Category: Interviews
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Conversations with… Mary Chacha of Msichana Empowerment Kuria (Subject: FGM)
As a teacher, I received training on FGM (female genital mutilation) and was told to be vigilant, identify children that could be at risk and do all that I could to protect them. Thankfully I never encountered it in my teaching career, but reading testimonials from survivors stayed with me for a long time. Whilst…
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Conversations with Fay Scott – Founder of LILY, Mentoring Program for Professional Women & Journey to Survival – Walking Group for Female Survivors of Sexual Violence
I love all of my interviews, but there are some that really make me sit back and think ‘wow… the world needs to hear this’. Fay’s interview is one of them. As a writer, I’m supposed to write a big, flowing introduction, but Fay’s words don’t need an introduction. They deserve to take centre stage.…
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Conversations with… Victoria (Subject: Becoming Who You Should Be, Not A Product Of Your Environment)
I grew up in a city that is often described with words like underprivileged or deprived. For me, my childhood was neither of those things. I grew up in a comfortable home, I had two loving parents, I was happy, fed, safe and loved. That wasn’t the case for everyone around me, though. In this…
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Conversations with… Blogger and Influencer Jenni Dunlap (Subject: Body Image and Eating Disorders)
Sometimes you meet people online who change your life. For me, Jenni is one of them. After going from constantly being on the move travelling to working from home, my confidence was low. One day I stumbled across Jenni’s blog. From then on I began to look at my body as the vessel that had…
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Conversation with Ashley (Subject: Why Travel is Good for Mental Health)
When we think of someone who struggles with mental health, we picture someone who perhaps isn’t at work because of their mental health, someone who finds it hard to maintain relationships, who struggles in social situations, who doesn’t leave the house. This picture represents some people with mental health issues, but not everyone. Ashley is…
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Conversations With… Sharon Hattle (Subject: Knife Crime)
When researching for this interview, I found out that there was one fatal stabbing every 1.45 days in England and in Wales in 2019. That statistic, however shocking it may be, only reflects fatal stabbings, but if knife crime kills people that frequently, then how often does it injure people? How many more lives are…
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Conversations with… Elena (Subject: Overcoming Childhood Trauma and Becoming Who You Want To Be)
As a victim of a sexual assault, I understand to some extent the impact trauma can have on a person’s life. Whilst what happened doesn’t define me, it will always be a part of me and it will always be something I have to work on overcoming. This week, Elena shares the story of her…
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Conversations with… Rachael Morgan (Subject: Body Image, Eating Disorders and Breast Reconstruction Surgery)
Women are constantly bombarded with messages on how they ‘should’ look. We should have abs, toned arms, toned legs and have straight, white teeth. We need to be hair free. We need to smile. Our hair shouldn’t be frizzy, but long and flowing. Our waist needs to tiny, our legs long, our nails manicured, our…
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Conversations with… Michelle Hopewell (Subject: Body Image in an Image Focused Industry)
When interviewing people who work in show business, I always touch upon the idea of confidence in an industry that places importance on appearance. After each of these interviews, I marvel at people’s resilience to the pressures and expectations placed upon them, but Michelle takes that to a whole new level. Michelle is someone who…
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Conversations with… Courtney (Subject: Overcoming Sexual Assault)
Talking about my experience of sexual assault was one of the most difficult but rewarding things I have ever done. I was blown away by the kind messages I received and speaking up reminded me of how strong, resilient and powerful I am. My wish for any survivor of a sexual assault is that they…
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