In February 2023, Esther Ghey's 16-year-old daughter Brianna was murdered in a park near their home in Warrington, in a premeditated attack by two 15-year-olds. Today, Esther is a bereaved mother, but she is also one of the most significant voices for social reform in contemporary British life.

She founded the Brianna Ghey Legacy Project, co-launched the Phone-Free Education campaign with Kate Winslet, and has helped force a national reckoning on children, smartphones and social media. She was named the Independent's Most Influential Woman of 2024 and a GQ Hero.

Her bestselling memoir Under a Pink Sky - now available in paperback - is a searing and hopeful account of love, loss and rebuilding. It is one of the most breathtaking tales of resilience I have ever read.

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FIVE LESSONS FROM ESTHER:

Grief doesn't get easier – you learn to build your life around the hole the person left.
Don't blame other people for your own decisions.
Perception is everything: You can walk the same street looking down at the dog mess or up at the blossom – the choice is yours.
Mindfulness isn't a wellness trend. It's a tool that rewires how you respond to stress.
Compassion costs nothing.

CHAPTERS:

03:56 – The cherry blossom and the sign

05:20 – Growing up with mum

07:55 – Leaving school with no GCSEs, becoming a mum at 18

09:13 – The sludge-green walls and the addiction

12:17 – Why she refuses to blame anyone but herself

15:43 – Going back to school in her 30s

16:07 – Discovering mindfulness

17:51 – When Brett became Brianna

21:17 – The phone, the bedroom, the 3am email

27:24 – The day it happened

30:16 – The dream that became acceptance