14/05/2026
12 years ago today, this photo was taken just hours after my anterior spinal fusion surgery at L5–S1.
At the time, survival felt like the priority.
What I didn’t realise then, was that this chapter would completely reshape the woman I would eventually become.
What people saw was surgery. What they didn’t see was everything surrounding it.
The years of severe spinal issues. Debilitating abdominal and pelvic pain. Nervous system exhaustion. Physical and emotional fatigue.
There were seasons where I felt deeply disconnected from my own body.
.Then came the long process afterwards.
Learning how to walk and move properly again. Learning how to trust my body again. Learning that healing is never just physical.
That chapter changed my life in more ways than I can explain.
It’s a huge part of why I became so deeply immersed in health, movement, rehabilitation, nervous system regulation, coaching, and human performance.
Because once you’ve lived through pain like that, you stop viewing people superficially.
You begin to understand that many people are carrying battles silently beneath the surface.
And honestly… most of the rebuilding happened quietly.
Not through huge breakthroughs. Not through dramatic moments.
But through small decisions repeated consistently over time.
One movement at a time. One breath at a time. One day at a time.
12 years later, I carry a very different relationship with my body now.
One built on listening instead of fighting. Respect instead of punishment. Awareness instead of force.
That journey taught me a version of resilience I never understood before.
Not the kind that glorifies endlessly pushing through pain.
But the kind that learns when to soften. Adapt. Rest. Reconnect. Begin again.
I think that’s part of why meaning matters so deeply to me now.
Because some seasons of life completely reshape you.
And if you allow them to they can deepen your compassion, awareness, and understanding of what it truly means to heal.
Today, more than anything, I just feel grateful.
Healing is rarely linear. Growth is rarely loud.
And some of the strongest people you will ever meet are quietly rebuilding themselves every single day.
