Jules … The Biggest Inspiration in My Life Last night was massive for my wife Jules.
She stood on a stage in front of almost 200 women at the annual wellness event organised by Mid-Ulster Council. She spoke about her journey and what she has learned about the mind-body connection – the work she now uses to transform her clients’ experience of long-term pain.
There are so many reasons why last night was not only significant, but amazing.
Two years ago, Jules wouldn’t have been invited. Hardly anyone would have known who she was.
And even if she had been invited, there is no way she would have said yes. And when I say no way- I really mean that.
But even if she had said yes, there is absolutely no way she would have handled the whole experience with the grace and ease she did.
What struck me most in the lead up was what I didn’t hear.
No stress.
None of it.
She committed. She planned. She prepared. She practised.
And she was ready.
From the feedback she’s received, she absolutely nailed it.
It was never meant to be like this for Jules – not even in her own head.
At school she was told she was dyslexic, illiterate and would never amount to anything.
That hurt.
And it stuck.
Her confidence was low.
But deeper than that, there was a relentless determination to make something of her life.
I saw it back in 1985/86, in the early days of our relationship, when she was studying for her A-levels. Night after night, grafting late to get the grades she needed for the university course she wanted.
I saw it again at university. Full days of lectures then working late into the night, while I was bluffing my way through a much lighter schedule.
Looking back, I should have known she was never going to settle for ordinary.
At the end of her third year, instead of doing her placement locally, she got permission and organised a two-month placement in a Leprosy Mission hospital in southern India.
That was Jules.
After almost 20 years in the NHS, she set up in private practice.
And once she was up and running, she didn’t settle.
She went looking for more.
She discovered Sarah Key, an Australian physio with a unique approach to back pain, and trained with her to a high level over a number of years.
Then she found Myofascial Release.
That took her to Sedona, Arizona, training with John F. Barnes, one of the world leaders in that field, returning year after year to develop her craft.
Today, she is one of the most experienced and highly trained MFR therapists anywhere in the UK and Ireland.
She is, quite simply, world-class at what she does.
Then came another shift.
During the lockdowns in 2020, when in-person work stopped, Jules started disappearing out to the garden shed every morning.
She had turned it into a little writing room.
Every day … for about an hour … she wrote.
At the end of the year, she said to me, “I think I might have the basis of a book.”
By July 2021, Finding Mystery Within was published.
Not long after that, something else clicked.
The three principles understanding I had been talking about for a couple of years started to land for her.
And she went all in.
Reading. Studying. Exploring the intersection between mind, body and pain.
Out of that, she developed a powerful understanding of how our minds and bodies work together to create … and maintain … pain.
She tested her thinking in a small group programme with a group of women who met weekly in a room above our garage … the “garage girls.”
The impact was huge.
And from that came her second book, Quiet Mind, Quiet Body , published in 2025.
Alongside all of that …
She has been an incredible mum to Jake and Soph.
And a wife in a million to me for almost 35 years.
When I think back to what that teacher said to her all those years ago, it’s almost laughable.
Those words lingered.
But something deeper in her clearly knew they weren’t true.
And just kept proving it.
Again and again and again.
Jules is without doubt the biggest inspiration in my life.
The way she has lived, and continues to live her life, opens me up to more and more of what’s possible for me and for us.
She is the person I love most in the world and the person I most love spending my time with.
When it comes to life partners, I hit the jackpot.
She is a shining light in this world.
She is living proof that anything is possible.
Last night was massive for Jules.
And the best part?
I have a feeling she’s just getting started.
Love you Jules!