“Silence has a funny way of eroding you from the inside, but if you can learn to break that silence, you can start to heal truly.”
I convinced myself it wasn’t worth telling. I was a teenage mum. I overcame addiction. I left a coercive, controlling relationship. Eventually, life looked pretty perfect on paper — great job, healthy relationship, thriving kids — and yet, something still felt like it was missing.
That feeling followed me for years. I couldn’t put my finger on it until I started caring for my alcoholic dad. I needed somewhere to dump the weight of it all — the fear, the guilt, the frustration. So I started journaling. Quietly. Privately. Just for me.
Alongside my own lived experience, I’ve worked in the addiction field for over 30 years — on the ground, in communities, and at the policy level, including at the United Nations in 2024.
I sit on the Global Gender Committee for the World Federation Against Drugs, and sit on the CLERO board as an advisor.
I’ve designed and delivered training and workshops for professionals in addiction, mental health, social care and public health — always centring humanity over hierarchy. I’ve also facilitated groups for women navigating their own recovery journeys, often in spaces where their voices have been historically shut down.
I don’t do small talk, and you can guarantee that if there is an elephant in the room, I won’t just call it out; I will slap a saddle on it and ride it to expose it.
Whether I am speaking on panels or talking to people on the streets, you always get the same unfiltered version.
I am passionate about people and believe that post-traumatic growth [PTG]is a process that anyone can go through. My work [vocation] has always been about showing people they’re not alone and helping them find a way forward they actually believe in.
This platform started as a blog — a place for me to rant, reflect, and process. But it’s grown into something much bigger.
Have a Word With Yourself is more than a phrase. It’s a way of living. It means tuning in, getting honest, and backing yourself — even when the world tells you to shut up and smile.
I believe in the power of lived experience. In the courage it takes to write your truth. And in the post-traumatic growth that happens when you stop hiding and start healing.
This space exists to help women use their voice — not the polite, polished version, but the real one. I want to help you write boldly, reclaim your story, and realise that you don’t need anyone’s permission to take up space.
Probably swearing (sorry, not sorry)
Loyal as f*** until you start taking the piss
Trauma-informed with a sprinkling of Sarcasm
Hates toxic positivity and inspirational wallpaper quotes
Sheffield, loud, proud, and local.
Think journaling is cheaper than therapy and just as powerful
