When Your Body Speaks: From Chronic Pain to Natural Movement and a Second Act | Wendy Welpton

One night Wendy Welpton woke up in agony. She was a fit and healthy runner who had always taken good care of herself. Four years of chronic pain followed, with no clear answer from anyone on how to fix herself.What eventually changed things was a book, a lot of reading, and going back to study in midlife: first anatomy and physiology, then a movement certification. Out of that came Reclaim Movement and her book, Move Well For Life.This a conversation about noticing the signs and about making changes through small shifts.LinksRead: Move Well For Life: Unlock the life-changing power of everyday movement by Wendy WelptonWendy also mentioned: The Body Keeps the Score: Mind, Brain and Body in the Transformation of Trauma by Bessel Van Der KolkVisit Reclaim Movement's website here. Key TopicsReaching a career crossroads in midlife without choosing itA maternity leave career gap, and three or four senior interviews that ended in a quick noKeeping an entrepreneurial drive alive at home: knee patches, a wellbeing business, and a park campaign that raised £50,000Career change after injury, and what four years of chronic pain does to your sense of the futureGoing back to study in midlifeRetraining in midlife when you have no formal background in the fieldWhat natural movement actually means, and the other fifteen hours of the dayWhy the body is at its best moving frequently and through its rangesBuilding a business on Instagram, and what happens when a reel goes viralSmall steps, trial and error, and building confidence through actionSecond career after children: turning a personal problem into a businessMore from The Wobbly MiddleThe Wobbly Middle on Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/gb/podcast/the-wobbly-middle/id1767850643The Wobbly Middle on Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/4YhwsBch8Q9vAOUBBfusIvSubscribe to the newsletter: https://thewobblymiddle.substack.com?utm_source=podcast&utm_medium=show_notes&utm_campaign=ep37-wendy-welptonNew to The Wobbly Middle? Find out what we're about: https://thewobblymiddle.substack.com/about?utm_source=podcast&utm_medium=show_notes&utm_campaign=ep37-wendy-welptonIf You Enjoyed This EpisodeIf you enjoyed it, I'd recommend going back to Season 1 for our conversation with menopause doctors Susanne Hooper and Mel Hacking. Or, if you're exploring how to find your purpose, then the episodes with teacher turned psychologist Carri Simmons, and former CEO to hypnotherapist Heather Makepeace will certainly nourish you.Help Us GrowIf this episode resonated with you, here are two ways you can make a real difference:Leave a review here — it only takes a moment, and it's one of the best ways to help new listeners find the show. Every review counts.Share this episode with a friend — if you know someone who might be at a midlife career crossroads, please send this to them. Knowing that they are on this road with others can help build momentum.Thank you for listening and for supporting independent podcasts.Share Your StoryMade a left turn in your career? We'd love to hear about it. Write to Patsy at patsy@thewobblymiddle.com, Your story might just be the nudge someone else needs.About The HostJoin lawyer Patsy Day as she navigates her own midlife career crossroads in real time. A penny dropped for her when she realised that the restless feeling she'd been having was returning ambition, and she began actively questioning her direction. The Wobbly Middle is that in-between space where we know we want change but don't know how to move forward.Each season, Patsy sits down with women who share their career pivot stories — leaving corporate life and building businesses, breaking back in after career breaks, going back to study, and taking their long-neglected dreams seriously.In Season 4, she's speaking to the women who changed direction in midlife to build the things that make our summers: the holidays we book, the books we read, the swimwear we brave, and the financial confidence to enjoy it.This episode was produced by Patsy Day. Studio recording by The Pod Collective.