EP61 Magic, Mindfulness and Mimes. Transformative play with Marneta Viegas

Philippa interviews Marneta Viegas, founder of Relax Kids, which began 25 years ago as the UK’s first company offering children’s relaxation and mental health tools. Marneta shares her performing arts background, years as a children’s entertainer and mime performer, and how she noticed children increasingly struggled to sit still, listen, and concentrate. A breakthrough came when she introduced visualisation at parties and began transforming fairy stories into meditations, leading to her first book and later books and audio resources. She describes the Relax Kids seven-step method—move, play, stretch, feel, breathe, believe, relax—developed through classes in homes, schools, and community settings, later linked to the chakra system. Growth accelerated through coach training, media coverage, and a Dragons’ Den appearance that drove major sales, with reported impact in schools, including reduced exclusions.

www.relaxkids.com
Facebook @relaxkidsofficial
Insta @relax_kids
Twitter@relaxkids
TikTok @relax_kids
LinkedIn @relaxkids

 Instagram, Facebook, | Linktree

Transcript

Magic, Mindfulness, and Mimes: Transformative Play with Marneta Viegas

[00:00:00] 

Philippa: Welcome to this week's episode of Pondering Play and Therapy with me Philippa. And this week my guest is Marneta Viegas, and she is the founder of Relax Kids. Which she started 25 years ago. And this is the, was the UK's first and now leading company to offer children's relaxation and mental health tools.

You've written 20 books, which is, you know, an amazing achievement. But actually Monetta, you started as. A children's entertainer and a clown. I'm not sure clowns are relaxing. They're certainly not relaxing for me. So tell me about that. So welcome to the podcast. It's really nice to have you here.

Marneta: Wonderful. Well, yeah, clowns not always relaxing, but they are playful. Hence, 

Philippa: they're [00:01:00] definitely 

Marneta: playful. 

So yeah, so I have a performing arts background music, drama, dance, and after I left College Uni, it is now I.

I started a clowning business, so using all the things that I'd learned from university and and I, that was my first business. I've never had a job in my whole life. Wow. I just loved entertaining children at parties and it was great fun playing games, having a joyful time, but over those years. In the nineties, this is, I noticed a change in children's behavior in the inability to sit, still, listen, concentrate.

I have a meditation background. I learned when I was 12 and I felt meditation was the answer for these children. And so. The way that I did my form of clowning, it [00:02:00] wasn't scary. I actually didn't wear towards maybe for the first year I wore the white makeup and then, well, one, it was such hard work to keep doing every time.

And and two it was, it was quite scary. So I just adapted everything and I was more playful. I was more creative. I was more imaginative. So I would bring children down into like a. Nice calming storytelling space rather than whipping up their attention, which, so that's always been the way that I've worked.

Philippa: Why did you, why did you decide coming out of performing arts college, you are in the south of England, aren't that's where you are? Yeah. And, and so what? When you came out of college, why clowns? You know what I mean? Like, it's not a, it's not a usual route. We've, we've exper, you know, I've interviewed a few performing arts people who've gone on to, to drama and, and [00:03:00] plays, and I interviewed a great, great performer and actor and, and drama.

Duke, I think she called herself. So there's, there's those very usual roots, or I suppose things you would accept. Clowning is not one that you would think, oh, I'm gonna go into that now. So what, why? 

Marneta: Well, I this is the early nineties. I really wanted to be a children's, well, before that I wanted to be an opera singer.

But I, I wasn't gonna do that. My voice wasn't quite strong enough. For opera singing. Then I wanted to be a TV presenter, but I wasn't the right look. It was very, you know, it was the time of Fern Britain, not Fern Britain. Sorry, Fern. Ah, the lovely 

Philippa: cotton. 

Marneta: That's the one Fern, Denise Van Alton. They were the, you know, the entertaining, you know, they were.

And so I just thought, I'm not going for any more [00:04:00] auditions and just like for more rejection. Oh gosh. And I I loved Marcel Mar. I loved clown clowning. Miming, I got into doing a lot of mime on almost like the street corner type thing. And, and it just, it naturally happened and I just started as, as an, as a, as an experiment and it went so well and I ended up working in London, central London doing a lot of work for the, all the celebrities.

So, 

Philippa: and is it easy to be a clown and do mine? And I imagine it's, it's because we see them, don't they? I, I imagine it takes a, a mass, vast amount of skill to do that. 

Marneta: Very, very difficult. I went to three mime schools and the, the level of control that is needed to do it properly. So the, the, the. The real traditional [00:05:00] Marcel Massau type mime of the control of the muscles to do all that pull push thing.

That's become a, that's the stylized mime, the traditional mime, but still it takes a lot of work. And then. 

Philippa: I didn't even know there was mime schools. 

Marneta: Yes. Yeah, there are three. Well, there's more actually. But and I then I went to a French mime school that were in, that was in the UK for a year. And they.

I mean, it was proper. I was no good at it. But the guys there, their bodies were like Michelangelo's sculptures, like literally the way, and they could articulate different parts of their body. It was just. Divine to watch. It really was, especially when they did, I used to love it when, this sounds a bit weird, but I used to love it when they would do little performances and just wear a piece of material around their, you know, their parts [00:06:00] and just seeing the muscles and the way they were moving.

It was amazing. I could not do it, but I can still do a little bit now, but not to the level that they did. Yeah, 

Philippa: yeah. Wow. So did you mind then. Like we see in Covent Garden and stuff like that and Manchester? Is that what you did? 

Marneta: Yeah, I did a little bit of that. Not Cove. I don't think I did Covent Garden.

I remember getting some jobs in shopping centers and I remember going to Guernsey jersey on the street, in the street doing that. I didn't enjoy it that much, I'll be honest with you. But yes, I did that. And then I also started doing solo mind performances a little bit, you know, with the, with the white.

The white paint and, and just creating, I love creating stories of yeah, stories of, of what happens in [00:07:00] silence. And I realized recently that I aptly am so. A friend said to me, you've always been drawn to silence, haven't you? All your work is all about either mime. And then it became meditation which was, you know, that's again silence.

And a lot of the inspiration I get is through symbols. So say for example, if some, if I need an idea. Like my brain, my, I'll be scanning the room, I'll be scanning the room and I see something, whether it's a color, a shape something, and I, and a whole story. And a whole idea will just come from one little thing.

And that's just the way that my brain works. So that alongside the miming and. Entertaining. So this is throughout the nineties. I also worked on creating charity pantomimes every year. Took about three months outta my time, full-time [00:08:00] as well as doing the clowning. And a bit of training.

And I would write it, direct it, do the costumes, and there'd be about a hundred children and people in it. And then I think it was seen by about 5,000 children. 

Philippa: Wow. That's, and so you, you would do it. You'd were doing the miming, you'd done a little bit of clown, you were doing some clowning. I am interested a little bit in about what that was like, especially with the, the rich and famous.

But let's do the p We'll come back to that. So, and then you were writing a pantomime, so the Christmas, Christmas one that, that we put on, you know, like the Peter Pan or the Robin Hood, or, I mean, that's a lot. I work especially quite young, minor, so that was a, 

Marneta: yeah. I just got on and I, and, and did a lot of solo performances for charity and then the pantomimes, and I think I was just having fun and I was, my clowning business was giving me enough [00:09:00] income to, to survive.

I didn't have a, a lot. You know, I just had a, a small rent then, 'cause I think I was sharing to start with, and then it sort of, it slowly goes up and up of course, when you move on your own. Yeah. And it was a very, you know, we were very simple then. We didn't have extravagant things that we, we, we have grown accustomed to having in our letter years.

Yeah. So it was, it was very doable. And then, and I just slowly built my business. But yeah, it was, it was full on. It was full on because I was definitely, I remember I was going to college studying where whichever school it was, I had a Michael Jackson grants. That's what got me into it. What? Once I left uni, I had a Michael Jackson grant and I thought, oh, what should I do with this?

I'm going to do mime. And then I went on to another mime school, then another one, and, and. Alongside having the [00:10:00] entertaining business. 

Philippa: Yeah. Wow. And then, so when you were doing the claim, just tell me a little bit about that. That was like, 'cause that's also what led you into more of the meditation, isn't it?

Because then you started to notice, but what was it like? Did they have big extravagant parties or, 

Marneta: oh yes. 

Philippa: What was it like? 

Marneta: Oh my goodness. Well, I mean, I remember. One of the worst parties I did was it was, we were, we were sent off to this place in the country, I think, and it was for a 1-year-old? No, no, no.

It was for a two and a half. Three. Two, two. It was only two. They had a fun fare. They had donkeys, they had candy floss machine. They had everything. And I was there with some toddlers. And I had to entertain. There was a Mickey Mouse, that's it. And a, and a and a Pluto or, or you know, a few of these characters, big characters.

And it didn't go well because, [00:11:00] well, one, they're toddlers. Mm-hmm. And toddlers just, I can control toddlers, but. Not when there's Mickey Mouse and Pluto and, and candy floss and, and all this. And then I had a complaint and I just thought, well, what am I meant to do? So that was probably one of the most extravagant parties I think I went to.

I did a lot of celebrity parties for news, news readers. Very famous musicians, some like idols, you know? And yeah, news readers and, and some singers. Yeah. So it wa it was, and actresses too. 

Philippa: Mm-hmm. It is quite a different, when I was a nanny, it. In in London just, just for a short period of time for some very wealthy family.

Well, for a one wealthy family. And I remember a birthday party that I was taking there. They'd got three children all of quite close in [00:12:00] age, and I remember. Taking them to some of these parties and the sandwiches were like like color, color coordinated. There was like an ice sculpture and they were toddlers.

They didn't care that this was a swan or a, and it was, it was ma I'd come from like the north of England where we'd, you know, we'd had the minor strike and we were, you know, all this sort of stuff into this world of. Of, yeah, opulence. Really. Exactly. It was a very, it was a very different, oh, and I didn't stay very long.

And you know, I, yes, they had lots of money. I mean, we can discuss those, but it's a very different lifestyle, isn't it? And being a clown in there must be quite. Fascinating. 

Marneta: It was, it was amazing. Yeah. And I would, you know, and I was always, I was always amazed actually how sometimes people would let me into their bedroom to get changed.

'cause I often, to [00:13:00] start with, I was getting, I didn't have a car. This is, yeah. I. I didn't have a car, so I was on tubes and I'd arrived with my stuff and I'd say, could I get changed please? And they, you know, and there'd be money on the table. And I was just felt so well, one, grateful, and, and, and that I was just so honest to myself.

Mm-hmm. That I would never even think, but also just so amazed that. Complete stranger that these people would put their stuff in, in the hands of complete str, a complete stranger. Yeah. I was always, it's a 

Philippa: privilege, isn't 

Marneta: it? I felt that's the word. I felt so privileged. Yeah. Yeah. And then, and what was amazing was I was asked back.

I was asked to come back a lot. And even when I stopped. In 2004, I moved outta London and came to Oxford, and that's when I really properly started to relax kids and. Even then I had people calling [00:14:00] back saying, please, can you come? I've had another child. And, and I said, no, I, I have to draw a line. Yeah. And, and, and sometimes I have met people 20 years later who I was an entertainer for.

Philippa: Aw. And they 

Marneta: still remember, and they said it was the best party. Yeah. 

Philippa: Oh, and that's so nice, that joy that you bring to people. 

Marneta: It was, it was a joy. But the key thing that I did, and yes, it was play, but I did not whip children up into like a frenzy. Mm-hmm. I, I, a successful party for me was when I had them eating outta my hand.

Their minds, their imaginations were. On fire, they were excited, but in a quiet way. Mm-hmm. So it's like more storytelling, I guess. 

Philippa: Yeah. 

Marneta: And that's how I, my first party actually was an absolute failure. It was awful because I [00:15:00] tried to be a clown. Yeah. And I tried to be silly and I tried to do the magic and I realized I couldn't do it.

So I was on the tube to the next one, like panicking, thinking, what am I gonna do? And this idea. Came into my head of CR creating a story. So use all the tricks that you've got and turn them into a story. So I quickly wrote it down and that one story became the almost the same story with variation for the whole of my, I think 13 years of clowning.

Yeah. 

Philippa: Wow. Maybe 

Marneta: just. 

Philippa: And you began to notice a change in children, did you, when you were doing that, which led you on to Yes. To the next stage. So what were you noticing? 

Marneta: Just their inability to sit still, listen. Concentrate and there was one particular party with a group of boys. They had [00:16:00] just come from school and I had only seen them on the Saturday.

This was the Wednesday, so they'd already seen me. They'd already seen the show and. And it, and they were very full of bravado and they, when children are together all day and then they, one, they want to let off steam at the end of the day and just, they also almost don't care. Whereas when they come on.

On a Saturday, they're a little bit more subdued because they're coming from their own homes. They're excited. Mm-hmm. But that was my experience. And so it was so hard. And so I just went, okay, everyone please lie down on the floor. And I did a visualization with them, and that was the beginning. I thought, oh, there's, and the parents were like, oh, that was amazing.

And so I started to do that more. And then I had the idea to write this all the meditations, sorry. All the [00:17:00] fairy stories to turn them into meditations, okay. So that they would imagine they were sleeping. Beauty, lying on a bed or Peter Pan flying Little Mermaid swimming. And I turned every fairy story apart from Little Red Riding Hood into a meditation, and that became my first book, and it grew from there.

Philippa: Okay, so you left being a clown and you moved out to Oxford, and then so what, how did you then do, because you can have great ideas, you can do that, but actually what, what happened then? 

Marneta: Well, it was from that book the, the, the Aladdin's Magic Carpet. There's definitely a crossover. So the, the book I wrote in 1999 and it sat in a cupboard or a drawer or something for a good few years, I think it was 2001.

This. 2001, stroke two that my friend said, let's type them up 'cause it was just handwritten. We'll type [00:18:00] them up. And then I sent it off to a publisher. So 2003, the publisher published two books, the first two books, and that was, and and I also turned them into audios. So I turn them into. MP threes. So in 2003 I had two books and I think three or five MP threes in my flat in London filling up the bedroom boxes and boxes and boxes, and I just had to slow and I was still entertaining at the time because that was bringing in me in income.

I didn't have any money coming in from relaxed kids, so there was definitely a crossover. It wasn't a right, no more children's entertaining. Now we're going to do this new business. It was, it was a natural crossover because it was you, you know, I was learning things that I picked up from the, the entertaining, and then I started, running classes in my [00:19:00] home and I created this seven step system to teaching children to relax move, play, stretch, feel, breathe, believe, relax. And they do seven different activities and by the end, they lie down on the floor and I. Had some children to my flat and started experimenting with these ideas, and then it just grew and grew and grew from there.

Started classes in schools and community centers. I had some money, some funding from the King's Fund Millennium Award. So that would've been around 2000, 2001 to start these classes in area of deprivation for mental health. Even though there was just nothing and I researched, I could not find anything apart from yoga.

There was yoga for children, but yoga then was it was more as a, a physical activity. It's very of [00:20:00] now, well. In the mid two thousands, yoga teachers started using my books. Oh, okay. Classes. Yeah. And then, so they started using the relaxation or the, the, the meditations for the relaxation bit and started using the affirmations.

Yeah. 

Philippa: Okay. So can you tell me a bit more then about the, the steps, the, the, the seven steps? 

Marneta: Yes. Yeah, so we start, we u we work with children's natural energy system. So we start with movement and they run around and, and they, they move their bodies. Get rid of all that extra energy. Then they play some social games, and then they stretch their muscles.

Then they do, so then they massage, and then they do some breathing. Then affirmations just to help them feel safe and secure, and then they're ready to lie down on the floor. Now, if you, if we were to say. To a group of [00:21:00] quite highly energetic children. Could you, could you lie down on the floor and relax?

They find it difficult, but going through these seven steps, it works. Now, I think I can talk about this now a little bit more. This has always been something I've kept a little bit in the closet jokingly in a way. But now the way that the world is, we're so much more open and. The seven steps follow the seven chakras of the body.

Philippa: Mm-hmm. 

Marneta: But I did not know this when I created these seven steps, I did not even know about the seven chakras. Even though I have practiced meditation, it was of the meditation I practice was not of the thing the way you'd be doing chakras. Yeah. And it was only in 2003 that, yeah. It was 2003 and I was in Matalan, and I remember the [00:22:00] moment buying this book or seeing this book on the thing, and it was a book on chakras.

And I looked at it and I thought, that's interesting. I bought it and then I was flying. I was going somewhere and I, you know when your mind is just sort of like you're up in the air and you're just thinking, and I thought, oh my goodness. The Relaxed Kids, seven Steps follows the chakras. And then I realized it dawned on me.

That's the reason why it works, because you are starting from grounding, you are moving up into the body and then up into the mind. Yeah. So that's why it works. Yeah. 

Philippa: So can you just for, for people who maybe haven't, don't know what chakras are, can you just explain a little bit more about that? 

Marneta: Yeah. I don't know that much about it, but, it, it's, it, it does come from an ancient eastern practice. The, the, the idea that we have seven energy points in our body, and it's [00:23:00] almost like the yeah, seven energy points. So the, the. The, the base one, which is where in the area where we sit in the perineum is red and it's all about being grounded and it's really important to feel grounded.

So if you're feeling quite ungrounded and a bit airy fairy, it's good to think of the color red or wear red socks, or we red trousers a 

Philippa: jumper, which is what I've got 

Marneta: onto there. Absolutely. Perfect to get yourself feeling grounded. And then you've got orange, which is in the sacral area. It's the sacral chakra, which is for adults, it's the sexual chakra.

But for children for, for. What I'd created was play, which is creativity. And creativity. If you think about it, sexuality and creativity is actually the same thing. 'cause it's creating, isn't it? 

Philippa: Mm-hmm. 

Marneta: So and for children it's cr it, it's all about play and creativity. Then we move up to the [00:24:00] solar plexus, which is above the stomach in the center of the body, which is yellow, and it's like a big yellow sun.

And this is about personal. Power and balance, feeling stable and in control. And you know, when someone, someone says something to you and you think, oh gosh, it really, it really sort of, it, it felt like you've been kicked in the stomach. 

Philippa: Mm-hmm. 

Marneta: That's how the chakras work. It's almost like it's an emotional, but a physical thing.

Then of course we've got the heart chakra, which is for massage which is, green and this is about giving, sharing, you know? That makes sense. Then you've got the throat chakra, which is a light blue, which we, we do our breathing. And this is an area of, of peace, but also communication. Sometimes, you know, you can get a lot of not when you've got a cold, that's different, but you know when you can get a [00:25:00] lump in your throat or you coughing a lot.

People say that it's, it's because we are, we, there's something we need to say, but we need to speak out. We need to find our truth. And then we've got the affirmations here in the third eye. Which is like an indigo color, and then finally visualizations up in the crown chakra. 

So you can just see how, how it works.

Philippa: Mm-hmm. Yeah. Yeah. So as an adult, you might go for reiki and have they sometimes put crystals on you, don't they? And. Absolutely trying help to, to, to, to do that. But for children, you've created this, this kind of concept that actually helps them to move through them in a way that fits for where they are as children.

Marneta: Absolutely. But the key thing is, and I have not really mentioned chakras because it was an add-on, and I don't want to put anybody off who may feel, oh gosh, you know this is not in, because [00:26:00] it isn't religious. It's not a religious thing. No, it's just the, I just think, okay, move, play, stretch, feel, breathe, feel, breathe, believe, relax.

Those are the seven steps. It just happens to follow. Yeah. The chakra system, but 

Philippa: it sounds like it's really about connecting to a child's body Absolutely. Attuning to where they are in that moment. 

Marneta: Yes. 

Philippa: And then helping them to almost regulate their nervous system in some ways, which sometimes can be a little bit fizzy or a little bit kind of energetic and actually.

What you are, what you're helping them to do is relax into that and be in the moment. 'cause often that's really hard, isn't it, to be in the moment. 

Marneta: Yes, absolutely. That is spot on. Exactly. The whole purpose of relaxed kids to calm their nervous system. So working with their natural energy system to help calm them down.

Philippa: And [00:27:00] you said you've got some stories, would you? Be able to read a little bit of one, just so listeners can maybe get an idea of, of how you've adapted them. 

Marneta: Yes. So I've got my Aladdin's Magic carpet book here, and I'll read the princess and the pea.

So close your eyes. Be very still. And imagine you are a princess who is lying on a bed made of 20 mattresses. The bed is so high. That you have to climb a ladder to get on top. The mattresses are made of the softest duck and goose feathers. Each mattress is so colorful with its own unique and pretty design.

You've brushed your teeth, combed your silky hair, and are now lying on your bed wearing your beautiful satin night dress. You are [00:28:00] lying down between the smoothest silky sheets. Relax on the softest bed in the world. Smelling the wonderful aroma of freshly washed sheets and lavender soap.

Enjoy the feeling of your body sinking into the soft feathery mattresses. All of your muscles feel completely relaxed. Take in a deep breath and as you breathe out, your muscles relax even more. Into the softness of the bed. Breathe in and breathe out. Breathe in and breathe out. Feel yourself going deeper and deeper into relaxation.

And as you breathe in, say to yourself, I relax, and as you breathe out, say to yourself, I relax. [00:29:00] Now stay very still. Someone has put a tiny but very hard pee under the bottom mattress just to check. If you are completely still and relaxed, stay very, very still. Can you feel the tiny P? Where has the P been put?

Where can you feel it?

And now when you are ready, wiggle your fingers and toes. Have a big stretch and open your eyes. 

Philippa: That's beautiful. I mean, I think even for adults, that's a, I could listen to you kind of read that, how it was very yeah, a guide could go to sleep listening to that. Really. Yeah. 

Marneta: And, and really people have I've, I've had.

Reports back that in the days of CD players, and I really do wish people [00:30:00] would use CD players and not MP three pairs more for the you know, having a mobile phone next to the child's head or an iPad is not a good idea. So CDs really are a good idea, but they would put the CD player. In the hallway. So all it would go through all the bedrooms.

Yeah. And I remember one, one mother said, oh, I am sick of the sound of your voice all night. She meant it in the nicest possible way, but the children would wake up and then they would go back to sleep. Just put it on a loop. 

Philippa: Yeah. Yeah. I guess you can do that through, you through your, like Amazon or Google Play.

You know your 

Marneta: aren't 

Philippa: well, 

GMT20260220-140600_Recording_640x360: you 

Marneta: can, my point is you are still, you need the, the wifi and it is better for children not to have that wifi. Wifi. 

Philippa: Yeah. Yeah. 

Marneta: But you know, we are in a different world now. 

Philippa: We definitely are. That, that's amazing. 

So, so you started, you started this, you practiced it [00:31:00] within your, within your living room or your, your, your flat and then, then how did it progress to, to being.

What it is now, because I think when we spoke you, you said this has reached 6 million children. I mean, that's amazing. Yeah. So how did you go from your flat to 6 million children in 20 books? 

Marneta: I think what happened was, I mean, I have to say I haven't advertised, I ha I never had an advertising budget, so it has been to start with, I did have this lovely lady who did some PR for me, and so she contacted all the new all daily Telegraph and, and all, all the.

All the magazines and we had some really good features and so that was great. And then the real [00:32:00] turning point was when I start, well, two things when I started training, so 2005. February, 2005, so that's 21 years ago to this almost day that I, I, I realized that I had to, I couldn't fulfill the classes in Cornwall and Edinburgh, and so I thought, okay, I need to, to train other people.

So, 

Philippa: so can I just stop you? So you'd gone from your living room and when you say classes, was it, you were going into schools or you were Yes. Setting up in community halls and people were, were, were absolutely, you know. Sure. I guess sho start was around then. 

Marneta: Yeah. Sho start, I was in London, so there was sho start home start the, the Millennium Award, that sort of really kicked things off for me there because I was able to use to start running classes and not charge for them.

Philippa: Those were free in areas of They were 

Marneta: free of 

Philippa: [00:33:00] deprivation, yes. Okay. 

Marneta: And then I started working in the schools. And then because I couldn't, and then I created a website very, very, very simple. A friend did it for me. And this is like the first early, early website that was just pretty much a page.

And people started contacting and it was just me and people started contacting me for classes in different places, and of course, I couldn't fulfill them. 

Philippa: Mm-hmm. 

Marneta: So I, I started, I, it took me. Maybe a year to, so it was from 2004 to 2005 to create a manual to, of how I did it and writing everything down.

And I used all the ideas that I picked up from my performing arts, my degree, my singing lessons, breathing exercises, and I put it all together to create this manual. [00:34:00] And and, and I, and I did my first training, as I said in February. 2005 at the King's Fund where I had I, because I won this Millennium Award and it was a really nice building and they did sandwiches and everything.

I thought, oh, this would be a really nice place to do the first training. And I think the first few trainings were there and I had five people. Five people came. One actually came Donna, I rem and we're still in contact now. She she came from buying this book, seeing the book in her local shop. And then at the back it said she went on the website and I think it must have said, yeah, she went straight on the website, saw there was training, and that was it.

She, she knew she had to do it. Yeah. And, and it just grew from there. And, and then the classes started developing in different areas and then people told people, and that's just how, and then the other [00:35:00] turning point was going on Dragons Den. So, okay. 

Philippa: Oh, you've been den. Well, I didn't know that. So what happened there?

Marneta: Oh, it was awful. Absolutely awful. Yeah. It, it, I did not want to do it. I remember because 2005 was the sex second series, and I remember watching the first series and thinking, wow, that is horrible. I would never, 'cause they were tough then. They were much nastier. Then they, they've got it down to a and they're, they're also not social.

They weren't social enter, enter. They weren't socially aware. Yeah, it was all about the money. Now they see social businesses, like relaxed kids that want to make a difference. And in fact, all businesses are pretty much social businesses now. Yeah. Whereas it wasn't like that before. And, they just laughed.

Peter Jones, you can watch it on YouTube. It's very funny. [00:36:00] Peter Jones said, oh, I'm gonna now sound 

Philippa: funny. 

Marneta: Well, yeah, it's in retrospect. He said, I'm gonna say now I'm not going to invest because I feel you are hypnotizing me and any minute now I'm going to invest. And they. They, they didn't, they weren't interested.

I did say I didn't set relax kids up to make lots of money. It was to, for a social, you know, reason and they couldn't get that. So but the next morning, my goodness. How many sales, like I, I remember walking into the office, I had won an office free for a year as Oxford's best new business. And wow, my boss and and she, and, and I looked up at the girl and she went, oh my goodness.

She was drowning in orders. Because, and people had said, they were screaming at the screen going, this is just what we need. This is what we need. So [00:37:00] I had parents, teachers community leaders buying the books, and then some going, yeah, I wanna train in this. 

Philippa: Wow. 

Marneta: Yeah. 

Philippa: So when was that? What year was that?

Marneta: That was two December the sixth, 2005. Oh 

Philippa: gosh. So, so really in quite a short period of time, you kind of went from your living room, you won, you know, and I guess getting those awards and getting those grants, that's a lot of work, isn't it? You don't just happen to come along on, on them. They, they take time.

Marneta: Well, you know what? 

Philippa: Okay, 

Marneta: I will. I will beg to differ. Yes, a hundred percent grants, if you have to fill them in a nightmare somehow in those early days, I. It, everything just fell naturally into place. Mm. So I think I just filled in this thing and then forgot about it, and then I won it even. But the, and then I remember moving to Oxford [00:38:00] and then he hearing about this office that was free for the year, and I thought, oh, that's perfect.

Because what had happened in my move, I couldn't take all the CDs into my new, new place. So I took on a, fulfillment company now, that fulfillment company. So they would, they stored all my CDs in a warehouse and I paid them a little bit each time they sent one out. And it wasn't loads then, but they went under.

Philippa: Oh gosh. And 

Marneta: I, she called me bless her, and she said, look, we've just gone under, you've got like hours to come and collect your stuff, otherwise it will get seized with, and I thought, oh my gosh. And my friend went to, we went together because their CDs were with them. And so I just sort of filled my kitchen and then my elderly neighbor came in and I was just like, oh my goodness.

My elderly neighbor [00:39:00] came in like the next day or however many days, and he said, oh gosh, it looks like chaos in here. And I just burst into tears. I said, I know it's, it's awful. And he said, don't worry. And he stored them in one of their spare root. Rooms in the house, which was amazing for a, a good while.

And then I, I saw this Oxford business to win an office, beautiful brand new office in a office suite. And I just did the vision board manifesting that is my office, I'm gonna win it. And I won it. And Boris Johnson I had dinner with Boris Johnson as the prize and evening, my 

Philippa: goodness. 

Marneta: This office. Yeah, but it all just, it really did the early days.

It, 

Philippa: the universe was definitely on your side, wasn't it? 

Marneta: Yes. The, I remember trying to get a book deal and I did send the manuscript off to a few and everyone said, no. Apart from [00:40:00] this, the, the, the publisher he was a Christian publisher and then he was starting to go into spiritual new age books. And so I was one of the first authors of, of this new genre and yeah.

And so it, it did all, I was just following the universe. Yeah. 

Philippa: That's fantastic. 

Marneta: In fact, that's what I've done all along. Really. 

Philippa: Yeah. I mean, I am with you. That's my philosophy in life. I just manifest it. I have a vision board, just like you said. I've never really said this on this podcast, but I just, I just think actually, if it's meant to be, it'll be.

Like this podcast, it just kind of happens. Yes. And there's always people to fill it and I just don't know how it happens and, and the honor of, of, of that and those conversations like this, we have and, and yeah. I just think, well, this is where the [00:41:00] universe is telling me we need to be, so we will just go with it and see where it ends up.

Marneta: Absolutely. I think it's the best way. And, and, you know, and now. You know, having done relaxed kids for a long time now, I feel I am in a new phase of working with women, working with adults, and I wanna, I, I live near a retreat center and I offer my time for the retreats and I do workshops and often it's play and I do standup comedy.

And it's playing, doing games with them just ha having that entertaining. So they're on a spiritual, quiet retreat, but the way to bring that sense of fun and enjoyment, as part of their whole experience, I think is really important. So it, it, it, it, it, I love how we can just, we can develop and grow and we don't have to stick [00:42:00] with one thing.

Mm-hmm. And, and now I'm, I'm looking, I'm now doing like little mini retreats as well in my studio and, and I do online workshops and all things to support. 

Philippa: Okay. Can I just, before we just do the adults, I just do have a little more question about the children really, obviously. Julie and I work with children who've experienced early life adversity.

Often they've had separation and loss and maybe experienced trauma, and often they can be quite fizzy and not quite sure about their body or, or maybe things have happened to their body that that shouldn't have happened. How does this program. Or does this program kind of fit for them as well as typically developing children?

Because obviously there's more hyperawareness, there can be more hyper vigilance, so lying on the floor and [00:43:00] closing your eyes actually can be quite, quite scary if you've experienced trauma or, or abuse content. 

Marneta: Yeah, I mean, it, it's, it's more. When I set up relaxed kids and these classes, I, because I'm not, I haven't come from a theoretical background, I haven't come from the education or the social services background.

I wasn't probably even aware of issues or types of children and all the, the the neurodiversity that we have now. But I have had. Hundreds and thousands of teachers and my coaches work with children on every spectrum, every scale, and just go, wow, this works. So I'm not sure what it [00:44:00] is about this method of using these seven steps.

I think it's because.

Part of me wants to say it's almost because I created it directly for the children without all the theoretical stuff. Mm-hmm. That gets in the way. It's just, it, it's almost like if. How, how do I say it? I want, I want to say this, but it's gonna sound funny. If a, if a clown, a lovely clown, not a scary clown.

If a clown created something for children, this is what a clown would create. Does that make sense? I've never said that before. 'cause I've never thought of it that way, but it's sort of like, it is literally from it. It's very pure hearted, let's say. Yeah.

Pure heartedness of what it is and the simplicity that makes it so special, and [00:45:00] so. Doable. Like I remember going into one school and there was a child there with quite extreme autism and who had a a teaching assistant there and she went, look, he's not gonna get this. We'll go out. I said, okay, no problem.

And he just got it. He was there. In this magical world, and she couldn't believe it. He was still, he was like, she, he never lies down. And then I've, I've I have people who've worked there, there are schools with very I can never remember how to say it. Children with autism where they're very not high functioning.

It's the opposite of high 

GMT20260220-140600_Recording_640x360: functioning. 

Philippa: Yeah. Well, special educational needs 

Marneta: that's. In wheelchairs can hardly move, et cetera. And one of my coaches who [00:46:00] trained, I think 15 years ago, she did it just for her class. She trained on her own back just for her class, her head teacher. She had such incredible results that her TED teacher wanted to go round every class and ju just do relaxed kids.

Mm-hmm. So I have now relaxed kids coaches who are employed by the school just to do relaxed kids. 

Philippa: Oh, that's Wonder. Yeah. And how long, so do you go through the seven steps each session? 

Marneta: Yeah. Yeah. Always. Always. 

Philippa: So and so you could do it every day or once a week or, you know, every day. 

Marneta: Yeah, 

Philippa: yeah, yeah.

Marneta: Ideally. Ultimately would be every day, just even like a, a few minutes. But ev definitely once a week. 

Philippa: Yeah. Okay. And how, yeah, that was my next question is, is just for, for, you know, practitioners thinking actually this might fit. How long do you need to take out of a day? Is there, you know, to go through those seven steps?

How [00:47:00] long? 

Marneta: 10, 10, 15 minutes. 20 

Philippa: minutes. Okay. So it's not like a half a day where the, you know, it's just not 

Marneta: at all. No, no, no. 

Philippa: So you could do it, you know, before they started their phonics or you know, before they, you know, in for, in form time in, in, in high school before they kind of went onto the day.

That would be enough time. 

Marneta: Yes. 

Philippa: Okay. And if you were a therapist, you could kind of incorporate it as part of that and still kind of do the therapy around it. 

Marneta: That's what a lot of coaches do. All therapists who do one-to-one, maybe drawing and talking sound play, and they'll almost structure their relaxed kids class and meld it with the therapy.

Philippa: Yeah. 

Marneta: And, and, and they're talking through it, but, but the children just think they're, they're just having a lovely time doing relaxed kids. Yeah. 

Philippa: And can you use the box without doing the [00:48:00] seven steps? Can you just use the 

Marneta: box? Not as good, but yes, of course you can. Okay. And many, many people have, whether they're therapists or teachers, children at bedtime, I think my ultimate.

Dream for a child would be to be doing it in school with the teacher doing little brain breaks during the day, and then once a week having a relaxed kids class where you're focused on the seven steps and then every night doing something with, with parents. That, and the children that do do that, who are lucky enough to have parents who maybe are coaches or, or have, have bought the books and the whole sch. Some schools take it on as a whole school approach, and they even have a nurture room that's their relaxed kids' room. And the children who do that, they really transform. There was our pilot in 2006 to [00:49:00] nine, so it's a long time ago now. There was Sylvester School in Knowsley.

They reduced their exclusions from. 19 to zero in three years. Wow. Relax kids. That's amazing. Whole school approach with a nurture room. And, and as a result that Burra, nosy wanted relaxed kids, trained in all 57 schools. That is 

Philippa: gracious. That's amazing. So I will put your website and, and all those things at the end of this.

So just as we end, just tell me a little bit more about the adults. I know you started, but I just wanted to finish the kids. 

Marneta: Oh, yes, absolutely. Yeah, so what do I do? I I, yeah, I just feel adults need this too now. 

Philippa: Yeah, yeah. 

Marneta: I need time to stop. And, and for those people who are in Oxford or nearby I, I [00:50:00] run mini, mini retreats and it's all about the feeling cozy.

Connecting hot soup, fire, all the gorgeous things in life and taking time out to, to be with other, with mainly women. Well, it is women. And I also do art journaling and movement and, and, and an online sessions too. 

Philippa: Okay. And can people find all this on your website? So if they go onto your website, is there or 

Marneta: the adult thing?

It won't be on my website. You can find me on Facebook. Facebook, yeah. If you look up Manta Viegas on Facebook, you'll find me there and I can have a chat to you. And invite you to my group there. 

Philippa: Okay. So we'll put some links at the end of in the write up and in the, in the, the comments so people can, can [00:51:00] find you.

Thank you so much. Oh, 

Marneta: thank 

Philippa: you, Monetta. This has just been such an interesting conversation. I've learned so much today. Yeah. So thank you so much for your time and I'm sure there's so many people are gonna have yeah, 

Marneta: yeah. 

Philippa: You know, just really go and find all these books and these things. 'cause I definitely, I'm gonna have a look at them.

Marneta: Good. And clowns aren't scary. Not all clowns. Well, 

Philippa: maybe not all clowns. 

Marneta: All clowns. Yeah. No, my name was Magical Netty and funnily enough I've still got that name as my email. It still stuck. 25 years. 

Philippa: Oh, that's lovely. Well, thank you so much for your time. That's amazing. 

Marneta: My pleasure. Thank you.