People don't suddenly fall through the gaps

Julie's story

Julie left school at 15 with no qualifications and has never followed a particularly conventional route. She knows what it feels like not to fit neatly into the boxes that society creates for us, and much of her working life has been spent questioning whether those boxes need to be there in the first place.

From North Wales, she went on to build successful businesses, work nationally and internationally, and mentor others to turn their own ideas into something real and sustainable.

The books are another way Julie turns experience into action. When School Feels Impossible began with a striking realisation: Julie left school at 15, her own child later struggled with school, and more than 40 years later families are still facing many of the same barriers.

Julie can't support every family herself. But one book, one practical tool or one change in understanding can reach thousands.

Story angles

• "Why are families still fighting the same battles 40 years later?" What Julie's own experience of school, and later her daughter's, can teach us about what still needs to change.
• "But they seem fine." When people appear to be coping in school, work or life, while the cost underneath is becoming unsustainable.
• "When work feels impossible." Why the problem may not be willingness to work, but whether the way we work is actually sustainable.
• "Waiting for a label before getting help." Why people shouldn't have to wait for a diagnosis before getting help.
• "When one person can't participate, everyone feels it." The hidden impact on families, workplaces, services and the wider economy.
• "Falling through the gaps." What happens when someone doesn't quite meet the criteria for help, but still can't move forward.