On February 14th 2004 I woke up with stomach ache. At first I thought it was indigestion, then after about an hour I abandoned my day, thinking I had caught a stomach bug- Valentines day was off the agenda. 

As the next hour drifted by I became steadily concerned, and wondered if in fact I had got food poisoning. I decided to contact the doctor, to be on the safe side. The doctor, it transpired, was incredibly busy and since I just felt unwell, I was looking at a two hour wait before I would be seen.

When the doctor saw me he looked concerned and as I told him how the illness had developed the concern seemed to turn to confusion. I lay down on the couch like an old frail woman and doubled over in pain as he pressed my stomach. Immediately he gave a diagnosis- Appendicitis. I was taken straight to hospital though my Appendix wasn’t removed until the following day, and was by then about to rupture.

I was signed off sick for a month, unable to drive or move very far with a prescription for daytime TV. It was here I saw Paul McKenna using hypnotherapy and NLP to create fast phobias cures on people with genuine fears that had been unresolved for years. Some of the people had gone through counselling for a very long time to have him change their lives in a less than a day.

I began to look into the hypnotherapy training available and working out how much I would need to save. I bought books to study the subject and started a course. My enthusiasm excelled after a seminar with Tony Robbins during which I did the almighty “Fire walk”- 15 ft of hot coals. With my mind set, I completed the further 2 modules. I set up my business 2004.

In July 2006, I began my NLP and Hypnotherapy training business, People Building. I recruited three people and trained them as NLP Practitioners. Two of them helped me to build up People Building and have now completed their NLP Master Practitioner Training and Hypnotherapy Diploma Certification. They are now qualified practitioners within their own right, and being able to extend my skills in this way has been a real privilege.

In April 2007, I set up NLP4Kids with Kuldeep Gill, a fellow Trainer of NLP. Together we have created an NLP based programme for children to develop their life skills and motivation. NLP4Kids uses the powerful tools of NLP, delivered in a way that is fun and comprehendible for children, encouraging them to co-operate more effectively within groups as well as improving their confidence and commitment when working individually.

Now, People Building has a life of it’s own with plenty of hypnosis and NLP products including a very popular free podcast and video podcast.