SCHOOL, COLLEGE & UNIVERSITY SPEAKER

ON MENTAL HEALTH & EATING DISORDERS

IMPACTFUL TALKS FOR STUDENTS, TEACHERS & PARENTS

"Katherine's talk really helped me to understand that it's OK to talk about how you feel"
Year 8 Student, Mayfield School, East Sussex

"Katherine made everything so relatable and I now know what to look out for in myself and my friends"
​Year 10 Student, Mayfield School

email me to invite me to speak

Welcome, I'm Katherine and I'm an experienced mental health and wellbeing speaker with a passion for supporting young people to achieve their full potential while staying happy, healthy and well. 

Combining personal experience of an eating disorder and other mental health challenges with more than two decades of healing and a wealth of professional expertise, I deliver impactful talks to schools, colleges, universities and teacher and parent groups on the following topics:

• Avoiding and overcoming eating disorders, addictions and other forms of self-harm, including social media and screen addiction
• Managing stress, worry, anxiety and overwhelm
• Managing uncomfortable feelings in healthy ways
• Overcoming perfectionism to thrive
• Overcoming low-self esteem and building confidence and self-worth
• Understanding healthy nutrition and balance
• Achieving our full potential while staying happy, healthy and well ​​

COMBINING EXPERIENCE, EXPERTISE, SENSITIVITY & PROFESSIONALISM

"The students felt the session was informative and inclusive. Katherine helped them to feel better about their own body image and they felt she gave them helpful and realistic advice" 
Sophie Manley, PSRE Teacher, Talbot Heath School, Dorset

I offer a unique combination of personal experience and professional expertise, including:

• First-hand experience of an eating disorder (anorexia, compulsive overeating and exercise bulimia) while at school and university
• Personal experience of chronic low self-esteem, stress, anxiety and perfectionism
• High achievement while battling addictions (I achieved straight As at school and a 2:1 from Oxford University)
• 22+ years of healing from an eating disorder and addictions, acquiring an array of tools, strategies and expertise to support myself and others to flourish and thrive
• Training in counselling and psychotherapy and many years of experience as a coach and mentor
• Excellent communication and presentation skills honed as an international journalist for Reuters and Bloomberg
• Professionalism, vulnerability and sensitivity 

email me to inquire

SUPPORTING STUDENTS TO THRIVE

"The talk was a powerful mix of informative, vulnerable and calm, and conveyed very useful strategies for understanding stress responses. I would recommend Katherine's talk because it made complex and painful issues understandable and therefore gave hope for managing them" – Emma Exelby, Head of Sixth Form, Bloxham School

Through sensitive, age-appropriate talks that I carefully tailor to each student year group, my intention is to support young people to:
​

• Become aware of any unhealthy coping mechanisms they may be using to avoid uncomfortable feelings, such as under-eating, overeating, alcohol abuse, screen/phone/social media addiction
• Understand the importance of feeling their feelings so that they can heal them, as opposed to numbing or escaping them
• Feel empowered to manage difficult feelings and stressors in healthy ways rather than self-harming ways
• Leave the session with an array of tools and techniques to manage stress, anxiety, worry, 'compare and despair' and perfectionism
• Understand the importance of sharing their struggles with others and asking for help
• Understand how to support themselves and support others

email me to enquire

INSPIRING HIGH-ACHIEVEMENT AND HAPPINESS

In my motivational talks, I inspire young people to reach for the skies while staying happy, healthy and well.

I grew up in Liverpool, a child of a single parent family, and attended a private school on a full scholarship.

I went on to study Modern Languages at Oxford University and work for Bloomberg and Reuters as a foreign and political correspondent. I reported from a desk in the Houses of Parliament and travelled with prime ministers and other VIPs.

​My story inspires and motivates young people to achieve their full potential, despite their life or family circumstances, to break down barriers and overcome obstacles.

SUPPORTING TEACHERS & PARENTS TO SUPPORT YOUNG PEOPLE

"The Parent Breakfast was particularly well received, with several parents expressing their appreciation for your warmth, clarity, and practical advice. One parent commented, 'Katherine struck just the right balance between sensitivity and realism. I left feeling much more confident about how to support my child' - Annabel Bunce, Senior Deputy Head, Mayfield School, East Sussex

I offer insightful talks and workshops for teachers and parents, so that they feel better informed about addictions and eating disorders, better equipped to spot the signs and more able to support young people through challenging times. 

With parents and teachers at Mayfield School

SPEAKER SHOWREEL, PODCASTS & TEDX

The media clips below are from talks delivered to adult audiences. However, they give a flavour of my approach, as well as my presentation style and vulnerability.

TESTIMONIALS

"On behalf of the school community, I would like to extend our sincere thanks for the series of thoughtful and engaging talks you delivered to our parents and students today. Each session was both informative and deeply compassionate, offering valuable guidance on healthy coping mechanisms, emotional wellbeing, and recognising the signs of eating disorders and self-harm. The Parent Breakfast was particularly well received and your student sessions were equally impactful. Your calm, reassuring manner created an atmosphere of openness and understanding across all age groups. We are so grateful for the insight and empathy you brought to our community" - Annabel Bunce, Senior Deputy Head, Mayfield School

"Excellent, truthful and really powerful at engaging difficult areas of discussion. I feel I have more of a toolkit for discussing difficult issues with pupils and staff" – Greg Webber, Biology teacher, Bloxham School
 
"A thought-provoking and moving presentation on a timely topic. Relevant and intellectually coherent. The personal testimony modelled vulnerability, which was a key theme of the talk" – Graham Gamble, English Teacher and Tutor (former headteacher), Bloxham School
 
"A powerful personal testimony that helped me to understand this complex issue and how it can pervade one's entire life," – Father Alex Ladds, Chaplain, Bloxham School
 
"A really engaging workshop which enabled the students to consider their underlying issues with body image. Within a safe and trusting environment, Katherine offered a range of accessible coping mechanisms. This is invaluable work which gave the students a safe place to examine deep-rooted, often taboo body image concerns. The feedback from the students was overwhelmingly positive" – J. Winters Sixth Form Tutor, Bromley High School, Kent

"Our centre would like to thank Katherine for her workshop on eating disorders and coping mechanisms. Katherine challenges students to pause and take a moment to reflect upon themselves as young adults. Katherine’s own experiences will probably have struck a chord with many sitting within the hall whether they admit it or not. Our centre is very grateful to Katherine for highlighting the many triggers that can cause complications and ensuring students know what options they have" – David Bailey, Head of Sixth Form, Our Lady's Convent High School, Hackney, London

"Katherine delivered an engaging and thought-provoking workshop, which led the students to think clearly about their areas of strength and their natural gifts," – Naomi Aidoo, senior school teacher, London
 
"Talbot Heath School would like to thank Katherine for coming in and delivering a workshop on self-esteem and eating disorders to Years 10 and 11. The feedback from staff and students was positive and the school nurses thought it was very helpful for the students. The students felt the session was informative and inclusive. Katherine helped them to feel better about their own body image and they felt she gave them helpful and realistic advice" –
Sophie Manley, Talbot Heath PSRE teacher