Welcome to our blog series: Their Stories. We explore what meaningful work and Defence service means to the lives of partners.
Marcela Ekin de Castro, Adelaide 2025 Cowork Coplay participant.
Meet Marcela Ekin de Castro, a Defence partner who arrived in Adelaide ready for a fresh start. With a Master’s Degree and a varied background across executive-level roles, she came into the Cowork Coplay Adelaide 2025 program with a strong foundation but a desire to reconnect with her professional identity after relocation.
Like many families starting over in a new posting, she was navigating the challenge of settling into a new community while trying to keep her own aspirations in focus. Marcela joined the program with a clear intention to rebuild her confidence, sharpen her direction, and create real momentum toward meaningful work, while ensuring she has plenty of time for her family.
Over the weeks that followed, she became a brilliant example of what happens when Defence partners are given both structure and support. Marcela tapped into career guidance, explored mindfulness practices, asked thoughtful questions, and made steady progress toward her employment goals. And just as importantly, she found connection, a sense of community and belonging that helped Adelaide feel a little more like home. Her story is one of growth, courage, and the transformative power of finally having the space to invest in yourself.
Marcela Ekin de Castro, partner of a Defence member, shares her story
Can you please share what you have achieved or experienced since completing the Cowork Coplay program and meeting other people in the Defence/veteran community?
“I’m thrilled to share that I’ve secured a role with Palladium, supporting the New Colombo Plan, a position that brings together everything I care about: international engagement, education, cross-cultural understanding, and meaningful contribution. Without Cowork Coplay, I’m not sure I would have seen that path so clearly.
Cowork Coplay is more than a program. It’s a spark that helps you remember who you are and where you could go next.”
What did you love about the program?
“Cowork Coplay… I’ve always said it’s a bit like a unicorn, or some rare mythical creature. It sounds too good to be true, and yet somehow it is true. Someone was brave enough to dream it, bold enough to build it, and generous enough to fill a gap in the system that most people don’t even see. For me, it truly fit like a glove. No other program has ever offered what Cowork Coplay does, and believe me, I’ve searched.”
Can you describe some of the benefits you and your family gained from you participating in the Cowork Coplay program?
“As Defence partners (or in my case, finally a wife — it took me long enough to get that proposal, so yes, I’m using the title!), we know the story all too well.
Careers interrupted. Qualifications gathering dust. Starting again and again with every move. Feeling disconnected from family, friends, and sometimes even from ourselves. And then there’s the emotional load when our partner gets deployed… all while we’re trying to remember who we were before mobility, childcare, the constant reinvention.
Cowork Coplay changed that for me.
It gave me a place, and a community, where I could breathe again. Where Defence partners came together with three simple, powerful objectives, and somehow, without fuss or fanfare, magic happened. The first person to believe in me after five years out of the workforce wasn’t me, or even my husband (he’s too kind to pressure me into anything). It was Claire. She saw something in me before I remembered it was still there.
The program helped me reconnect with my professional identity after years of supporting my family through multiple postings — including the incredible, challenging, yet beautiful experience of living in Tonga during my husband’s ADF deployment. It gave me perspective: space, inspiration.”
"I often think that Cowork Coplay was like my Pretty Woman moment. You know, the movie where it's this woman who's lived an average life. And then she's in the hotel and gets all dressed up and then she gets room service. And it's just like this crazy moment of happiness."
Marcela, Jodi, Joanne, Sajani and Rebecca during Cowork Coplay Adelaide 2025 session.
What are your career or personal goals at the moment?
“Right now, my goals are simple: to keep growing, to strengthen my skills, and to really settle into this new chapter with confidence. I want to enjoy my work, not just the tasks, but the people, the rhythm, the sense of purpose that comes from being part of a genuinely supportive team. Titles and pay matter far less to me than the environment I’m in. What I value most these days is being surrounded by good people, learning from them, contributing to something meaningful, and feeling energised by the atmosphere we create together. I’m focused on consolidating my experience, building deeper expertise, and enjoying the journey as much as the destination.”
If you could snap your fingers and make one thing real for Defence/veteran partners like you, what would it be?
“If I could snap my fingers and make one thing real for Defence and veteran partners, it would be this: that employers pause, even for just a heartbeat, to truly see us. Not the assumptions, not the gaps on paper, not the relocations, but the strength, adaptability, and quiet resilience behind every move we’ve survived.
Many organisations proudly say they support Defence families, but in practice, the doors don’t always open as easily as the statements suggest. What I wish is that employers would look beyond the unconventional paths and recognise the value in them. We may not be the “standard” candidates, we are more like wildflowers growing between the cracks of a constantly shifting landscape. Resilient, resourceful, and able to thrive in places others wouldn’t expect.
Give us a chance, even a small one, and we will grow, adapt, and contribute with everything we have. We don’t need special treatment, just the opportunity to be seen for who we really are and the skills we bring because of, not despite, our Defence journey.”
Marcela ticking off goals during week 3 session of Cowork Coplay Adelaide 2025.
Reignited purpose, renewed direction
Marcela’s journey shows just how transformative Cowork Coplay can be for Defence partners navigating fresh starts, disrupted careers, and the constant juggle of family life. Arriving in Adelaide with strong qualifications but a desire to reconnect with her professional identity, she joined the program ready to rebuild her confidence and create momentum.
Through Cowork Coplay, she found structure, clarity, and a community that truly understands the realities of Defence life. With her youngest child now in kindy, she finally had space to invest in herself by refining her LinkedIn profile, organising her professional ideas and applying for new roles with purpose. She submitted nine job applications during the program and gained the focus she needed to see her next steps clearly.
That clarity led her to a meaningful new chapter: securing a role with Palladium supporting the New Colombo Plan, a position aligned with her passion for international engagement, education and cross-cultural understanding. For Marcela, Cowork Coplay was the spark that helped her breathe again, reconnect with her strengths and feel genuinely seen.
Cowork Coplay is created for Defence families, combining career development, childcare, and peer connection to help partners focus, build resilience, and explore new possibilities for work, study, and growth.
The program has been delivered for families in Adelaide (2023, 2024 & 2025) and Perth (2024), Darwin (2025). It will be returning in 2026, Term 2 in Adelaide.
Find out more and apply to participate in the 2026 Adelaide program. Applications are open now.
Thank you, Marcela, for sharing your story with us. We wish you all the best in your new adventures.
Should you wish to connect with Marcela, click below to find her on social media.
Adelaide 2025 participants with their decorated Willow Bay pouches during Joyful play session.