About

I was born in Chichester in 1988, an only child. My parents went through a very messy separation when I was young, which lasted a considerable amount of time. I remember life then being very unsettled, and as I navigated living between two homes with my parents and their new partners, I felt truly disorientated and insignificant. My Mum’s new partner was an alcoholic. When home alone with him after school I would lock myself in our downstairs toilet and call my friends for comfort. To my Dad’s new girlfriend I was a huge inconvenience, and was never made me feel welcome.

When I was 11 my Mum became poorly very suddenly. After numerous tests and scans, it transpired she had lung cancer (as a result of Malignant Melanoma) and she was given 6 months to live. I spent the last few weeks of her life living with her in a hospice, going to and from school from there. I can still remember the sounds and the smells of being surrounded by terminally ill patients, and their crying loved ones who came in and out everyday. My Mum passed away on April 23rd 2000. With my Dad living in his girlfriend’s house, and her not being the maternal type, it was decided I would go and live with my (much older) Aunt and Uncle. This meant moving out of my family home, moving towns and changing schools. I saw my Dad at weekends. We had a lot of fun together.

Life was difficult, but I had routine for the first time in a long time. In the November of 2004, whilst I was at a boyfriend’s house, there was a knock on the door. It was my Auntie. She said she had some news and that I had better sit down. My Dad had suffered a massive and fatal heart attack the night before. And once again my world fell away from my feet.

I went on to get married, then divorced, and have my son Jack, who was diagnosed with autism at a young age. My adulthood brought more loss, as my Gran, Uncle and Cousin also passed away. I had to be tested for hereditary illness (Motor neurone disease), which was another very traumatic time (although luckily I escaped that gene!). I formed a relationship that was based on codependency, in a bid to feel some kind of security, but that feeling never came. As a result of my life experience, I lived with worry, anxiety & fear for most my adult life.

I hit rock bottom, and one day had the realisation that this wasn’t the life I wanted to continue living. I always appreciated being alive, despite it all; and valued life so much that ending it didn’t seem like the right option for me. So my only choice was to make big changes.

I threw myself head first into every type of therapy going. I devoured books, podcasts and videos on mental health, mindset and self-development every single day. It was during this process I established my obsession for personal growth. Working on my inner-self was the single most important thing I ever did, and I learnt first hand that having the right mindset was the biggest asset I could possess.

After years of putting in the hard work, and successfully navigating (even enjoying) life off anxiety medication, I had the realisation I could significantly help others with all the extensive research, experience and therapies I had embarked on. I decided to retrain, and took courses on Life Coaching, Emotional Intelligence, Positive Psychology, Addiction Therapy, and Meditation (as well as others), passing with distinction. In 2020 I risked it all, quit my job of 10 years and set up Empowered House. And the rest, as they say, is history!

My drive for founding Empowered House was my calling to be the person for others that I had so desperately wanted for myself. I want Empowered House to be your home. A home where you are truly valued. A home where I promise to go above and beyond, to ensure you always feel embraced and supported.

You may not be able to change your beginning, but you can decide to change your ending. You are not what happens to you, you are what you choose to become.

Holly x