Lunging and the art of creative problem solving

Jab jab hooking to problem solving

Siobhan Meaker from Better Strategic Consultancy reflects on her time as a personal trainer (PT) and how being open to creativity brings the best results.

I wasn’t the world’s greatest fitness instructor. I couldn’t lunge for one, but I would look to find someone in the class who had lovely form and get them to spotlight the move for me. Solutions focused, for which my arthritic knee thanks me. 

I retrained in physical activity after my experience of going to the gym through chemotherapy. At that time, it wasn’t seen as the done thing and I had to get my consultant to write me a note to get me into PE (the irony of this wasn’t lost on my Mum.) 

My passion was to help remove barriers that stood in the way of people accessing the joy and benefit of moving more.  

A chance conversation with a PT client led to working alongside a charity and applying for funding to pilot a group for women who had experienced sexual assault.  

To make the class as brilliant as possible I had to start from scratch and fully recognise that in that space we shared, I was not the expert in the room. It became about co-creation. We screened the music for lyric content to create a playlist that people could enjoy without fear of triggers. We didn’t ask for names, just for what people wanted to be called and we didn't assume that was the same each week. And we checked in before and throughout the group, to see how people were. For some, sweating was a trigger, so we adapted the instruction notes to help people notice what might happen in their body and build up gently or step away if needed. We sought to make the space kind, honest and safe.  

To see people smiling as they jab, jab, hooked in time to “We Will Rock You” will always stay with me. 

It takes trust and vulnerability on all sides to solve problems creatively. People opening up and sharing what is getting in the way. You hearing where you are getting it wrong. By working collaboratively to find a new route through, you can really connect to your cause and drive your charity or business forward. 

Whether you’re designing a service or looking at your organisation’s strategic direction, the team at Better Strategic Consultancy love to bring their experience of creativity and collaboration to your work. They’re great at being a pair of fresh eyes on a situation and will help you spot the blocks you might not have noticed before. Why not drop them a line and find out more? (Oh and if a forward lunge hurts, try stepping backwards.)  

You can email Claire and Siobhan at Better info@betterconsult.co.uk visit them at www.betterconsult.co.uk or connect with them on LinkedIn at www.linkedin.com/company/betterstrategicconsultancyltd