About

Building Brighter Futures Through Shared Wisdom

Experts Through Experience fosters empowerment and inclusion by valuing lived experiences, driving positive change, and creating opportunities for growth and advocacy within communities.

Our Story

Who We Are: Born from Experience, Built for Change

Experts through Experience is a grassroots Community Interest Company that was created by people with different lived experiences, skills and knowledge who share a common vision that listening and understanding people’s experiences of living in a community, using and delivering services can fuel constructive conversations, create understanding and meaningful positive change.

Why Lived Experience Matters

We believe that support services, organisations and projects should be born out of, driven by and evaluated through the experiences and needs of the people that use these services.

At Experts through Experience, we work with people facing social exclusion to articulate their life experiences in a way which is meaningful and beneficial to them, their peers, the organisations who provide them with services and the wider community they live in.

By doing this we empower and enable people to become:

  • Self-Advocates
  • Advocate for their peers,
  • Evaluators of Services
  • Creators of social change
  • Social entrepreneurs

The KEEP Values That Guide Us

As well as Artists, Musicians, Actors, Writers, Producers, dances, movers and, shakers, employees. employers, leaders, and game changers…. all through the power of their experiences

All the work we do is underpinned by the values we KEEP:

  • Kindness – we understand that using and providing services to people is often very hard and can be very difficult, we give people the space they need to articulate their experiences, reflect on these experiences, take positive action as a result of them.
  • Empathy – we want to really listen and understand the experiences of the people we work with. We understand that this is the only way that we can make meaningful changes in services and communities
  • Empowerment – we believe that people have the power to change and influence the world they live in and can influence and make changes to the services they use. We support people and organisations to be able to articulate and receive this information in a positive.
  • Positive appreciation refers to the act of recognising and valuing the positive aspects of someone’s actions, behaviour.  or contributions. It involves acknowledging and  for Experts throughexpressing gratitude or admiration for the good qualities or efforts of an individual or group. This can help boost morale, encourage continued positive behaviour, and foster a supportive and encouraging environment. In the context of Experts through Experience, positive appreciation is about empowering people to articulate and reflect on their experiences in a way that leads to positive action and change.

Empowering Voices, Transforming Communities

Meet the passionate individuals driving change in their communities.

Rachel Worsley

Creative Director

If there were an Olivier Award for championing change, Rachel Worsley would have
a mantelpiece groaning under the weight. Graduating from Liverpool John Moores
University in 2007 with a BA Hons degree in Drama, Rachel quickly combined the
stage’s limelight with something even brighter: the power to transform lives through
creativity. Her passport is as worn as her scripts—she’s an experienced actor,
workshop facilitator, and producer who has delivered theatre and creative projects
not just across the UK, but internationally (she’s racked up more air miles than a
West End double bill).
With over 15 years of unleashing artistry within both the mainstream and the least
likely of places—yes, even behind bars—Rachel’s expertise stretches from the front
row to the prison floor. As a qualified life coach and mentor, she’s led her own social
enterprise, No Place Productions, since 2014, spearheading innovation in the
criminal justice system and advocating for real, lasting change. If you want someone
who believes in the power of second (and third) acts, Rachel’s your leading lady.
A fervent believer in rehabilitation, resettlement, and the kind of reimagining that
would impress even Shakespeare, Rachel knows first-hand how creative arts can
spark confidence, resilience, and self-worth. At Experts Through Experience, she
deftly takes the strategic reins, ensuring that support, training, and coaching aren’t
just buzzwords but real, tangible pathways for people making their mark in the
creative industries—especially for those with lived experience of the justice system.
Proudly Scouse, Rachel lives in Liverpool with her husband and their children, who
are no doubt as quick with a quip as she is. She brings heart, humour, and hope to
everything she does. Whether she’s directing, producing, or coaching, Rachel
doesn’t just open doors—she kicks them wide open and invites everyone in.

Patrick Hemington

Director

Joe Hemington

Managing Director

Meet Joe Hemington: Managing Director of Experts Through Experience, community
trailblazer, and connoisseur of proper Yorkshire tea (unofficial title). Joe has spent
over two decades rolling up his sleeves in the voluntary and community sector,
fearlessly co-producing services that don’t just tick boxes, but rewrite them
entirely—particularly around employment, enterprise, and empowerment.
With an unrivalled knack for collaboration, Joe has worked in the thick of things with
users and providers in employment and skills, community health, and community
cohesion. His life’s work? Making sure the voices of people from groups that are too
often left out aren’t just heard—they’re at the centre of the conversation.
Disabled since birth and a wheelchair user, Joe doesn’t just talk about inclusion—he
personifies it. His lived experience means he knows exactly what it’s like to be on
both sides of the service system, bringing invaluable wisdom (and a healthy dose of
common sense) to everything he does.
When he’s not championing community transformation, Joe can be found out and
about with Stacey, his beloved wife, and Oakley, their canine co-pilot, hunting down
hidden corners and secret spots for their next adventure. Home is where the
heart—and laughter—is: Joe shares life with Stacey, his sister-in-law Sam, and has
the immense privilege of supporting and cheering on Sam as she raises her three
wonderful children: Amelia, Elliot, and Ilizah.
Joe believes in empowering people, building connections, and bringing everyone
along for the journey—preferably with good company and a dog or two in tow.

Empowering Lives Through Shared Experiences

Discover inspiring stories from participants who have transformed their lives and communities with our support.

Being part of this initiative gave me the confidence to share my story and create lasting change.

Alex Rivera

Community Advocate

The kindness and understanding I received here made me feel heard, valued, and empowered to take action.

Samantha Lee

Social Impact Leader