I blame Miss Hughes. She was my history teacher in the first form at Bromley Technical High School for Girls – a tiny, silver-haired lady nearing retirement but still full of fervour about her subject. She taught us about the ancient civilisations – the Assyrians, the Babylonians, and then the Egyptians. I was captivated by her stories about the pyramids and how they were built, the mysteries … [Read more...] about What the Ancient Egyptians can teach us about story as legacy
personal stories
Why it’s important to share your authentic leadership story
You may have heard of Sheryl Sandberg. She's the COO of Facebook and in 2010 she was invited to give a talk at TED - the conference where thought-leaders share their one big idea. She decided to call it Why We Have Too Few Women Leaders. "I was planning to give a speech chock full of facts and figures, and nothing personal," Sandberg recently acknowledged. So far, so predictable. Had she … [Read more...] about Why it’s important to share your authentic leadership story
Why I co-founded The Story Party
I believe there's no such thing as an ordinary life. And, like Christina Baldwin, the eloquent author of Storycatcher: Making Sense of Our Lives Through the Power and Practice of Story, I take delight in the "subtle magnificence of ordinary people". I also believe that it's vital for magnificently "ordinary" people to share their stories. As Baldwin says, "We require story in order to link our … [Read more...] about Why I co-founded The Story Party
The day Soft Cell saved me from the dance for perfection
In the fifth extract from my memoir Hit Girl: My Bizarre Double Life in the Pop World of the Eighties, I recall my first meeting with Marc Almond and Dave Ball - otherwise known as Soft Cell - who would play a big part in my unfolding story... I first became aware of Soft Cell in 1981, when I heard their haunting track The Girl With The Patent Leather Face. My alter ego Betty Page and I were … [Read more...] about The day Soft Cell saved me from the dance for perfection
My bizarre double life in the pop world of the Eighties
After a small ripple of public demand, I'm going to start posting a series of extracts from my unpublished memoir Hit Girl: My Bizarre Double Life in the Pop World of the Eighties - which may be undergoing a title change to avoid confusion with the character Hit-Girl in the Kick-Ass movies. The first extract is from chapter three - Betty Page Is Born Again, which tells the story of my … [Read more...] about My bizarre double life in the pop world of the Eighties
Stories of a life less ordinary
I am a story archaeologist. I help people unearth the treasure buried in their life stories. I firmly believe that, no matter what anyone says about how boring they are, there is no such thing as an ordinary life. That’s why my favourite TV programmes are the genealogy series Who Do You Think You Are? and the documentary Long Lost Family, which reunites mothers parted from sons, brothers … [Read more...] about Stories of a life less ordinary