I originally trained as a Nurse but quickly realised that my passion and interest lay in Public Health. After completing a Msc in Health Promotion and Health Education I spent the next 10 years working in the NHS and Civil Service in a range of strategic and management positions mainly focusing on teenage pregnancy and young people’s sexual health.
In 2004, I left the public sector to set up my own business. Over the years I’ve established many exciting partnerships working with a range of different organisations, including the NHS, local authorities and the voluntary sector, developing strategies, designing and delivering training and workshops and creating innovative resources.
The initial focus of my business was on sexual & reproductive health. However, in 2011, my work began to include end of life care and end of life care planning and so my passion for talking openly about death, dying and grief began.
For almost 10 years I was as a partner at an organisation that focused on lifting the taboo around death and dying and raised awareness of end of life care planning. During this time we delivered an innovative volunteer-led service that aimed to open conversations about death and supported people to put their end of life plans in place. I also developed a range of interactive and participatory training programmes and workshops and hosted Death Cafes.