What is your reason for being?

Once upon a time, I was a painfully shy straight-A student who rarely said a word during meetings. Over the years, I found my voice and my profound sense of purpose overcame my fear.

As a teenager, I co-ran a nonprofit called the Seattle Young People’s Project, organizing conferences for young women leaders to battle sexism, lobbying to undo racism into the Seattle School District and getting young people to take civic action in their communities. 

After pursuing a masters in Cultural Studies at the University of Edinburgh, I went on to work as a lead strategist for the brand consultancy Wolff Olins working with corporate executive leaders from places like PwC, BT and Skype to define and manifest their visions in the world.  One of my most important projects was co-creating the original strategic vision for the online university platform FutureLearn in 2012 as well as their first course, which has reached 100,000+ people.

I  went on to co-found the learning arm of branding consultancy Wolff Olins, evolving the business model of a 50+-year-old organization, and serve as the COO and Chief Learning Officer of a VC-backed learning startup with the mission of empowering every single person within the workplace to be their best selves.

Following a number of injuries and chronic pain, I connected more deeply with my sense of purpose. Radically redesigning my life, I moved from London to Oakland, California where I’ve set up a socially conscious organization with a mission of co-creating the world where we all feel safe, seen and supported. Alongside my own practice, I’m on the faculty of facilitators at Radical Candor and General Assembly.

Outside of work and pandemic lock down, I can be found practicing a gentle yoga flow, surfing in Siargao, making art, arranging flowers, volunteering for the LGBTQ+ sangha at the East Bay Meditation Center and writing heartfelt essays on what it means to be human.