Picture this: I’m 15 years old, bedridden with a brutal two-week migraine during my mock GCSEs. I’d always had a silly “pain scale” for my migraines: level 1 was a dull ache that made you close one eye, level 5 felt like someone driving a pencil into it. But this was a level 10…. a pneumatic drill in my eye, so unbearable it made me pass out. Two weeks of vomiting, exhaustion, and total darkness.

Finally, I sit up for the first time, only to discover that the right side of my face, including my eye, is paralysed. For a teenager, it was terrifying, and I guess for my mum, even worse. Within hours, I was rushed to Manchester Eye Hospital. Medicine wasn’t as advanced as it is today, and doctors had to rule out the worst. I still remember hearing the word “aneurysm” for the first time. At 15, you don’t forget that.

The ward.

I spent days being tested, surrounded by people dealing with brain tumours, epilepsy, and conditions far greater than I could comprehend. For the first time, I was face-to-face with fragility, and with people showing remarkable courage in the middle of it. Several days had passed and still no results; literally nobody knew what had caused this unusual condition. I was sat at a table playing cards with some of them when a song came on MTV: “Stay” by Shakespears Sister.

The lyrics, the drama, the emotion; they cut right through. Even now, decades later, whenever I hear it, the hairs on my arms stand up. That moment is etched in me.

Looking back, that experience shaped me more than I knew. It showed me that life can tilt quickly from light to dark. It taught me resilience; not the false kind where you pretend everything’s fine, but the real kind where you find meaning, perspective, and connection even when things are hard. That’s why, as a coach, I don’t just focus on performance or strategy. I focus on the defining moments that reveal who you are, because they fuel the clarity and impact you can bring as a leader.

My right eye is still partially paralysed, not many people would know that. But what it does is constantly remind me how lucky I am. Lucky compared to some of the souls I met on that ward at 15. Lucky to have the life I do today. And that perspective has never left me.  Live life to the full 😊

#LeadershipJourney #Resilience #ExecutiveCoaching #HighAchievers #AuthenticLeadership #DefiningMoments #Stay #ShakespearsSister #GCSE

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I’m Laurence Loxam – I’ve pushed limits in business, on mountains, and at the finish line.

Now I help elite professionals do the same, pushing past the point most people stop.

I coach CEOs, doctors, lawyers, and founders who’ve hit success, but still feel there’s more.

Together, we unlock clarity, sharpen confidence, and lead with conviction.

🔗 loxamconsultingltd.org

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