Who Am I?
My name’s David Langdon, and I’ve been working with OFI since September 2022.
My Professional Background
I was a medical photographer for most of my adult career until my mid-thirties, when I decided to retrain. I studied for a Chiropractic degree, before deciding in my 3rd year to switch to Osteopathy. I qualified from The London School of Osteopathy in 2008, opening my clinic in London in 2009, before moving back to South Wales in 2019.
As a new business owner, I was looking at different ways of growing my practice and business interests, and, if I remember correctly, I responded to an advert from OFI asking for trainers. It sounded like an interesting challenge, so I responded! In my London clinic, I had my own gym, which I rented out to personal trainers I used to rehab patients. However, as more of my patients wanted me to train them, I decided to qualify as a personal trainer to increase my knowledge of how to lift safely, which lends itself well to manual handling
A Day in My Life as a Trainer for OFI would see me...
Depending on where I’m working, I often travel the day before training, so spending a few evenings in a hotel is a regular occurrence. I tend to cover South Wales and the South West of England – mainly Somerset/Devon and Dorset, but I’ve also travelled to Cornwall, the Midlands, North Wales, and Glasgow. One of the main challenges as a trainer is not knowing what your training venue will be like until you get there! I’ve taught in garages, warehouses, chapels of rest, and dedicated teaching rooms with Hi-Tec equipment.
The best thing about my job is...
The variety of people I meet and the challenges of keeping everyone interested, as different people have different interests. For example, some people love the anatomy. However, I’ve discovered a new phobia in that some delegates really don’t like belly buttons!
My most rewarding moment at OFI:
My first train-a-trainer course was a real highlight for me. It was a small group, and over the course of 3 days, we built a great rapport. They were all trainers in their own right, which could have been daunting, but it turned out to be enjoyable for all of us, and I was pleased with the positive feedback I received.
Outside of OFI...
As a Welshman, I grew up playing rugby and played until an injury stopped my career at the ripe old age of 42 (I did, however, play one more game at 53!). Since qualifying as an osteopath, I’ve worked as head of therapy for a number of rugby clubs, and I now run an injury clinic for my local rugby club & work pitchside with their Senior Men and Women’s teams. I also kept my gym equipment from my London clinic, which is now in the rugby club, so I keep fit by training 4-5 times a week.
My approach and commitment to your company’s training needs:
I believe it’s important to keep my training courses relevant to attendees and try to adapt my practical guidance and training to the work the attendees undertake.
