Living Inside Out: From Lived Experience to System Change — The Story of a Quiet Hero
Claire Moore’s story does not begin in leadership—it begins in survival. Growing up as one of ten children in an unconventional family, she was shaped by responsibility, scarcity, and silence. Although not officially the eldest daughter, she became one in practice, taking on caregiving roles and often putting others before herself. There was little food, limited space, not enough warmth, and very little room to express how she felt. What she experienced was not openly discussed, and like many in similar environments, she learned to carry on without the language to explain her reality.
At the age of sixteen, under intense stress and without a sense of safety, she began hearing voices. What was initially terrifying became part of her lived experience—something she would later come to understand rather than fear. Her journey through the mental health system was long and complex, including hospitalisation and exposure to approaches that often focused more on labels than on the person behind them. Over time, her understanding shifted. It was no longer about asking what was wrong, but about understanding what had happened. This perspective would later become central to the way she supported others.
Her pathway into system change did not come from a formal position, but from lived experience and collective action. In the early days, alongside others, she helped establish one of the first consumer-led spaces, known as The Lighthouse. It took nearly two years of consistent effort—meetings, discussions, and planning—before it became a place where people with lived experience could gather, feel safe, and be heard. That experience laid the foundation for what would come next.
Later, through a project with the Mental Health Foundation, she and her colleagues consulted widely with people across Auckland and Northland to understand what was needed from a consumer network. When nothing moved forward, and funding was at risk of being lost, she took initiative. Faced with tight deadlines, uncertainty, and limited resources, a small group came together to complete a full proposal over a single weekend. They secured an umbrella organisation within a day and met every requirement placed before them. What followed were years of building—developing policies, designing services, and creating a structure from the ground up. That work eventually became what is now known as Changing Minds, a significant part of New Zealand’s lived experience movement.
Throughout her journey, she has continued to challenge the way systems define people. Rather than focusing on diagnosis or labels, her work centres on understanding individual experiences. This is especially evident in her involvement with the Hearing Voices Network, where the approach is not to suppress or dismiss experiences, but to explore them. People are supported in understanding their voices, noticing patterns, and developing their own relationship with what they experience. Over time, many shift from feeling controlled by their experiences to regaining a sense of agency and understanding.
Her work has also extended beyond traditional mental health settings. When asked to establish peer support within Auckland City Mission, she recognised that there was no existing model suited for people experiencing homelessness. Drawing on her knowledge of peer support, she developed a training programme specifically for individuals with lived experience of homelessness. What followed was not only training but the creation of opportunities for people to step into meaningful roles, bringing their own knowledge of survival and lived reality into the work.
What stands out in Claire’s story is not only what she has done, but how she has done it. Her journey reflects a consistent thread—moving from lived experience into action, from personal understanding into collective impact. She has helped shape spaces where people feel seen, heard, and understood, often in ways that systems alone cannot.
Her story also reminds us that many of these contributions are not widely documented. The foundations of the consumer movement, the early efforts, the people who carried it forward—much of this history lives in personal stories rather than formal records. Without these stories being shared, important parts of that journey risk being lost.
Claire’s life reflects the possibility of transforming experience into something meaningful, not by removing what has happened, but by understanding it and using it to support others. It shows that change does not always begin with position or authority. Sometimes, it begins with experience, persistence, and the willingness to act when the moment calls for it.
Full Podcast: Living Inside Out: From Lived Experience to System Change — The Story of a Quiet Hero
