I'm Lateefah Jean-Baptiste. Charity PR specialist, freelance journalist/writer and public speaker based in London.

 

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After studying Media and Communications at university, I fell into charity PR almost by accident. I'd applied for journalism roles and PR jobs simultaneously, and when the journalism doors didn't open straight away, PR pulled me in — and I'm so glad it did. What I discovered was a world where storytelling had real stakes, where the right words could change public perception, shift behaviour, and raise vital funds for causes that genuinely mattered. Over nearly a decade, I've had the privilege of working with some of the most recognisable and respected charities in the sector — including Terrence Higgins Trust, Friends of the Earth, GamCare and Internews. So charity PR became my nine to five. And journalism became my evenings and weekends.

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The itch to write had been there since I was young. Long before "side hustle" was a phrase anyone used, I was writing for magazines and blogs around my full-time job — at first unpaid, always passionate. Over ten years, that quiet commitment grew into a proper freelance journalism career, with bylines in The Guardian, The Independent, Metro, Stylist, Business Insider, Cosmopolitan, Refinery29 and more.

My writing has always centred on the stories and perspectives that mainstream media tends to overlook — personal essays, features and opinion pieces that reflect experiences many people live but rarely see represented.  These days, my focus has shifted. As on the weekends I have switched writing articles for working on my first book, something I've dreamed of since childhood. 

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Public speaking found me rather than the other way around. One opportunity led to another, and somewhere along the way I realised I was not only doing it — I was enjoying it.  I now speak at panel events and live sessions on portfolio careers, managing multiple career paths, and what it really looks like to build a life across journalism and PR. The conversations are always honest, often unexpected, and never short of energy.

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What ties it all together: Whether I'm running a PR campaign for a charity, filing a piece for a national publication, or on a panel in front of an audience, the thread running through everything is the same: a belief in the power of the right story, told the right way, to the right people.

That's what I do. In whatever room I happen to be in.

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