Justine Hardy: Writer, Trauma Therapist, Charity Founder

Justine Hardy: conference keynote, educational talks, after dinner

#MentalHealth   #Leadership   #ConflictTrauma   #Wellbeing #Creativity   #Writing

Justine Hardy is a journalist and commentator with many years experience of South Asia. She is also a trauma therapist, specializing in conflict trauma.  Justine founded an integrated health foundation in Kashmir with outreach centres around the state, a suicide helpline, a mental health primary care programme, paramedic training, mental health models in schools and a national and interenational internship programme. Justine speaks and lectures regularly to audiences ranging from prestigious universities, international companies to The Oslo Freedom Forum.

Justine is the author of seven books ranging in subject from war to Hindi film, and several books, including Scoop-Wallah and The Valley of Mist have been serialised on BBC Radio 4.  Her latest book is Dust, a novel about Kate, who chooses to leave rural England to work in Pakistan. When she disappears, these two worlds collide in the search for a lost aid worker.

Justine is available for speaking engagements worldwide and she tailors each presentation following a telephone briefing call to suit the client’s event and audience.  Recent talks have included events at The Oslo Freedom Forum, The NHS Confederation in the UK, New York University (Gallatin School), The Institute for Global Leadership at Tufts University (where Justine has been appointed an Inspire Fellow) and SOAS (School of Oriental and African Studies, London).  

'Exceptional.  The feedback I am getting is outstanding... you literally blew us away.'

Staffordshire Police

 ‘Her sessions here are a tour de force - intellectual and accessible.’
Institute of Global Leadership, Tufts University, Boston

‘You made me smell and taste Kashmir again after so long – a thousand thanks…’

Joanna Lumley

'I just wanted to thank you for your speech for the EY Mental Health Group.  Judging by the significant numbr of questions you had, you clearly hit the right note with the group and gave a very candid speech.  Thanks for your support driving greater awareness of mental health.'

Ernst & Young LLP

Justine is a director of the NGO in India that she wrote about in her book Goat. Development Research and Action Group sets up schools in slum areas of Delhi have been over-looked by the bigger international agencies, usually because of the problems of slum politics. After the earthquake in Kashmir in October 2005 Justine worked with a local NGO in Kashmir rebuilding homes, schools, and medical centres in some of the worst effected areas, as well as moving into conflict mediation.

Having completed her training in conflict trauma therapy across a fifteen year period, in 2008, Justine founded Healing Kashmir (now the Healing Minds Foundation) an integrated mental health project addressing the debilitating mental health situation in the region.  While training in mental health Justine worked with New Bridge in the UK for twenty-two years, a foundation working on the rehabilitation of life sentence prisoners before release.

Justine has been studying Eastern philosophy, yoga, and conflict trauma all through her adult life. She teaches yoga and philosophy in the UK and in India.

‘Justine is a gifted communicator, speaking with compassion, humility and immense knowledge, she gives a voice to the voiceless, painting a poignant image of Kashmir that broadly applies to all who are suffering in conflict regions. With intelligence, confidence, and infectious passion, Justine captivates her audience, illuminating the challenges faced by different cultures around the world and highlighting our humanity, reminding us not to abandon each other.’
Oslo Freedom Forum

‘Exceptional. The feedback I am getting is outstanding… you literally blew us away.’
Staffordshire Police

‘As a public communicator, Justine speaks with a grace and authority and her humanity shines through. Living amidst the Kashmiri community allows her to speak with a voice of integrity and honesty that reveals the depth of her experience and a knowledge of the people.’

Director Middle East Programme Oxford Research Group

‘Justine brings a high level of professionalism, depth knowledge and warmth to her programmes .  She has an authority, honour and dignity that captures her audience and carries them into her subject, whether she is moderating, interviewing or speaking about her own work in Kashmir. ‘
Adrienne Loftus Parkins, Founder & Director of The Festival of Asian Literature at Asia House

‘Justine Hardy came to the Fashion Institute of Technology, a school with a highly creative student body, and succeeded in being more creative than her audience.  Her background in psychology, and her innovative approach to her presentation left both students and faculty mesmerized.  She was thoughtful and thought-provoking at the same time.  A number of students said that they left the lecture feeling very inspired.’  Fashion Institute of Technology, New York

 

‘Her sessions here are a tour de force - intellectual and accessible…’ Institute of Global Leadership, Tufts University, Boston

 ‘You made me smell and taste Kashmir again after so long – a thousand thanks…’  Joanna Lumley

Justine Hardy is the author of books ranging in subject from war to Hindi film

The Ochre Border, 1995, was about the reopening of the Tibetan frontier-lands.

Her second, Scoop-Wallah, 1999, was the story of her time as a journalist on an Indian newspaper in Delhi. It was short-listed for the Thomas Cook/Daily Telegraph Travel Book Award 2000 and serialised on BBC Radio 4.

Goat: A Story of Kashmir and Notting Hill, 2000, was an inside look at life in Kashmir and Notting Hill, a warzone and a white hot corner of London drawn together by the latter’s obsession with the fine pashmina weave of the Kashmir Valley. This was also serialised on BBC Radio 4.

Bollywood Boy, 2002, was an international bestseller in which the Hindi film industry was the vehicle for a closer look at the obsession with fame as it crept West to East, and the darker side of an industry pumping out high-octane escapism for an audience of over a billion.

The Wonder House, 2005, is a novel set in Kashmir against the background of the conflict, and based on Justine’s experience of frontline coverage, time spent in militant training camps, and amongst the extremists. It was short-listed for the Author’s Club best first novel in 2006.

In the Valley of Mist, 2009, a return to non-fiction and the subject of Kashmir, charts the first twenty years of the conflict there through the prism of Kashmiri family life. It was also broadcast on BBC Radio 4’s Book of the Week, and it was Runner-Up for the Dayton Literary Peace Prize in 2010. 

Dust, 2021, is a novel set in the aid world of Pakistan and the UK.

Justine’s books have been translated into a wide range of languages, from Hindi and Serbian.  Justine's books are available through your local bookshop and also online here Justine Hardy on Amazon

Inspirational Speaker, Writer, Conflict Trauma Therapist & Mental Health Charity Founder

Justine Hardy is a journalist and commentator for twenty-four years, many of those spent covering South Asia. She is also a trauma therapist, specializing in conflict trauma. Justine speaks and lectures regularly across a spectrum of venues and audiences, ranging from The Royal Geographical Society to The Oslo Freedom Forum.

Justine is the author of seven books ranging in subject from war to Hindi film: The Ochre Border, 1995, was about the reopening of the Tibetan frontier-lands. Her second, Scoop-Wallah, 1999, was the story of her time as a journalist on an Indian newspaper in Delhi. It was short-listed for the Thomas Cook/Daily Telegraph Travel Book Award 2000 and serialised on BBC Radio 4. Goat: A Story of Kashmir and Notting Hill, 2000, was an inside look at life in Kashmir and Notting Hill, a warzone and a white hot corner of London drawn together by the latter’s obsession with the fine pashmina weave of the Kashmir Valley. This was also serialised on BBC Radio 4. Bollywood Boy, 2002, was an international bestseller in which the Hindi film industry was the vehicle for a closer look at the obsession with fame as it crept West to East, and the darker side of an industry pumping out high-octane escapism for an audience of over a billion. The Wonder House, 2005, is a novel set in Kashmir against the background of the conflict, and based on Justine’s experience of frontline coverage, time spent in militant training camps, and amongst the extremists. It was short-listed for the Author’s Club best first novel in 2006. In the Valley of Mist, 2009, a return to non-fiction and the subject of Kashmir, charts the first twenty years of the conflict there through the prism of Kashmiri family life. It was also broadcast on BBC Radio 4’s Book of the Week, and it was Runner-Up for the Dayton Literary Peace Prize in 2010.  Justine’s books have been translated into a wide range of languages, from Hindi and Serbian.

Justine also writes for The Financial Times, The Times, and Condé Nast magazines, including Vanity Fair and Condé Nast Traveler. She also writes for The Times of India, and a wide range of other publications in India, the UK and US.

As a documentary maker and presenter she started at Channel 4 in 1996 on BAFTA-nominated series Urban Jungle. She has worked on several BBC strands in India for both BBC and BBC World. Justine was a presenter on Travel TV for four years. She was a co-presenter with Jerry Hall on a series about Eastern philosophy’s journey West for BBC.

Justine is a director of the NGO in India that she wrote about in Goat. Development Research and Action Group sets up schools in slum areas of Delhi that have been over-looked by the bigger international agencies, usually because of the problems of slum politics. After the earthquake in Kashmir in October 2005 Justine worked with a local NGO in Kashmir rebuilding homes, schools, and medical centres in some of the worst effected areas, as well as moving into conflict mediation. Having completed her training in conflict trauma therapy across a fifteen year period, Justine founded Healing Kashmir in 2008, an integrated mental health project addressing the debilitating mental health situation in the region. This project is now expanding rapidly, with a main health centre, outreach programmes, a suicide helpline, and a leadership programme. While training in mental health Justine worked with New Bridge in the UK for twenty-two years, a foundation working on the rehabilitation of life sentence prisoners before release.

Justine is available for speaking engagements worldwide and she tailors each presentation to suit the client’s brief.  Recent talks have included events at The Oslo Freedom Forum, New York University (Gallatin School), The Institute for Global Leadership at Tufts University (where Justine has been appointed an Inspire Fellow) and SOAS (School of Oriental and African Studies, London).  Justine gave a keynote talk alongside Aung San Suu Kii at a forum in San Francisco in 2012.

Justine has been studying Eastern philosophy, yoga, and conflict trauma all through her adult life. She teaches yoga and philosophy in the UK and in India.

'Justine takes a subject that we think we know, and turns it on its head. Both hugely entertaining and very wise she is too.’
P.J O’Rourke