Questions
Grounded Beside You Q&A
01
About The Service
Grounded Beside You is a premium in-person friend and life support service for women navigating life's transitions. I show up, in person, consistently, without judgement, as a trusted companion, cheerleader, and steady presence while you do the things you want to do, at your pace.
Not at all. Befriending services and care agencies serve a completely different need. The women I work with are capable, self-aware, and motivated, they simply find themselves with a smaller support circle than they'd like, at a moment when life has asked a lot of them. This is premium, professional, and entirely personal. Always the same person. Always me.
Women who are going through, or have recently come through, a significant life transition. A divorce, a bereavement, an empty nest, a relocation, a loss of confidence or support. Women who know what they want to do but don't want to do it alone. Women who have people around them and still sometimes feel the weight of doing life unaccompanied.
If you read that and felt something, this is probably for you.
Women who need medical care, personal care, or clinical mental health support. I have counselling skills and I can hold a difficult conversation safely, but I am not a therapist, and this is not a therapeutic service. If that's what you need, I will always encourage you to find it.
That depends entirely on you. It might be a gym class we go to together, a walk on the South Downs followed by coffee, an appointment you've been putting off, a social event you'd rather not walk into alone, or simply time to sit and talk through where you are. There is no set format and each session is shaped around what would make the most difference to you that day.
Always me. This is not an agency. I don't have a team of companions I allocate to clients. When you work with Grounded Beside You, you work with me, consistently, reliably, every time. That consistency is the whole point.
I am based in Chichester and work across West Sussex. If you are outside this area and would like to discuss options, please get in touch and we can talk it through.
02
About The Packages
The First Step is a single session — up to three times a year — with no ongoing commitment. It suits women who need support at a specific moment, or who want to experience working together before deciding anything further.
The Plus One is my full monthly membership — six in-person sessions per month, a monthly planning conversation, WhatsApp access between sessions, and a consistent, structured relationship built around your goals and your pace. It suits women who want regular, ongoing support as they move through a transition.
The Circle is a small, personally curated membership community, hand-picked by me, of up to 30 women who gather twice monthly across West Sussex. It includes access to our members-only WhatsApp community, a standing invitation to every gathering, and the ability to bring one guest per event.
By personal invitation. I find you, not the other way around. If you have been introduced through a member or have attended a Monthly gathering and feel it might be right for you, reach out and we can have a conversation.
The Monthly is a single gathering, a long lunch, a walk, an afternoon somewhere worth going, open to women who have been personally introduced by an existing Circle member. It is not a taster session or a sales event. It is simply a good afternoon with interesting women, one of whom happened to think of you.
Yes. Many women start with The First Step and naturally move toward The Plus One when they're ready. Others begin with The Circle and find that one-to-one support becomes the right next step. There is no pressure and no fixed path, we find what works for you.
The First Step has no commitment beyond the session itself. The Circle requires a 3-month minimum. The Plus One requires 4 weeks' notice to pause or end. These terms exist to protect the integrity of the relationships.
03
Practical Questions
With a free conversation — a 20–30 minute call or video chat where we simply talk. No obligation, no pitch. Just a chance to meet properly, ask anything you need to ask, and see if this feels right for both of us. You can book this through the contact page.
The free conversation costs nothing. The First Step is £150 per session, available up to three times a year. The Circle is £45 per month. The Plus One is £650 per month. Any additional costs for activities — venues, tickets, meals — are notified in advance and shared transparently. There are no hidden fees.
Absolutely. You do not need to be in crisis to benefit from this. Many of my clients are simply women who want more. More connection, more momentum, more of the life they know is possible. Transition does not have to mean catastrophe. Sometimes it just means something has shifted and you'd like someone beside you while you find your footing.
Wonderful. This sits comfortably alongside therapy; it is not a replacement for it and never tries to be. Many women find that having practical, in-person support between therapy sessions is exactly what helps the therapeutic work land more fully in their everyday life.
Completely. Everything shared between us stays between us. I operate to the same ethical standards as a trained counselling professional, discretion, respect, and your trust are non-negotiable.
Yes. I hold professional indemnity insurance; I am DBS checked. Full details are available on request.
Then we say so, honestly and kindly, and I will always do my best to point you somewhere that is. The free initial conversation exists precisely so that neither of us commits to something that isn't the right fit. There is no awkwardness in that. It is simply the right way to work.
Read the Why on this website. If it resonates, reach out. You do not need to be ready. You just need to be curious. The conversation is free, and it might be the most useful 30 minutes you spend this month.
04
Questions from daughters
You can start the conversation, and many daughters do. But she decides — she’ll speak to Goreti herself, and nothing is agreed over her head.
There is a page written specifically for this, including how to raise it without it landing as pity.
No. You’ll know the time is happening and you’ll be told about anything practical that affects the arrangement. What is said between them is theirs. That boundary is exactly why she is able to trust it.
Ask the one that isn’t here.
Three lines is plenty, and you don’t have to explain your whole situation to send them.