'I've reinvented life for me and my children and I want to help others'

Sunderland counsellor Kirsty Laing has turned one of the lowest points of her life into a thriving new therapy businessand says she's never felt prouder of who she is.

- by Echo Reporter

Kirsty, who lives in Pennywell with her daughters Poppy and Millie, launched Rain or Shine Counselling in July last year with help from the North East BIC after a difficult period in her personal life.

"I felt like a Stretch Armstrong," Kirsty says. "I was pulled in every direction trying to please everyone but pleasing nobody - especially not myself."

A single parent, juggling demands of motherhood, full-time employment as a therapist and personal struggles, Kirsty reached a point where something needed to change.

That change began by starting to invest in herself through her own personal counselling, holistic therapies and goal-setting. And though she'd always considered self-employment as an unrealistic goal, she began to view it as something achievable.

"I walked into a sound bath session one day, and the man running it asked me what I did for a living.

"When I told him I was a counsellor, he asked me for my business page. I didn't have one.

"In that moment I realised I wanted to start my own business and I knew I could do it," Kirsty says.

"By working on myself in my own therapy, I'd found the confidence to take myself seriously and that's how Rain or Shine was born.

"By growing as a person, I've been able to grow a business. I've reinvented life for me and my children and now I want to help others to do the same."

Rain or Shine Counselling offers one-to-one therapy, group sessions, wellbeing workshops and remote support by telephone and video.