In 2001 Heather was involved in a traumatic car crash where she sustained a vast amount of severe injuries. Muscular trauma affected her whole body, which led to severe dysfunction and deformity in her spine, multiple trapped nerves, a deformed/collapsed lung and a 20-year battle of daily head pain and a traumatic brain injury (TBI); it was a long list. Heather was on prescribed medication for numerous years alongside a very lengthy rehabilitation programme that took even longer. The pain was so bad at times that it was difficult for Heather to walk just a few feet, limping, living had become a nightmare.
For 12 months Heather received treatment from a variety of physical therapists, that she would call ‘not great’. It was a depressing time particularly as she had to give up all her likes passions and hobbies; martial arts, horse riding, running, dj’ing and weight training.
A year after the accident, Heather was recommended to see a cranial osteopath who not only helped her regain the fluidity in her spine but also suggested she changed industry from working in TV to becoming a personal trainer. As Heather had always been a passionate fitness fanatic, if she couldn’t be active herself, being in the environment could put a smile on her face plus she’d learn about the body from a physiological point of view and understand more about her injuries.
Subsequently, a year later Heather attended numerous intense courses and qualified as a Personal Trainer and she continued studying to become a Sports Therapist. Shortly after Heather founded 1body4life.
It was apparent the more Heather learnt to fix herself, the more she could help others. In 2005 Heather started working in semi-professional football as a sports therapist, which further enhanced her ability to help athletes achieve quicker results. Heather then started travelling the world to study under the most elite physical therapists, strength coaches and sports nutritionists in the industry to gain as much knowledge as possible to achieve the most powerful results. During her travels Heather learned an advanced soft tissue technique called ART® (Active Release Techniques®) which was the icing on the cake, the treatment was like magic and helped to cure many of her own injuries.
Heather teaching ART® to physical therapists and trainers at Tottenham Hotspur FC 2015
Almost 19 years on, Heather has become a household name and an expert in her field. She is renowned for resolving complex injuries with her innovative and self-created system of diagnosis, strength rehabilitation exercises, advanced soft tissue skills, sports nutrition and sports psychology work which she calls the ‘Pearson Method’.
To date Heather has never advertised her services, her work has solely been via endorsements. Recommendations have reached so far that she has had clients and athletes visit her from all over the UK and even from 6 countries in Europe and some as far as the UAE. Heather has worked with a range of professional athletes including football/soccer players, powerlifters, strong man competitors, physique competitors, and ironman athletes.
Heather was Europe’s first and only female ART® (Active Release Provider) Lead Instructor teaching chiropractors, osteopaths, sports therapists, physiotherapists, sport massage therapists and strength coaches. She didn’t just teach ART in the UK and Europe, Heather solely organised every UK course for 10 years; researching and visiting potential venues, negotiating contracts and regularly liaising with ART ® Head Office in the US. Heather was appreciated for her hard work in 2018 when she won the very exclusive ART® Instructor of the Year Award.
With her knowledge of strength and conditioning via the late, renowned and esteemed strength coach, Charles Poliquin, Heather has become an established name in the world of strength training. Heather has taught various courses on biomechanics to personal trainers and strength coaches in the UK and she still liaises with strength coaches/personal trainers and their athletes/clients across the UK, Europe, US & Canada, writing and amending training programmes for specific injuries and giving guidance and advice.
For 17 years, Heather has worked pitch-side for a variety of football/soccer teams and since 2010, alongside ex Arsenal FC Luke Webb, she helped produce the most successful ISFA league football/soccer team in UK’s history, winning 5 seasons in a row with every 1st team at Bradfield College. Heather worked with Luke and his team for over a decade on all aspects of sport; sports psychology, sports injuries and strength & conditioning and sports nutrition. During 2011-2016 Heather had a close working relationship with the 1st team medical staff at English Premier League’s Tottenham Hotspur FC teaching ART® and she also worked with 1st team football/soccer players at Fulham FC and West Ham FC Women. For more information on Heathers football career please click here.
As an educator, Heather has voluntarily lectured at various sports colleges around the UK over the last decade and since mid 2020 she joined a brain injury charity group called Headway – the Brain Injury Association, where she has delivered multiple lectures voluntarily to fellow brain injury survivors and has been involved with several focus groups. Heather has been a guest on podcasts speaking about various subjects including ‘tips on back pain’, ‘how to cope with pain’ and ‘a positive mindset’ in the UK, USA, Sweden and Dubai. She has also lectured at various conferences in Washington DC, USA; Dublin, Ireland: Toronto, Canada and Colorado Springs, USA. For more information on conferences and presentations please click here.
In 2018 Heather wrote and published a book on back pain called ‘Back Pain Free - Put an end to your suffering with the Pearson Method’ which has since sold in Australia, Europe, US, Canada, UAE, Asia and the UK (click here to read a review). The book lead to Heather teaching her own Upper Extremity and Lower Extremity courses on the ‘Pearson Method’ to sports therapists, chiropractors, physiotherapists, sports massage therapists, osteopaths and personal trainers/coaches. She is currently writing her 2nd book called ‘Back Pain Free for Athletes’.
Heather has earned herself a nickname ‘the magician’ by many who have worked with her for ‘fixing’ the ‘unfixable’ with regard to sports injuries. She continues to travel the world educating and learning from the elite. Heather’s motto is ‘it’s all about the results, the proof is in the pudding!’. She is an author for FITFORFILMS, a stunt performer website and she holds almost 70 qualifications including a Master’s degree in Sports Science and Nutrition, 10 diplomas and is certified in 38 modalities of treatment, sports psychology, strength and conditioning, sports nutrition and brain therapy.
In May 2022, Heather was asked to be the UK Ambassador for Strength Sensei, via Krystal Poliquin, daughter of the late, renowned strength coach, Charles R. Poliquin. Heather will start writing and teaching seminars for Strength Sensei from September 2022. For a list of current seminars Heather is teaching please click here.
Heather practices what she preaches daily with regard to a very healthy lifestyle of nutrition, exercise and a very positive mindset. Although she had to stop any form of impact exercise after her car accident Heather still holds a brown belt in Sun Kune Do (new fist way) martial art.