#9 Staying connected (Part 1): Dealing with isolation and limitations in complex illness with Suzy Bolt

When Suzy Bolt developed Long Covid in 2020 she searched for ways to understand her condition and began to create an online community of like-minded people traversing similar health situations. From her dark bedroom she found many others looking for answers, validation and ideas to help them navigate their illnesses, and from this she started to develop her holistic program.

Drawing on her background in counselling, yoga and neuro-linguistic programming - alongside her own experience of illness - Suzy launched an online platform in September 2020 to help people with post-viral and energy-limiting conditions. Her Rest, Repair, Recover program provides a space for support, community, and a deeper understanding of the nervous system.

The program brings together practitioners with lived experience of these conditions, offering an interactive framework of movement, breathwork, creativity, and rest - all aimed at regulating the autonomic nervous system.

In this two-part conversation, Bolt explores the cascade effect of small, positive changes—finding joy, building community, and practicing self-compassion—and how these shifts can influence the nervous system, immune function, and overall well-being.

In this, the first part of the conversation, we discuss the impact of isolation and power of community; we delve into Bolt’s journey and discuss the way in which our histories and genetic make up play into these conditions; and we delve into the divisive topic of exercise.

Over the past five years Suzy Bolt has become a mainstay for those looking to improve their condition through a holistic approach. In a recent survey of those who have attended her programmes, the majority said that it improved their overall energy levels, improved their mood, alleviated some of their medical concerns and gave people confidence to manage their symptoms. She is regularly consulted and recommended by the NHS as an additional strand to medical help that people may be being offered.

Her approach endeavours to address autonomic dysfunction as a way to create optimum environment in which people can start to feel improvements in their health.

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