Teaching skills that help you to laugh when stress anxiety and panic arise! For more information contact Katie at thebestmedicine@outlook.com
I offer workshops, interactive talks and training days, teaching people about the benefits of laughter and playfulness. I specialise in Therapeutic Laughter Techniques, Mindfulness based practices and embodied exercises that help to reduce stress and improve wellbeing. I also offer bespoke playful experiences, including play days, play trails and creative workshops.
24/07/2025
Nature is the best playground.
Look who appeared whilst playing with this lichen - an old grumpy man with greying eyebrows, a baby squirrel with tiny tufty ears.
We'll be exploring costume and nature and a mixture of the two in The Joy Lab in August. A workshop designed for curious adults who want to be joy-led, imaginative and playful again.
Held in a beautiful barn just outside of Helston in Cornwall, surrounded by nature 🍀
Link to Eventbrite tickets in my bio
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20/07/2025
I recently learnt that I'm neurodivergent.
A novelty seeker, impulsive, interrupts, messy, struggles to focus, struggles to make plans for the future. A daydreamer, can't retain information, not so good with money, can't find the right words, starts projects and never finishes them, can't focus in a room full of noise, distracted, procrastinator.
But then there are the things that have led me to this work, my ideas, my creativity, spontaneity, willingness to step into the unknown, ability to see one thing from many perspectives, my empathy for others, ability to hold space, to adapt and pivot in the immediacy of the moment.
Holding playful workshops for you plays to all my strengths and I blooming love it!
So here's some dates for your diary:
On Wednesday 6th of August I'll be leading workshops for the Design Museum's family Play Day
On Saturday 9th of August I'll be co-facilitating a playful introduction to Collaborative Vocal Improvisation (something a little different)
And then on Saturday 23rd of August I'll be in Cornwall leading The Joy Lab - a whole day of playfulness for grown ups.
Links in my bio 💕
11/07/2025
Waiting for an opportunity to play?
Well it has arrived! The Joy Lab is a culmination of everything I have learnt up until this point about playfulness - an exploration of improvisation, group games, creative prompts and mindful moments.
I really can't wait!
🏡 Roselidden barn near Helston CORNWALL
📝 Saturday 23rd of August
⌚ 10am-4pm
💰 Sliding scale £35-£45
Permission to Play for a Day!
04/07/2025
Last weekend I was invited to to run a couple of play workshops for .youth.conference
It was such a joy to work with these vibrant inspiring young people - they brought so much energy!!
I'll be in Cornwall on the 23rd of August delivering a whole day of play! If you're interested in joining send me a message and I'll get you on my mailing list ✨
09/06/2025
The summer has arrived!
I'm another year older (laughter lines are in full force)
and I'm excited to be sharing some summer offerings with you soon...
Watch this space !
15/05/2025
I'm delighted to be facilitating at the Design Museum's 'Playday in the Garden' in August. If you're in London and are looking for something to do as a family check it out!
Join us for UK Playday, a celebration of play and playfulness for all ages and abilities.
21/02/2025
On Thursday 6th of March I'll be delivering a lunchtime workshop from 1pm-2pm for the Playful Places Network. I'll be speaking about the benefits of staying playful as an adult and offering guidance of how you can bring more play into your setting - with specific focus on heritage settings and interactive tools.
And it's got me looking through old photographs of workshops I've facilitated in the past. Ones where the adults jumped in and weren't worried about looking foolish. It's so interesting to me how the environment can change how willing we are to play and be playful as adults. This image was captured at The Great Estate way back in 2017 - and really shows how a festival setting can help us let go of our adult mask and jump into a world of play, curiosity and joy.
Thanks to who captured it so well!
Tickets are £5 and can be found via the link below,
I'm delighted to be a speaker for the Playful Places Network lunch on Thursday 6th of March at 1pm. I'll be leading a practical session with the focus on connecting with your own playfulness to inspire laughter and connection in your setting.
2024 was a year where...
I didn't get married
I didn't have a baby
I didn't buy a house
I didn't get that job I always wanted
Instead...
I took time to travel
I met new beautiful friends
I danced around a fire in my birthday suit
I walked 200 miles on my own across northern Spain
I swam in lakes and ponds and crystal clear blue waters
I learnt how to be a clown
I drove on multiple motorways
I started my journey as a vocal improviser
I played and laughed and cried
I became a mentor for neurodivergent students
I moved to a new country 🏴
I learnt to trust in my own rhythm and timing, and to measure success with my own parameters.
So as you enter this new year my friends, I encourage you to walk to the beat of your own drum with confidence 🥁 because life is more than what society tells us it needs to be!
27/11/2024
Here are some action shots taken from yesterday's workshop at the Whipple Museum in Cambridge.
I've been asked to generate some ideas for a play trail that will engage children with special educational needs and their families with the content of the museum.
So I thought what better way to start than playing in the space together?!
We followed our curiosity, found and created new games, and acted as sensory translators for the objects on display.
The harvest from the session has been incredibly fruitful! The trail will be up and running in the Easter holidays and will hopefully provide a lot of fun!
In the meantime, check out the disability friendly sessions that Marie is running by clicking the link below.
This time last year I was in hospital full of fear, feeling physically and emotionally stuck.
So when I got better, I went out into the world and I let myself play again! I made it my mission to reconnect to my passion, to put myself in the way of play.
I learnt that life is a playground; we sometimes find ourselves stuck at the top of the slide completely unable to move, full of fear and all we have to do is jump. Because when we jump we remember that we are alive, and life has a way and a flow and all we have to do is trust.
Staying in safety on the swings is ok for a little while. But sometimes we need to challenge ourselves to know what else we are capable of.
So my friends I'm off! I'm leaving Cornwall and heading to Scotland. I may love it and want to stay I may hate it and come back. But I'm letting myself play and be playful, I'm sliding, spinning, jumping and flying into this next chapter!
And my god does it feel good!
.clownlife
12/07/2024
Have you ever kissed a plant? 🌿
There's something quite marvellous about sharing a smooch with a leafy companion.
I'm currently staying in a forest with a community of vibrant creatives at a retreat centre in Northern Portugal ✨🌼🌿 so there's been plenty of opportunities to connect to nature and let life move a little slower.
I've been reconnecting to my artist part; drawing, dancing and kissing plants to see what magic wants to come through!
There are still many unknowns of how I want to move forwards with The Best Medicine, but I'm trusting that continuing to put myself in the way of play, will make things all the more clearer ✨
For now I'll keep kissing plants and drawing with all the colours ❤️
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When people ask me how I got to running The Best Medicine, I usually start with ‘I went to art school’ and finish with ‘It really works and I want to share it with people!’ but this is just scratching the surface.
I have suffered from panic and anxiety for over 15 years now, it has been something that has really held me back. If you’ve ever had a panic attack you’ll know what I mean, it doesn’t take long before you’re making decisions based on whether the monster will rear its ugly head!
My panic comes when I’m driving; I feel the flood of adrenaline as my heart starts to race, my eyes go blurry, I get really hot and feel like I’m going to die. Partly because I’m breathing so shallowly and partly because I’m driving and driving is dangerous!! People tell you to breath, but how can I? I’m driving at 70mph, It’s scary, there is nowhere to pull in, I’m going to die, I’m probably going to die.
Yes this is panic, it’s when your body goes into that hyper alert state which we call the ‘fight or flight’ response. This is a survival mechanism, built to keep us alive, but it can also be activated from just thinking about potential risks...and like I said, I went to art school, I have a very good imagination!
So how does this link with laughter? Well one day, when I was driving back home for Christmas, I started to panic while overtaking a lorry on the dual carriageway. Instead of allowing the panic to take hold, I chose in that moment to laugh. Instantly and as if by magic my symptoms of panic disappeared. One minute I felt like I was going to die, the next minute I was experiencing a rush of, what I can only describe as, elation!
This transformative experience has been the driving force behind The Best Medicine. It has encouraged me to develop a practice which is specifically designed to help combat stress anxiety and panic in the moment.
I now share these practices and insights across the UK. Speaking at conferences, offering training and team days, and facilitating interactive workshops. I mostly work with teachers, carers and healthcare professionals helping them to overcome the stress they may experience in their work, but also giving them strategies that can be used to support others.
If this sounds intriguing to you and you’d like to chat with me, email thebestmedicine@outlook.com or give me a call 07540954269.
