I didn't realise I was doing anything special until people kept asking me to explain it.

After the fourth or fifth time someone asked detailed questions about how Gabriel and I created The Adventures of Gabriel together, something clicked. They wanted to know when I wrote versus when I listened. Whether I corrected him as he went. How I knew what to ask next.

That's when I realised: I was describing good consultations. Only instead of being about back pain, it was about sea monsters and phoenixes.

This month, the PhysioTimes in India published "The Blank Page Breakthrough," validating what I'd discovered accidentally through 20 years of clinical practice: the listening skills we develop as physiotherapists don't just heal bodies. They unlock creativity.

The truth? I never stopped being a physiotherapist. I just started applying those skills outside clinic walls.

The Hour That Started It All

It began with constraint. When you have only one hour weekly to see your child, one precious sixty-minute window, you don't waste it. You make it matter.

Gabriel was ten. Our family was navigating separation, and that single weekly hour on FaceTime became sacred. We needed connection.

So I asked him a simple question: "Would you like to be the hero of your own story?"

He lit up. "Yes!"

What I didn't realise then was that I was applying every clinical skill I'd developed over two decades. Building rapport before beginning treatment. Creating psychological safety before asking difficult questions. Inviting full expression without premature correction.

Only this time, the story was my sons and about him and quirky platypus named Platy exploring the world about them.

The Parallel I Couldn't Ignore

The blank page problem is exactly like the blank history form problem.

When patients arrive for their first appointment, they're often nervous. They don't know what's relevant. They don't want to sound stupid. They might minimise symptoms or over-explain, trying to guess what you want to hear.

Your job as a physiotherapist is to create safety for their truth to emerge.

You build trust before first contact. You give permission to express the full experience. You verify you've understood correctly. You ask open questions about lived reality rather than closed questions with predetermined answers.

Same with children facing a blank page.

They're terrified of being wrong. Of looking stupid. Of not being good enough. They need permission. They need verification that their ideas matter. They need someone listening, really listening, without judgement or premature correction.

That's what physios do every day.

From Friday Nights to Classrooms

Twenty-two months of Friday night storytelling became The Adventures of Gabriel, an international bestseller launched in October 2024. But more importantly, it became proof that these clinical listening skills could solve problems I'd never imagined.

I didn't have a teaching methodology. I had physiotherapy training applied to a different context.

Here's what I did that worked:

Build rapport before beginning. In clinic, you don't rush into treatment. You establish trust first. In classrooms, I spent time showing children that their ideas had value before asking them to write anything down.

Invite full expression. Just as you invite patients to describe their complete experience of pain rather than just "where does it hurt," I invited children to explore their complete story ideas rather than just "write about this topic."

Verify understanding. When a patient describes symptoms, you reflect back: "So what you're experiencing is..." When Gabriel told me his story ideas, I'd read back what I'd captured: "Is this what you meant?"

Give permission for the full range. In clinic, you don't tell patients they can only have certain types of pain. In storytelling, I didn't tell children they could only create certain types of stories.

Ask about lived experience. The best clinical question isn't "What's your pain level?" It's "What was it like when this happened?" The best storytelling question isn't "Did you enjoy creating?" It's "What was it like to be the author of your own story?"

The Results That Stunned Educators

Nine schools later, the results were undeniable:

465 children. Complete engagement. Zero behavioural incidents. Success across SEND, SEMH and EAL learners.

Children who typically "shut down" at writing were asking for more time. Teachers reported outcomes they'd never seen.

Tom Hirst, Head of English at Dixons Manningham Primary, told BBC News: "Even the kids who don't like writing didn't want to stop."

One student, completely unprompted with no word wall or model, wrote: "Maximus, who was ginormous, stood there, looming over the horizon."

"That's not teacher-prompted language," Tom noted. "That's a child who feels free to reach for words that match their imagination."

The methodology was validated using Classic Grounded Theory research. The British Psychological Society invited me to present. The Journal of Novel Physiotherapy and Rehabilitation published our findings.

StoryQuest™ was born. Not because I'm a gifted teacher. Because I'm a trained listener.

The Golden Question

In physiotherapy, we're taught to ask about subjective experience, not just objective measurements. "What was it like when the pain started?" rather than just "Rate your pain one to ten."

After children created their stories, I asked them: "What was it like to be the author of your own story?"

Their answers revealed something profound:

"I didn't know I had so many stories inside me until I was allowed to let them out."

"I believed in myself so I could create things I didn't even know I could do."

"Normally you have to follow the teacher, but this time you're more free."

"It was so much more fun than any English we've done so far. I didn't get told that it was wrong or bad."

"I felt like I could free my mind to help with hard times."

These weren't satisfaction survey responses. These were transformation narratives, exactly what the Golden Question was designed to elicit.

The listening techniques that help patients articulate complex pain experiences help children articulate complex narrative ideas. The rapport-building that creates safety for vulnerable physical examination creates safety for vulnerable creative expression.

The verification process that ensures accurate clinical understanding ensures accurate story capture.

Healthcare professionals develop extraordinarily sophisticated interpersonal skills. We just rarely recognise their transferability.

From Clinical Practice to International Methodology

What began as weekly storytelling sessions between mother and son has become a trademarked methodology being delivered internationally, validated by 465 children's transformations, documented in an international bestseller, and built into school curricula by educators.

The PhysioTimes published "The Blank Page Breakthrough" not because it's a healthcare intervention, but because it demonstrates how clinical training creates capabilities that extend far beyond our expected domains.

When I left physiotherapy practice, I thought I was leaving my profession behind. What I discovered instead was that I'd never stopped being a physiotherapist. I'd just found a new context where those skills created impact I'd never imagined.

This December: Watch Clinical Listening in Action

Throughout December, we're proving these principles daily. Thirty-one children's stories will be published on www.theadventuresofgabriel.com—one story every day.

Each story created using the same clinical listening principles that worked with Gabriel. Each story captured exactly as the child expressed it, then verified: "Is this what you meant?"

Real children from Gloucestershire and Bradford. Real stories featuring their authentic vocabulary, plot choices and creative courage. Real proof that clinical listening skills unlock creative expression.

Because sometimes, the most valuable thing about clinical training isn't what it qualifies you to do. It's what it equips you to discover.

The Recognition That Validates the Method

BBC News featured our work. TEACH Canada Magazine and The Canadian Teacher Magazine published our methodology. Times Radio, Yahoo News and MSN covered the story. I presented at The British Psychological Society in January 2025.

And now, the PhysioTimes in India has published "The Blank Page Breakthrough," making it clearl: clinical listening skills don't just belong in clinics.

They belong anywhere human beings need to feel heard, understood and capable.

What This Means for You

If you're a physiotherapist, occupational therapist, speech therapist or any healthcare professional trained in clinical listening, you possess skills that solve problems far beyond your immediate profession.

The rapport-building you do instinctively. The way you create safety for difficult conversations. The verification techniques you use to ensure understanding. The open questions you ask to elicit genuine experience rather than expected answers.

These aren't just clinical skills. They're human connection skills with applications you haven't discovered yet.

I never set out to create an educational methodology. I just wanted to stay connected with my son during impossible circumstances, using the only skills I knew: the ones I'd practised daily for 20 years treating patients.

Those skills changed everything. Not because they're special. Because they're transferable.

The question isn't whether your clinical training could create impact beyond healthcare. The question is: where will you discover that impact?

Read the full published article: "The Blank Page Breakthrough" is now available in the PhysioTimes (November 2025)

See the principles in action: Visit www.my-storyquest.com daily throughout December to watch 31 children's stories created using clinical listening principles, one authentic voice published every day.

Learn more about StoryQuest™: Visit  www.theadventuresofgabriel.com  to discover the story that is chaining lives.