🌟 nala's talent show debut — an emotion coaching story

💬 what if being brave on stage didn’t feel so tricky?
meet nala, awkward dog, lemon cakes, speckles, dave the dragon, and goldie — co-created in therapy with a particular brave spark, here to help kids feel calm, brave, and ready to share their voice.

📘 this story supports emotion coaching, confidence, and self-understanding — through the ups, downs, and everything in between.

🎧 includes:
 – a playful therapeutic story
 – reflection questions to explore together
 – calming ideas for home, school, or therapy

🎙️ part of brave sparks — co-created in therapy, shaped by children’s voices, strengths, and needs ✨

🎧 sound credits:

✍️ written by: trust children and the kids we support (with a sprinkle of ai magic)
🎙️ voice: simone and the brave sparks team
 🎛️ sound mixing: brave sparks team
 🎶 music: serene acoustic guitar melodies by lolamoore — https://freesound.org/s/768424/ — attribution 4.0
🎶 music: serene horizons by nancy_sinclair — https://freesound.org/s/754395/ — attribution 4.0
🔊 sound effects include:
🧘‍♀️ tibetan bowl_left hit.wav by dersinnsspace — https://freesound.org/s/417117/ — creative commons 0
👏 applause and cheering.wav by xtrgamr — https://freesound.org/s/243801/ — attribution 4.0
🐉 dragon wings whoosh, 🦆 little duck feet shuffle, 🎤 cool tricks, 😲 audience gasp, 🐾 nervous giggles, 💨 magical swirl, ✨ magic chime, 💓 fluttery heart beat, 😌 audience sighing ahhhhhhhhhh – created using elevenlabs sound effects generator (june 28–29, 2025)
🗣️ character voices created using elevenlabs voice changer

special thanks: jonathan cormur at dorktales storytime podcast — https://jonincharacter.com/dorktales-storytime-podcast/

🌀 part of the brave sparks podcast — co-created in therapy, shaped by the voice, needs, and strengths of neurodivergent children. 🌟

🎧 co-created in therapy — inspired by your child’s voice, strengths, and needs.

🎙️ voice: children who helped shape the episode with simone mossop
 🎛️ sound design: brave sparks team
 🎵 intro/outro music: serene acoustic guitar melodies by lolamoore — https://freesound.org/s/768424 — attribution 4.0

✨ explore more spark stories or learn about our therapy approach: trustchildren.au/bravesparks

Transcript

🌟 nala’s talent show debut — an emotion coaching story

🎧 [intro music]
 🎧 [gentle tibetan bowl chime]

today was the big talent show to end the term.
 the hall was buzzing with chatter, tail wags, flutters, and nervous giggles.
 🎧 [backstage children’s show sounds]
 🎧 [nervous giggles]

each contestant had something a little different to bring to the stage.
 goldie the golden retriever was mc. with a big booming voice she said:
 “ladies and gentlemen, first up we have speckles.”

speckles stepped up to the mic, took a tiny breath, and rattled off:
 “there are seven continents in the world: asia, africa, north america, south america, antarctica, europe, and australia.”

the crowd clapped.

speckles took a bow, loving how smart their brain felt when words rolled out so quickly.

then it was awkward dog’s turn.
 he pranced onto the stage, chest puffed out with way too much confidence.
 🎧 [cool tricks sound cue]
 he balanced a biscuit on his nose without noticing he was backing dangerously close to the edge of the stage. the audience gasped.
 🎧 [audience gasp]

“i’m ok!” he barked, as his tail wagged so hard the biscuit fell off before he could catch it.
 ooof. he looked confused. sometimes being too confident means forgetting to notice what’s around you.

next was lemon cakes.
 she waddled onto the stage with her green and yellow hat wobbling.
 🎧 [little duck feet shuffle, soft quack]
 she froze. her feathers felt stiff.
 so she turned to the crowd and said,
 “um… i think my talent is actually outside. i’m really good at selling cakes at my stand.”

the crowd laughed.
 she waddled off happily to her cake stall, proud she knew what felt just right for her.

then came dave the dragon.
 big, kind, scaly dave.
 he stepped onto the stage, wings brushing the curtains.
 🎧 [dragon wings whoosh]
 in his deep rumbly voice he said,
 “my special talent… is helping people feel warm and safe. watch.”

he curled his tail, closed his eyes, and began humming.
 🎧 [low calming hum]
 a low calming hum filled the hall like a cosy fireplace on a rainy day.
 everyone sighed.
 🎧 [audience sigh]

but backstage, nala the kitten was still curled up behind the curtain.
 her whiskers shook. tummy twisted. paws felt too small.

that’s when simone arrived. kneeling lower than nala’s eye level she said:
 “i wonder if big feelings are making this feel scary right now?”
 nala nodded.
 “yeah, i get it. most people find going on stage scary. would you like to know what i do?”
 🎧 [soft calming music]
 nala nodded again.

“i use a body scan. i close my eyes and imagine a wand gently waving over my head… down to my toes. i find where the feeling sits. want to try?”
 nala closed her eyes. her ears twitched.
 “it’s here… in my chest. it feels tight and squeaky.”

“good detective work,” said simone. “feelings are just energy in motion. would you like to know how to let it go?”
 nala’s eyes lit up. she nodded.
 “place your paw there. take a deep breath, send it straight to that spot, swirl it like warm honey… then blow it out.”

🎧 [magical swirl sound cue]

nala breathed in… and out. the squeak softened. after a few more, she stood up ready.

🎧 [magic chime]

she looked around. awkward dog licking crumbs, lemon cakes waving, dave humming, speckles tapping their tail.
 🎧 [tiny tail tap]
 her friends. her community.
 she stood up, heart fluttery but paws strong.
 🎧 [fluttery heart beat]

nala stepped onto stage.
 first one paw, then another, then all of her.
 she grabbed the mic, took a deep breath, and said:

“you say me —”
 🎧 [light crowd rustle]
 “we say owww!”
 “you say me —”
 “we say owww!”

she flicked her tail, whiskers twitching.

“scratch that beat, let the purr roll in,
 nala on the mic with a whisker-wide grin.
 no fancy feathers, no cartwheel paws,
 just a rhythm and a meow that gets applause!”

the crowd swayed. speckles flicked their tail, awkward dog barked along, lemon cakes wiggled, goldie wagged to the beat, and dave hummed a warm bass note.

nala rapped:

“i don’t need glitter, i don’t need flair,
 i’ve got my voice and i’ve got cat hair!
 from the tip of my tail to my little pink nose,
 i rap with heart — and four white toes!”

“you say me —”
 “we say owww!”
 “you say me —”
 “we say owww!”

🎧 [crowd cheering and clapping]

and just like that — nala found her spark. it was bold, funny, and hers.
 the crowd cheered not because she was the loudest, but because she was nala — brave enough to share her voice.

💭 reflection questions

– when nala felt nervous, what helped her feel calm?
 – what feelings do you notice in your body right now? where are they?
 – if you could share your brave talent on stage, what would it be?
 – who helps you feel brave when you feel shy or worried?

💛 for the grown ups listening

big feelings can feel scary for little bodies — but even scarier is thinking adults are scared of them too.
 emotion coaching helps us notice, name, validate, locate feelings in the body, and problem-solve. it sends the message: your feelings aren’t too big for me.

while creating this story, the brave spark who inspired it coached me through my own wobble, helping me feel brave enough to be named as the helper in their story.
 sometimes i guide brave sparks. more often, they guide me.
 happy birthday, izzy.

thank you for listening.

🎧 [outro music]
 🎧 [gentle tibetan bowl chime]