We built the service we wished existed.
Stride Living was born out of years of frontline NHS experience — and a decision to do something about it.
There's a gap in the system. When NHS rehabilitation ends, many people are left without the structured, active support they still need to regain their strength, rebuild their confidence and maintain their independence.
Stride Living was born out of years of frontline NHS experience — and a decision to do something about it."
Our approach
Two NHS Senior Therapy Assistants.
One shared vision.
Stride Living was founded by Kelli and Emma — two NHS Senior Therapy Assistants who keep seeing patients finishing treatment, making real progress, but left without support at the most critical moment.
And that belief shapes everything they do.
We believe independence isn't just about physical ability. It's about confidence, connection and having the right support around you at the right time.
Everything we do is built on three principles:
Prevent, don't react.
Preserve independence, don't replace it.
People first, always.
Meet Kelli and Emma
Kelli Douglas
Stride Living Co-Founder & NHS Senior Therapy Assistant
Kelli brings five years of NHS experience, having worked across acute medical and elderly care wards at the Royal Berkshire Hospital. She now works within the Intermediate Care Team at Berkshire Healthcare NHS Foundation Trust — a specialist service that delivers physiotherapy and occupational therapy in people's homes, supporting adults to rebuild their independence following hospital discharge, a fall or a period of deterioration.
That frontline experience — seeing what works, what the system can't provide, and what people need when formal treatment ends — is what led Kelli to co-found Stride Living.
Warm, upbeat and a natural motivator, Kelli has a gift for helping people believe in what they can achieve. That energy is at the heart of everything Stride Living does.
Originally from California, Kelli moved to the UK twenty years ago and has made West Berkshire home. Outside work she loves cooking, gardening, travel and entertaining — and can usually be found planning her next trip or beating her family at board games.
Emma Peckham
Stride Living Co-Founder & NHS Senior Therapy Assistant
Emma brings nine years of NHS experience across a range of settings — including two years within the Community Intermediate Care Team and seven years in Community Dental services, where she specialised in domiciliary care for elderly patients and adults with learning difficulties. That breadth of experience has given her a deep understanding of what people need to stay independent, and what happens when the right support isn't there.
Working so closely with people in their homes, Emma noticed the same gap time and again — a space between needing a little extra support and needing professional care. That observation became the foundation for Stride Living.
Calm, observant and genuinely encouraging, Emma has a talent for helping people rediscover confidence in themselves and find joy in the things they love. She believes that independence isn't just physical — it's about feeling capable, connected and valued.
Outside work, Emma loves spending time with her family and her puppy, and you'll often find her walking, paddleboarding, baking or treating herself to a well-earned spa day.