My name is Karen, and I am originally from Redcar in the Northeast of England. I joined the Royal Air Force in 1989, training in a few different languages. I was lucky enough to be posted to RAF Gatow in Berlin for 2 years, although this was just following the wall coming down, but I did experience Reunification. I also had 2 detachments to the Falkland Islands and a month spent in Jordan where I got to visit Petra, if you have a list of places to visit, you need to put Petra on as you would not believe the size of the buildings intricately carved into the rock.  However, most of my RAF career was spent in Lincolnshire.

 

Whilst I was in the RAF, I had 2 gorgeous children, and found juggling work, and ferrying them to their childminder/school and other activities from where we lived on the RAF base very stressful, especially when my husband was away for the majority of the time.

 

After I left the RAF in 2011, I followed my husband around with his career in the Royal Navy and spent a couple of years being a mum in Naples. There’s something to be said about having coffee on the beach or lake after dropping the kids off at school. Although I did return to the UK to do a massage course as I wanted to help stressed people to relax through massage. I thoroughly enjoyed  the course and knowing that I was helping others to relax was very rewarding, therefore I decided to upgrade my skills when we returned to the UK by doing an ITEC Level 3 course in Holistic/Swedish Massage in 2012 as well as a Level 5 Sports Massage and Sports Injury Treatment course which I passed in 2014 as I wanted help people who were getting injured through sport as well. It is a good feeling when I see my clients progress and recover from the injury that they have, whether it’s sciatica, Achilles tendonitis, or frozen shoulder injuries. I know how frustrating and stressful it can be to be carrying an injury, but to be able to help you with your recovery is an amazing feeling, and one of the reasons that I love being a massage therapist.

 

Following my training, my husband was posted to Cyprus where we spent 4 years. During this time, I was lucky enough to use my skills in supporting cyclists doing a tour of the island over 4 days, as well as walkers who walked approximately 26 miles from the top of the Troodos mountains down to the sea at Episkopi.

 

I moved to Wrexham in 2018 and furthered my skills qualifying in ITEC Level 3 in Reflexology in 2019, in between lockdowns. I am now a single parent to 2 lovely teenagers and an idiot of a labradoodle.  I qualified as a Yoga Instructor in 2021 and as a Pilates instructor in 2022 and I have also completed a Yoga Nidra Facilitator course. Updating skills is important to me, so I’ve also done Continuous Personal Development (CPD) in the Muscles and motion of the shoulder complex, as well as discovering more about the menopause with a Menopause Holistic and Wellbeing Practitioners course. To go with the Menopause practitioner’s course, I am also currently upgrading my reflexology skills to help those going through the menopause, a lot of the techniques can also be useful for other conditions such as stress and anxiety.  Because I believe that everyone should have a massage, I am also training in baby massage, as massage can increase the bond between a baby and their parent as well as easing teething and digestion problems which can lead to a stressed baby and parent.

 

 

I have run off and on since I was at school but found a love of doing half marathons when I entered the Great North Run in 2000, since then I have tried to do a half every year, including Paphos and Limassol when we were in Cyprus. I also completed the Istanbul Marathon in 2015, and a 30 KM trail run through the mountains of Northern Cyprus, and since I returned to the UK, I have completed the Village Bakery Half Marathon twice, as well as the Wirral Half Marathon in 2019.

 

To counteract all the running, I like to do yoga and Pilates and can be found walking the dog every morning.  To relax, I like to read, usually trashy novels that I don’t need to take much notice of to follow the plot. I’m also a bit crafty and love to crochet (usually blankets), knit, cross-stitch and to mosaic tables.