When this is useful

I work with leaders and practitioners navigating complex place-based or cross-sector challenges, where different systems, sectors, disciplines and perspectives intersect.

This might involve:

What we think through

Together, we slow the situation down just enough to see it more clearly.

Drawing on systems thinking, design research and strategic thinking, we explore questions like:

How we begin

Most engagements begin with a live project, decision or conversation.

Together we explore the context, challenge assumptions, connect ideas across disciplines and widen the range of perspectives before deciding how to move forward.My role isn't to tell you what to think, it's to help you see more of the landscape before making important decisions.

• How I work

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

Since 2021, my work has centred on the complex challenges that sit at the intersection of environment, society and the economy.

Across projects with the World Health Organization, Design Council, universities, local authorities, mission-driven businesses and community-led initiatives, I've helped people make sense of different perspectives, connect ideas across disciplines, and work more effectively across organisational and social boundaries. Before this, I spent over a decade founding and leading an innovation and design practice, creating products, spaces and public installations that explored how design can encourage more sustainable ways of living.Over time, I came 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, disciplines and lived experiences - and bringing those perspectives together is rarely 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.His 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 yet have considered.That is the space I aim to hold: helping people understand the landscape more clearly before deciding what to do next.

"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 development

Alongside my advisory work, I develop learning experiences, frameworks and field guides that help people build the mindsets, observation skills and ways of thinking needed to navigate complex challenges.

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 thinking space for complex challenges.

Drawing on systems thinking, design research and strategic thinking, I help people connect ideas, disciplines and perspectives that do not usually sit alongside one another..Often, the hardest questions are not simply about finding the right answer. They are about understanding the situation well enough to know:

My role is to create space to explore those questions before you decide what to do next.

Where this starts

Most engagements begin with something already happening:

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.

Ways we might work together

For individuals and small teams

Thinking partnership

An ongoing space to explore complex decisions, projects or periods of change. A place to test ideas, challenge assumptions and think through possibilities with someone outside your immediate context.

Focused thinking session

A dedicated conversation around a specific challenge, decision or upcoming event. Useful when you need time and perspective before moving forward.

Strategic project support

Working alongside a team during a particular piece of work, helping make sense of complexity, connect perspectives and identify what needs attention before important decisions are made. This might include research, facilitation, sense-making, learning design or bringing different viewpoints together.

For organisations developing learning programmes

I also work with organisations designing leadership programmes, learning experiences, workshops or courses around complexity, collaboration, systems thinking and cross-sector change.This may include:

"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 people better understand the landscape before deciding how to move through it.