‘Ditch the Filters’ with Kate

Since lockdown supporting our patients has been priority as we have noticed so many more patients requesting extreme changes and having unrealistic expectations based on the filters on their phones..

We have requested the help from our friends at @kentcounsellingservices to provide all of the La Ross team with significant training on how to recognise and support our patients appropriately whilst creating policies in place so we can refer our patients for extra support if they want it: we even cover the cost of our patients to have an initial consultation.

We have changed the way we consult with our patients too to ensure we are looking at the whole process holistically and really hearing our patients story to make sure we understand the reason they are with us to ensure we are always providing them with the right support x

But I promised you I would talk about me in this blog so here goes!!

So as you know my journey with my appearance hasn’t been an easy one.. I battled with my weight and back in my twenties lost ten stone through diet and exercise.. and am proud to say I’ve kept it off! But it’s left it’s mark on the way I see myself! Like I said in my post: pop me in a suit and I am Beyoncé! Pop me in swimwear and I wish the world would swallow me whole! But hey ho- that’s my journey and I am better, every day x it’s a work in progress! I used to be consumed with it..now I may know those voices are there but I can choose not to listen - if that makes sense!

But filters.. let’s focus on filters.. I have used a filter to add a tan! Perhaps whiten my teeth ( I won’t lie!!) but never to adjust my face shape, my eyes or make me look like someone else.. I haven’t ever changed my body shape or given myself a smaller waistline with a filter.. A good pose is a gift! I am what I am on that front! But it breaks my heart that so many people feel they would rather post a picture or a stranger instead of themselves… but I get it! The pressure is sky high! The media on a whole hits us daily with enormous levels of pressure to be perfect! To look a certain way, to walk a certain way and if your face doesn’t fit, then it’s not valuable!

Hey! I had a twin brother, so I lived in trainers till my late teens so when I introduced my feet to a heel the journey wasn’t an easy one ha ha ! …But I stuck with it because.. well.. I don’t know.. I suppose because women should wear heels? And kitten heels just don't quite cut it right? We should have long, silky hair! We should have poreless skin and washboard abs.. or should we..

You know what I’ve learnt in my life.. when I look at the opposite sex, I’m not attracted to their abs.. their shoulders, their jawline..  attracted to their energy.. the person they are.. their heart.. and I realised in my thirties that I am so much more than stretchmarks and Pocahontas hair ! I am a woman who has worked my backside off my whole life to be better, to achieve the goals I set myself.. I am someone who loves hard and would give someone my last penny! I am someone who will always reflect on the person I am and strive to be better.. who will always make those around me feel acknowledged, loved and appreciated.. who tries to be the best mum I can be.. daily x

I strive to create a business environment that people love to be a part of, to know their individuals goals are heard and that I take the time to understand who they are and work hard to support that person in their journey.  I am a person who has confidence because she knows that she is more than her aesthetic and by hook or by crook I will not let my daughter grow up in a world that makes her apologise for being who she is!

Getting her here safely was the biggest battle of my life! It left the biggest scar..mentally and physically.. At one point I didn’t think either of us would make it through the night- but we did! My body, my heart and my strength kept fighting- blood transfusion after transfusion I didn’t give up! I was so grateful for Andy and mum who never left my side, and for a special midwife, Hayley who came to see me the next day.

My name is Kate!! I am strong, I am confident, I am resilient, I will protect my family until my dying day and I am so much more than my imperfections! My scars may be ugly, but they tell a story that I am proud of !

So let’s shout this message till it’s heard, we are beautiful and we do not need to apologise for who we are and we certainly do not need to hide those stories away..

Thanks for listening to my blog xxx