Inspirational speaker, author, recovery and mental health advocate
Conferences, corporates, educational institutions, recovery communities, women’s forums, and audiences seeking honest conversations around trauma, resilience, and change.
Desiree-Anne Martin is a South African inspirational speaker, change catalyst, and prize-winning author whose work centres on recovery, resilience, and the belief that change is always possible. Her core message is grounded in hope, accountability, and the transformative power of truth-telling.
Desiree-Anne is the author of the memoir We Don’t Talk About It. Ever, a deeply personal account of surviving childhood sexual abuse, addiction, sex work, mental health challenges, and complex family dynamics. The book has been widely praised for its emotional honesty and literary strength, and ultimately stands as a story of redemption and sustained recovery. She has over 17 years of sobriety.
A published poet and essayist, her writing on racial identity, gender-based violence, feminism, parenthood, and recovery has appeared in anthologies, corporate publications, journals, and digital platforms. Her poetry collection believe more deeply reflects her commitment to vulnerability, reflection, and healing.
Professionally, Desiree-Anne is an addiction, mental health, and trauma-informed counsellor with over 14 years of experience working with adults, adolescents, and families affected by substance use disorders, eating disorders, behavioural addictions, and trauma. She holds a Postgraduate Diploma in Addiction Care with Honours from the University of Cape Town and serves as a supervisor for MA Creative Writing students at UCT.
Desiree-Anne Martin believes in the inherent ability of anyone to change. Her mantra is that there is hope, always, and she is a Change Catalyst and Inspirational Speaker.
Desiree-Anne is a prize-winning published author and poet. Her writing on racial identification, GBV, the myths of parenthood, sex and feminism has appeared in numerous print anthologies and corporate annuals. Her self-published poetry book/ journal ‘believe more deeply’, print journals, e-zines and poetry websites are home to several of her poems.
Her memoir ‘We Don’t Talk About It. Ever’ has been described by Barbara Boswell, acclaimed academic and award-winning author of ‘Grace: A Novel’ as “brilliantly-written and wrenching… whose prose transports you through a whirlwind of emotions”.
It chronicles Desiree-Anne Martin life struggles, including childhood sexual abuse, family dysfunction, multiple addictions, toxic relationships, struggles in recovery, and mental health concerns.
This led her to become an intravenous heroin addict and sex worker. It is ultimately, however, a story of redemption, resilience and hope. She has now garnered over 17 years of sobriety.
Desiree-Anne obtained her Postgraduate Diploma in Addiction Care (with Honours) from the University of Cape Town in 2019, at the age of 42, with no undergraduate degree and obtaining admission on Recognition of Prior Learning.
She has gone on to become a Supervisor for students undertaking their MA in Creative Writing at the University of Cape Town, offering guidance and support with the process of writing and completion of their final dissertation.
She is an addiction, mental health and trauma-informed counsellor, and works together with adults and adolescents to help them overcome drug and alcohol dependence, eating disorders, sex, gambling and other self-defeating behaviours for the past 14 years.
Working with family members affected by addiction too, as no lives are ever left untouched by the illness.
Desiree-Anne Martin also helps individuals work through trauma associated with physical, sexual and emotional abuse. She also imparts skills for how to deal with intense emotions, high levels of stress and a variety of mental illnesses.
She is the co-founder of The I AM Collective, a South African non-profit that is actively contributing to changing the narrative around gender-based violence.
A member of the Life Righting Collective, an NPO whose vision is to heal South Africa’s fractured past through the writing and sharing of personal stories. She has been an Industry Mentor for the Allan Gray Orbis Foundation since 2020.
As the director of her own company and a group practice, a lecturer, workshop facilitator, wife, full-time mother and part-time warrior woman, Desiree-Anne Martin would like to share with you what she has learnt about building resilience and transforming adversity into opportunity and purpose.
She would like to show you how to unveil your unshakeable truth, find your authentic voice and speak your truth. She would like to show you that there is no failure in asking for help and no shame in showing vulnerability.
Desiree-Anne Martin offers follow-up Corporate Wellness packages that are tailor-made to suit the needs of any organisation’s employees, including individual counselling and interventions, stress and emotional management, education around addiction, mental illness and trauma as well as support, and access to ongoing group or individual therapy.
She is also available to address high school learners and offers workshops on issues such as healthy versus unhealthy relationships, boundaries, high-risk behaviours and sexual consent.
Desiree-Anne Martin is a vocal advocate for the DE stigmatization of addiction, trauma and mental illness.
She believes that everyone is impacted in some way by one or more of these issues. She wants you to know that help is available. Sometimes it finds you.
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