Discovering your passion is something that not everybody has the opportunity to do. Whether that be because they can’t find anything they love to do every day, or simply because they can’t afford it.
Leanne Antoine from Distinct Physiotherapy kindly gave us an insight into her passion and kindly answered some questions about her passion for us. Leanne founded Distinct Physiotherapy in June 2015. Leanne prides herself on educating and empowering her patients as they journey through their physiotherapy treatment.
When you were younger, is this what you always wanted to do?
No. I actually always wanted to be a newsreader or a presenter.
How did you find your true passion?
My grandmother was a massive influence on my career choice. She was an Orthopaedic Nurse at Central Middx for nearly 40 years and she used to say that I would be a fantastic Physiotherapist. I used to massage her back after her shifts and she would always say how good I was. On reflection, she was my first patient. Additionally, my gymnastics coach was also an Osteopath and when I spoke to him about becoming a Physiotherapist he agreed that this career path would probably suit me. I started to explore what a Physiotherapist did – where they worked, who they worked with.
I was lucky enough to secure a work experience placement in an NHS Physiotherapy Department and a private Physio clinic. As soon as I got on the wards, in and amongst the busy of the ward I fell in love with the role. It was team-orientated and Physiotherapists develop really great relationships with their patients. I was blown away by that authenticity. The private work was more sport orientated and coming from a gymnastic background, the merge of my passions – sport and people was the perfect marriage. The potential for career and personal development as a Physiotherapist appeared to be endless.
How did you turn your passion into a career?
I started to explore where I could work as a Physiotherapist. I had travelled a lot as a gymnast and I wanted to combine the two things. I secured a work placement in The Bahamas and worked there for two months. An enriching experience that really showed me that life could be as flexible as I wanted it to be it. However, I never returned to work in The Bahamas on qualifying – that might be something I explore in my future.
Today, I work for myself, as a Chartered Physiotherapist building my business that now has so many different facets to it. The creativity of the work means that I do public speaking engagements. I also collaborate with journalists on behalf of the Chartered Society of Physiotherapy.
Not only have I turned my passion into a career – I found new passions within it.
What advice do you have for people who still haven’t found what they love to do everyday?
My advice is to keep your network broad, this network will show you a host of things that you can’t even imagine.
Take all your opportunities. Don’t be afraid to take the opportunity – if it doesn’t work out you can always learn from it and time is not lost.
Remember that it is also possible to find your passion and as you pursue it, you can still feel lost in the journey – this is ok and it is very normal.
If you would have found your passion and would like to let others know how you did it, please contact us here, we would love to share your story.
