Rising Ohana’s CIC was created to support young parents, young people, neurodivergent individuals, and families navigating complex systems and life challenges.
I bring over six years of professional experience across social care and education, alongside 15 years of lived and personal experience supporting individuals with SEMH, SEN, and mental health needs. This combined experience allows me to understand both the professional expectations placed on families and the real-life challenges they face when the right support is not in place.
My background in Criminology and safeguarding informs a trauma-aware, inclusive approach that centres dignity, safety, and real-life understanding. At Rising Ohana’s, families are not just cases — they are people. We meet them where they are and walk alongside them, offering practical guidance, advocacy, and a consistent, trusted presence throughout their journey.
Claus Geissendoerfer is a seasoned Non-Executive Director and Transformation Leader with over 20 years of experience driving strategic change across Germany, the US, and the UK. His career spans global consulting firms, complex corporate environments, and small grassroots organisations. Claus brings deep expertise in governance, risk oversight, and strategy execution, complemented by hands-on engagement with grassroots organisations and charities.
Samira Richardson is a multidisciplinary business leader with extensive expertise in strategic business management. Holding an MBA, MRes, BSc, BA and Executive Education in Sustainability Leadership, she combines a unique blend of academic rigour with real-world experience.
Her career spans the biotech, diagnostics, charitable, public service and academic sectors, where she has delivered strategic governance and oversight, strengthened performance and driven sustainable growth. Alongside her professional work, she serves as a Board Trustee at a children’s cancer charity.
Samira has a proven record of leading cross-functional teams, building high-impact partnerships and applying an entrepreneurial mindset to achieve strategic outcomes. She excels at aligning enterprise direction with social purpose, strengthening organisational impact and advancing fundraising and community engagement. An experienced conference chair and public representative, Samira is recognised as an influential voice in her field.
Mmesoma is a dedicated Virtual and Executive Assistant with extensive experience supporting founders, businesses, startups, nonprofits, and mission-led organisations across administrative operations, systems development, and communications. Known for her proactive and systems-oriented approach, she specialises in building the behind-the-scenes infrastructure that allows leaders and teams to operate with clarity and confidence. From managing communications and coordinating schedules to developing SOPs and streamlining workflows, Mmesoma brings structure, precision, and thoughtfulness to every aspect of her work.
Joining the Rising Ohana team as a Personal Assistant to the Founder, Mmesoma is driven by a deep belief that every young parent and family deserves consistent, compassionate support. She understands that strong organisations are built not just on vision, but on the reliable day-to-day systems and people that bring that vision to life. It is this understanding that draws her to Rising Ohana's mission; a mission she is honoured to contribute to with reliability, intentionality, and genuine care for the communities the organisation serves.
As I person-centred counsellor, I work on the basis that the client is the person best suited to finding their own solutions. My role is to provide a supportive, empathic, non-judgemental environment in which together we can explore the issues that have brought them to counselling, and work towards resolving them. The counselling room provides a space in which the client may openly express difficult thoughts and feelings, safe in the knowledge that they will be listened to, accepted and cared for, free of any conditions, rules, or criticism. Through this process, the client may learn to discard unhelpful values and judgements imposed upon them by others, and move closer to realizing and fulfilling their true potential and becoming their most authentic self.
Prior to joining Rising Ohana's I spent many years working in conflict resolution, helping people learn how to manage conflict with others in a peaceful, collaborative way which would leave both sides feeling satisfied. The approach was based upon developing an understanding of one's own (and others') feelings and needs, and finding constructive ways to express them - skills which enhance all relationships, and often form a part of the therapeutic process itself.
I am in my second year of study at the University of Westminster, pursuing a degree in digital media, PR, and advertising. I am an aspiring digital marketing professional with a strong academic and practical foundation in digital media, public relations, and advertising. I have also completed a six-month digital marketing intensive course and acquired the core skills of content creation, social media strategy, audience engagement, and data-driven marketing. One of my areas of interest is creating campaigns that integrate strategic thinking and innovative digital tools. I am driven to keep learning and evolving in the rapidly changing digital environment, and I would like to become a valuable asset to organisations by enhancing their web presence and increasing the reach of their audiences
