What do you do when a court tells you that you get one hour a week with your child?
Kate Markland didn’t fall apart. She asked her son Gabriel one question: “Do you want to be the hero of your own story?” That question built a world.
Kate is a former physiotherapist, children’s author, award-winning innovator, and founder of StoryQuest™ — a storytelling methodology that has achieved 100% engagement among 465 children in 9 schools, with zero behavioral incidents, and has every single child become a published author. It has been presented to the British Psychological Society and considered by UNICEF.
In this episode, Kate shares what her 20 years as a physiotherapist taught her about listening — not to symptoms, but to the story beneath them. She walks us through the night her son Gabriel was removed from her home by armed police, how she survived the darkest chapter of her life one small win at a time, and how one hour on FaceTime became a #1 Amazon bestselling children’s book series and a global movement connecting children across continents.
This conversation is for every woman who has ever felt like someone else was writing her story — her divorce, her judge, her ex. Kate’s journey is proof that you are always the author. No matter what chapter you’re in.
“You own your story. Nobody else owns your story.” — Kate Markland.
TIMESTAMPS
0:00 — Hook: What do you do when a court limits you to one hour a week with your child?1:00 — Welcome to Wings of a Phoenix2:00 — Introducing Kate Markland4:00 — 20 years as a physiotherapist: learning to hear what people carry, not just what’s broken5:00 — Why the answer is always in someone’s story — and how to help them find it10:00 — The night armed police removed Gabriel from their home — and a mother’s decision not to quit12:00 — The court hearing that changed everything: “do or die.”13:00 — When the system tried to silence her — and the moment she stopped negotiating15:00 — One hour a week: what the court didn’t realize it handed her17:00 — “Shall we make up a story where you’re the hero?” — one question on FaceTime18:00 — Writing their story week by week, like Dickens20:00 — From a Word document on a messy desktop to a #1 Amazon bestseller22:00 — Helen Fielding at Cheltenham, and the moment Kate realized she had something real23:00 — How 20 years of physiotherapy became a literacy methodology: the StoryQuest™ process explained26:00 — What the stories gave Gabriel — and what they gave Kate30:00 — The phoenix quest in the books — and what Kate has had to become31:00 — “Use all your skills, Mum” — rowing, endurance, and Gabriel’s advice33:00 — Becoming a whistleblower — researching the system that failed her34:00 — Finding gratitude in the darkest place — and trusting Gabriel when she couldn’t protect him38:00 — Stories Without Borders: one question to one little boy now connects children from Bradford to Lahore to Buenos Aires40:00 — Kate’s message to women who feel their story was written by someone else + Trena’s closingFEATURED GUEST: KATE MARKLAND
Kate Markland is a former physiotherapist, children’s author, and advocate for every child’s right to tell their own story. She is the creator of StoryQuest™ — a storytelling methodology that has achieved 100% engagement across 465 children in nine schools, turning every reluctant, resistant, or disengaged learner into a published author.
When Kate faced a court-ordered separation from her son Gabriel, she transformed their weekly hour together into a collaborative storytelling adventure — one that became a #1 bestselling children’s book series before Gabriel turned twelve. That same insight — that healing begins with being heard — became the foundation of StoryQuest™.
The methodology has been presented to the British Psychological Society, considered by UNICEF, and covered by BBC News, Times Radio, and publications across four continents. Kate received the PhysioTimes Women in Leadership Award in 2026, and her global story library, Stories Without Borders, now connects children across Bradford, Lahore, Buenos Aires, and beyond.
She brings clinical rigor, a mother’s heart, and twenty years of listening to people at their most vulnerable to every conversation she has.
📚 The Adventures of Gabriel — theadventuresofgabriel.com
📺 YouTube — @TheAdventuresofGabriel
🌐 StoryQuest™ & everything Kate — katemarkland.com
ABOUT YOUR HOST: TRENA BRISCOE MATTHEWS
Trena Briscoe Matthews is a post-divorce coach and author helping high-achieving women — especially divorced moms — move from survival mode into their most intentional chapter yet. Through Silverline Publishing & Coaching and her signature Phoenix Protocol, she guides women to rebuild — not just recover.
She is the author of the upcoming book (working title) The Phoenix Path: A Woman’s Guide to Rediscovering Her Voice, Reclaiming Her Confidence, and Writing Her Next Chapter — and her launch team is now open.
📖 Join the Launch Team: thephoenixpathbook.com
📞 Book a Complimentary Clarity Call: call.silverlinepublishing.cloud
🎁 Free Phoenix Reset Guide: free.silverlinepublishing.cloud
🔗 Connect with Trena: tcbriscoe.my.canva.site
Until next time — this is your season to rise.
