Trish Carpenter is an educator, a speaker, and a bereaved mother.

Trish has worked tirelessly in the creation of professional development workshops focused on the support of people struggling through grief and trauma. Her Compassionate Leadership Workshops have been building capacity in leaders who are keen to support their staff and teams going through challenging life experiences. For leaders in business and in schools, skills in empathy, psychological safety and emotional intelligence are crucial to creating supportive work environments.

Trish has also been working as a peer bereavement mentor with the QLD Children’s Hospital and Hummingbird House and is a fierce advocate for bereavement support and paediatric childhood cancer research.

In addition to this work, Trish’s love of writing brings forth her story which immortalises her son’s courageous spirit set against the heartbreak of childhood cancer, brain injury, palliative care and grief in the book, Big Hand, Little Hand. The book is for any reader who is looking for insight, inspiration or simply to be moved by a story of love and hope.

Trish is passionate about finding meaning in the journey she has been on with her son Thomas and hopes this story brings some comfort and resonance to other families caring for children with cancer.