Author of the memoir Lost My Sight, Found My Freedom · Speaker
The future you expected is no longer available. Now what?
When life changes in ways you didn’t choose, the hardest part is often not knowing what comes next. I’ve had to answer that question myself, after losing my sight.
Hear it from me
If you would rather listen than read, start here. Each listen is about a minute.
Welcome
Prefer to read? Open the transcript of the welcome
Have you ever felt like you just can’t move forward? Maybe you are moving, but it feels slow. Sometimes it feels like you’re standing still. Or perhaps you don’t even have a name for the feeling.
Hi, I’m Jennifer G Smith, author of Lost My Sight, Found My Freedom. I often think about people living a life they didn’t expect. Whether that change came yesterday, last year or years ago.
I know that place. When I lost my sight, I had to work out what came next without seeing the whole path.
I won’t hand you a plan, but I do have some short listens. About a minute each. Each gives you one thing to think about. Nothing more.
When you’re ready, the first listen is just below. Thank you for being here.
Listen 1: Force
Prefer to read? Open the transcript of Force
Hello, I’m Jennifer.
Has anyone ever said to you, “Oh, you poor thing”? Or, “Well, there’s always someone worse off than you”? They mean well. But somehow you end up smiling and saying, “I’m fine.”
I know that place. When I lost my sight, I looked exactly the same. So when people asked, “Are you okay?”, I said, “I’m fine.” That was my performance. Underneath, I had no words for what I was feeling. I just pushed on.
I call that force. It pushes, it proves, it performs. You’re not doing anything wrong. But force is tiring, and it isn’t meant to be the whole story.
Just let this one question sit with you: Where am I using force right now?
Whatever came to mind, that’s enough for today. Thank you for listening.
The next three listens, Power, Permission and Your next step, come with the free workbook below.
You might be here because…
Life has changed in a way you didn’t ask for.
Or other people’s assumptions about you don’t match what’s really going on.
Or you’re trying to work out the next step without being able to see the whole path.
Where would you like to start?
Free
Building in the Blur: workbook and listens
A short workbook, plus all four listens, for when you cannot see the whole path yet.
Get the free workbookYour link appears as soon as you sign up.
With me, in a small group
Building in the Blur workshops
Small, relaxed sessions, on Zoom or in person. One question at a time, at a pace that works. You leave with one clear next step of your own.
Email to hear about the next workshopThe email opens with the word “Blur” already in the subject.
The book
Lost My Sight, Found My Freedom
The hidden power of what we cannot see. For the life you’re living, not the one you expected. Out now in paperback and Kindle.
Find out about the bookSpeaking and readings
Your audience is dealing with change they didn’t choose: sight loss, illness, life events, and other people’s assumptions about what they can and can’t do. A talk can help them name what’s happening and think about what comes next.
Talks cover:
- Rebuilding after change you did not choose
- Hidden and invisible disabilities, and the assumptions people make
- Human behaviour, the things people miss and leadership under pressure
For conferences, workplace events, panels and conversations, in the UK or online.
Tell me about your eventAbout Jennifer
I am an author and speaker, based in the UK.
I started out as a paralegal in criminal law. From there my working life ran through employment law, tribunals, trade union representation, HR and mediation. Twenty years of paying close attention to how people behave under pressure.
Losing my sight deepened the way I understand uncertainty, behaviour and the things people miss.
I am also a contributor to the Maple Review, the government-backed independent review into barriers to entrepreneurship.
Press and media
For interviews, podcasts, panels and written contributions. Short biography to copy:
Jennifer G. Smith is a UK author and speaker, and the author of the memoir Lost My Sight, Found My Freedom: The hidden power of what we cannot see. She began as a paralegal in criminal law and went on to work in employment law, tribunals, trade union representation, HR and mediation. Losing her sight changed what she noticed and how she understood it. She writes and speaks about identity, uncertainty and rebuilding a life after change you did not choose, and is a contributor to the government-backed Maple Review.
Subjects I am glad to be asked about:
- Sight loss, identity and rebuilding a life
- Why seeing and understanding are not the same thing
- Disability, perception and the assumptions people carry
- Hidden and invisible disabilities
- Human behaviour under pressure
- Writing a memoir about something still in progress
High-resolution photographs and the book cover are available on request.
Make a media enquiry