More Than Movement: Becoming Me Again
- Suzanne
- 15 hours ago
- 10 min read
Finding Mobilates
If you'd told me when I joined Mobilates that one day I'd be teaching classes, I would never have believed you.
When I first joined Mobilates, I wasn't looking to become an instructor. I was simply looking for somewhere I could move safely.
Like many of our members, I was trying to make sense of a body that had changed dramatically. I was living with multiple long-term health conditions, significant weakness and mobility difficulties, and I lacked confidence in what my body could do.
I didn't fully understand my conditions or how to exercise safely, and the thought of joining a class felt daunting.
What I found was much more than an exercise programme.
I found a community that understood.
For the first time in a long time, I didn't feel as though I had to explain why some days were harder than others or why I needed to adapt movements. I was surrounded by people who simply got it. There was no judgement, no pressure to keep up and no expectation that everybody's journey should look the same.
Week by week, something began to change.
Of course, I became stronger physically, but the biggest changes happened in ways I hadn't expected. I began to understand my body better and learnt to focus on what it could do, rather than constantly worrying about its limitations.
My confidence slowly started to return and, with it, came something I hadn't realised I was missing – hope.
Looking back now, I realise Mobilates gave me far more than movement.
It gave me routine during difficult times. It gave me friendships with people who genuinely understood the realities of living with long-term health conditions. It gave me somewhere I belonged. Most importantly, it reminded me that although my health had changed, it hadn't taken away everything that made me who I was.
Before ill health forced me to stop working, I'd spent many years as a primary school teacher and gymnastics coach. Teaching had always been a huge part of my identity and, although I had found new ways to contribute through volunteering and writing, I never imagined I would one day be teaching movement again.
At that stage, becoming an instructor wasn't even a consideration.
I was simply a Mobilates member, discovering that when movement is combined with kindness, understanding and genuine peer support, it has the power to change far more than physical health.
Looking back now, it's incredible to think where that first step through the virtual door would eventually lead.
Rediscovering My Purpose
As my confidence grew, I found myself wanting to give something back to the community that had given me so much.
Before long, I began looking for opportunities to contribute in other ways too. I volunteered in the care home where a close family member was living with dementia. Spending time with her and the other residents was incredibly rewarding, but it also made me aware of how important meaningful activity and human connection are for people living with dementia and other neurological conditions.
I also returned to the gymnastics club where I had previously coached, this time as a volunteer. Although my health meant I could no longer coach in the way I once had, simply being back in that environment reminded me how much I had always loved helping other people learn, develop and achieve. It was another important step in rebuilding my confidence and reconnecting with a part of my identity that I had thought I'd lost.
Around the same time, I was given the opportunity to become a Peer Advocate with Sport for Confidence, a role that I continue to do today. It allows me to use my lived experience alongside my professional background to help shape projects, influence services and ensure the voices of people with lived experience are heard. Alongside teaching with Mobilates, it has become an important part of who I am and a reminder that, although my health has changed, my experiences still have value and can help make a positive difference to others.
Looking back now, I can see that each of these opportunities helped rebuild a different part of me. Gradually, I stopped seeing myself only as someone living with long-term health conditions and began to recognise that I still had skills, knowledge and experiences that could make a difference.
When I discovered the Love to Move programme, it immediately resonated with me. It wasn't just about movement; it was about bringing together music, coordination, conversation and enjoyment in a way that could make a genuine difference to people's lives.
I mentioned to Leanne that I was interested in training as a Love to Move instructor, and from the very beginning she and Kerry were incredibly encouraging. They believed in me, supported me through the training and gave me the confidence to take that next step, even when I wasn't completely sure I believed in myself.
One of the things I'll never forget is taking my Love to Move assessment surrounded by Mobilates members who had come along to support me by taking part in the taster session. They weren't there because they had to be. They were there because that's the kind of community Mobilates is.
People genuinely want to see one another succeed.
When I qualified, I was delighted to be asked to deliver my own Love to Move class within Mobilates. Although the programme was originally developed for people living with dementia and other neurological conditions, I gradually adapted it to meet the needs of our wonderfully diverse Mobilates community while remaining true to the principles that make it so special.
Looking back now, I realise becoming a Love to Move instructor was about far more than gaining another qualification. It marked the moment I stopped seeing myself only as someone receiving support and began to recognise that I had something valuable to offer others too.
For the first time, I wasn't just benefiting from everything Mobilates had given me. I was beginning to play a small part in helping other people experience that same sense of connection, confidence and possibility that had meant so much to me.
Growing Together
Teaching my Love to Move class quickly became one of the highlights of my week. I loved seeing members grow in confidence, enjoy the music and movement, and experience the same sense of connection that had meant so much to me when I first joined Mobilates.
At the time, I felt incredibly grateful simply to be teaching again.
Before ill health changed my life, I had spent many years working as a primary school teacher and gymnastics coach. Teaching had always been a huge part of who I was. When I became too unwell to continue, it wasn't just my career that I lost – it felt as though I had lost part of my identity too.
Standing in front of a class again, even through a computer screen, reminded me just how much I loved helping people to learn, grow and achieve things they never thought possible.
Looking back now, I realise that illness hadn't taken away the teacher in me. I just needed the right opportunity—and the right people—to help me find that part of myself again.
Then, when Leanne became unwell, another unexpected opportunity came along.
What was initially expected to be a short period of covering her Walk Fit and Equipment classes quickly became much longer. Suddenly, I found myself stepping into completely new roles, teaching classes I had never imagined leading just a few years earlier.
It was certainly a challenge, but I never felt as though I was facing it alone. Leanne continued to support and encourage me whenever she could, and our wonderful members showed incredible patience as I learnt, developed and found my own teaching style. Every class increased my confidence, and every new challenge helped me grow.
Wanting to give our members the very best experience possible, I completed the Walk Fit and Strength training. The more I learnt, the more I realised how much I wanted to deepen my understanding of movement, particularly for people living with long-term health conditions and disabilities.
That was when I made the decision to enrol on to a Pilates Diploma and then onto a level 3 Pilates Mat based qualification.
At the time, it simply felt like the next step in my learning. Looking back now, I can see it was another milestone in a journey that had begun the day I nervously logged into my very first Mobilates class. Each opportunity grew naturally from the last, fuelled by the encouragement of those around me and a growing belief that perhaps I was capable of more than I had ever imagined.
A Day I'll Never Forget
I'll never forget Saturday 27th June at Paddock Wood. Even now, it's a day I'll always struggle to put into words.
On the surface, it was the culmination of months of hard work towards my Level 3 Pilates qualification. But somehow it became about so much more than an assessment. A few weeks earlier, after receiving another diagnosis, I genuinely wondered whether my dream of teaching Pilates was over before it had really begun. I questioned whether I'd even be able to get to this point.
Fast forward to Saturday 27th June, and I found myself standing in front of a room full of people teaching a full hour of Pilates, adapting exercises for a wide range of health conditions in the middle of a heatwave. How did that happen? The answer is that it didn't happen because of me alone. It happened because I was surrounded by some of the kindest, most generous and most supportive people I could ever have hoped to meet.
The assessment itself was just one part of what became a truly unforgettable weekend. Spending time together outside the assessments – catching up with familiar faces, meeting others for the first time, sharing meals, laughing and making memories – reminded me that Mobilates has always been about much more than movement. It's about connection, friendship and belonging, and those moments together were every bit as special as the assessment itself. Considering the soaring temperatures and the health conditions that all of us manage every day, the effort everyone made simply to be there wasn't lost on me.
Every person showed up with kindness, encouragement and unwavering support. It was a wonderful reminder that Mobilates is a community where people genuinely care about one another, and I felt incredibly lucky to be surrounded by people who wanted nothing more than to see me succeed.
Leanne, thank you for seeing potential in me that I couldn't always see in myself, for giving me opportunities to grow and develop as an instructor, and for being such an amazing friend throughout this journey. When my osteopenia diagnosis threatened to change everything, you never focused on the barriers. Instead, you found ways to help me adapt, continue learning and believe that this dream was still possible. Throughout assessment weekend, you quietly took care of every detail so that I could simply focus on teaching.
Kerry, thank you for always finding the right words at the right time. Whether it was after a class, in an email, on Team Mob or on Facebook, your encouragement has given me so much confidence and reminded me to keep believing in myself. Your knowledge and guidance have helped me adapt my teaching safely and confidently, and I know that will stay with me throughout my teaching journey.
Callie, thank you for your friendship, unwavering encouragement and for always believing in me throughout this journey. Your support, kindness and ability to celebrate every little milestone have meant more than you'll ever know.
To the wonderful online Mixed group, thank you for giving me the opportunity to practise my assessment class with you. You embraced every adaptation, encouraged me throughout and gave me the confidence to walk into assessment day feeling so much more prepared. Your support has been such an important part of this journey.
People who usually attend my online classes travelled for hours, with some even staying overnight, simply to be there and support me. Knowing the effort everyone had made to be there, especially in such extreme temperatures, made the day even more special. Members of the Paddock Wood group, many of whom I'd never met before, welcomed me so warmly and encouraged me throughout the session.
Together, you didn't just create a wonderful class – you created an experience I'll never forget.
And, of course, my mum. She's become such a special part of the Mobilates family too. As always, she was there quietly doing what she always does – supporting me, taking away the little stresses, keeping me calm and making sure I could simply focus on teaching.
As I looked around the room, I realised this wasn't just another Pilates class. It was a room full of people who had come together to help me achieve something that had felt impossible only a few weeks before.
Every person there had contributed in their own way, and I don't think I'll ever quite be able to put into words what that felt like.
Mobilates talks about community, kindness and inclusion, but assessment weekend allowed me to experience exactly what those words mean. You didn't just help me prepare for an assessment and complete an exam.
You reminded me why I wanted to become a Pilates instructor in the first place. From the bottom of my heart, thank you.
Looking back
A few weeks after assessment weekend, I received the news that I had passed my Level 3 Pilates Diploma.
Of course, I was incredibly proud. Completing the qualification had challenged me in so many ways, both physically and mentally, and there were times when I genuinely wasn't sure I would make it to the end. Receiving that result was a wonderful moment and one that I'll always treasure.
But as I look back on this journey, I realise the qualification itself is only part of the story.
When I first joined Mobilates, I simply wanted somewhere I could exercise safely. I could never have imagined that one day I would be teaching classes, completing a Pilates qualification and encouraging others to discover what they are capable of.
Looking back now, I realise this journey has never really been about qualifications.
It's been about rebuilding confidence when I wasn't sure I had any left. It's been about finding people who believed in me before I fully believed in myself. It's been about discovering opportunities I never imagined possible and being encouraged to keep saying "yes" to them, one step at a time.
Most of all, it's shown me that accessible, inclusive movement can be about so much more than exercise. It can create friendships, restore confidence, provide purpose and open doors that once seemed firmly closed.
If there's one thing I hope my story shows, it's that none of us knows where a single opportunity might lead. Sometimes all it takes is one class, one conversation or one person who believes in you to begin changing the way you see yourself.
To anyone reading this who might be wondering whether they can take that first step, whether you're living with a long-term health condition, returning to exercise after a break or simply lacking confidence, I hope my story offers a little reassurance.
You don't have to know where the journey will lead.
You just have to be willing to begin.
When I look back at where this journey began, I realise just how much became possible because I took that first step and joined Mobilates.
Mobilates hadn't just helped me move again.
It had helped me become me again.
Mobilates CIC provides inclusive, adapted exercise for people living with long term health conditions, chronic pain, fatigue and disability.
We create safe, welcoming spaces to move, connect and build confidence in what your body CAN do, whether you join a class in person, online, or from your bed. We’re led by lived experience and powered by community. Together, we’re redefining what movement can look like.
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