author / arts producer /
adventure activist

Unlikely Everest Summiteer |
Channel Swimmer | Marathon Runner

Inspiring people to #livebigandbrave when life doesn’t go to plan.

Read more about why and how here.

Jessica’s new book:

Save Me
From The
Waves

Published 7 March 2024 by Quarto Books

Animation showing Jessica Hepburn's new book, Save me from the Waves

Join my mailing list

For occasional emails full of wonderful things

mailing-list-signup-envelope

Books

New book:
Save me
from the
Waves

Publication 7 March 2024

21 Miles

Swimming in search of the meaning of motherhood

The Pursuit of Motherhood

Adventures

‘Unlikely Athlete’ becomes the first woman in the world to complete ‘The Sea, Street, Summit Challenge’ –
swim the English Channel; run a road marathon (London); and summit Mount Everest

Sea

English Channel Swimmer, 2015

Street

London Marathon Runner, 2017

Summit

Everest | Chomolungma Summiteer, 2022

Arts

The Arts Adventure Retreat - coming soon!

Sign up to my mailing list for details

Co-Founder and Director, 2016 – 2019

Lyric Theatre Hammersmith exterior

Executive Director, 2005-2015

The Arts Adventure Retreat - coming soon!

Sign up to my mailing list for details

Fertility Fest: the world's first arts festival dedicated to fertility, infertility, the science of making babies and modern families

Co-Founder and Director, 2016 – 2019

Lyric Theatre Hammersmith exterior

Executive Director, 2005-2015

NOMINATIONS & AWARDS

Jessica Hepburn receives the Fertility Foundation's Fertility Hero Award

Read more

Press, Podcasts & All That Stuff

Jessica's appearances in The Telegraph, Channel 5, and Woman's Hour

Latest Press, Media & more

Events

Jessica Hepburn speaking at event

Upcoming Events

Instagram & TikTok

Oh my goodness. I’ve just read that one of my fa

Oh my goodness. I’ve just read that one of my favourite people in the world has died - Benjamin Zephaniah. This picture is of me interviewing him at my festival @fertilityfest in 2019 at the Barbican. Laughing and (shamelessly) flirting with him. He was the very first person I confided in that I was listening to and writing a book about Desert Island Discs - and that I loved his episode. I’ll never forget that his luxury item was the law of the land (so he could break it!). Do listen to it over the coming days. In it he also recites his extraordinary poem called ‘Childless’, which he agreed to recite for me when I interviewed him although he said he never included it in his set lists. It was the most incredibly moving moment for everyone there. Benjamin was a titan when it came to challenging the world’s opinions - and never more so than when he spoke about his infertility - long ago, long before me. I told him that I loved him, and when he signed his autobiography for me, he kindly wrote ‘I love you too’. I was devastated when soon after that I left it on a plane. I spent days trying to get it back but never did. I was hoping that one day - maybe when my new book came out - I would send it to him and he would sign his for me again. Now that will never happen. I’m stunned and so sad. But death takes us all whenever she’s ready, and I feel blessed to have met him, to have these memories, and his wonderful work to read. Dearest Benjamin - go gently.

#benjaminzephaniah

I wrote a new blog post - Goodbye Autumn, Hello Ch

I wrote a new blog post - Goodbye Autumn, Hello Christmas - with all my book launch, birthday and other November news. Link to read in my bio linktree. Happy 1st December - it’s nearly Christmas!

#newblogpost #goodbyeautumn #hellochristmas #december #livebigandbrave

Things are hotting up on the promo front for my ne

Things are hotting up on the promo front for my new book - ‘Save Me from the Waves’ (pre order link in my bio linktree). I’ve done a pitch to all the libraries in the country (I love a library - use it or lose it!). Over 30 book clubs have already ordered their advance copies. And next week I’m pitching again to my publisher’s independent bookshop reps (I love an independent bookshop too). I’m trying to create the perfect 1 minute reel to say what the book is about. This is my first attempt for your reeling pleasure. I don’t think it’s quite there yet but I love the light in this. Would love to know what you think too.

#newbook #savemefromthewaves #music #mountains #livebigandbrave

November sunrise over London. From my bedroom wind

November sunrise over London. From my bedroom window. #whatawonderfulworld Treasure it. Xxx

My new book has finally gone to print! No more fid

My new book has finally gone to print! No more fiddling. No more faddling. And here, for your delectation, is the final cover designed by the beautiful artist @priyamistryart including a lovely quote from the amazing actress Maxine Peake (what she’s said is not something I always feel believe me, but I’m incredibly grateful to her for reading the proof and writing to me with it).

And I’m also so grateful for the fabulous abstract artwork inspired by the cover which a dear friend of mine has made. When she sent it to me she wrote: ‘the green face was a last minute addition to stick the picture to the fridge - realising I could hook it under a scrap of unstuck paper and make it look like a sunhat was very satisfying’. My new book is done! No more fiddling. No more faddling. It may be November, but the sun has got his hat on indeed!

#savemefromthewaves #asongthatsavesmefromthewaves #newbook #bookstagram #livebigandbrave

Big love to my dear friend @vickyarlidge who is he

Big love to my dear friend @vickyarlidge who is heading into her final session of radiotherapy for breast cancer today. I loved her insta post last week (second pic) in which she wrote that in the morning she’d received her first silver disc for her kids music album (96 million streams and counting!), and then in the afternoon headed to hospital for radiotherapy. What she called: ‘A day of two halves - you win some, you lose some’……Indeed, we all do! That’s why my hashtag is: #livebigandbrave

Love you @vickyarlidge - go kick that radiotherapy butt, and play those toddler tunes!

#friendship #silverdiscwinner #breastcancerwarrior #happyfriday

Last weekend I was in wonderful Wales with my dear

Last weekend I was in wonderful Wales with my dear friend Jacky. As well as wet walking - we went on a ‘Dylan Thomas Adventure’ We visited the village of Laugharne and went to the boathouse where he spent the last years of his life. Peered into his writing shed. Attended his grave in the local churchyard. And slept at Brown’s hotel where he did all his drinking. Six pics for you here. You’ll meet Dylan Thomas in my new book - ‘Save Me from the Waves’ - because he was a friend of my grandmother’s. She was a drinker too and known all over London for her bar fights! And here’s a fun #desertislanddiscs fact for you - he’s the most chosen writer on the show, bar Shakespeare. You’ll learn that if you read my book too (out March, pre-order link in my bio linktree!)

One of the things I love most in the world is visiting an artist’s home. I love the autobiographical artistic atmosphere. I’ve been to many - from The Beatles to Benjamin Britten, Charles Dickens to Claude Monet, Frida Kahlo to John Keats! Please tell me your favourites so I can go and visit them too!

#dylanthomas #laugharne #wales #adventure #adventuremind #livebigandbrave

Just spent a wonderful weekend in wet Wales, with

Just spent a wonderful weekend in wet Wales, with rainbows and sunshine too!

Walking and talking with one of my dearest ‘fertility friends’ Professor Jacky Boivin - one of the world’s leading health psychologists specialising in infertility who is based at Cardiff University. If you don’t know her work - check it out. She knows everything there is to know about the mind of the infertile. ie: she basically knows everything there is to know about me!

#wales #walking #weather #fertlityfriends #livebigandbrave

To mark the end of Fertility Week 2023, here are n

To mark the end of Fertility Week 2023, here are nine books I highly recommend wherever you are on your fertility / infertility journey.

Big Fat Negative by @bigfatnegative
Living the Life Unexpected by @gatewaywomen
Meant To Be by @lisafaulknercooks
Moondance by @dianechandlerauthor
No One Talks About This Stuff by @katbrownwrites
The Infertile Midwife by @the.infertile.midwife
The Worst Girl Gang Ever by @the_worstgirlgang_ever
What Makes a Mum? by @notafictionalmum
Your Fertile Years by @profjoyceharper

What better way to spend a November Sunday than cosy on your sofa with the book you need to read!

#nationalfertilityawarenessweek #books #fertility #infertility #ttc #ivf #cnbc #livebigandbrave

Follow on Instagram

Follow on TikTok

twitter / X

Jessica Hepburn @jessicapursuit ·

7 December 2023

Dearest Benjamin - go gently. More here
https://www.instagram.com/p/C0jXl2vtxVz/ #BenjaminZephaniah

Reply on Twitter 1732749028612255997 Retweet on Twitter 1732749028612255997 Like on Twitter 1732749028612255997 2 Twitter 1732749028612255997

Follow on Twitter / X

Blog

goodbye autumn, hello christmas

goodbye autumn, hello christmas

Dearest Friends Full disclosure. I wrote this at the beginning of November but never got round to sending it. It's been a busy month and it already feels out of date. But with a few tweaks, I'm...

Follow