Stevens grew up in the bush, living a traditional, nomadic way of life. When she was a young woman, her family settled at Ernabella, which was a Presbyterian mission at the time. She worked there milking goats. Her husband, who she met whilst living at Ernabella, also worked there chopping trees for use in building projects. The couple later moved to Nyapaṟi after it was established in the mid-1970s. This area was her husband's Dreaming country (homeland), and although she often made visits to her own birthplace, Stevens would live at Nyapaṟi for the rest of her life.