Pause. And Rewind...

Growing up in Eastern Europe after the fall of Communism is a huge part of Katya Veleva's (they/them) story and they share how this wasn't easy - yet it's definitely not something that has defined them. In contrast to the black & white photos in their memory that capture this period in time, Katya is a burst of colour & energy. Katya is a Diversity, Equity & Inclusion Co...

She's been a household name for over three & a half decades so it was a real privilege to have Col. Dame Kelly Holmes MBE as a guest on 'Pause. And Rewind...' I've actually met Kelly (she/her) a few times over the last year & a half and got to dance in the parade with her at Brighton Pride in torrential rain whilst marching for the #transpeoplearelovedcampaign and even...

If you aren't subscribed to Queer AF, then please go subscribe right now! It's an award-winning queer-led platform packed with queer news and queer stories written by queer creatives. Yes, it really is Queer AF and Jamie Wareham (he/him), its Founder is unapologetic AF about it (which I love!). I've had the absolute pleasure of working with Jamie over the last few months with Trans+...

This episode was pure effing joy! I got to sit down with Laura Willoughby, co-founder of Club Soda, the world's largest mindful drinking movement, and dive into her amazing life story. Laura & I connected through the sober world and she is one of the most supportive, encouraging and collaborative humans I know. She's also bloody impressive. Her work with Club Soda has encouraged thou...

We're a few days into Pride Month and so I'm taking this episode to shout about We Create Space, and more specifically, its Founder, Michael Stephens (he/they). I work for Michael so we chat every day but I was super excited to invite him onto 'Pause. And Rewind...' to find out more about him! We Create Space is a global learning platform providing DEI consultancy to organisati...

We're often told "never meet your heroes" - well, two fingers up to that because meeting Phyll Opoku-Gyimah, or Lady Phyll as she's more affectionately known, has been a life changing experience. Through her incredible work, Phyll has taught me so much when it comes to pride, allyship & showing up - for our community and each other, advocating for the needs of those around...

Many of us know how inaccessible and unaffordable mental health support can be - and right now amongst the queer community, it's vital. Hence why the work that Jaron Soh (he/him) is doing is so important. Jaron is the founder of Voda, the LGBTQIA+ mental wellness app and their mission is to build the future of inclusive mental health support which Voda does with a fantastic team of entreprene...

I was a fan of Maylis Djikalou (she/her) for some time before I had the privilege of working with her for a brief time. Listening and watching the way she spoke, heard and felt someone's story on events really moved me. Maylis is an inclusion consultant, coach and legend! We'd chatted before about all things life, including tough experiences, but this conversation really dove deep into M...

I first met Jude Guaitamacchi (they/them) on a Zoom call to chat about them speaking at some events. I was instantly bowled over by their energy & enthusiasm! And that's Jude. They're out to make a difference. Through activism, campaigning and education. From wonderful, well known campaigns such as 'L with the T' and '#transpeopleareloved' through to founding the...

Following last year's burnout, I made a promise to myself to only get involved and support new projects if they met these two conditions: I believed in the cause I believed in the person These were 100% met when my dear friend Marty Davies (she/they) asked me to jump on board as Events Director for the first ever Trans+ History Week (6-12 May). Marty founded Trans+ History Week partly to chal...

Polly Shute (she/her) is someone who likes to get shit done. And through talking about her origin story, we sussed out that Little Polly was exactly the same and didn't like to be held back! Polly is a marketing, sales, partnerships and brand expert with a passion community, equality and representation. She's the Founder of Out & Wild, a festival for queer women and last she set up O...

Natalie Binns (she/her) is a sustainable fashion expert, writer, designer and community organiser. We met at a local LGBTQ+ social evening in Crystal Palace, South East London a few years ago where we both live. This was typically dominated by men and so Natalie founded SE London Sapphics to address the lack of spaces for queer women. They host a monthly event (third Friday of the month at the Wes...

Liz Ridgway (she/they) is the UK's first openly trans-femme personal trainer providing inclusive, gender affirming  fitness coaching to the trans+ and queer community. She's showing that sports and fitness is for everyone - and right now, the physical and mental health benefits it brings are crucial for a community under relentless attacks. Liz is also a fierce activist and campaigner ha...

Nancy Di Dia (she/her) has over 25 years of corporate executive leadership experience in the field of Diversity, Equity and Inclusion. And having move away from the corporate world, she's now doing it on her own times as a leadership coach, public speaker and advocate for equality. I've only known Nancy a short time yet it feels like a lot longer in the best way! It was exciting to liste...

Raga D'silva is an activist, author, entrepreneur, public speaker & writer. Her TedX talk about coming out at 50 set the scene for much of her work now. Not only is she the founder of a successful speakers bureau in India but in 2023, she set up Outspoken Speakers Bureau last year - a collective and network for queer women & non-binary people. Raga's story is hard hitting but as...