How many identities do you have?

- Journalist

- MC + Guest Speaker

- Happiness Co Ambassador + mental health advocate

- Silver Lining + Co. creator

- Gym junkie

- Traveller

- The nerd + musician

We all know you as a Journalist & Presenter but what don’t we know about Cassie Silver?

Before becoming a television journalist, I studied at WAAPA in jazz performance. Yes, I went to band camp in high school, I was music captain and played every instrument I could get my hands on. I love the bass guitar, drums and piano and I’m also a classically trained dancer. Although I didn’t complete my degree music, it’s a common occurrence for me to jump on a lonely piano sitting in the hotel lobby, onboard cruise ships or in the communal lounge room at aged care facilities. It’s my entertaining alter ego. I’m also a day trader on the stock market so reading company announcements and newsletters is just as important as the newspaper. I only read true crime novels and have one rule when watching movies; it can’t be sci fi or futuristic. I have a background in music theatre choreography and have assisted many Perth private school’s with their productions. I was named after Cassie, the lead in the musical “A Chorus Line”.

How did your career in the Media begin?

Since graduating from WAAPA I’ve worked in many areas in the media industry, from script writing to production management. I’ve worked as a video journalist for WAtoday and presented on local Perth lifestyle programs including Oz Innovations. I have spent the past seven years reporting for the country’s highest rating current affairs program, Today Tonight. I was awarded the Charmaine Dragun Memorial Award for my stories on youth plus the Debrorah Kirwan Media prize for my pieces on seniors. To date, my favourite story would have to be when I took a trip to Teen Challenge in Esperance and spent time with a dozen guys and girls who were all there for the same reason; to beat addiction. It was honest, uncomfortable, confronting and extremely rewarding.

What made you start Silver Lining + Co?

My identities stretch much further than the reporter seen on television, so I needed a creative outlet that was independently me. I have a passion for people, public speaking and creative writing; so, launching Silver Lining + Co was a natural progression. As a professional MC and Guest Speaker, it’s hard for potential clients to get a feel for who you are just by word of mouth or Instagram. I have spoken about mental health, body image and the changing role of women in the media. “Every cloud has a silver lining” is an old saying that has stuck with me and I truly believe there’s a lesson to be learnt in every storm so I write about my own experiences online each month.

What has been the biggest life hurdle you’ve faced so far?
Accepting the fact that time frames don’t always pan out.
My mental health took a small battering in 2017 because I put way too much pressure on myself to “get things done”. I was disappointed in my inability to reach those life milestones within a certain time.

I don’t own a house, I am not married, I don’t have kids.

What I have instead, is many passports filled with stamps from all over the world, a successful career in television, a loving boyfriend, gorgeous friends and family, plus I feel like I know who I am a little better as a result of living life by own schedule. It took a lot of soul searching to get there though.

What do you believe your secret to success is, with balancing your passions and pursuits?

Be authentic, passionate and determined…. But learn to say NO. Being a people pleaser and taking on too much only results in feeling unhinged. I believe going against the grain is what makes someone memorable. I show humility in all I do and I think it’s why my industry relationships are so strong. I am professional but there’s also a touch of spunk and fire about me.

What do you do to unwind?
This can go two ways…. I can sit in front the piano for half an hour and smash out “House of the Rising Sun” on the keys, the same way I have played it since I was 14, or I can have “Daft Punk” blaring in my headphones while I lift weights in the gym.

I am not myself if I don’t exercise. I have a healthy obsession with fitness and aim to train every day. It isn’t uncommon for me to be in the gym for 90 minutes because I get hooked on the feeling and stay for as long as I can- like a drug, it wears off. My physical and mental health suffers when I don’t exercise. I need that time to be a better version of myself across the board.

I love weights over cardio any day!

What’s playing in my headphones? 80’s pop songs or Daft Punk- weird, I know!

You’ll never catch me in a yoga class

What’s next for Cassie Silver?
Continue to build my brand Silver Lining + Co and hopefully work with more inspirational people and businesses. Launching silverliningandco.com will be exciting to see go live.

I’ll also be working closer with the team at the Happiness Co, a social enterprise within the mental health space. They’re a small business doing big things and I look forward to joining them for the ride. https://happinessco.org/together

Cassie Silver

Journalist | MC | Silver Lining + Co. Founder | Happiness Co Ambassador | Mental Health Advocate | Gym Junkie | Nerd + Musician | Traveller