By Julian Reddish | Stroke Recovery Counsellor & Stroke Survivor
It’s Stride4Stroke season again the time when our community comes together to raise funds for the Stroke Foundation and to show what’s possible after stroke. As both a counsellor and a survivor, I’ve always loved this event. It’s a chance to give back, to raise awareness, and to walk alongside people who understand the ups and downs of recovery.
This year, my journey looks a little different and honestly, I’m okay with that.
Life has a habit of getting messy. Between client sessions, mentoring commitments and the everyday chaos of family life, I looked at the calendar recently and realized I hadn’t logged a single “moving minute.” The ambitious goals I’d set for distance and pace were still just that: ideas on paper. For a brief moment I felt that familiar twinge of “oh no” and then I took a breath and reminded myself of something important.
One of the biggest lessons I’ve learned, both personally and through my work with survivors, is that progress isn’t linear. We can’t measure recovery by the same yardsticks we used before stroke. There are days when getting out of bed is the win, and days when you surprise yourself by walking further than you planned. Both matter.
We also carry an invisible pressure to “get back to normal.” It’s tempting to prove we’re still as capable and resilient as ever. But in chasing those expectations, we can lose sight of what our bodies and hearts truly need: rest, patience and compassion.
This year I’m giving myself permission to redefine what success looks like. I probably won’t hit a personal best. I may not log the biggest distance. But I will show up — with heart, with gratitude, and with grace.
Maybe your stride this year is walking to the letterbox and back. Maybe it’s a lap around the house. Maybe it’s simply deciding to take part, even if life has been busy. Every step counts because every step is an act of courage. It’s a way of saying, “I’m still here, I’m still moving, and I’m still healing.”
I’ve also recently learned that my fundraising period has been extended by a month. That simple fact reminded me that sometimes life gives us a little more time and space than we expected. Rather than beating ourselves up for what we haven’t done, we get to choose what we do next. And that choice can be gentle.
I’ll be walking for myself this year, but also for the clients I see who are just beginning their recovery. I’ll walk for the survivors who feel unseen, for the caregivers who carry so much, and for everyone who needs a reminder that they are enough.
Stride4Stroke isn’t about how far you go. It’s about how fully you show up for yourself and for others. It’s about embracing grace over grind, and celebrating every moment of movement, no matter how big or small.
If you’d like to support my Stride4Stroke journey and help the Stroke Foundation continue its life-changing work, you can donate via my fundraising page:
https://www.stride4stroke.org.au/fundraisers/JulianReddish5606/stride4stroke
However you choose to move this year or even if you’re taking this season to rest I hope you’ll join me in practising self-compassion. Let’s walk together with gentleness and gratitude.
Better & Better,
Julian
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