Helping Women Break Free from the Patterns of Toxic Relationships and Walk Into their Healing Journeys

Marcia Hylton

Marcia Hylton is a Certified International Coach, NLP and timeline practitioner specialising in trauma recovery and emotional resilience after narcissistic abuse and other toxic relationships. Marcia has over 30 years in the healthcare and education industry as an advanced medical practitioner and lecturer, and has experience promoting holistic health with special interest in women’s mental and emotional health through community education.

What were your initial years of growing up like? Tell us about your life before starting your corporate journey/venture/initiative. 

I had a happy childhood with mum and dad and my four siblings. Yet I struggled to connect on a deep level with my dad. He worked hard to support his family and we never wanted for anything, but he was emotionally unavailable to me. This led me to strive to get his approval through achievement. I left school with no qualifications and I felt like a disappointment to him. So my education really started in my late teens. I became a nurse, community educator and lecturer all in a bid to prove to myself and my dad I wasn’t a failure. I spent most of my adult life in toxic relationships. As a result I formed a belief system that prevented me from being authentically me. This showed up in the way I ‘did’ life; procrastination, saying yes when I really wanted to scream no! This belief system I had about myself continually led me into heart-breaking, toxic narcissistic relationships. I became a single parent with three young boys to raise. It was so hard trying to juggle everything-work, study and raise my sons. There were many times I wanted to give up, then I would see in my mind’s eye my ex laughing at me, telling me I was no good, why should I bother? ‘You, a teacher?‘ He would say and fall over laughing. That memory was all I needed to push through all the trials I faced as a single parent. I went on to forge a very successful career for myself in the healthcare and education industry. I was doing okay. The side hustle I had alongside the day job was supporting women through their emotional and physical health challenges and would run workshops, speak at events and deliver health courses. I realised so many of us as women had experienced so much emotional and physical trauma in relationships and this eventually led me to train as a coach so I could serve women more effectively.

Tell us something about your initiative/business. What is it about and how is it helpful for people?

My business Life Inspired Wellness LTD addresses particular challenges faced by many women  who have experienced trauma, whether physical or emotional through difficult toxic relationships.

Our coaching service uses an integrated model that has a compassion-based, trauma informed framework leading to women breaking free from the patterns of toxic relationships and creating healthy new ones first and foremost with themselves, using tools and strategies to help them on their healing journey.

While the global pandemic of COVID-19 is associated primarily with adversities, it has also brought about a true boom in startups, with successful entrepreneurship in many countries. The pandemic has impacted all of us in one way or another. Would you like to share your experience on a personal and professional level?

Absolutely! At the beginning of the pandemic I was still working on the front lines in a major hospital in the UK. I was getting tired and had been considering taking early retirement for some time before the pandemic, but was scared to make the move, wondering how I would support myself and being accustomed to the regular salary. When the pandemic hit, no one really knew what the outcome would be, everyone was stressed, staff shortages. Then there was the whole George Floyd episode. I was also working in a different city to my family and not being able to see them took its toll on my own mental health. I had to take some time off, to escape, to just rest and think about where my life was going. Plus I had just split from my partner who I was due to marry-It had all got too much During this time off work, I had some thinking space and I knew I wasn’t going back to the way things had been. I decided to try something different. I started a podcast which got great reviews and a lot of response from so many people saying how much it helped them. I decided to take early retirement and retrain as a coach. From there, Life Inspired Wellness LTD was born.

What has been the response of the users/consumers towards your venture? 

The response to my venture has been really positive. So much work is still to be done in helping women heal and move on with their lives. I have one to one clients and now looking to move into group coaching programmes to reach a wider number of clients. I have collaborated and co-authored two Amazon best selling books, and in the process of launching my newest group coaching programme. It’s been wonderful being asked to speak on other platforms and within all this I’m able to pursue my own continued growth and development.

How has your life changed because of your initiative/venture?

I have more time for my family. I am a carer for one of my grandsons and so I get to spend more time with him, doing the school run and can plan my work around all that. I get to be a role model for all my grandchildren, especially my granddaughter (I have five grandchildren). SO many doors and opportunities have opened for me because I took a risk, gave up security for uncertainty, I’m glad I did.

Do you have anyone who is the biggest support system in your life? Please let us know.

Without question my family, particularly my mother. My family are my biggest cheerleaders.

Would you like to share with our young budding women entrepreneurs the change you would like to see in the world if given an opportunity? OR Share a motivational message for the audience/women who are reading this.

The change I’d like to see is more women in boardrooms, contributing to change at strategic levels and to be taken seriously not as competition to men, but as co-collaborators and co- creators. It’s my belief that we as women bring balance to the world and I’d encourage young budding entrepreneurs to hold fast to what they believe in. Push through and never give up. Believe in yourself, and remember, it’s never about you but who you serve.

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