Hello from At the Kitchen table.
I'm so happy you're here.
Kirsty Brown
Founder
My story
After many years of working with children and young people who, through no fault of their own, have experienced trauma, adverse childhood experiences (ACEs), school refusal, or challenges with their mental health, I have discovered that some of the most meaningful conversations happen when hands are busy creating.
My eldest on her graduation day becoming a teacher.
My youngest and her passion for horses.
Why Kitchen Table Mentoring Matters to Me
Kitchen Table Mentoring is something that comes from both my heart and my own experience.
I’m a mum to two wonderfully neuro-spicy girls, and I know first-hand how difficult the journey through education can be when the world around you doesn’t quite understand how your child thinks, feels or learns.
Both of my girls needed a lot of support and advocacy as they made their way through school and beyond. There were times when things felt incredibly hard — times when their challenges seemed to overshadow all the wonderful things they had to offer.
As their mum, I spent a lot of time trying to understand, explain, advocate and fight their corner. I wanted them to see the amazing qualities in themselves that I could see so clearly.
Today, they are both fully grown and, thankfully, they have found their passions. They are flourishing and becoming the people I always knew they could be.
But I often think about how much easier their journeys might have been if, much earlier on, they had had someone sitting beside them — someone who could have helped them understand why things felt difficult, recognise what they were good at, discover what made them tick and, most importantly, believe in themselves.
Someone who wasn't there to tell them what they should be doing, but to help them work out what they wanted and needed.
That is a huge part of why I created At the Kitchen Table Mentoring.
Because sometimes, you don't need another person telling you what to do. You need someone to sit with you, listen without judgement, help you untangle the muddle and remind you that there is so much more to you than the things you find difficult.
I wish my girls had had that person when they were younger.
So, in many ways, At the Kitchen Table Mentoring is inspired by them.
I want to offer other children and young people the kind of support I wish they had received — a safe, relaxed and creative space where they can be themselves, explore their challenges, discover their strengths and start to see a future that feels exciting and achievable.
If I can help even one young person find their confidence, their voice or their passion a little sooner, then it will be worth it.