top of page

About Me

My journey so far.

 

For years, I searched for the thing. The career that would finally feel right. For nearly 30 years I bounced from one job to another, often landing in management roles, always working hard, always trying to prove myself. But no matter what industry I was in - hospitality, childcare, sales, corporate - it was always the same cycle. I’d start strong, pour everything into it, and then, after a year or two, the cracks would show.  

 

I’d burn out. Or quit. Or get sacked. Or be signed off with stress. Or have a breakdown.  

 

And then I’d start all over again. A new job, a new career, a new attempt at fitting into a world that never quite made sense to me. I told myself I just hadn’t found the right path yet. That if I could just find the job, the structure, the career that suited me, I’d finally feel settled. But deep down, I was exhausted from constantly forcing myself into spaces that never truly fit.  

 

Two years ago, I made a decision that changed everything - I stopped drinking alcohol. At first, I thought it was just about the booze, about breaking a habit I had used to unwind, to cope, but that had become, ahem, problematic. But as the fog lifted, I saw the deeper truth. Alcohol had been masking everything I had been struggling with for years - ADHD, chronic overwhelm, emotional exhaustion, the relentless pressure to hold everything together. Without it, I couldn’t escape the reality that something was deeply wrong.  

 

Then perimenopause hit, stripping away every ounce of coping mechanisms I had unknowingly built. The ADHD I had managed to mask for decades became unmanageable. My brain felt like a constant storm - scattered thoughts, crippling overwhelm, and a body that no longer felt like my own. It wasn’t just me. I saw it in other women too - strong, capable women suddenly questioning everything, drowning in burnout, and wondering why they felt so broken.  

 

That’s when I stopped trying to jam myself into yet another career that wasn’t right. I stopped trying to fit. Instead, I followed what had always drawn me in but never felt like a "real" option - yoga, mindfulness, and the power of self-awareness.  

 

Yoga didn’t just help me stretch or slow down - it reconnected me with myself. It gave me the space to understand my ADHD brain, to work with it instead of against it. It became my toolkit for managing burnout, reclaiming energy, and creating routines that worked for me, not against me. More than that, it showed me that the key to resilience isn’t about “doing more” but about doing differently.  

 

Now, through Mindful Yogi Academy, I guide other midlife women on their own path to recovery and resilience. Women who, like me, have always coped until they couldn’t. Women who are trying to manage ADHD, perimenopause, and the deep exhaustion that comes with years of overgiving.  

 

I don’t teach unrealistic self-care routines or rigid structures that fall apart after a week. Instead, I offer mindfulness and movement practices that fit into real, messy, demanding lives. Simple but powerful shifts that help women carry life more easily - without feeling like they have to fight their own brains in the process.  

 

Because burnout isn’t just about doing too much. It’s about carrying too much. And my mission is to help women lighten that load, step out of survival mode, and start living fully again.  

This isn’t about productivity. It’s about resilience. It’s about freedom. It’s about living lightly.

​

As a yoga teacher I hold a 200hr Vinyasa and Hatha qualification, and a  50hr Rocket Teaching certification . My own yoga education is ongoing and always evolving. I teach from a place of empathy and compassion, knowing that the physical practice of yoga is just the start of the journey.

 

My own handstands and arm balancing journey was transformational and I am a huge advocate for making 'advanced' poses accessible to everyone, but I also love seeing what a softer, gentler practice unlocks in my students too. Yoga is a very broad church with something for every palate and so I teach a range of classes and disciplines across different formats; in person, online, workshops and retreats.

​

I look forward to welcoming you to class, online or in person.

​

Love and light,

​

Sam Davis

  • Youtube
  • Facebook
  • Instagram

Contact

I will always answer emails and WhatsApp messages within 24 hours so please get in touch.

07508 116526

  • Instagram

©2023 by Yoga With Manf. Proudly created with Wix.com

bottom of page