And so, as the invite from the BBC came in, I knew what to do – who to turn to for help and advice, who to make the decisions with and how to feel the fear and do it… maybe not anyway, but rather because. Because the fear indicates the weight of the responsibility, and the responsibility needs to be stepped up into, not shied away from. And because if I don’t speak up, stand up, move forward in the furthering of patterns and models of social care that facilitate love and belonging, and address trauma and oppression – who will?
This is what I say to imposter syndrome these days: if not me, then who?
So I said yes and joined the debate. These moments are predictably anti-climactic: I was on the pavement waiting for a taxi within ten minutes of being on live TV.
But these moments sit within a wider journey that moves incrementally (sometimes imperceptibly!) forward. Our organisation, Unique Connections, still in its infancy, moves slowly and determinedly towards sector-wide transformation, persuaded that the UK social care sector can be built on love and belonging, that people with intellectual disabilities who are traumatised can heal, as can the organisations which support them. It will be overwhelming at times, but we will feel the fear and do it because. Because if not us, then who?
Beverley appeared on 'Sunday Morning Live' on 13 April 2025, available to view on BBC iPlayer.