I’ve always had an interest in human behaviour and this led me to study Psychology. I planned on extending my studies after I graduated but found the pull of overseas travel too strong. A year abroad somehow turned into almost 20 years living in the UK. My love of the written word led into a career as a writer in the advertising industry. I got married, had children and began freelance writing but something was missing. I felt a yearning to do something professionally I could feel proud of.

During a chance conversation with a friend, I realised I’d had the answer all along, it just needed to come to me at the right time. I went back to university and completed a post-graduate Certificate in Counselling followed by a post-graduate Diploma in Counselling and Psychotherapy.

As part of my studies, I undertook my own counselling. This was something I had always wanted to do as I had struggled with self-esteem issues and behaviour, I now know to be people pleasing. I began to realise there had been several factors that had led to my need to please but that now as an adult, it was my responsibility to start approaching things differently.

The more I learned about my behaviours and their consequences, the more empowered I became to make changes. It was often scary to find the courage to behave differently, but every time I did, I grew in confidence and felt a little less ashamed of myself. Instead of feeling like a victim, which had brought me so much sadness, anger and frustration, I was able to replace those feelings with self-kindness, acceptance and a newfound confidence.

It was an incredibly freeing and empowering experience. I knew that if I could give others the opportunity to heal in this way, I could provide something incredibly powerful.