I studied French and Dutch literature at Cambridge, and graduated with a First (1987-91).
After two years in publishing, I decided I really wanted to study Marcel Proust’s A la recherche du temps perdu in more depth, so went off to Oxford, and wrote a doctorate all about the wonders of self-justification (1993-97). This was published as Proustian Passions (OUP, 2000).
During my time as a doctoral student, I spent a fantastic year as a Lectrice at the Ecole Normale Supérieure in Paris, and also taught at Wadham College. At the end of my doctorate, I won a Kathleen Bourne Junior Research Fellowship at St Anne's College, Oxford (1997-98), followed by a British Academy Post-Doctoral Fellowship, which I decided to hold at Queen Mary's, University of London.
During my two years at Queen Mary's, I ran a conference on the 'State of Proust's Art', appeared on a Channel 4 debate show, Millennium Minds, and published a beginner's guide to reading Proust (1998-2000).
Then I became a University Lecturer in the Department of French, and Scholl Fellow of Modern Languages at Christ's College, Cambridge (2000-04). While there, I was writing and publishing on the thorny topic of indifference – could it ever be a good thing?
In 2003, baby number one made her appearance, and I decided it was time to move on from Cambridge. We upped sticks to Australia, where I spent two happy years as an Honorary Fellow of the French Department at the University of Sydney, writing, teaching Proust and film, and reviewing for The Australian (2004-6). And making baby number two.
Following our return to the UK, I wanted a change of direction, and was lucky enough to spend two incredible years as a management consultant at SHM, carrying out qualitative research into change and motivation (2007-09). This brought together my academic background with a deep interest in empowering people to overcome personal and professional challenges.
Since leaving SHM in 2009 I have been working as an independent consultant, and you can read more about recent projects here. I’ve also continued to write, and you can read more about the books I'm writing here.
I have been a governor at two local schools, and from 2019-21 trained to teach yoga at Triyoga. I live in North London with my husband, two children, and two demanding cats.
After two years in publishing, I decided I really wanted to study Marcel Proust’s A la recherche du temps perdu in more depth, so went off to Oxford, and wrote a doctorate all about the wonders of self-justification (1993-97). This was published as Proustian Passions (OUP, 2000).
During my time as a doctoral student, I spent a fantastic year as a Lectrice at the Ecole Normale Supérieure in Paris, and also taught at Wadham College. At the end of my doctorate, I won a Kathleen Bourne Junior Research Fellowship at St Anne's College, Oxford (1997-98), followed by a British Academy Post-Doctoral Fellowship, which I decided to hold at Queen Mary's, University of London.
During my two years at Queen Mary's, I ran a conference on the 'State of Proust's Art', appeared on a Channel 4 debate show, Millennium Minds, and published a beginner's guide to reading Proust (1998-2000).
Then I became a University Lecturer in the Department of French, and Scholl Fellow of Modern Languages at Christ's College, Cambridge (2000-04). While there, I was writing and publishing on the thorny topic of indifference – could it ever be a good thing?
In 2003, baby number one made her appearance, and I decided it was time to move on from Cambridge. We upped sticks to Australia, where I spent two happy years as an Honorary Fellow of the French Department at the University of Sydney, writing, teaching Proust and film, and reviewing for The Australian (2004-6). And making baby number two.
Following our return to the UK, I wanted a change of direction, and was lucky enough to spend two incredible years as a management consultant at SHM, carrying out qualitative research into change and motivation (2007-09). This brought together my academic background with a deep interest in empowering people to overcome personal and professional challenges.
Since leaving SHM in 2009 I have been working as an independent consultant, and you can read more about recent projects here. I’ve also continued to write, and you can read more about the books I'm writing here.
I have been a governor at two local schools, and from 2019-21 trained to teach yoga at Triyoga. I live in North London with my husband, two children, and two demanding cats.