Samantha McGowan
Sam is a mother and a communications specialist. She is passionate about using her skills to bring the powerful benefits of creative journaling to as many people as possible and to share and connect over honest experiences of pregnancy, birth and new parenthood.
Biography
Sam is a mother and a communications specialist. She is passionate about using her skills to bring the powerful benefits of creative journaling to as many people as possible and to share and connect over honest experiences of pregnancy, birth and new parenthood.
Sam grew up in south London, and after graduating from Goldsmiths with a degree in Communications and Sociology she spent more than a decade working on creative campaigns that bring underreported stories to light. She has worked at WaterAid as part of its award-winning communications team, has produced international film and photo shoots, established a storytelling programme in Nepal and Zambia and trained communications staff around the world.
She devised and produced creative projects to support women’s and girls’ rights around menstruation in Nepal, the stories of which were widely shared online. She also worked in Kathmandu developing communications strategies and materials to influence national-level policy changes.
She signed up to a Maternal Journal workshop in London in 2017 while pregnant and loved it; up to this point most conversations revolved around nappy sizes, key milestones and sleeping bag togs – all of which are important points but there is more to discuss. After her son was born, Sam was surprised at how little space there really is to process emotions and connect over these shared experiences; she truly believes Maternal Journal goes a long way to addressing this gap in our culture. From there, she felt inspired to use her communications skills to help bring the project to life with a plan to reach as many people as possible with the positive effects of creative journaling.
Alongside Laura Godfrey-Isaacs, Sam is the author of a book that embodies the Maternal Journal ethos and movement.
Books
Maternal Journal
MATERNAL JOURNAL is an easy-to-use and beautifully illustrated book helping readers explore their creative voice and develop a regular journaling practice using artistic tools and techniques that fit in with everyday parenting.