I lived in France for many of my formative years. This has endowed me with a passionate and spirited approach to living and learning and a vigorous enthusiasm for lively debate, fine foods and wine – life’s great pleasures! It has also given me the advantage of being proud and unashamed of the gifts I bring to others, and a direct approach in all matters – qualities that have proved invaluable throughout my working life.

  I came to England to finish secondary school, where I achieved enormous academic success. At university, I will admit, I spent more energy building social capital, having until then missed out on opportunities for friendship. After leaving university I found employment in the voluntary sector in organisations delivering services to disabled people. 

It was when I set myself up independently as a facilitator that I found my true vocation. EQuality Training was created to support a growing demand for my presentations. A small team now help administrate and promote my appearances. I try spend most time on the delivery, as it is the relationship with learners that has most impact. Outside sessions my time is spent writing books, developing learning tools and creating programmes in collaboration with clients in order to respond to their needs. Because professional development is so important, I continue to deepen my understanding with ongoing studies. I will complete my MA in Learning and Development Management in 2012. I value this learning opportunity as it has taught me to become increasingly reflective in my practice and enable me to present ideas that are academically robust.

Having faced so much discrimination personally I have a real experience of the barriers imposed on people from marginalised groups. However, I see my professional role as responding to practitioner’s inquiry regarding wider spread inequality. Having worked in the equality field for many years I know the theory, however it is the way I illustrate this through my own story that people claim is ‘attitude changing’. I pride myself on excellent relationships with clients, many of whom return year after year and speak of me fondly.