Charlotte's story

Hi! I am Charlotte and I am the founder of Purple Consulting.

Purple Consulting is a purpose-driven business, founded out of my deep passion for building equitable and inclusive workplaces for disabled employees, and my belief that disabled talent is a hugely untapped market with endless potential.

We already know that the business case for disability has been proven, and I created Purple Consulting to support disabled employees, and businesses, to realise this opportunity.

My passion for disability stems in part from my own experience. I have chronic pain, also known as fibromyalgia. My pain is neuropathic pain in the back of both my legs, similar to that of sciatica. Other than a few pain-free weeks here and there, I've had pain every day for the past nineteen years.

Four years ago, I had a significant pain flare which completely disabled me for nearly two years. In this time, I resorted to major spinal surgery, which unfortunately didn't work. The pain kept me off from my full-time job as a Senior Marketing Director at a global biopharma company and stopped me from doing everything I enjoyed in life. There were times when the pain was so intense, I had to eat lying down. 

In the midst of this difficult experience, I found solace in exploring my growing interest in DEI and disability inclusion. Thanks to audio books and podcasts, I was able to expand my knowledge and keep my mind active during this time.

When I went back to work over a year later, I had excellent support, flexibility and accommodations. I was lucky to have this - not all disabled employees experience such high levels of inclusion and equity. I was also fortunate to be able to move from Marketing into a Culture and DEI role.

In moving into Culture and DEI, I knew I'd found my purpose.

Once you learn about ableism, lack of accessibility, and barriers for people with disabilities, you spot them everywhere: in societal attitudes, in the street, in buildings, in movies and books, and in policies, systems and culture. It's hard to unsee them.

My new role let me deliver a culture change programme, facilitate disability inclusion training, speak at events on disability, learn from employees with disabilities, and build a disability inclusion strategy and execution plan. Work no longer felt like work and despite the daily physical pain, I was hooked on building my understanding of the history of ableism, and the extent to which it is so deeply ingrained in society, as well as understanding the social model of disability and workplace barriers.

In set up Purple Consulting, a Diversity, Equity and Inclusion consultancy focused on disability inclusion, to help companies build their confidence in disability inclusion, build equitable cultures where disabled employees can thrive, and accelerate the opportunities disabled talent offers to all businesses. 

If you would like to chat about how I can help you with your disability plans, get in touch here.

Sorelle

Madi