After 25 + years in the physiotherapy industry, most of it working solo handed, it is refreshing to accept some HELP. The South West Regional Innovation Cluster recently awarded 10 innovative businesses the opportunity to spend the next five months immersed in the CONNECT Hub where they will be supported to grow and scale their businesses through unique opportunities brought to their region including expert led fortnightly masterclasses, individual mentorship, and connections to networks of investors, industry, and government.
I feel extremely grateful to have received this much needed investment of knowledge, expertise and business mentorship so that I can grow the " Bulletproof Backs" Concept Globally.
Having a desire that gets me out of bed in the morning, a "dharma" that feels aligned with my unique personality is the juice of life, and i am SO fortunate that mine became clear many years ago. I have treated, counselled and privately despaired over many chronic back pain sufferers. I have lamented at the poor care they have received, at the failed surgeries they have endured and at the callous medical model's treatment of their condition. I have also lived up-front and personal with an ex husband who struggled for years with chronic pain and was trapped in a fixed mindset that kept him circling in a world of discontent. I have observed how chronic, stubborn pain leads to opiate abuse, alcoholism, loss of employment, marriage bust ups and suicide.
For many years I whinged about the "F@cked up Medical Model" and how it's inability to consider the person holistically was INSANE. This achieved nothing and only made me feel ANGRY, Frustrated and Hopeless. So one day I decided to try and create a model of care that I would be proud of. A model of care that acknowledged the WHOLE of who we are. A model of care that acknowledged that how we THINK, affects how we FEEL, which in turn affects how we HEAL.
I created the Bulletproof Backs System to rebuild Mindsets, Re-teach Movement Patterns and upgrade client's Emotional Intelligence so that they would have all the Powerful tools to Heal. As anyone with Stubborn back pain knows, there is no one simple answer to solving the issue. It is complex and requires a customised, individualised, holistic approach. Having a system that works, a scientific justification for why it works, is not enough. For real change to happen I need desperately to get this teaching paradigm into the hands of those who need it most - The Back Pain Sufferer ( phase one) and the physiotherapy world ( phase two) .
That is where marketing assistance, sounding boards, financial wiz's and business legends come in. They know nothing about Back Pain, but they know business and how to get your message to those who need to hear it. Which is why, when I was personally selected to work with Hawaiian Ironwoman Triathlete Belinda Dennis from Bindi Nutrition - I CRIED. Yep - at our first coffee meeting at the Good Egg Cafe in Busselton I did something I rarely do in public - I cried. Not a few polite tears, but a full on ugly sob on the drive back to Margaret River. The depth of emotion i experienced after having a 45 min conversation with Belinda was a true indicator of my desire, frustration and relief at finally having found a mentor that I related to, resonated with and whom I respected and admired. She was not full of talk, she was walking the walk.
Side note - I have learn't to never take advice from someone who has not already demonstrated the skills i am seeking to learn. This applies to Physiotherapy. Do not take advice from a physiotherapist who has more injuries than you do, or who moves poorly. It's a no Brainer.
Why am I sharing all of this with you ? Well the road ahead requires me to shift gears. The next 12 weeks are about research, development and "proof of concept" of my system. After that phase comes LAUNCH and Podcasting and Speaking and eventually training other physiotherapists in my protocol. The timing of all of this is perfect - I am in a space where I have GREAT people around me. Isobel Barak is stepping up to run the practice, Kim Turnbull and Marion Cardamone are superb massage therapists and physiotherapists assistants, Mieke Boerema continues to grow into her specialties, as does Andrea Menke with Body Talk, and let's not forget the super passionate movement teachers who handle the numerous classes we offer; Chelle Edwards (yoga star), Sarah Borrell ( pilates queen), Ava Quam ( Qi Gong Legend) , Lib Quarles (outdoor movement monkey) .... the list just goes on and on.
To effect change on a global level is no small mission. I am mindful I have taken on a HUGE mission, and one that will take a lifetime to see progress with. However there will be no finer day than the day I witness a back pain sufferer walking into a GP surgery and rather than being handed a prescription for pain killers - they are questioned about their healing belief's, about their emotional states and they are examined for how their pelvis moves in 8 degrees of motion.
If that can happen in my lifetime I will die happy.
So I invite you all to join me on this mission. If our path's have crossed and on some level anything i have offered has been of use to you, then here is how you can support me (which in turn supports the evolution of back pain treatment) -
You can listen, share and recruit guests for my Bulletproof Backs Podcast
You can keep me informed of any new innovative back pain tool you happen to stumble across that has helped you
You can Register your Interest to be 1 of 10 Beta Testers for my Bulletproof Back 6 wk Challenge - I will be recording your progress over 6 wks and using your stats for research, feedback, testimonials, etc.
You could come and cheer me on Thurs 16th Sept 5 - 7 pm in Dunsborough as I nervously Pitch my business concept to investors - or not!
You can continue to enjoy my team and our service offerings and enjoy moving well, being well and generally thriving.
With EXTREME gratitude for all the opportunities finding me and for the amazing practitioners caring for you all whilst I am knee high in statistics, computer software, video recording and number tracking!
Move Well
Marion
Below are my fellow innovators - unsung heroes passionate about all sorts of things including personal lubricants, flies, swimming, oysters, ... and on it goes. Such Fun in Diversity!
