Half Dutch and born between the in-and-out gates of a distillery on the borders of Wandsworth and Battersea, way before the area became chic, I loved the whole London culture vibe as I was growing up. I went to Grey Coat Hospital Girls' Grammar School in Victoria (a real privilege – I am grateful for the experience to this day), and then on to read BA Jt Hons Modern Languages at the University of Bristol. I loved my early career as a Modern Languages (French and German) teacher, working in both the state and private sector. Writing has been in my blood for as long as I can remember. Following on from freelance journalism, my work as Editor for Travelsphere holidays was fantastic – travel is a great passion and I am blessed to have done a lot of it, including an incredible spell as an expat living in the Middle East. I also enjoyed editing Embrace Magazine for a couple of years – an intensely busy time, bonkers but good. Life has not all been easy. When one of the closest people to me died, I thought that the world would end and it almost did. When I surfaced, I realised that it had simply changed forever, and decided to honour her memory with the passion I try to inject into everything I do. "The Thinking Tank" was inspired by a desire to turn life's crappy stuff into something meaningful and enriching... our past doesn't always have to dictate our future. I am now living in Lincolnshire with my husband and two chihuahuas.