I'm done watching people discover they matter only after they've proven themselves perfect.
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You matter now. Your story matters now. Not when polished. Not when profitable. Not when healed.
Right now.
As Featured In
I proved this across 20 years treating 5,000 patients. Then 24+ months separated from my son Gabriel. Then 465 children in schools. Three businesses built during crisis.
Same truth. Different contexts.
When people discover they matter, not despite their circumstances, but including them, transformation becomes inevitable.
That's what I prove. That's what I teach.
THE TRUTH I DISCOVERED
In My Clinic (20 years, 5,000 patients):
Two patients. Same injury.Â
One rushed through appointments, pain unheard, no care taken.Â
The other, listened to and felt genuinely understood, no executive overload, one step taken at a time.
Same issue. Different outcomes.
The variable: Did they feel like they mattered?
Not to the universe. Not philosophically.
In that moment. In that conversation. In that room.
With My Son (24+ months separated):
Courts took Gabriel when he was 9.
One hour weekly. FaceTime. Less than a mile apart but can't be in same room.
I asked: "Shall we make up a story where you are the hero?"
Not "Did you do your homework?" Not "Are you behaving?"
"Shall we make up a story where you are the hero?"
24 months later 4 books: #1 international bestseller.
Not despite the separation. Because of what mattering created.
In Schools (465 children, 9 schools):
Children who "couldn't write" created epics.
SEND students needed zero adaptations.
100% engagement. Zero behavioural incidents.
Not because we added scaffolding.
Because we proved their voices mattered exactly as spoken.
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The Founder:
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Built international bestseller.
Created research-validated methodology.
Scaled to 9 schools.
International scaling.Â
Featured: BBC News, Yorkshire Post, Times Radio, British Psychological Society, UK Parliament, TEACH Canada, PhysioTimes India, Pakistan Education Review
While navigating the worst crisis of my life.
Not after it ended. During it.
Because what mattered became the work.
WHAT MATTERING ACTUALLY MEANS
Let me be clear about what I'm NOT saying:
❌ "Think positive and good things will happen"
❌ "Your trauma made you stronger"
❌ "Everything happens for a reason"
Toxic positivity is garbage.
Here's what I AM saying:
When people discover they matter, right now, in this moment, exactly as they are, something biological shifts.
In healthcare: Healing accelerates.
In families: Connection preserves (bestseller created during separation).
In schools: Resistance disappears (100% engagement).
In business: Sustainability emerges (mission + revenue both achieved).
This isn't motivational theory.
This is measurable outcome.
It was amazing, you feel proud and free!”
– Student, StoryQuest™ Workshop
From the very start of the session every pupil was engaged and couldn't wait to get started, pupils felt empowered and that they could use their own voice.
Taking away boundaries of grammatical perfection freed up creativity.”Â
– Mrs Light : Quality of Education Leader, StoryQuest™ Workshop
Now my brain feels better after I let my imagination out.”
– Student, StoryQuest™ Workshop
This programme has had a genuinely transformative effect on our pupils’ engagement with reading and writing.
By placing creativity and storytelling at the heart of the process, it has re-ignited a sense of excitement and ownership in literacy that we don’t always see through more traditional approaches.”Â
– Mr Khan, Teacher StoryQuest™ Workshop
It was fun because I got to write what I wanted. I’m hoping I’ll make someone happy if they read my book!”
– Student, StoryQuest™ Workshop
I believed in myself so I could create things I didn’t even know I could do.”Â
– Student, StoryQuest™ Workshop
We sometimes forget about writing for pleasure and what that can do for our kids.
A lot of boys and girls have a fear of the blank page, you can do all the teaching, but they sort of shut down when asked to write a story.
[So] it was a really lovely experience to see them really joyful, talking about their stories they loved it.”Â
– Mr Hirst, Head of English, StoryQuest™ Workshop
Normally the teacher tells us what to do. But this time we were free.”Â
– Student, StoryQuest™ Workshop
Pupils really worked well with their scribe partners, allowing a first draft of their story to be spoken, not written. Pupils also loved giving feedback and adjusting their planning.
I could see throughout the day confidence growing, particularly for previously reluctant writers. Pupils cannot wait to see their published stories and share them across our school community and beyond.”Â
– Mrs Light : Quality of Education Leader, StoryQuest™ Workshop
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I like writing my own story with no rules… I’m looking forward to finishing my story and to make more with only my rules! Not anybody else’s.”Â
– Student, StoryQuest™ Workshop
We’ve particularly noticed how the freedom to imagine, explore, and express ideas without strict constraints has empowered pupils to take risks in their writing and develop confidence in their own voices.
Staff have also responded positively, commenting on the joy and energy pupils bring back to the classroom after participating.”Â
– Mr Khan, Teacher StoryQuest™ Workshop
It made me feel proud and responsible to be able to make my own story without support or a plan.”Â
– Student, StoryQuest™ Workshop
Three applications of one wisdom:
→ FOR SCHOOLS (StoryQuest):
Problem: Children shut down because their voices don't matter in template-driven literacy.
Solution: Remove barriers. Celebrate voice as spoken. Publish everything.
Result: 100% engagement. Tom Hirst's 60 children → BBC News coverage.
Download Bradford Proof
→ FOR FAMILIES (Golden Question):
Problem: Connection lost because children don't feel anyone is listening.
Solution: "Would you like to make up a story where you are the hero?" Capture their exact words. Zero corrections.
Result: 90% report transformed connection. Gabriel's world created during separation.
Start TonightFOR FOUNDERS (Renaissance Coaching):
Problem: Mission vs revenue tension. Origin story feels like liability.
Solution: Origin story becomes authority. Mission becomes business model. Mattering from Day 1.
Result: Sustainable businesses built during crisis. Not after. During.
Capacity: 2-3 clients at time
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THE HONESTY
People ask: "How do you stay positive?"
I don't.
24 months without seeing Gabriel. One hour weekly. Less than a mile apart.
I'm devastated.
But I'm also present.
There's a difference between:
Toxic positivity: "Everything happens for a reason! This made me stronger!"
Authentic resilience: "This is destroying AND I'm choosing to show up."
I live in the second category.
People hire me because I tell the truth about what it takes.
Then I help them do it anyway.
Not despite the crisis.
Through it.
WHO KATE IS
Not an English teacher.
Not a parenting expert.
Not a business guru.
A former physiotherapist who spent 20 years discovering:
When people feel like they and their story matters, healing accelerates.
Then life proved it universally.
The Credentials That Matter:
20 years clinical physiotherapy (5,000+ patients)
Business Person of the YearÂ
#1 international bestselling co-author (The Adventures of Gabriel)
Creator, StoryQuest™ (465 children, 100% engagement)
British Psychological Society presenter (2025)
UK Parliament testimony accepted (2025)
Featured: BBC News, Times Radio, Yorkshire Post, Canadian Teacher Magazine, PhysioTimes India, Pakistan Education Review
But more importantly:
24+ months separated from Gabriel. One hour weekly. Business built during that time.
Not despite crisis. Through focusing on what actually matters.
THE PRINCIPLE
I'm done watching people discover they matter only after they've earned it.
Children who "can't write" create epics when voices celebrated as spoken.
Families drifting apart reconnect through one question: "What story do you want to tell?"
Founders burning out integrate mission + revenue when origin stories become authority.
When people discover they matter, right now, exactly as they are, transformation becomes inevitable.
That's not theory.
That's 5,000 patients. 465 children. Three businesses. One bestseller.
All proving the same thing.
Your story matters. Not when perfect. Right now.
Which path is yours?
The Core Truth:
When people feel like they matter, transformation becomes inevitable.
Three Applications:
- For Schools
- For Families
- For Founders
You matter. Your voice matters. Exactly as it is.Â
When people discover they matter, transformation becomes inevitable.
"Every child deserves to be the author of their own story. Every leader deserves to turn their biggest challenge into their greatest strength. Let's write your success story together."
- Kate Markland
Former physiotherapist. #1 Bestselling author. Creator of StoryQuest™.Â
Featured: BBC News, Yorkshire Post, Times Radio, British Psychological Society, UK Parliament, PhysioTimes India, TEACH Canada, Pakistan Education Review