This is me – Darren Kerr
darren kerr
If I describe myself, I would probably say – stands just under six feet tall, an athletic build and had a childhood fear of spelling tests. Some of that is a bend on the truth, but if you know me it says a lot about how seriously I take myself.
I’ve always been keen on sport and the need to be competitive, rather than just taking part. Over the years I’ve been involved one way or another with athletics, rugby, powerlifting, fencing, strongman, bobsleigh – all at national or international level.
Not just a competitor but as a coach, mentor, father, and general enthusiast.
Deep down my real passion is to see people do well and reach their potential. It’s something I have shared with my family, by supporting my brother, daughter, and son to win national titles and reach international success in their chosen sports.
Their achievements brought me immense pride and pleasure.
But for one reason or another I’ve also been somewhat distrustful of people, and not in a way that suggests I don’t believe what they say.
I’m just inquisitive as to what other answers and options are out there. The ideas not explored yet.
A surprising career path
I felt ill-advised at school when I was put off a career in physiotherapy, but later realised this was the right outcome for me. I wasn’t ready for education until a little later in life when I had the opportunity to train as a podiatrist.
It’s not that glamorous dealing with people’s thick skin and hard nails on their feet. But for me this was a stepping stone to get into biomechanics and function of the human body.
Podiatry taught me lots about foot function, and how the feet are the foundation of the body, but it didn’t tell me how feet interact with the structure above.
My distrust meant I wasn’t quite sold on the facts I had been taught about the podiatry methods for correcting poor posture and gait cycle patterns. There are thick textbooks and countless studies documenting the podiatry way for physical health and wellbeing. But for me there was always something missing, and things just didn’t make sense at a certain level.
I continued my own studies and viewed the world with a tilted head and slanting eyes. My career took me into the world of health and safety, which got me thinking.
People would suffer muscular-skeletal injuries picking up a pencil off the floor! I realised that the work tasks were not the problem, and the employees are the thing that is broken.
We need to look closer at all the broken people, who don’t know their fragility because we don’t look at things that way.
Some might think I’m trying to lay blame on the person for getting injured at work and distract the attention from and employer with poor work practices. This couldn’t be further from the truth.
I’m trying to create a mini revolution for business and industry to focus on the things that really matter – their employees!