This week brings an interview with Lucy Rose Metcalfe from Lucy Rose Coaching. I met Lucy whilst part of an online business course led by Sara Moseley. Lucy has been on an amazing journey and wants to share this with us.
Lucy’s Story
Lucy Metcalfe was a healthy and energetic individual starting dancing at just 3, and was a professional dancer until the age of 27. Growing up, her parents owned hotels and were able to cook really well. In October 2010, Lucy was 33 and living in Dubai. She was teaching English and one day, as she was teaching, she found that she could not complete her sentences. She had tests done and was diagnosed with a growth on her brain that was deemed potentially fatal; they had to operate. Lucy then flew back to the UK and waited for surgery until January 2011. She looked into having open brain surgery but the growth was too embedded and so it could have been fatal to remove it. Lucy had radio surgery to remove most of it, but it took 4 years to completely go. Initially, Lucy was in shock and could not believe that this was happening to her as she had always lived a healthy life.
Diet whilst dancing
When Lucy trained as a dancer, she would train for 8 hours a day, 5 days per week. She could eat anything and could burn it off. When she became professional, she would only dance for 1 or 2 hours per day which meant that she could not burn it off as easily. She would then look to other diets to lose weight. She counted calories, did not eat fat or eat much at all. She was a size 10 to 12 and was told to be careful as other girls were smaller. Lucy was at her lowest weight, she had no fat to protect her organs and it caused her to stop menstruating for 5 years. By this point, she was in her late 20’s. When she moved back home and changed her diet, her hormones went back to normal and she started to menstruate once again.
Lucy now
Further to complications left behind by the tumour, Lucy has put a number of things into place to help her to find answers. She found out after having seizures and taking medication, she has epilepsy for life and she has a brain injury. Lucy now takes epilepsy medication and will more than likely take this for the rest of her life. This medication is really strong and can give you the same side effects as symptoms of seizures can. Lucy created a coaching program, designed around all of the information she compiled on her recovery. She now follows, and coaches, 7 steps to recovery:
- Nutrition and hydration – feeding her body and her brain the nutrition that they need.
- Exercise – helping with depression and anxiety. Yoga and other exercises helped to improve with breathing which then reduced anxiety.
- Sleep and rest – sleeping as much as possible, not just after recovery gives the body and brain time to rest.
- Relationships and boundaries – assessing who and what you need in your life.
- Career and purpose – giving something to focus on.
- Spirituality and/or self belief – Faith helped Lucy through her darkest times. Having self belief gave her the power to keep fighting.
- Hobbies and wellbeing – doing things that spark joy in your life with the people that you love.
To mark 10 years, Lucy is going to do a 10k park run with her husband to raise money for Yorkshire Brain Tumour Charity. She has written an eBook, created an online course, wants to blog, wants to do podcasts. She feels very excited for the future.
Quick fire!
- What food reminds you of your childhood? Beans on toast
- Most is your most memorable meal in a good way? A hotel in the middle of the sea for afternoon tea watching the sunset.
- What have you got for tea? A big smoothie after the gym
What do you think? Please leave me a review on my podcast!