In October 2017, I founded Run Talk Run - a free, weekly 5km running group created to increase accessibility to mental health support and movement in a non-judgmental environment.
The concept was simply to run at a talking pace and create a space where people could show up exactly as they are. What began as a single Thursday evening run from Monument Station in central London, with just a handful of people, has since grown into a global community of 100+ runs and walks - from Southampton to Seattle to Schaffhausen, Switzerland - supported by over 200 volunteers, all recruited, trained and managed by me.
In 2020, I built and implemented a regional volunteer structure to help scale Run Talk Run's impact across the UK, bringing on a dedicated team to support leaders and runners at a local level. We also developed meaningful partnerships with race organisers, including Ultra X for the first ever London Ultra, extending our reach beyond weekly runs and into major events. Today, Run Talk Run supports thousands of runners every week.
Run Talk Run was born from my own experience of using running and community to navigate depression, anxiety and bulimia. That personal foundation has always shaped how the movement operates - with empathy, inclusivity, and mental health at its core rather than as an afterthought.
Run Talk Run is now powered by the incredible organisation that is Sport in Mind, and remains free to attend for every runner, everywhere. For me, this project represents what happens when you build something rooted in lived experience. It resonates, grows, and genuinely changes lives.