About me
My professional purpose is to empower people to have agency over their wellbeing, learning and digital habits - three things that are tightly and seamlessly interwoven. I am a consultant and coach helping organisations committed to supporting their colleagues and young people in this quest - in a meaningful and authentic way.
Welcome to my website.
I am a passionate educator, public speaker, school inspector and an experienced media commentator on the health and wellbeing of young people.
I am proud to have worked as a teacher in the state and independent sector, and across the age ranges K-12, for over 20 years. In 2015, having been alarmed at the decline in the wellbeing of my students, and the struggles families faced to support their children, I undertook to better understand these challenges through studying for an MSc in Child and Adolescent Mental Health at University College London.
During my studies, I developed a particular interest in research relating to adolescent neuroscience, digital technology, and their connection to learning and thriving. I believe that sharing this science with young people contributes significantly to their ability to have agency over their own wellbeing and digital habits.
In 2019, I joined Cognita, a diverse global schools group with over 100 schools in 16 countries, and until 2023, was responsible for ensuring that their approach to student wellbeing was proactive and empowering for all members of its community. I am very proud that as a result, Cognita became, and remain, recognised leaders within the field of wellbeing in education.
In the last 18 months, my consultancy work has been driven by my core belief that wellbeing is the foundation to learning and thriving, and that wellbeing is neither a lottery ticket nor a privilege, but rather something that can be influenced by our actions. However, I know that empowering one’s self and the young people around us to value and prioritise wellbeing, and more importantly to develop practical and sustainable habits to help us towards our health and outcome goals is neither a simple nor easy task.
To do this well, it is also worth looking at how technology either propels us towards, or pulls us away from our goals. While tech giants have used our own neuroscience as the foundation of their persuasive design techniques for years, many of us are not armed with the same information to help us be more selective and intentional about our digital use. As a result, the attention economy is booming, but perhaps at the expense of our ability to be autonomous regarding where we spend our most valuable commodity - our time.
Over my career, I have very much valued my conversations and work with a wonderfully broad and diverse range of people and believe that we benefit significantly from considering the view point and experience of others. I look forward now to further collaborating with a range of individuals, organisations and experts, so that we can continually learn from each other and strengthen our contribution to child and adolescent wellbeing, now and in the future.