An Hour Before Class, “THAT” Email Landed…
Last Friday, one hour before I was due to teach a trauma-aware movement taster session, I got the CMS decision from my recent appeal. He "earns" £7 a week. They won't review it. If I want any kind of financial support, I'll need to go to a tribunal.
Of course.
You almost start to laugh at the timing. Because how is it always like this?
It seems to happen every time something good is unfolding - a class, a programme, a press release, new partner coming onboard, a spark of growth for the business - something else lands right alongside it. Some system saying no. Some new fire to fight. Some other piece of emotional admin dropped at my feet.
So I sat with the decision. Let the sting rise. Put the phone down. Packed my bag. And went to teach.
And you know what, an hour later, I was ugly laughing with a group of women I'd never met before. Because joy still finds a way in.
We moved. We breathed. We let the tension shift a little. And it reminded me of something I forget when I'm in fight mode: this work matters. Not just because it helps other people - but because it helps me keep going.
Living in the Middle of the Mess
People assume that once you get out - of a relationship, of a crisis - life just gets better. That healing is linear. That the court stuff ends. That the chaos passes.
But the truth is, sometimes you're in a room laughing and connecting while knowing that earlier that day you were:
replying to a solicitor about yet another "incident"
compiling safeguarding reports for CAFCASS
or getting a call from nursery because your son's been sent in with mouldy food
This is the real life in between. And yet, in the same week, I danced. I led a room full of brilliant women. And I saw, again, how powerful it is to move through it - not alone.
Moving Through It - A Free Summer Resource
This summer, I'm sharing something for anyone who needs a tool to hold them through the mess:
Moving Through It - a free video series, launching soon.
These are short, trauma-aware movement practices designed for real-life moments survivors know all too well.
The night before court
Reading a triggering message
When the system lets you down
When you feel overstimulated, touched out, or just... done!
Each video is between 30 seconds and 3 minutes. No over-talking, no pressure. Just grounding, accessible movement you can do from home - whether you're in fight-or-flight or just trying to breathe again.
You can use them anytime, anywhere. And you can join me for a few live sessions across the summer too!
It's a free way to try out what we do - and it's for anyone feeling the weight of it all. Survivors, practitioners, or anyone who's ever had to keep going when everything felt like too much.
Because sometimes we don't need fixing. We just need a way to move through it.
Follow @_TheDandelionProject on Instagram and sign up for updates here: www.thedandelionproject.co.uk
