Month: August 2025

Margaret McManus has spent six years changing lives in Sunderland – not just for children, but for herself too.

As a former School Nursing Sister working in schools across the North East of England, Margaret saw first-hand how stress, anxiety, and overwhelm were affecting young people. That’s when she first heard about Relax Kids.

“𝘐 𝘤𝘰𝘶𝘭𝘥 𝘴𝘦𝘦 𝘩𝘰𝘸 𝘮𝘶𝘤𝘩 𝘤𝘩𝘪𝘭𝘥𝘳𝘦𝘯 𝘸𝘦𝘳𝘦 𝘣𝘦𝘯𝘦𝘧𝘪𝘵𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘧𝘳𝘰𝘮 𝘪𝘵,” 𝘴𝘩𝘦 𝘴𝘢𝘺𝘴. “I𝘵 𝘧𝘦𝘭𝘵 𝘭𝘪𝘬𝘦 𝘴𝘰𝘮𝘦𝘵𝘩𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘵𝘳𝘶𝘭𝘺 𝘮𝘦𝘢𝘯𝘪𝘯𝘨𝘧𝘶𝘭 – 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘐 𝘸𝘢𝘯𝘵𝘦𝘥 𝘵𝘰 𝘣𝘦 𝘱𝘢𝘳𝘵 𝘰𝘧 𝘪𝘵.”

Margaret became a Relax Kids coach and began weaving wellbeing into her daily work with children and families. Today, she delivers 1-2-1 sessions, family groups, and small classes in schools, and supports children who are unable to attend school from home. She also works alongside Children’s Services to offer therapeutic support for vulnerable children.

“𝘐 𝘭𝘰𝘷𝘦 𝘣𝘦𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘮𝘺 𝘰𝘸𝘯 𝘣𝘰𝘴𝘴,” she says. “𝘈𝘴 𝘢 𝘴𝘪𝘯𝘨𝘭𝘦 𝘮𝘶𝘮, 𝘪𝘵 𝘢𝘭𝘭𝘰𝘸𝘴 𝘮𝘦 𝘵𝘰 𝘣𝘢𝘭𝘢𝘯𝘤𝘦 𝘸𝘰𝘳𝘬 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘭𝘪𝘧𝘦 𝘪𝘯 𝘢 𝘸𝘢𝘺 𝘵𝘩𝘢𝘵 𝘧𝘪𝘵𝘴. 𝘉𝘶𝘵 𝘮𝘰𝘳𝘦 𝘵𝘩𝘢𝘯 𝘢𝘯𝘺𝘵𝘩𝘪𝘯𝘨, 𝘐 𝘭𝘰𝘷𝘦 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘧𝘢𝘤𝘦-𝘵𝘰-𝘧𝘢𝘤𝘦 𝘤𝘰𝘯𝘯𝘦𝘤𝘵𝘪𝘰𝘯. 𝘐 𝘨𝘦𝘵 𝘵𝘰 𝘴𝘦𝘦 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘥𝘪𝘧𝘧𝘦𝘳𝘦𝘯𝘤𝘦 𝘙𝘦𝘭𝘢𝘹 𝘒𝘪𝘥𝘴 𝘮𝘢𝘬𝘦𝘴 𝘦𝘷𝘦𝘳𝘺 𝘴𝘪𝘯𝘨𝘭𝘦 𝘥𝘢𝘺.”

One moment stands out as her greatest achievement.

“𝘐 𝘸𝘰𝘳𝘬𝘦𝘥 𝘸𝘪𝘵𝘩 𝘢 𝘤𝘩𝘪𝘭𝘥 𝘸𝘩𝘰 𝘸𝘢𝘴 𝘴𝘰 𝘢𝘯𝘹𝘪𝘰𝘶𝘴, 𝘩𝘦 𝘸𝘢𝘴𝘯’𝘵 𝘢𝘣𝘭𝘦 𝘵𝘰 𝘴𝘱𝘦𝘢𝘬 𝘵𝘰 𝘢𝘯𝘺 𝘢𝘥𝘶𝘭𝘵𝘴 𝘢𝘵 𝘴𝘤𝘩𝘰𝘰𝘭. 𝘐𝘯 𝘰𝘶𝘳 𝘧𝘪𝘳𝘴𝘵 𝘴𝘦𝘴𝘴𝘪𝘰𝘯, 𝘩𝘦 𝘴𝘱𝘰𝘬𝘦 𝘵𝘰 𝘮𝘦. 𝘈𝘧𝘵𝘦𝘳 𝘴𝘪𝘹 𝘴𝘦𝘴𝘴𝘪𝘰𝘯𝘴, 𝘩𝘦 𝘴𝘱𝘰𝘬𝘦 𝘵𝘰 𝘩𝘪𝘴 𝘵𝘦𝘢𝘤𝘩𝘦𝘳. 𝘕𝘰𝘸 𝘩𝘦 𝘴𝘩𝘰𝘶𝘵𝘴 𝘥𝘰𝘸𝘯 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘤𝘰𝘳𝘳𝘪𝘥𝘰𝘳! 𝘞𝘢𝘵𝘤𝘩𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘵𝘩𝘢𝘵 𝘵𝘳𝘢𝘯𝘴𝘧𝘰𝘳𝘮𝘢𝘵𝘪𝘰𝘯 𝘶𝘯𝘧𝘰𝘭𝘥 𝘩𝘢𝘴 𝘣𝘦𝘦𝘯 𝘰𝘯𝘦 𝘰𝘧 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘮𝘰𝘴𝘵 𝘱𝘰𝘸𝘦𝘳𝘧𝘶𝘭 𝘦𝘹𝘱𝘦𝘳𝘪𝘦𝘯𝘤𝘦𝘴 𝘰𝘧 𝘮𝘺 𝘭𝘪𝘧𝘦.”

Margaret’s work not only changes lives for the children she supports – it has transformed her own.

“Being a Relax Kids coach has helped me with my own mental health and anxieties,” she says. “It’s given me so many positive moments and reminders of why this work matters. I truly love what I do.”

Margaret’s story is a beautiful reminder that calm, connection, and confidence are possible – even in the face of challenges – and that with heart-led support, every child has the chance to find their voice.

Follow Margaret’s journey: Relax Kids Sunderland with Margaret

Sometimes, the most powerful transformations begin with uncertainty. 

For Hollie Barber, becoming a Relax Kids coach wasn’t just a career change – it was a leap of faith that led to purpose, passion, and a future filled with colour, creativity, and calm.

At just 25 years old and a mother of two, Hollie lived in a small village in West Dorset. Her journey to Relax Kids began during a time of transition and self-reflection.

“Before training, I worked as a gentle-parenting nanny and ran a local breastfeeding support group,” Hollie shares. “I’d gone through a separation and turned to yoga and meditation to help navigate the daily grind of single-mum life.”

In 2017, she came across Relax Kids and knew she’d found something special. “I was nervous on the way to training. I didn’t have a background in teaching or coaching, and I really doubted myself. But by the end of that weekend, I had found a supportive group of women, a sense of belonging, and the start of something extraordinary.”

That start has quickly turned into a thriving, life-changing career.

Since becoming a full-time Relax Kids coach in September, Hollie has already made a huge impact. She works in five primary schools offering both in-curriculum sessions and after-school clubs, runs Saturday classes at a local dance academy, and hosts holiday workshops. Within just six months, she expanded into seven primary schools, one preschool, and one secondary school – many of which fund the sessions themselves.

“The feedback has been overwhelming,” she says. “My confidence has grown so much. I actually look forward to meetings with teachers now! I’m so passionate about what I do – and the results speak for themselves.”

Her creativity shines in every aspect of her work. From designing lesson plans and crafting activities to creating posters and marketing materials, Hollie brings colour and joy to every session. And the children can feel it.

“There’s a waiting list for my Saturday sessions now. I’m even exploring bringing in a sixth-form assistant to help support the classes because the demand has grown so much!”

But the greatest reward, she says, is the difference she sees in the children.

“They tell me every day how they use their Relax Kids tools to get through tough situations. And parents and teachers are noticing real changes – in confidence, behaviour, and emotional regulation. It’s an incredible feeling.”

Since training, Hollie has continues to help her own children grow with calm and confidence as well as help others, applying the Relax Kids ethos to her new professional roles within schools.

Chat with Marneta if you would like more information about our training – https://training.relaxkids.com/chat-with-marneta

For Lisa Gilligan, becoming a Relax Kids coach began with a mother’s deep desire to support her daughter.

In 2015, Lisa was searching for a way to help her daughter Annie, then five, who was struggling with anxiety and had recently been diagnosed with Autism and ADHD. “We were going through a really difficult time. Annie was having frequent panic attacks, and we were desperate to find something that would help her feel more secure, more confident.”

It was Lisa’s mum who first stumbled upon Relax Kids during a late-night internet search for local support groups. While the nearest coach was too far away to attend classes, something about Relax Kids resonated deeply. “The more I read, the more I knew this was what Annie needed,” Lisa says. “And so I made the decision to train as a coach myself.”

With a background as an Early Years Professional and an interest in mindfulness and yoga, Lisa was already on a personal journey of self-care. Relax Kids offered a natural next step – one that would soon reshape both her career and her life.

After completing her training in June 2015, Lisa threw herself into preparation. “I attended countless business training courses, planned sessions, and offered free workshops in local children’s centres and schools. I even ran a three-day festival to promote Relax Kids in Liverpool.”

Then in January 2016, a pivotal opportunity arrived. Lisa was invited to introduce Relax Kids strategies at a local school as part of a maternity cover. “It was scary,” she admits. “I had to leave my job and become self-employed. But the response was amazing. The school asked me to stay on – and I’ve been working there three days a week ever since.”

Lisa’s work has continued to grow and evolve. She runs weekly community classes, workshops for parents, and bespoke programmes for children with neurodevelopmental conditions. She’s also begun working with local organisations supporting families affected by domestic violence and trauma.

“The children I work with are incredible,” Lisa says. “One of the most exciting things recently is the partnership we’re developing with Addvanced Solutions. They invited me to take part in their World Mental Health Day event, and now we’re working on securing funding for a community project together.”

But perhaps the most meaningful impact has been at home.

“Annie is now 10 and doing so well. She’s more aware of her emotions, she uses breathing techniques when she feels anxious, and her confidence has grown. My youngest son Charlie is three and already has wonderful emotional literacy – he loves playing Real Kids at home and says ‘it’s just so fun!’”

Lisa’s vision is clear – to expand Relax Kids in Liverpool, connect with more local coaches, and one day bring her sessions to children at Alder Hey Children’s Hospital.

“I feel so grateful to be part of the Relax Kids family. The support from HQ and the coaching community is amazing. Becoming a coach has changed everything – for my family, for the families I work with, and for me. I get to wake up every day and do something that doesn’t even feel like work.”

Lisa’s story is a shining example of what happens when a parent’s love, passion, and purpose come together – and a reminder that sometimes, the best way to help your child is to become the change they need.

If you would like to become a Relax Kids coach – book a call here

💜 Congratulations Serena Wilson 💜

“September 2015 – The month that changed the path of my life in so many ways! 

When you feel compelled to jump that jump! 

I took the training and never looked back, I kept adding to my training to deepen knowledge further, in areas such as kids yoga instructor, kids, teen & adult mindfulness coach, various/extensive neurodivergency courses … and even completing my Charge Up training too!

I never really started with a plan or a vision, I started doing sessions with in my dance school, Little Stars classes with my preschool dancers and their mums, doing free sessions at my daughters’ nursery etc  then a weekly community class. 

It wasn’t long before I won funding to provide blocks of sessions in all 6 local primary schools, then won that funding again the following year! This took my, now career to a new level.  Schools hiring me in, doing family sessions at the prison here, during visitations. 

More recently, spend a lot of time in primary schools, supporting bereaved children via a local charity, support parents of children with neurodiversities via another charity. Due to my work at the prison and my in-prison mental health week sessions, I was invited to work as a wellbeing tutor 2 days a week for a year.  

The latest of my proud moments, was when I was asked to be a PTSD Recovery trainer – which, as you’d imagine I jumped at the chance with much extra studying to meet the mark. I’ve now delivered 3 day-training courses to adults for personal and/or professional reasons. 

Personally, I am a mum of 3 awesome teenage daughters, we’ve been through a lot, but managed and handled the twists and turns soooo much better because of the regular RK lifestyle and income.

Forever grateful!!!!”

Follow Serena’s journey here – https://www.facebook.com/relaxkidswithserena