Gemma Olsen

I identify as a person first and foremost, and after 11 years as a Lived Experience Practitioner, I am hopeful but tired. I have held many roles and identities throughout my life that have changed, flowed, grown, and ended. Some of these I have chosen, and some I have not. Some have been acknowledged and supported some have not. I have been and will continue to be part of a family on a journey, a journey which has included a kaleidoscope of experiences including joy, love, grief, connection, disconnection, and loss- loss of life, loss of relationships, loss of power and voice, loss of access to human rights and loss of opportunities. I bring these experiences to my life and work and hope to give others the space to do so. I am someone who, among many other things, asks a lot of questions, sings, loves, cries, seeks adventure, advocates for my circle and a much wider one, gardens, creates for the sake of creating, walks alongside people in my life on both the lighter and the harder days while they walk alongside me, has just the right amount of cats and one doggy, gets frustrated, dances at random times, freezes, has two gorgeous young people who call me mum, walks into furniture that gets in my way, feels strongly, has a cheeky and loyal hubby, plays Xbox quite badly, loves the water and the trees and keeps coming back into the ring to be a part of the healing that is needed for our communities to live life together in a kinder, fairer and more open way, where experiences of distress and the experiences that come with it and lead from it are much less traumatic and dare I say a seen, heard and supported part of life.