From the Kitchen to the Chief Executive Officer: Melanie Sennett's 30-Year Clubhouse Journey
In today’s workforce, it’s common for individuals to hold 12 or more jobs across multiple companies over the course of their careers. It’s the rarity to work at a single place for decades but such is not the case within the Clubhouse world. There is something uniquely powerful about the Clubhouse Model, and the profound impact it has on member’s lives that inspires staff to stay. This is true for Melanie Sennett of Stepping Stone Clubhouse in Brisbane, Australia.
Melanie recalls her experience interviewing at Stepping Stone Clubhouse in 1996. “It did not go well. People told me later that I had bombed the interview. I worked in the kitchen for the day though and that’s when I got to connect with members and ultimately land the job.” That was 30 years ago!
Melanie spent six months in the kitchen unit, then transferred to the clerical unit, moved again to employment coordinator, served as the Director, and eventually became the CEO of the Clubhouse. “It’s really been like forty different jobs in one place. In the beginning we had few staff and even less money and I took on the challenge of increasing funds and the Clubhouse began to grow.”
In the past three decades Melanie and the clubhouse community have grown the Clubhouse’s physical footprint and membership. In 2024 Stepping Stone Clubhouse expanded, opening a second location in a northern suburb of Brisbane. Between the two Clubhouses there are now 4,000 members.
While growing Stepping Stone Clubhouse has been rewarding, one of the highlights of Melanie’s career is helping train the first Clubhouse to open its doors in mainland China. Stepping Stone Clubhouse is one of Clubhouse International’s 12 training centers across the globe. “The Chinese team came for a two week training at Stepping Stone Clubhouse and we organised student translators. Afterwards we traveled to China to visit Heart Wing Clubhouse and members continued to come up to us, thanking our team. The experience changed my life and gave me such hope.”
The impact the Clubhouse Model has on members is the reason Melanie has stayed at her job for so long. “When a member comes to us feeling broken and tells me they will never work again, I think– just you wait. Trust in us, we will be your cheerleader just give it time and let the Clubhouse magic happen. They don’t believe it will happen but through the work inside the Clubhouse they find employment, friendship, housing– some even have clubhouse weddings. I’ve seen it over and over again and it’s such a privilege to witness their recovery.”
Melanie says what’s amazing is that members who have recovered are invested in helping fellow members move forward in their own recovery journey, creating a powerful cycle of support that defines the Clubhouse community.“It’s organic and just happens. Members know what it feels like to walk through the doors for the first time and they want to help. It’s one of the beautiful things about our Model and community.”
And Melanie plans to be part of it until she retires. “Why would I leave? I can’t do interviews so I’m stuck!” Jokes aside, her transformational work at Stepping Stone Clubhouse is not complete. She says the Stepping Stone name was created by members and the logo with five stepping stones signifies different parts of each member’s journey. Some stones might be wet and slippery, others might be misaligned but when you put them all together you get a stable path. For Melanie, the five stones in their logo now also represent the number of Clubhouses she dreams of opening. “My board and I are ambitious and I tell myself I have three more Clubhouses to open before I call it quits or we could just add more stones!” More Clubhouses equals more members served and more hope, rehabilitation and recovery realized.
“People deserve this, to be part of something that allows them to move past the trauma of their mental health, recover from it and go on to live a great life.”
We couldn’t agree more. Interested in discovering the Clubhouse difference for yourself or a loved one? Visit our directory to see if there is an existing Clubhouse in your community or learn more about how to start one.