Where are they now?

Well, it's almost a year since graduating from Kevala with a diploma in Holistic Stress Management. Having spent over 20 years in advertising, I knew a bit about dealing with stress, which was why I decided to do the course - both to help myself and others deal more effectively with stress.

In June 2004 I launched my new business, Breathing Space Therapies in London and things have since grown slowly but steadily. They certainly say you really start to learn once you start to practice and I'd definitely confirm that is the case! However, with a small but growing client base, who keep coming back and who have started to recommend friends and colleagues, I guess I must be doing something right. Already I find this work immensely rewarding and find it hard to imagine how I worked in the corporate world for so long!

It occurred to me that many therapists seem to be 'one man bands' and I therefore decided to develop a website and leaflet to promote my business, but in so doing, I invited various other therapists to join forces. They work independently, but include their therapy on my site and if work is referred from Breathing Space Therapies, they pay a commission to me (and of course it works vice versa). Where we work together, we share the fee. This extends my offering to clients and allows me to work with therapists who have complementary skills, which provides a great network of support all round.

With stress becoming a major topic for a lot of businesses, I have recently started to discuss programmes with some of my contacts around the UK and work could result in a number of areas. I am therefore looking for therapists outside London who might be interested in joining forces on certain projects.

My next challenge is to start a practice in Spain, where I spend a significant amount of time - life is never dull!

If you're interested in joining the Breathing Space Therapies network or would like further information, please contact

Annie Lawler on 0776 444 8569 or annie@breathingspacetherapies.co.uk.

Thank you Annie, we are always pleased to receive news of past students. So don’t forget to keep in touch – Kevala.