Member Spotlight
Meet Stacey Hossell —a passionate screenwriter and parent-carer balancing family, creativity, and personal growth. She’s currently in a screenwriting program and recently joined our Small, Powerful Groups trip to India, gaining new inspiration for her storytelling and advocacy.
Q1: What inspired you to start your business, and what keeps you motivated?
I recently put my business on the back burner while I focus on a screenwriting programme with the National Film and Television School. ‘Closed’ sounds too final - it’s more of a temporary pause. As part of the programme, I visit the BBC Scotland HQ regularly to meet with my fellow screenwriters, our tutor and key industry professionals. In a few months, I’ll be pitching one of my scripts to people from Channel 4, Netflix and other major platforms.
I wasn’t even technically qualified for this course - it’s postgraduate level, and I failed my Higher English (some of you might have guessed!). But my passion for the topics I write about was so evident in my script submission that they threw the rulebook out and offered me a spot. It still feels surreal.
Q2: Every journey has its challenges. What’s been your biggest hurdle, and how did you push through it?
My biggest challenge is being a mum to four children, three of whom have disabilities. Trying to balance their health needs with ‘normal’ life often feels impossible. They each have different challenges - one could break their spine if they sneeze too hard, one has no sense of danger and struggles with loud noises, and another finds any change to their routine unbearable.
Finding activities we can all do together safely is tough, but the heartache I’ve experienced has pushed me to help others in similar situations. I really hope one of my scripts is commissioned so I can raise awareness of what life is like for parent-carers.
Q3: If you could share one piece of advice with women who are just starting out on their entrepreneurial journey, what would it be?
Never be afraid to throw it all in the bin and start again!
Q4: How have Small Powerful Groups and the WEvolution community supported you?
Where do I even begin? Being a parent can be isolating, and being a carer is even lonelier. Even something as simple as Connect & Create brought me so much joy - just having an hour or two where people knew me as Stacey, not just as someone’s mum or wife, was priceless.
The biggest way Wevo has supported me was by taking me to India a couple of weeks ago. It was an opportunity I never thought I’d have, and returning to Asia after nearly two decades (I am an Army Brat and grew up abroad, spending part of my childhood in Singapore) was genuinely a turning point in my life.
Reconnecting with the version of myself that existed all those years ago was healing. I know that word gets thrown around a lot these days, but visiting India really did ‘heal’ a part of me. I can’t wait to see how we use everything we learned to help women in Scotland reclaim their voices.
Q5: What drew you to the India trip, and how did your fundraising go?
Fundraising was a disaster! I had organised a lovely event, but a week before it was due to happen, the main headliner cancelled. Since it was just before Christmas, I couldn’t find a replacement, so I had to cancel everything.
However, I did manage to organise a small event before we left, and it went beautifully. I used my skills as a tarot reader to teach others, and I’m still getting weekly emails asking for another event because people loved it so much! I was supported by so many amazing women from SPG and Wevo - I’ll always be grateful for that.
I was drawn to the India trip because I wanted to completely step out of my comfort zone. I wanted to show my kids that it’s okay to do difficult things, and that fear isn’t a reason to avoid something. It was a huge challenge. I had never left my kids for even a fraction of the time I was away.
I also wanted to show my husband that I trust him completely. Sometimes, I take on too much, trying to problem-solve and micro-manage everything, desperately trying to keep us safe and pre-empt the next disaster, forgetting that he’s just as capable as I am. This trip was a big step for both of us.
Q6: How was your trip to India?
Life-changing. If you ever get the chance, go! It doesn’t even have to be India - just immersing yourself in another culture is humbling and incredible. Spending time with new people and navigating different social dynamics is fascinating, and the writer in me loved every bit of it.
I really, really, really hope we can reconnect with the people we met in India. They were joyous. Despite the distance between us, their passion for helping women create better lives was so powerful. That desire is universal.
Let’s celebrate Stacey for taking bold leaps in her screenwriting journey and inspiring others along the way! 🎉
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