Am I A Physio....Or A Witch?

I'm regularly asked if I'm a physio after my Stretch and Pilates classes. And today one member asked me if I was a witch whilst chatting about her painful tennis elbow!

The short answer is "No!" I'm NOT a physiotherapist, and I'm not a witch either!!

I have a diverse and unique skillset (work and personal), combined with 13 years as a fitness professional and a decade of experience working with hundreds of people managing chronic pain and injuries.

This week's blog article is a personal one. If we've only recently met, or maybe you come to my classes but aren't familiar with my background, (or just nosey!), then read on....

My professional journey began in 2011 when I qualified as an Exercise To Music instructor. Soon after, I added Pilates, GP Referrals and a Level 4 Exercise to Manage Lower Back Pain qualifications to my CV. Personal Training and Pre & Post Natal certificates followed. 

In 2016 my Yoga teacher journey began - gosh, I can't believe that was 7 years ago!!

Very early in my fitness career I gravitated to working with class members and 1:1 clients managing chronic pain and injuries.

As a child I harboured ambitions to become a veterinary surgeon. As a teenager I did work experience at various local vet practices, going out on calls with the vets and observing surgeries. Unfortunately my grades didn't meet the very high standards required to get accepted into vet school.

Undeterred, I enrolled into the Animal Science BSc. course at Reading University. Even more annoyingly, I just missed out on getting the requested degree for entry into vet school. Thwarted, again!

After a few years of working with horses and then getting a proper job in accounts admin, I spent 3 years retraining in Equine Sports Massage and Animal Physiotherapy. For 3 years I treated all sorts of horses and dogs, from competition animals, a Crufts-level show Boxer dog, seniors and cherished children's ponies.

So yes, I've been a physiotherapist....but treating 4 legs with a tail, not 2 legs and fur-less!

The fitness intervened, and I switched to my current path.

My health and science background naturally made me interested in helping people to manage chronic pain and recover from injury. 

But I soon found that what I learned from my fitness courses did NOT hold true when working with real people and bodies. There was obviously much, much more involved than just biomechanics and a checklist of 'diagnostic' muscle tests.

To find the answers that my brain craved, I spent many £1000's and more hours on workshops, immersion days and longer mentorship programmes with leading experts in their field including.....

• Ben Cormack - Pain science (The Biopsychosocial Model of chronic pain) and movement for injury rehab
• Simon Wellsted - Musculoskeletal wizard - literally a genius!
• Cliff Wilde - Autoimmune conditions and cell health specialist - also a genius!
• Marta Wilde - Mindset coach who's able to clear old, limiting beliefs in 1 conversation

But I felt there was a missing link that I was struggling to find in my quest to resolve chronic pain. Then my journey takes a twist.

Some of you may be aware that I'm neurodivergent, and I also identify as being a Highly Sensitive Empath (HSE). As a child I was always accused of being too sensitive, as if that was a fault. And I believed that too, until I discovered that being sensitive can also be a superpower.

I learned to tap into my HSE traits after a particularly dark period in my life led to necessary deep healing. I learned about trauma-informed practices, Polyvagal Theory, nervous system retraining and mind-body healing.

All this time I was also managing my own chronic back pain, dating all the way back to my pre-teen years and made worse by repeated high impact horse riding falls over the years. 

In January 2020, I picked up a severe QL (quadratus lumborum) muscle strain when teaching BodyPump, and my back would go into extremely painful spasms every few months after that initial injury. I had enough knowledge to calm the spasms quite quickly when they flared, but I couldn't stop them from happening.

That damn missing link again!

 Then in December 2022 I was at a loose end and joined an online workshop with Brian Siddhartha Ingle on a whim. I was introduced to a somatic movement practice, and at the end of the class I stood up with NO back pain for the first time in 2 years.  It was like witchcraft to me, and I HAD to know more.

Since that fateful evening I've introduced somatic movement explorations into my Pilates and Stretch classes at the clubs....with amazing results!

This was it, the missing link in chronic pain that I'd been searching for all this time!!!

I combined everything that I'd learned from my mentors, my years of experience as a fitness professional and my own healing journey into a simple 4 pillar framework to help you move your body from pain and stiffness into ease, replacing worry and confusion with clarity and empowerment.

The Befriend Your Body (BYB) Method for pain relief was born!

And this is what my class members say about how The BYB Method has helped them.....

So here I am today.....

• Full-time group fitness instructor teaching at 4x clubs from Worthing to Littlehampton, West Sussex
• Passionate Yoga teacher 
• Founder of Unicorn Health & Fitness, delivering inclusive, social, relaxing mind-body experiences, including Yoga retreats and pop-up classes
• Creator of The Befriend Your Body (BYB)  Method, sharing a new way to relieve chronic pain that you can do easily at home in a few minutes each day and without spending £££'s on pricey tools or kit.

How can I help you?

NEXT STEPS

• Book into a Stretch, Yoga or Pilates class with me - these are a good introduction to The Befriend Your Body (BYB) Method.
• Attend a mind-body retreat - these are deeply relaxing, fun, social small group experiences typically held in various locations within easy reach of Worthing, West Sussex. The next retreat is  on Sunday 24th March (3x spaces left). Click HERE for all the details.
• ** BOOKINGS NOW OPEN ** New 60 mins pop-up classes. One class a month, a different theme each month, Click HERE to see the class schedule and reserve your place. Last 2x spaces left on the March pop-up, and only 6x places left for April which introduces you to The BYB Method for pain relief.
• Subscribe HERE to receive "The Movement Chronicle", a weekly e-newsletter delivering mobility and pain reduction tips directly into your inbox every Monday morning,

If you would like support with managing pain or an injury please reach out to me on any of these channels:

• Email at norma@unicornhealthandfitness.com
• DM me on Facebook Messenger 
• WhatsApp message to 07801 867361.