Founder of Magpie and the Mob, illustrator, painter, Creative Mindfulness teacher, and lover of colour.

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Magpie and the Mob was created originally because I wanted to bring more colour and fun to people's lives. But it's more than that. I want to show people that they can be their weird, colourful selves without feeling shame, that they can lean into whatever makes them happy without worrying whether it's what they 'should' be doing. I want everyone to embrace their individuality, creativity, and live their best most colourful life. 

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So how did I get here? Here's the story...

Known as the good girl who doesn't cause any trouble and looks out for everyone else, I made decisions based on what made sense, what was expected, and what everyone else said was sensible. My GCSE choices were my strongest subjects, my A-Levels the same, to choose my degree, I actually put my A-Levels into an online calculator. This trend continued into my decision to do my teaching qualification, my Masters degree, taking a promotion to Head of Art - they all seemed sensible decisions, the next logical step, the thing that was expected. 

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Then I start to get sick. The next five years sees me get diagnosed with multiple chronic illnesses and invisible disabilities that cause me to leave my teaching career, go through various therapies and lifestyle changes, battle and fight for my accessibility rights, and pretty much see my life turned upside down. 

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I'm not going to start saying this was easy, or that I came to terms with it all straight away. I did not. But as time went on, and through many therapy sessions, I started to realise that I had to listen to myself. Not just in my health and how I was feeling but with what I thought, believed, wanted and preferred. It taught me to lean into what made me happy, what I wanted for my life. There is such a connection between our brains and our bodies, and it's only been since my diagnosis I have fully appreciated how important it is to keep both healthy. Now, I live a more colourful life and I want to help others do the same.

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Living a colourful life means:

• Living authentically - finding happiness and being true to yourself, without shame or guilt of societal expectations.

• Living mindfully - getting off autopilot, being present and noticing the awesome things around you.

• Living creatively - having fun, being playful and getting enjoyment into your life.​​​​​​