About Me




 Jess grew up in South Africa through the 1980s and 1990s.  She attended specialist art schools, including National School of the Arts, and studied both Drama and Fine Art.   She studied Brand Management and Communications at Vega College and developed a deep interest in the way that internal communications and messaging can affect employee cohesion and satisfaction.

Jess then moved to open the Cape Town office of Drums & Rhythm; a Johannesburg-based team building and events company that specialised in teaching djembe drumming and fire dancing skills at conferences and team away days as a means to break down barriers, promote communication and consensus within sessions.

During a gap year in 2004/5, Jess worked a season as a tour guide.  She led groups of up to 50 American teenagers around Western Europe (England, France, Belgium, Germany and Switzerland) and taught them about the history and culture of the places they visited. 

Following this Jess studied a BA in Psychology with a major in Industrial and Organisational Psychology at the University of South Africa.  The degree was done via correspondence (online learning) while continuing to work full time in Human Resources in Investment Banking in the City of London.  

After the completion of her undergraduate degree Jess took some time out from work to study a full-time MSc in Applied Social Psychology at Royal Holloway, University of London.   This was followed by a PhD at the same university.   Her dissertation and thesis focussed on looking at the impact of homelessness experiences on people and how these may impact on people's ability to gain and retain housing.  This line of enquiry was informed by years of volunteering within homeless shelters in London, and reports of feelings of isolation following rehousing from people that would return to the shelter.

Jess presently lives in London and works as a Visiting Fellow at LSE and Lecturer at UCL and Reading University. 
She lives with her husband and two young children and enjoys listening to music and getting muddy in the local parks.

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