meet our founder: Punteha van Terheyden

Hello Lacuna Tribe and welcome to my new digital true-life platform. It’s really special to have you here, so thank you for taking the time to read our content and get to know me.

Lacuna Voices sprung into life last summer, after I’d spent 13 years writing and editing true-life stories for the national newspapers and magazines in the UK and abroad.

As bonkers as it might sound, the idea for Lacuna Voices came to me at a Spice Girls concert in 2019. I was struck by their passion and authenticity, and it set me thinking about how proud their children must be of them. I thought of my young daughter, Amelia, and the legacy I will one day leave behind for her.

I was particularly inspired by how inclusive and modern the show felt. Those four women had returned to the stage after 20 years and couldn’t have read the societal mood any better. Their music hadn’t changed but they, as pop stars and people, had evolved and it all felt so incredibly inclusive.

It made me think of my changing industry and all the things I felt were wrong with it. How exploitative it felt at times, how salacious and click-bait driven some digital content had become.

In this constantly evolving digital landscape, I realised I had a clear vision of what I wanted my future in journalism to look like - and the example I’d set for my daughter with Lacuna Voices.

I wanted Amelia to see what her mother had built from the ground up and feel proud of the passion, thought and drive that had gone into it.

I wanted Amelia to know that anything is possible if she put her mind to it - and that she can be ethical and fair whilst she’s at it. That if she sees something that doesn’t feel right, she can forge a new, better way.

I wanted Amelia to know she doesn’t need to step on anyone to achieve her dreams and follow her passion. That she doesn’t need to bow down to unfair and archaic business practices like payment on publication. That she can be a force for the change she wants to see in her industry, or her life.

That’s why I set about building Lacuna Voices to bridge the gaps I’ve come up against as a freelance journalist in the mainstream media.

I wanted to create a digital space showcasing carefully curated true-life features that set souls alight, and offer a tonic to readers who’ve tired of click-bait, sensationalism and obsession with celebrity. Lacuna Voices is that platform, offering nothing but worthy, real voices talking passionately about real issues.

Lacuna Voices is a little slice of my soul so I really hope you like it.