beyond words and into transformation. I launched a self-development blog, wrote Progress Over Perfection, and began coaching neurodivergent women to overcome self-doubt and design lives that worked for them. It was fulfilling, but I wanted a stronger theoretical foundation for my practice. So, in 2020, I went back to university to study psychology. What began as a “lockdown degree” became a lifelong vocation.

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my journey

Progress is rarely linear. It’s made up of invisible building blocks — every redundancy, pivot, experiment, and quiet act of resilience — that culminate in a moment of momentum. Here’s what mine has looked like.

Emma Clark-Norris in graduating from UNSW with a Bachelors In Media and Journalism in 2013, standing outdoors near a modern building and landscaping.

2013

Graduated with a Bachelors In Media and Journalism!


2014

Started working in the magazine publishing industry (and met my husband, Nick!)


2016

Saw the publishing industry was changing and made the pivot to digital.


2017

My first leap into self-employment: started freelancing to supplement my income at the digital publication.


Emma Clark-Norris on her laptop working on her own digital publication, A Girl In Progress in 2018.

2018

Started my own digital publication, A Girl In Progress, to fill a gap in the market. Was found and approached by an international book publishing company.


Emma Clark-Norris's hands holding her book "Progress over Perfection: A Guide To Mindful Productivity hit shelves" published in 2019.

2019

My book, Progress Over Perfection: A Guide To Mindful Productivity hit shelves.


2020

Went through my own ADHD diagnosis journey and started coaching other neurodivergent women. Went back to uni to study psychology to deepen my knowledge.


Emma Clark-Norris in graduation attire, celebrating gaining her Graduate Diploma of Psychology in 2022.

2022

Graduated with a Graduate Diploma of Psychology.


2024

Completed a ‘bonus degree’: A Master of Business Psychology, then continued to go down the accredited psychology pathway.


Emma Clark-Norris seated in a chair and holding up the first published issue of her magazine, Progress in 2025.

2025

Published the first issue of my magazine, Progress, in over 1000 newsagencies across Australia. Completed my Graduate Diploma of Psychology (Advanced) and became a provisional psychologist.


today

Through The Progress Co and Progress Magazine, I merge creativity, psychology, and design thinking to make self-understanding both accessible and artful. My work spans from individual coaching to organisational consulting — helping people and workplaces create systems that support genuine progress.

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