Strong Tea - Episode 51 - Woman on a Mission: Making Trans Cool

Katie Neeves calls herself the gobby trans woman and we love her for that.

 

Katie is a woman on a mission - but not just any woman and not just any mission!  She lived for 48 years as a man while struggling with her gender from the age of 3 and hiding her big secret to the World.  She was thrown into turmoil when her gender dysphoria increased dramatically, causing her to go on a voyage of discovery before finally admitting to herself that she is a transgender woman and that she needed to change her body.  

 

She then came out very publicly via a coming-out video which she posted on her social media and sent to all the clients of her photography business, risking her livelihood and reputation in the process.   This was a massive risk, as she had built up a great reputation over 31 years as one of the UK’s top photographers, photographing everything from royalty, to wars and riots.  She needn’t have worried though, as she was inundated with hundreds of messages of support.  This led to her vlogging about her transition journey in a very open, honest and humorous way, which makes the subject accessible to all.  Her story was picked up in the media and it wasn’t long before she was a regular in the radio and TV studios, becoming a trans ambassador along the way.

 

Katie formed Cool2BTrans to support and inspire other trans people and also to educate everyone else about trans people by showing them that trans people are just ordinary people who want to be happy - just like everyone else.  She helps organisations with diversity and inclusion by providing trans awareness training and inspirational speaking in an entertaining way, using humour to break down barriers.  

 

Katie appears regularly in the media, being on both ITV's and the BBC's lists of experts as well as being a BBC Sounds presenter.  She was awarded British Diversity Awards "Hero of the Year 2023", the Trans in the City "Trans Community Champion 2022 Award", the This is Us "Training & Development 2023 Award" and Fellowship of the Royal Society for Arts, Manufactures and Commerce.  She was a Diva Awards "Unsung Hero of the Year 2023" finalist and she was listed on the DIVA Power List 2023.

 

Participants and audience members will leave Katie’s uplifting talks and training feeling both entertained and educated.  Katie said “Many people focus on the negative aspects of being trans, but I prefer to approach the subject from a much more positive angle.  I am exactly the same person I was before my transition - but far happier!”

 

For more information about Katie, please visit her website at www.cool2btrans.co.uk - there are also more contact details for Katie available on our website.