It’s been a tough few weeks. I won’t dress it up.

There are moments in this work where the frustration really sits with you, particularly when you’re pushing against systems that are meant to protect, but don’t always get it right for our girls and young women.

We’ve been doing a lot of that lately.

Pushing.

Challenging.

Advocating.

And if I’m honest, it can feel exhausting.

I am exhausted.

But this morning, in the middle of all of that, I came across a post on Instagram: “What a privilege it is to grow into someone I used to need.” Because when I really think about it, a lot of what drives me now is rooted in my own experiences growing up.

Between the ages of 13 to 17, as a girl living in Croydon, I was navigating situations I shouldn’t have had to… including exploitation. And I know what it feels like to need someone in your corner…and not always have that.

Funny how you can look at a photo, even after healing, and still taste exactly what you were going through. That’s why the right support at the right time matters more than we realise.

The girls we support, particularly those at the highest levels of risk, those who are looked after, those in our homes… I see them clearly.

Not just professionally. But personally.

The way I advocate.

The way I push.

The way I don’t easily accept certain decisions oroutcomes.

It’s because I know what it feels like to need someone in your corner. Especially between those ages, 13 to 18, when so much can go wrong, or right, depending on who shows up for you.

So while the system can feel heavy at times, and the work can feel relentless, there’s also something grounding in knowing this: I’m showing up in a way that I once needed.

And that matters.

Not every week is a highlight reel.

But the work continues.

And so do we.