Rare Diamond
UNMASK YOUR TRUE SELF
At Removing the Mask, we are dedicated to helping individuals uncover their authentic selves through a variety of transformative services. We offer couple therapy, trauma recovery, and unique programs like the Behind the Mask program and the Journey of Life program, all designed to facilitate personal growth and healing.
The Removing the Mask Panel
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Maxine
Karis
The Quiet Force Igniting the Team
Karis is the quiet force igniting the team. She may not always seek the spotlight, but her determination, versatility and ability to contribute in many different ways make her an important part of Removing the Mask.
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A university graduate, manageress, accountant and advocate, Karis brings a broad range of professional and personal skills to the team. She is organised, responsible, practical and capable of looking at situations from different perspectives.
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Her skills extend beyond her professional roles. Karis is someone people can turn to, offering friendship, support, perspective and a listening ear. She understands the importance of emotional wellbeing, healthy relationships and personal development, while recognising that everyone’s journey is different.
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Her own life experiences have contributed to her understanding and advocacy, but they are only one part of who she is. Karis brings far more to the table: professional ability, organisation, communication, problem-solving, emotional awareness, advocacy, loyalty and a genuine willingness to support others. Karis is also a Christian, and her faith forms an important part of her values and the way she approaches life, relationships and supporting others.
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Within Removing the Mask, Karis continues to contribute her many skills and perspectives, helping to keep the team moving and the wider vision alive.
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She is a quiet force — not necessarily the person demanding attention, but someone whose contribution can help ignite ideas, strengthen the team and keep the vision moving forward.
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Different walks of life. Different skills. Different gems. One table.
Chanel
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Maxine is a resilient, compassionate and genuine people person who naturally connects with others. She has a strong ability to listen, understand and engage with people, making her a valuable voice within Removing the Mask.
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A devoted mother who has raised two fine young men and continues to raise her teenage daughter, Maxine brings a strong sense of family, responsibility and resilience to everything she does.
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Her Christian faith is an important part of her life. She is a committed member of her church, where she has served as a clerk for four years, is a founding member of the Black Boys Can Project at her local church and has been part of the national church choir.
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Maxine's caring nature extends beyond her immediate family. She has supported and cared for family members through challenging periods in their lives and has developed a deep understanding of what it means to be there for others.
Professionally, Maxine has more than 18 years' experience in accounting within public-sector housing. She has also studied Human Services in the USA and served as a Mental Health Champion and support worker within her previous organisation.
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Her time in Jamaica caring for her father during a sabbatical from full-time employment also gave her an opportunity to reflect on life, family and community from a different perspective.
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Maxine is naturally cautious when meeting new people, but once she connects with someone, her warmth, understanding and genuine interest in people shine through. She brings together professional experience, community involvement, faith, family values and lived experience.
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Within Removing the Mask, Maxine is a significant member of the team and a natural advocate for the platform. She helps create interest, encourages people to engage with the message and brings her own ability to connect with people from different walks of life.
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Different walks of life. Different gems. One table.
Chanel brings a valuable combination of lived experience, advocacy, professional development, creativity and strong Christian values to Removing the Mask.
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As a mother and someone who has experienced her own challenges, Chanel understands the importance of compassion, resilience and creating environments where people can feel heard and supported.
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Her developing career and training within the legal field also bring an important dimension to the platform. Through her professional journey, Chanel has opportunities to connect with and learn from a wide range of people, perspectives and professional networks. These relationships can contribute valuable insight, awareness and potential connections to the wider work of Removing the Mask.
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Advocacy is particularly important to Chanel. She is passionate about supporting positive change, encouraging awareness and contributing to conversations that can help people and communities move forward.
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Her Christian values are also an important part of who she is and influence the principles she brings to her relationships, her family life and her approach to supporting others.
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Chanel's creativity, professional development, advocacy and community connections make her a meaningful contributor to the Removing the Mask team.
Different walks of life. Different skills. Different gems. One table.
Ahmad
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Ahmad is a university graduate whose approach to life and work reflects commitment, responsibility and strong personal ethics. He is widely known as a dependable “go-to” person — grounded, consistent and committed to doing what is right. He is hardworking, multi-skilled and brings a thoughtful, reliable approach to the people and responsibilities entrusted to him. Ahmad is a committed advocate and trauma-recovery supporter whose personal experiences have contributed to his understanding of the importance of self-awareness, reflection and healthier ways of living.
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His Muslim faith is an important and highly visible part of his life. Ahmad takes his religion very seriously and is well known for his commitment to his faith, its principles and the values that guide him. He is currently training to become an Imam, further developing his knowledge and understanding within his religious tradition.
Alongside his faith, Ahmad brings a strong interest in personal development, family, relationships and the impact of childhood experiences. His engagement with Behind the Mask, therapeutic support and continued self-reflection has helped him examine how experiences can influence identity, relationships, behaviour and personal choices.
Ahmad is particularly interested in encouraging healthier thinking, challenging harmful patterns and supporting greater awareness within communities. His perspective brings together lived experience, education, faith and a commitment to personal growth.
Within Removing the Mask, Ahmad contributes as an advocate and supporter, bringing his own perspective to conversations around trauma, wellbeing, relationships, culture, faith and personal development.
His contribution reflects one of the principles of Removing the Mask:
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Different walks of life. Different skills. Different gems. One table.
Ivan
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Ivan is an upright example of strength, integrity and commitment. He is the rock that helps keep Rare Diamond afloat. His strength, stability and support provide an important foundation behind the person and the vision, while his own talents and professional achievements stand firmly in their own right.
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Ivan is not a CSA survivor, but his understanding of trauma has been shaped over decades through supporting people who have experienced trauma, including survivors of abuse. His understanding has also been influenced by his own experiences of toxic relationships and the personal journey that followed them.
These experiences have given him a perspective that combines observation, compassion, lived experience and a deep understanding of the importance of support, respect and healthier relationships.
A Grammy Award-winning musician, professional guitarist, music producer, author and Senior Technical Service Engineer, Ivan brings decades of experience, knowledge and creativity to everything he undertakes.
His musical career has taken him across the UK and internationally, working with a wide range of respected artists and musicians. He is also an experienced guitar tutor, arranger, recording professional and studio producer.
Beyond his professional achievements, Ivan brings another important quality to the wider Removing the Mask vision: his ability to stand alongside Rare Diamond, support the work and provide a steady presence when the demands of the vision become challenging.
His contribution is therefore both professional and personal. He brings his own wealth of knowledge and experience while providing the strength and stability that help Rare Diamond continue to develop her ideas and bring them into reality.
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Different walks of life. Different skills. Different gems. One table.
Rare Diamond
Rare Diamond is the founder and visionary behind Through Knowledge Gain Power Ltd, established in 2009, and the creator of the Removing the Mask platform and the Rare Diamond Educational Framework.
A survivor of childhood sexual abuse and multiple forms of trauma, Rare Diamond has spent more than three decades transforming lived experience, study, research, observation and community work into educational resources designed to encourage understanding, reflection and growth.
Her work has included supporting survivors of abuse, contributing to women's refuge settings, volunteering with the Samaritans, mentoring, delivering workshops and developing educational resources for individuals and professionals.
Rare Diamond is the creator and author behind Behind the Mask, alongside a substantial wider body of educational and creative material. Her work extends beyond a single book or subject, drawing upon a much broader collection of knowledge, resources and learning tools.
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Removing the Mask extends this work into an educational, creative and collaborative platform. It allows different missions, audiences and needs to be approached using the appropriate knowledge, experience, creative expression and people.
Rare Diamond does not seek to define people by what has happened to them. Her approach is to look beneath what is immediately visible, recognise patterns, encourage honest reflection and create opportunities for people to understand themselves and others more deeply.
Her guiding philosophy remains:
“A boot camp with love, class, and empathy.”
And at the heart of the work:
Each person brings something different — a different experience, a different perspective, a different skill and a different gem.
Together, they create a space where people can listen, question, reflect and learn without being expected to compare their journey with anyone else's.
Removing the Mask is about looking beyond what we see, understanding more deeply and recognising the person behind the experience.
Awareness and unity for all. We are all one.
Understand more. Judge less. Grow together.
Our Common Thread
The panellists do not share one identical journey. They don't need to.