The panic attack hit me in the middle of a job interview. Again. I stumbled out of another corporate office, gasping for air, my social anxiety winning for the hundredth time. That’s when I saw her – a golden retriever tied to a bike rack, wagging her tail at every passing stranger. She looked as lonely as I felt.
Today, I run “Paws & People,” a revolutionary dog training and therapy program that generates seven figures annually. But in 2022, I was just Nelly Chen, a 26-year-old with crippling anxiety who could barely speak to humans but somehow found peace in the presence of dogs.
The Beginning
That golden retriever’s name was Luna, and her owner worked 12-hour shifts at the hospital. “Would you watch her during the day?” the tired nurse asked, after catching me sharing my lunch with her dog. “I can’t pay much.”
I couldn’t even hold a regular job, but something about Luna’s eyes made me say yes.
Finding My Voice
The first week was just Luna. Then Luna’s owner told another nurse, and suddenly I had two dogs. By month’s end, I was walking five dogs, all belonging to hospital staff.
Something strange happened during those walks. While I struggled to make small talk with humans, I found myself constantly talking to the dogs. “Good girl, Luna! Careful, Max! Wait up, Charlie!” My voice grew stronger, more confident.
The dogs didn’t judge my anxiety. They didn’t care that I sometimes needed to sit on a park bench and breathe into my hands. They just sat with me, offering wet noses and warm paws until the panic passed.
The Breakthrough
The turning point came when Dr. Sarah, one of my client’s owners, observed me handling a new rescue dog named Storm. He was aggressive, scared – a mirror of my own anxiety.
“You’re speaking his language,” she said, watching me calm Storm during his anxiety attack. “You understand him because you understand anxiety.”
That observation changed everything.
The Innovation
I started studying animal behavior, particularly dogs with anxiety. My apartment walls became covered with certificates in dog psychology and training. Every panic attack became research – if I could understand my own anxiety, maybe I could better help anxious dogs.
I developed a program called “Parallel Healing” – matching anxious dogs with anxious people. Both would learn to cope together.
The Expansion
Word spread through the hospital. Doctors started referring patients with anxiety to my program. Insurance companies took notice when patients showed significant improvement after working with our dogs.
My first real success story was Emily, a 12-year-old with selective mutism. She hadn’t spoken in school for two years. After six weeks of working with Storm, she gave a presentation to her entire class – with Storm by her side.
Today’s Reality
“Paws & People” now has three locations, thirty employees (many with their own anxiety stories), and a waiting list for our therapy programs. We’ve helped over 2,000 people and their dogs find confidence together.
The corporate offices that once rejected me now hire us for employee wellness programs. Last month, I gave a speech to 500 people about anxiety and innovation. Luna – yes, that first golden retriever – sat beside me on stage, gray-muzzled now but still wagging at strangers.
The Full Circle
Yesterday, a young woman came in for a job interview. I noticed her hands shaking, saw the panic in her eyes I knew so well. Instead of an interview, I handed her a leash.
“Let’s walk some dogs first,” I suggested. “Interviews are better with wagging tails.”
She’s now our newest trainer.
The Real Success
My anxiety didn’t magically disappear. But now it’s my superpower. Every panic attack helps me understand our clients better. Every moment of social awkwardness reminds me why our work matters.
Looking Forward
We’re opening our first anxiety-friendly dog cafe next month. A place where both humans and dogs can feel safe being nervous together. The sign above the door reads: “All Anxieties Welcome.”
P.S. Luna’s owner still brings her in every day, even though she’s retired now. “You didn’t just save Luna from loneliness,” she told me recently. “You showed us all that sometimes the best healers are the ones who needed healing themselves.”
And sometimes, the best medicine has four paws and a tail.
