ANNETTE

Annette is a slightly weird (she prefers quirky) 48 year old peri-menopausal purveyor of positivity, who entered the tunnel of perimenopause two years ago and has managed to step into the intermittent shards of light, gaining symptom relief through use of HRT, listening to inspirational podcasts and gorging herself on regular helpings of mashed potato. She walks like a slightly inebriated baby elephant and manages to bring this unique selling point into most of her Instagram stories.

Her greatest desire would be for us all to try to walk in the shoes of each other even if we have to screw up our toes to do so. She believes that a compassionate world is fundamental to the creation of a calm and benign home for all our future generations and tries hard through practice and learning to exemplify that in her own behaviours, albeit with a few sporadic, uttered expletives on the way.

In a similar way to Chandler from Friends, she has a position as a full-time transponster and has been doing this for 25 years. When not transponstering you can find her writing insulting poems for friends and family, watching Blood Brothers at the theatre for the 10th + time with her daughter or chasing her puppy around the back garden shouting “wee wee!”

CLAIRE

Claire is a 45-year old self-proclaimed passionista, life-liver and hot mess. She loves humans and beasts alike and has an unwavering crush on tea, words and all things relating to human brain development. 

She would love to live in a world where empathy is inevitable and contagious, where acceptance, curiosity and compassion are the hallmarks on which to base our moral decisions and where gin and Jaffa cakes are considered dietary staples. 

As a translator with more than 20 years of experience, she runs her own business and has had her translation work published on numerous occasions. 

When she’s not writing or translating, you can find her whipping up a delicious crispy bacon sandwich, pumping weights in the gym or acting as chief negotiator between her two boys.