Rachel is a TEDx presenter, speaker, trainer, award winning artist and author of two books- Super Power Baby Project and Super Power Kids. These books celebrate the lives and abilities of children with a range of disabilities and have been inspired by Rachel’s late daughter Evie, who was born with a very rare chromosomal condition. In the two and a half years of Evie’s life, Rachel learnt a lot about the use of language in the health system, and has spent a decade exploring the impact and implications of how it is used by health professionals – with positive and negative effects.
She teaches how the first words used at diagnosis critically shape how a parent perceives their future: The words can allow the parent/patient to be their best, and find meaning even in pain; or they can create anger, mistrust, frustration, and can break down the crucial relationship between the parent and the health professional.