My Story
Physiotherapist, NLP Master Coach, Health and Life Coach, Master Hypnotist and Master Practitioner of Timeline Therapy
My career as a neurological physiotherapist was a successful one.
If I’m honest, to the outside world, there was no reason to flip my life upside down by leaving and starting my coaching business.
But inside, I knew something needed to change.
I’ve always been a driven and passionate person.
When I put my mind to something, I give it my all.
And this came to the forefront once again when I decided to take up the challenge of doing a triathlon.
I couldn’t even swim front crawl when I started but 2 years later, I was competing for GB in my Age Group in Kitzbuhel, Austria.
If I wasn’t training, working, or cleaning up all my gear, I was planning and prepping, or honing my nutrition, transitions and mental attitude.
As I transitioned to duathlon, I continued to train and compete hard.
On top of this, I was working full time in my NHS job and had even started my own private Physiotherapy practice too!
Life became extremely busy, and it was like a conveyor belt of one thing after another.
I was so fortunate to have a life where I could choose to do so many things I loved.
And yet, I felt disconnected from it all.
I couldn’t feel any pride for myself despite my achievements.
I was never really present with my friends and family. Instead, my mind would be distracted, thinking about everything I needed to do when I got home!
I had some days where it would all go really well and everything flowed with ease.
But then there were those other days where I felt drained, I couldn’t think clearly, and I constantly felt like I wasn’t doing enough.
But despite feeling so utterly exhausted at times, I would still struggle to switch off.
For me, this came at 3am when I’d wake up with a head whirring with thoughts and, unable to get back off to sleep.
So I’d get up and crack on – may as well actually get something done instead of simply lying here thinking about it!
You probably already guessed it, but that made matters worse, not better!
But at the time, I just couldn’t see it.
In my head, I wasn’t trying hard enough. I just needed to keep on pushing.
I’d be happy once I’d achieved this goal or pushed through that barrier.
I’d get frustrated at my brain and body for ‘letting me down’!
I was endlessly putting them through the ringer day in, day out, and, somehow, I thought they were letting me down!
Needless to say, what was happening within me impacted on everything and everyone around me.
I kept on pushing. Driving myself to fit more in. Trying to be everything to everyone.
I didn’t want to let anyone down.
But ultimately, the person I was letting down most of all was myself.
Something had to give. I couldn’t continue like this.
And so I looked for ways to help myself feel better.
I came to understand that what was happening in my brain and body was a result of what I was pushing it to achieve every day without any let up.
I was amazed by what I learnt!
It made so much sense.
And yet, I had trained and worked in healthcare for 15 years and we weren’t talking about this!
So many of the younger Stroke patient’s I worked with when I was a Physiotherapist were fit and healthy before their Stroke. They would often ask, “Why did this happen to me?”.
And yet, the system was so focused on fixing the problems once they had happened, there was little focus on helping people to understand how their everyday choices and actions, and the pressures and demands they put on themselves, were contributing to the very problems we were trying to fix!
So whilst I used the information I found to help me establish how I could feel better in myself, and deal with many of the day to day problems I was experiencing, I also wanted to get it out there further and wider.
That’s when I made the decision to re-train as a health and life coach and further bolster my toolbox with qualifications in NLP, hypnosis and Timeline Therapy.
I have to say it’s one of the best decisions I ever made.
And now I get to do the things I love, and still push myself to be the best I can be.
But I also now know that isn’t the same as pushing myself to the point of exhaustion and unhappiness.
And so now, I both practice and preach working with my brain and body to sustain my energy, as well as my flow of inspiration and productivity.
What’s more, in doing so, I also support the smooth functioning of my brain and body, so I get to be present and enjoy my life because I now truly value (and even like!) myself.
Even better than that though…I enable my clients to do the same.
I enable them to find a balance that works for them in their business and their life.
As a result, I see them take their business to new heights.
I see them feeling fulfilled, and able to enjoy all those precious moments with their friends and family.
But best of all, I see the value they hold for themselves grow. They finally feel like they are enough.
If elements of my story resonate with you too, you might want to check out the Guilt-Free page where you can discover more about how these cycles develop and what you are doing (albeit with good intentions) to create them.
Or if you’d like to know how you can work with me, hit the button below to check out the various services I offer.
My Coaching Styles
I work closely with my clients to understand the drivers that prevent them from being able to step away from work and take time for themselves.
So often they are juggling so many things that they either can’t think clearly or they feel overwhelmed by all there is to do, and neither is conducive to business growth, or to being able to switch off at the end of the day!
However, simply telling them they should do less isn’t helpful either.
And so instead we get curious and explore the feelings that are underneath it all.
- The pressure to fit it all in.
- The worry of letting someone down if they don’t.
- The feeling that, despite working their butt’s off all day, they still haven’t done enough.
Like a background clean-up on a computer, we work to get rid of any unhelpful or unwanted baggage that is holding them back or slowing them down.
And so everything runs smoother and easier as a result.
They can think clearly.
They know what they need to do to get where they want to be.
They feel calm and in control.
And most importantly (in my opinion at least!), they feel able to prioritise themselves in amongst everything else they have going on.
They take time to look after their health and do the things they enjoy with the people they love most.
They feel fulfilled, and that fuels their growth even more.
If you’d like to explore what’s possible for you, why not book an Exploration Session by clicking the button below.
My Values
These are principles I live by in both my business and my personal life.
They are part of what makes me who I am, and so they offer some insight into what you can expect when you work with me.
Love
When I was competing for GB, I was invited to be a guest on a podcast and at the end, they asked me to leave their listeners with a motto, or mantra that resonated with me.
I wasn’t expecting the question, and so I momentarily thought “Oh sh*t!!”.
But no sooner had that thought crossed my mind than out of my mouth popped…
“Do what you love…and love what you do”.
That has resonated with me a lot since then, and that is exactly the way our values work. They sit there in our subconscious until we bring them into conscious awareness. And once we have, it makes our path so much easier to navigate.
Authenticity
I’m a huge advocate of being true to what is right for you.
It’s a lesson I’ve learned the hard way, and for many years, I saw my options in the context of what was expected of me, what the done thing was, or the ‘right’ way to progress through life.
I don’t regret a moment of it. It taught me a lot and, eventually, led me to where I am today.
But I also know that whilst it’s not always easy to do what feels right for you, especially when it goes against the grain, it is the key to feeling aligned and fulfilled and, ultimately, happy.
Curiosity
As far as I’m concerned, it’s OK to not know all the answers. In fact, it’s in the search for a solution that incredible things often happen!
And so, I am a huge believer in getting curious with yourself and opening up to exploring.
Try it! You might just surprise yourself with what happens when you do!
Understanding
This might seem at odds with what I just said about curiosity.
However, part of being naturally inquisitive is that I like to know why things happen.
I love to understand the rationale behind something, and then apply that understanding to create a logical and reasoned approach, or strategy.
I apply this to us, as human beings. By simply understanding ourselves better, we can learn to harness our individual power and skills and put them to extremely effective use!
Wholeness
I am one whole person, just as you are.
We are linked to everything and everyone that has ever been part of our lives, or that is yet to enter it.
Everything that happens to you, around you, and inside you, has an impact on you, albeit to different degrees.
Being able to see the big picture of wholeness, whilst helping to unpick the smaller details that impact on it, is what enables me to help my clients navigate their way to clarity and understanding when they’re struggling to see the wood for the trees.
My Qualifications
BSc (Hons) Physiotherapy
Certified Master Practitioner of Neuro-Linguistic Programming (NLP)
Certified Master NLP Coach
Certified Master Practitioner of Timeline Therapy
Certified Master Practitioner of Hypnosis
Certified Health Coach
HCI Certified Life Coach
