Life Story Louise

05/10/2026

I’ve been thinking a lot about cheerleaders recently 📣

This weekend I completed the Cardiff Half Marathon ten years after my last half marathon.

What got me through wasn’t just the training. It was my cheerleaders 📣

The people who followed my journey, donated to my fundraising, encouraged me and cared about how I was doing 💖

Over the past few months, I’ve shared the good runs and the difficult ones. The days I felt strong and the days I wondered if I’d manage it at all. What I learnt was that when I was honest about how I was doing, my cheerleaders knew how to support me.

For the race itself, I asked some of them to track my progress and send me messages along the way. Through my AirPods I heard words that made me laugh, lifted my spirits and reminded me that I was loved 🫶

Today I’m reflecting on the children and young people I work with.

Who are their cheerleaders? Who encourages them, believes in them and stays alongside them when life feels hard? What do those people bring to their lives? What might they say during difficult moments, and what might they say when there is something to celebrate? 👏🎉🥳

Perhaps there’s a life story activity in there. A My Cheerleaders page, helping children recognise the people in their corner and explore questions like: How do they help me? What have they taught me? When do I know they are there for me? What qualities do they see in me?

One of the things I love most about therapeutic life story work is how my own experiences often help me think more deeply and creatively about how I can support others.

This weekend reminded me how powerful it is to know who is cheering for you. Thank you to mine 💖

28/09/2026

This weekend I’ll be doing something that feels both exciting and a little daunting. I’ll be running the Cardiff Half Marathon 🏃‍♀️

I’ve never shared my running on this page before, but recently I’ve found myself reflecting on how much it connects with the work I do.

Just this week I was talking with a young person about feelings, our fight, flight and freeze responses, and the people who help us through life’s harder moments.

We spoke about identifying our cheerleaders, the people who help us feel safe, valued and able to keep going 💖 ⚓️📣

As I sat with them, I realised I’ve been doing exactly the same thing myself.

Yesterday I shared my disappointment when my Life Story Workshop by the Sea didn’t attract enough bookings to go ahead. It felt vulnerable to share that publicly.

What I wasn’t expecting was the kindness that followed. The messages, the encouragement, the people who reminded me why this work matters. The people who saw the vision and encouraged me not to give up on it 🌸

You helped me welcome the disappointment rather than hide from it 💖

You helped me remember that difficult feelings don’t have to stop us moving forward 💖

And that’s something I try to help children understand every day 🌸

This Sunday as I stand on the start line in Cardiff, I’ll be carrying that learning with me.

Not because running 13.1 miles is the same as life’s bigger challenges, but because it’s another opportunity to notice the nerves, welcome them, and keep going anyway.

I’m also sharing my race tracker with friends and family and will be inviting them to send me messages throughout the run. Knowing that people will be there, cheering from afar, feels like a lovely reminder that none of us are meant to do hard things alone 🥹

If you’d like to support me on another part of this journey, I’m also raising money for Cancer Research UK. The link is in my bio and any donation would be hugely appreciated 💖

Thank you for being part of this community💖

Thank you for supporting my work, my vision, and sometimes, without even knowing it, me too 🫶

27/09/2026

Some days, “How are you?” feels like far too big a question.

You might feel ready to talk. Or overwhelmed and not know where to start. Stuck in the same worry. Exhausted. A bit numb. Calm on the outside but uncertain underneath.

Young people often need more than a simple “fine” or “okay” to describe what is going on. And adults do too.

Try asking: “What kind of day are you having right now?” Then give them time. No pushing. No fixing it straight away. Just let them know they do not have to find perfect words to be understood.

Sometimes being heard starts with simply saying, “I’m not sure.”

FREE WHICH CHAIR ARE YOU SITTING IN TODAY? THERAPY CHECK-IN

LIKE the photo and comment "CHAIR" and we will send you a message with a link to a free PDF of this resource.

27/09/2026

🌸 A little honest reflection...

Over the past few months I’ve been sharing details of a Trauma Informed Life Story Work workshop I was hoping to host from my home here in East Devon.

Many of you liked, shared and commented on my posts. Some of you sent messages of encouragement - thank you 🫶

Unfortunately, I made the difficult decision to cancel the workshop due to low numbers.

I’m not going to pretend I wasn’t disappointed😔

When you run your own business, putting something out into the world can feel incredibly vulnerable.

This wasn’t just a workshop. It was something I’d imagined, planned and genuinely believed in 💖

I had visions of life story practitioners gathered around my table, sharing experiences, learning from one another, drinking tea, exploring creative resources and looking out at the sea 🌅

Over the past few years I’ve been fortunate to attend some wonderful in person workshops, conferences and training events 🌸

Whilst I value online learning and the opportunities it creates, some of my richest learning has happened when I’ve stepped away from a screen and spent time in the company of others. I’ve come away with new ideas, new friendships, renewed confidence and inspiration that has shaped my own practice💖

Perhaps that’s because I’m a hands-on learner. I learn through doing, creating, reflecting and connecting 🫶

And that’s the kind of experience I was hoping to create💖

For a little while, I wondered whether I should quietly let the idea go.

But the truth is, I’m still drawn to it.

So rather than giving up, I’ve decided to get curious.

If you’re a life story practitioner, social worker, therapist or someone who follows my work, I’d love to hear your thoughts.

💖 What would make you book a workshop?

💖 How far would you travel?

💖 How do you feel about learning in a home environment rather than a traditional venue?

💖 What topics would you most like to explore?

Thank you for continuing to cheer me on, support my work and believe in what I’m trying to create 💖 It means more than you know 🫶

31/08/2026

🌟✨Tomorrow, Life Story Louise turns 4 🎉

Four years ago, I took a leap of faith and started Life Story Louise, with hope in my heart but no real idea where the journey would lead.

Over the past four years, I’ve had the privilege of working alongside some incredibly courageous children and young people as they explored their stories, asked difficult questions, made sense of their experiences, and discovered more about who they are 🧩

I’ve also been humbled to meet courageous first parents who have trusted me with their stories. Parents who, often in the midst of their own pain and loss, have allowed me to listen, understand, and help tell their story in a way that recognises their experiences, trauma, love and humanity. It has been a privilege to help ensure those stories are shared honestly, sensitively and with compassion 🌸

Along the way there have been life story books, creative resources, supervision conversations, training, laughter, tears, and countless moments that have reminded me of the strength and resilience people carry, even in the most difficult circumstances 🫶

Above all, I feel incredibly privileged.

Privileged to have met children and young people brave enough to ask difficult questions about their lives 🧡

Privileged to have sat with first parents and listened to stories often filled with loss, love, trauma and hope 🧡

Privileged to work alongside parenting parents, adoptive parent’s and practitioners who keep children at the centre of everything they do🧡

Thank you to everyone who has trusted me with their stories over the last four years. It is a responsibility I never take lightly 🫶

Your courage, honesty and trust have shaped me far more than you will ever know 💖

23/08/2026

23/08/2026

Just a Therapeutic Life Story Work practitioner giving her latest Vinted haul a little wash 🧼 🦖

These dinosaurs might have spent millions of years roaming the earth, but now they’re preparing for a very different adventure.

Soon they’ll be helping children explore:

🦕 Family trees and genograms
🦖 Feelings and emotions
🦕 Identity and belonging
🦖 How our brains work

It’s amazing what can start with a pile of second hand dinosaurs and a little imagination 💭

16/08/2026

This week I've been learning, creating and gathering together resources that help bring family trees and genograms to life.

After completing Dr Karen Treisman's brilliant online genogram module, I've spent hours painting pebbles and wooden discs inspired by the symbols children often choose to represent important people, feelings and experiences. Anchors, ghosts, octopuses, volcanoes, rubbish bins, rainbow hearts... and of course, I couldn't resist recreating Taya the Tortoise 🐢 💖

What fascinates me about this work is that often a pebble, a puppet, a tiny figure or a symbol can be just what is needed to support begin to explore their histories and the important people, pets and memories.

I can't wait to welcome other practitioners to this space by the sea to explore creative, child centred approaches to therapeutic life story work together 💖

Big thank you to Knit-for-Nowt for my beautiful colour monsters and finger puppets 🫶

📍 Life Story Work Workshop by the Sea 🗓️ 8th & 9th September
Link in bio or message for information.

13/08/2026

A core part of a trauma-informed culture is recognising that behaviour communicates something deeper. What do you do to help create a trauma-informed culture in your work, families, relationships?

The Trauma Recovery Global Team