Debbie founded MOVEability in 2021 and has been taking it from strength to strength ever since.
A force for change
Now a Social Enterprise Organisation, Debbie is committed to turning MOVEability into a force for change. She is driven by the belief that the world will be a better place if those with limited mobility – either through age, a disability, a chronic health condition or living a sedentary lifestyle – or those who simply don’t find it comfortable exercising in regular classes have the same opportunities as anyone else to improve their physical & mental health.
Inclusive and accessible
Passionate about making exercise accessible to everyone, regardless of age or ability, Debbie has created a range of online and on-site seated chair exercise and movement classes, which she delivers with the help of her growing team. The classes are open to anyone wanting to achieve the quality of life they deserve – which, with MOVEability’s help, they can through exercising and the social benefits of doing so in a group. To understand why this inclusivity is so important, read what Stuart of Freedom Wheelchair skills has to say.
From accountant to fitness instructor
An accountant by profession, Debbie never imagined working in the health and wellness industry and ultimately becoming a fitness instructor. This all changed when her son was diagnosed with Tourette’s aged 7, followed by diagnoses of OCD and ADHD a few years later. Keen to know more about his various conditions and how best to support him, she started down a path that would take her out of the corporate world into the world of special needs, disabilities and mental health.
She discovered that the massage she had learned doing manicures and pedicures years before was the one thing that calmed her son’s Tics, and so she trained as a specialist massage therapist in the field of mental health and wellbeing.
She then trained in other forms of therapy in this field, such as Emotional Freedom Technique (EFT) and later qualified as a Seated Chair Exercise Instructor, eventually starting Mindset Massage, which became MOVEability as a legacy of the pandemic, focusing on accessible exercise classes for all ages and abilities.
Close to home
Her passion and experience would prove vital when her dad’s physical and mental health deteriorated due to delays to hip replacement surgery that left him in excruciating pain. The Covid lockdown didn’t help matters, and it was heartbreaking to witness her dad’s physical and mental health deteriorate from afar. Needing to do something, Debbie encouraged her parents to take part in MOVEability’s online exercise classes.
Her dad’s physical and mental health markedly improved during the months that followed. When he finally underwent his hip replacement operation, his consultant commented on how fit and strong he was compared to the first time he had seen him. All thanks to his daughter’s exercise classes.
On a mission
Her dad’s success story, along with those of an ever-growing number of MOVEability clients, is encouraging Debbie to make it MOVEability’s mission to reach far and wide across the UK. She is committed to increasing the number of on-site classes MOVeability offers, with new ones planned for Wiltshire as well as Berkshire. She will also continue to deliver classes online so that anyone across the UK can access MOVEability’s special brand of accessible exercise and become part of our ever-growing community. Watch this space.
Get involved
You can help by supporting MOVEability’s crowdfunding efforts, an endeavour inspired by the generosity of strangers in a Waitrose cafe. We reasoned that if they believe in MOVEability and what we can achieve, so will many more. Will you join them?
