Finding My Voice
I’ve finally made it into the digital world. Yes, I know everyone else arrived sometime around 2009, but I like to make an entrance. I’m Ian, and this little piece of the internet isn’t just for me to mutter into the void. It’s an invitation to talk about the things that inform me, irritate me, delight me, and occasionally make me question whether humanity is doing alright.
I’ve spent most of my life on the front lines of change. From the Anti‑Nazi and Gay Rights campaigns of my youth to today’s climate movement, I’ve always had a habit of running toward the fire rather than away from it.
The value of difference
Another part of my story and one I’m finally ready to talk about without needing a stiff drink, is my late diagnosis of Autism and ADHD. For years, I hid in the comforting logic of mathematics because I didn’t trust my writing. I wrote constantly, but always with the nagging sense that I was doing it wrong, like everyone else had been handed a secret manual I somehow missed.
Fast‑forward through a lot of study, a lot of life, even a published book in 2024 and I’ve made peace with the way my brain works. The tangents, the intensity, the occasional chaos it’s all part of the package. I’d rather show up as my unfiltered self than stay quiet and regret it later.
Recently, I came across a post from Caroline Ross (Uncivil Savant on Substack) that felt like someone had cracked open my skull and taken notes:
“Writing is not only for writers; language is for us all, the makers, the movers, the quiet ones and the prophets. When language works at its best it embraces the real, has its feet on the ground and is not full of tricks.”
Which is lucky, because tricks have never been my strong suit.
A unique lens
My writing will follow a few threads. As the Director of Joseph Victor Limited, an ESG consultancy, I’ll be exploring the work of quantifying change, measuring social capital, and proving that purpose and profitability can get along, like two siblings who finally stop fighting long enough to realise they’re on the same team.
I hope this blog becomes an extension of the conversations I have with people who share these beliefs. A place where questioning the status quo isn’t seen as rebellious or exhausting, just the natural starting point for anyone who wants the world to work a little better than it currently does.
