My journey into psychoeducation and wellbeing support started at 17, when my world came crashing down a little. I was diagnosed with PTSD after witnessing a fatal car accident — my friends and I were the first on the scene. Seeing someone fight for their last breaths left me shaken to the core. Anxiety bulldozed my life. I couldn’t queue at the post office, sit exams, or even leave the house without my mum— it felt like I was up shit creek without a paddle, for sure.

Therapy didn’t work for me at the time. I was left with no choice but to dig deep, educate myself, and rebuild from the inside out. I leaned on grit, curiosity, and some top-notch advice from my grandma (a cancer survivor who knew her stuff): “Life is tough, my darling — you’ve got to choose to be strong.” So stoic and old Skool I know!

That’s when psychoeducation became my lifeline. I immersed myself in understanding anxiety, trauma, and composure. I explored Taoism and Zen Buddhism, grounding myself with practical tools so I didn’t drift into spiritual bypassing. I taught myself coping strategies, mindset shifts, and nervous system tools that helped me inch back toward life. Good music also played its part for sure!

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My turning point came when I deliberately booked a bus ticket to Copenhagen — knowing it would force me to face my biggest fear of feeling trapped. Sitting in the Channel Tunnel for 35 minutes - sat in a bus, in a train that in a tunnel, under the sea! - I realised: if I can do this, I can face a supermarket queue. That experience became my anchor — proof that I could be OK and trust my body, anywhere.

From there, fascination took over! I wanted to understand why some people crumble under trauma while others rebuild. I studied medical anthropology and psychology, later writing my Master’s thesis on composure in the face of PTSD, interviewing survivors of Hurricane Katrina in New Orleans about the role of spirituality and mindset in recovery.

Now, over a decade later, I've not only managed to leave the house on my own, I've on to work and study in four different countries, and I'm grateful to be able to share what I’ve learned through Coco Belle — combining lived experience, academic study, and practical tools — to help others build composure, steadiness, and self-trust.