Health and Wellbeing Warrior 2024
One of Lauren Neill’s favourite sayings is “friends don’t let friends wet their pants.”
Lauren is paving the way for better pelvic floor health one Kegel muscle at a time.
Through her work as a pelvic health physiotherapist, Lauren inspires not only her patients but other physiotherapists and health professionals. Her goal is to inspire all women to seek help no matter ‘how embarrassing’, they think their symptoms are by removing the stigma associated with these conditions.
Lauren believed by encouraging women to share knowledge inspires others with symptoms to seek help and further help remove the incorrect norm that pelvic floor dysfunction is just a way of life.
In the realm of health and wellbeing, Lauren stands as a testament to the power of dedicated service and innovative thinking. Her relentless pursuit of excellence and compassion in women’s health has positioned her as a beacon of progress in our Mackay community. Lauren has always been driven by a passion for fostering a healthier community.
With a master’s degree in Physiotherapy and a heart full of determination, she has spent the last 10 years championing the cause of pelvic health for the community. Lauren addresses the tabooest and sometimes the most embarrassing symptoms in a caring, compassionate, and incredibly knowledgeable way.
The ripple effects of her work can be seen in the lives of girls, mothers, and women - who are not only able to participate in their exercise goals, but to be the best mothers and women they can be. In light of her undeniable contributions and the lasting legacy she is building, Lauren truly deserves the recognition of Health and Wellbeing Warrior.
As a young high school student who wanted to be a physiotherapist, Lauren was told she was not smart enough to study her dream profession.
Not sure if this ‘advice’ was designed to motivate Lauren, but it certainly lit a fire in her belly. For the final two years of her schooling, she was determined to prove to herself I was indeed a smart, capable woman able to have the career of her choosing. Fast forward to the end of year 12 and not only did she get well over the score Lauren needed to study physio, but she also got Dux of the school.
Lauren has called Mackay home for 10 years after moving with her now husband after working for a large Metropolitan hospital and work for the Australian Football League.
Lauren’s seen gaps in healthcare for women and has helped create many community initiatives to fill these gaps for the greater health and wellness of the community. These initiatives include Healthier Parents Program (exercise classes for postnatal mothers), Pregnancy Aqua classes and more recently Mumma’s Moment, a mum’s group for new mums focusing on both mental and physical health in new mothers. This illustrates the profound influence and purpose she has had in nurturing a healthier, more collaborative Mackay women’s health community.
On a day-to-day basis Lauren try to make every patient feel empowered, by listening and empathising with them, and using her knowledge in a way that helps them move forward.
- Going into the clinic late in the evening or on the weekend to help a patient is a common occurrence, which Lauren knows will pay massive dividends to the patients’ health and wellbeing. She knows show crucial it is to be there for her patients and deliver timely care when they need it most.
-Laurne has also have an active social media presence which aims to deal with taboo topics in an open and honest format, which she helps women remove the embarrassment of pelvic health conditions. She also uses this platform to help remind women to do their pelvic floor exercises in a fun way.
- As part of her responsibility to her profession and industry, Lauren spends a lot of my time supporting junior physios at other clinics, talking at community events, as well as supporting the local universities and work experience students.
Before The Mumma Physio was established, and sharing her idea, Lauren was knocked back, with criticism by the naysayers saying, “You will be a better Mum If you don’t do it.”
This made Lauren unhappy, question herself, her priorities and whether she could do it.
Being a good mum will always be one of Lauren’s highest priorities. But she wanted her kids to see that the sky's the limit, and despite critics, if you believe in yourself, you can do anything.
Yes – sadly sometimes on the days that are not so “great” those words of critics who did not believe in Lauren ring loudly in her head.
But it is nominations like this, the text message from a patient who ran for the first time without leaking, and those little hands that hug tightly around my neck and say “I love you mummy” that she knows she did prove those disbelievers wrong.