A small family business in Watton, Norfolk, has taken a big step onto the global stage – without losing sight of the very human story that started it all
Fox by the Lake has been named an OpenAI Select Partner within the OpenAI Partner Network.
This global community of organisations helps enterprises put AI to meaningful, measurable use.
For most companies, that would be the whole story. For Fox by the Lake, it began with a much quieter kind of ambition: helping people breathe a little easier.
Built on belonging, not burnout
Fox by the Lake founder, Laura Fox, has spoken openly about rebuilding after divorce and relocation, and about how a dream of a cabin by the water became something to move towards during a genuinely difficult time.
She explains: “That personal grounding — nature, patience, and space to grow — became the foundation for what the business is trying to create today: three strands woven together as “a place for therapy, a place to learn, and a place to switch off.”
Her company offers counselling and walk-and-talk support, along with accessible, neurodivergent-friendly education.
A third stand was added when Laura met her partner Darren, whose background in technology and AI became the missing piece.
And now Fox by the Lake has set out to prove that wellbeing and innovation don’t have to pull in opposite directions.
Bringing calm, confident AI to small businesses
As an OpenAI Select Partner, Fox by the Lake works alongside OpenAI to help small and medium-sized UK businesses adopt AI responsibly.
It combines readiness assessments, hands-on workforce training and prompt engineering support with a change-management approach designed to protect wellbeing rather than add to the pressure.
Laura says: “It’s a bit like a dishwasher — you need to know what to put in it and how, in order to get the best outcome and save you time slaving at the sink.”
That metaphor helps set the tone that AI – used well – isn’t about doing more, but about giving people their time back.
“We believe AI should give people time, confidence and headspace back — not create another layer of pressure,” she added.
“At the end of the day, we are a wellbeing company. Working with OpenAI will help us bring powerful technology to small businesses and show how to adopt it responsibly, turn ambition into reality, but protect wellbeing and give back time to things that matter.”
Small, rooted, but aiming wide
Fox by the Lake has deliberately chosen to stay small.
Based in Norfolk close to the communities it serves, the company’s vision nonetheless spans wide.
In Laura’s words, “it’s to show that frontier AI, adopted thoughtfully, can strengthen people rather than stretch them thinner”.
Work is focused on local businesses and ethically minded organisations across the UK — mapping processes, building practical AI roadmaps, and helping employees use tools like ChatGPT safely, confidently and well.
Laura adds: “The goal is efficiency without sacrifice: getting useful work done without losing the time, headspace or wellbeing that make work sustainable in the first place.”
Looking ahead, Fox by the Lake plans to expand its OpenAI-related training and adoption support, helping more organisations turn AI ambition into everyday practice “without losing sight of the people expected to deliver them.”
It’s a fitting continuation of a story that started with one family looking for a steadier way forward, and now hopes to help many more find the same.
Find out more here.
