Michelle shares her stance on lived experience boundaries

Sharing your lived experience was the topic of a webinar our founder Michelle John was asked to speak at today (Thursday).

Organised by Pioneers Post and attended by representatives from social enterprises across the UK and beyond, the event highlighted how choosing whether to disclose our lived experience – and how much detail to share – was personal to every single one of us.

First to speak was the incredible Leigh Carey, CEO and founder of The Hummingbird Project in Northern Ireland.

Leigh and her team work with people to give them the skills and expertise to stay well, as well as identifying stressors early and either managing their own mental wellbeing or asking for help.

She said disclosing her own experience of mental ill health enabled her to be her ‘authentic self’ within meetings but said it was important to consider the benefits – both to yourself and to those you’re talking to – of sharing specific details.

Considering how relevant your personal experiences were and how safe you feel sharing them was important, Leigh said. She also highlighted how a mix of experience was needed around every table – whether the person had lived, learned or practice experience.

Michelle then talked about deciding on boundaries (in terms of what information you shared or did not share) and making those clear from the offset. But, she highlighted, choosing not to disclose personal information wouldn’t necessarily impact the attention a social enterprise received from the media. Indeed, PEGS had been lucky to work alongside journalists from the likes of Channel 5 and ITV News who had been incredibly sensitive and respectful in how they covered a story about Child to Parent Abuse.

She added: “Those experiences do not define who you are. You define who you are. Perhaps people will question and ask ‘who are you to’ but the question is ‘who are you not to!’ You’re not doing it for people who don’t believe you, or don’t believe in you. You’re doing it for the ones who desperately need you.

“You don’t need to justify why you don’t share details. No is a complete sentence.”

Visit https://www.pioneerspost.com/ to see the latest news from the social enterprise magazine!

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Founding Director, Michelle, has been awarded an MBE in the Kings Birthday Honours for Family Support and Advocacy.

By PEGS Admin • June 15, 2026

Child to Parent Abuse organisation founder awarded MBE The founder of a social enterprise which has supported thousands of parents impacted by abusive behaviours from their children has been awarded an MBE. Michelle John, originally from Pembrokeshire in Wales but now based in Shropshire, was among the names announced for the prestigious accolade in the King’s Birthday Honours List this year. In 2020, Michelle set up not-for-profit organisation PEGS with the aim of supporting parents and carers, training professionals, influencing local and national policy, and raising awareness of Child to Parent Abuse – which is thought to affect up to one in ten households in the UK. Since then, she has grown a team of experts who have trained police, social workers, teachers and many other professionals to better recognise the signs of CPA, support parents, and signpost to specialist organisations. In addition, Michelle set up a range of parent-focused initiatives including daily practitioner-led online sessions, a Facebook peer support group which now has 3,300 members, and one-to-one offerings for those at highest risk. PEGS launched a CPA Covenant for employers in partnership with the Department for Work and Pensions, only the fourth such covenant to be backed by the Government, and Michelle has advised everyone from the Home Office to Channel 4 and the BBC on CPA – the latter for storyline on Hollyoaks and EastEnders. Her work has seen CPA covered by journalists across television news programmes, national newspapers and magazine, and regional press and radio, and she’s received numerous awards both in the UK and internationally. Michelle, whose MBE was awarded for Family Support and Advocacy, said: “This honour is also shared with the parents who have trusted me along the way: they drive me, inspire me and I will always stand with them. “I feel proud, privileged and very grateful – and I’d like to thank everyone who has supported me and PEGS along the way. There is much more to come for PEGS, and we will continue to work every day for the parents and carers who have been or continue to be impacted by CPA. “There is so much to reflect on from the journey of the last six years, and there have been many highlights and challenges along the way. I am sure there will be many more in the future – although being told I’d received an MBE will always remain a truly incredible moment that I’ll remember forever!” For more information about us, visit www.pegsupport.co.uk or search for 'PEGS' on social media!