Barefoot Stories

Questions by Britt It is always great to chat to you and hear your passion about helping improve people’s lives. What led to you becoming a peer support person and can you tell us a bit about what your job entails? What led me to my current career as Peer support worker was that both my mother and myself suffered mental health issues. I wanted to be able to support people from a non-judgemental place to help them through their ...
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Kathryn is such a lovely smiling face in the clinic and has a depth of character that means the more you peel the onion back the better she gets! Have a read of her answers to Caitlin's questions 🙂 You’re originally from Canada but have called Aus home for a long time now. What are the biggest differences you notice, what do you love most about Australia and what do you miss from Canada (I know breakfast cereal is top ...
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Now you may or may not have run into Russ at the clinic. If you have you will know about it. The pure Joie de vivre that comes from him lights up any room. Crazy cool cars and trucks, weekends in the bush, adventures with the incredible Mandie and all while being open and honest about Mental Health. We love a person with depth and you know Russ has it. Read on and learn a bit more, you'll be a ...
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Kate is a classic Barefooter… so friendly and lovely to have at the clinic and so many amazing stories to tell. We love that she speaks openly about Mental Health and advocates for people getting the help they need. We love when she comes to the clinic there is always laughter, especially when her dog Roxy comes along too! With all the amazing things she does we didn't even get to ask her about her travels but made sure their ...
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As Donate Life week is at the end of this month we'd like to share a Barefooter story of Lara who is an organ recipient to raise awareness of the awesomeness of Organ Donation. We usually write a little intro but I think I'll leave it to Lara to introduce herself. Questions by Sal Lara! You superstar – could you tell us a little bit about yourself and your health history? How much time do you have? So, I was ...
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Jayde is a hilarious pocket rocket that does some pretty cool things on the weekend. We love hearing all her stories so asked her to share a bit about her life with us. Questions by Sal 1 – Superstar Jayde! You have some sweet adventurous weekends… can you explain what VMR is and what you do in it? VMR stands for Volunteer Marine Rescue, and our base is in Southport next to the SeaWorld Resort. I find the easiest way ...
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Shellie is a superstar - an incredible human who brings laughter and fun to everywhere she is. We have always admired her and even more after watching her learn to take care of herself fully over the last year and becoming an advocate for true self care. Here's to recharging batteries! Questions by Caitlin You have travelled to some interesting and stunning places. Tell us more about some of your favourite destinations and where to next! Choosing my favourite destination ...
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At some stage you have probably meet someone, or even visited our clinic and have become intrigued as to how our Physio's have got to where they are or wanted to know what motivates them to keep their high energy levels. Catherine asks this weeks Barefoot Story questions to our very own Hannah, as we delve behind the scenes of travel, sport and physio. Q1. You are a massive travel enthusiast and always seem to have an adventure planned.  What ...
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You have a huge passion for snowboarding, which as seen you going to Japan multiple times and loving it! Give us a run down of the last japan trip and how your snowboarding went. Yes, I have a huge passion for snowboarding. My last trip to Japan was my third time there. My second visit was to Niseko. It is such a beautiful country. The landscape is awesome, the people are friendly and the snow is amazing! This trip, though, ...
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1. You are keen traveller – what do you enjoy most about travelling and where are some of your favourite places that you have been?  (local, interstate, international are all welcome!) I love travelling! Experiencing a new place and culture has changed the way I see the world and others. I try to go overseas once a year and to see some small towns and hidden gems in Australia as much as possible too. My fave places have been Italy, ...
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Barefooters this is definitely worth a read – Q&A with our Senior Physiotherapist Caitlin Sargent-Jones. Questions by Sal. Mrs Jones! You have been selected to write a Barefooter story! What an honour! I know that everyone that gets to know you finds out you are so much more than a fast-running Physio so let’s delve into what makes you tick. Q1 – Something that I think we (the general public) don’t really know about is how full on the training ...
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Out of your long list of hobbies, the one I knew least about was flyball racing! Give us the run down of what that entails and how you’re involved. Travel has always been a topic of conversation during our sessions, where has been your favorite place in the last year? Where would you go next if you could fly off tomorrow? Another thing keeping you busy is your grandkids! How do you normally like to spend time with them? You ...
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What drew you to dentistry in the first place? And what really interests you in the dentistry field? I stumbled into dentistry. Back in Year 12 when I was submitting preferences for university, all I knew was that I didn’t want to be stuck in a boring desk job for the rest of my life. I always thought health sciences would be interesting. Dentistry definitely took some time to grow on me and it’s only in the last few years ...
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How long have you been climbing for and what got you into climbing in the first place? I have been climbing competitively for four years now, since I was eleven, starting with a social comp at my gym. My first indoor rock climbing experience was when I was 4 years old at my cousin’s birthday party, but I have been climbing furniture, trees and door frames around my house since I was 8 months old. Explain the different types of ...
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Katie Abbott recently started telling us about what she got up to in her spare time.  When we started to dig a little deeper, we found a very Proud Dog Mum who has the most incredible little guy Nero who does the most amazing things.  On top of this, Katie is also quite an avid mountain-biker, which she came to a bit by accident.  So we asked a few more questions and then couldn't help but put this article together ...
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We titled this BLOG post 'Jasmine can dance up a storm!' as we were recently blown away by an Instagram post she put up a little while ago.  While it said in the description: hip-hop level 1, we think it was absolutely next level - literally and figuratively. Click this and tell us what you think?  Jasmine Hip-Hop So we needed to know a bit more about Jasmine, and when we started to dig, we found out just how amazing she ...
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Daniel is an extremely active athlete, playing rugby, enjoying swimming and hiking. Now his education and talents take him for a Canadian Adventure, where he is looking forward to both Summer and Winters so he can pursue all of his loves. When you first came in, you were big into rugby and have since been filling your time with other activities – what would a regular week look like for you? I like to try and do something on most ...
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We love hearing from our Barefooters and the incredibly cool things they do in their lives. It makes what we do so much more enjoyable (and entertaining!). Jason is a great example of someone who really leans in to life and enjoys all aspects. Read on for all about Brisbane’s dance scene – Jason is a great person to ask all about it and some fun facts about him! Jason you are a very committed dancer – what type of ...
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A love for anything health and fitness brought Tristan Forbes into an industry he absolutely loves.  Recently starting both Witness the Fitness and Breathing Space, read what brought Tristan on this adventure into keeping people healthy and fit. What brought you into the health industry in the first place? As most health professionals, I had a love for anything health and fitness. Mainly sports but I did get into the 'aesthetic gym scene' during high-school due to being a rather ...
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Dan Ludgater recently moved to Medellin, Colombia to pursue the Digital Nomad lifestyle. His Colombian Adventure so far is something most of us would love to do. So you’ve been living in Medillin, Colombia for the last 2 months. How does it compare to life in Brisbane? Well, everyone speaks Spanish... except for me lol. It's actually been fun learning a new language and doing our best to navigate situations. My "food ordering Espanol" is pretty good now, and as ...
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You competed at your first strongman competition in February this year, how was the experience for you? It was my first strength event – so I was quite nervous leading up to it and unsure of what to expect – it’s a big change moving from Ironman triathlons where you’re on your own for hours versus having a coach right beside you all day. It was really fun! Much tougher on my body than I had anticipated – I was ...
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It won't surprise you that Barefooters love getting out and about, moving everyday in a way they enjoy. Women's soccer has really taken off in the past decade, with teams sprouting up all over Brisbane with quite a competitive Brisbane Premier League as a result. If you've ever watched a game, you'll see how competitive and skilful these ladies are.  Our Physio Kirsten recently sat down with Charlotte to find out why she has such a passion for soccer. How ...
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Putting her diving ability to good use while she studies for a Masters Degree in the Environment, Kirsten recently landed her Dream Job studying and caring for Turtles in Malaysia.  Turtle Conservation is her passion and her journey is amazing. We're excited to share her story: You have just scored your dream job, working in turtle conservation in Malaysia for 8 months. Tell us more about what the job entails and why you are so passionate about this work I ...
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This Barefooter story takes a different setting to some of our previous stories . . . as it's set underwater!! Alida is a passionate scuba diver with impressive qualifications and experience doing Open Water Diving, Rescue Diving and a Dive-master and Instructor course! How did you get into scuba diving and what is it about being underwater that you love? As a little girl I cannot remember ever throwing a tantrum for not getting a chocolate or a toy.  I ...
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Barefooter Maria is as passionate and vivacious as it gets. She is a mum of 3 and Pilates instructor who is always on the move! We sat down with her to learn more about the things she loves most in life! You are a Pilates guru – what makes you so passionate about it and how did you first get started with Pilates? I found Pilates 14 years ago in a Fitness centre in Denver, Colorado USA. It was a big ...
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It comes as no surprise that our incredible Barefooters are constantly out doing what they love & helping others. Maggie ( or as we like to call her 'lil mags') is no exception, her year is filled up with incredible volunteering, fundraising and organising to help others. She is off on an incredible adventure next year to Ethiopia to help those in need . . so Sal recently sat down with Maggie to hear all about it, and to share ...
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For those of you that haven’t heard (and I admit that would be pretty difficult as I haven’t stopped talking about it!) I ‘MC’d’ the Brothers Reid homecoming party last Friday on the roof top at Brisbane State High. We chose this incredible  location with views over the city as it was our high school and an appropriate landing place for the boys after 2 and half years on dirt. That’s right, 2.5 years overlanding round the world on DR650s ...
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Barefooter Sarah has a love for all things musical theatre related and travel! She's performed in over 12 different musicals and travelled overseas to many different cities and countries including New York and England. Physio Kirsten sat down with Sarah to hear all about her incredible performance in Wicked, and to chat about what is next for her travels! You have been involved in musical theatre! How did you get involved in this? I always had a love of performing ...
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Barefooter David has seen and done some incredible things throughout his life. Sal recently sat down with David to hear his incredible stories and how David continues to live his Barefoot Lifestyle. David we understand you’re an avid believer and advocate for lifelong learning and you have 3 (almost 4) degrees. Can you tell me first of all what studies you have done over the years? Well I started up doing my biology degree in the UK, in the late ...
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Have you ever wondered what it would be like to walk the Camino de Santiage trail? We sat down with Barefooter Catherine to hear all about her incredible travels and adventures, and where she would like to hike next! You walked the Camino Trail last year. Can you tell us a little about what this was like, what inspired you to do it, and why you want to do it again?  The Camino de Santiago (route Frances) was an epic journey! ...
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