Motivation comes from within.

My story: How I found coaching.

Waking up on Christmas Day morning in 2020, little did I know but my whole life was about to change.

My left eye was very painful with reduced vision. Worrying about who was going to deal with the turkey and with my husband at the wheel, we headed to the local emergency department.

Fast forward to mid-January. My vision had thankfully returned but my left eye still hurt and the right had joined the party. My eyes were apparently very dry but no one could explain the level of pain. I was housebound and miserable.

I couldn’t work. As a Consultant Radiologist, I spent long days looking for tiny abnormalities on four very bright computer monitors. Now light hurt my eyes and I was pretty sure I wasn’t turning into a vampire.

In a remarkably short space of time, my situation had become very uncertain. I understand the sense of overwhelm which comes with a new diagnosis. The worry about the future and the sense of not knowing where to start to fix it.

I was eventually diagnosed with a rare condition called corneal neuralgia and started on the correct treatment.

During my journey back to a point of disease stability, I evaluated my overall wellbeing and realised how unhealthy my work-life balance had become with my health taking a back seat.

This was the moment I realised something had to change. I needed to reset my health.

I improved my diet, found time to exercise in a way that worked with my illness and slept more. I surprised my cynical self by embracing mindfulness and meditation to help combat stress and chronic pain.

The irony is, apart from my eyes I am the healthiest I have ever been.

Whilst I improved with treatment, it was not enough and I retired from the NHS in 2023, giving up my license to practise medicine.

Inspired by my own transformation, I wanted to help other women to do the same. I enrolled on a health coaching diploma and the rest, as they say, is history.

Today, I still struggle with computer screens so my husband Pete helps out with the admin side of my business and I you’ll notice I wear special ‘dry eye glasses’ for pain control.

I value knowledge and integrity above all else. I only recommend solutions backed up by robust science in a safe and confidential, non-judgemental space.  With the occasional bad joke!

Outside of my professional life, I can usually be found on my Peleton bike (follow me @the_ruth_hurts), taking country walks with Pete, or listening to a podcast or audiobook.

My current obsessions are travel, as far as my condition allows, and concocting new recipes.

I have also helped set up the UK’s first dedicated dry eye disease charity to educate and raise awareness of this misunderstood and often debilitating condition (https://dry-eye-association.com).