What does it mean to show up fully, as humanly as possible, in the wellbeing arena? This is a question I have been grappling with over the last few months, as I bring gentle attention and care to my own health problems. It can feel so difficult to publicly engage with discussions on mental health … Read more
I have not written a blog piece for a long while. Like many of us in these times, I have been struggling with overwhelm. I have been spinning many plates: a house move, putting in long term care arrangements for my ailing father, conferences and workshops on wellbeing and on my book’s main messages, chasing … Read more
Would you like to join me and a group of curious, open-hearted readers to reflect upon the ideas and practices contained within The Vulnerable Humanitarian? The Vulnerable Humanitarian Book Circle will be starting on the 10th and 11th February! Why a Circle? – Because as well as being a place to discuss the chapters you … Read more
The end of 2021 finds me in a soft, delicate, reflective state. It is a time of year that is difficult for many of us, and in these extraordinary, polarised and uncertain times – when many of us have suffered loss and illness – it is particularly challenging. I have found myself swinging between moments … Read more
I’m so excited to share with you that my first book, The Vulnerable Humanitarian: Ending Burnout Culture in the Aid Sector, was officially published by Routledge yesterday! After these many years of researching stress and burnout, and the working cultures of the aid sector, I’m really proud that my work is finally out there. It … Read more
I have some exciting news for you. As many of you know, for the last year I’ve been writing a book about stress and wellbeing in the aid sector. It is entitled The Vulnerable Humanitarian: Ending Burnout Culture in the Aid Sector. It is a personal, emotional account – as well as a research piece … Read more
Back in December 2020 when I wrote my last blog piece, we were ending the year with less of a bang and more of a whimper as we went into another lockdown in the UK. We are only just emerging from it now, and like many others on this planet we remain unsure of what … Read more
I’m sure I am not alone in feeling a lot of emotion in these last days of 2020. Everyone on this planet has faced huge upheaval, sorrow and uncertainty, and we have all felt it in different ways. In the last week, those of us in the UK who celebrate Christmas have been unable to … Read more
Since June, when I last posted here – a response to the Black Lives Matter protests – I have hesitated to write anything publicly. Each time I’ve considered writing something, I’ve wondered if all I’m doing is simply adding my voice to a sea of woke white people and white-led organisations offering statements of solidarity … Read more
A few years ago I attended an intensive, 6 day course with around 70 people from the UK and other European countries, examining world issues together using process-oriented psychology methods. In a series of group exercises we embodied the different roles that we feel within ourselves and that are present in our societies; spoke and … Read more