About Paris Zarmairian

Hey, I’m Paris, the founder of Slice Of Pie Supports!

Some quick facts about me:

My pronouns are she/they
My surname is pronounced “Zah — mary — ahn”
I’m a queer, neurodivergent, BIPOC woman
I am a proud Indigenous woman of the Armenian Highlands
My special interest is in community welfare with a focus on disability
Growing up, my special interest was in music with a focus on composing, until a lack of diagnosis caused an unmanaged autistic burnout
And finally, I have a darling pet rabbit named Oreo who I love SO much!!!!

I didn’t want to be helpless or see anyone helpless anymore

I created Slice Of Pie to be the perfect merger between work, hobbies and my anger at ableist systems

Our Services

A slice of lived experience

My diagnosis journey didn’t really kick off until I was an adult , but deep down, I always knew there was something fundamentally different about me, something that set me apart from others in a way I couldn't fully understand, let alone articulate. But ‘diagnosis’ seemed like such a taboo word, and if you add that on top of an inherently discriminatory medical system, and on top of not being aware how to identify medical discrimination in my own circumstances, you have the perfect storm for missed and delayed diagnoses.

But when I became my Nana’s full time carer during the pandemic, I became acutely aware I needed to start listening to my body, if not for myself then at least for her and her safety. Nana and I went through so many ups ‘n’ downs trying to understand each other’s clashing health needs, but we’ve come out the other side the best of friends.

And now I can proudly say I’m Autistic, Gifted 2e, and an ADHDer. On top of that, I’m also a HSD/hEDS Zebra, and living the totally vibrant life of someone who is ‘Chronically Fully Sick’ (hey google add working from bed to queue).

A slice of professional experience

When I was 15 I started my nannying business for both abled and disabled families

Then during the first couple of years of uni I started interning and working as a financial consultant… and whilst I did some pretty cool things, I felt so distant from community that it was hard to have that same spark as when I was nannying
So after being Nana’s full time carer for a few years, I became an independent support worker for 2 years until I recognised my own health and disabilities needed me to work mostly from home
To accomodate my health needs and my passion to support others through their disability journeys, I created Slice Of Pie!
I’m still slowly plowing through my Bachelor of Commerce (Finance) at UNSW because I’m a maths nerd and the business skills are super important to keeping Slice Of Pie sustainable
But when the commerce degree is over, I really want to either do my Cert IV in Mental Health Peer Work, or a Graduate Certificate of Applied Coaching and join the International Coaching Federation to give my clients extra peace of mind!

A slice in between

I really enjoy being involved in a variety of systemic advocacy, speaking and Mardi Gras events. Most of those updates you can find on Instagram. But I’m also fortunate to be collaborating with Carers NSW as a national Carer Representative, and previously as a member of the Young Carer Advisory Group. Some favourite wholesome moments include:

Guest speaking at the inaugural Carer Knowledge Exchange: Research Incubator 2022, presented by NSW Government, UTS and Carers NSW
Podcast guesting on the YC Bytes podcast — see S1 Ep 4, 5
Prompting Carers NSW to research into support worker career pathways for ex-carers, which led them to create a career pathways program in collaboration with NSW Government