🌈 Belonging Begins with Safety

Jul 4, 2025

5 min read

From a girl who never felt like she fit in, to a mum building a world where every child does.

Some thoughts stick with you long after the event has ended...

That’s exactly what happened after I attended an Inclusion Conference at Sunderland University. What started as a day filled with nerves, imposter syndrome, and me trying to be brave on my own… became a day that re-ignited my purpose and reminded me why I created Worley’s World in the first place.

Worley was born from my journey as a mum - inspired by my daughter Luna, who helped me see the power of giving emotions a name, a shape, and a safe place to land and Ivy, my youngest, is the reason I finally started to believe that I’m enough just as I am - not the version the world tried to squeeze me into.

Ivy and Luna ( Luna chose to wear the same dress as Ivy, and was actually gutted she didn't have a spotty top to wear underneath lol)

This blog is part reflection, part call-to-action and 100% rooted in real-life moments because Worley isn’t just a storybook character. He’s a bridge between grown-ups and children. He helps us name the hard feelings, understand what’s going on in our brains and bodies, and builds connection when words feel too big.

It’s about safety. It’s about belonging and it’s about creating a world where our children and the grown-ups raising them are seen, heard, and accepted just as they are.

Let’s dive in.

🧭 Jump to a Section:

💬 1. Walking Into a Room Alone - The Power of a Warm Welcome

🌱 2. Why Belonging Has to Come First and What My Daughter Taught Me

🎢 3. Push, Pull & the Nervous System: What’s Really Going On

🤝 4. The Blame Game and the Power of Trust

🧠 5. Caring for the Carers: Why Grown-Ups Need Worley Too

💔 6. Bridging the Gap: From Black & White to Rainbow Vision

🌈 7. Worley’s World in Action: Stories That Matter

🌻 8. Let’s Build a World Where Every Child Belongs

💬 1. Walking Into a Room Alone - The Power of a Warm Welcome

When I walked into the IQM Inclusion Conference, I was already in flight mode. The “you’re not good enough to be here” voice was loud. Classic RSD. Classic imposter syndrome. But then I met Emily - warm, kind, and completely disarming.

That moment shifted my nervous system.Her welcome was co-regulation at it's finest. That’s what kids need too. Not just routines, but relationships that say “I see you, you matter.”

🌱 2. Why Belonging Has to Come First and What My Daughter Taught Me

Luna - my daughter, my teacher, my daily mirror, is living proof that Worley works.

From the moment she could talk, I’ve given her the tools to name her feelings. To choose. To be heard. Her nursery report didn’t just say “kind” or “clever.” It said “Luna is very in tune with her emotions and talks confidently about how she feels.”

That didn’t happen by accident.That happened because I never told her to stop crying. I never said “you’re fine.” I gave her choices, made emotions safe, and let Worley become her sidekick.

That’s what belonging looks like. Not fitting in but being accepted exactly as you are.

🎢 3. Push, Pull & the Nervous System: What’s Really Going On

When Sarah Martin-Denham spoke about push and pull factors, it hit me in my gut. Some kids can’t do school - not because they’re lazy or difficult, but because their nervous system is saying “Nope. Not safe.”

I used to teach a girl like that, a beautiful soul who the system labelled “school refuser.”Her mum was blamed. Told she was too soft. But privately, we worked together. Slowly. Gently. With monsters and stories and shared language. Now? She’s heading into high school, confident and emotionally equipped.

That’s what happens when you stop pushing and start pulling.

🤝 4. The Blame Game and the Power of Trust

At the conference, a mum shared how her child used to be physically dragged into school. Staff would call later and say “she’s settled now,” but at home, the child was shut down, burnt out, done.

Until one day, that mum said: “No. We’re not doing this.”She didn’t let them take her child. She took her home. That was the moment her daughter knew she was safe. That her mum was her anchor.

She wasn’t being manipulated. She wasn’t weak. She was connected.

I’ve had similar judgements thrown at me. I’ve been told I’m “too soft” because I let Luna go barefoot in the park. But why would I cause a meltdown over shoes? For what? To prove I’m in charge?

Worley reminds us: it’s not about control. It’s about connection.

🧠 5. Caring for the Carers: Why Grown-Ups Need Worley Too

Steve Waters spoke about teacher burnout, but what he really spoke about was disconnection. When we don’t feel heard, when we can’t express our own emotions safely, we fall apart slowly.

That’s why Worley isn’t just for kids.

I’ve used the monsters to name my own emotions when I’ve felt overwhelmed. I’ve sat with gorwn ups from all walks of life - all exhausted and helped them find their way back to regulation. To joy. To themselves.

Because if we want regulated children, we need regulated adults.

💔 6. Bridging the Gap: From Black & White to Rainbow Vision

Jon Tait said something that stuck in my chest:

“Children in poverty see the world in black and white. Their more affluent peers see it in full colour.”

And I thought... yes. But what if the colour isn’t about money? What if the colour comes from language? From emotional literacy?

If a child doesn’t know how to name what they’re feeling, the world stays grey. But with stories, tools, choices, monsters and suddenly, the world comes to life.

That’s why Worley is colour and rainbows, because once a child can understand themselves, they can start to explore. Grow. Thrive. Regardless of postcode.

🌈 7. Worley’s World in Action: Stories That Matter

Let me tell you why this isn’t just a nice idea.

🌟 A little girl I once taught was too anxious to even walk through the school gate. Now she’s planning her transition to secondary school. Not because she “got over it” - but because she got heard.
🌟 A nursery-aged child who struggled with explosive emotions now names which monster is visiting and knows when to take a break.
🌟 My own daughter Luna can tell me “I feel like George today” and we’ll do a monster stomp to get that fire out safely.

Worley is more than a mascot. He’s a mirror, a mentor, and a mate. He gives children permission to be human and gives grown-ups a map to meet them where they are.

🌻 8. Let’s Build a World Where Every Child Belongs

I’m not writing this as someone with all the answers. I’m writing this as the kid who never belonged and the adult who nearly gave up because of it.

But now I’ve found my voice. Now I am building something.

Worley’s World CIC isn’t the answer for everyone. But it’s a ripple. A spark. A start and if schools, families, and communities start using the same language - the same monsters, the same tools - imagine what could happen.

Let’s make sure no child feels they have to scream just to be seen. Let’s raise emotionally intelligent humans who know how to ask for what they need. Let’s build a world where belonging isn’t something you earn. It’s something you’re born into.

Because every child deserves to live in full colour and Worley’s here to show them how.

💬 Want to chat about it?

Have you got a story like mine? Do you know a child who needs this kind of support? Let’s talk. I’d love to hear from you.