I'm Katie and I'm a
transgender TV & radio personality, an
inspirational speaker and an
event host. My presenting style is very
warm,
empathetic and
humorous. You can see this in my
Presenter Showreel. I just love people and their stories. I have my own story to tell too...
I am a happily out (and very proud) trans woman from Leicestershire, currently living my best life with my lovely girlfriend, my amazing teenage daughter and my crazy black-and-white cat called Tash.
I co-presented two series of "
Time for Some LGBTea" for the
BBC and I had my own YouTube series called "
Cool People" as a lockdown project where I interviewed people with amazing stories to tell of how they overcame adversity and went on to do brilliant things. I would love to bring a similar series to TV.
I came out publicly as being transgender (via a
coming out video) in 2018 after living for 48 years as a man, risking my livelihood and reputation as a top UK photographer in the process. I vlogged every step of my transition, which led to my regular media appearances. I formed
Cool2BTrans to support and inspire other trans people and to change hearts and minds across the World, by providing trans awareness training and inspirational speaking in an entertaining way, using humour to break down barriers.
My aim is to show that trans people are just ordinary people who want to be happy - just like everyone else.
My feminine appearance coupled with my deep voice help me to stand out from the crowd, while my cheeky sense of humour relaxes and entertains the viewers and those around me.KIND WORDSHere are some kind words that have been said about me...
- "I had the pleasure of working with Katie on an online Pride event.
She's one of the most articulate and entertaining people I have seen in this format.
Good humoured, well educated and a consummate professional. I would happily work with Katie again and sincerely hope we will. She's very talented and
I could see her presenting a talk show on a major TV channel." - Natalie Bowen, Vice Chairperson, Rhondda Pride
- "Katie and I have recently worked together on The Queer Student Awards which she hosted this year. As Event Director I was looking for a host who could command the attention of a large room of people (150 guests) for 3 hours, whilst also bringing their own personality to the stage. In short Katie did not disappoint. In the weeks leading up to the event, we collaborated virtually to create a talk track for the evening, which Katie fully committed to. She provided comments and feedback on this and made suggestions on how to improve the flow of the evening. She was punctual on the evening itself and worked with me before the evening started to rehearse as well as supporting me with the award presenter briefing. I felt very safe in her hands, and very confident that she would deliver in her role as a result.
'The feedback that Katie has received from guests who attended includes these comments:
"Katie was a fantastic host, she created a fantastic atmosphere even from home"
"
High energy hosting with some humour to keep us all entertained"
"
Katie's timing was impeccable"
"
Incredible job of hosting"
"Katie - brilliant host"
"I can not thank her enough for the work that she did on the evening -
her humour had the room in stitches at several points which really helped to keep the energy up throughout.
"
I would strongly recommend her for any hosting opportunities - just fabulous!" - Steve Keith, Founder & Event Director of The Queer Student Awards
- "We booked Katie to run two Trans Day of Visibility workshops for Virgin Media belonging networks.
She was engaging, hilarious and amazing. Every bit of feedback we received from those who attended was beyond positive.
I personally have never laughed and learnt so much in one hour!" - Chloe Rainford, Mobile Trading & Online Sales Graduate at Virgin Media O2
- "
Inspirational storytelling at its best. I was lucky enough to listen to Katie’s story and can openly and honestly say it was incredible to hear. I can honestly say it was eye opening, informative and inspirational to say the least. What a journey you’ve had Katie. Thank you for sharing it." - Byron Jervis, Regional Community Wayleave Officer, Virgin Media O2
Many more testimonials can be viewed both on my website
www.cool2btrans.co.uk and on my LinkedIn profile
https://www.linkedin.com/in/katie-neeves .
AWARDSI was honoured to be given the following awards...
-
British Diversity Awards Hero of the Year 2023
- Listed on the Global Diversity List 2023 as a Diversity Champion
- National Diversity Awards 2024 Positive Role Model for LGBT Award Finalist
- Listed on the Top 100 Influential People 2024 List
- Trans in the City Trans Community Champion 2022
- This is Us Training & Development Award 2023
- The Women's Awards East Midlands Outstanding Female LGBTQIA+ Champion 2023
- Fellowship of the Royal Society for Arts, Manufactures and Commerce (awarded in 2021)
- DIVA Awards Unsung Hero of the Year 2023 finalist
- Listed on the DIVA Power List 2023
- LinkedIn Top Voice
BACKGROUNDI am more than just a gobby trans woman though… I have been a
professional photographer for over 35 years and I've photographed everything from wars and riots to royalty and celebs. I love all kinds of
art, which has come from my long career behind the camera. I enjoy
salsa dancing, ceildih dancing and contra dancing.
I sing, and play the guitar and banjo, having played in many bands over the years. I adore all kinds of
animals and I love long
country walks. I also have a
pilot's licence having flown light aircraft for 20 years. It's currently lapsed, but I used to fly aerobatics in an open-cockpit bi-plane. I am known for being ultra-competitive on the race track while
go-carting. I'm also a mum who is proud to be called "Dad".
People produce their best work when they’re happy. Now I’m living my truth, I can't stop smiling! Please contact me if you wish to help me to share my happiness. I promise I'll be gentle with you. Or maybe not... MWAHAHAHA! ;-)
CONTACT ME: katie@cool2btrans.co.uk
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