"Owning our story and loving ourselves through that process is the bravest thing we’ll ever do."
Dr Brené Brown, Research Professor at the University of Houston, Texan Researcher and Storyteller
Neelam Khawani-Connett (Neels), is a British-Indian woman of Sindhi descent, born in England and shaped by the vibrant yet challenging fusion of two clashing cultures. Navigating the stoic expectations of her Indian heritage and the individualism of British society, she carries a dual identity forged through difficult and challenging childhood experiences that resulted in poor mental health, over-prescribed medication and multiple diagnoses, impacted by the intergenerational trauma of the 1947 Partition of India and displacement between living in two countries.
Her 40-year journey through a fragmented UK mental health system, which often reduced pain to diagnostic labels, led her to the transformative power of Therapeutic Communities. In these co-produced, peer-led spaces, lived experience voices fostered trust, emotional regulation and cultural belonging, helping her embrace her dual identity.
As a co-founder of the Relational Practice Movement, international trainer, supervisor and group facilitator, Neels advocates for trauma-informed, culturally competent care that amplifies survivor voices and builds relational networks.
Join her in reimagining a more-accessible mental health system where co-production, lived experience and cultural sensitivity transform pain into hope and agency.
