Thought I’d start writing again on my wee blog with the trend …
Probably Needed a Hug… ❤️
But I kept going anyway.
I’ve been feeling the pull to write again. To open up my laptop, let the words fall out, and share a little bit more of the messy, totally unpredictable journey that’s brought me to where I am now.
There’s a trend going around — “probably needed a hug… but kept going anyway.” And as soon as I saw it, it sparked a need to write again.
Because that’s been me. Over and over again.
I kept going through the hardest thing I’ve ever faced, the loss of our beautiful daughter.
I kept going when we had to leave our home, our jobs, our whole life, because the memories were too much.
I kept going through the fog of grief that followed me everywhere, through the moments when I couldn’t breathe, through the waves that would crash over me when I least expected.
I kept going through another pregnancy.
One filled with fear and hope at the same time.
One where I was counting kicks like prayers and holding my breath through every scan.
I kept going through the sleepless newborn nights.
Trying to mother a tiny baby while still mourning the one I couldn’t hold.
I was exhausted in every sense of the word, physically, emotionally, and spiritually.
I kept going through the silence, through the feeling that no one really saw what I was carrying.
Through PTSD. The way trauma showed up in my body long after the events had passed.
Through the tight chest, the racing heart, the foggy head… the feeling of being stuck inside a version of myself I didn’t recognise.
And in the middle of all that, I started a business.
With no blueprint.
No big savings.
No childcare.
Just a gut instinct. A quiet whisper that said maybe you can do this.
A ‘what if?’ that kept me awake in the best kind of way.
I built it nap by nap.
Early mornings. Late nights. A million cups of coffee.
I Googled things I didn’t know. Took risks. Made mistakes. Learned. Adapted. Grew.
And now? I get to help other people with a dream do the same.
I get to support others who are trying to build something meaningful in the cracks of everyday life.
This blog, this space, this work… It’s all for the version of me who was barely surviving but still showed up anyway.
For anyone who’s ever wondered if it’s possible to rebuild from the hardest chapters.
This is soft proof that you can.
That healing doesn’t look like a straight line.
That grief and joy can live side by side.
That your lowest moments don’t have to define you — but they can shape something beautiful.
So if you’re in it right now — in the mess, the fog, the heartbreak, the starting over — I see you.
And I want you to know:
Things can and will get better.
You’re allowed to dream again.
You’re allowed to take up space.
You’re allowed to build something magical, even if you’re still healing.
Here’s to the quiet strength that no one sees.
Here’s to keeping going.
Here’s to hugs, the ones we needed, and the ones we still deserve. ❤️🩹
FOR FRANCESCA 