Pause. And Rewind... with Emily Hamilton | Stubborn. Tenacious. Frightened.

“I don’t care if it’s just one person at a time. Because one person talks to one person talks to one person. That’s how you win.”

LGBTQ+ inclusion and rugby in the topic here as this week’s guest on ‘Pause. And Rewind…’ shares their efforts in founding & becoming the Chair of the World's First LGBTQIA+ supporters' association in World Professional Rugby, QuinsPride at Harlequins. It’s impressive - and so is Emily Hamilton (she/her).

Emily is Deputy CEO of Trans in the City and a FTSE 100 Vice President with a 25 year career in Strategic Change and Transformation. She’s a global speaker on Trans+ inclusion, mental health & business effectiveness. She sits on advisory panels for the Police and CPS in the cause of eradicating LGBTQ+ Hate Crime and Violence against Women and Girls. She’s award winning - rightly so - and she’s using her passion, expertise & skills to improve the lives of trans+ individuals in the workplace & beyond.

Little Emily grew in West London and knew she was different. She had a fascination with jewelry & wanted to be Madonna. During an appointment with a child psychologist in an early attempt to come out. “I’m a girl”, she shared. She knew she’d said something wrong from the response leading to conversion therapy.

Masking, self preservation & shame are all part of Emily’s story. And whilst she reflects fondly of her career in the military, like other guests, there was the constant fear of ‘the knock on the door’. Emily’s advocacy for mental health means she openly shares her multiple experiences of attempting suicide & the life-saving call from a dear friend being the reason she is still her today.

And she’s proud to still be here. “If you’re not here, you can’t do any more good, can you?”. I know I speak for so many people when I say I’m truly glad Emily is still here.

The words Emily uses to describe her origin story are ‘Stubbon. Tenacity. Frightened.’ All of which shape Emily, her purpose & her lived experience as a bisexual, Trans woman. And whilst the current landscape for the Trans+ community is frightening and has taken her back to a darker space over the last 6 - 9 months, Emily sees hope - more organisation & urgency, a greater sense of community & egos dropping away as we come together.

She believes change is possible. The army taught her that “if the political will is there you can change rapidly”. We talk through her career shift from the army to business as well as self-care & kindness, accountability & forgiveness, the cost of visibility, Emily’s pride in her wonderful daughter & not waiting for permission to ‘do the thing’.

Please note | We cover some challenging topics in this episode, specifically around mental health & suicide so please take care of yourself whilst listening.