Youth, Juvenile Justice, Martial Arts & Mental Health
Vickie talks to Ahmad from Thoughts Unchanged sharing where her story began in the quiet Riverland of South Australia, a few hours north of Adelaide. Growing up as the youngest of three in a close-knit Greek family, she always felt drawn to the energy and opportunity of the city. After moving to Adelaide at 19 and then Melbourne in her forties, she finally found the vibrancy, social life, and sense of belonging she’d long been craving.
But beneath that bright city life was a much deeper story, one shaped by personal battles with anxiety, depression, and trauma, and ultimately transformed into a mission to help others heal.
Today, she runs Thelo Active Therapy, a unique practice that combines martial arts with psychotherapy and counselling. The name, drawn from the Greek word meaning “I want” or “I need,” perfectly captures her approach: helping people rediscover strength, purpose, and confidence from within.
Rather than sitting across from a therapist’s desk, her sessions often take place on the mats. She uses physical movement to break down emotional walls, helping young people, and adults, open up in a safe, empowering environment. As she explains, “When they’re moving, they start talking without even realising it.”
Her approach was born from her own journey. A difficult apprenticeship with an abusive boss, long-ignored mental health struggles, and a lifetime of self-doubt eventually led her to therapy and martial arts, two practices that changed her life. Now, she uses both to change the lives of others.
The conversation also touches on broader themes: the long-term impact of COVID lockdowns, how social media has eroded real connection, and why something as simple as checking in on a friend can literally save a life.
Through it all, her message is clear, mental health isn’t a weakness, it’s part of being human. Healing takes honesty, humour, and courage. And sometimes, it starts with something as simple as standing tall, shoulders back, and learning to “walk like a boss.”
A story of heart, humour, and hard-won wisdom and a reminder that strength often grows in the most unexpected places.
Vickie Simos is a qualified counsellor and psychotherapist who is also a Fourth Degree Black Belt in the Filipino martial art of Doce Pares Eskrima (stick fighting) and a Second Degree Black Belt in Anjukanpo Karate. Vickie is a Silver Medallist World Stickfighting Championships, Pan Pacific Gold Medallist for Stick Fighting, and a qualified Personal Trainer. Vickie is the founder of Thelo Active Therapy, an initiative that combines martial arts and mainstream therapy. In 2017, Vickie published her memoir called The Boxer Within where she reflects on her experiences with depression and anxiety and how martial arts helped her overcome those mental issues.