Lived Experience Blog
Adolescence, Grooming & Disconnection: Why STAND Has Never Been More Urgent
For the past ten years, I’ve been trying to share STAND: Parents as Protectors – a program designed to help parents, caregivers, and professionals recognise grooming behaviours, build confident boundaries, and reconnect to the instincts that protect both themselves and their children.…
The Body Keeps the Score: A Real-Life Experience
In 2018, I was in a road traffic collision. A speeding van hit my stationary car as I waited to turn into my driveway. The impact knocked me unconscious, and I suffered a head injury. A truck driver who witnessed the crash blocked the road and climbed into the back of my wrecked car. Though I have…
True Acceptance
In a world full of differing perspectives, beliefs, and experiences, one of the greatest challenges we face is learning how to truly accept both ourselves and others—without judgment, without the need for agreement, and without losing ourselves in the process. At its core, true acceptance is about…
Survival & The Power of Trust
During the early days of COVID, I remember watching people pile their trolleys high, pushing ahead, grabbing what they could. There was no eye contact, no pause, no thought for the person next to them. It was survival mode in its rawest form. And I understood it. Fear does that to people. When we…
The Body Remembers
Trauma has a way of embedding itself deep within us, not just in our minds but in our very cells. As Bessel van der Kolk so aptly explains in The Body Keeps the Score, the physical body carries the echoes of past experiences, even when the conscious mind cannot recall them. I understood this…
Understanding Behaviour: A Trauma-Informed Perspective
The Foundations Humans are biologically hardwired to receive care and attention from their caregivers to ensure survival. Like other mammals, human infants rely on their caregivers to meet basic needs such as nourishment, comfort, and safety. For example, when a baby cries, a responsive caregiver…
The Power of Alignment, Congruence and Introspection
The Power of Alignment - Learning to Trust Ourselves Through Self-Awareness, Congruence, and Introspection In a world that constantly pulls us in multiple directions, the concept of alignment has become more essential than ever. At its core, alignment is about living in accordance with our deepest…
The Chaos of Silence: Surviving Work Environments with No Direction
Navigating The Maze Imagine starting a new job full of hope, ready to contribute and grow, only to find yourself lost in a maze with no map, no guide, and no clear destination. No one explains the rules, yet you’re expected to know them. No one tells you how things are done, but you’re still held…
The Inconsistencies in What We Teach
The Inconsistencies in What We Teach - How Adult Behaviour Contradicts the Values We Impart to Children We tell children to “treat others as you want to be treated.” We emphasise the importance of respect, empathy, and kindness. Yet, when it comes to how adults treat children, our actions often…
The Most Important Question Never Asked: “Why?”
In schools across the country, a familiar pattern plays out daily. A student misbehaves — perhaps they lie, swear, have an “outburst,” or exhibit “bad behaviour.” The response? Punishment. Detention. Reprimands. These actions are justified as necessary for discipline and maintaining order.…