About

I fell in love with content strategy c.2008. I loved the way it combined research, writing, and problem-solving. And I admired its practical, ethical approach to digital design and marketing.

I worked my way up through in-house and agency roles, learning about user-centred design, agile, UX writing, content marketing, social media, and content operations as I went.

Before long I found myself at a point in my career that had once seemed like the ultimate goal. I was flying all over Europe, solving fascinating problems for some of the biggest brands in the world. It was a dream come true.

But after a while, it wasn’t.

I loved the challenge of the work and my colleagues, but the long hours and the travel took me away from the things that made me happy. I missed my friends and family. I missed the downtime I needed to relax and reflect: taking photos, swimming in the sea, having time to read, think and follow my curiosity.

I realised I’d moved further and further away from what I cared about and why I’d chosen content strategy as a career: I wanted to make things better in some small way.

So in 2018, I started my own business to get back in touch with the things that matter to me: supporting organisations with a strong purpose beyond just making a profit, and making sure I still have time for the things that inspire and inform me. I haven’t looked back since.

I love what I do. I love the freedom self-employment has given me to focus on projects and causes I care about, to build my skills in a way that doesn’t fit any job description I’ve ever seen, and to work in the way that feels natural to me. I love getting to speak to so many fascinating people as part of research – and that they trust me with their opinions and stories. I love making sense of big confusing content messes. Most of all, I love that I get to help my clients make the world better, fairer, and more beautiful through content.

My principles

Principles matter to me. These aren’t hollow statements – they shape my business, influence who I work with, and govern my decision-making. If you like the sound of them, we might be a good fit.

1. Nothing for me without me
I take a participatory approach to content. This means I see your users as active citizens, not passive beneficiaries/consumers. And as such, I’m not going to design for them, I’m going to design with them. It also means that I don’t work in isolation – I want to get you and your team involved in the process, so that you can truly own the work when I’m gone.

2. People and planet before profit
The wellbeing of people and our planet are more important to me than profit. I aim to make ethical, sustainable choices for my own business, and educate myself so I can do better. And in my capacity as a content consultant I’ll always try and help you find ways to do the same. I don’t work with organisations that treat people or the planet badly.

3. Growth does not equal success
I’m not anti-growth, but I have no interest in growing my business. To me, success looks like leaving work each day feeling like I did some good, and with time and energy for the other things I love (my family and friends, my dog, the outdoors, and photography). If you want content that will help you grow, I can do that. But I can also help you explore other ways of quantifying content success.

4. And then what?
No one can predict the future with 100% accuracy. But I always ask ‘and then what?’ to try and avoid short-term thinking and negative, unintended consequences in my work.

Career history