In a converted carport in Coolamon, NSW, something extraordinary is happening. It’s not fancy, it’s not flashy, but it’s saving lives. And it all started with a farm girl, with the belief that mental health care should be available to anyone, anytime.

Tina Kendall-Davis, founder of Anytime Counselling, knows what it’s like to grow up in the dusty paddocks of regional Australia, where “suck it up and get on with it” was often the only advice on offer. “That was the norm,” she says. “I don’t like that. Everyone is entitled to just be, whatever that looks like for them.”

So she built a business that throws the old rulebook out the window to create a counselling service that delivers access to mental health support whenever and wherever.

Making mental health support as easy as picking up the phone

Anytime Counselling is a lifeline for people doing it tough in the bush. The service offers real-time access to top-tier Australian counsellors, no matter where you are. Whether you’re on a tractor, in a mining camp, or curled up at home, you can talk to someone who gets it. Anonymously. Privately. All without the usual extended waiting periods experienced by people in regional and rural areas.

Tina dreamed of a world where her dad—the classic “she’ll be right” bloke—could have chatted to a counsellor from the dog kennel with a beer in hand, if that’s what felt right.

“I built this service for my dad,” she says. “The most reluctant and resistant ‘she’ll be right’ human that ever existed. We’ve removed every single possible barrier that prevents someone from accessing support.”

The result? A flexible online platform that’s transforming mental health access in the bush and beyond.

The heartbreak behind the build

The idea for Anytime Counselling didn’t just appear one day. It was forged in the fire of personal grief.

Tina’s father passed away suddenly from a heart attack.

“He was healthy when he went to bed and died upon waking the next morning. My world shattered,” she recalls.

His heart, the coroner said, had been under too much pressure for too long.

“I lost my best mate and my dad to stress,” she says. “And if one person doesn’t have to go through what we went through because they have access to quality support, then the build would be worth it.”

So, she quit her teaching career and set up a small local counselling service outside of Wagga. She didn’t even advertise, yet still, people came from everywhere.

“I was astounded at just how far people were prepared to travel to come and see me.”

One day, a mother called in tears. Her son had attempted suicide. She’d rung every service in her area and the earliest available appointment was six weeks away. Tina couldn’t say no. She saw them that night.

She didn’t get home until 9:30pm. Her kids were already in bed.

That was the moment she and her husband decided: it was time to build Anytime Counselling.

“It was the boot that kicked my need to kick dad’s need into action.”

Fixing a broken system

Tina knew what was broken with the system: ballooning wait times, lack of choice, no privacy, too many hoops to jump through.

“Rural and regional areas live in a space where everyone knows everything about everyone,” she says. “Rather than telling people it’s okay to seek support, we need to respect who they are and meet them where they’re at.”

Anytime Counselling shakes up the mental health space. You don’t have to wait. You don’t have to sit in a public waiting room. And you get to choose your counsellor, because, Tina says, the right fit matters.

“No one therapist will be great for all people,” Tina says. “People need choice. And wait times… oh my god, don’t even get me started!”

The rural hustle:

Like most regional businesses, building Anytime Counselling came with its share of challenges.

There were no local experts to help her with the tech. She had to rely on word of mouth, random conversations, and a fair bit of blind faith.

“It’s surprising how many people don’t like being asked who they use,” she laughs. “But we found great people closer to home than we expected.”

She even bluffed her way through a business meeting with a rural exec just to learn what she didn’t know. “I walked away looking (and feeling) like an absolute idiot, but I learned a lot!”

And while grants and funding have been scarce, Tina hasn’t let that stop her.

“The mortgage has been our CFO,” she says with a grin. “It’s been expensive, but that’s okay. We’re getting there.”

Making an impact

From day one, Tina knew the business was working.

“Our very first client came to us in a mess. We got her support in 10 minutes. The next morning she texted me and said, ‘Thank you. If it wasn’t for you, I wouldn’t be here today.’”

Eighteen lives later, that impact is only growing.

Anytime Counselling now has 17 counsellors on the books (with 187 more waiting to join). They’ve partnered with local organisations like Country Hope and women’s health services to support families, DV survivors, and parents with kids in hospital.

They’ve built strategic partnerships with iDecide and are working with mining companies to improve mental health in high-risk industries. Their ethos is simple: look after the counsellors, and they’ll look after the clients. No scripts, no robots. Just real people helping real people.

What regional life teaches you

Tina credits her regional upbringing for shaping the way she does business.

“Regional teaches you to make the most of the little that you have. It asks you to consider the community in all that you do,” she says. “Our clients will never be a number. They’ll never be ‘looked after’ by an automated system.”

In fact, Anytime Counselling is all about the opposite: It’s as ervice that offers connection, care, and genuine support. You can reach them by phone, email, social or text—and you’ll always get a real person on the other end.

“We’re real people connecting with real people,” Tina says. “We’ll make sure you are seen and are heard.”

Her advice for anyone thinking of starting a regional business?

“Double your expected timeframes. Quadruple your expected costs. Minimum!” she says.

“It’s tough and it’s not what you’re expecting, but it pushes you to your limits, mostly in a good way. Stack your deck. Have your safe spaces in order first—because you’ll need them. Be flexible. Then GO FOR IT.”

On being a Regional Heroes finalist

Tina’s genuinely chuffed to be recognised as a finalist in the 2025 Regional Heroes competition.

“I’m so stoked. With so many incredible businesses out there, it’s actually very humbling to be considered among them.”

She’s proud of what she’s built—and rightly so. “Even though he’s not physically here, I’ve travelled this journey with Dad. Whilst he needed it, it wasn’t there. Now it is.”

So what’s next for Anytime Counselling?

Tina dreams of taking mental health from reactive to proactive, normalising regular check-ins, even when things are okay.

“One day, Anytime Counselling will be to mental health what Birdseye is to frozen food. Even if you don’t use that brand, there’s always something in your freezer if you need it.”

And that’s what Tina has created: asafety net, a quiet presence, and a voice on the end of the line when the rest of the world feels too loud. Because in regional Australia, mental health shouldn’t be an afterthought. It should be anytime.

Want more? Get our newsletter delivered straight to your inbox! Follow Business Builders on Facebook , X , Instagram , and LinkedIn