Failing at all three, she took a vow of silence and joined a monastery. Not really — this would have been a very different biography in that case — she dusted herself off and developed new goals, the biggest being to make a life from radio, storytelling and television. Sources across Australia report she has been doing ‘a pretty decent job’ of this for the past 22 years, working with among others, 96fm, 882 6PR and Channel 9. It’s just as well too — the monastery had terrible internet speeds.

Braidwood started her media career in Western Australia as a producer on radio working on 882 6PR and Hit 92.9. She graduated to working the mic as a music announcer at 97.3 Coast FM and 6KG Kalgoorlie and later as a newsreader for Mix 94.5 and Hit 92.9. She woo-ed audiences across Victoria for five years as co-host of the Ace Radio Network’s breakfast show before packing her bags and going to sit on the beach, practice yoga and read the news for Gold Coast’s Sea FM. That was where she sat when the top brass at 96fm called, an opporutnity to return to her home city of Perth too good to refuse.

Carmen likes pina coladas and getting caught in the rain, but prefers an icy cold bottle of bubbles and outdoor activities in the sunshine. Carmen loves to talk — in particular about leadership, modern media, functional/dysfunctional families and travel — and for a run of 7 years, lent her voice to co-hosting 96fm Perth’s breakfast show, “Carmen & Fitzi”. 

When asked nicely (or bribed with sparkling wines) Carmen can behave very well, as exhibited in regular guest appearances on Sky News Australia, Nine News, The Project (Network 10), Sea TV (Southern Cross Ten), and The Today Show (Channel 9). In 2015 she joined the cast of Destination WA on Channel 9 where to date she has successfully carried out a full interview under hypnosis, shared sights like The Bungles and enjoyed bringing her bright, bubbly personality to screens across Australia.

Today, Carmen also brings the skills she picked up in the commercial media to the business world, offering Media Training, Confidence on Camera coaching, workshops and keynotes in Perth and beyond. 

She's also a proud poodle mumma, an equally proud step-mum and considers herself an unofficial ambassador for her much-loved home state of WA.