I’m a Diversity and Inclusion Specialist

I live in South Australia and use a blend of personal experience and training to support understanding diversity and increased inclusion. I have a Graduate Certificate in Public Health, and a Cert 4 in Mental Health Peer Work, with 12 years experience across the health and community sectors. I run a small team of disability support workers for folks with NDIS plans, and offer some training, groups, and consulting.

My particular areas of expertise are disability, arts, mental health, public health, neurodivergence, trauma recovery, and LGBTIQA+ matters.

I’m a Partner and Parent

I married my wife Nightingale earlier this year. I have three kids and a baby on the way.

• Star 22, turned up at 15 needing a safe home
• Nemo 15, Nightingale’s kid
• Poppy 6, who I co-parent with my ex Rose.

The road to children has been challenging and some of it has been documented and shared publicly here. I have lost two children to miscarriage, Tamlorn and Luna.

I am open about my own Diversity

I identify as bisexual, genderqueer, and multiple/plural. My pronouns are they/them.

I’m Autistic and have ADHD. I also have Complex Post traumatic Stress Disorder and can still have a tough time with anxiety and depression. I was formerly diagnosed with DID.

This combination of neurodiversities is behind both my major strengths (such as rapidly synthesising large quantities of complex information) and my challenges (why are voicemail messages so horrid?).

I have experienced disability and chronic pain. I’ve previously needed a wheelchair during times of severe pain and fatigue due to several illnesses, including fibromyalgia, chronic fatigue syndrome, endometriosis & adenomyosis.

I’ve been sharing both the good times and struggles through my blog since 2011, initially daily and less so as my life has become busier. Being visible is at times very challenging, but it’s also an important part of finding our common humanity and helping others to be more comfortable with diversity. Articulating personal experiences, and safely exploring sensitive topics is a passion of mine. There’s many master lists of articles on specific topics such as trauma recovery here.

I’m an Artist, Writer, and Poet

Creativity is part of how I connect to my world and make sense of myself. I’m a social practice artist, I love to engage with groups of people about difficult topics and create my art in a wide range of media based on those conversations.

My life has been full

I’ve experienced a tremendous amount of both the beauty and the horror. I’ve come through homelessness, domestic violence, severe illness, I’ve cared full time for suicidal loved ones, struggled with self harm and self hate, and been so severely dissociative it felt like I was dead.

I’ve developed many of my skills by navigating huge personal challenges and supporting other people. I also love to study and read and learn.

Not all my knowledge has come through suffering; I devour libraries and life experiences. I’ve watched a meteor shower from on top of my roof, birthed a child into water, received a standing ovation at an international conference, seen the moon rise over a great salt lake in the desert, first learned to ride a motorbike at 7, received emails from strangers saying my writing has saved their life, sold thousands of dollars of artwork at exhibition, started a not for profit and a business, and laughed so hard with friends that I fell off my chair.

I don’t allow the reduction of my story down to something inanely simple – tragedy, triumph, or recovery. I delight in the complexity and contradictions of my own and others’ experiences. You’re welcome to link in.