…and awoke wearing the face of a stranger.

As Kathy struggled to regain her face and life as she had known it, a whole new understanding began to emerge of who she was and what it means to succeed. Hers is a story of courage and determination, of mistakes made and lessons learned. It tells of a woman confronted with the most profound of changes who learns to transform her loss into a journey of self discovery.

Her book, ‘Losing Face; A Memoir Of Lost Identity And Self Discovery’, offers a deeply intimate view of the patient experience – one that is often hidden by more visible physical trauma – while exploring issues of identity that lie hidden behind the image we present to the world.

It tells of her extraordinary struggle to regain her face and sense of self, and has featured in most major N.Z. and Australian magazines. She has been interviewed live on radio and television in New Zealand and Australia about her experience as a patient, the importance of the doctor/patient relationship, and about issues of personal identity beyond the ‘faces’ we all wear in the world.

As an Inspirational Guest and Keynote Speaker, Kathy has two distinct audiences. Medical professionals seeking to improve the quality and safety of healthcare services through a better understanding of the patient experience gain valuable insights from Kathy’s unique dual perspective as a psychologist and patient. Corporate and community organizations are inspired to discover their own hidden resources as they face unwelcome changes in their professional and personal lives.

Kathy is a psychologist, an international author and professional speaker. A former journalist and magazine columnist, her story featured on TV’s ‘60 Minutes’ and was so well received that it was nominated for a Media Peace Award.