Diagnosed late in life, in my 50s, with both autism and ADHD (AuDHD) following a crisis, my subsequent research prompted me to raise unbiased awareness around neurodiversity, particularly in women, its interrelation with the menopause and its impact on mental health. 

Art has always been part of my life, but when both I and my loved ones were suffering, creativity became increasingly important, both as an outlet and as an expression of my emotions. 

As a poet and visual artist, I have delivered talks and poetry performances at prominent events, such as the National Neurodiversity Shows, Neurodiversity Pride, the Vegan Wellbeing Retreat, the Writers’ Conference, and the Lincoln Book Festival. My poems have been shortlisted for the Hammond House International Library Prize, featured in Beyond the Spectrum and Shine magazines, and published by Bad Betty Press and Hammond House. My art and photography have been exhibited and won awards, including for the Daily Mail and the The North & East Midlands Photographic Federation.

As well as speaking at events, I have featured as a guest in podcasts, available on YouTube and Spotify, and have been broadcast on television and radio channels, including the BBC and Channel 5.

As a former Flight Lieutenant in the Royal Air Force (RAF), I was assigned various responsibilities, such as managing global logistics for rotary spares during international conflict and, a fluent speaker of French and German, escorting the Austrian Chief of Defence Staff as his interpreter at the Western European Union Conference.  Having been awarded university sponsorship by the RAF when a teenager, I learned to fly solo at the age of eighteen, at a time where women were only just being given equal opportunities. 

For almost thirty years, I have been managing an international family business, which supplies individuals and companies, including well-known brands, with air filtration, spraying equipment and surface treatment chemicals. Typically male-dominated, the industry has had to deal with setbacks such as Covid and Brexit, so I have experience of being able to thrive as an female entrepreneur through difficult times and in unpredictable environments. 

Like anyone else, there have been ups and downs throughout my life, and I draw upon these experiences within my work, hopefully to help and inspire others in any way that I can.