About Me

I am currently working across a number of areas that are deeply interconnected through lived experience, advocacy, research, and system change, with a particular focus on improving outcomes for military families and veterans.

At the core of my work is supporting those affected by traumatic brain injury (TBI), particularly within the armed forces community. As a carer to my husband, a veteran living with complex physical and neurological injuries, I have had to navigate multiple systems—healthcare, military, and civilian—often without clear pathways or joined-up support. This experience has driven me to become deeply involved in research, policy discussions, and service development, working alongside universities, clinicians, charities, and government stakeholders to push for earlier identification, better diagnostic tools, and more effective, long-term care.

Alongside this, I have developed a well-established campaigning voice around military TBI, advocating for greater recognition, improved clinical pathways, and systemic change across the UK. My work focuses on challenging the gaps between research, policy, and frontline services—particularly where brain injury is misunderstood, misdiagnosed, or overlooked in favour of more familiar mental health frameworks. I continue to push for a more informed, evidence-based approach that recognises the complexity of TBI and its long-term impact.

I contribute to and support research initiatives aimed at improving understanding of TBI, including work exploring the links between neurological injury, mental health, and long-term wellbeing. A key part of my advocacy is ensuring that the lived experience of veterans and their families is not only acknowledged but used to inform research priorities, policy decisions, and service design.

Through my involvement in wider networks focused on brain health and veteran care, both nationally and internationally, I help to connect organisations, share knowledge, and amplify the voices of those who are often unheard. I am particularly passionate about shifting the narrative away from siloed approaches—where conditions are treated in isolation—and towards more holistic, person-centred models of care that recognise the complexity of TBI and its impact on the whole family.

A significant part of my work is also focused on accountability and implementation of the Armed Forces Covenant at a local level. I am committed to ensuring that local authorities and organisations move beyond simply signing the Covenant as a symbolic gesture, and instead fully understand, embed, and act on its principles. This includes advocating for meaningful education and awareness across systems, challenging practices where the Covenant is not being upheld, and ensuring it is not reduced to a photo opportunity for Armed Forces Champions.

I am particularly focused on identifying and addressing areas where disadvantage and discrimination still exist within healthcare, education, and local authority systems for military families. My aim is to ensure that the Covenant is applied consistently and effectively, so that those who have served—and their families—are treated fairly, with their unique circumstances properly understood and supported.

At a local level, I serve within NHS governance as a Carer Governor, contributing to discussions around patient experience, service delivery, and the inclusion of carers’ voices in decision-making. This role allows me to bring both personal insight and broader community perspectives into strategic conversations, helping to shape more responsive and inclusive services.

My perspective on education systems, particularly around SEND, is shaped by my own lived experience navigating these pathways for my family. This has given me a clear understanding of the challenges, inconsistencies, and barriers that military families can face, and further informs my wider advocacy work around fairness, access, and accountability within public services.

Across all of this, my work is driven by a commitment to collaboration, transparency, and meaningful change. I focus on building connections between individuals, organisations, and sectors—bridging gaps that often exist between research, policy, and lived experience. My aim is not only to raise awareness, but to influence tangible improvements in how systems respond to those they are designed to support.

Ultimately, I believe that lived experience should sit at the centre of service design, research, and policy—and I remain committed to ensuring that the voices of veterans, carers, and families are embedded within these spaces in a way that leads to lasting and impactful change.