Welcome To Willow's World

Where to start?

If you are reading this, you've likely already read my brief intro or you were a reader of my previous work under Terminally Tough. So for my new readers, here is a more comprehensive overview of who I am.

Who Am I?

I'm Willow, I'm in my early 30's & I live in the South of England. I am a wife, mumma & am now an auntie too - these are my greatest privileges in life.

I co-founded a dog training & behaviour business with my husband almost six years ago, but am unable to work due to multiple chronic illness & various co-morbidities. I was an avid blogger for many years, as well as an advocate & campaigner for disability rights & accessibility issues. I still dabble in those from time to time (health permitting). I am a self-confessed skincare, wellness & haircare junkie & love finding & recommending gorgeous products to my loved ones. Anyone who knows me personally can attest to my biggest obsession, DOGS! 2026 is huge year for my long-term health, there will be life changing surgery. However, around this huge life event we will also be welcoming a brand new family member - a new dog! To say I'm excited is a massive understatement, but the timing of his arrival will be carefully curated around my surgery. I cannot wait until I am able to share him all with you.

Why Willow's World?

I've missed blogging, as I haven't done in consistently for quite a while. My previous work (TT) was originally started as a way for me to meet fellow members of the chronic illness community, make friends & be a cathartic outlet for me - it served its purpose well. In fact, it was so successful that I regularly had people contact me for help & it ran away from me. With this, came: burnout, complicated family life, love, loss, trauma, normal everyday life, founding a business, a worldwide pandemic, a decline in my mental health, a dyslexia & ADHD diagnosis & multiple scary & life threatening physical health problems.

I took the time I desperately needed to: breathe, to learn my limitations, set healthy boundaries, fall in love with life again, to like myself & prioritize my wants & needs. Most importantly, I prioritised my mental & physical health.

After all this hard work, it became crystal clear that I no longer aligned with TT anymore - it's not who I am in 2026. Yes, my poor health is a massive part of my daily life, but I decided that I was no longer going to be defined by it. It saddened me when I realised others were only able to interact with me in regard to my health, because I only shared that side of my life.

My existence is so much more than my physical health & I am ready to throw back the curtain & show my life as whole; the raw, honest, whole, the nitty gritty, the abundance of love, some dark & low times & memories. That's my real life, Willow's World.

Why Now?

It's safe to say, 2025 was one of the most surreal & bittersweet years of my life. I experienced the second biggest loss of my life, the passing of my beloved grandfather. Followed by the birth of my sister's first child & namesake to our grandfather. There was obviously an awful lot more going on behind the scenes, but I continued to spend the year healing myself & attending weekly therapy sessions. It's only on reflection that I see how vital therapy was in 2025. Because of this, I am ready to face 2026 & all it throws my way.

Love, Loss & Resilience are the words to best describe my 32nd year of life. And it's a year I could not have got through without the laser-focused support of my husband. After his own long & arduous efforts in self discovery & healing, it was he, Anthony who inspired me to go on my own journey of healing. I cannot express with enough clarity, just how much Anthony has & continues to inspire me - in more ways than I can begin to fathom. There were many occasions during 2025 where I know I would have crumbled had it not been for his love & devotion. He coped beautifully & treated me with such grace, even when I had none for myself. For that & everything in between, I will be eternally grateful.

Through Anthony's inspiration, our hardwork (as individuals & as a family), I have found my spark again. I never wanted to stop blogging, but with: this new lease of life, seeing the success of Anthony's blog & my passion for writing being reignited, it just felt right to bring you all along for my journey. I hope there are still readers who align with: my thoughts, feelings & experiences & I hope it brings clarity to those who know me. Moreover, I hope I continue to find writing a cathartic experience, to make Anthony as proud of me as I am of him. Overall, if anything I write about: touches someone, makes someone feel less alone, less 'crazy', enables someone to seek help, to feel seen, or simply brighten someones day - then none of this has been in vain.

Thank you for taking your time to read my first post on Willow's World.

I hope this post has found you well & I hope you return soon for my next post.

With Love,

WL xo