In this episode, I open up about my personal journey with back pain — starting in 2018 during a back squat. At the time, I had no real understanding of what I was dealing with or how to handle it. Like many, I pushed through the pain, driven by internal pressure and unrealistic expectations I placed on myself to keep showing up.
It reached a head when I decided to compete at the 2023 Torian Pro CrossFit Semi-final and learnt first-hand the physical and emotional sacrifices of pushing the body to its limits. It was also when I decided to take a step back and change my approach. A few years, a physiotherapy degree, and many good, bad and everything in between training sessions later, I have done a lot of learning (and unlearning) about how to manage injuries. I’ve learnt that recovery isn’t just about the physical: it’s about managing stress, prioritising sleep, nurturing emotional well-being, and understanding that pain is not always a sign of damage.
This episode dives into the messy, honest middle ground of injury and identity and that sometimes you do in fact need to take a few steps back to then go forward.
