Life Story Louise

31/10/2026

I’ve been thinking about cheerleaders tonight.

Not the pom pom kind. The people who quietly stand at the side of our lives and say, ‘keep going, I believe in you.’

Tonight I’m thinking about Simon, who donated an incredibly generous £100 to my Cardiff Half Marathon fundraising and gave me so many words of encouragement along the way.

Those words feel particularly precious tonight. 💙🪽

And it’s got me thinking about ‘community and belonging’, and the people who become part of our lives in ways we could never have planned.

Some of my running cheerleaders have come from the most unexpected places.

People I met through a Couch to 10K running group. A chance meeting in a pub in Betws-y-Coed while watching the World Cup. A conversation with someone who, tomorrow, will be running the New York Marathon.

People whose paths crossed mine and who I could so easily never have seen again.

But sometimes I was brave enough to reach out and ask, ‘Are you on Strava? Can I follow you?’

Such a small thing.

Yet those little moments of connection have become part of my community.

I cheer for them. They cheer for me 🥳🙌

Sometimes we barely know one another, and yet their encouragement, their kudos and their belief in me genuinely matter.

Perhaps that’s what a cheerleader really is:

Someone who lends us a little of their belief when ours is running low.

And it makes me wonder how many opportunities for connection and belonging we miss because self doubt tells us not to reach out.

It reminds me of something important in my work with children too.

We all need people who say:

I see you.
I believe in you.
Keep going.

Perhaps we never really grow out of needing cheerleaders.

Community matters.
Belonging matters.
Being noticed matters.

And sometimes belonging begins with something as small, and as brave, as reaching out to another person.

Tonight, I’m feeling especially grateful for all of my cheerleaders. And particularly for one whose encouraging words I’ll carry with me 💖

29/10/2026

Can we talk about kinship caregivers for a minute?

Because I don’t think we talk about what they’re carrying nearly enough.

Imagine getting a phone call and finding out a child you already love needs somewhere safe to go.

Except this isn’t a child you’ve never met.

This is your grandbaby. Your niece. Your nephew. Your little cousin. Your sibling.

You already know their birthday. You already have pictures of them in your phone. You’ve held them, bought them Christmas presents, watched them grow.

And now somebody is asking if they can come live with you.

Of course you say yes.

But nobody really talks about everything that comes with that yes.

Because you’re not only taking in a child you love. You might also be grieving what is happening to someone ELSE you love.

Maybe that’s your daughter whose child is now sleeping down the hall from you.

Maybe it’s your son.

Maybe it’s your sister or brother.

And suddenly you’re standing in this really painful place where you love both of them.

You are angry. You’re scared. You’re heartbroken for this child.

But your heart might also be breaking for the parent because that’s your baby too.

Goodness.

I don’t know that we give enough space for that.

Kinship caregivers can be expected to protect a child while also watching their own family fall apart.

They may be sitting in court listening to things about someone they have loved their entire life.

They may be taking a grandchild to a visit with their own daughter.

Think about that for a second.

They may go home and comfort that child after the visit while privately crying over the adult child they couldn’t save from addiction, trauma, bad choices or whatever brought the family to this place.

And then everybody has opinions.

Family members get mad. People choose sides. Someone says they’re helping DSS take the child. Someone else thinks they’re doing too much for the parent.

They’re trying to keep family relationships together while also making sure this child is safe.

And in the middle of all of it, they’re parenting again.

Maybe they thought they were done with diapers 20 years ago, and now there’s a car seat in the back seat again.

School drop offs. Therapy. Doctor appointments. Caseworkers coming to the house. Visits. Court dates. Bedtime routines.

And something else we don’t talk about enough?

Many kinship caregivers do all of this with very little financial help, and sometimes no financial assistance at all.

Another mouth to feed. Another child to clothe. Another bedroom to set up. Diapers, formula, school supplies, childcare, gas to appointments and visits.

Life can change overnight, but the household budget doesn’t magically change with it.

Some grandparents are doing this on fixed incomes. Some relatives are already raising their own children. Some are dipping into savings or changing work schedules because a child they love needed somewhere to go.

And they figure it out because what else are they supposed to do?

That’s family.

Their entire life may have changed with one phone call.

And they said yes anyway.

I also think we forget that many kinship caregivers aren’t licensed foster parents. They may not have walked into this because they felt “called to foster care.”

They walked into it because a child they love needed them.

That’s different.

And I just want to say this to the grandparents, aunts, uncles, siblings, cousins and all the other relatives who quietly rearranged their entire lives so a child could stay connected to family…

I see you.

I see how complicated your love is allowed to be.

You can love that child’s parent and still be angry about what happened.

You can desperately want that parent to heal and still say this child has to be safe.

You can pray for reunification and still be scared of what happens if things don’t change.

You can be grateful the child is with you and still grieve the reason they had to come.

None of that makes you disloyal.

It makes you human.

Family can be messy.

Foster care can make it even messier.

But somewhere tonight there is a child sleeping in a familiar family’s home because somebody said, “Bring them to me.”

Maybe nobody will ever fully understand what that yes cost.

Maybe nobody sees the bills, the exhaustion, the family tension or the tears after everyone else goes to bed.

But that child gets to know something incredibly important.

When everything changed, somebody in their family stayed.

And goodness, that matters.

16/10/2026

Join us for a balanced exploration of the opportunities and complexities of maintaining relationships after adoption, including changing legislation, evolving practice, and the growing role of digital contact. Hear different perspectives, gain practical insights, and deepen your understanding of how adopted children can maintain meaningful connections with significant people in their lives.

📅 21 October 2026
🕛 12:00pm to 1:00pm
💻 Online

👉Book your place: https://ow.ly/qTsn50ZVRsq

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.”

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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 💭