Jo worked as an occupational therapist for twenty years, specialising in helping people with neurological conditions regain their independence. During this time, she completed her PhD research (UCL) and developed an innovative vocational rehabilitation service for people with Multiple Sclerosis (UCLH). Her research emphasised that a supportive community is a critical element in any rehabilitation journey.

Jo’s personal desire for community deepened as she and her husband, Jez, became parents—first to a son, and then they were surprised by twin daughters. With three children under three, life was undeniably chaotic, but they quickly realised that embracing this chaos and doing life with others was essential. What began as inviting local families to share meals in their home evolved into something much larger; they began sharing their home in Bristol. Over the past ten years, they have welcomed more than 30 amazing people into their home (for between 1 – 7 years), sharing lives and growing together.

While serving as a governor at her children’s school, Jo began to question whether the traditional school environment truly allowed children—and the hard-working teachers—to thrive. In 2017, Jo and Jez decided to deregister their children from mainstream school for a year of home education. What they found was transformative: their children rediscovered their passion for learning, rekindled their creativity, and became energised and curious. They haven’t looked back since.

Home educating further opened Jo’s eyes to the power of community. Though the journey started off as a lonely one, their home education network gradually expanded. In response to this growing desire for community and not wanting others to walk a lonely path, Jo co-founded Streams Education in 2021—a national community to support home-educated families. She feels privileged to work with an amazing team as they slowly grow this national community.

Learning from the teams at Lumiar, UK and Learn Life, Barcelona, Jo explored the possibility of starting a progressive school in Bristol. Realising how challenging opening a formal school would be, she changed direction and used this experience and insight to help co-found the first Streams Learning Hub with Fabienne and Caroline . The Hub is a co-learning space where young people can gather and participate in workshops and events, as well as connect with online and global educational opportunities. Now in it’s second year it continues to learn with the young people and continues collaborating with other partners to open up further opportunities within the city.

In her free time, Jo enjoys spending time with family and friends, walking her dog, cooking meals to share with family and friends, and practicing yoga. She is deeply passionate about community and collaboration, and this passion is at the heart of Streams.