Mary Brooking
Private Clinic & Running Coaching
Running has always been a vital part of my life; it helped me balance the demands of a busy corporate job involving lots of travel and a growing family. But with running often comes injuries, both my own and those of friends and family. When I was looking to make a career change to something I would find challenging, interesting and fulfilling I thought of the therapists who had helped me and wondered if that was a path I could also follow. Talking to those therapists led to the recommendation to study with NLSSM and after the weekend Introduction to Massage course I was convinced too.
My Diploma course was in 2019 and I grabbed every opportunity possible to gain hands on experience via the student clinics and work placements organised by NLSSM. These gave me an invaluable preparation for starting out in my new career, not only in terms of technical skills but also building confidence. 2020 was a strange year to graduate, as lockdown restrictions were in force, but I used it as an opportunity to gain my first running coaching qualification and start to build networks within my local area. This meant that as restrictions lifted in 2021 I was able to begin working in a multi-disciplinary setting close to my home.
I’ve learnt so much in the couple of years since then. I’ve frequently been out of my comfort zone but definitely feel like I’ve found the challenging, interesting and fulfilling career I wanted! I now practice out of two locations based close to my home in South East London and also operate a running coaching business based in my local park where I lead group & 1:1 running sessions. I’ve completed further training in both soft tissue therapy and running coaching and love that I have a career which I can fit around my family and I can see opportunities to grow and progress. It’s good to be out of your comfort zone!
