After completing a degree and postgraduate studies in Community and Youth Work, I began my career in Public Health, cutting my teeth in 1990s HIV prevention, sexual health, substance use, and youth services. By the end of the decade I was Cumbria’s Teenage Pregnancy Co-ordinator, a role that inspired my master’s research into substance use and risk-taking behaviours. I later moved to Blackpool to tackle its exceptionally high smoking-in-pregnancy rates, developing strategies to identify, reduce, and sustain quits throughout pregnancy and beyond. I was privileged to design a pioneering incentive scheme that, after successful local trials, was adopted across the North West, North East, and beyond.