Human Rights Expert · Author · Advancing justice worldwide

Some people engage with the world

Some people work to enrich it

Turid Heiberg has spent a lifetime doing both

Because every life lived with dignity makes the world more human for all of us.

Turning values into voice, and voice into change

I am Turid Heiberg.

I have spent my career working where dignity was under threat and courage was required. Grounded in decades of research, science, and a deep understanding of the human mind, I believe lasting change begins inside the human being.

I invite you to walk with me.

Together, we can bring clarity where life feel heavy, courage when silence has taken over, and compassion people can truly feel.

Dignity made real

Beyond slogans lies the fundamental right to belong. My work begins here: with the human being in front of me and the unwavering belief that everyone deserves a life of safety and worth. It is about transforming the silence of those overlooked or excluded into a presence that cannot be ignored.

Integrity in Every Structure

Systems are only as strong as the values they uphold. I partner with leaders to build frameworks of integrity that support the individual and strengthen the whole. By bridging the gap between policy and practice, I help organizations move beyond good intentions to create measurable, lasting impact.

Resilience from the inside out

True resilience is the art of responding rather than reacting to life’s challenges. Beyond the laws and the systems, I facilitate a journey back to the simplicity of being. Whether leading organisations or navigating a personal transition, I help you find the "Quiet Comeback" that allows you to walk with trust and love.

Championing human rights worldwide

My work began with a refusal to look away.
In the 1970s, as a student in Oslo, I stepped into activism and journalism, to give a voice to people who were being ignored. That early fire helped spark initiatives that brought multicultural Norway into the public conversation, built community media, and supported legal rights.
It also led to co-founding lasting institutions: the Norwegian Centre Against Racism and the MiRA Resource Centre for Black, Immigrant, and Refugee women.

From there, my path expanded into research at PRIO, teaching political science and sociology at University colleges and at the University of Oslo, and deeper work in human rights.
With Save the Children, I decided to move from national and broader international service to regional leadership in South and Central Asia, strengthening cooperation between governments, ministries, international organisations, and NGOs to protect children and build systems that hold. After I relocated to Sweden, I continued shaping regional progress through the Council of the Baltic Sea States and advisory work with the World Childhood Foundation.

Since 2019, I have worked independently with institutions and ministries across Europe and beyond, supporting protection, inclusion, anti-trafficking efforts, and violence prevention. Alongside advisory work, I write books, reports, and articles. I have also contributed to public dialogue through media, radio, and film. Grounded in studies in political science, journalism, and psychotherapy, I bring both systems-thinking and a deep understanding of the human mind, because for me, lasting change must protect people on the outside and strengthen resilience on the inside.

In 2025, I joined the Start Over movement, a global community of storytellers who speak openly about vulnerability, pain, loss, and the path toward greater presence and awareness. Its members include leaders, coaches, researchers, and writers committed to personal and collective transformation.

February 2026, my contribution to the international bestselling book series Start Over: Turn Any Loss into a Sensational Comeback (Series 1, Volume 9) was published by Amazon. In this volume, fourteen authors share their journeys of freeing themselves from old narratives and shaping their lives through conscious choice. In a world that many experience as chaotic and challenging, the series offers powerful examples of how meaningful change is possible. An audible version is now available: Start Over Voices. Anthology 1.

July 2026, my first fiction novel, The Heart Library: Discovering the Magic in Our Lives, will be published on Amazon, including an audible version.

The story follows six participants from Nigeria, Chile, Portugal, Nepal, Bhutan, and Norway who meet in Bhutan expecting to engage in formal exchanges. Instead, something unexpected unfolds as they begin to glimpse a deeper intelligence within life itself, and a version of themselves unburdened by history. Yet when they return home, they are tested. Standing at the edge of personal and political turmoil, a question emerges: could they hold on to what began in Bhutan, and if so, what would it require of them?

Avaliable on amazon

Start Over Series

VOLUME 9: START OVER - Turn any loss into a Sensational Comeback.

14 authors open their lives with honesty and reveal something rare: The exact moment they chose to rise. And the exact tools they used to do it.

It is not only a comeback anthology, it is a healing transmission, a spiritual guide, and a practical toolkit for rebuilding your life from the inside out.

START OVER VOICES ANTHOLOGY 1 - Hear the journeys that prove it's never too late to start over.

This is a powerful audio and Kindle collection featuring inspiring stories read by the authors themselves. More than a book, it's a deep journey into the lives of people who faced devastating loss, unimaginable setbacks, life-changing challenges, and discovered the courage to begin again.

When you hear these stories in the authors' own voices, you don't just read their words, you feel their resilience, their emotion, and the determination that carried them from surviving to thriving.

These books are avaliable on Amazon and you can access them by clicking the links below.

BUY THE BOOK: START OVER - vOLUME 9

BUY THE AUDIO BOOK: START OVER VOICES

Whether you're rebuilding your career, recovering from heartbreak, searching for purpose, or simply trying to believe in yourself again, these authentic stories will remind you that you are stronger than your circumstances.

Hard times don’t break you
They reveal who you decide to be

Even in the hardest realities, your resiliency and compassion can become a steady force. One that protects, heals, and moves people forward.

What’s love got to do with it?

Everything

Because once your heart remembers the truth... There is no going back.

Six lives. Six nations. One extraordinary journey.

They come to Bhutan from Nigeria, Chile, Portugal, Nepal, Norway, and Bhutan itself to attend an international conference. In the evenings, their conversations drift into uncharted territory, the different societies they call home, revealing a deeper intelligence within life itself. They call this hidden space the Heart Library, a place where truth, courage, and compassion reside.

The Heart Library is an inspiring novel about friendship, transformation, and the extraordinary possibilities that emerge when we move beyond fear, expectation, and the weight of our past, opening ourselves to becoming more fully who we truly are.

For a few luminous days, they glimpsed who they might become if nothing held them back.

Yet when they return home, everyday life intervenes. Standing on the edge of personal and political turmoil, each must face a profound question: can they hold on to what began in Bhutan? And if so, what will it require of them?

My book is avaliable on Amazon, you can click on the image above or the link below to access it.

Advance praise for The Heart Library

Nita Kapoor

Retired Director of ISS, The University of Oslo

" I have known Turid Heiberg, and at times worked alongside her, since our student days. She is truly a courageous pioneer and a driving force for human rights, advancing dignity, inclusion, and justice nationally and internationally. Turid is an inspiring leader who understands the importance of cooperation, vision, and compassion. I find The Heart Library to be an enlightening tale which epitomizes her values, as well as her exceptional ability to bring people together in pursuit of common goals and positive change. "

Marta Santos Pais

Former UN Special Representative of the Secretary-General on Violence Against Children

" Turid is a relentless child rights advocate, deeply knowledgeable, hardworking and uplifting, and uniquely committed to building a world where every child thrives happy, healthy, confident and empowered to celebrate life and fulfil their dreams. With her special warmth and limitless enthusiasm, she mobilizes people along in a constant quest to reinforce the child rights movement and achieve steady progress for children around the world. It is a joy to celebrate Turid's brilliant journey! "

Dr. Rinchen Chophel

Vice Chair, UN Committee on the Rights of the Child

" I am deeply touched that The Heart Library: Discovering the Magic in Our Lives begins in Bhutan, the mystical Land of Happiness. As a Bhutanese who has experienced this magic firsthand and witnessed the profound impact Turid has had on the lives of those fortunate enough to share her journey, I am convinced this remarkable book will inspire readers to discover and create that same magic in their own lives and in the lives of others. I have no doubt that The Heart Library will weave its own magic into the hearts of readers around the world. "

Fredrik Malmberg

Director, Swedish Institute for Human Rights (NHRI)

Turid is one of the people who has made the greatest impression on me in my professional life. We worked together at Save the Children, supporting programmes across South and Central Asia. What I admire most is her rare ability to build trust with empathy and warmth while remaining guided by clarity, courage, and an unwavering commitment to human rights. She has a remarkable gift for engaging both those in positions of power and those in vulnerable situations with equal respect and integrity. Turid is easy to like, yet never avoids difficult issues. She achieves meaningful results, and her leadership has been a lasting source of inspiration to me.

CLICK HERE TO BUY THE HEART LIBRARY

Here’s why people choose to work with Turid

When the work is about people’s lives, you need more than expertise, you need integrity, clarity, and a leader who turns values into action.

Making dignity tangible
not just theoretical

I lead with deepest respect for the human being behind every case, policy, or programme.
People are seen, supported, and taken seriously. I help translate values into practical safeguards, clear procedures, and decisions that hold up under real-world pressure, so good intentions become measurable protection.

Calm clarity to complex environments

I can sit in the hardest conversations about violence prevention, trafficking, exclusion, child protection, without losing compassion or direction. That steadiness builds trust fast. I aim to simplify complexity into priorities, pathways, and next steps, helping teams move from overwhelm to aligned action, with fewer missteps and faster progress.

Align people who don’t usually agree

I build bridges across ministries, NGOs, communities, and international actors, not by forcing consensus, but by creating shared purpose and responsibility.
Cross-sector work often fails due to silos and unclear ownership. I help establish roles, decision routes, and workable coordination so collaboration becomes delivery, not meetings.

Work with both systems and the inner realities

I understand that policy can be strong and still collapse if fear, burnout, or mistrust take over. My approach strengthens resilience, dignity, and courage in the people doing the work. With my background spanning human rights leadership and psychotherapy adds a rare advantage: I can support sustainable implementation by addressing behaviour, communication, and leadership under pressure. Reducing churn and increasing long-term capacity.

Don´t be a stranger

If something in my work resonates with you, I would truly love to hear from you.
Reach out, and let’s connect about what you care about and what change you feel called to create.

Send an email

Dignity begins with how we treat each other

No one should stand alone

Over the years, I have met people whose voices were overlooked, whose safety felt uncertain, and whose rights depended on whether someone had the courage to step in. Those encounters shaped me...
They are the reason I do what I do because when we support the most vulnerable, we protect what is most human in all of us.

I also know this: in high-pressure systems, good people can drift into autopilot. When we are overwhelmed, we narrow our focus, we default to routines, we avoid the uncomfortable conversation, we hope someone else will handle it.
That is not a character flaw, it is human behaviour under stress.
But it has consequences.
This is why mindset matters here: clarity is not “nice to have.”
It is what helps us stay anchored to values when the environment pulls us toward speed, fear, or silence.

When we work together, it is not just professional collaboration, it is people showing up for people. We create conditions where courage becomes possible, where responsibility is shared, and where no one has to carry the hardest realities alone. We build trust across roles and sectors, so safeguarding is not a lonely task or a last-minute reaction, but a coordinated way of working.
We listen more deeply, speak more clearly, and move from good intentions to actions that genuinely hold.

Together, we can turn values into support people can feel: stronger child protection structures, clearer pathways for safeguarding, and collaboration that replaces silos with real coordination. We can shape communication that honours lived experience, supports survivor engagement with care, and brings dignity back into the centre of decision-making.
And we can build sustainable ways of working, so the people doing the work are supported, grounded, and able to stay present for the long run.

Let’s Create Change Together

I’m Turid Heiberg. If my work and values resonate with you, I’d love to hear from you and I invite you to walk with me. Reach out, and let’s explore how we can turn dignity, justice, and inclusion into real, lasting change, together.

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