Starting my own recruitment agency was never really the plan.

I’d spent 16 years working in education recruitment, an industry I’ve always loved, but life had taken me somewhere I could never have imagined, and I knew I couldn’t simply return to the life I’d known before.

After losing two of my children, everything had changed.

And I knew something needed to change for me, too.

I needed a sense of purpose that went beyond being a wife and a mum. Not because my family wasn’t enough, but because I needed something for myself. Something I could build, work towards and feel a sense of achievement from.

So much of what had happened in my life over the last 5 years in particular that had been completely outside my control. I wanted something where I could make decisions, set goals, work hard and see what I could achieve.

And that’s where Heart of Supply began.

What’s in a name?

I’ve always believed that the people working in our schools are at the heart of education. Teachers, teaching assistants and support staff make an enormous difference to children’s lives every single day, and I’ve always loved being part of an industry that supports them.

But the name Heart of Supply has another meaning, one that’s incredibly personal to me.

I’m a mum to four boys. Three of my children were born with congenital heart disease, and devastatingly, I’ve lost two of my sons.

The word heart is for them. For all four of my boys, who are at the centre of everything I do.

It’s a meaning that won’t necessarily be obvious when someone first hears our name, but it’s one that will always be there.

Looking to the future

Of course, I want Heart of Supply to be successful. I want to build a business that schools and educators enjoy working with, that my team feels proud to be part of and that continues to grow.

But I have ambitions that go beyond recruitment.

Heart of Supply is a local business, built around the schools, educators and communities we work with every day. I’ve always believed in the importance of supporting the communities around us, and as the business grows, I’d love to be able to give more back to the people and places that have supported us along the way.

One of my biggest hopes is to reach a point where we can make meaningful contributions to medical research each year, helping to improve outcomes for children living with serious medical conditions, both within our local communities and further afield.

I’d also love to find ways to support and educate families navigating some of the most frightening and difficult moments of their lives. Families who, like ours, have found themselves facing circumstances they could never have imagined.

Having lived through those experiences myself, I know just how much research, information and support can mean to a family.

It’s something I feel incredibly passionate about, and something I hope Heart of Supply will one day allow me to do on a meaningful scale.

Because while recruitment will always be at the heart of what we do, I’d love for the business to make a difference beyond the classroom, too.

More than a business

Heart of Supply has given me something I didn’t realise quite how much I needed.

A new challenge. A sense of achievement. Something to work towards and feel proud of.

I’m not the most confident person you’ll ever meet, and starting a business has pushed me well beyond what I’d previously have been brave enough to put myself forward for. I’ve learned an enormous amount, not just about running a business, but about myself and what I’m capable of.

It hasn’t changed what happened to our family, and it never will. But it’s given me the opportunity to build something positive alongside everything we’ve been through.

And perhaps that’s why it means quite as much as it does.

It’s a business built on years of experience, relationships and a love for education. Rooted in our local community, shaped by my own experiences and driven by the hope that, one day, we can make a difference in ways that extend far beyond recruitment.

And I’m incredibly proud of what we’re building.