Our 10 minutes with local Leigh-on-sea Business Owner Louise Reader

August 20, 2026

This week we spend 10 minutes chatting with Louise Reader founder of The Body Matters a Sports Injury Clinic, which she opened in Leigh-on-sea in 2008.

Tell us a little bit about yourself and your business.

Before moving into therapeutic work, I spent 18 years in the corporate world as a computer specialist and programmer. My own experience of depression led me to question what it really meant to feel well, fulfilled and fully human. This began a personal and professional journey into health and wellbeing. I trained as a clinical hypnotherapist, personal trainer and sports massage therapist, and my work has since deepened through somatic therapy, embodied meditation and the Realization Process. I am now one of only two Senior Realization Process teachers in the UK.

Meditation has been central to my life since 2008, including a period spent living and studying in a Chinese monastery. I am now a Buddhist monk which brings both spiritual depth and a grounded, practical approach to my work.

Through individual sessions and group meditation classes, I help people who may understand themselves intellectually but still feel stressed, disconnected or caught in familiar patterns. My gentle, body-based approach supports people in feeling more settled, connected and at home within themselves.

I am also the author of Ten - A Vajracharya Guide to Somatic Healing, a personal exploration of healing, loss, change and what it means to become more fully human.

What do you think makes Leigh-on-Sea a great place to live?

Leigh-on-Sea has a strong sense of community. It is a place where people know one another, support local businesses and genuinely care about what is happening around them.

We are fortunate to have the estuary and open sky on our doorstep, alongside independent shops, cafés and a thriving creative and wellbeing community. It has the warmth of a small town while still feeling lively and connected. For me, it has been a wonderful place to live, build a business and feel part of something.

If you could improve one thing about Leigh what would it be?

If I could improve one thing, it would be the parking and traffic. Leigh is a popular and thriving place, which is wonderful, but getting into the town and finding somewhere to park can be challenging. Making it easier for people to visit while protecting Leigh’s character would benefit residents, visitors and local businesses alike.

If you could say thank you to another business in Leigh who would it be and why?

It is difficult to choose just one. I would like to thank Hayley and the team at Silkstream, Julie Curtis at Icicle Design and, more recently, Kym, my book coach. Each has helped me bring a different part of my work to life, with creativity, patience and a genuine understanding of what I wanted to express. Their support and encouragement have meant a great deal, both personally and professionally.

Where can we follow you

You can find out more about my work, individual sessions, meditation classes and book at www.louisereader.com. Also www.thebodymatters.co.uk

You can also follow me on Facebook and Instagram at @louisereadersomatictherapist.

What have you found is key to running a successful business? If you could give a piece of advice to a small business what would it be?

For me, the key to running a successful business has been remaining open to change. My business has evolved as I have evolved, so it has been important to keep learning while staying true to the values at the heart of my work.

My advice to another small business would be to trust what makes you different. It can be tempting to follow what everyone else is doing, but people connect with honesty and authenticity. Build something that reflects who you are, care about the people you serve and allow your business to grow in its own way.

When and why did you write your new book and are you having a book launch?

I wrote Ten over a period of several months shortly after my father passed away. It draws on personal experiences that shaped my life and the person I have become. It explores healing, loss, change and my continuing search to understand what it means to be fully human. Writing it gave me a way to make sense of these experiences and share them in the hope that others might recognise something of themselves within its pages.

Ten was published on 20 March 2026, followed with a book launch at Read on Sea in Leigh-on-Sea on 27 March 2026.