POORNA BELL

journalist, author

Poorna’s editorial focus includes grief, representation, mental wellbeing, fitness and women. Her writing is known for powerfully drawing on personal experiences, and highlighting communities that are often overlooked and under-served by mainstream media.

 Poorna has been a journalist for more than 18 years, formerly working at HuffPost as Executive Editor for the UK and Global Lifestyle Head for the whole brand. She has also extensively freelanced for platforms and publications including Stylist, Grazia, The Guardian, Red magazine and The Times – and currently writes a weekly column for The i Paper. As a competitive powerlifter, Poorna also managesSee My Strong: a fitness platform focused on inclusion, diversity and alternative narratives around exercise. Her most recent non-fiction bookStronger similarly explores the topic of women’s fitness and strength, away from the narrow focus on weight loss. Online, Poorna is open about her personal struggles with grief and the loss of her husband: she is a CALM ambassador, and frequently uses her platform to have frank conversations about mental health. She has two other non-fiction books to her name, and has recently finished writing her first fiction manuscript.