Stories don’t just describe events. They shape what happens next.

I’ve spent my career watching private lives collide with public visibility, often with lasting consequences.

The work has taken me from newsrooms to boardrooms, and from behind the microphone to inside the headlines. I’ve reported on major events, led teams across Australia on every media platform, and advised leaders and organisations on how to communicate clearly and confidently when credibility matters and mistakes are costly. I’ve also experienced scrutiny firsthand – shaping debates in print, speaking about issues, and responding to unanticipated criticism live on air.

That understanding of how media and public attention reshapes people’s lives deepened through my doctoral research in journalism, media, and communications. I interviewed high-profile Australians who survived trauma in the media spotlight, asking what it’s like to suddenly become newsworthy and lose anonymity. The research led to my Accidental Celebrity® podcast, further exploring how private lives become public and the personal impact of unchosen visibility. The series reached number one on Apple Podcasts.

I continue to research and write long-form nonfiction alongside my professional practice, blending investigative journalism with coaching insights to explore the human truths beneath public narratives.

I’m a proud Tasmanian, wife, and mother of two daughters, who values privacy, respects individual agency, and appreciates the complexity of life beyond headlines.

Stylized handwritten signature of the name 'Yfiona'

Credentials

  • PhD in Journalism, Media and Communications

  • Master of Arts
    (International Relations)

  • Graduate Certificate in Applied Coaching

  • Graduate Certificate in Research

  • International Coaching Federation Associate Certified Coach

  • Fellow, Australian Institute of Company Directors

  • Skills Discovery Accredited Practitioner

  • Mental Health First Aid Certified

Read my thesis: No Longer Anonymous: Surviving Trauma in the Media Spotlight

Research

My Story… so far

1970

Born Fiona Mountney at St Helens in Tasmania, on the southern end of the world-renowned Bay of Fires. My parents became the local butchers.

1975

Started Kindergarten at St Helens District High School, continuing through to Year 10. I cut my own hair once - never again!

1986

Fell in love with journalism while interviewing the State Premier at school and during work experience at The Examiner newspaper in Launceston.

1987

Fell in love with Peter Reynolds after meeting at the pub in St Helens.
I was 16, he was 18. The curly mane is real.

1988

Landed a cadet journalist job at The Examiner while finishing Year 12. I earned $155 a week. I’d have worked for nothing, I loved it that much.

1992

Transferred to Hobart, married Peter, changed my surname to Reynolds, and soon after became a TV News reporter with the ABC in Hobart.

1996

Moved to Canberra as an ABC federal political reporter and led coverage of the 1996 High Court Wik native title decision and the 1997 Thredbo landslide.

2001

Completed a Master of Arts (International Relations) while working as an ABC Current Affairs reporter and News Chief of Staff in Melbourne.

2005

The beautiful Amelia was born in Brisbane, between ABC News leadership roles and working as senior media adviser to a Queensland Government Minister.

2007

The equally beautiful Lilian was born in Launceston, after we moved home to be closer to family. We felt blessed. We still do. The girls are our lives.

2008

Appointed the first female Editor of The Examiner - then Australia’s third-largest regional daily, publishing seven days a week.

2009

Named Telstra Tasmanian Business Woman of the Year after transforming the newspaper’s storytelling and digital platforms to stabilise and grow audiences.

2010

Returned to the ABC as State Director (Tasmania), managing cross-divisonal issues and leading the Giving Tree appeal for those in need at Christmas.

2013

Began travelling to Sydney each week as ABC Head of News Projects, rolling out a range of innovative digital services across the country.

2015

Built and led the ABC Regional division as Director, growing audiences by uniting teams and investing in more people, new tools and programs.

2020

Completed PhD research into accidental celebrity two years after getting off the road to be with the family. Peter and the girls hit the submit button.

2021

Released the Accidental Celebrity podcast, based on my research, and reached number one on the Apple Podcasts chart without major network backing.

2022

Moved into coaching, training, and advising in media and communications, while continuing my passion for storytelling through narrative non-fiction.

A woman is speaking to a man while standing next to a young girl with a video camera in a hallway. The woman holds a notepad, and there are people in the background outside through the window.
A young man in a tuxedo with a bow tie and a young woman in a strapless gold metallic dress, posing together indoors.
A bride and groom smiling outdoors on their wedding day, with cars and trees in the background. The bride is wearing a white lace wedding dress and a floral headpiece, and the groom is in a black tuxedo with a bow tie.
A woman with a short haircut wearing a blue jacket, standing outdoors near trees and emergency personnel, possibly at an accident or incident scene.
A woman and a young girl are smiling and hugging tightly indoors, near wooden furniture and window blinds.
An elderly woman with glasses holding a young child sleeping on her shoulder.
A woman with short curly blonde hair, wearing hoop earrings and a light blue jacket, smiling in front of framed newspaper headlines on a yellow wall.
A diverse group of people gathered in an office, with two children sitting in the foreground. A woman in a red blazer and a man in a suit are sitting with the children, smiling at the camera. An older woman is behind them, also smiling. There are computers, papers, and office equipment on the desk.
A woman with short curly hair, glasses, and wearing a gray cardigan with a red belt and red flower accessory, smiling at a camera in a studio or news setting.
A woman in a red jacket sitting on a large rock in a desert landscape at sunset, smiling and holding a phone, with hills and a town in the background.
A man and two girls smiling at a desk with a computer, office supplies, and a view outside a window.
Three women smiling, with a black and white collage of a woman in the background.
A young girl with blonde, curly hair in pigtails tied with blue ribbons, smiling at the camera, wearing a light blue turtleneck and a dark blue sweater.
Black and white photo of a baby sitting on a surface, wearing a long-sleeved dress and patterned tights, holding a small doll.