I hold a BA (Hons) in Information and Library Studies and MSc in Dance Science.

For many years I worked in financial services, corporate research, investigative research, and higher education. But it was in 2017 when a casual conversation in a Bucharest wine bar changed everything. After a long day of meetings, Dr Michele Lamb asked me, “Have you ever thought about doing a master’s degree?”

I laughed. “Don’t be daft, I’m not smart enough for that,” I replied.

Her raised eyebrow said otherwise.

That question planted a seed.

By that point, I had already rediscovered my love of dance. After a 20-year break, I stumbled into the world of social partner dancing in 2012, and it completely captivated me. The community, the movement, the unexpected joy of it all became an integral part of my life, one I hadn’t realised I has missed so much.

Encouraged by Pauline Dickson, I began teaching West Coast Swing at a local London club. Pauline saw not just a dancer, but a teacher, and coaxed me into running beginner classes. I loved it. Especially the challenge of designing classes to inspire new dancers in the dance I loved. Every iteration felt like a creative experiment. Every breakthrough was fuel.

That blend of movement, community, and teaching lit a spark I couldn’t ignore.

In 2018, I enrolled in the MSc Dance Science at the University of Bedfordshire, a bold step, and my first return to formal education in over 20 years. It was one of the most rewarding decisions I’ve ever made.

The course offered exactly what I was looking for: a broad, interdisciplinary foundation in physiology, biomechanics, psychology, exercise science, and public health. My selected modules included:

• Behavioural Science and Public Health

• Professional Skills for Healthcare Providers

• Exercise and Nutrition for Clinical Populations

• Dance Psychology

• Biomechanics

• Physiology

• Research Methods

• Interprofessional Working Project

The Active Break Intervention began as an academic project, but it became something much more personal.

During the Covid pandemic, everything changed. Like many people, I went from moving regularly, walking between meetings, dancing in the evenings, to sitting still for most of the day. The small, everyday bits of movement I hadn’t even noticed before just disappeared.

At the same time, I was exhausted all the time. Brain fog, low energy, a body that didn’t feel like mine anymore.  I didn’t realise until halfway through the pandemic that I had an underactive thyroid. By then, I had gained four stone and was struggling just to make it through the day.

I knew I needed to make a change, but I didn’t have the capacity for extreme routines, gym plans, or ambitious fitness challenges. What I needed was something simple, doable, and could adapt to what I needed on any given day.

That’s when I returned to Active Break.

What began as a theoretical tool became a lifeline: five-minute bursts of movement, woven throughout the day, that gently helped me rebuild energy, strength, and momentum. It wasn’t flashy, but it worked. And once it helped me, I knew it could help others too.

Since then, I’ve developed a short course, workbook, series of challenges and a newsletter to help people, especially those feeling stuck, exhausted, or overwhelmed, rediscover how small, regular breaks can rebuild your fitness, restore motivation, and simply help you feel like yourself again.

Because wellbeing doesn’t start with a radical transformation. It starts with one moment. One stretch. One step away from the desk.

Today, I combine academic training with real-life experience to help others reconnect with movement, especially during the workday. Whether through coaching, short courses, or my quietly absurd wellbeing stories, my mission is simple:

To help you move more, stress less, and feel better, in the body and life you’re in.

Because wellbeing doesn’t have to be perfect, you just have to start small and see where it goes from there.