Lived Experience Blog
Remembering Edna
Edna - Who sang through her sorrow and loved through her pain. You taught me more about strength, softness, and spirit than words could ever capture. Thank you for trusting me with your truth. This is for you. I met Edna in an unusual way—though for her, it was everyday life. I’d just become…
The Junction Between Arrogance and Confidence: A Reflection on Inclusion, Integrity, and Lived Experience
I’ve been sitting with something lately. There’s a subtle but important space—a junction—between confidence and arrogance. Between staying true to a vision and being open to feedback. Between being inclusive and being assumed to be wrong because your approach doesn’t match the mainstream……
The Rules Keep Changing - Part Two: The Coat
Lena had a coat. A soft, dove-grey one with a silky lining and pockets deep enough for her whole world. It had been a birthday gift—one of the few things that felt like it belonged to her. But even gifts came with invisible rules. She was only allowed to wear it when her mum said so. Not when Lena…
The Rules Keep Changing
Imagine you’re nine years old. You’ve packed your school bag carefully today—not just with books, but with hope. Your friend Lily invited you to her house after school, and this morning—miraculously—your mum said yes. Not just “we’ll see” or “maybe”—but a real, actual yes. It felt like sunshine.…
What Will Become of Us If We Don’t Wake Up?
I woke suddenly in the early hours, not from a dream I can remember, but with a deep, heavy ache in my chest. Not personal grief — something broader. A sadness that felt collective. A knowing that whispered: “We must wake up.” What are we doing to each other? As humans, we can be so arrogantly…
Nervous System Lens
I recently shared a post about being labelled “furthest from the labour market” — a term that, like many labels, carried more weight than just the words themselves. At the time, I didn’t realise how deeply that label would trigger core beliefs about not being good enough. It’s not just the label,…
Plot Twist: The Secret of the Hypervigilant Brain
“A brain shaped by years of hypervigilance is finely tuned for survival. Imagine the power of that same brain when it’s re-trained to scan for connection, opportunity, growth and for good. The Reticular Activating System doesn’t lose its focus—it simply learns to trust. When we begin to trust…
"We Are Energy First"
Humans are often taught to see themselves as solid, physical beings - but at our core, we are made of energy. Every cell in our body carries an electrical charge. Our hearts generate an electromagnetic field. Our brains communicate through electrical impulses. This isn't just spiritual language -…
The Lens that Shapes our Nervous Systems
“We can only see through the lens of our experience.” – And that lens is shaped by the nervous system. When someone has predominantly lived in a ventral vagal state — a state of nervous system regulation characterised by safety, connection, and a sense of ease in the world — their worldview is…
You’re Not The Problem
“You’re not broken. You’re not failing. Your nervous system is doing exactly what it was designed to do to keep you safe.” When trauma happens and escape isn’t possible, the body doesn’t just move on—it adapts for survival. This is the dorsal vagal response, a deep shutdown state that can leave you…