Welcome to Alongside

Hello, I'm Claire.

I'm a life coach, mother of two teenage boys, and someone who made the most terrifying decision of my life in January 2020. I closed my award-winning business to home educate my children when they needed something different.

Everyone thought I was mad. I did it anyway. Somehow I knew it was the route forward. So we ripped off the stabilizers and decided to ride through life unaided.

It was terrifying and yes there were wobbles, but it was also the best thing I've ever done. I knew it would enable my family to thrive. What I didn't expect was how much it would change me.

Why Alongside?

As a child I'd followed the rules, terrified of getting it wrong. In my 20s I sought external validation, trying to prove myself. As a mother running a business, I poured everything into my children while trying to be everything to everyone.

Then I took my children out of school and started giving them something I'd never really considered: trust in their own learning, autonomy over their days, freedom to follow their curiosity.

And as I watched them thrive with that trust and freedom, I realised I'd never given myself any of that.

Home education changed how I saw myself and what I needed to thrive.

And the biggest realisation was that I could thrive alongside my children, not after they've grown and flown.

That's what this space is about.

This Is For You If...

You've chosen differently - in parenting, education, work, life - and know what it feels like when others don't understand.

You're tired of following the "shoulds" and wondering what would happen if you trusted yourself instead.

You're brave enough to question the status quo but sometimes wonder if you're the only one feeling this way.

You don't have to home educate to be here. You just have to be willing to embrace the mess and ask the bigger questions.

What Happened When I Stepped Outside

Stepping outside a social norm forces you to look deep within:

Who am I when I stop following the rules?
What do I actually believe vs. what I've been told to believe?
What happens when I trust myself, even when it's terrifying?

Home education became my teacher. It taught me about learning (messy and non-linear), failure (part of success, not the opposite), the "shoulds" (they're everywhere once you notice), grief (for what might have been), and trust (in myself, finally).

These lessons didn't come from a book. They came from living through the terrifying decision, the messy middle, the doubt, and the gradual realization: I can trust myself.

A Bit About Me

I live in a quiet Buckinghamshire village with my husband and our two teenage boys. Both home educated, both wildly different. Our home is full of curiosity, chaos, and compassion.

Before closing my business (Oglee Poglee - an award-winning creative enterprise), I thought I had life figured out. I was doing what I thought I was "supposed" to do yet I was always busy, permanently exhausted and life felt meh. Since then, I've created The Cardboard Shed, co-authored a book, started a teen home education group, hosted retreats for mothers, and launched my coaching practice. Yes, I'm still busy but now I feel alive.

None of that happened because I had it figured out. I chose the messy path, the growth path, the "let's see what I'm capable of" path. The same path that I was asking my children to tread.

I've learnt that ....
Mess is where discovery happens.
Getting it right is overrated.
Mothers deserve the same freedom and trust they give their children.

What You'll Find Here

Alongside shares stories from my journey as a mum walking alongside her children and learning along the way. Stories that I hope will resonate, stir up some thoughts and offer permission to trust yourself.

This isn't about convincing you to home educate or telling you what to do. It's about sharing what I've learned from treading a different path. lessons that apply whether you're making a big life change or simply wondering what if I listened to myself?

You don't have to have it figured out. I certainly don't.

But if you're brave enough to question things and willing to embrace the mess, you're in the right place.

Subscribe to discover what happens when you trust yourself, even when it's terrifying.

Want to work together?
I offer coaching for mothers ready to thrive alongside their families.
Learn more at clairegillespie.co.uk and to book a free 20-minute call.