Through my own experience and training, I have developed a proven method of success in regaining mobility, stability, and rebuilding mind and body confidence.
With a background in dance and qualifications as a Pilates and Yoga instructor, I know all about movement and body alignment. In addition to this, I was diagnosed with ME (Myalgic Encephalomyelitis) in my mid-twenties and was faced with the task of re-educating my body to move effectively and naturally without pain plus removing brain fog and rediscovering who I am and what I want to achieve in and bring to this world. Now, fully well, I teach my self-created method to my clients for full vitality, health and finding purpose at any age.
My Story:
In January 2014 my brain was so incredibly foggy. My memory recall and decision making abilities were replaced with confusion and a heavy, yet empty, head. My body ached, it was hard to move and I had zero energy. I didn’t sleep deeply and I was never fully awake. I couldn’t work and all of my dreams and ambitions melted away.
I felt like part of me (my essence) had been squashed or dulled. I wanted to feel vibrant and excited for life again. I missed working hard and chasing after my dreams. I forgot how to have fun and I didn't know how to join in with social situations, embarrassed that if my brain wasn’t working and I wasn’t my usual vibrant self, who would want to be around me? I certainly wasn’t excited about the future, I didn’t even know if I’d be able to leave the sofa from one day to the next.
I saw my friends starting families, building careers, buying houses and I couldn’t even hold a conversation, read, watch television or even listen to music.
Despite everything, I was really motivated to move forward and achieve something big with my life but I had to work out how when I couldn’t access my brain and sometimes my body wouldn’t let me do anything other than rest.
I became scared to move and I felt lost and alone.
I didn’t know where to get help. Everyone around me made suggestions of things I should do, but I never felt like anyone actually understood what was going on and how to help me. I was worried people thought I wasn’t trying to get better, that I was “being lazy” or not doing enough.
No doctor at the time could diagnose my symptoms, but eventually it was concluded that I either had Chronic Fatigue Syndrome CFS, ME (Myalgic Encephalomyelitis) or POTS (Postural orthostatic tachycardia syndrome).
My doctor also told me it was likely I would be this way forever and should learn to manage it. She offered me antidepressants to help deal with my new, debilitating life. I decided this was not to be my fate. I declined and instead spent years travelling and living all over the world in search of holistic therapists, functional medicine practitioners, Gurus, and Shamans.
My pursuit then was to meet people who I could learn from and who could teach me how to heal the brain fog and pain.
I studied functional medicine and nutrition to assist with my healing, and through the amazing guides I met on my travels, I began to develop a sense of how the emotional and physical body are connected. More specifically, I quickly learned that the spine is our fundamental support system, and that other medicinal practices, such as those from China and India link energy to the spine.
Essentially, I came to understand that the common connection between varying philosophies is that any imbalance in the spine can result in an imbalance of health. This is where my passion for back health began and directed my continued study of the body and energetic systems.
Now my mission is to share everything I have learned and continue to learn to teach you how to heal too, how to reclaim your energy and sharpen your cognitive firing, how to trust your body again and feel confident to move, get clear on your future and excited about working towards your goals.
The bit in-between
When I was well enough to return to work part time, I was offered a job in the Middle East to teach at a women’s only facility. Here, I was lucky enough to develop my knowledge in anatomy by working closely with a physiotherapist, acupuncturist and osteopath from France. I was also very privileged to lead a lot of women’s empowerment work using my skills in movement and emotional body unlocking to help women connect to the wisdom of their own bodies.
I then moved to Bali, where I hosted small private retreats from my healing home, teaching meditation, yoga and Pilates for people who suffer from fatigue and/or fatigue-related illnesses. My aim was to create an environment that allowed for healing whilst teaching my guests to adopt small changes in their lives to enable the healing process to continue post-retreat.
I moved back to Tunbridge Wells, Kent in 2018 and I now offer mostly private Movement Therapy and Functional Health Coaching in my home studio. I also teach healing retreats annually in various locations around the world.
My qualifications include:
Level 3 Matwork Teacher - Body Control Pilates | Pre/Postnatal Pilates Certification - Body Control Pilates | Level 4 Advanced Teacher - Body Control Pilates | Level 4 Low Back Pain Certification - Body Control Pilates | Exercise Referral Practitioner - Body Control Pilates | Back4Good Practitioner - Body Control Pilates | Intermediate Mat Pilates - Body Control Pilates | Reformer Certification - Balanced Body Pilates| Cadillac Certification - Balanced Body Pilates | Chair Certification - Balanced Body Pilates | Ladder Barrel Certification - Balanced Body | Pilates Arc Certification - Balanced Body Pilates | Bone Health Certification - Body Control Pilates | Pilates for Children - Body Control Pilates | Pilates for Adolescence - Body Control Pilates | Registered Yoga Teacher 200 Hours - Yoga Alliance| Nutritional Adviser Certification - Active IQ | Mindfulness Certification - The Centre of Excellence |
