Who I work with

I work with leaders and practitioners responsible for decisions that span organisations, disciplines and stakeholder groups, where different ways of seeing the same situation need to be brought together.

This often includes:

What we think through

We think through situations where multiple perspectives, conflicting priorities and interconnected factors make it difficult to see the full picture.

From experience, this includes questions like:

How we begin

Most engagements begin with a live project, decision or conversation that feels difficult to navigate.

Together, we explore context, question assumptions, connect ideas across disciplines and make sense of competing perspectives before deciding how to move forward.My role isn't to tell you what to think, but to help you see more clearly before deciding what to do next.

• How I work

"When you can't see the angles no more, you in trouble, baby."
— Carlito Brigante in Carlito's Way (1993)

Over the last fifteen years, I have worked across government, academia, industry and community settings on challenges spanning public health, climate action, economic transition and place-based innovation.

My work has included projects with the World Health Organization, Design Council, universities, local authorities and community-led initiatives. Before this, I spent over a decade founding and leading an innovation and design practice, creating products, spaces and public installations exploring how design can influence behaviour and support more sustainable ways of living.Across these different contexts, one theme has remained constant: helping people make sense of situations where different perspectives, priorities and forms of knowledge meet, by translating between different ways of seeing the same situation.

Over time, I have come to realise that complex challenges are rarely difficult because nobody has knowledge, they are difficult because everybody has knowledge - distributed across many different people, organisations and disciplines - and bringing those perspectives together is not straightforward.Most people remember Carlito's Way as a classic 90s crime drama. I remember it as a study in navigating complexity. Throughout the film, Carlito is constantly reading the landscape around him; noticing motivations, relationships, risks and possibilities before deciding how to move forward.Carlito's warning has stayed with me for years. When working through complex situations, we often need time to step back, question what we think we know, and look at the situation from angles we may not have considered.That is the space I aim to hold: helping people see the landscape more clearly before deciding how to move forward.

"Rigorously creative, in that she combines systems thinking and critical thinking with the spontaneity needed for new ideas. Not many people can do this."
— Darren Evans, Strategic Designer and Design Council Expert

Ongoing research and frameworks

Selected publications

Relevant qualifications

I hold an MSc (Distinction) in Sustainable Development in Practice from the University of the West of England and a BA (Hons) in Fashion Promotion & Illustration from the Surrey Institute of Art and Design (now University for the Creative Arts).

A calm thinking space for complex challenges.

Often, the hardest questions are not simply about finding the right answer.

They are about understanding the situation well enough to know which questions matter, whose perspectives need to be considered, and what you might have missed.A thinking partnership creates space to explore those questions before considering what to do next.

We start with what is already happening.

Most engagements begin with:

My role is to help connect ideas, disciplines and perspectives that don't usually sit in the same conversation.We begin by exploring the context around the challenge, slowing down just enough to build next steps on a stronger understanding of the situation. I ask questions, introduce useful frameworks, recommend resources and help you see aspects of the situation that may otherwise remain hidden.Together we explore how different people understand the situation and where new possibilities emerge when those perspectives are considered alongside one another.

Ways we might work together

Thinking partnership

An ongoing thinking space for leaders navigating complexity, change or important decisions.

We meet regularly to explore live challenges, test ideas, challenge assumptions and look at situations from different angles.This is particularly useful when there is no obvious answer, when multiple priorities are in play, or when you need someone outside your immediate context to help you think more clearly.

Focused thinking session

A conversation dedicated to a specific challenge, decision or upcoming moment.

Perhaps you are preparing for an important conversation, making sense of competing perspectives, exploring a new direction or trying to understand why something is not progressing as expected.A focused session creates time and distance to step back, examine the situation and identify what might be needed next.

Project support

Working alongside a team during a piece of work where complexity is inherent.

I can support teams to understand context, connect different viewpoints, explore assumptions and identify the questions that need attention before decisions are made.This might involve research, facilitation, sense-making, strategic thinking or bringing together ideas across disciplines.

"She approaches complex challenges with care and intellectual rigor, always seeking to understand the deeper dynamics at play."
— Dr Hebe Gouda, World Health Organization

Whichever the format, the purpose is the same: To help you better understand the landscape before deciding how to move through it.I do not provide certainty where uncertainty is unavoidable, but I do help you see more clearly - the context, the relationships, the tensions and the possibilities - so that the next step becomes easier for you to identify.