It started with stories for my own family.
I’m Sophie, founder of Totchi and mum to two girls. I believe children deserve space to explore their feelings long before something becomes a struggle—and that a little imagination can be a wonderful place to start.
During lockdown, our family welcomed a child through foster care. There were unfamiliar situations, big emotions and questions that weren’t always easy to answer. So I started writing stories.
We travelled through magical forests, visited the dentist and went on adventures into space. Along the way, the stories gave us a gentler way to explore what was happening in everyday life.
My own experiences of losing my mum at eight and discovering my dyslexia in my thirties also shaped Totchi. I know what it can feel like to grow up without the words to explain your experience.
Those first family stories grew into an idea: imaginative audio adventures that children could enjoy while exploring feelings, differences and the world around them.
As Totchi grew, that idea brought together a team with their own reasons for caring. Between us, we’ve experienced childhood loss, divorce, foster care, neurodiversity and anxiety. We also know the feeling of wanting to help a child and not quite knowing where to start.
Our experiences are different, but we share a belief: every child deserves to feel heard and have opportunities to understand themselves.
Today, that belief is at the heart of Totchi. Made with care, curiosity and the hope of helping families find a little more connection, one story at a time.
Questions parents ask us
What is Totchi?
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What age is Totchi suitable for?
Totchi is made for children aged 3–11. You choose stories that suit your child’s interests and experiences, then they can explore their collection with you or listen independently.
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Why was Totchi created?
Totchi began with stories Sophie wrote for her family while fostering during lockdown. Those imaginative adventures offered a gentle way to explore unfamiliar situations and big feelings. Today, the same belief guides us: emotional learning deserves a place in everyday childhood, long before a child is struggling.
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Who has helped shape and review the stories?
Our stories were developed with input from an experienced therapist. Mental-health professionals Robert and Shanti Boodhun have also provided written reviews of the collection, drawing on their extensive NHS experience. Their reviews discuss the stories’ approach to emotional understanding, encouraging language and practical coping ideas.
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What makes Totchi different?
Totchi combines imaginative audio stories, calming music, natural sounds and positive affirmations for children. The collection explores everyday experiences, feelings and different ways of thinking—with adventures to enjoy at bedtime, during quiet play or whenever listening suits your family.
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Does Totchi sell or share my child's data?
No. We never sell your child’s data, share it with advertisers or use it to build a profile of them. We keep only the minimum needed to run their profile, and it’s seen only by you, our support team when helping with a problem, and our hosting provider under a data processing agreement. Apple and Google handle subscription billing but never receive your child’s profile data. For the full details, read our Children’s Privacy Notice.
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Who creates the stories?
Sophie Jackson began writing the stories that became Totchi, drawing on her experiences as a mum and foster carer, alongside her own childhood loss and later dyslexia diagnosis. The stories have been developed with therapist input, bringing lived experience and professional insight together.
Meet the team
A small team with a shared purpose
What brings us together is a shared belief: that children deserve better tools for understanding themselves, and that those tools should be accessible to every family.
Founder
Sophie Jackson
Sophie is a mother of two girls with a deeply personal connection to children's emotional wellbeing. She lost her own mother at the age of eight and was later diagnosed with dyslexia in her thirties, which gave her a firsthand understanding of how differently children can experience the world.
During the pandemic, she and her family became foster carers, which further strengthened her commitment to supporting children through life's challenges. These experiences inspired the creation of Totchi, a platform designed to help children build confidence, optimism and resilience through story-based learning.
Sophie has led Totchi from concept to reality. She assembled the founding team, secured investment and shaped the strategic vision for the business. She is as commercially minded as she is mission-driven, and has turned a deeply personal idea into a platform with clear market potential. Her goal is for Totchi to become the most trusted companion for children's emotional wellbeing, reaching families, schools and communities worldwide.
"Every child just needs someone who'll truly listen."
Co-Founder
Benn Jackson
Benn is a father of two young girls with a grounded understanding of family life. He grew up around family-run businesses in London, which gave him an early appreciation for hard work and building something with purpose. He and Sophie were foster carers during the pandemic, and he is passionate about making sure every child has access to the tools they need to thrive emotionally.
Benn runs the day-to-day operations at Totchi. He has strong commercial experience and a hands-on leadership style, and he keeps the business moving forward. He manages partnerships, oversees key workstreams and makes sure the founding vision holds up in practice. His focus is on building an organisation that delivers real value to families while growing sustainably.
Founder, Advisor, Mentor
Simon Sporborg
Simon, a father of four, has been involved with a number of charities for over 20 years, including Place2Be, the UK children's mental health charity. Through this, he has developed a deep understanding of the importance of children's emotional wellbeing. He has known Sophie for many years and quickly recognised both her passion and the significance of Totchi's mission, firmly believing that children need better tools to understand and manage their emotions.
With over 28 years' experience advising successful organisations, including seven years leading Brunswick's UK business, Simon brings deep strategic insight, leadership experience and an extensive network. He will support Totchi in developing its vision of providing accessible emotional wellbeing tools for children, families, schools, caregivers and businesses.
Chief Marketing Officer
Mitchell Kirkham-Cooper
Mitch is Totchi's Chief Marketing Officer. He has significant experience in brand strategy, digital marketing and commercial growth. He has also taught in different cultures around the world, which gave him a strong understanding of how to connect with diverse audiences. He is a trained therapist, too, which informs how he thinks about the emotional wellbeing space Totchi serves.
Mitch is responsible for brand awareness, user acquisition and long-term growth. He takes a strategic, data-informed approach to scaling the platform, and he cares deeply about the mission behind it. He is a father to a young son and believes strongly in giving children the tools to understand their emotions early in life. He knows how to blend commercial thinking with real purpose, and that combination is central to how Totchi goes to market.
Chief Technology Officer
Lee Austin
Lee is Totchi's Chief Technology Officer. He has extensive experience in digital product development across a wide range of projects and platforms, and he leads the full technical build of Totchi. His focus is on building technology that is scalable and intuitive, so the platform can reach families, schools and communities at scale. He makes sure the product experience is as good as the content it delivers.
Lee's involvement goes well beyond the technical side. He recognised the significance of Totchi's mission early on and chose to join as a partner, playing an active role in the strategic direction of the business. He believes children deserve better tools to understand their emotions, and that belief shapes how he approaches the work. He is an integral part of the founding team.
