Meet the NICU 

Neuroscience Team

Lottie King

Lottie is a passionate advocate for improving the experience of families with newborns in neonatal care. As the founder of Leo’s Charity, she champions better mental health, early intervention, and emotional support for parents and babies during and after NICU stays.

She established Leo’s in 2018 following the loss of her son Leo, and the subsequent neonatal admission of his twin brother, Oska. What began as a response to her own heartbreak has grown into a charity transforming outcomes for families across the North East of England. Over the last eight years, Lottie has provided 1:1 support to hundreds of parents through trauma-informed peer support, and in recent years has integrated nervous system recalibration into her work — helping families heal from both psychological and physiological symptoms of neonatal trauma.

As a clinical service lead, Lottie has designed, led, and overseen more than £1 million worth of neonatal mental health and child development projects. She has successfully run Leo’s neonatal, perinatal baby loss and BAME services, building and guiding a team that continually changes lives. In 2021, Leo’s was honoured with a Points of Light Award from Prime Minister Boris Johnson for its pioneering Nurture Project, created to support families facing severely restricted NICU visiting and those shielding at home during the pandemic.

Through NICU Neuroscience, Lottie bridges research with real-world practice to create calmer, more connected neonatal environments. Her lived experience and deep empathy shape practical, globally relevant resources for families and healthcare teams alike.

Lottie’s commitment to neuroscience began four years ago when she sought to understand her own physiological symptoms. Since then, she has completed over 1,000 hours of study and training. She is Polyvagal-certified by the Polyvagal Institute under Dr Stephen Porges, has trained as a Nervous System Practitioner with Jessica Maguire, and is currently undertaking Dr Dan Siegel’s Comprehensive Interpersonal Neurobiology programme.

Her work sits at the intersection of science, systems, and human experience — driven by her belief that every baby and every family deserves to feel safe, supported, and seen.

Jessica Maguire

Jessica Maguire is a world-leading physiotherapist, pioneering vagus nerve researcher, and the ground-breaking mind behind the international bestseller The Nervous System Reset.

Jessica is one of the most influential voices in nervous system education today. Her work represents a powerful evolution in how we understand the brain–body connection, stress, and emotional regulation.

With over two decades of clinical experience, rigorous research, and lived expertise, Jessica translates complex neuroscience into practical, accessible frameworks that empower people to create lasting physiological change.

Her work has supported thousands worldwide to:

• Build deeper resilience to stress and environmental triggers
• Improve cognitive function and emotional regulation
• Restore sustainable physiological balance
• Experience meaningful, long-term wellbeing shifts

Jessica’s teachings have reached students across six continents, and her protocols have become foundational tools for individuals and organisations seeking evidence-based approaches to regulation and recovery.

She has delivered keynote talks for the Police Association of New South Wales, taken to the TEDx stage, and contributed powerful, widely-read pieces to The Sydney Morning Herald and The Age, where she courageously shared her own story and how it fuels her mission to help others heal.

Jessica brings a rare and compelling blend of scientific depth, humanity, and compassion to her work. We are honoured to have her contributing her expertise to this training - equipping NICU professionals with essential knowledge on nervous system regulation.

Dr Greer Kirshenbaum

Dr Greer Kirshenbaum, a neuroscientist, doula, infant and family sleep specialist, author, and mother - and a powerful voice reshaping how we understand early caregiving, infant development, and lifelong mental health.

Greer trained at the University of Toronto and Columbia University, with additional training at NYU and Yale, before bringing her academic expertise together with lived experience as both a doula and a mother. This unique blend of science and practice led her to create The Nurture Revolution — a global movement dedicated to transforming how we support babies’ developing brains from pregnancy through infancy.

Greer’s mission is clear:
To help families, professionals, and workplaces understand how early nurturing experiences shape babies’ brains — reducing the risk of depression, anxiety, and addiction in adulthood, and laying the foundation for lifelong emotional wellbeing.

Greer also draws deeply on her own journey into parenthood. After the birth of her son at 34 weeks, she navigated a challenging NICU stay where her instincts for nurturing care weren’t fully supported. This experience strengthened her commitment to helping families feel empowered, connected, and confident in providing the nurturing their babies need - especially in medical settings where it can feel difficult to do so.

Grounded in science yet profoundly human, Greer’s work centres on simple, intuitive, enriching experiences that support optimal development and emotional resilience from the very beginning.

She is the author of the widely celebrated book The Nurture Revolution: Grow Your Baby’s Brain and Transform Their Mental Health Through the Art of Nurtured Parenting, offers workshops, resources, and coaching through nurture-neuroscience.com, and shares invaluable insights on Instagram @drgreerkirshenbaum.

Dr Frankie Harrison

Dr Frankie Harrison, the Clinical Psychologist leading our module on PTSD in the NICU.

Frankie is an HCPC-registered Clinical Psychologist, founder of Miracle Moon and The NICU Space, and a NICU parent herself. Her work is uniquely grounded in both clinical expertise and lived experience—a powerful combination that makes her teaching, therapy, and advocacy deeply resonant and effective.

After her son was born at 31 weeks in 2019, Frankie experienced the realities of neonatal care and birth trauma first hand. This pivotal experience reshaped her clinical focus, and today she specialises in supporting parents through the long-lasting psychological impact of NICU and traumatic birth.

In her therapeutic work, Frankie integrates EMDR, ACT, CFT, and CBT, offering compassionate, evidence-based support to parents processing trauma. She is also the co-founder of Miracle Moon and The NICU Space, where she has built a growing community, podcast, and suite of expert-led resources and training for both parents and professionals.

Frankie’s work has led to collaborations with Tommy’s, Bliss, WaterWipes, NCT, Ronald McDonald Charities, and media features across major platforms including Happy Mum, Happy Baby, Mother & Baby, The Telegraph, and more.

In her module, Frankie brings both clinical insight and lived-experience wisdom, equipping you with the understanding, language, and confidence to support parents navigating trauma during—and long after—neonatal care.