How I Got Here: Founder and Director of Yellow Bridge, Muhammad Rahman
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Admit it, we’ve all been there – stalking social media and LinkedIn profiles, trying desperately to figure out how the hell someone got their dream job.
It seems impossible and yet there they are, living out your career fantasy (minus the itchy business suit). It might seem hard to believe, but once upon a time, they were also fantasising about their future career, and with some hard work, they made it.
Welcome to How I Got Here, HerCanberra’s series that reveals everything you want to know about the secrets of career success. This week, we sit down with the Founder and Director of Yellow Bridge, Muhammad Rahman. Recently recognised at the 2025 Australian Disability Service Awards, here he talks about his passion for empowering individuals to live with confidence, independence, and connection.
Existential crisis time: Who are you and what do you do?
My name is Muhammad Rahman, and I’m the Founder and Director of Yellow Bridge, a Canberra-based disability and mental health support organisation. We help people navigate the NDIS, access specialist support, build independence, and change the trajectory of their lives. I lead a team of passionate coordinators, social workers, recovery coaches, and specialists who all share one mission: fostering independence through empowerment.
Let’s go back to when you were a kid — have you always dreamed of working in this industry?
Not at all. Growing up, I wanted to be an engineer — I loved fixing things and creating solutions. Ironically, that’s exactly what I do now, just in a very different form. Instead of machines or structures, I help fix broken systems, rebuild stability, and design pathways for people who face complex barriers.
Tell us about when you were first starting out — what set a fire in your belly and how did you do it?
Yellow Bridge was born from a mix of necessity, lived experience and sheer determination.
I’m neurodivergent (ASD-2 and ADHD), and I never fit neatly into traditional workplaces. At the same time, I was the full-time carer for my wife after a life-changing spinal cord injury — providing 24/7 support while trying to maintain stability. I needed autonomy, I needed purpose, and I needed a workplace where I didn’t have to mask who I was.
So I created one.
With three participants, a laptop, and my wife recovering next to me, I started Yellow Bridge from my home. I wanted to build a service where people with disability were treated with genuine compassion, and where staff didn’t need to squeeze themselves into rigid systems to do meaningful work.
Recall a time you wanted to chuck it all in — what did you tell yourself when it got too hard?
There were many moments — especially in the early days — where I felt stretched between caring for my wife, running a new business, and navigating the chaos of the NDIS.
Each time, I reminded myself: “If not me, then who will advocate for the participants relying on us?”
People came to us in crisis — homeless, isolated, misunderstood, or completely lost in the system. Walking away wasn’t an option because the consequences weren’t abstract; they were human. And honestly? I kept going because my team believed in the mission even on days when I was exhausted. That collective purpose becomes your anchor.
What was your biggest break?
My biggest break wasn’t a single moment — it was a series of people and recognitions that affirmed we were on the right path.
Families trusted me during their hardest moments. Professionals began referring participants after seeing outcomes that genuinely changed lives. And then the formal recognition followed.
In 2023, Yellow Bridge received a Commendation at the ACT Chief Minister’s Inclusion Awards for Achieving Inclusion through Supporting the Independence and Wellbeing of People with Disability, and was also honoured with the Excellence in Making Inclusion Happen Award.
Those acknowledgements were incredibly meaningful — they validated our person-centred approach and showed that the work we were doing mattered beyond individual cases.
Since then, Yellow Bridge has continued to grow, and I was later recognised nationally as the Most Visionary Leader at the Australian Disability Service Awards, with Yellow Bridge also becoming a finalist for Outstanding Support Coordination.
But even with all of these awards, my real “break” has always been the trust placed in us by the people and families we support.
What’s the best piece of advice you’ve ever received?
“People don’t follow titles. They follow leaders who show up with integrity.”
In disability work, people remember how safe you made them feel, not what you called yourself.
What do you love about your industry — and what makes you want to pull your hair out?
I love the humanity of it. I get to witness people take their first steps into independence: moving into their own home, finding a job, building community, healing from trauma, and reconnecting with hope.
What drives me mad? The red tape. The constant policy changes. The battles families must fight just to receive support they should already have access to. But that’s also why we exist — to simplify the chaos and give people dignity.
How do you ‘stay in the know’? What media do you consume?
I follow NDIS legislative updates, sector newsletters, disability advocacy organisations, and mental health publications. But I also stay grounded by listening directly to families, providers, and frontline workers — that’s often where the real insights come from.
Where do you see yourself in five years?
I see Yellow Bridge expanding nationally, delivering specialist support across multiple regions while staying true to our person-centred values.
Personally, I hope to continue shaping the disability sector — advocating for system reforms, building culturally safe, neurodiversity-affirming support models, and mentoring the next generation of leaders.
Why should people follow in your footsteps?
Because this work changes lives. It challenges you, humbles you, grows you — and reminds you every day what really matters.
You don’t need to be perfect. You just need heart, genuine empathy, integrity, courage, and a willingness to stand up for people who have been overlooked or misunderstood.
What advice would you give your past self?
You don’t need to fit the mould. Build your own. Your neurodivergence is not a barrier — it is your superpower. And the challenges you are facing now will one day become the reason you can help hundreds of people rebuild their lives.
