Many of you will know that a huge driving force behind my photography is getting Mums 'in the frame'.
But something else that I am really passionate about is supporting Mums in business.
I LOVE it when I see women encouraging and supporting one another - I really do believe in 'Community over Competition' and I think that when we lift one another up we can achieve truly amazing things.
When I look around, I see *so* many businesses here in Kent which are owned and run by incredible local Mums.
So, to celebrate some of the fantastic ladies we have right on our doorstep, each month I love to introduce you to one of them.
Next up is the amazing Rebecca Denne - Kent Mum, fully registered Osteopath, Mummy MOT Practitioner and the very proud owner of Oliver Wellbeing.
I recently spent a lovely morning with Rebecca (and her equally lovely friend who she roped in to model for us!) I got to see her work her magic and we chatted all about her wonderful business...
Tell us about your business and what services you offer?
Oliver Wellbeing is made up of a team of Osteopaths based in Maidstone! We offer support for patients from birth to 100+.
After graduating in 2014 at the European School of Maidstone and working really hard as an associate for a few well-respected clinics I decided in 2017 to set up on my own! Which seemed mad at the time however the passion and fire to fuel me was there.
I set up Oliver Wellbeing in 2018 and we have rapidly grown from Day 1 and even survived and grew within the COVID pandemic which I'm sure most businesses feel as a massive triumph!
Osteopathy is a really fantastic hands-on manual therapy.
Despite having been around since 1874 and has grown tremendously around the world as a go to treatment for back pain, neck pain, nerve pain, sports injuries, postural support, management of long term conditions such as inflammatory diseases, hypermobility spectrum disorders (to name a few!), treatments for babies with colic symptoms, pains during pregnancy and postpartum – there are still so many people who don't know what we do!
Which means we do our best to shout as loud as possible about what we can help with, so nobody feels alone, abandoned or unheard within their health journey.
Osteopathic techniques range from soft tissue work, joint articulation and mobilisation, fascial work, lymphatics, joint manipulation, cranial osteopathy, visceral osteopathy and many more!
We are so fortunate to have such a wide range of tools in our kits to support the whole person not just the symptoms, chronic condition or acute pain they are experiencing.
Since 2021 we have also offered the Mummy MOT assessments which is a full postnatal check for women, its the holistic assessment where we talk about emotional health, pelvic health, bladder symptoms, delivery, activity goals you have.
It really is the check you deserve after having carried and birthed a child allowing you to understand the changes in our postnatal bodies and set up foundations to become stronger than ever!
Since having my first child in 2022 and going through the "traditional" route made me realise how much more the Mummy MOT is a vital part of what we offer!
Is there a story behind the name you chose?
Despite being all Osteopaths- just being an ‘osteopathy’ clinic did sit right with me as there is a lot of confusion about hat Osteopathy actually is and for most of the patients we see we support them.
So after 4 years of studying for a degree we then graduate and explore so much more!
Whether it’s hypnosis, ergonomics checks, refreshing our anatomical and physiology knowledge, getting up to date on research about chronic conditions such as hyper mobility or connective disorders, pregnancy and postpartum care, mindset work and neuroscience, learning new techniques such as scar work and taping…the list is endless!
Updating and learning new skills each year really allows us to expand who and how we treat. We learn a lot about ourselves along the way which is a must for all practitioners working with patients.
Some osteopaths even learn to treat elephants & all types of wild animals! For us at Oliver Wellbeing there’s enough learning about what’s going on in humans!
And simply Oliver is my maiden name! Being the youngest in a line of girls I knew our last name would get lost eventually so for now it works to keep that memento to our family. I only got married in July so I’m still getting used to having a different name the rest of the time.
What do you offer to your clients that no-one else does?
A safe space to be heard, a place to help support patients toward their goals and connect with their community.
We love to work alongside other small businesses to help network and find the answers for the patients who come through our doors.
Its the way we help patients find the joy and excitement in their body again and learning to work with it rather than feel like their body has let them down by being in pain.
I love the concept about pain being a smoke alarm and its our job to help the brain decipher if its toast setting the smoke alarm off or a fire! Of course we have the list of the approved and researched conditions that we are able to treat however we can do more than that allowing our treatment to bespoke to each and every patient we see!
Where does your inspiration come from?
My own battles with finding the right support!
I had chronic fatigue when I was a young teenager and had several weird issues of pain prior to that to which the traditional route of medical help couldn’t support me with. Fortunately, my mum had sought help for her own back issues and other members of our family so we knew we had options which was a life line.
Over the years I realised how much Osteopaths can offer support with due to being in private practice this means we have the time to hear and examine the full picture and timeline of what is happening and we are often the option people wish they had found sooner!
This is still so true now - especially with the pressures on the NHS and main routes that we are so fortunate to have!
We hope to offer patients guidance, support and confidence in reconnecting with their body to move forward from pain rather than feeling stuck or like they failed in anyway.
Even if you are waiting for a different form of treatment but would like support to feel proactive in the mean time then always get in touch as even small changes can make anything a little bit easier.
What is your favourite part of your job?
Hearing about everyone’s lives!
Being a little bit nosy and curious really suits this work as we are privileged to hear everyone’s story of how they came to be sat in front of us.
Its solving puzzles and riddles and finding the anomalies or patterns that help determine what our diagnosis is, what plan we need to take and how best we can support the person in our clinic room.
Its even better when they say "wow, I didn’t realise there would be a time where I wouldn’t feel this pain/ache/*insert symptom or feeling*"
If you would like to know more about the wonderful work that Rebecca does, please visit her website here and give her a follow (and your support) on social media:
Claire xx