Survive grow inspire

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Survive grow inspire

I'm a motivational & inspirational speaker who gives an educational & inspirational insight into the world of being a care experienced child in London, UK.

“Paris Bartholomew is a UK‑based trauma speaker and psychologist specialising in trauma‑informed care, lived experience, and resilience for education, health, and corporate audiences.” I talk in order to provide a unique and frank account of care, while delving into the painful harrowing & somewhat disturbing life experiences I had as a child growing up, to how recovery & growth can be realised wh

en you rely on resilient factors to shape your journey. What's particularlt unique about this talk is the way which it is delivered, I'm certainly no victim, you will recognise the tones of survival strength & courage. This talk is provided as an hour interactive talk..a half-day seminar, one-day workshop or 2-day course (aimed at social worker professionals and those considering fostering or adoption); an excellent framework for potential social workers and social work education, students, those who want to recover from childhood trauma, those considering adoption, health & social care students & professionals, life story work and coaching. I'm not only an inspirational & innovative speaker but a qualified lecturer in psychology, health & social care & PHSE, a foster carer & and NLP practitioner, wellness expert & a Samaritans volunteer.

25/07/2026

✨ An evening of celebration, reflection and inspiration ✨

I was absolutely delighted to be invited to join the community as a surprise guest speaker at their end-of-year celebration at Soho House.

Octavia House Schools create an incredibly unique therapeutic environment for children & young people who have experienced adverse childhood experiences, supporting their social, emotional and mental health alongside their education & development.

What really stood out to me was the breadth of therapeutic support they provide — from play therapy, art therapy to canine therapy, alongside a whole host of other approaches that recognise something incredibly important:

Before we can expect children to learn, we must first help them to feel safe, understood, valued and supported.

It was a real privilege to speak to such a wonderful group of leaders, CEOs, board members, managers — but what made the evening particularly special was the way they engaged with my story.

They weren't only interested in where I had come from. They wanted to know about where I had gone: my achievements, what had helped me along the way, & the people who had made a difference in my journey — that meant a great deal to me.

Because sometimes, when we hear someone's story of adversity, we can become so focused on what happened to them that we forget to ask about everything they went on to achieve despite it — & the people, experiences that helped them along the way.

I had such a wonderful evening I feel incredibly grateful to have been welcomed so warmly. Thank you to the whole Octavia House Schools team for inviting me, celebrating with me, looking after me so beautifully &, of course, for keeping me well fed, watered! 😂❤️

It was a privilege to spend time with people who are so committed to creating opportunities for children & young people who deserve to be seen not simply through the lens of their experiences, but through the lens of their potential.

Thank you & to the entire Octavia House Schools team for making me feel so welcome & for the important work that you do.

Education MentalHealth CareExperience

20/07/2026

This week, I have my third panel quality assurance of fostering
assessments, recommendation for approval since 2026!

I’m a care‑experienced panel member because I refuse to let my story go to waste. Four placement breakdowns could have silenced me — instead, they fuel me. I sit on the fostering panel to make sure children today get what I didn’t: stability, understanding, and carers who are truly prepared.
Right now, we’re facing a huge shortage of foster carers. And yet, the people who do step forward are some of the most loving, resilient, and generous individuals in our communities. They deserve more recognition, more celebration, and more support. Fostering isn’t just a role — it’s an act of everyday courage.

With a psychology degree, experience as both a kinship and local authority foster carer, and 25 years of reflection and growth, I bring insight that bridges lived experience and professional knowledge. My job on panel is to help identify carers who can offer not just a placement, but a home — and to ensure they receive the training and support needed to thrive.
I’m here to advocate, to empower, and to make sure every decision we make puts children first.

FosteringChangesLives
EveryChildDeservesLove FosterCareAdvocate Psychologist LivedExperience KeynoteSpeaker

13/07/2026

You don't stay sharp as a speaker by only speaking when you're paid to speak.

Tonight I walked into a Toastmasters meeting where I knew nobody, had no idea what the topics would be, and had no opportunity to prepare.

Every guest speaker was given a random topic and three minutes to speak. The only rules:

✔️ Stay on topic
✔️ Keep within the time limit
✔️ Use the Word of the Day

My topic?

"You're working in an office environment and a colleague is spreading gossip about you. As a result of the rumours, you may lose your job."

Out of all the possible topics on confidence, happiness and success that I would happily speak about all day long, this was probably the one I least wanted to receive.

Which is exactly why I was pleased to get it.

Because speaking isn't about performing your favourite material. It's about thinking on your feet, communicating under pressure, and finding clarity when you don't have the luxury of preparation.

There were 10 of us competing, all guests to that particular club. We'd never met one another, we didn't know the topic in advance, and none of us had rehearsed.

I was delighted to be awarded Best Table Topics Speaker.

More importantly, I was reminded why I keep dropping into random Toastmasters clubs every few months despite speaking professionally.

Every speaker needs a place to practise.

A safe environment to experiment, receive honest feedback and work on the craft.

Tonight's feedback reminded me that strengths can always be refined and good habits reinforced:

Use of space and movement

Eye contact and audience connection

Vocal delivery and language choice

Gestures and presence

Minimal filler words

And there was valuable developmental feedback too: personalise the response more and bring more of yourself into the story.

The best speakers aren't the ones who stop practising because they're experienced.

They're the ones who keep putting themselves in situations where they might struggle, because that's where growth lives.

Thank you to the team at for the warm welcome and the challenge.

Trainer LivedExperience

25/06/2026

Identity...

23/06/2026

Speaker, trainer, ed. Psyc & lived-exp advocate who shares my IMPACT strategy for recovery from trauma.

18/06/2026

Noble Eight-Fold Path: Lesson 8 Samadhi, concerntration focus & absorbtion.

15/06/2026

Paris Bartholomew : Survive Grow Inspire
7:38 PM (3 hours ago)
to me

A huge thank you to everyone who joined me and Mark Williams for this Action for Happiness event.
As someone who has been speaking publicly for over eight years, seeing more than 2,000 people register for this conversation was both humbling and inspiring.
Together, we explored what it means to move from surviving to living, and ultimately to thriving. We discussed trauma, resilience, identity, belonging, and the reality that our past does not have to define our future.
One thing that struck me throughout the session was how many people connected with the idea of identity. When adversity shapes our early years, it can leave us asking difficult questions about who we are, what we deserve, and what is possible for our lives. Yet thriving begins when we start to reclaim those answers for ourselves.
There were so many parts of my story that we simply couldn't fit into an hour. We only briefly touched on the IMPACT framework and some of the practical steps that help people move beyond survival mode and build lives filled with purpose, connection, and hope.

I've been deeply moved by the hundreds of comments, messages, and reflections shared since the event. Thank you for your kindness, openness, and willingness to be part of such an important conversation.

If you missed the live session, the recording is now available. I'd love to hear what resonates most with you.
And if you're looking for a speaker, trainer, facilitator, or consultant to support conversations around wellbeing, resilience, trauma-informed practice, identity, belonging, or personal growth, I'd be delighted to connect.

The conversation doesn't end here. In fact, I believe it's only just beginning!

12/06/2026

* HCUK Conference on Adult Su***de Prevention: Ensuring Best Practice – Staying Safe from Su***de, taking place on Wednesday 17th June, 10:00–16:20 *

This conference brings together a powerful range of voices and expertise, including speakers from the Su***de Crisis Centre, Mental Health Learning Ltd, the Departmental Director of Clinical Governance at Hampshire and Isle of Wight Healthcare NHS Foundation Trust, and the CAMHS Crisis Team in Hertfordshire. Events like this are vital in strengthening our collective approach to su***de prevention and ensuring that best practice is not only understood, but consistently applied.

As a lived experience speaker, I will be sharing insights that come not only from professional understanding, but from personal experience of su***de and recovery. Lived experience – particularly when combined with care experience – brings a perspective that cannot be learned from textbooks alone. It helps to humanise systems, challenge assumptions, and highlight the real impact of how care is delivered.

For those with care experience, the conversation around su***de is especially important. Too often, the complexity of trauma, instability and unmet needs is overlooked. Embedding lived experience into policy, practice and service design is essential if we are to create services that people can truly access, trust and feel safe within.

Su***de prevention is everyone’s business – and it requires compassion, curiosity, and collaboration across all sectors. Conferences like this are not just about sharing knowledge, but about creating momentum for change.

I’m looking forward to contributing to this important conversation and learning from such an inspiring group of professionals and advocates.

***dePrevention

Address

29 Orange Tree Hill
Havering Atte Bower
RM4

Telephone

+447712105715

Website

http://survivegrowinspire.com/, http://parisbartholomew.com/

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