Melanie Lynch

Founder, CEO & CREATIVE DIRECTOR

Melanie is a social entrepreneur and award-winning creative with a passion for justice, equality and storytelling. Starting a degree in Mathematics & Philosophy at Trinity College Dublin, she decided to take a detour and enrolled in art college, leading to a career working on iconic global brands and NGOs at some of the world's best advertising agencies in London and Paris.

On a career break she found herself in Kenya, where some soul searching sparked a new career direction that would enable her to apply her creativity and dynamism for the good of humanity. 

In 2016 she founded Herstory, spearheading Herstory on RTÉ -the first comprehensive women’s storytelling platform on Ireland’s national broadcaster; Blazing a Trail - the first women’s exhibition to tour the Irish Embassy network worldwide; and the campaign to make Brigid’s Day Ireland’s first national holiday named after a woman.

When Melanie’s not masterminding new arts education projects or swimming in the sea, she loves to put pen to paper. A Compassionate Feminist, she believes we can turn the war of the sexes into a dance to equality. On RTÉ Culture she explores her personal migration story and the inspiration behind our Movement project. A born naturalist, her quest for authentic stories led her to Borneo where she immersed in the indigenous Dayak culture and made lifelong friends with the guardians of the Borneo rainforest.

In 2024, Melanie started Our Story.

Emma is a registered Practitioner Psychologist with the Health and Care Professions Council, a Chartered Psychologist with the British Psychological Society and a member of the Association of Educational Psychologists. She has achieved a Doctorate in Applied Educational Psychology, prior to which she worked as a Primary School Teacher, a Nurture Group Teacher and a Montessori Teacher.

It is because of her passion and her wealth of training that she can offer a wide range of specialist support to Herstory. Emma prides herself on offering a fresh perspective and is emotionally invested in seeing positive change in Irish education.

Maria B. Bourke, is an Irish Personal Development Coach and Facilitator, creator of 321 Focus online program and My Kinda Magik Books and Affirmation Cards.

In 2000, Maria was a national finalist in the Young Businesswoman of the Year Awards. She then realised the ladder she was climbing was not only against the wrong wall, but it was also in the wrong building.

“I was living the life everyone else expected me to live. While I appeared outwardly to have it all, inside I was dying.”

In 2003 she signed up for a Personal and Business Coaching course for her own personal development, and the rest is #Herstory.

Caroline Stott

Youth Programme Designer

Caroline designs and facilitates personal development programmes and workshops for youth, education, and leadership. In her work with Herstory Caroline brings her innovative programme design and development skills, passion for equality, and dynamic workshop facilitation. For over 20 years she has designed and delivered leadership development training, and personal development programmes for women experiencing domestic abuse, children with serious illnesses, LGBTI+ youth, and young women exploring identity in Europe, America, Africa and SE Asia.

Caroline has a BA Hons in Arts Education, a postgraduate in Community Education, and a Diploma in Personal and Executive Coaching. Caroline currently works as a life and leadership coach, team development facilitator, and programme development specialist at CarolineStott.com. Caroline has admired the work of herstory since it began in 2016 and is delighted to be part of this movement.

Deirdre Hynds

Press Officer

Deirdre is a Public Relations and Branding Consultant, she has been running her own company (Sound PR) for the past 8 years, with a particular focus on working with clients and brands who adhere to a set of sustainable/ethical and/or organic principles and practices.

Deirdre studied Art History and English in UCD, which is where she also received her M.A in Anglo Irish Literature and Drama. Deirdre returned to college in 2017, and received an M.A in Consumer Psychology and Business in Bangor University, Wales, where she focused on advertising and branding practices focused specifically on female consumers, which formed the basis of her thesis; The Elephant in the Womb Conundrum: The Impact and Evolution of Language and Imagery Employed in Menstrual Care Product Advertising, which looked at nefarious and often outdated tropes (like shame, fear, anxiety and disgust) used by companies to sell menstrual care products.

Deirdre first met Melanie many moons ago, when Herstory was yet but a twinkle (albeit a very strong and bright twinkle!), and is delighted to be part of such an important movement.

SZABOLCS KARIKO

Art Director & Illustrator

Szabolcs KARIKO is a Hungarian born freelance graphic designer and illustrator living in Paris. After a career in advertising for more than 10 years, he offers a multidisciplinary approach to design. Today he works with commercial clients and NGOs. His wanderings in the complimentary fields of illustration, graphic design and 3D rendering give him a global vision of creativity. Convinced that art is a powerful tool to address the people, through his work he amplifies the voice of minorities and champions gender equality, social justice and an end to homelessness. Szabolcs has been involved with Herstory as a graphic designer since the beginning. In 2018 he created the portraits of the Irish diaspora heroines for the Blazing a Trail exhibition, which has toured from Epic The Irish Emigration Museum in Dublin across the Irish Embassy network worldwide. His natural curiosity ensures he keeps an open mind. As an expatriate he finds his inspirations in travel and meeting new people of different cultures.

Zara Meadows is a writer from the Greater Shankill in Belfast whose work has been published widely in magazines across the UK and Ireland, such as The Stinging Fly, Banshee, bath magg, Fourteen Poems, and Trumpet. Zara is the incumbent President of the Queen’s University Writers’ Society, and she will enter her final year of an English with Creative Writing degree there in September.

Niamh McNally is a Belfast-based poet and activist. She completed her Masters in UU and was co-creator and editor of The Paperclip, a student-led publication. Her poetry can be found in The Tulsa Review, Howl: New Irish Writing, and Tir na nOg. Niamh's work has featured on the BBC and in two climate crisis/human rights films, 'It Seems' and 'Defining Hope'.