In the $ 3 million souvenir shop

Even at the very beginning of the launch of her now successful business, Koh Living, with her friend Nyree Hibberd, Ms. Cordeman was about not to return.

Koh Living's mission is to provide meaningful gifts to help connect friends and family and strengthen emotional relationships.

"I discovered that Koh Living's core mission had given me a purpose and allowed me to give up on addiction and thrive," Ms. Cordeman said.

"When someone gives a bespoke gift, it creates a sense of belonging and helps them to feel appreciated and recognized," she said, adding that her experiences had helped shape the heart. and the meaning of the company.

But before the success of her business, Cordeman's relationships with alcohol and drugs were at their peak, abusing everything from marijuana to ecstasy. She was too deep to make a change.

"Not making sense in life can lead to addictions and destructive behaviors," said the owner of a Melbourne-based company at news.com.au

The 44-year-old woman concealed her baduality from her family, which was an important part of her addictive lifestyle.

"It was probably during the first five years of my business," said Cordeman.

"We are both (Nyree) gay and we did not know it. We were both in a long term relationship and when they ended Nyree, I started to engage in drugs.

"I had alcohol problems since I was a teenager. I came from a very different family, who had a history of alcohol abuse. "

Ms. Cordeman said she did not accept being gay and thought she was going through a difficult phase.

"The drugs were getting worse – I had suicidal thoughts and no matter what I did, nothing worked," she said.

"I've always known that I was destined for better things, but I could not manage on my own in this drug situation."

Meanwhile, friends still manage to keep the trade afloat despite their festive and addictive lifestyles.

After her detox, Ms. Cordeman became a devoted Buddhist for two years, then had the courage to tell her mother that she was gay.

"I knew that she had a negative view of homobaduality, so it was hard for me to tell him. She was silent on the phone and said, "No matter what you do or who you are, you are my daughter and I love you."

Ms. Cordeman's partner, Ms. Hibbend, also had a difficult childhood to adulthood, but the two women rallied to face the hardships and hardships they faced in creating a better future.

"We both gave up alcohol together and went out together. This put our friendship to the test, but we managed to save ourselves in the end. We are now indestructible business partners because of the adversity we have overcome, "said Ms. Cordeman.

The two women exchanged their reliance on engaged artists, product design and then turned Koh Living into a brand of creative household products.

"We built this business from scratch with determination, pbadion and a lot of work. If we can do it while fighting addiction, anybody can do it, "Cordeman said.

Ms. Cordeman said that since the merger of their "shit", the company has grown significantly over the past three years.

"In an area where stores are closing and people are struggling, we have increased by 20%, which is unprecedented in the retail sector. That's a lot, since we are self-financing and have never had help from anyone. "

The duo made its first million in 2013.

"To be honest, it's only been 12 months since I started being proud of myself because there were a lot of difficulties along the way. As if I had not had such an addictive lifestyle, things could have been different. "

But it was a learning process for the couple: "The first five years of our reliance on alcohol and drugs, our previous five years trying to recover and the last five years, we really got together and we now know we want our business to be and our goal, "said Ms. Cordeman.

"Anyone can do it if you give them the right tools to grow, but you have to want – I really wanted to. I was fed up.

To learn more about Koh Living, visit Kohliving.com