10 year anniversary: Why I love working for Vitality360 by our Executive Manager
How I got involved…
I remember the first day I met Jessica, Founder of Vitality360. We were both at a BACME training event in Sheffield.
We shared a taxi back to the railway station and due to a delay in our trains ended up talking over a glass of wine… one of many to come. We quickly recognised a shared passion for both working with people experiencing ME/CFS and training other therapists in this clinical field. Jessica posed a question – would I like to work for Vitality360 as an associate therapist?
I was already working 3 days a week in a specialist Pain and Fatigue service, plus 1 day a week in an ME/CFS paediatric service, both within the NHS, but I thought ‘why not?’ I thought I could see a few clients and maybe earn enough for a holiday.
Then I got sucked in…..
I quickly realised I wanted to be part of this inspiring company. I already considered myself an expert in Pain and Fatigue but working with a private provider gave me the opportunity to learn a different set of skills. Jessica encouraged me to join her on visits to organisations/teams who might refer to Vitality360, I went to networking events and started training people outside the NHS about ME/CFS and Persistent Pain. I learned a whole different language, used within different markets, and got to wear nice clothes!
My workload eventually became unmanageable and as a therapist who advocates occupational balance to my clients I needed to take some action. I resigned from my paediatric job and took on more clients. I joined the Vitality360 senior management team and became part of the strategic planning… my eyes opened a bit wider.
In 2017 Jessica took some time away from the business and asked me to run it in her absence. I took a sabbatical from the NHS for 6 months and threw myself in.
On Jessica’s return she asked me if I would continue managing the company. At this point I had promised to return to the NHS for 2 days a week.
The following 2 years were pretty full on but I loved both of my jobs. I persuaded myself that I had a good balance and I could cope …. for a while. It became increasingly clear to everyone except me that I could not continue doing both.
As Vitality360 grew and my responsibilities as manager increased I worked longer hours. In March 2020 the pandemic forced us all to review our lives and make some important decisions.
In May 2021, after 33 years in an organisation I expected to work for for life I resigned from the NHS. After working my 3 months notice and an emotional farewell I took up a full time position with Vitality360. I cannot explain what a difficult decision this was for me personally but as we move towards the end of 2021 I can honestly say it was the right one for me.
I now have the time and energy to lead this amazing team of therapists
I can work from home which has enabled me to relocate to Wales, a place where I was born and which I love
Flexible hours means I can start early, take a long break and finish late if I choose to
I can travel to different parts of the country to visit clients
I get to work with a team of experts who share my and Jessica’s passion
I get to share Jessica’s vision to provide excellent evidence-based therapy for a group of people who are often misunderstood