29/04/2026
I’ve had sooooo many replies to this months newsletter that I thought I’d copy and paste the whole thing below (continued in the comments).
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This month’s newsletter feels different to write.
Usually, I’m here sharing ways to help you move better, feel stronger, and age well in your body. But over the past few weeks, my headspace has been elsewhere —and I feel this will still be of value, just in a different way.
My step dad Ken died last month. Like many of you, I’ve experienced loss before. And while I would never wish it on anyone, I know being close to death has shaped me and has a way of clarifying what really matters.
It reminds me that how we live, how we show up, and how we spend our time… matters more than we often let ourselves believe.
1. Value what you have
We’re very good at wanting more.
We place so much value on the things we don’t yet have. Then when we get them, we adapt quickly—and our attention shifts to the next thing. And when something is taken away? Only then, we feel its true value.
A simple but challenging practice: value it now.
Our endless potential lists will be different, but for me, this looks like:
My two children, getting to be part of their lives everyday
Family living close by
A husband in remission
A quiet, green place to live
Value the ordinary:
Birdsong
Breathing easily
Sleeping comfortably, in my own bed
Being able to walk
Having access to water, to the shower
Being without pain
The brain will always look for more. But there’s something grounding about being deeply grateful for what already is.
2. Reflect on your own mortality
This might sound uncomfortable, but I come back to it often:
What if today was my last day?
Not in a fearful way—but in a clarifying one. How am I going to spend the day?
It changes how I respond when my kids are whining at breakfast.
It nudges me to send the message, make the call, do the thing.
It makes me ask: am I showing up as the person I want to be.
3. Don’t sweat the small stuff - Death recalibration
When you’ve been close to loss, everything else recalibrates.
Last week we had a flood in our hallway—hours of water damage and no insurance cover. A situation that would normally feel stressful.
But my immediate thought was: no one’s dying.
So we dealt with it. Without spiralling.
Perspective doesn’t remove problems—but it changes how much energy we give them.
4. Our mind boggling existence lottery
Our own existence depends on an unimaginably specific chain of events. The mathematical probability of you being here exactly as you are is so low.
And yet… here you are. Isn’t that wild?
When I really sit with that, it shifts something in me. We are soooo lucky to be here.
So the question becomes: what are you going to do with it today?
5. Make decisions that light you up
This is something I see often—in patients, in friends.
Decisions driven by money, status, or what feels “sensible”… but not by what actually feels good.
And I get it—those things matter.
But if loss teaches anything, it’s that time is limited—and how you feel in your life matters.
What gives you energy?
Who gives you energy?
What brings you joy?
What helps you feel connected?
Those aren’t indulgent questions. They’re essential ones.
When I get stuck in repetitive, over-worrying thoughts, I try to gently shift out of my head and into doing something small and real.
What’s one tiny action I can take for myself, that’s in line with what gives me energy or a sense of joy?
6. Show people they matter (The lesson from Ken)
In his final weeks, when asked what he needed, my stepdad simply pointed to my mum.
That was it.
He adored her—and more importantly, he showed it every single day.
But there’s another part of this I’ve reflected on.
For the last 18 months, I showed up for him in every way I could. Appointments, advocacy, physio, middle-of-the-night calls, meals, support.
And I know it mattered.
We often search for meaning in life—big purpose, big answers.
But sometimes, meaning is much simpler than that.
It’s showing up for the people you love when they need you most.
Loss is painful.
But it also has a way of sharpening what’s most important.
Buckets of love my Physio Yogi Team, I value you all so much!
Evidence-based newsletters will resume next month—back to movement, health, and all the physio yoga things you’d usually expect from me.
Big smooches,
Kate x
