The Founder Story

Every organisation has a story. This is the Founder story. The Long Table Institute was founded on the belief that our experiences can become a source of learning, leadership and hope. My journey has shaped the values that guide everything we do.

I know what it feels like to be unheard.

For much of my life, I experienced challenges that shaped how I see people, leadership and the importance of belonging. Those experiences taught me something that has guided me ever since:

Everyone has a story. And every story deserves to be heard.

Our beginnings tell us where we started, but they do not determine where we can go. Around the long table, what matters is not where we come from, but how we listen, learn and grow together.

That belief became the foundation of The Long Table Institute.

I founded the Institute to create spaces where people, organisations and communities can think deeply, learn continuously and create meaningful change. Through leadership, artificial intelligence, organisational development, research, education, speaking and publishing, my work is guided by a simple purpose:

To help people discover their potential and create places where others can belong.

I am also the author of Bad Weed Grows Tall: Growing Through Concrete, a memoir about resilience, hope and the courage to choose a different future. Writing the book reinforced something I had come to believe through experience: our past may shape us, but it does not have to define us.

Throughout my career, I have worked across education, leadership, innovation and organisational development. Those experiences have taught me that lasting change rarely begins with a strategy.

It begins with a conversation.

With curiosity.

With someone willing to listen.

The Long Table Institute is more than an organisation.

It is a commitment to creating places where people feel seen, valued and empowered to contribute.

Because every story deserves a place at the table.

I’d love to hear your story.

Whether you’re looking for a keynote speaker, consultant, collaborator or simply want to connect, I’d be delighted to start the conversation.

There’s always room for one more at the table.