How My Health Journey Inspires Me

I speak a lot about ‘resilience’ in my work. That’s because I have a deep personal connection with the word. Every day, I work to help others build their resilience, whether they want to become better public speakers or feel empowered to make big changes in their lives.

But what does resilience mean to me? It’s a question I ask others, but it’s important I answer it myself. My resilience was born from my health struggles, so today, I thought I'd share my health journey with you. It’s painful, but it’s important. Here we go.

Eating and nutrition

My body is extremely sensitive. I learnt this at a young age as I grappled with health challenges that tested my personal strength. I suffered from an eating disorder for 15 years, which cast a shadow on my teenage years and followed me into adulthood.

This is a silent battle that many face but few speak about. Eating disorders are too often seen as being about aesthetics, but there’s more to it than that. As I’m a perfectionist, I wanted to control my body rather than love and nurture it. So, I began monitoring what I ate. Too often, I distracted myself with alcohol, yo-yoing between partying and locking myself away at home to avoid temptation — and calories.

My struggles with eating meant my body was in a constant state of rebellion. I wasn’t getting enough nutrients, which triggered a hormonal imbalance that wreaked havoc on my body and my endocrine system. At 16, I developed amenorrhea, meaning my period would disappear for months at a time. A lack of oestrogen caused me to develop pre-menopausal symptoms at just 30 years old, like hot fushes and my period even stopped completely for three years.

Back pain and sleep

Unfortunately for me, my difficulties didn’t end there. At 18 years old, I’d already developed lower back pain linked to digestion and my urinary system. The intense pain would wake me up throughout the night. Honestly, it felt like someone was stabbing a knife in my back. This constant pain, combined with anxiety caused by work and relationships, made sleeping incredibly difficult. As sleep is so integral to our health, everything spiralled further from there.

The healing power of mindfulness and communication

Over time, I got used to living with the pain; I developed resilience. Every day, I woke up determined to get better, strengthen my mind with positivity and find a way to heal myself.

I realised that I was failing to connect with my body, so it had begun communicating that something was wrong in the only way it could — through pain and discomfort. That’s when I discovered that learning to listen to my body was the first step towards healing.

So, I began listening. I discovered that the power of a healthy lifestyle extends beyond what you’re eating and how often you move your body. As my mindset was the root cause of many of my health issues, I knew this was where change needed to come from.

Over the next six years, I practised yoga and meditation, which gave me the positive energy to connect to my surroundings with serenity and empathy. During this time, I completed 200 hours of yoga teacher training, studied mindfulness-based stress reduction and learnt about health coaching at the College of Naturopathic Medicine (CNM).

I realised that deep down, my body was craving love, something I’d avoided giving it for many years. All I know is that the deeper that physical connection, the more I feel I am nourishing my body, mind and soul, and the better I sleep.

While yoga has helped me connect with the world around me, meditation has helped my sleep. While I still sometimes struggle to sleep — especially if my back pain is bad — I’ve finally moved to a quiet area, so I’m no longer kept awake by London’s busy streets. And I know I can turn to my meditation practices. By strengthening my mindset, I’ve found I rely less on distractions like TV and alcohol and have built a deeper connection with my body.

I’m finally reaping the benefits

Through experimentation, I found what works for me. I’ve massively limited my alcohol intake. I don’t smoke, and I certainly don’t do drugs. I eat healthily and no longer restrict myself. As Hippocrates said, ‘Let food be thy medicine and medicine be thy food.’

Today, my hormonal system is balanced; I got my period back, and I’ve been producing the right amount of oestrogen for more than a year now. Life will always throw challenges my way, but I know where my limits are. I am still standing, smiling, going to the gym, studying and socialising. When I show up, I show up with positive energy. (Even if I’ve only slept for an hour the night before.)

How my health journey inspires my work: public speaking courses

Over the past ten years, my body has experienced more pain than pleasure. But the tides are changing. And I want to help others make the same change. I’ve learnt a lot about how to nurture my body with food and exercise, but perhaps the most profound lesson I’ve learnt is how to build a strong mindset.

We live in a hectic world where people tackle their health challenges with pills, alcohol and zoning out in front of the TV. It takes courage not to develop these habits, to embrace your challenges and find that the shit can be transformed into an empowering beautiful story. With motivational coaching, I show others how.

My health journey was incredibly difficult, but it led me to my career today. I’ve developed powerful values, such as resilience, perseverance and positivity, which have helped me remain focused on my dream. Now, I use my story to inspire others who are navigating health challenges through confidence coaching, motivational speaker and public speaking courses. While our journeys are deeply personal, we’re connected by our resilience and hope, and I love sharing my story in the hope of lighting the path for others.