About Dr Kate Allatt 

Good stories stick longer, shape visions, teach lessons, set values & define culture…

Kate’s key achievements:

• NEW! Sexuality after stroke trainer: Undressing sex conversations with stroke survivors by giving health and social care professionals a toolkit
• Adversity gives you resiliency superpowers inspirational speaker and trainer.
• Dr Allatt was considered ‘better off dead’ but her extraordinary recovery and resilience, proves you can do anything if it matters enough.
• Returned home after 10 months to be the hands-on mum, I always was, to India (10), Harvey (8) and Woody (4).
• Fighting Strokes Charity Founder / CEO 2011-2016
• Internationally Published Author ‘Running Free: Breaking Out of Locked In Syndrome‘  (2011)
• Extraordinary Woman Winner (2011)
• Pioneered the ESCAPS_feasibility research founder (2013)
• VIP Olympic Opening Ceremony London (2012)
• Delivered a TEDx  ‘Voicing Inner Thoughts Matters’ 2016
• Honorary Doctorate (2018)
• GripAble Ambassador (2021)
• Stroke Rehab Times Columnist (2021)

Kate’s Speaker Bio:

Kate is the ultimate ‘Ronseal Kid’ with an extraordinary 15 year journey of resilience after being ‘buried alive’. Her story will literally blow your minds or your money back!

Kate wrote her internationally published book “Running Free: Breaking out of Locked in Syndrome” 2011 and seen on This Morning, The One Show, Australia, America, India, Germany, South Africa etc.

Kate is a TEDX speaker, charity founder and global young stroke advocate and researcher.  She was awarded an Honorary Doctorate in 2018.

She came out of a coma at 39 and was considered vegetative, but wasn’t, and doctors wanted to switch off her life support. But astonishingly Kate recovered to prove everyone wrong. 

Over the 15 years since, she lost her physical health, jobs, business, self worth, career, charity, wellbeing, her children, many friends and walked away from a controlling marriage.  Kate’ is considered inspirational and strong bit that has denied her what it cost her to survive.  This is perhaps her untold story.

She proves the healing power of the brain and the strength of the human spirit to manifest the kind of life that matters to her. 

By thinking differently, Kate has done the unimaginable and made a huge impact on the lives of global stroke survivors, clinicians and the NHS leadership. 

Kate has proved what is possible after a massive brainstem stroke and is now even stand up paddle boarding and influencing national inclusion policy and education. 

Kate proves what can be achieved when you dream big, try hard, fail painfully (though they are really learnings) and then try harder. As Kate says,it’s not impossible,  but I’m possible! 

Kate story in her words:

“In early February, I was invited on BBC radio to talk about my daring charity climb up the Western Breach of Kilimanjaro, for my fortieth birthday, in June 2010. I was a super fit, fell runner, digital marketer, married, devoted mother of three young children – Woody 5, Harvey 8 India 10 – but our lives were to change forever. Just four days after that bubbly radio interview, I suddenly suffered a catastrophic brain stem stroke. Kilimanjaro never happened.  I emerged from my medically induced coma and was considered vegetative. However, I could actually think, feel, see and hear normally but was just unable to move a single muscle. I felt ‘buried alive’, ‘trapped inside my body’ as I suffered the terrifying condition known as Locked In Syndrome, at the age of 39.  However, a chance telephone call from the same radio producer, was to transform my shattered life, and thus give it meaning and purpose.  More importantly, I was able to help transform the shattered lives of equally written-off, forgotten, people,affected by Locked In Syndrome, globally, The results are nothing short of astonishing. I’ve learnt how important it is for people to be given a good quality of life back in the community.  It’s simply not good enough to pat ourselves on the back for skillfully saving the lives of people who would have simply died a few years ago.  We must consider how we can help make these survivors be the best they can be in our communities afterwards.  Presently, most long term Locked In Syndrome survivors merely just  ‘exist’ pitifully in our nursing homes. I’ve also learnt there are ‘no promises, just possibilities’  and HOPE. “

Her media appearances include:

BBC Jeremy Vine, BBC Victoria Derbyshire TV, BBC Today, BBC Newsnight, BBC 5 Live, BBC Radio Sheffield, The One Show, This Morning, Good Morning Britain, BBC Breakfast, RTL Germany, ABC Australia,  The Times, The Times on Sunday, The Indian Times, Readers Digest, Woman & Home, Woman, The Good housekeeping Guide, BBC World Service, Sky News, GLOBO TV, The Telegraph, The Daily Mail, etc….

 “Success is not final. Failure is not fatal. It’s the courage to continue that counts.”

Winston Churchill

@kateallatt