“Social inequality can only be combated by giving those who have been a victim of it, a voice and power to implement change.”

My name is Kerry and I started a family business around greater Manchester that offers support for organisations involved in social work.

I was the oldest sibling and I was a bit of a tomboy. I was very creative growing up, even doing three different art A-levels and taking art at university. After university, I started volunteering at the Manchester Art Gallery and other random art-related jobs. I also had a brief shift in a mayonnaise factory! All these random and eccentric experiences shaped me into a person who loves people and the dynamics we have with one another.

I then went to coordinate community festivals where I found something I enjoyed and that I was good at. In this environment, I met some incredible women who were able to galvanize a community to make change happen. These matriarchs profoundly influenced me and my belief in who I could become.

I went down a management track working for the NHS and then the voluntary sector. My work focused on setting up support for these volunteers in Bolton and then Manchester

My love for art and the harnessing of my creative skills helped me create an environment for children that was truly stimulating. Even when having to teach fairly classically subjects such as photosynthesis, I was able to bring creative skills into the students’ learning fostering an environment I was really proud of.

I had my two boys in a period of my life when I was still exploring the world and trying to find and understand myself. My partner and I broke up which created a fractured dynamic where I felt half my week was dedicated to my children and responsibilities and the other directed towards my work life.

My identity and questions such as who I am continued to confuse and push me throughout these years. I struggled with the identity of being a single mum because the children’s dad was very active in their lives. I wanted to of course foster a good environment for the children but I was also dealing with worries about myself and who I wanted to be.

At work, I began to create my own identity. I realised I was in rooms with powerful people. These people weren’t making honest and informed positions. I felt empowered to be a force of fairness in these situations; ensuring projects that were deserving got the support they needed. Unfortunately, it was during these times I began having health difficulties founded on earlier trauma. I had Adenomyosis, a condition where the lining of the womb (uterus) starts growing into the muscle in the wall of the womb. It’s not really a disease I can ever be free of with excruciating pain and fatigue sadly a constant and recurring aspect of my life.

At first, I did not allow myself to really cope and go through the pain caused by my disease. Using work to distract myself, however, I learnt that this strategy did not work and would end up with me storing up the work and coming out all at once in painful spells. I do not have a strong sense of control over my reactions to the disease.

My company Brilliant Thing believes that anyone when truly supported can create a brilliant thing. We need to combat the discriminatory and unequal structures of society to liberate individuals to achieve these incredible goals. We run coaching with new startups to ensure they can foster an environment in business that matches our philosophy. Our project focused on combating trauma in communities funded by public health creates helpful experiences for organisations that can ensure their employees have access to supportive tools to combat trauma. One of which is creating spaces for reflection which we’ll implement with the businesses we work with in the near future.

I want us to be a role model for social change by closely following our principles. Social inequality can only be combated by giving those who have been a victim of it, a voice and power to implement change.

This blog was written by John Matthews on behalf of Tales to Inspire.