About Matt
Twenty years to be heard. Now I coach the slow way.
It took twenty years to get a diagnosis.
Twenty years of joints that flared and settled, appointments that went nowhere, and being told it was probably nothing. There were long stretches of strong painkillers and anti-inflammatories, and my gut paid for it. That's a big part of why gut health is where I start.
In November 2024 it finally got a name: palindromic rheumatism, a rare autoimmune form of inflammatory arthritis.
I didn't come to coaching through fitness. I trained in fashion design and textiles, worked as a landscaper, and studied horticulture with the RHS. Most of my working life has been about how things are made and how things grow. Gut health turned out to be the same instinct, pointed at people.
What followed the diagnosis was slow and unglamorous. I changed what I ate, what I used at home and on my skin, and how I moved: less punishing, more consistent. I took my Level 3 PT because I wanted to understand what I was asking of my body.
I've had no pain and no flare-ups since May 2025. I won't tell you which part did it. Palindromic rheumatism comes and goes on its own, and mine is one body. What I can tell you is that turning up week after week mattered more than anything dramatic.
How I work
Gut health is where I start. Most of what I do begins with food and the small changes that may support your gut health.
I coach from the inside of an inflammatory condition. I know what it is to live with pain and long-term inflammation, and that shapes everything I do.
I'm 46, and I train in a way that's kinder to an ageing body. Strength still matters, but it shouldn't cost you a week of recovery.
For recovery I use yoga, martial arts techniques and Indian club swinging. Personally, I also use sauna and cold plunge.
If something needs your GP or a registered dietitian, I'll say so.
Who I work with
Anybody, from any starting point. Two people I coach now:
Bela came to me at 50 with no history of exercise, with needs a generic plan didn't meet. We work on mobility, basic yoga and bodyweight strength, with small changes to what she eats and everyday tricks that build movement into her day.
Ben was already muscular. He wanted to support his gut health, keep the muscle he'd built, and improve his mobility as he gets older.
Both spend long hours at a desk, day after day. Their goals are different and the approach is the same: start where you are and build from there.
Qualifications
- Level 3 Personal Trainer, CIMSPA registered
- Level 3 Emergency First Aid at Work
- RHS diploma in horticulture
- Degree in fashion design and textiles
- Insured through FitPro, underwritten by Aviva
Away from coaching
You'll find me in the garden growing herbs and medicinal plants, walking Jasmine, or working on my shoulders with Indian clubs.
If you're managing a health condition, keep your GP or specialist in the loop. I'm a coach, not a clinician.
Start where you are.