Laura-Rose Thorogood, CEO 

Laura-Rose is an LGBTQIA+, Maternity and Fertility Activist, educator, lecturer, writer and campaigner. She’s also Founder of LGBT Mummies, and has campaigned and influenced policies and law within UK Government and globally. Her own birth trauma lead her to this role. She is passionate about influencing systemic change to create equity and equality,  especially for marginalised communities. She leads on our organisational strategy.  

Sakina Ballard, Director

Sakina is a therapeutic coach & mentor, antenatal hypnobirthing educator, and Advanced Lived Experience Practitioner for an NHS Trust. She is especially interested trauma-informed person-centred care and Equity Diversity Inclusion & Anti-racism (EDI&A). She works with Laura-Rose, Nikki and Becca on leading the direction of MBB, focusing on Champions and support. 

Evelien Docherty, Campaigns & Communications Lead

Evelien brings a broad communications mix to the table with a background in senior editing, PR and writing – focussing on maternity issues. She is the mastermind behind our communications strategy and leads on the activation of our signature campaigns including Think Trauma Now. She covered as Interim CEO in 2021 during Nikki’s maternity leave.

Lucy Critchley, Social Media Lead

Lucy is an experienced social media manager, podcast producer, and email marketing specialist. Following her own traumatic pregnancy and birth, she became deeply interested in how the ways we communicate can shape perinatal experiences of women and birthing people - often making the difference between a positive experience and a traumatic one. Her creative brain is reflected in our social media channels, newsletter and all marketing communications.

Natasha Williams, Associate Trainer

Natasha is a trauma informed Psychotherapist with nearly 30 years of working within social care and mental health provision. She brings a wealth of personal and professional experience, knowledge and insight in terms of Reproductive trauma. Natasha is passionate in advocating for change, particularly through effective training.

Dr Michelle Tolfrey, Associate Trainer

Michelle’s a Clinical Psychologist who has worked for 20+ years in mental health services in the NHS, social care and private practice. She specialises in working with people who have experienced reproductive trauma including infertility, baby loss and birth trauma, and integrates her own personal experiences of loss into her work. She founded The Loss Collective providing information and resources to people impacted by loss and those supporting them. Michelle is also a Lecturer and Academic Tutor on one of the Professional Doctorate Programmes in Clinical Psychology.

Nikki Wilson, Director 

Nikki is a founding director and was the first CEO of Make Birth Better. She played a key role in scaling the organisation from the ground up, combining her lived experience of postnatal PTSD with a strong career in the charity sector. Her leadership is driven by empathy, advocacy, and a deep commitment to transforming maternal mental health. She works with Laura-Rose, Sakina and Becca on leading the direction of MBB. 

Trudi Webber, Training Lead

Trudi has over 15 years of project management experience, particularly in charity and corporate relationships in maternal health and education sectors. She has also worked as a childbirth educator, yoga for pregnancy teacher and doula for 20 years. She uses her extensive skillset to facilitate and improve our Make Birth Better (bespoke) training and its effectiveness.

Lauren Parr, Community & Business Development Lead

Lauren is a business development and business support expert with a strong passion for well-being in the perinatal period. She’s also a trained doula, yoga teacher, retreat leader and book worm. She leads on the development of our online training products and support for our much-loved Champions and Organisation Partners. She’s an out-of-the-box thinker and has a knack for spotting business potential.

Illiyin Morrison, Chief Campaign Ambassador

Illiyin is an award-winning, dedicated registered midwife, author (The Birth Debrief) and perinatal trauma specialist. She brings a wealth of knowledge and experience to her work and her unwavering commitment to maternal well-being extends beyond the birthing suite. She advocates for comprehensive postpartum care, destigmatising mental health challenges, racism and unconscious bias and fostering a supportive community for all parents.

Louise Nunn, Associate Trainer

Louise works as a consultant midwife in London, and her remit includes supporting complex pregnancies, mental health and trauma. She has many years of experience as a mental health specialist midwife and is passionate about improving birth for everyone and ensuring that systems support a trauma-informed approach.