Hello , My fellow brave human

I have just launched Brave Conversations which can be found on Spotify, apple and Acast. This series is going to be fairly ad hoc rather than one out each week, but I’ll let you know when each episode launches - I am so lucky to know and meet such brilliant people who have challenged the status quo and gone their own way. Be prepared over the next few months to listen to some extraordinary stories.

Kate, who I interviewed for the first episode is both extraordinary and inspiring, as is Louis her son. Below is an overview of the episode.

Listen on Spotify

Bringing Louis Home

At 2am, standing over a five-day-old baby fighting for his life in an incubator, Kate Sainsbury made a choice. She knew her son Louis would face severe disabilities. She knew the path ahead would be profoundly difficult. And she chose it anyway.

That was forty years ago.

30 years later, Kate faced another moment that demanded everything from her. Louis was detained in a residential facility hundreds of miles from home—restrained, drugged, increasingly traumatised. 

The care system had collapsed around him. Kate realised she couldn’t just go to “the door marked dentist” anymore. She would have to build the care herself.

This is the first episode of Brave Conversations, and it’s exactly why this podcast exists.

Kate’s story isn’t about having the answers or being fearless. It’s about the kind of bravery that comes from deep knowing, persistent love, and a willingness to see what others can’t or won’t. It’s about wrestling with your soul when you’re facing impossible choices, and stepping off the conventional path when someone you love depends on it.

In our conversation, Kate shares how she sees people with profound disabilities as leaders, not burdens. And why she founded the Aiteal Trust and created an intentional community where Louis now lives in his own home. 

And she’s honest about the reality of challenging professionals, local authorities, and national systems while somehow maintaining relationships and building allies.

This conversation moves through love, devotion, faith, and spirituality. It asks hard questions about what society refuses to see, and what becomes possible when one person decides the status quo isn’t good enough.

Kate’s bravery isn’t loud or combative. But it’s reshaping how we think about care, community, and dignity.

Listen to Episode 1: Bringing Louis Home

This is what Brave Conversations is about—real people, real fear, and choosing brave to act anyway.

If Kate’s story moves you, I’d love to know. 

And if you know anyone who you think would be good to interview on Brave Conversations do introduce me!

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More Reading…

Last week I was priveleged to hold a space for a group of leaders very much on the frontline across Scotland. And what struck me was that what they are facing doesn’t look like juggling anymore. It looks like holding your finger in a dam with a tsunami behind it.

The discussion made me reflect on what these leaders are dealing with on a daily basis. But particularly when facing an infinite stream of need – and you genuinely care – who you can create boundaries without it equating to being uncaring. That protecting your capacity doesn’t have to betrays your obligations. In fact it is crucial. 

Read here: The Space between Care and Capacity

Kirsty x