I have some really exciting news to share with you all.

Today, I began my work as an Expert by Experience with Dorset HealthCare.

For those who are unfamiliar with this role, an Expert by Experience uses their personal experiences with health, disability, mental health, or LGBTQ+ identity to influence and improve the support provided to people by the NHS. It involves bringing the views and experiences of service users into discussions about service design, delivery and development.

This role is far more than a job title for me. For me, it marks the first significant step towards a long-held aspiration of mine: to help people and make meaningful change. Over the course of my life, I have navigated mental health services, lived with disability, and faced the challenges of accessing healthcare firsthand. Additionally, I am studying towards my BSc in psychology, and level 3 in counselling, both of which are driven by my desire to better understand people and support them through whatever they may face.

Everything I have done in recent years – my studies, writing, advocacy, community work – has been leading towards this goal. My aim is to use my experiences of mental illness, disability and queer identity to help create systems that better serve those who depend on them.

One area I am particularly passionate about is trans healthcare.

As a trans man, I understand the long waits for care, the feeling of putting your life on hold for appointments and assessments, so that you can access treatment (because you feel like you can’t live until you’ve received that treatment). I understand the frustration, uncertainty, and exhaustion you feel from the endless waiting.

When thinking about waiting lists, it’s easy to focus on the numbers and the targets. But behind every number is a person trying to build their future, feel comfortable in their own skin, and begin living as their true self. I cannot solve these problems alone, or overnight for that matter, but if I have the chance to share what those experiences feel like from a lived perspective, I want to do that. I want decision-makers to hear not just the statistics, but the human stories behind them. Because so often decisions are made about us, without us.

I want to help the voices of often-overlooked individuals be included in healthcare discussions. People with mental health conditions, disabled individuals, queer individuals, and those whose experiences may not be represented in important decision-making.

Of course, I am excited to “step” into this role, but it also feels daunting.

Honestly, one of my biggest fears is not being good enough. There is a part of me that questions whether I know enough, have enough experience, or even deserve a seat at the table.

But the more I discuss my role, and reflect, the more I realise that the value of lived experience is that it simply cannot be taught in a textbook. My experiences are real, the challenges I have faced are real, and the lessons I have learned from navigating healthcare systems, mental health services, disability and transition are real.

I don’t need to have all the answers. My role isn’t to speak for everyone. It is to share my experiences honestly, listen to others, and contribute where I can. If my voice helps even one person feel heard, improves a service, or contributes to positive change for future service users, then that matters.

This is only the beginning, and I still have so much to learn. But for the first time, I feel like I am taking a meaningful step towards a future I have always hoped for; a future where I can help others and create a more compassionate, accessible healthcare system.

And that feels worth being scared for.