Introducing: Charlotte John

It’s not often you see a job advert that gets you truly excited, but that’s what happened when I stumbled across the internship opportunity at Money and Mental Health. That excitement hasn’t diminished in the two months since, and I’m thrilled to now be part of the team!

It was during my GCSEs that my mental health problems started to be particularly challenging. I experienced a range of physical symptoms, dutifully checked by various doctors, but no cause was found.

It wasn’t until I was 23 that I finally received my mental health diagnoses. When I told a therapist about the period of my life when I’d been in and out of hospital wards, she said, very nonchalantly, as if it were obvious, “Yes, those are very common symptoms of anxiety in children.” But those many doctors years prior hadn’t even considered my mental health.

In the decade and a half since those medical issues, society’s understanding and awareness of mental health has greatly improved. It’s great to see schools doing more now to support their students – something I sorely needed when I was young. But the taboo hasn’t been fully shaken. And combined with another taboo topic – money – we have a huge problem that is rarely properly discussed or addressed.

Most of my friends are fellow neurodivergent people with mental health problems (we flock together, it seems!) and all of us have struggled with money management at some point – from making mistakes to being too anxious to even approach the volume of paperwork required. So to now be part of an organisation working to support people like us is a joy and an honour.

I’ve had a very varied professional life so far. I started in TV production, worked in charity finance, then researched and taught Marketing at a university, alongside working on making political news more accessible and engaging. Ultimately, I love communication – engaging people and helping them understand a story or a message – and I’m very excited to now help the team do that here at Money and Mental Health.

I am particularly looking forward to learning more about how to engage and work with those who have the power to make change happen. For years I have reported on what the government is doing, often feeling helpless when opportunities to improve policy are missed. I’m excited to help connect policy makers and industry leaders with people who are affected by the decisions they make. As a former researcher, I know firsthand the importance and value of insight gained from people with lived experience. I have a lot to learn over the next six months, and I’m looking forward to getting stuck in!