For as long as I can remember, I’ve been passionately curious about human potential. In my teens it was my interest in sport and athletic performance, which lead me to study Physiotherapy.
Since qualifying as a physiotherapist in 2004, my passion and interest in learning how and why the body heals has grown.
Whilst no one is immune from challenges, stress, illness or pain, what interested me most was why exactly was it that some people seem to heal quickly, overcome stressful life events and cope with adversity well, while others stay in a vicious downward spiral of chronic disease, pain and suffering.
To answer these questions, I have journeyed into many different fields of study including physical healing modalities; psychology, human potential, nutrition and fitness, just to name a few; to understand that often the skills of peak performance, transformation, personal growth and health and wellbeing all fuse together to achieve an effective pathway to help someone return to health. Despite what I had been exposed to at University, treatment is not a one-size-fits all model, and that to truly have an impact on someone’s health, an individualised approach is essential to achieving the very best in health outcomes.
One of the things I’m often asked is "How on earth did you in end up with a physio clinic in Hawke’s Bay?”
By 2007, I had become deeply frustrated with how healthcare was being ‘watered down’ to a basic level by the NHS in the UK. So, I decided to leave my home and to venture to New Zealand, where I had heard so many great things about the green, clean and outdoor lifestyle here and fantastic healthcare model.
However, I quickly became frustrated again because, although clients had direct access to physiotherapy, through the ACC system, I was restricted to having just 15 mins with my clients.
So, after two years of being in NZ, I left the security of my 9-5 job and stepped into the realm of the ‘Healthcare Entrepreneur” to set up Optimise Physio in 2010.
I had no experience in running a business and did not have any family here to fall back on. But, my intentions were clear and I knew that I wanted to offer something different to the local community; with longer appointment times, to get to the root cause of a problem faster and offer a more diverse range of treatments and services. I wanted to not only help my clients recover from injury but also to take their health and happiness to the next level.
I believe that when life throws us twists, turns and obstacles, that with the right help and support we have the power to change our circumstances.
So far, I am proud to say that Optimise Physio has delivered over 40,000 treatment sessions, solved over 8,000 problems and have helped over 4,000 of our local Hawke’s Bay community get out of pain and live a healthy and active life.
My commitment to you is forever development and improvement. I will bring to you the very best of what we are learning, through the latest evidence- based research and methods, from my own experiences and that of my clients, and keep it real and honest as we go. So, we won't use confusing medical jargon (unless you want us to!) and we will spend the time to educate and guide you to make the best decisions for you.