A Story of Learning to Listen to the Body

And Why Success Sometimes Looks Like Saying Goodbye

When Lucy and I first started working together, she came in for something very specific.

Her ankle hurt.

It was one of those persistent issues that so many of us have - it nags at you during workouts, shows up in certain basic movements, and quietly limits how you move through the day.

What Lucy didn’t know yet was that her ankle was only the messenger.

Starting with the Symptom, Not the Story

We began with her ankle, and fairly quickly, it improved. What surprised Lucy wasn’t just that it got better, but how.

She learned how tension higher up the leg was influencing the joint, and how to use targeted self-myofascial release and movement to clear things up when discomfort appeared.

What once felt fragile became manageable.

“Now it’s just maintenance. It’s like brushing your teeth.”

Pain stopped being something that happened to her and became something she knew how to respond to.

When the Body Feels Safer, It Speaks More Clearly

As the ankle settled, other things surfaced.

Lucy worked long hours at a desk and exercised regularly. Like many people, she had learned to tolerate neck tension, back discomfort, and tight hips until they demanded attention.

So we worked on alignment that held up in real life. At her desk. In the gym. In daily movement.

She adjusted her workstation. She learned how to notice when posture slipped. She built awareness that carried into lifting, walking, and working.

“Once you do it, you’re just sailing.”

Pain stopped accumulating because the inputs feeding it had changed.

Breathing Again, For Real

One of the most profound shifts came through breathwork.

Lucy described something many people don’t realize until it changes: she hadn’t truly been breathing for years.

Stress, focus, and living in her head had quietly reduced her capacity to breathe properly. As we worked with breath mechanics, soft tissue, and nervous system regulation, something fundamental shifted.

“A lot of times now I’ll feel tension form and think, ‘Oh, I could take a breath right now.’ And then I do.”

That awareness reduced tension, improved energy, and gave her a sense of agency that extended well beyond our sessions.

“When you’ve been not breathing for so many years, you have no idea what you’re missing.”

Better Regulation Meant Better Sleep

As her nervous system became more regulated, another change emerged: her sleep improved.

Not because she forced it or chased perfect routines, but because she finally had tools to help her body settle before bed.

“I’m sleeping better, too. I have tools now for things I can do to actually make myself feel better before bed.”

Some nights, the practices worked so well they surprised her.

“I find myself falling asleep on these all the time. I can’t believe it, but I’ll take it.”

Rest stopped being something she hoped for and became something she could support.

Navigating Crohn’s with More Choice, Less Fear

Lucy also lives with Crohn’s disease, where stress and nervous system load play a significant role in symptom flares.

As her body awareness improved, she became better at distinguishing between a true Crohn’s flare and functional digestive restriction that could be addressed through movement, breath, and regulation.

There were moments when symptoms that would previously have escalated resolved quickly at home.

“What was big suffering turned out to be something I could handle. Without steroids. Without whatever else.”

That distinction reduced fear and gave her more options when her body didn’t feel right.

Eventually We Knew She Didn’t Need Me Anymore

Over time, our sessions changed.

Instead of logging on unsure of what she needed, Lucy began arriving with clarity. Some days she needed to down-regulate. Other days she wanted to work with a specific joint or build energy.

Her ability to sense, name, and respond to internal signals was fully online.

“You can really only take action when you know what you need.”

And she did.

At that point, continuing weekly sessions would have served me, not her.

So we off-boarded.

Why This Is a Success Story

Off-boarding is not a failure of coaching. It is the goal.

Lucy didn’t leave because the work stopped working. She left because it worked.

She now has:

• Tools she knows how to use
• Awareness she trusts
• The ability to regulate stress, breath, movement, and sleep
• Confidence in responding to her body instead of fighting it

“There’s a lot you can do in your day-to-day life, and it doesn’t take so much effort once you learn what you’re doing.”

She still has access to resources. She can reach out if something new arises. But her well-being no longer depends on weekly sessions.

That’s what sustainable health looks like.

Watch the Full Conversation

Below, you can watch the full off-boarding conversation with Lucy, where she reflects in her own words on the shifts she experienced and what it feels like to move forward independently.