She is with a group of children. They are creating something together. A book, as it turns out. She calls it And Still. As the pages take shape, she watches the children find the words and the courage to express themselves, to feel confident in their own ideas, to put something into the world that belongs to them.
“I felt proud,” she says simply.
Two words. And they carry everything.
Franchesca Isla is a social worker in Canberra, and her work sits in one of the most demanding spaces in the community sector: domestic violence awareness and support. She helps people feel safe, heard, and respected. She holds stories that most of us will never have to carry, and she does it with a depth of commitment that comes, she says, from somewhere personal.
“I reached a point where I wanted to turn my pain into purpose,” she says. “I was feeling determined to make meaning out of my experiences and use them to help and support others in a similar situation.”
She doesn’t elaborate on what those experiences were. She doesn’t need to. The shape of what she has chosen to do with them says enough.
What people often miss about this kind of work, Franchesca says, is everything that doesn’t show up in a job description.
The unpaid hours. The emotional energy that goes out and doesn’t always come back in equal measure. The personal sacrifice. And then there is the particular balancing act of doing all of this alongside motherhood: the sleepless nights, the full and relentless love of raising children while also holding space for others who are hurting.
“It can be challenging to balance it all,” she says, “but it comes from a deep commitment to supporting the community.”
That phrase could easily read as professional language. In Franchesca’s context it is something more specific. It is the reason someone keeps showing up after a hard week, after a sleepless night, after an emotionally depleting day. It is the decision, made again and again, to turn personal experience into practical support for others.
And Still, the children’s book she helped bring to life, carries that same spirit.
The name itself does a lot of work. And still. Two small words that hold a whole philosophy: that something in us continues, that expression is possible after difficulty, that children can find their voice and trust it.
It is proof that children, when given the right support and space, can put something true and their own into the world. Supporting them to do that was, for Franchesca, one of the proudest moments of her work so far.
At home, Franchesca unwinds on the couch with a movie. She loves chocolate, Christmas, and art. And she dances, specifically in a funny and carefree way, when she is with her family. Not for any performance or audience. Just to make the people she loves laugh, to be fully present in an ordinary moment, to let the weight of the work set down for a while.
There is something fitting about that image alongside the rest of her story. A woman who spends her working life helping people feel safe enough to be themselves, coming home and doing exactly that.
Her message to anyone going through something hard right now is simple and direct.
“You are not alone. Even in the hardest moments, support exists, and things can slowly get better with time, help, and hope.”
She would know.
Available on Amazon –And Still: A Story About A Love That Never Ends: When life feels uncertain or overwhelming, And Still meets children with gentle reassurance, affirming they are loved, always. This gentle picture book offers reassurance and hope for children navigating challenges or change. A comforting story about resilience, unconditional love, and the quiet strength of being enough.
Franchesca is the Founder of Evergreen Therapeutic Services. Learn more at evergreentherapeuticservices.au
