Over the past fortnight, I have had a lot to process both professionally and personally.
I have been in rooms I never imagined entering, had conversations that really mattered, and met people I hope to stay connected with. At the same time, I have also needed space to come home, take the mask off, and understand the impact of it all.
This is not just work for me. It is lived experience, advocacy, education, recovery, and a continued attempt to turn pain into purpose without pretending there is no personal cost.
As a trauma-informed motivational speaker, campaigner and founder of Survivors Of aBuse, these moments matter because they are all connected by the same thread: protecting children, supporting survivors, challenging systems, and helping people understand that they are worth fighting for.
Speaking in Parliament on behalf of the Lucy Faithfull Foundation
The focus was intrafamilial child sexual abuse, and the title of the event said so much: “It’s not that simple when it’s somebody close.”
One of the biggest moments was speaking at the Palace of Westminster as part of a Lucy Faithfull Foundation event hosted by Jess Asato MP.
The focus was intrafamilial child sexual abuse, and the title of the event said so much:
“It’s not that simple when it’s somebody close.”
That sentence has stayed with me because it is the truth.
When abuse happens within the family environment, it can be tangled up with loyalty, fear, shame, silence, disbelief, dependency, family pressure and survival. For a child, the person causing harm may also be someone they rely on, someone others trust, or someone who presents very differently outside the home.
That is why this conversation matters. Children should not have to find perfect words before adults take action.
Watching Great Photo, Lovely Life
I also attended a screening of Great Photo, Lovely Life, and I will be honest: it was one of the hardest things I have ever watched.
There were too many parallels with my own story. It reflected back so much of what I have carried, minimised and pushed through over the years.
I often tell myself:
“That happened. It’s over. That was the past. This is the present. This is what I can change.”
In many ways, that mindset has helped me survive. However, survival mode comes at a cost.
Sometimes a film, a room, a conversation or a moment can make something land differently. It can remind us how much has been lived through, how much has been carried, and how little has truly been acknowledged.
Acknowledging that is not being big-headed. It is being honest.
The Speaker Awards and Summit
At the end of that same week, I attended The Speaker Awards and Summit as a finalist for Best Motivational Speaker 2026.
I did not win, and yes, I felt disappointed. I think it is important to say that out loud because two things can be true at the same time. It is possible to be genuinely pleased for others and still feel disappointment.
Even so, seeing my name alongside such high-calibre speakers meant a lot.
I have had many conversations with myself about awards and recognition. For me, recognition is not the destination; it is part of the route. This work needs reach, credibility, funding, partnerships, platforms and people willing to listen.
That is not about visibility for its own sake. It is about making sure the message reaches the people, places and systems where change is urgently needed.
Attending the NAWO National Women’s Conference
I then attended the National Alliance of Women’s Organisations National Women’s Conference, after being invited by Mandeep Kaur Sanghera OBE.
I went because I was curious. I wanted to listen, learn, expand my network and understand where my work around child sexual abuse, trauma, recovery and accountability fitted within the wider women’s rights conversation.
I did not go planning to speak. However, as I listened to the panels on women’s rights, justice, accountability and violence against women and girls, I realised something important was missing.
The true prevalence of child sexual abuse.
The hidden iceberg.
The Independent Inquiry into Child Sexual Abuse.
The 20 IICSA recommendations.
Many people were talking about what needs to change, and those conversations were important. However, I kept thinking that so much of this has already been examined through IICSA.
Survivors gave evidence. Recommendations were made. The issue now is implementation, political will and accountability.
That is why I stood up during the Q&A. I had not planned to speak, but I felt IICSA had to be named in the room.
I left thinking that I should have had a seat at the table, not from ego, but from responsibility.
Learning more about CEDAW
The NAWO event also made me realise how much more I need to understand about CEDAW.
There were women in the room who have been working in women’s rights spaces for decades, some since the 1980s. They spoke about women’s rights being eroded and the need to keep pressure on so those rights are properly protected in law.
Some of the detail went over my head, and I am okay saying that. I would rather be honest, do the research properly and come back to it with more understanding than pretend I fully understand something I am still learning about.
However, one thing landed clearly:
A commitment is not the same as implementation. A recommendation is not the same as action. Rights on paper are not the same as protection in practice.
That links directly to IICSA for me. Survivor testimony cannot sit in reports, and women’s rights cannot sit on paper. Implementation is where accountability begins.
Building Breaking the Cycle™
Alongside all of this, I have also been working behind the scenes on the CPD submission evidence for two linked pieces of learning.
The first is You’re Not Broken — You’re in Survival Mode, a free introductory webinar helping people understand trauma, ACEs, stress responses and survival patterns.
The second is Breaking the Cycle™ C.L.E.A.N.E.R.™ Calm & Confident Kickstart, a deeper 3-hour workshop supporting people to move from awareness into practical tools, reflection, action planning and accountability.
This matters because too many people blame themselves for responses that are rooted in trauma, stress, physiology, lived experience and nervous system protection.
When people understand why they feel the way they do, shame can begin to reduce. When practical tools are available, change starts to feel possible.
For me, CPD is not about a badge. It is about raising the standard of trauma-informed education and making learning safer, clearer, more structured and accountable.
What this fortnight has reminded me
This fortnight has reminded me why I do this work.
It is not easy, and I do not always feel polished. With complex PTSD, menopause and brain fog, I sometimes have to work harder to gather the words, hold the thread and keep showing up.
However, I know my subject. I feel it deeply, and it lives in my body.
Maybe that is part of my USP.
I speak from lived experience, professional knowledge, survivor leadership, charity delivery, campaigning and purpose. That is why You’re Worth Fighting For is more than a phrase to me.
It can mean:
- I am worth fighting for.
- The child is worth fighting for.
- The adult survivor is worth fighting for.
- The organisation is worth strengthening.
- The culture is worth changing.
- The recommendations are worth implementing.
This has been a big fortnight.
There has been Parliament, a documentary screening, The Speaker Awards, NAWO, IICSA, CEDAW learning, CPD submissions and Breaking the Cycle™ development.
They may look like different rooms, but the thread is the same.
Children are worth protecting. Survivors are worth believing. Recovery is worth funding. Systems are worth challenging. Recommendations are worth implementing.
Step by step, we keep building.
You’re Worth Fighting For.
You’re not broken — you’re breaking the cycle.