Case Study: Mathias Transformed Chronic Back Pain Into Body Partnership and Sustainable Business Leadership
Mathias Horckmans is a 34-year-old Commercial Director for Katoen Natie in Thailand, married to his childhood sweetheart Laura, and father to one son. Over 11 years, he's worked his way up through various international roles, from Operations Manager to Terminal Manager to his current position leading commercial operations in Southeast Asia.
What was happening before we worked together?
Mathias, Commercial director Katoen Natie Thailand
"I think we all live in a society today where so much is expected to be solved with your mind. Everything gets rationalized and you often find yourself in an environment where you override your feelings, writing them off because they're not important enough or because you think purely rationally - okay, we have to push through, I don't have time for this."
Mathias came to me dealing with a recurring pattern that had been devastating his quality of life for over a decade. He'd suffered three hernias in his lower back over the past 10-15 years, everely limiting his ability to be present with his young son.
"A hernia is life-changing. It causes enormous pain. Every day, every night, every second of the day prevents you from living your life. When you have a young son you want to do everything with but you're physically hitting your limits, you don't become happy from that."
He had tried everything the conventional medical system offered - endless sessions with physiotherapists, strength training, and various physical interventions - but nothing addressed the root cause. He was caught in the cultural conditioning of "just work through it" and "push forward" that he'd learned from his 1950s-60s generation parents.
What was the transformation process like?
The breakthrough came when Mathias realized his chronic pain wasn't just a physical problem requiring physical solutions, but connected to emotional patterns he'd never learned to process.
"Through our sessions, I actually went back to that foundation to start feeling. Okay, what's going on? On that level, it's become a very important key in my toolbox for dealing with my daily life, but also with the past and future."
The transformation wasn't just about managing pain - it was about fundamentally changing his relationship with his body from something that "had to follow along" to genuine partnership.
"My body is much more than it used to be. More now an instrument instead of something that has to come along. Before it was first the head and the body would have to follow. And now there's a kind of... symbiosis isn't quite the right word, but I feel now that they're more partners."
What specific results did you achieve?
The physical transformation was dramatic and sustainable:
"It's only by accepting and looking at the blockages that cause a hernia that I can free myself from it. I am liberated, that's really how it feels. We've now reached a point where I find a rest point every day in a very spontaneous way where I think for 2-3 minutes about what I feel."
Physical Results:
Complete elimination of chronic hernia pattern after 15+ years
Daily 2-4 minute micro-practice that prevents hernia formation
Ability to relax his back and create space in his vertebrae
Dramatically reduced alcohol consumption due to increased body awareness
Performance Results:
Enhanced decision-making through body-mind integration
Ability to process daily stress rather than accumulating it
Increased presence and energy for family relationships
Sustainable leadership approach that doesn't lead to burnout
Lifestyle Integration:
Daily "reset" practice became automatic
Enhanced awareness of how meetings, conversations, and food affect his body
Shift from "just doing" to "being, feeling, and doing"
Natural boundary setting when his system needs rest
"I can throw away a piece every day of what I don't want to keep carrying. And okay, it's not a hundred points every day. There are days when it's harder and days when it goes better, but for me it's continuous work every day to not take things with me that I don't want to take or that block me."
What was your biggest breakthrough realization?
"What I find most valuable is that I've reached a point where I notice that when it doesn't work - when I can't find that moment or when I can't tune in with myself at that moment and relax that back - I know, okay, it's not good, I need to slow down."
This internal guidance system became Mathias's most powerful business and life tool - a reliable way to know when he's operating sustainably versus when he needs to recalibrate.
"If I visualize what happens every day when I tune in, I see myself as a tree with deep roots and I know where I belong and where my ground is. But through life, trees sway in all directions and if there's too much wind for too long in a certain direction, then the tree either grows crooked or something tears or it hurts somewhere. And those moments I take daily ensure that I come back to standing straight every time."
What would you tell someone considering this work?
"Let it just come over you. Take the leap of faith. Trust the process."
"Stop overriding what you feel. I've evolved from only doing to also being and feeling. That's something I discover in myself daily now. Sometimes I just am and take the moment to feel and to be and often also to be grateful. While before it was mainly and actually only doing."
"It's really back to basics and actually mainly back to yourself - really tuning in with yourself, digging deep into that body where it's located. I found that remarkable too."
For business leaders specifically, Mathias emphasizes the missed opportunity in our current culture: "It's really a missed chance in today's society to include that body work in all coaching and everything we do today. A lot of untapped territory in my opinion."
Ready to transform your relationship with pressure and performance?
Like Mathias, you might be dealing with physical symptoms that are actually your body's way of communicating about unsustainable patterns. The solution isn't managing the symptoms - it's learning to collaborate with your body's intelligence.
Discover how to convert your body's signals from obstacles into guidance for optimal performance and sustainable success.
Client results are individual and may vary. This case study represents one client's experience with body intelligence coaching and should not be considered typical or guaranteed results.
