Finding My Way Back to Teaching: Bodywork, Curiosity and Learning Differently
Hello, I'm Sammy.
After a period of focusing on health coaching and stepping back from the face-to-face clinic, I'm returning to teaching and writing. It feels like a natural coming together of interests that have followed me throughout my working life: people, psychology, the body, creativity and the possibilities that open up when we feel supported to learn and grow.
My route here hasn't been particularly straightforward. There have been changes of direction, challenging lessons, wonderful teachers and moments when something finally clicked. Looking back, I can see how much they have shaped the way I work with students and clients today.
Finding my way into learning
School was difficult for me. Undiagnosed dyslexia was part of the picture, alongside an unsettled home life. Being misunderstood and humiliated made asking for help difficult. I left school with gaps in my education and a fairly firm belief that I wasn't very clever.
Yet I was curious about people. At 16, I became a live-in nanny before moving into social care, supporting adults with learning disabilities.
Getting a full-time support worker role changed my life. I found a team who encouraged me, supported me through NVQs and helped me discover something important: I loved learning when it connected with my interests and had meaning.
Opportunities through work, secondments and courses opened up new possibilities. I began discovering my strengths and passions, developing a genuine love of learning and gradually building a wide range of qualifications.
Looking back, I recognise what psychology calls self-efficacy: the belief that we can develop the ability to manage a particular task or challenge. Mine grew through small experiences of understanding, useful feedback and people who helped me find a way forward.
Learning from people
My work took me through some challenging and rewarding areas of social care. I coordinated support for under-16s experiencing street homelessness, worked with families facing complex difficulties and later led teams of young adults aged 18–30 affected by homelessness, substance use and involvement with the probation system.
I developed and led programmes bringing together health and wellbeing, fitness, outdoor pursuits, practical life skills, creative projects and education. The aim was to help people rebuild confidence, recognise their strengths and develop the skills and self-belief to move towards employment, education and greater independence.
I saw how easily a person's abilities and potential can become obscured by their circumstances, previous experiences or a loss of confidence. Progress might begin with something seemingly small: trying an unfamiliar activity, discovering a talent, mastering a practical skill or recognising an ability they hadn't previously seen in themselves.
This shaped my understanding of behaviour change. Giving someone information or telling them what they need to do is rarely enough. We also need to understand what matters to them, what might be getting in the way and what would help them feel capable of taking the next step.
Learning differently
After retraining in massage and sports therapy, I continued studying. At 40, with four children and a business, I went to university.
I arrived with enthusiasm and experience, but also difficulties I'd spent years finding ways around. That first year was a shock. Sometimes I understood the subject but couldn't work out what an assignment question was asking. I could see several possible interpretations and become stuck before I'd even begun writing. Reading, processing and organising my thoughts took hours.
The familiar belief that I wasn't clever began creeping back.
My dyslexia was formally identified during that year. With specialist support, I gradually found ways to untangle instructions, structure my ideas and approach academic work differently. I also developed skills in research and critical thinking that I continue to value.
The biggest shift was perhaps in how I saw myself. "I can't do this" gradually became "I need to approach this differently".
That distinction has stayed with me. Difficulty doesn't necessarily mean a lack of ability. Sometimes we need a different explanation, more time, a useful strategy or the right support to discover what we're capable of.
It also gave me a personal understanding of growth mindset: the possibility of developing our abilities, without pretending that effort alone is always enough.
The influence of good teachers
I've been fortunate to learn from exceptional teachers, mentors and colleagues. Some shared remarkable clinical knowledge; others trusted my judgement, encouraged my questions or gave me space to think.
I remember their patience, humour and generosity as much as the subjects they taught. They helped me understand how much confidence can grow when we feel respected and our questions are welcome.
These experiences influence the learning environment I want to create: one where people feel comfortable asking for clarification, exploring ideas and developing at their own pace.
Self-determination theory offers useful language for some of this: autonomy, competence and relatedness. Having a voice, experiencing progress and feeling connected to others can all make a difference to our motivation and willingness to learn.
Facilitating curiosity
I sometimes feel more comfortable describing my role as facilitating learning rather than simply teaching.
I bring knowledge, clinical experience, structure and guidance. Students bring their own experiences, observations, questions and ways of understanding the world. Learning happens in the space between them.
In bodywork, we might explore the anatomy, watch a demonstration, practise a technique, discuss what we notice and return to the theory with a new perspective. I enjoy helping students make connections, develop clinical reasoning and find thoughtful, individual ways of working.
My experience of dyslexia makes me particularly aware that people process information differently, although I never assume I know what someone needs. Sometimes a different explanation helps; sometimes it's clearer instructions, more processing time or simply the confidence to ask a question.
There are professional standards and practical skills to develop, of course. Within that structure, I want there to be room for curiosity, exploration and individual expression.
Seeing the person, not just the problem
My person-centred approach runs through both the classroom and the treatment room.
In bodywork, sound anatomy, practical skills and clinical reasoning provide a foundation. But the person brings their own knowledge of their life, priorities and experience. What matters to them? What are they hoping to return to? What do they notice when we change our touch, pace, positioning or movement?
The same thinking applies to behaviour change. Someone may need information or a goal, but they may also be overwhelmed, lacking confidence or already trying very hard. Listening helps us understand what is realistic and find a manageable starting point together.
I'm interested in strengths-based approaches and positive psychology, not as a way of overlooking difficulties, but as a way of recognising the resources, abilities and possibilities that can help people move forward.
Still learning
I'm currently studying positive psychology coaching and continuing to explore motivation, strengths, wellbeing and meaningful change.
I enjoy discovering connections between new ideas and earlier experiences, while remaining curious enough to question them. What helps someone begin? What supports persistence? When does a goal become another burden? How can we recognise strengths without overlooking difficulties?
Learning is rarely a straight line. We revisit ideas, change our understanding and sometimes need to pause. Being a student again keeps me aware of how demanding learning can feel, even when we're genuinely interested in the subject.
I also learn from students and clients. Their questions, perspectives and responses often encourage me to look again.
What I hope to share
Clinical practice and running a business have brought rewarding experiences, mistakes, hard lessons and periods of burnout. They've taught me the value of reflection, recognising our limits and knowing when to seek support.
After five years of part-time teaching with Holistic Therapies Academy, I'm returning with more experience, more questions and plenty I'm excited to share.
Through massage, sports therapy, bodywork and health practitioner training in Bideford and Plymouth, I hope to offer learning that is practical, compassionate and open to exploration.
If earlier experiences have left you uncertain about education, I hope you won't feel that you need to arrive with confidence already in place. You bring your own experiences, observations, questions and abilities. My role is to help you recognise and build on them, develop your skills and find your own way of working.
We can begin with what you bring, and see what grows.
Explore my courses or email sammy@coastaltherapiesdevon.co.uk.
