Hi, my name is Karen. I’m a mental health nurse and worked within NHS acute mental health services on the Isle of Wight for most of my adult life. I’ve lived on the Island my whole life and appreciate its landscapes, beautiful walks and sometimes its isolation; all of these factors really support my wellbeing.

I have experienced anxiety and low mood for much of my life, although this has reduced significantly since I started working hard to address my wellbeing many years ago. I believe that everyone deserves compassion and to be accepted as a unique and worthwhile human being regardless of who they are, what situation they are in and the mistakes they have made; and that total acceptance is the foundation for anyone to grow, however hard their journey has been so far.

I’m passionate about positive culture within organisations and believe that this is central to success; a culture where there is a strong vision, robust values and a commitment to be open to feedback to continually learn, improve and achieve success for the people we serve, including ourselves.