Martin is proud to be a member of, and Chair of the Lived Experience Advisory Board for Recover with Pride. He started gambling at the age of 15, and it became an escape for him as he wrestled with sexuality, rejection and self-esteem. The addiction took hold of him and controlled his life for decades. During that time, it destroyed friendships and relationships and led him to prison. Recovery has been hard fought, but he hopes to use his lived experience to bring greater understanding and change, so that others know there is support available and that it is easily accessible to all.

Aidan is part of the LGBT community. He has lived experience of gambling harms, which he feels intersect with his identity. For him, it was the feeling of isolation as a gay teenager that drove him to use gambling as an escape and an outlet. Sadly, over time this only escalated and caused him far more problems than good.

Emma has lived experience of gambling harm. Her experience has had a significant impact on her life, including her finances, emotional wellbeing and relationships. Through her recovery, she has gained a much greater understanding of the challenges faced by people experiencing gambling-related harm, and how difficult it can be to seek support and make meaningful changes.

She joined the Advisory Board to use her lived experience constructively. She believes that people with direct experience of gambling harm should have a genuine opportunity to contribute to discussions about how services, support and policies can be improved.

Emma wants to help ensure that the experiences of people affected by gambling are properly heard and considered. She also hopes to bring a perspective that is honest, respectful and focused on achieving positive change.

Joining the Advisory Board is important to her because she wants her experience to have a purpose. Rather than allowing the difficulties she has experienced to define her, she hopes to use what she has learned to help others and contribute to improving the way gambling-related harm is understood and addressed.

She is committed to participating constructively, listening to the experiences of others and sharing her own perspective where she believes it can be of value. She sees the Advisory Board as an opportunity to make a meaningful contribution and help ensure that the voices of people with lived experience remain at the heart of its work.

Joshua is a queer person who has been living in Brighton & Hove since 2019 and has lived experience of engaging with recovery and recovery services in Brighton as a queer individual. They aim to use both their personal experience as an affected other and their professional experience of Brighton’s casino culture, policy and procedures to support community members impacted by gambling.

Lejeanne is a therapeutic coach and former NHS paramedic with over 25 years of experience supporting people through some of life’s most challenging moments. Following her career in frontline healthcare, she completed a Master’s degree in Domestic violence and Sexual abuse before specialising in trauma-informed therapeutic coaching, working with individuals affected by domestic abuse, relationship challenges, anxiety, grief, and gambling-related harm.

Lejeanne brings both professional expertise and personal family lived experience to the LGBTQ+ Lived Experience Board. Through her family’s experience of gambling-related harm within the LGBTQ+ community, she has developed a strong commitment to improving awareness, inclusion, and support for LGBTQ+ people. She has a particular interest in ensuring that services, research, and policy are informed by the voices of those with lived experience, and is committed to helping create more compassionate, accessible, and inclusive support for LGBTQ+ communities.

Rachael is a member of the Lived Experience Advisory Board as an affected other. Upon completing her doctoral studies, Rachael completed a JSPS Postdoctoral Fellowship in Kyoto, Japan, followed by a postdoctoral position at University College Cork and now works as a Research Fellow at Queen’s University Belfast and as the European Public Historian for the LGBTQ+ Religious Archives Network.

Rachael has been active in peacebuilding and volunteering in international efforts of solidarity, including extensive experience as a Council of Europe Human Rights Education trainer and facilitator across the EU and Eastern Partnership countries. Rachael led the pioneering European-wide research project “Rainbow Index of Christian Churches in Europe” both in 2020 and again in 2025 for the European Forum of LGBT Christian Groups. With a passion for interfaith activism, Rachael was honoured to be selected as a Fellow for Faith For Our Planet, as well as a Young Leader for Women Deliver. Most recently, Rachael was selected for the 2026 Fundamentals of LGBTQI+ Movement Building Program and the 2026 Advanced LGBTQI+ Leadership Program organised by the Carr-Ryan Center for Human Rights at the Harvard Kennedy School.

Rachael speaks English, Spanish, French, a little Arabic and signs fluently in British Sign Language.

Tvonia Thomas is a Virginia based advocate whose journey from gambling addiction to national activism embodies courage, honesty, and transformation. After years of struggling with compulsive gambling, an addiction that quietly reshaped her life and eroded her sense of self, Tvonia began her recovery by confronting the harm head on and seeking support. Her lived experience now fuels her commitment to protecting others from the financial and mental health harms caused by state sanctioned predatory gambling.

As a member of Stop Predatory Gambling, Tvonia works alongside national leaders to expose how commercialized gambling targets vulnerable people and extracts the majority of its profits from addiction. She has shared her story on platforms including Dr. Phil and ABC News, helping bring national attention to the urgent need for gambling policy reform. Tvonia is dedicated to ensuring that no one else endures the suffering she faced, and she continues to transform her experience into advocacy, hope, and meaningful change.

They brings specific experience to the lived experience advisory board around lootbox gambling.