Mental illness has been the reality of my life for over a decade having first struggled with bulimia as a young teen, to then experiencing depression and finally, receiving a personality disorder diagnosis in my early 20's. I have had first hand experience of suicidal thoughts, self-harm and alcohol misuse and I've dealt with both the stigma and discrimination that comes with these. I understand the degradation that accompanies the removal of your freedom of choice when you no longer have the mental capacity to make decisions for yourself and, I know the pain of supporting a loved one with mental illness all too well. In stark contrast, I have also experienced the overwhelming power of support, understanding and compassion that has been fundamental to my recovery. I have lived in and observed a society that is taking baby steps to challenge and change the negativity that surrounds mental ill-health and I aspire to be part of the huge steps forward we will continue to take. Professionally, I have worked in community mental health settings in the form of supported accommodation as well as an inpatient psychiatric hospital. For the last 5 years I have worked for the South East Coast Ambulance Service and I also work as a Crisis Volunteer for Shout - the crisis text line service. I have such a wealth of knowledge, experience and skills acquired from a vast amount of personal and professional exposure to mental illness and so grew Changing Minds Training. I am enormously passionate about making mental health an every day conversation and I'm advocating for a world where nobody is ashamed or embarrassed about having a mental illness. My mission is to empower each and every person with the skills, knowledge and compassion required to support the mental health of themselves and others and I provide a growing number of training courses which aim to achieve just this.