ABOUT ME

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At the age of 24, I made the biggest, most terrifying but transformative decision of my life; after over a decade of hard work, I made the decision to drop out of medical school and walk away from a career as a doctor, in order to pursue my one true passion in life: coaching. And here's why...

At the age of 10, I developed a severe and life threatening eating disorder, Anorexia Nervosa. I spent the majority of my childhood and teenage years in hospital, being kept alive through a feeding tube in my nose. At the age of 13, weighing just 34kg, my organs began to fail, and my doctors feared for my life. 

But it was then, when I had finally hit rock bottom, that things began to change. I was admitted into a specialist hospital, where I worked with doctors, dieticians and psychologists, to restore my weight, improve my mindset, heal my relationship with food, and reverse the damage I had done to my body. Slowly but surely, day by day, I started to get stronger. 

At the age of 14, after over a year in hospital, I was finally healthy enough to return home. Despite missing three years of school, I worked hard to catch up, and realised my academic potential. I left school with thirteen GCSEs, all at grade A or A*, and decided at an early age to pursue a career in sports medicine, which allowed me to focus on both of my passions: science, and combat sports. 

In 2014, at the age of 16, I walked a boxing gym for the first time in my life. For as long as I can remember, I have been completely obsessed with boxing and combat sports; I watched every fight, every film, every UFC event, but I had never had the confidence to try it for myself. Alone, underweight, and completely terrified, I laced up my gloves for the first time, and it was in that moment that my life changed forever. 

Boxing empowered me to be the strong, resilient, brave and confident woman I am today. It showed me the power of discipline, consistency and hard work. It taught me how to take a punch and stand back up again, both physically and metaphorically. And most importantly, it taught me to focus on all the incredible, amazing things that my body can do, and not just how it looks.

At the age of 18, I finished college with A Levels in Chemistry, Biology, Maths and Psychology. I spent my summer studying to become a certified personal trainer, before moving to Newcastle to study BSc Sport and Exercise Science. Here, I learned about human anatomy, exercise physiology, sports nutrition, biomechanics, and sport psychology, I worked with a number of professional athletes, interned at Newcastle United F.C. and The Newcastle Falcons, I wrote papers on topics such as 'Concussions in Boxing' and 'Nutrition for Endurance Athletes', and captained the University Boxing Team for two years. In 2020, amid the Covid pandemic, I graduated with a First Class honours degree.

In 2021, after all of my years of hard work, rigorous interviews, clinical aptitude tests and entrance exams, I was accepted onto the MBChB Medicine and Surgery program at The University of Manchester, my dream medical school, and embarked upon the journey to becoming a renowned ringside doctor.

For years, I dedicated myself to my studies, and worked relentlessly to achieve my goals. But somewhere along the way, I had forgotten what mattered most: my health. I had taken on too much, and soon found myself burnt out, exhausted, and struggling to keep up with the immense pressures of medical school. I slowly started to neglect my physical and mental health, and stopped taking time to prioritise the things I loved.

Boxing and strength training was quickly replaced with late nights at the library and hours sat staring at a computer screen. Evenings spent cooking and enjoying pizza with friends were soon replaced with black coffee, missed meals, and secret binge eating. My weight plummeted, and I found myself yet again in the grips of an eating disorder: this time, Bulimia Nervosa. I lost my period, my hair started to fall out in handfuls, and I could barely find the energy to get out of bed. I knew something needed to change, and fast.

I decided to take some time away from medical school to focus on my mental and physical health. In September 2022, I took the risk, booked the flights, and travelled to the other side of the world on my own to spend a month training at Tiger Muay Thai, the biggest MMA camp in the world. For years I had watched the Tiger Tryouts on YouTube, and dreamed of one day training at the world famous Tiger Muay Thai. I knew that if there was ever a time in my life when I needed to do this, it was now.

From the moment I arrived in Phuket, I knew that the trajectory of my life had been changed forever. Day by day, I could feel my old self coming back again, all of my energy, passion and happiness: I had got my spark back. I rediscovered my love for sport and exercise, and completely threw myself into training: boxing, MMA, Muay Thai, BJJ, strength and conditioning, running… you name it, I tried it. I fell in love with food again, and nourished my body with protein shakes, tropical fruits, traditional Thai food and fresh coconuts.

After one month in Thailand, I flew back to Manchester, dropped out of medical school, and took a job waitressing to save enough money to get me back. I had no idea what I was going to do next, but I trusted that I would find the right path.

And just like that, a few weeks later, I received an Instagram message from Tiger Muay Thai. They were looking for a new female coach, and they wanted me. In that moment, I knew this was the start of my new life. After everything I had been through in my life, after all the things I had overcome, this was exactly how things were supposed to happen. This was exactly where I was supposed to be. I had finally found my calling. 

So in January 2023, I sold my car, packed my bags, and booked a one way flight to Phuket... and the rest is history! I’m here living my dream life in Thailand, training, coaching, spreading my knowledge and passion for sport and exercise, working with world class fighters and world champions, empowering women in combat sports and strength training, and helping people to completely transform their lives through sport, the same way I did all those years ago.