I've actually not met Eva Echo (she/they) in person yet but having known Eva for sometime, I'm always impressed by her insight, sharpness & humour. Whether a DEI session, social media content or her brilliant Tedx talk, Eva injects all of this into what she does so uniquely when sharing about mental health, neurodivergence, transness or current affairs.

Eva is a well-known, respected & loved individual. An activist & campaigner, public speaker& educator, writer & content creator, Eva wears many hats. She's also the Director of Innovation for Birmingham Pride. A Director for Trans in the City. A charity ambassador. She sits on the CPS Hate Crime Panel. And of this she does tirelessly because she's "too stubborn to give up on those that aren't accepted".

She brings people along with her - it's something we discuss in the episode through Eva's projects, most recently in a particular special moment in a bold orange dress at an awards ceremony. She's also not afraid to call people out in the best ways though strives to find common ground even with trolls to try & diffuse the situation, often with humour or a shared commonality, in the hope that it's a learning opportunity for them.

Like many people striving to make the world a more inclusive place, Eva's origin story is the backbone of her work. 'Little Eva' was misunderstood, says Eva and didn't belong. She lived in her own little bubble which was lonely. But she was also creative, analytical and a lover of order - traits that Eva now refers to as possible early signs of her neurospicy-ness.

Eva discovered a sense of belonging in music and loved being on stage & on tour - it was so much fun exploring this in the episode and I'm egging Eva on to take to the stage again sometime!

Eva now has the sense of belonging she deserves with her wife Pip & her sidekick, Boomer (who is adorable). She shares how her transition is an ongoing evolution and how she didn't realise there was an LGBTQ+ community out there - to be honest, it's hard to imagine it without Eva. From taking legal action against the NHS to court over ridiculous gender affirming care waiting times for trans patients through to her work with UN Women, Eva never fails to impress. Showing up and being visible wasn't something she sought out. She uses the words 'quirky, stubborn and reluctant' to describe her and origin story - and form the Eva we know & love.

Eva teases that her next project is the boldest move in her career yet... I'm staying tuned and can't wait to finally meet you in person soon, Eva!

This conversation does go deep into conversations around mental health, struggles & family challenges - please take care of yourself whilst listening.