Rapid Transformational Therapy With Samantha Goddard

Originally born in Somerset, Samantha and her family moved to Maidstone, then to Swanley Village, during her formative years. Moving allowed Samantha to attend famous dance schools, including Len Goodman’s in Dartford and Liz Burville’s in Bexley, and to go on to train at The Urdang Academy dance college in London. 

She had a busy professional dance career, including performing at the Royal Albert Hall, the London Palladium and the Brit Awards, as well as travelling abroad to perform. 

While she enjoyed the highs that the performer lifestyle brings, Samantha noted the negative impacts the industry has on dancers. She said that Len Goodman, dance school owner and Strictly Come Dancing judge, once told a young Samantha that she was ‘dancing like a filleted fish with no backbone, which made her cry at the time – but the setback only increased her determination.

The dance college environment furthered Samanthas concerns, she said it was ‘brutal’. Having to constantly look in mirrors while wearing minimal clothing and being critiqued daily led to low self-esteem, body criticism, and constant comparison with others. 

From dance teacher to therapist 

While dance was Samantha’s passion, she needed a backup plan, as the dance world can be competitive and paid work can often become scarce. She became a dance teacher, putting her years of experience to good use teaching fitness classes and continued to teach for over 20 years. 

Her transition from teacher to therapist began when she noticed a lot of her clients had mental blocks to overcome, as well as physical ones. This is when Samantha discovered Rapid Transformational Therapy during lockdown. Samantha said it was the ‘missing link’ for her mindset work.

What is Rapid Transformational Therapy?

Rapid Transformational Therapy was created by Marissa Peer, a famous English hypnotist with 30+ years of experience in the field. Marissa and other RTT therapists use hypnosis as a tool to take clients back to the root causes of their issues. 

This type of therapy is ideal for people suffering from mental health issues like anxiety, overeating, and low self-esteem. The process involved hypnosis, a relaxed state the body goes into, almost like autopilot, with the therapist guiding the session to detect the root cause of a person’s issues and interrupt old and negative thought patterns. Samantha also uses personalised recordings of the sessions for each client to listen to for three weeks, which will help rewire their brain. 

Helping the community 

Samantha is now a trustee of the Howard Venue Community Centre in Hextable, named after Pam Howard MBE. Samantha saved the building from closing down by taking over ownership from the local council together with other fitness instructors, turning the community centre into a hub for locals. 

Sam and the other instructors offer classes for all ages, from babies to seniors, with seated and standing supported movement classes. The classes offer the community some much needed social interaction and integration, a lot of which was lost during the COVID lockdowns. 

Supporting Robert Sherman 

While Samantha worked as a fitness instructor and therapist, she met Robert Sherman, a songwriter for Disney movies who wrote many of the musical numbers for The Jungle Book, Mary Poppins, and Chitty Chitty Bang Bang. 80-year-old Robert presented with mobility issues, a hunched posture and an unsteady gait. She wrote him an exercise plan which focused on walking, climbing the stairs and doing chair stands to strengthen his muscles. 

Samantha noted that the songwriter was a bit cheeky, often suggesting they get drinks at the Dorchester Hotel during their walks and get a taxi home instead of the exercise regimen he was supposed to be doing. However, with gentle exercise and repeated movement, within a few months, Robert had progressed to walking up and down 12 flights of stairs with ease. This progress proved that with consistent training and dedication, muscles can improve at any age. 

Samantha’s recommendations for a healthy lifestyle 

Samantha has had a broad career spanning many industries over the years, and has learned a lot about nutrition, fitness and general wellbeing. She recommends reading ‘Think and Grow Rich’ by Napoleon Hill for subconscious mind and empowerment content. 

As well as emphasising the importance of getting enough vitamin D from being outdoors, Samantha says the best sources of nutrition are eggs, salmon, and extra virgin olive oil for that added vitamin D boost. Keeping things simple, Samantha urges that her best wellness tip is to get enough fresh air and daylight, both of which are crucial for your health and sleeping patterns. 

Listen to the full podcast with Samantha