Before becoming a self-experimenting science communicator, Vanessa Potter spent 16 years as an award-winning broadcast producer working within the London advertising industry. In October 2012 she was struck down by a severe illness called Neuromyelitis Optica Spectrum Disorder. Following her recovery, she collaborated with neuroscientists at Cambridge University, to design an interactive immersive exhibition, based on her therapeutic use of meditation, and gave a TEDx talk about her experiences in Ghent in 2016. She documented her illness and recovery in her memoir, Patient H69: The Story of My Second Sight, which was published by Bloomsbury Sigma in 2017 and won The Times best memoir of 2017. She’s the recipient of an Inspiring Woman award, and has written pieces for Mosaic Science, The Telegraph and Marie-Claire.