90 Days Later: Building the Sanctuary Operating System
Exactly 90 Days ago, we stood at the foot of Ben Nevis on what we called our reset manifest holiday. It was more than just a getaway; it was a Highland Reset, a deliberate pause to find the clarity needed for a massive life pivot. It was there, amidst the stillness of the mountains, that we finally committed to the transition: trading the high-pressure heat of a professional kitchen for a world of game development and digital creation, but we didn’t know just how much our operating system would be tested
The Crash and the Pivot
Life rarely follows a perfect roadmap. On February 8th, just as we were finding our feet, my husband had to undergo emergency surgery. It was a physical and financial blow, he had to leave the kitchen earlier than planned, missing his final wage, and our plans for the container office had to be paused.
But in that recovery space, we didn't just wait; we built.
Sanctuary OS: From the Chef’s Table to Google Play
We realised that the transition from a high-pressure kitchen to a neurodivergent-friendly home required a new way of living. That realisation became Sanctuary OS: Kitchen & ADHD, our first app, which is now officially live on Google Play.
It’s a mood-based cooking app that bridges 25 years of chef experience with a new life as a developer. The best part? It actually works. We recently hosted a dinner party using the app, and for the first time, my husband was able to sit and eat with us. The overstimulation was gone. The chaos stayed in the code, not the kitchen.
The Road Ahead: Grants, Games, and Growth
While the surgery changed our physical timeline, our vision for the land remains.
The Funding: We’ve applied for an £8,000 UnLtd grant to finally break ground on the container office this October.
The Studio: In May, I’m applying for the UK Games Fund to support our wages as we dive into our two next projects: Gamifying our Sanctuary OS system into a digital experience and The first of our seasonal clean up games: The Ocean
Mobility: On May 25th, we’re heading away again, armed with a Google Pixel 10 XL. We’re proving that our Empire is operational from anywhere, and that work is something we do, not just a place we go.
A Sonic Story
Using Producer AI, my husband has been creating an album that tells the story of his journey through life, the heat, the struggle, the noise.
The first single is LIVE on Spotify
90 Days of Calm
The most important metric isn't the code or the grants; it’s the house. Our home is calmer. Our daughter is eating better. This past Easter half-term wasn't spent recovering from the chaos of the kitchen; it was spent together, doing something as a family every single day.
90 days ago, we went to the mountains to find a reset.
Today, we aren't just dreaming of a sanctuary, we’re coding it into existence.