Voices of Lived Experience
We’d like to introduce the new ‘BSLM Voice of Lived Experience’ group, comprised of passionate individuals who have all used lifestyle medicine to manage, and even reverse, a chronic illness or condition.
While the voice of patients and those with lived experience has always been so important to us, we are now in a position to ensure this voice is even louder. The group are dedicating their time to help us bring the patient voice to the forefront of everything we do at BSLM and ensure that everyone can have their voices and experiences heard. From creating resources, to helping eliminate barriers for others accessing lifestyle medicine education, and by sharing their own personal journeys, they offer not only a powerful perspective but also hope to others who may be navigating similar paths.
Meet the Team
Dan was diagnosed with degenerative disc disease in his 20s following an MRI scan, and was sent away to ‘manage’ the pain. He suffered with severe sciatica and back pain for around 15 years before discovering the neuroplastic/mind-body approach which helped him link the symptoms to repressed grief and anxiety. Following a mind-body approach, he made a full recovery which culminated in him completing an Ironman 70.3 Triathlon in 2019, after years of believing he was unable to run. Dan co-produced both the Living Proof short films, and is now sharing his story of recovery whenever he can to help others.
At the age of 16 Lianne was diagnosed with psoriasis, she was told by her GP that it was genetic, autoimmune and incurable. She spent 18 years in a constant loop of short-term remission using conventional medication until she made some life-altering changes to her diet and lifestyle in 2014 that cleared her psoriasis. She now manages her condition completely through lifestyle interventions such as diet, physical activity, stress management and sleep. Based on this, she is passionate to explore what we know about psoriasis and what we don’t. Looking at the rapidly developing area of human microbiome in order to provide evidence-based guidance on diet and lifestyle intervention to support the gut, gut bacteria diversity and help manage skin conditions. Lianne works full- time at sportscotland, the national agency for sport in Scotland, and is also a qualified snowboard and paddleboard instructor. She has an MSc in Digital Marketing and enjoys sharing research and information about the power of food and physical activity, and the important role the human microbiome has in our health.
Jen Wilson, The Healing Rebel, has been working in the health, fitness & exercise industry since 2009 and is passionate about helping people living with chronic illness live well with their condition. She is also passionate about making movement accessible and has worked with clients with joint replacements, arthritis, scoliosis, osteoporosis, MS, Crohn’s and Colitis.
Jen was diagnosed with Crohn’s in 2017 and Endometriosis in 2022 and is also in the peri-menopausal phase of life. She integrated lifestyle medicine approaches on her missions to find ways of reducing inflammation and minimising symptoms has become an obsession and she shares her passion with her clients. The first stage for healing is learning how to manage and reduce stress and all her teachings have this at their centre through movement (particularly Pilates & Yoga), breath work and meditation, different modalities of massage, sound healing, Reiki, and lifestyle coaching (including nutrition).
Jen is a member of the British Society of Lifestyle Medicine and has many qualifications, including a BSc in Sport & Exercise Science, Level 3 Pilates, Fitness Pilates, 300 hours Yoga Training, Advanced Nutrition, Advanced Personal Trainer, Massage (including Swedish, Menopause Massage, Lymphatic Drainage), Barefoot Specialist, Functional Movement Coach, Reiki, Access Bars, Sound Therapy and Herbalism.
She drinks gallons of herbal tea (that she creates from her apothecary of herbs), has an allotment with her partner Kris where they grow some veggies and herbs, she loves animals and loves camping and paddleboarding.
Brian was diagnosed as pre-diabetic for type 2 diabetes back in 2019. Since then, he has managed to control his condition and return to a normal level through diet and exercise after being given diet and exercise advice and information from his GP and helpful encouragement and support from his community nurse, Maggie. He feels that the two-pronged approach, combining lifestyle changes with the medication, was critical in getting back to full health and explained that both parts are equally important. Despite the changes being difficult at first, he now really enjoys his new diet and active lifestyle, including foods such as chickpeas, flaxseeds and fish alongside exercising on the treadmill and with weights at the gym. Brian has been able to sustain these changes and maintain weight loss and healthy blood sugar levels.
I have always been interested in self care for my physical and mental health. My self care journey has been a long and winding one which is difficult to summarise in a couple of paragraphs.
In my 63 years I have been diagnosed with numerous health conditions including asthma, hyperparathyroidism, depression, osteopenia, high blood pressure, staghorn calculus in a kidney and post sepsis syndrome.
I have undergone several surgeries including pelvic floor repair followed by hysterectomy (aged 34), parathyroidectomy (aged 50), kidney surgery x2 (aged 52).
In 2016 I survived multi organ failure, pneumonia and pulmonary embolisms as a result of septic shock caused by a trapped kidney stone. I was in hospital for a month the majority of which I was ventilated in ICU. I left hospital in a wheelchair. There was no clinical rehabilitation pathway so I put my professional background to use and came up with my own. I graduated from a wheelchair to a stick and then no aids.
In the last few months I have twice had a sigmoid volvulus requiring surgical intervention. After numerous investigations I have been told (this week) I have an extremely torturous colon. My surgeon believes I can manage my condition due to my passion for self care.
I have been unable to work but I am Lesley-Anne’s Wellness Co-ordinator. I exercise five days a week. I practice mindfulness. I drink lemon and ginger tea with honey first thing every morning. I keep well hydrated. I journal. The list goes on.
In 2019 I was nominated and shortlisted for an Alliance Self Management Award.
I look forward to being a member of the BSLM lived experience group and learning more about self care aka Lifestyle Medicine.
I am a 58 year old GP, small holder, sailor, with a keen interest in cycling, fell walking and large scale gardening. I was a GP partner in a rural northeast practice for 20 years and returned to work in 2020 after several years of ill health forced me to take time out. During those few years off work, I set up a charity supporting adults with physical and mental health difficulties from our smallholding, having landscaped and single-handedly executed works on our large grounds. I open our garden for charity under the National Garden scheme and am a trustee of Different Strokes. Alongside being a GP I’ve had a number of roles in Clinical Commissioning. I’m currently completing a Diploma in Lifestyle Medicine.
In 1986, age 20, I had a dense stroke affecting my right arm, leg and face with additional sensory and speech loss. I was in a coma for a week and my prospects of surviving were slim. I spent 4 months in hospital and due to the severity of my stroke and slow recovery, was told I could never return to medicine, I was a second year medical student and county athlete at the time. I had other ideas, completing my medical training against all odds, raising two sons mostly alone, despite the disability of my right arm and leg.
I have always determined my path through life, accepting some modifications and adapting to life’s hurdles along the way. I have had many serious illnesses since then and have overcome them all whilst continuing to work. I have found a way to pursue a life with both meaning and purpose by kicking against expectation, working hard on my health and being bold.
After finishing my house jobs in 1991, I worked in New Zealand before embarking on a career in Paediatrics in the West of England. Eight years later, I moved into General Practice and worked as a GP Partner in North Wales for over ten years. In 2017, I moved to the UAE to work in a long-term care facility for intellectual and physical disabilities. During my career, I witnessed the changing pattern of illness and disease, from acute infections and trauma to people burdened with multiple chronic conditions. This fascinated me, as it became apparent that many were secondary to how these people lived. This led me to the field of Lifestyle Medicine, and I started applying it in my daily clinical practice. In 2020, I had a life-changing bike accident, sustaining head and facial injuries. After several complications, I was finally discharged. My next challenge was understanding how to optimise brain healing, improve my physical and mental recovery and prevent the long-term complications of head injury. The science associated with Lifestyle Medicine and cell biology captured my interest and empowered me to apply lifestyle medicine to enhance brain recovery. It has been a fascinating journey that has given me a much greater understanding of the complex challenges we face in caring for our brains—not just after an injury but in our daily lives today. I am now focusing on sharing this information, how nutrition, movement, mind management, sleep, and our natural environment impact the brain. I love cooking, running, walking, swimming, rowing, skiing—any sport. I ran my first London marathon in 2024 and look forward to more challenges. I love theatre, Netflix and all things dramatic! I have four children who create enough drama to keep me energised, entertained, and young!
Vidyamala Burch is the co-founder of The Breathworks Foundation – an international mindfulness and compassion charity. She is also an ordained Buddhist.
Vidyamala began teaching her mindfulness approach for managing pain and illness following her own personal experience living with health challenges following spinal injuries and surgeries in her teens. She began to explore mindfulness and meditation as a way to manage her pain and found the results to be life-changing and transformative.
In 2001, she developed her signature Mindfulness-based Pain Management (MBPM) programme, and there are now over 700 teachers based in over 40 countries who have trained in her approach to managing pain, illness and stress. She is currently developing a Mindfulness-based Lifestyle Medicine (MBLM) programme.
Vidyamala was awarded an OBE in 2022 for services to Wellbeing and Pain Management. She is an honorary member of The British Pain Society for her outstanding work for the alleviation of pain, as well as being named on the Shaw Trust Power 100 List of the UK’s most influential disabled people for four years running.
She is the author of Living Well with Pain and Illness (2008), Mindfulness for Health (2013), and Mindfulness for Women (2016).
Emma is an Integral Eye Movement Therapy Practitioner, Reiki Master Teacher, Kundalini Yoga Teacher based in the West End of Glasgow.
Autoimmune disease hit her at 17 with an acute attack of Uveitis which ignited her journey into her own wellness. She discovered Reiki and working with the body and mind connection, since that time, she has worked in healthcare at different levels and gained a wealth of knowledge and experience in all aspects of Wholistic Wellness.
There were huge life changing turning points along the way after long periods of chronic stress, change and a diagnosis of Graves’ Disease at the age 41 which she thankfully got into remission.
Emma believes we all have the capacity to become well and return to a state of wholeness, but we become stuck in cycles of stress, emotional discomfort and chronic health conditions because we become disconnected with the messages our body is trying to send us. She understands from her own journey that by learning to connect and to listen to our bodies we have the capacity to empower our health and nourish ourselves for growth and expansion.
The deep changes in wellness came from changing her own lifestyle and addressing the root causes of her issues and she is passionate about sharing the tools she has used to support others.
She loves the outdoors and after relocating to Scotland from Lincolnshire she has immersed herself in loch dips. She always has a book and a cuppa close by and is often found curled up with her beloved cat Daisy.
If you would like to share your lived experience and have your voice heard, we’d love to hear your perspectives. We can then share these with our members to understand what works well and what doesn’t and help improve patient care for all.
Dan Hindsley
Dan was diagnosed with degenerative disc disease in his 20s following an MRI scan, and was sent away to ‘manage’ the pain. He suffered with severe sciatica and back pain for around 15 years before discovering the neuroplastic/mind-body approach which helped him link the symptoms to repressed grief and anxiety. Following a mind-body approach, he made a full recovery which culminated in him completing an Ironman 70.3 Triathlon in 2019, after years of believing he was unable to run. Dan co-produced both the Living Proof short films, and is now sharing his story of recovery whenever he can to help others.
Lianne Campbell
At the age of 16 Lianne was diagnosed with psoriasis, she was told by her GP that it was genetic, autoimmune and incurable. She spent 18 years in a constant loop of short-term remission using conventional medication until she made some life-altering changes to her diet and lifestyle in 2014 that cleared her psoriasis. She now manages her condition completely through lifestyle interventions such as diet, physical activity, stress management and sleep. Based on this, she is passionate to explore what we know about psoriasis and what we don’t. Looking at the rapidly developing area of human microbiome in order to provide evidence-based guidance on diet and lifestyle intervention to support the gut, gut bacteria diversity and help manage skin conditions. Lianne works full- time at sportscotland, the national agency for sport in Scotland, and is also a qualified snowboard and paddleboard instructor. She has an MSc in Digital Marketing and enjoys sharing research and information about the power of food and physical activity, and the important role the human microbiome has in our health.
Jen Wilson
Jen Wilson, The Healing Rebel, has been working in the health, fitness & exercise industry since 2009 and is passionate about helping people living with chronic illness live well with their condition. She is also passionate about making movement accessible and has worked with clients with joint replacements, arthritis, scoliosis, osteoporosis, MS, Crohn’s and Colitis.
Jen was diagnosed with Crohn’s in 2017 and Endometriosis in 2022 and is also in the peri-menopausal phase of life. She integrated lifestyle medicine approaches on her missions to find ways of reducing inflammation and minimising symptoms has become an obsession and she shares her passion with her clients. The first stage for healing is learning how to manage and reduce stress and all her teachings have this at their centre through movement (particularly Pilates & Yoga), breath work and meditation, different modalities of massage, sound healing, Reiki, and lifestyle coaching (including nutrition).
Jen is a member of the British Society of Lifestyle Medicine and has many qualifications, including a BSc in Sport & Exercise Science, Level 3 Pilates, Fitness Pilates, 300 hours Yoga Training, Advanced Nutrition, Advanced Personal Trainer, Massage (including Swedish, Menopause Massage, Lymphatic Drainage), Barefoot Specialist, Functional Movement Coach, Reiki, Access Bars, Sound Therapy and Herbalism.
She drinks gallons of herbal tea (that she creates from her apothecary of herbs), has an allotment with her partner Kris where they grow some veggies and herbs, she loves animals and loves camping and paddleboarding.
Brian Shambare
Brian was diagnosed as pre-diabetic for type 2 diabetes back in 2019. Since then, he has managed to control his condition and return to a normal level through diet and exercise after being given diet and exercise advice and information from his GP and helpful encouragement and support from his community nurse, Maggie. He feels that the two-pronged approach, combining lifestyle changes with the medication, was critical in getting back to full health and explained that both parts are equally important. Despite the changes being difficult at first, he now really enjoys his new diet and active lifestyle, including foods such as chickpeas, flaxseeds and fish alongside exercising on the treadmill and with weights at the gym. Brian has been able to sustain these changes and maintain weight loss and healthy blood sugar levels.
Lesley-Anne Palmer
I have always been interested in self care for my physical and mental health. My self care journey has been a long and winding one which is difficult to summarise in a couple of paragraphs.
In my 63 years I have been diagnosed with numerous health conditions including asthma, hyperparathyroidism, depression, osteopenia, high blood pressure, staghorn calculus in a kidney and post sepsis syndrome.
I have undergone several surgeries including pelvic floor repair followed by hysterectomy (aged 34), parathyroidectomy (aged 50), kidney surgery x2 (aged 52).
In 2016 I survived multi organ failure, pneumonia and pulmonary embolisms as a result of septic shock caused by a trapped kidney stone. I was in hospital for a month the majority of which I was ventilated in ICU. I left hospital in a wheelchair. There was no clinical rehabilitation pathway so I put my professional background to use and came up with my own. I graduated from a wheelchair to a stick and then no aids.
In the last few months I have twice had a sigmoid volvulus requiring surgical intervention. After numerous investigations I have been told (this week) I have an extremely torturous colon. My surgeon believes I can manage my condition due to my passion for self care.
I have been unable to work but I am Lesley-Anne’s Wellness Co-ordinator. I exercise five days a week. I practice mindfulness. I drink lemon and ginger tea with honey first thing every morning. I keep well hydrated. I journal. The list goes on.
In 2019 I was nominated and shortlisted for an Alliance Self Management Award.
I look forward to being a member of the BSLM lived experience group and learning more about self care aka Lifestyle Medicine.
Dr Satinder Sanghera
I am a 58 year old GP, small holder, sailor, with a keen interest in cycling, fell walking and large scale gardening. I was a GP partner in a rural northeast practice for 20 years and returned to work in 2020 after several years of ill health forced me to take time out. During those few years off work, I set up a charity supporting adults with physical and mental health difficulties from our smallholding, having landscaped and single-handedly executed works on our large grounds. I open our garden for charity under the National Garden scheme and am a trustee of Different Strokes. Alongside being a GP I’ve had a number of roles in Clinical Commissioning. I’m currently completing a Diploma in Lifestyle Medicine.
In 1986, age 20, I had a dense stroke affecting my right arm, leg and face with additional sensory and speech loss. I was in a coma for a week and my prospects of surviving were slim. I spent 4 months in hospital and due to the severity of my stroke and slow recovery, was told I could never return to medicine, I was a second year medical student and county athlete at the time. I had other ideas, completing my medical training against all odds, raising two sons mostly alone, despite the disability of my right arm and leg.
I have always determined my path through life, accepting some modifications and adapting to life’s hurdles along the way. I have had many serious illnesses since then and have overcome them all whilst continuing to work. I have found a way to pursue a life with both meaning and purpose by kicking against expectation, working hard on my health and being bold.
Dr Helen Monk
After finishing my house jobs in 1991, I worked in New Zealand before embarking on a career in Paediatrics in the West of England. Eight years later, I moved into General Practice and worked as a GP Partner in North Wales for over ten years. In 2017, I moved to the UAE to work in a long-term care facility for intellectual and physical disabilities.
During my career, I witnessed the changing pattern of illness and disease, from acute infections and trauma to people burdened with multiple chronic conditions. This fascinated me, as it became apparent that many were secondary to how these people lived. This led me to the field of Lifestyle Medicine, and I started applying it in my daily clinical practice.
In 2020, I had a life-changing bike accident, sustaining head and facial injuries. After several complications, I was finally discharged. My next challenge was understanding how to optimise brain healing, improve my physical and mental recovery and prevent the long-term complications of head injury.
The science associated with Lifestyle Medicine and cell biology captured my interest and empowered me to apply lifestyle medicine to enhance brain recovery. It has been a fascinating journey that has given me a much greater understanding of the complex challenges we face in caring for our brains—not just after an injury but in our daily lives today. I am now focusing on sharing this information, how nutrition, movement, mind management, sleep, and our natural environment impact the brain.
I love cooking, running, walking, swimming, rowing, skiing—any sport. I ran my first London marathon in 2024 and look forward to more challenges. I love theatre, Netflix and all things dramatic! I have four children who create enough drama to keep me energised, entertained, and young!
Vidyamala Burch
Vidyamala Burch is the co-founder of The Breathworks Foundation – an international mindfulness and compassion charity. She is also an ordained Buddhist.
Vidyamala began teaching her mindfulness approach for managing pain and illness following her own personal experience living with health challenges following spinal injuries and surgeries in her teens. She began to explore mindfulness and meditation as a way to manage her pain and found the results to be life-changing and transformative.
In 2001, she developed her signature Mindfulness-based Pain Management (MBPM) programme, and there are now over 700 teachers based in over 40 countries who have trained in her approach to managing pain, illness and stress. She is currently developing a Mindfulness-based Lifestyle Medicine (MBLM) programme.
Vidyamala was awarded an OBE in 2022 for services to Wellbeing and Pain Management. She is an honorary member of The British Pain Society for her outstanding work for the alleviation of pain, as well as being named on the Shaw Trust Power 100 List of the UK’s most influential disabled people for four years running.
She is the author of Living Well with Pain and Illness (2008), Mindfulness for Health (2013), and Mindfulness for Women (2016).
Emma Toms
Emma is an Integral Eye Movement Therapy Practitioner, Reiki Master Teacher, Kundalini Yoga Teacher based in the West End of Glasgow.
Autoimmune disease hit her at 17 with an acute attack of Uveitis which ignited her journey into her own wellness. She discovered Reiki and working with the body and mind connection, since that time, she has worked in healthcare at different levels and gained a wealth of knowledge and experience in all aspects of Wholistic Wellness.
There were huge life changing turning points along the way after long periods of chronic stress, change and a diagnosis of Graves’ Disease at the age 41 which she thankfully got into remission.
Emma believes we all have the capacity to become well and return to a state of wholeness, but we become stuck in cycles of stress, emotional discomfort and chronic health conditions because we become disconnected with the messages our body is trying to send us. She understands from her own journey that by learning to connect and to listen to our bodies we have the capacity to empower our health and nourish ourselves for growth and expansion.
The deep changes in wellness came from changing her own lifestyle and addressing the root causes of her issues and she is passionate about sharing the tools she has used to support others.
She loves the outdoors and after relocating to Scotland from Lincolnshire she has immersed herself in loch dips. She always has a book and a cuppa close by and is often found curled up with her beloved cat Daisy.