About this interview
Rachel Carey joins Jess Eva and Adam McCaughey for Success by Design, a segment about people who built something from the ground up.
She talks about entering the disability sector with no degree, the advice from her mum that changed her direction, and registering Allara Support Services while on maternity leave with her firstborn.
She also explains why she built Provider Business Solutions to help other NDIS providers run stronger businesses, and how Zoomly matches people with disability to drivers who understand their support needs.
I thought I was there caring for them, but in so many ways, they were the ones helping shape who I am today.Rachel Carey, on her first role as a disability support worker
Full transcript
Lightly edited for readability. Timestamps match the video.
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Hello. As Budget Battlers comes together again in 2026 to help everyday Aussies, we’ve been on the search for people who are truly making an impact on other people’s lives, and what we’ve found keeps taking our breath away. Success by Design is about people who didn’t wait for the world to give them something. They built it themselves, from the ground up, through the hard stuff. And today, I’ve handed the interview over to Adam McCaughey, who’s going to tell us more about this beautiful woman. Over to you, Adam.
Thanks, Jess. I want you to picture something. A teenage girl surviving trauma that nearly broke her. No degree, no roadmap, just grit, a mother’s words, and a decision to turn pain into purpose. Fast-forward to today, and that same woman is the founder and CEO of the Rachel Carey Group, running multiple businesses that are changing thousands of lives across the disability sector. Rachel Carey, welcome.
Thank you.
I’ve just shared part of your story, but take us back to the beginning.
Well, look, I didn’t enter the disability sector with a degree or any education. As a teenager, I lived through a significant amount of trauma, as you mentioned. That nearly broke me, and my family, who were always there for me, held me up. When I was ready to join the workforce, I said to my mum, “Who would hire me?” And my mum said something that probably changed the trajectory: “Why don’t you use your lived experience to give back?” So that’s what I did. I became a disability support worker, and for the first time in my life, I felt like I belonged and that I was finally a good person. I thought I was there caring for them, but in so many ways, they were the ones helping shape who I am today.
Amazing. And then came Allara. So how did that actually start, and what is it growing into now, Rachel?
Well, I was off with my firstborn, Bella, and I thought, “How am I going to return to working three jobs?” A friend said to me, “Why don’t you do something on your own?” For once, I listened to a friend’s advice. I registered an NDIS organisation and told myself, “I’m just going to run one small group home.” And that’s where Allara started, and the rest is history. Building Allara taught me things the hard way, operationally, strategically and emotionally. And I started to realise that so many other providers were experiencing the exact same frustrations, the same growth barriers, the same system challenges. That really shifted my thinking: how do we create one great provider, and how do we help lift the entire sector? So Provider Business Solutions was built to give providers the systems, the strategies and the operational support they need to run stronger businesses and grow sustainably, because providers no longer have to do it alone. We’ve got them.
One founder’s journey building a provider, the lessons learned, the decision to help the whole sector: that’s the Rachel Carey way. You’ve also created a voice for the community through the What Are We Drinking? podcast, and now there’s something new coming as well. Tell us about Zoomly.
Oh, I’m so excited. Transport really is one of the biggest barriers to independence for people living with a disability in this country. Things like getting to an appointment, to work, to social activities, something most people don’t think twice about, can completely determine the quality of someone’s day and their ability to participate in the community. So Zoomly is a platform built to connect people with disabilities to safe, reliable and personalised transport. We essentially match riders with drivers who understand their support needs, so every trip is comfortable, dignified, and supports their independence. Something as simple as getting from A to B can change someone’s life, and that’s what Zoomly is about.
That is the most beautiful story. Rachel Carey, I know you personally, and what you’ve been through is an absolute example that if you’re sitting on a couch right now, you owe yourself a second chance to make sure you have the life you’d like to design. If you’d like to check out Rachel Carey, you can go to rachelcareygroup.au. And thank you so much for being in the studio with us.
Thank you.