Written By
Michael Thompson
College
College of Arts, Society and Education
Publish Date
25 July 2025
Related Study Areas
Lights, Camera, Action
Former reality TV star, JCU alumni and Cairns resident Maddi Wright knows plenty about making brave decisions.
Inviting the Australian public into her life as a contestant on hit reality program House Rules, Maddi is also the founder of i’ara Specialist Support Coordination, a NDIS registered provider assisting people living with disabilities in North Queensland.
She returned to university after almost 20 years to complete a Master of Social Work (Professional Qualifying) at JCU, which enhanced her skillset and confidence working in the disability sector.
The Master of Social Work (Professional Qualifying) runs two years, full-time, and is offered in Cairns, Townsville and online.
“When I first started studying at uni a long time ago, I kind of didn't know what I wanted to be, or where I wanted to go. But as a mature age student working in the (support services) field…this degree amplified my education, my research and my knowledge,” says Maddi, who previously completed a communications and marketing degree in the 2000s.
“It was fantastic to be at JCU. There was flexibility, and because I have two young children I really needed that flexibility.
“During my degree I did a combination of in-person workshops and online. We had study groups online as well.
“Being in a regional community, it was great to be able to use these amazing facilities at JCU, but it was also great to have that flexibility to study at home.”
"It was fantastic to be at JCU. There was flexibility, and because I have two young children I really needed that flexibility."
JCU Master of Social Work graduate Maddi Wright
Entering the big stage
Before returning to uni for a second time, Maddi enjoyed a long-running media career that included working as a radio announcer in Brisbane, Townsville and Cairns.
Her star really began to shine in 2014 when she and her husband Lloyd were cast on House Rules; a reality TV series that followed state-based teams of two who renovated each other’s homes.
Maddi and Lloyd’s Townsville home became a local tourist attraction, and following their success they moved to Cairns, where their young family lives today.
“We just applied for the show, and we happened to have the right house at the right time in the right location, but we had to go through a full interview process,” says Maddi. “They (producers) did a screen test with us at our house. They had a full crew and said ‘you've got one minute…you need to rearrange your whole lounge room’.
“And so we did. We actually broke our TV because it fell on the floor and shattered. They then walked off and Lloyd and I were like, ‘OK great we just broke our TV, and we don't even know if we're on the show yet’. But we made it on.”
Burning ambition to help
The bright lights of reality TV and her media career were exciting and rewarding, but Maddi had long-running ambitions to help the less fortunate after being involved in community work during her radio days.
“I just wanted more purpose out of my work. I was in an industry that was fun, but it didn't have the impact I was looking for,” says Maddi. “What’s important to me is supporting people who are more vulnerable than I am. I believe if you have the means to do that, then you should.”
Maddi founded her support coordination business from her bedroom in Cairns during the covid-19 lockdown, and from there i’ara grew to become a runaway success, with over 40 staff working across four different states.
“I just went out in the community and worked out what was needed, what the gap was, and within three weeks we had our first staff member,” says Maddi.
“It got so big I had to choose whether I wanted to do radio anymore. What drove me to continue with i’ara was that it just felt better.”
MAKING THE LEAP TO JCU
As her business kept growing, Maddi realised she needed to study a degree that would give her the expertise and credentials to be fully qualified in her new career.
“What the Master of Social Work (Professional Qualifying) degree gave my business was the ability to do a higher and more complex level of support coordination,” says Maddi, who urged others to follow their career dreams.
“If you're thinking about studying, it's because you have a burning passion for it. I would say just do it and get it done. There's so many incentives and it's affordable.
“It will always benefit you in some way. It's not just the knowledge you get, it's the networks you build. It's the ideas you discover. And it's the courage you gain from it.”