All of the information on this page has been provided by the author. If you need an author to have specialist skills, experience or knowledge beyond their creative work, please ask for more information about this ahead of booking them for an event. Please note that authors do not have to have a PVG to be listed.
An award-winning writer with three books of my real-life adventures to draw upon, I love inspiring people of all ages to take meaningful risks, explore their creative potential and engage more fully with “this one wild and precious life”.
Formerly a journalist, now a professional life-coach and trainer, I have worked as a speaker, facilitator and patron of reading in schools, communities, prisons, festivals, third sector, business and adult education for many years.
Using stories from my Easter Island reed boat expedition and my other voyages, I have a particular passion for encouraging boys and men to defy gender stereotypes, by reframing reading/writing as adventure, and emotional intelligence/vulnerability as a courageous route to fulfilment.
As an adoptive dad, I was particularly proud to spearhead 2016’s award-winning Year of the Dad campaign the Scottish Government and Fathers Network Scotland, celebrating the importance of involved fatherhood for children and families.
Whether working individually with pupils to hone their sentences, running a creative-writing workshop in a high-security prison, or delivering a keynote at a 1000-strong TEDx conference, I tailor my work to the audience and desired outcomes with a blend of personal candour, playfulness and professionalism.
Aberdeen City; Aberdeenshire; Angus; Argyll and Bute; Clackmannanshire; Dumfries and Galloway; Dundee; East Ayrshire; East Dunbartonshire; East Lothian; East Renfrewshire; Edinburgh City; Falkirk; Fife; Glasgow City; Highland; Inverclyde; Midlothian; Moray; Na h-Eileanan Siar (Western Isles); North Ayrshire; North Lanarkshire; Orkney Islands; Perth and Kinross; Renfrewshire; Scottish Borders; Shetland; South Ayrshire; South Lanarkshire; Stirling; West Dunbartonshire; West Lothian
Events can deliver
Mentoring; Panel event; Performance; Reading; Residency; Talk; Workshop; Professional development, CLPL or CPD; Chairing events
Audience can work with
Adult learners; Outdoor learning; Prisoners & young offenders; Young people in the community (e.g. Youth clubs, Guides, Scouts)
Topics of work
Adventure; Biography & memoir; Childhood; Coasts, seas & oceans; Family; History; Island communities; Nature; Religion & beliefs; Travel writing
