Michele Jennings, originally from Ballinasloe, is bringing her passion for children’s wellbeing back to her hometown through the launch of Little Still Space, an online platform designed to help children and families build calm, confidence, and emotional awareness.
Michele began her teaching career locally, teaching in Portumna before later teaching in Creagh National School, and eventually moving overseas to work in Dubai and Australia. Through years of experience working with children across different education systems, Michele began to notice a pattern. Regardless of where she taught, there was very little readily available that parents could easily access and use to support children with emotional wellbeing and regulation.
“As a teacher, I kept seeing the same gap – so many parents wanted to help their children manage big emotions but didn’t know where to start,” says Michelle. “Little Still Space came from wanting to put those tools directly into families’ hands, in a way that’s simple and doesn’t feel overwhelming.”
Alongside her teaching career, Michele’s own wellbeing journey led her to discover nervous system regulation practices and breathwork. Inspired by the impact these tools had on her own life, she trained as a breathwork facilitator and began exploring how these skills could be taught in simple, child-friendly ways.
“Breathwork and nervous system regulation changed things for me personally, and I couldn’t stop thinking about how much earlier children could learn these skills if they were just taught in a way that made sense to them. That’s really what Little Still Space is, bringing those tools home to families.”
Little Still Space offers calming meditations, breathing practices, and practical tools children can use in everyday life, all available through the Little Still Space app. The app can be accessed via www. littlestillspace.com (it’s not available through the Apple Store or the Google Play store.)
Still in its infancy, the platform is already receiving positive feedback from teachers and parents who have begun using it. Michele says: “It’s still early days, but the feedback has been so encouraging. Parents are telling me their children feel calmer using the app, and honestly, a lot of parents say they feel calmer too. That’s exactly what I hoped for, tools that support the whole family, not just the children.”
Michele recently hosted a series of local wellbeing workshops in Ballinasloe, with more online workshops planned in the future. Updates on upcoming workshops and the app are shared via her Instagram @the.little.still.space.
