I am passionate about empowering people and reminding them that getting out of their comfort zone is vital for achieving anything worthwhile.

My background

I spent five years working for news outlets and marketing agencies before a change in career saw me train and work as a professional photographer for eighteen years. My portraiture became unique when I relocated to the Kent coast and I started an influential photography and writing project about women overcoming adversity, titled the Making Waves project. This was featured in various media.

It was my passion for creativity and interest in mental health which saw me land a role at a leading rehab, facilitating journaling and art therapy and, in parallel, training to become a fully qualified counsellor. Simultaneously, my love for cold water dipping saw me establish and develop a popular and impactful cold water therapy programme at the centre, using ice baths to develop clients’ self-awareness.

From this exciting journey, the book ‘Life Lessons from Cold Water’ was written and will be published in 2027. My relatable talks are based on this book. Using cold water as the lens, I look closely at profound themes, values and principles which extend far beyond getting our feet wet. These include vulnerability, loss, discomfort, identity, grit, potential, addiction, curiosity, connection, purpose, and adventure. By weaving together personal experience, insightful encounters, and counselling theory, I am able to inspire my audience about what it means to live well. My varied portfolio of themes and principles enable me to tailor each talk to meet the specific needs of my clients. I can put myself in the shoes of my audience and identify what would resonate and be useful.

What makes me qualified to talk about these topics?

As a counsellor, I have been trained and encouraged to be congruent with those I work with – that is, displaying honesty and authenticity as a way of helping my audience do the same. There is real lived experience behind the themes I talk about in the form of my own mental health challenges, specifically recovery from addiction, and in the hundreds of hours I have invested in photographing, interviewing, and counselling a diverse range of people. There is also a highly visual element to my talks in the form of photography which makes them particularly engaging and inspiring.

Moreover, I am also a mother of three, an achievement which has had its challenges and which I am comfortable in speaking candidly about.

My talks include:

What can cold water teach us about living well?

How adventure is a mindset, not a location.

The psychology of adventure.

How can writing facilitate and sustain our wellbeing?