What do you do when life suddenly breaks your plans?
For me, it was my wrist — on the very first day of my ski trip in Lech, Austria earlier this year.
I know it’s been a while now, but only recently have I felt ready to reflect on what that experience taught me.
You can see it all right here.
The Slip
I’d spent December in Paris — Christmas and New Year, literally smelling my way around the city. Then it was off to Austria for my annual ski trip in the tiny, perfect village of Lech.
One day of skiing — perfect.
But as I was walking back to put my skis away, I slipped on the ice.
At first, I thought it was just a sprain. I even undid my ski boots and tried to walk it off. But my wrist really hurt… and it was pointing in the wrong direction. Not good.
Within minutes I was at the village medical centre. X-rays confirmed it — broken.
Surgery required. That night.
Shock.
I’d never broken a bone. Never had surgery. And here I was in a foreign country.
The Hospital in the Mountains
Whisked off in a tiny ambulance as skiers passed me by, I arrived at a hospital that looked more like a timber spa lodge than a medical facility. Warm, calm, and quietly efficient.
Surgery that night. Plate and pins in my wrist.
The care was extraordinary. No cast — they don’t do that anymore.
Instead: movement and physio from the very next morning. Every two days while I stayed in Lech.
And me? I was scared. Really scared.
Scared my hand would never be the same again.
Scared to walk in case I fell again.
But kindness found me everywhere. Hotel staff & family carried trays, zipped up my jacket, and treated me like family.
The plane trip home was hairy — but I made it.
The Slow Recovery
Back in Australia, the healing really began.
Intensive hand and wrist therapy.
Shoulder physio (it had seized up).
Modified personal training sessions.
Acupuncture, remedial massage, anything to support my body’s repair.
For a month, I barely left the couch. No using my right hand.
Learning to write again. Rebuilding muscle and mobility.
Two to three months of full focus on recovery.
And now — almost ten months later — I have a Wonder Woman steel wrist 💪 with full movement and flexibility.
Because I did the work. I was a very good student.
Lessons from Lech
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Always get travel insurance — always.
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Our bodies are extraordinary. They can repair more than we think.
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Don’t underestimate the mental side of a fall. Confidence takes time to rebuild.
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Let others help. It’s okay. In fact, it’s healing.
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A slow start is okay. I was ready to hit 2025 at full speed… but life had other plans. And I’m grateful I slowed down.
Healing — the Natural and the Necessary
Sensoriam was born from the belief that nature heals — through scent, stillness, and connection. But healing isn’t always soft or pretty. Sometimes it’s metal plates, hospital lights, and saying yes to painkillers when you need them.
It’s both the eucalyptus oil and the surgery. The chamomile tea and the physiotherapy.
It’s the balance — trusting both nature and modern medicine to do their parts.
During recovery, I leaned into every natural support I could — essential oils for sleep, gentle scent rituals to calm my nervous system, nourishing food, and sunlight. But I also leaned into my doctors, my physios, my community. And rest, lots of rest.
I had to trust my body — and myself — all over again.
The Founder Lesson
Running a business while healing was its own kind of discipline.
Sensoriam had to slow down with me — and that was confronting.
But slowing down didn’t mean failure; it meant integration.
It meant asking for help, simplifying, trusting my team, and letting things be good enough instead of perfect.
That balance — between doing and surrendering — is where resilience lives.
Sometimes strength is pushing forward.
Other times, it’s patience, rest, and the quiet belief that things are still moving — even when you’re not.
Coming Home to the Body
If you’ve been forced to slow down recently — through illness, loss, injury, or burnout — I hope this reminds you that slowing isn’t stopping. It’s recalibrating.
Your body knows how to heal.
Nature knows how to guide you back.
And sometimes, life’s detours are the very medicine we didn’t know we needed.
So breathe. Move gently. Let yourself be helped.
And trust — truly trust — the process.
What about you?
When was the last time life forced you to slow down — and what did it teach you?
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