Be More Lola: New Starts, Small Bravery, and Not Having a Clue What You're Doing (Yet)
Therapy Dog Lola looking out over Criccieth Beach, North Wales
Written in Llandudno. With sand in my shoes, salt in my hair, and a dog who now has a Welsh fan club.
Starting something new is weird.
It doesn't matter if it's a new school year, a new job, or launching a whole business with your name on the paperwork (and no one to email when the tech breaks except, well, yourself), new beginnings are full of potential…and panic!
So here we are. The All Is Well Approach is live. I've got a website, a logo, a gorgeous therapy dog, and a really indepth colour coded Google Drive folder system. I've also got anxiety. The kind that makes you second-guess whether breathing is a skill you're qualified to do unsupervised and a GP who knows me well enough to suggest breathing exercises before I've even finished my sentence.
Which brings me to Lola.
She’s an English Cocker Spaniel with the energy of a toddler and the fringe of a 1970s folk singer. We’ve been in Llandudno this week, trying to rest…Lola’s idea of rest involves enthusiastic beach zoomies and chasing waves like she’s auditioning for a doggy action movie. Mine involves staring at the sea hoping for existential clarity and instead getting a faceful of salty wind and a wet tail to the shin.
But here’s what I’ve noticed: even with her bursts of spaniel chaos, Lola doesn’t rush through life. She doesn’t hide. She doesn’t overthink whether she’s doing it right or if people will like her Facebook page. She just moves forward. Step by step. One curious sniff at a time. She takes it all in her stride, embracing the very moment she’s in.
Somehow, despite not having read a single book on the vagus nerve, she understands regulation better than half the internet. She doesn’t need a gratitude journal or a kombucha subscription to feel regulated, she just chases her tail and calls it mindfulness.
And I've decided that's the energy I want for this next chapter. Not bold. Not fearless. Just Lola-brave.
So it feels only right to round off the week by reflecting on the bigger picture - how we actually build that sense of safety. Spoiler: it's not through Pinterest perfect routines, or being endlessly productive, or solving every problem under the sun. It's in the moments we choose to pause. Breathe. Go outside. Say a big no thank you to the chaos.
Which brings me to my biggest win of the week.
I took a break.
A real, actual, switch-off-and-breathe break.
Wales. Sea air. John (my husband). Lola (my anchor). No emails. Just slow mornings, beach walks, and the sound of gulls arguing over chips. The truth is, I still have anxious wobbles - this morning's was a beauty, and I still get tempted to run from life at full pelt. But when I sit beside the sea, or sit beside Lola, I remember:
Emotional safety isn't about being calm all the time.
It's about being able to come back to calm. To feel the wobble, without being consumed by it. To have space around your feelings so they don't drown you. And it reminded me why I do what I do.
The Real Reason Behind "All Is Well"
The name isn't just some fluffy mantra. It's a nervous system thing.
It's what happens when we (or the children or staff we work with) feel seen, safe, and supported. It's the message we hope their bodies begin to believe, even if the world hasn't always shown it.
It's also the phrase I repeat to myself when anxiety tells me everything is definitely, absolutely, irrevocably falling apart: All is well. Or at least, all is well enough for now.
This business is about helping children (and the adults around them) feel safe enough to soften. To take a breath. To notice the dog in the room. To take the next small step.
If You're Also Starting Something...
Maybe you're a teacher facing September and wondering how to survive another term. Maybe you're a parent trying to juggle everything while worrying about your child's mental health. Maybe you're just a human, doing your best and holding it all together with coffee, crisps, and chocolate.
Guess what - You don't need to have it all figured out yet.
You don't need to feel brave to be brave. You just need to start.
And if starting feels hard? Sit on a beach. Watch a dog. Blink slowly.
Just be a bit Lola-brave.
Follow along as we build something grounded, gentle, and completely Lola-approved. All Is Well is now offering trauma-informed, Animal Assisted support for schools and child-focused organisations across the North West.
If you felt a bit more Lola-brave reading this, I’d love it if you followed along or shared with someone else who needs it.
#AllIsWellApproach #BeMoreLola #TraumaInformed #AnxietySupport #NewBeginnings #TherapyDog #MentalHealthInSchools #NotSoFearlessJustHere
