A calm space to make sense of complex situations before moving forward.

Time and trusted methods to step back, bring wider context and different perspectives into view, and shape informed next steps.

"She pushed participants to think deeper about the work they were aiming to deliver, and ultimately created a more meaningful process. This, in turn, led to longer-lasting outcomes."
— Emily Whyman, Design Council

When this is useful

I work with organisations developing learning programmes and with individuals and teams working on social and environmental challenges.

This might involve:

  • a learning programme that needs updating with new perspectives or real-world insight

  • a project or partnership involving multiple organisations or stakeholder groups

  • competing expectations or priorities that are difficult to reconcile

  • a proposal, strategy or intervention that needs sense-checking

  • an issue where different groups understand the situation differently

What we think through

Together, we practise slowing down and seeing situations more clearly, understanding the perspectives in play and noticing what might otherwise be overlooked.

We explore questions like:

  • What does this information mean in practice?

  • Who or what might we be missing?

  • Why are different groups seeing this differently?

  • What assumptions are influencing our approach?

  • How are these issues connected?

  • What questions should we ask before deciding how to proceed?

How we begin

Most engagements begin with a real situation - a project, decision, conversation or learning challenge that needs a wider perspective.

Together we explore the context, challenge assumptions, connect ideas across disciplines and consider different perspectives before deciding how to move forward.My role isn't to tell people what to think; it's to help people see more of the landscape before making important decisions.

"When you can't see the angles no more, you in trouble, baby."
— Carlito Brigante in Carlito's Way (1993)

This work is for people leading learning programmes, partnerships or projects where different groups are seeing the same situation differently - and where good evidence or a strong plan hasn't been enough to move things forward.

If that sounds familiar, the background below explains how I got here and what I draw on.

I have worked across sectors and disciplines for over fifteen years, repeatedly helping people understand and navigate complex challenges at the intersection of environment, society and the economy by bringing wider context and different perspectives into view.Across work with the World Health Organization, Design Council, universities, local authorities, mission-driven businesses and community initiatives, I have helped people connect research, practice and different perspectives before making important decisions. Before this, I spent over a decade founding and leading an innovation and design practice, creating products, spaces and public installations that explored how design can encourage more sustainable ways of living.Over time, I came to realise that complex challenges are rarely difficult because nobody has knowledge. They are difficult because everybody has knowledge - distributed across many different people, organisations, disciplines and lived experiences - and bringing those perspectives together is rarely straightforward. Without time to understand the landscape, even well-intentioned decisions can overlook perspectives, create unintended consequences, or solve the wrong problem.Most people remember Carlito's Way as a 90s crime drama. I remember it as a study in navigating complexity. Throughout the film, Carlito is constantly reading the landscape, noticing motivations, relationships, risks and possibilities before deciding how to move forward.When working through complex situations, we often need time to step back and see the situation from angles we may not yet have considered.That is the space I aim to hold: helping people see more of the landscape before deciding what to do next, noticing possibilities that might otherwise be missed and reducing the risk of unintended consequences.

"Rigorously creative, in that she combines systems thinking and critical thinking with the spontaneity needed for new ideas. Not many people can do this."
— Darren Evans, Strategic Designer and Design Council Expert

Relevant qualifications

My background sits at the intersection of science and the arts. I hold an MSc (Distinction) in Sustainable Development in Practice from the University of the West of England and a BA (Hons) in Fashion Promotion & Illustration from the Surrey Institute of Art and Design (now University for the Creative Arts). I am also a Cambridge CELTA-qualified ESOL teacher, experienced in communicating complex ideas clearly and accessibly to people working in English as an additional language.

Selected publications

  • Contributor, WHO Report on the Global Tobacco Epidemic (WHO, 2025)

  • Lead author, chapter in Accelerating Sustainability in Fashion, Clothing and Textiles (Routledge, 2023)

  • Author, All Sewn Up (Centre for Sustainable Design, 2021)

Every engagement begins by making sense of a real situation before deciding what to do next.

Drawing on systems thinking, design research, strategic thinking and fifteen years of cross-sector practice, I help people connect ideas, disciplines and perspectives that sit outside their immediate field of view.My engagements range from global institutions to SMEs and everything in between - the common need always being to add more context and wider perspective.This often shows up as:

  • A project that feels stuck.

  • A challenge where the most obvious solution doesn't feel quite right.

  • People working from different definitions of the problem.

  • Stakeholder resistance that wasn't anticipated.

  • A conversation that needs careful preparation.

  • A new topic or direction that hasn't yet been fully explored.

  • Concerns about investing time, effort or resources in the wrong direction.

Together we explore the context around the challenge, slow things down just enough to understand what is really happening, and identify what needs attention before deciding what to do next. I ask questions, introduce useful frameworks, recommend resources, and help you see aspects of the situation that may otherwise remain hidden.

For organisations developing learning programmes

I work with organisations designing leadership programmes, learning experiences, workshops and courses, connecting knowledge, disciplines and perspectives so people can develop and apply innovative thinking.

This may include:

  • contributing specialist knowledge

  • developing learning resources

  • designing activities and exercises

  • guest teaching or facilitation

  • helping translate complex ideas into accessible experiences

  • bringing real-world case studies and applied perspectives into teaching

Selected examples

  • Design Council / Integrating systems thinking into design thinking. Strengthened a design thinking programme by integrating systems thinking, sustainability, behavioural insight and enterprise innovation, helping participants develop more effective responses to complex place-based challenges.

  • University of Bath / Connecting research, policy and community perspectives. Designed and facilitated a cross-city learning programme bringing together universities, local government and civil society to explore how Doughnut Economics could inform local economic thinking.

  • The Interior Design School / Translating sustainability into creative practice. Researched how sustainability could be meaningfully integrated into luxury interior design education, supporting new course formats, teaching approaches and future-focused curriculum development.

  • Atlantic Technological University Sligo / Building sustainability capability across disciplines. Designed and delivered interdisciplinary CPD for academics in business, finance and technology, enabling sustainability principles to be integrated into future teaching.

For individuals and teams navigating complex challenges

I work with individuals and teams who need to make sense of complexity before committing to decisions or action, examining context, uncovering overlooked factors and helping people identify what needs attention next.

This can take several forms:

  • Thinking session. A focused conversation around a challenge, decision or upcoming event when you need time and perspective before moving forward.

  • Thinking partner. Ongoing space to explore complex decisions, challenge assumptions and think through possibilities with someone outside your immediate context.

  • Strategic project support. Working alongside a team during a particular piece of work, helping make sense of complexity, connect perspectives and identify what needs attention before important decisions are made.

Selected examples

  • World Health Organization / Building foresight capability. Developed a 100-year graphic timeline tracing tobacco industry interference, helping policymakers and practitioners understand historical patterns and anticipate future industry behaviour. Published in the 10th WHO Report on the Global Tobacco Epidemic.

  • London Borough of Hounslow / Reframing climate action around local context. Supported a council team to examine assumptions around climate solutions and uncover evidenced local needs, helping shift towards a more integrated approach connecting climate action, equity and social-environmental benefits.

  • Lumsden Design / Developing sustainability strategy and practice. Led team thinking sessions to explore fragmented understandings of sustainability, building shared knowledge and reframing sustainability from a perceived constraint into a source of creative opportunity.

  • World Health Organization / Exploring new approaches to health communication. Analysed 574 graphic health warnings to identify opportunities for stronger behavioural and cultural relevance in tobacco communication, contributing to the WHO’s guidance on local policy innovation and implementation.

Whichever the format, the purpose is the same: to help people better understand the landscape before deciding how to move through it.

"She approaches complex challenges with care and intellectual rigor, always seeking to understand the deeper dynamics at play."
— Dr Hebe Gouda, World Health Organization

Pre-
Collaborative
City

The work we need to do before we bring everyone into the room.

Place-based collaborations often begin by bringing people together, only to find that people arrive with different understandings of the situation they are trying to change.When those differences remain unexplored, conversations can become debates about positions rather than opportunities to build shared understanding.

What if the most important work happens before collaboration begins?

Pre-Collaborative City is for people designing, leading and supporting collaborative responses to complex place-based social and environmental challenges.

It is a growing collection of field guides and learning resources exploring what happens when different perspectives need to come together.

This project brings together fifteen years of observation, research and practice across design, sustainability, innovation, learning and systems change - exploring what helps people build shared understanding.

From developing shared language and definitions to finding better entry points into conversations, the field guides explore what needs to be understood before people can move forward together: the local context, different perspectives and what matters to people.The aim is to create the conditions for people to collaborate in ways that respond to the realities of a particular place.Whether you work in local government, urban development, public health, climate action, design, research or community development, these resources are designed to help you slow down, make sense of complexity and move forward with greater confidence.

Follow the project

I'm gradually assembling a collection of field guides and learning resources exploring what needs to happen before collaboration begins.

Join the mailing list to hear when new resources are released, or email me if you'd like to explore the ideas together.