Experimenting with poetry to navigate complexity in mental health
On 10 July 2025, I gave a presentation at the brilliant NatCen event on mental health, focusing on my work of translating academic research into policy using a whole systems approach, emphasising complex systems change and the value of research in the context of violence prevention and mental health. The presentation* was titled 'A breath of fresh air: Translating academic work into policy using a whole systems approach'.
In my talk, I advocated for a systems approach to making Violence Against Women and Girls (VAWG) and domestic abuse responses more coordinated across systems, focusing on tackling the root causes. I highlighted how this approach has been supporting the creation of strategic, system-level changes in VAWG policies. Drawing on my experience at the Mayor's Office for Policing and Crime, I shared my insights into co-leading the update of London's VAWG Strategy and promoting change within the workforce and grassroots communities, as well as my broader theoretical work on systemic change.
The presentation examined the value of systems thinking in policy development, implementation challenges, and opportunities for breakthrough solutions, concluding with reflections on the role in systems change. NatCen will publish the full summary of the presentation as part of a collection.
Reflecting on this experience, the platform gave me an opportunity to deepen my creative practice, using poetry as a mechanism for healing and knowing. The poem I wrote and shared with the audience is titled 'Breath as a Metaphor for Change.'
In the poetic reflection, I positioned the metaphor of breath as a powerful framework for understanding systems change. Like breathing, effective systems change requires both intake (gathering diverse perspectives, evidence, and experiences) and output (implementing coordinated actions, policies, and practices).
This continuous cycle mirrors the natural rhythm of respiration—a process that is both constant and ever-changing. Just as breath sustains life, this cyclical process of systems change sustains progress toward more effective responses to complex social challenges. The metaphor also acknowledges that change, like breathing, must be continuous rather than episodic—a sustained commitment rather than a one-time intervention. This poetic reflection invited the audience to consider how the natural rhythm of breath can inform our approach to systems change, reminding us that transformation requires both action and reflection, input and output, in a continuous cycle of growth and renewal.
…
Breath, simple yet profound,
A rhythm where life is found.
Inhale brings vitality’s light,
Exhale clears space, sets things right.
A cycle eternal, a flow unbroken,
Energy shifts, a truth unspoken.
Breath, in labour, effort recalls,
Complexity in its rise and falls.
A grounding force, the present secured
A guide through storm and peaceful weather.
Resilience shines in each deep breath,
Renewing focus, defying death.
In challenges, hope begins anew,
A pause, a recalibration, a view.
Like change in systems, a purposeful will,
Breath inspires a journey uphill.
More than an act, it fuels transformation,
Endurance, strength, a quiet foundation.
Breath—life’s rhythm, the heart’s refrain,
A metaphor for growth, continuity, and change.
….
*Thanks to NatCen and the British Academy for the opportunity to present and to share this work with an engaged audience and a broader audience. The talk was a reflective piece based on my perspective, rather than those of any elected official, organisational, or MOPAC's position. Please get in touch if you are interested in deepening your creative practice through poetry and becoming part of a growing living/lived experience community that I am building with others.
