Lesley Andrew Success Story: How an Art Therapist Built an Online Wellbeing Business with Zenler

See how Lesley Andrew used Zenler to bring her art therapy practice online, run group programmes, and build her whole business in one place.

Lesley Andrew has been making art her whole life. Someone once described her as bleeding paint. She studied textiles at university, spent eleven years as an art teacher, and then trained as an art therapist in 2013 — a decision that came from a simple but powerful realisation: she cared more about her students' wellbeing than what grade they received.

More than a decade later, Lesley is running a practice that blends art education and art therapy in a way she once thought she had to keep strictly separate. She runs monthly free workshops, periodic group programmes, one-to-one client sessions, a podcast, and a framework for personal development called A New PACE. And all of it is held together in one place on Zenler.

Her story is not about explosive overnight growth. It is about a thoughtful, creative person finding a platform that made sense to her — and gradually building something that feels genuinely her own.

From Art Teacher to Art Therapist

Lesley's journey into art therapy came through teaching. For eleven years she was an art teacher, and she loved helping students express themselves. But it was her two years running PSHE — Personal, Social and Health Education — that shifted something.

Students started coming to her with their challenges. The overlap between creativity and wellbeing became impossible to ignore. She would tell students who were studying both art and psychology to consider art therapy — and eventually realised she was describing a path she should be walking herself.

"I cared more about the students' wellbeing than what grade they got. There's a big difference between making art for healing and making art to look good on a wall."

She trained as an art therapist in 2013. She has now been practising art therapy longer than she was ever a teacher.

Over time, she has also given herself permission to let the two worlds blend more naturally. Early in her practice she was careful to keep art education and art therapy clearly separate. Now she lets them inform each other — trusting that what people need is a combination of skills, space, and support.

"Being an artist helps me to be a better therapist, and being a therapist helps me to be a better artist. They blend together."

Taking Art Therapy Online

The idea of doing art therapy online might seem counterintuitive — art requires materials, physical space, and presence. But Lesley has found that for many of her clients, working online offers something the in-person setting cannot.

Students and clients can set up their own space at home, work at their own pace, step away and come back, and engage without the pressure of travel, appearance, or being observed. Some of her clients have specifically told her they prefer the online format because it gives them more control over their environment and their level of exposure.

"I can turn my camera off if I feel overwhelmed. I can turn my microphone off. For quite a lot of people, it does tend to work really well."

She still works with in-person clients too. But online has opened up a different kind of access — one that works particularly well for people who find the traditional therapy setting harder to navigate.

The challenges of online art therapy are real — safety, ethics, safeguarding, supporting emotional responses — and Lesley works through these by helping clients understand their own thresholds and empowering them to make decisions about how they engage.

Finding Zenler at a Ukulele Workshop

Lesley's introduction to the online world started during COVID, when she began putting content on YouTube and experimenting with Facebook Lives. For a couple of years, that was enough.

Then the idea of creating a proper course started to take shape. She had been thinking about it for a while, dabbling with the idea, looking at different platforms. None of them quite clicked.

Then, at a ukulele workshop — where a broken string and a tuning mismatch left her in conversation with a stranger — someone sent her a link to Zenler.

"When I looked at Zenler, it was kind of, oh, I could do this. This doesn't seem too complicated. There's a really good structure to put together a course."

That clarity — the sense that it was within reach — was what made the difference. She joined on the free plan and started building.

What She Built First

Lesley's first proper build in Zenler was a lead magnet — a workbook based on her framework for using art to support mental health. The framework helps people identify whether they need to activate or regulate their mood, and what kind of art-making might help with that.

From there, she started building a course called Therapeutic Expressive Arts. Looking back, she describes it as an experiment — useful in places, overwhelming in others, a first attempt that taught her what she wanted to do differently.

What she valued even at that early stage was the combination of email list and course in the same place.

"Having the email list together and having the course in the same place was really, really useful. Other platforms just felt really complicated."

About a year ago, she upgraded to the Pro plan — and within a week, Zenler announced the move away from free accounts. She takes that as a sign she made the right call at the right moment.

The Pro plan brought clarity she had not had before. Segmentation, lists, cleaner email management, and a much more coherent structure for everything she was building.

What She Is Running Now

Lesley currently runs two main regular offerings through Zenler.

The first is a monthly free workshop called Creative Hangout — a low-barrier way for people to experience her work, connect with creativity, and engage with her community without any financial commitment.

The second is periodic group programmes. Her current one, launching in June, is called Beyond the Fog — a six-week art therapy group focused on working through challenges related to perimenopause, supporting mental health and building accountability alongside creativity. At the time of recording, she had just finished setting up the sales page the night before, connecting it to the six weekly sessions.

"I just love the fact that you can do that all together, rather than having to bounce from one thing to another."

She also uses Zenler for individual client appointments, email broadcasts, and course delivery — and considers all of it part of the same joined-up system.

The Community and Support Experience

Lesley has been involved in Zenler's training workshops — sessions on blogging, setting up webinars, and scheduling — and has found them a natural part of how she learns the platform. She describes being directed to specific videos as genuinely useful, because it cuts through the noise of searching independently.

She has asked questions in the Facebook community and found responses prompt and helpful. Her GDPR question around email opt-ins was one that the Pro plan largely resolved by giving her better tools for segmentation and consent management.

She has not needed to contact tech support directly — which she takes as a good sign about how the platform works for her needs.

"Everyone's been really supportive."

What She Would Do Differently

Lesley is thoughtful and honest about what she would change if she could go back to the beginning.

She would have started on the Pro plan immediately. The free tier served its purpose, but the Pro plan brought clarity and capability that would have helped her move faster.

She would also have been more focused and less cautious. She describes herself as having procrastinated more than she should have — sitting on ideas rather than acting on them. Her advice to herself — and to anyone watching — is to be bolder.

"Maybe that's the message to do now. Because if I was watching this in 3 years' time and going, did you build your community? Have you done that yet?"

She said it out loud. Now she has to do it.

What Is Next for Lesley Andrew

Lesley has a clear sense of where she is heading, even if she is still working up the courage to take some of the bigger steps.

The community feature is high on her list. She has experimented with Facebook groups over the years but found them quiet and hard to sustain. She wants to build something more coherent inside Zenler — and she has a natural home for it in her A New PACE framework.

A New PACE — Pause, Act, Create, Empower — is the organising framework behind her podcast and much of her practice. A community built around those four principles, combining mindset support, accountability, and creative practice, is the vision she is working toward.

She is also writing a book — a blend of her own experiences, client stories, and the practical tools that make up the PACE framework.

"It's a link with a bit of a mixture of my own experiences, stories, and things that have helped other people."

And she will keep running Beyond the Fog and the Creative Hangout, building the audience and the trust that will eventually make that community feel alive.

What Business Owners Can Learn from Lesley Andrew

Lesley's journey is a gentle but honest reminder that building something meaningful online takes time, courage, and a willingness to keep going even when it feels uncertain.

A few things stand out from her story.

Start with what you can offer for free. The Creative Hangout and the lead magnet workbook have been consistent entry points for new people. Giving something useful before asking for anything builds trust over time.

Do not wait for the perfect plan. Lesley's first course was messy. It was also the thing that taught her what she actually wanted to build. Starting imperfectly is better than not starting.

Go Pro sooner. The free plan gave her a way in. The Pro plan gave her the tools she actually needed. In hindsight, she would have made the jump earlier.

Let your worlds blend. Lesley spent years trying to keep art education and art therapy separate. When she stopped, her work became richer, more freeing, and more useful to the people she serves.

Be bolder than feels comfortable. Lesley is sitting on ideas — a community, a book, a clearer course structure — that she knows will work. The only thing holding them back is caution. The platform is there. The audience is building. The next step is hers to take.

"Procrastinate less and just be a bit more bold and braver."

Connect with Lesley Andrew

🌐 Website: https://www.lesleyandrew.com
The primary hub for Lesley's services and access to her Fill My Cup and Creative Healing programmes.

🎙️ A New PACE Podcast: https://open.spotify.com/show/0sSrph3TiiJmOhImBSICFm
The best way to hear Lesley's insights and therapeutic framework for free.

📸 Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/lesley_andrew_art.therapist
Her most active social channel for daily tips and visual inspiration.

FAQ

Who is Lesley Andrew? Lesley Andrew is an artist and art therapist based in Leeds, West Yorkshire. She has been practising art therapy since 2013 and helps people improve their mental health and confidence levels through creativity. She runs individual sessions, group programmes, monthly workshops, and a podcast.

What does Lesley Andrew offer? She offers one-to-one art therapy sessions, group programmes including Beyond the Fog, free monthly Creative Hangout workshops, courses in therapeutic expressive arts, and a lead magnet workbook based on her framework for using art to support mental health.

Who does Lesley Andrew help? She helps people who want to use creativity as a tool for mental health, self-expression, and confidence — including those navigating perimenopause, emotional challenges, or simply wanting a structured and supported space to make art with purpose.

Why is Lesley Andrew's success story important? Her story shows that success on Zenler does not have to look like a high-ticket launch or a massive following. It can look like a thoughtful practitioner building something real, finding a platform that makes sense, and gradually creating a business that holds everything together.

Why did Lesley choose Zenler? She discovered it through a chance conversation at a ukulele workshop. What drew her in was the clarity of the structure — the sense that she could actually do this without needing a tech background.

What Zenler features have made the biggest difference for Lesley? The all-in-one structure — having her email list, courses, website, client appointments, and workshops in the same place — has been the most significant benefit. Automations have also helped her manage delivery without everything depending on her being present.

What is Lesley currently running on Zenler? Monthly Creative Hangout workshops, the Beyond the Fog six-week group programme, individual client sessions, email broadcasts, and courses in therapeutic expressive arts.

What is Lesley building next on Zenler? She is planning to activate the community feature around her A New PACE framework, develop more focused courses, and continue building the audience that will support a fuller community experience.

What can other business owners learn from Lesley's journey? Start with something free, go Pro sooner than feels necessary, let your different skills and worlds blend rather than keeping them artificially separate, and be bolder than feels comfortable — because the ideas you are sitting on are the ones worth building.

Categories: : Success Stories