Yesterday I spent 4.5 hours wandering through the Australian Automotive Aftermarket Association Expo (AAAE) in Melbourne, and I came home with five bags full of resources, new learnings, new connections, and even more ideas.
But what stayed with me most was not simply the products, technology, or motorsport displays.
It was the generosity, curiosity, and willingness of people throughout the expo to share their knowledge and passion.
As someone whose work explores how automotive themes, imagery, and language can help people, particularly veterans, build sustainable hope and get unstuck, attending the expo felt like stepping into a living ecosystem of identity, belonging, creativity, and technical storytelling.
The entire day was driven by curiosity.
One of the highlights was taking time to speak with members of the Erebus Motorsport team and discussing their collaboration with the Australian Army. Through my work supporting veterans navigating change, I had previously heard about the Erebus/ADF motorsport program, where ADF members can be seconded to Erebus for 12 months.
What fascinated me throughout the day was how naturally the automotive industry blends technical knowledge with culture, playfulness, and hands-on engagement.
There were interactive simulators, visual storytelling displays, motorsport artefacts, creative booth designs, and even LEGO used to visualise what an ultimate dream spray paint workshop could look like.
It reinforced something I continue to observe through my own work:
people often learn, reflect, and engage more deeply when ideas are made tangible, visual, playful, and connected to language or environments they already understand.
I was genuinely humbled by the reactions from exhibitors when they asked what I do.
When I explained that I help people, particularly veterans, build sustainable hope and get unstuck using automotive themes, images, and language, many responded with surprise and interest. Several commented that they had never heard of anything like it before. I then explained, that what I have developed and recalibrating is unique.
What I appreciated most was that once exhibitors understood why I was there and my desire to continue learning about the automotive industry, many went out of their way to explain the purpose behind their products and technologies.
They did not have to do that, especially at such a busy event.
Yet time and again, people chose curiosity and conversation over simply focusing on sales.
I was also incredibly touched by how many exhibitors generously shared resources, samples, catalogues, and ideas that may help me continue building my technical understanding and further develop workshops and resources that support clarity, curiosity, and sustainable hope.
A very special thank you also goes to Repco for the wonderful bundle of resources they gave me, including enough items to potentially use within group workshops and team activities. I particularly loved the squishy battery stress tool and the spanner pens. My brain immediately started thinking about all the creative ways they could be used in conversations, reflections, and experiential learning activities.
And yes, I also somehow came home with a couple of new hats for my growing collection.
One unexpectedly memorable moment came after I won a lion toy on a spin-the-wheel game. I commented on how much I loved an exhibitor display designed to resemble the front of a classic VW Kombi van. After noticing my VW-themed bag, they surprised me by handing me a miniature VW Kombi stress squishy.
It instantly made me think of one of my long-term dreams:
to one day “go gnoming” across Europe in a classic VW Kombi van, hosting creative “Fuddles” along different rivers and bringing people together through curiosity, conversation, experiential learning, and hope.
Sometimes the smallest interactions unexpectedly reconnect us to bigger visions.
The expo reminded me that curiosity is not simply about collecting information.
It creates movement.
It opens conversations.
It sparks ideas.
It helps people imagine possibilities.
And often, it leads us toward unexpected doors we did not even realise were waiting to be opened.
Jenn Barfield - Holistic Clarity Coaching 