Stories have always been at the heart of what I do.

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Growing up in East London taught me that some of the most powerful stories are often the ones that never make the headlines.

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Through poetry, oral history, facilitation and community projects, I create spaces for people to uncover, share and celebrate lived experience — giving voice to the stories they carry and the narratives that belong to them.

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From East London to Kent and beyond, my work explores identity, place, memory and belonging, creating opportunities for people to connect with each other and the communities around them.

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Born and raised in Bow, storytelling has always been part of who I am. Growing up in Tower Hamlets, surrounded by different cultures, languages, faiths and communities, taught me to listen across difference with curiosity, fairness and compassion.

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My professional journey began in journalism. At 17, after volunteering for my local rag, East End Life, I won the New International Trainee Journalism Scheme and went on to spend a decade working in local and national media, writing for publications including The Times, Evening Standard and GQ.

 

Journalism was my first education in people. It taught me how to listen, ask better questions, have difficult conversations and find the human story beneath the headline.

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That instinct has stayed with me.

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For more than 20 years, I have worked across education, culture, health and community settings, alongside children, young people, families and diverse communities. I use creativity, conversation and storytelling to help people feel heard, build connection and find their voice.

 

Alongside this, I became an Accredited Play Therapist, developing a deeper understanding of trauma, attachment, emotional wellbeing and the impact of adversity. I have supported children and young people affected by trauma, abuse, bereavement, anxiety, neurodivergence and difficult life circumstances.

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My trauma-informed practice is not about defining people by what has happened to them. It is about helping create the safety and space to find their voice, recognise their strengths and work out what comes next.

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What makes my practice distinctive is the combination of journalism, poetry, therapeutic practice and community engagement. I’m interested in what happens when people are given the time, tools and confidence to tell their own stories — rather than having their stories told for them.

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Some of the work I’ve been lucky enough to do

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Plebbing Up — community storytelling, spoken word and oral history exploring Cockney identity, dialect, belonging and working-class heritage.

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Voices of East Bank — community storytelling and oral history with UCL East and LLDC.

Thrive LDN & Healthy London Partnership — creative wellbeing programmes supporting children’s mental health, self-expression and agency.

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Hurricane Brain — a therapeutic children’s book about bereavement, for which I raised £6,000 through Kickstarter.

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TonguePrints — voice-led creative literacy work using storytelling and spoken language as a route into reading for young people who have struggled to find their place in traditional education.

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Play Therapy — trauma-informed therapeutic work supporting children and young people experiencing emotional and social difficulties.

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Today, my work sits where poetry, participation, oral history, wellbeing and social documentary meet.

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As a spoken word poet, I draw on the humour, resilience and straight-talking spirit of the East End. My work explores belonging, class, loss, identity, womanhood, community and cultural change, bringing personal stories into wider social narratives.

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Whether I’m facilitating a workshop, gathering testimonies, developing a community project or performing on stage, my aim is the same: to create meaningful opportunities for people to be heard, valued and connected.

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I’m now based in Margate and work across East London and Kent, developing projects rooted in community, culture, wellbeing, heritage and participation.

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At the heart of everything I do is a simple belief:

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Stories belong to everyone. And when people are given the space to tell their own, we understand each other a little better — and sometimes, we understand ourselves too.

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