About

The reason I called this page ‘About’ as opposed to the usual ‘About me’, is because it’s not about me! (In fact, ‘it’s not about me’ was my mantra at the beginning of the project whenever I needed courage to push through my comfort zone.) It’s about each one of us and our choice to live a life unshackled from the programming that tells us we’re not enough, that we have limited power to effect change in our lives and that living bigger, brighter, richer lives of beauty, wonder and fulfillment is only for the favoured few. Is this true? Or is it possible for you, me and anyone who intentionally uses specific ideas, tools, mindsets and practices to create such a life? This project explores that possibility and offers an opportunity to learn from those who’ve already walked that path and to experiment in your own life.

The impetus for this project came in the Summer of 2019 when I was hearing report after report of youngsters of African/Caribbean heritage in London losing their lives in what is known in the UK as ‘knife crime’. It was heart -breaking, and all the more so when hearing the grieving parents say their child was simply trying to break up a fight or that a 14 year old had felt vulnerable and had carried a knife for protection which was then turned on him.

While not a mother, I am a woman of Caribbean heritage. I have also worked in the field of education for my whole career as a teacher and lecturer, coach and researcher all with the common aim of fostering opportunities and supporting individuals to thrive. The humanitarian in me rose up and I asked: What on earth is going on and what can I possibly do to make a difference?

At first, I was taken in by the media reports which, for years, through clever framing, have sent the message that this is a problem exclusive to Black-bodied boys. After a little research, it became evident that young people stabbing each other, either fatally or not, happens all around the country. It turns out that Glasgow, Scotland is the stabbing capital of the UK - and there aren’t many Black-bodied boys there.

The questions disappear if we go down the easy reductionist route of “Well, those who are involved in knife crime, whether as victims or perpetrators, are just a bad lot and are probably involved in gangs”, as I used to naively believe. If, however, we’re willing to enquire a little further, we discover a much more complex picture. We find that anti-social and criminal behaviour is an issue of many hues including social deprivation, hopelessness, alienation, negative self-image and self-talk, exclusion, class and lack of economic opportunities - to name just some of the contributory factors.

As a result of these realisations, it became clear to me that young Black-bodied boys were not the only ones in need of knowledge and practices that could provide a way out of hopelessness. Many people need this information - youngsters and adults both, regardless of the bodies we’re in.

It’s the voices and stories of contemporary leading lights in a range of sectors that I want to draw upon so as to illuminate the methods and mindsets they’ve used to change their circumstances for the better and to be living bright lives. Initially, my intention was to interview ‘people of colour’ exclusively. However, given what I have realised about this being a human problem, guests from a range of backgrounds will be invited to contribute the wisdom they have forged from their own life experience.

It’s my hope that as adults we can put into practice the methods and mindsets shared so that we can develop a way of seeing ourselves and embody a way of being that allows us too to live brighter, more vital and fulfilling lives and in the process act as guides to the “young stars” (youngsters) coming behind us. (Full acknowledgement to the wonderful Michael Belle who shared this beautiful play on words in his conversation with me in Episode #2.)