Hi, I'm Helen.
The face-planting clumsy nugget behind UnlikelyGenius.
In 2018, I decided the time for making the leap into self-employment was now or never. I had spent 13 years in a very squiggly career that took me through graphic design, lecturing, primary and secondary education support, e-learning course design, and working with children across all abilities and needs. That varied mixture of skills — visual communication, understanding how people learn, ability to explain complex things simply, craft skills developed over years of exploration — finally came together to make an opportunity I could make the most of.
A fire had been lit within me.
I handed in my resignation, landed my first freelance contract within two days, and have never looked back.
Eight years on, I've carved out a business that lights me up: making difficult life events more joyful, by throwing a sewing machine and a whole craft cupboard of supplies at it.
What I do
Creative Workshops
I run heritage textile and sustainable making workshops for museums, cultural venues, and community spaces. Memory-making workshops (transforming treasured clothing into keepsakes). Sewing workshops for families and adults. All using reclaimed, recycled, and deadstock materials. The approach is always the same: create safe, joyful spaces where people rediscover confidence, connection, and creative courage. Nobody leaves without something they're proud of.
Books & Illustration
I write and illustrate books for children and adults tackling the stuff that's usually hard to talk about — grief, climate change, anxiety, starting over. My award-winning book Falling Off The Ladder (2021) won Highly Commended in Wellness & Wellbeing at the Business Book Awards, Bronze at the Global Book Awards, and Finalist at the Book Excellence Awards. I've been named Digital Women Entrepreneur of the Year 2024 and UK Green Business Awards Finalist 2025. Currently developing the Quiet Wonders nature series for children.
The Bigger Picture
I believe the big, difficult stuff — climate crisis, life challenges, grief, major celebrations — deserves to be approached with creativity, empathy, and a refusal to be boring about it.
I have MS, which has taught me a lot about meeting people where they are, about resilience, and about finding joy in the everyday. It's also informed my work around making accessible, inclusive spaces where everyone feels capable.
I've also built two connected businesses:
It Started With a Sloth (ISWaS) is my climate education arm — interactive learning experiences that make environmental topics feel hopeful, not heavy. I'm the UK's only official Active Floor trainer, working with schools and community venues to create play-based climate engagement.
Lovely Magnifique is my newest venture — handcrafted family celebrations for people who refuse to do the ordinary. I've just trained as a celebrant because I believe weddings, naming ceremonies, life transitions, and memorials deserve to be entirely, unapologetically yours. Written from scratch. Rooted in your story. Not templated. Not somebody else's script.
The Philosophy
What connects everything I do is this: play is powerful. Joy is radical. Creativity is how we survive hard things. And handcrafted, intentional approaches beat templates every single time.
I love nothing more than helping people (and organisations) rediscover that the standard approach doesn't work for them — and that there's another way. A messier way. A more authentic way. A way that might be chaotic, but it's entirely theirs.
This love of creativity and sustainability goes back to my childhood when I spent endless hours drawing and making things. As an adult, I've added sewing (seriously, I made my hubby’s wedding waistcoat), SCUBA diving, and outdoor swimming to the mix. This fascination with both making and the natural world has only grown in strength.
I feel very privileged to be able to work in ways that can have a positive impact on people and the planet.
If you're looking for someone to help your museum, school, or community space create meaningful learning experiences... if you need an illustrator for work on difficult topics... if you're planning a celebration that refuses to do ordinary... I'd love to work with you.
Awards & Recognition
Digital Women Entrepreneur of the Year, 2024
UK Green Business Awards Finalist, 2025
Falling Off The Ladder: Highly Commended, Wellness & Wellbeing category, Business Book Awards 2022
Falling Off The Ladder: Bronze, Global Book Awards 2022
Falling Off The Ladder: Finalist, Book Excellence Awards 2022
(One day I'll get on the Great British Sewing Bee. Until then, I'm just out here making waistcoats and refusal to do ordinary one creative project at a time.)
