Farrah Storr

Farrah Storr is the Head of Writer Partnerships at Substack UK. Previously, she was the editor-in-chief of Elle UK, Women's Health, and Cosmopolitan, and authored the book The Discomfort Zone. Farrah led the successful launch of Women’s Health, the most successful magazine launch of its time, and revitalised Cosmopolitan, increasing its circulation by 59%. Her expertise lies in steering teams through periods of creative change. In 2017, Farrah was recognised as one of the UK’s leading BAME leaders in The Guardian & Operation Black Votes UK’s 1000 Most Powerful list, and in 2019, she featured in The Evening Standard’s Progress 1000 as a powerful media changemaker. Farrah is a prominent speaker on women’s issues, leadership, diversity, and creativity in the workplace. She has delivered two TED talks, focusing on authentic leadership and the benefits of embracing discomfort, themes central to her book The Discomfort Zone. A staunch advocate for diversity in the creative industries, Farrah was named HSBC’s Influencer of the Year 2018. She appeared on The Guardian and Operation Black Vote’s list of the UK’s 1000 Most Powerful Leaders. She also serves on the Social Mobility Commission and Oxford Brooke’s Journalism Advisory Board. In 2018, she published The Discomfort Zone, which discusses how embracing challenges can foster creativity and success. Farrah is an accomplished keynote speaker, addressing audiences globally on topics such as creativity through constraint and finding one’s brand voice. She has spoken at venues including Google’s headquarters and The Cambridge Union and has moderated panels for up to 20,000 attendees.