About Holly
I’m Holly, an author, advocate, speaker, and founder creating spaces where people feel seen, heard, and understood.
My work is rooted in lived experience, shaped by psychological understanding, and driven by a commitment to do things differently with compassion, honesty, and emotional safety at the centre.
I don’t stand outside people’s experiences.
I stand alongside them.
My Story
I am a survivor of the Scottish care system, child sexual exploitation, and child sexual abuse. I have also spent over 15 years in recovery from addiction.
These experiences didn’t just shape who I am, they shaped how I see people, how I understand pain, and how I choose to show up in the world.
I know what it feels like to live through trauma, to carry stigma, and to navigate systems that don’t always feel safe or supportive. I understand isolation, disconnection, and what it means to feel unheard.
But I also understand resilience.
Rebuilding.
And what it takes to find your way back to yourself.
Advocacy & Voice
I use my voice, lived experience, and professional understanding to bring awareness to the realities within care systems, trauma, and recovery.
Through my writing, speaking, and media appearances, I challenge stigma, highlight lived experience, and open conversations that are often overlooked or misunderstood.
I also educate professionals on understanding child sexual exploitation (CSE) and child sexual abuse (CSA) from a lived-experience and trauma-informed perspective, supporting more compassionate, informed practice.
My work is grounded in honesty, emotional safety, and a commitment to ensuring that people feel seen, heard, and understood, not judged or defined by their experiences.
Bookings & Enquiries
I am available for:
- presentations
- awareness talks
- professional training sessions (CSE & CSA awareness)
- panel discussions
- lived experience speaking engagements
Sessions can be tailored for organisations, professionals, and teams looking to deepen their understanding of trauma, care experience, and emotionally safe practice.
If you would like to book me for a talk, training, or information session, please get in touch.
Contact me to discuss bookings and collaborations.
Just Me
Beyond my professional roles, I’m an author, a dog mum, and someone who deeply values connection in all its forms.
The way I live is the same way I work, with honesty, care, and a belief that people deserve to feel safe enough to be themselves.
At the heart of everything I do is a simple truth:
People don’t heal through systems.
They heal through relationships, safety, understanding, and being truly seen.
And that’s what I aim to offer in every space I create.
