I found my way into this work through experiencing the power of the therapy process myself. As a lost and anxious 18 year old, being introduced to the concepts of co-dependency and people-pleasing changed my understanding of myself, and as a result, changed the direction of my life. 

 

It was through therapy that I found the courage to make my first real ‘me first’ decision - I left University before the end of my first term.  For perfectionist, people-pleasing me, it felt huge to 'give up' so quickly, but I had come to realise that I was there because it’s what everyone else did, not because it was what I really wanted. Leaving was both very uncomfortable and very liberating - it was the first time I felt what it was like to choose myself, and I struggle to summarise just how impactful this was. 

 

I stayed with my therapist for a few more years, until I moved North to Newcastle, to start 5 years of Psychotherapy training - I wanted to learn how to do for others what my therapist had done for me. My training was humanistic, rooted in Transactional Analysis and Psychodynamic approaches, and required me to work with a new therapist, where my learnings and personal processing continued. 

 

Fast forward to today and I've been a specialist people-pleasing and boundaries therapist for almost a decade, integrating my ongoing lived experience, clinical training and learnings from supporting hundreds of people who describe themselves as 'people-pleasers'.  I see therapy clients in my busy online practice, and support others through my self-study courses. I share tips and resources on Instagram, and love my role as a 'business supervisor' to fellow therapists, too. 

 

Outside of working life, I live in a Hertfordshire village with my husband, close to where I grew up in North London. My family are a big part of my life, and my small but close circle of friends are deeply important to me. Life in my thirties feels slower and more grounded - I love mooching around a garden centre and I've become someone who prioritises an early night. I'm known for needing warmth - hot water bottles in summer, candles throughout the day...I love feeling cosy.