Putting people
at the centre
always…
Hi I’m Sue, and I established the Better Together Collective in 2020.
I’m a co-design and working with enthusiast: passionate about putting people at the heart of policy, health service reform, and product design & development.
With over 10 years experience in mental health and wellbeing in management, leadership, advocacy, and advisory roles. My experience includes local health services, state + federal bodies, national consultancies, private companies, university research projects, and joint ventures
My lived + professional experience grounds my work embedding lived experience led approaches into the design, development and delivery of products, services and systems for communities.
I know only too well the blood, sweat and tears that go into encouraging, educating and supporting organisations to mature their engagement approaches away from buzzwords and tokenism towards meaningful results where everyone benefits.
Along the way I have cheered + been cheered on by a strong supportive network of exceptional people + practitioners who also recognise the value of lived experience engagement (in its many forms and names). Folks who are committed to working in ways that genuinely puts people at the centre, in order to bring about meaningful change - I love these friends of working with.
So I decided to build a place with + for us all. .
An online place to celebrate, advance and build on great practice. In ways that build community not competition.
I collaborate with a lovely crew of tip top humans and talented practitioners who believe in this work as much as I do, and who bring complementary skills and expertise to the services we offer (you can check out their bios below).
It’s called the Better Together Collective because I truly believe that when people see beyond their differences + come together with curiosity about the things that matter, real and powerful change can happen for the common good.
Are you a friend of working with too?
It’s great to meet you!!
Subscribe below, and let’s stay in touch.
Collaborators
Maria Tchan
Maria (she/her) and I have worked together across various sectors and settings over the past decade. The founder of Iota Impact, Maria is a highly skilled facilitator and experienced healthcare professional, evaluation consultant and service manager with over 20 years’ experience in community consultation, Aboriginal health, and mental health.
Maria has a Master of Public Health and holds memberships with Australian Evaluation Society and Social Impact Measurement Network Association.
Through Common Ground Projects, Maria and I use our combined skill sets to team up on work that brings organisations and their people together to find common ground, build meaningful partnerships and make good things happen.
Read more about our Common Ground here.
KA McKercher
KA McKercher (them/they) is the proprietor of Beyond Sticky Notes and an internationally recognised design leader. KA is the author of ‘Beyond Sticky Notes: Doing Co-design for Real’, a proud LGBTQIA+ person of Pākehā descent, and an all round exceptional human.
We collaborate on participatory design projects that are aligned with our combined 20+ years of experience across a wide range of primary, secondary and community and Indigenous-led health settings across Australia and New Zealand.
Creatives I love working with …
Nina Sepahpour
Nina (she/her) is a Melbourne based textile designer and illustrator. Her magnificent handiwork adorns many WithUs covers and Better Together resources.
Ellen Muller
Ellen (she/her) is a freelance writer, zine and collage queen. Ellen brings out the best in every WithUs article, and makes each issue shine.