Sophie Caldecott
—writer for the courageous, compassionate, & curious
I grew up in the fairytale city of Oxford, England, and I’ve been a writer and lover of words ever since I could first scribble; one of my earliest memories is of sitting under my mother’s desk, filling notebook after notebook with squiggles in an effort to copy what she was doing. I used to borrow her Dictaphone and wander around the house recording a running commentary on everything I saw, interviewing my sisters, their friends, the pet guinea pig—anyone I could persuade to stay still for long enough.
I vividly remember the moment that I first realised I could read; the moment that the words on a page swam into meaning before my eyes, and the accompanying joy of the realisation that whole new worlds had been suddenly opened up to me. As a child, I was constantly living in fantastical imaginary places, writing stories and poems and inventing languages.
To me, story-telling of every kind is one of the most fascinating, enjoyable, and important things in the world.
When we read or write someone’s story, we get to step outside of ourselves for a moment and see the world through someone else’s eyes. We are called to imagine and empathise, and our hearts and minds are expanded in the process. In our increasingly divided world, we need to learn to listen to—and meaningfully engage with—each other more urgently than ever.
The greater purpose behind my work is to tell stories that matter—whether that's by helping further the work of others through copywriting and consultancy, or my own work in freelance journalism, creative writing, and fiction. For as long as I can remember I have dreamed of seeing the magical little words, "by Sophie", on the cover of a book, and I'm determined to make this dream a reality some day soon.
After studying English Literature as an undergraduate, I got my Masters in Magazine Journalism at City University in London, before going on to figure out how to build myself a career doing what I love.
Having written my Masters dissertation on ethical fashion, I pursued my passion for this field further as a section editor for the Ethical Fashion Forum’s online magazine, Source, in 2011. Following multiple internships both in the magazine industry as well as the charity sector, I worked for a while in marketing and copywriting for a charity consultancy. In 2014 I joined the team at Verily magazine, first working on headlines and growth, and then eventually moving on to work for them full time in editorial growth strategy and management.
I believe that anything and everything that makes life worth living—beauty, community, culture—is worth our time and attention.
I try to draw attention to the positive, not because I don’t see the negative or believe it needs calling out, but because I think optimism and hope are usually more empowering than the cynicism. This is a daily choice I fight to make, in spite of (rather than due to a lack of) daily struggles and stresses. I believe that being open-hearted and emotionally honest requires far more strength and courage than looking like you have it all together, and that intentional vulnerability empowers others to be vulnerable when they need to be, in turn.
I'm interested in people and projects fighting to make the world a fairer, kinder, healthier, and happier place for everyone.
I believe in the importance of empathy and engaging with other perspectives; you’ll always find me arguing against the dehumanisation of our fellow human beings (even the ones I passionately disagree with), because when we start to see others as monsters, we lose a little of our own humanity.
I started working as a freelance journalist, copywriter, and digital marketing consultant in 2017, and I live and work alongside life with my husband and two daughters in the South West of England. In between my paid work and escapades with my little ones, I'm also working on my passion project, A Better Place Journal (a website dedicated to sustainable fashion, that's currently undergoing some big changes), as well as writing short stories and poetry.
I try to be intentional about my life and work, and allow myself to be guided by intuition.
My personal definition of “intuitive work” is making intentional choices about how you spend your time and attention, remaining rooted in your purpose at all times, and allowing data and experience to inform and train your instinct so that you can go about your work in a way that feels both wise and natural. This is how I try to run my own business, and this philosophy is reflected in my work for others, too.
A few of the publications I've written for over the years…
