I bill myself as an aspirations agent—which I appreciate sounds a bit poncy. But here’s my thinking: I love enabling young people (and others) to realise their aspirations whilst at the same time connecting them with the people, ideas and organisations who can help get them where they want to go. So I reckon there’s some sort of basis for the whole ‘aspirations agent’ schtick I’ve got going on.

So that’s what I do. Why do I do it? This is another spot where I’m in danger of sounding poncy, or cheesy, or most likely both. Here goes: I love exploring the idea of human flourishing, or how we can become the best versions of ourselves. But I also like grounding this wishy-washy, namby-pamby sounding stuff with real, engaging activities—activities that might someday turn into habits.

How do I do all this? Messily, mostly. I like collaborating with others, sharing knowledge, reflecting on theory, putting it into practice and then refining, redesigning and revisiting as we go along. For me the process is one of co-creation. I am intersection rather than island.

I founded a youth charity called Spark+Mettle in May 2011. Billed as an aspirations agency (see what I did there?), its aim is to help people flourish, and its Star Track programme shapes, supports and accelerates the emerging talent in marginalised 18–24 year olds. Through Spark+Mettle I also set up Discoverables and the Dreamers’ Supply Company — social enterprises that support young people develop their key character strengths and soft skills. Discoverables does it using techy, online, gamifiedy stuff; Dreamers’ Supply Co uses real-life, hands-on creative projects. Everything I do, I do it with others, and none of it would be worth anything to anyone without these other awesome brains.

I am also a parent to a little kid called Otis. Trying to figure out how to balance everything in life is something I’m exploring. Sometimes I’m so good at it I instagram it with a silent hashtag of smugface. Other times I’m so rubbish I go into my bunker and cancel all communication with the outside world.

My LinkedIn profile has more old-school CV-y information. Or check out my About.me or Vizify if you’re into fewer words and more pictures. I’m on Twitter a lot (@eugenieee). You’re also welcome to find me on Facebook, but I warn you that I’ll most likely choke your timeline with photos of my kid. And I also exist in the offline world. I like coffee and conversations and sandpits, and am always keen to meet face to face. So however you like to do it, please do get in touch.