The Uneducated PT Podcast - #71 Alycia Thompson Ward Women's Health Surgery Coach

Episode Date: April 6, 2025

🎙️ In this episode of The Uneducated PT Podcast, we sit down with Alycia to talk about the power of mindset when life doesn’t go to plan. She opens up about how she reframed one of the toughest seasons of her life — including her recovery from surgery — and how she used that experience to bounce back stronger, both physically and mentally. From setbacks to comebacks, this conversation is all about perspective, resilience, and learning how to grow through what you go through.

Hello and welcome to the uneducated PT podcast with me, your host, Carlo Rourke. The goal of this podcast is to bring on interest and knowledgeable people from all walks of life, learn a little something from each conversation. And for you, the listener, just learn something from each episode. So don't forget to subscribe to the channel, press the box below, show some support, and I'll see you on the next episode. It's starting now! Yeah, we're starting now.

So to keep as casual as possible, yeah. Oh, okay, and straight chill in then. Yeah, this is a very good intro today. Make sure you catch that. Yeah? All right. All right. You can leave them on the table.

I'm going to, no, I'm going to be, I'm going to, full first question that I'm going to ask you. Okay. Because obviously you're speaking at my event tomorrow for my school fitness members. Yes. So what are you going to be talking about? It's so hard not to do an Irish accent.

Yeah. I'll try you really hard. She's been doing an Irish accent all day to be. And it was, it's a half Irish half Jamaican. I will not, please, please do not. insulted by Rishand. Oh my God. Oh, right.

So tomorrow I'm talking all about reframing. So the title of it is called Reframe Your Mind, Reclaim Your Power. Because I feel like from my own experiences with my health issues, it's really trickled into my fitness journey about just how to reframe. And then with my clients, say if they don't have, at that moment in time an issue with their health

but it's more something's happened at work and then they've not got to the gym or someone's upset and then they've done this and they just kind of blame everything on external when they just take their power back and just be like how can I reframe this and actually control my actions and then control the outcome?

Is that something that you did when... Actually I know we obviously did a podcast before and some people have probably have listened to it but there'll probably be new viewers that have haven't listened to our conversation. So just for anyone who doesn't know who you are, what you do, like why is that important to you? Why is re-framing important to you?

What has it done in your own journey? And can you just go a little bit into that as well? Yeah. So in 2023, I had an emergency surgery on my ovaries to remove a 10 centimetre dermoid cyst. And that situation, I had no idea I was poorly. I was travelling. I came back home early.

collapsed at home, was rushed to hospital. And all that situation was showing me is I could not control anything at that point. It was all external. But it got to a point, especially with my personality and being like in Ares, I have to have controlling something. So I was like, what can I actually do to take my power back? So I started to look on social media after I had my surgery to try and find a coach, someone I could relate to in the fitness industry because it's so vast,

who had had a surgery or helped women who've had surgeries get back on the feet or have women's health issues because I struggled with my female health for a while but didn't have any diagnosis at that point and there was no one so I was so angry and I felt really let down by the industry so literally 24 hours after my surgery I was like right I'm going to be the coach people go to if they've had surgeries or they've have health issues and they want to take the power back and not just be in this mindset of I can't do anything because that's the conversations I was having with people on the ward. They were like, well, no one gets us. We just, this is it now.

And I hate that. Because they were giving all their power to like doctors or constantly trying to kind of always go to have meetings and whatnot. When actually it's like, right, what can you do now to improve your life? So for a lot of us, I started like helping women walking around the ward because they were like, we don't know where to start. just get walking. And then just slowly doing certain exercises to help. So that whole situation showed me the power of reframing. Because I could just be like, well, this is it now.

I've had a surgery. No coach to help me. I'm out of work now. I can't go to the gym. It's like, well, what can you do? And that's what I've always looked to do. It's a really difficult one. Like, I know you make it sound really simple there,

but it's a really difficult thing to do, especially when you've probably gone through something that, you know, is really difficult to accept and you're probably, like, you want to be, you wanted like, kind of sit in, in that kind of situation and be like, why me, this is shit, and, you know, have a victim mentality,

which you're probably 100% in your right to have. And it must be a difficult thing to, you know, trying to switch your brain to, to go into a place of, okay, this is what's happened to me. what am I going to choose to do now? Yeah. It's not simple, like you said.

It's not like I had the surgery or I got admitted to hospital after collapsing and was like, okay, what can I do? Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah. No, I was really in a bad place and I actively turned off my emotions because it was too tough. But like I say to people who I work with

or even friends or family, you've got to feel it. Like I really don't think you can just be positive all the time. Or otherwise it's like toxic positive. Yeah, and that's so annoying. And that, yeah. Whereas if you actually say feel it,

but there has to be a point where you just slowly turn things around. It's not even going from, this is awful and there are always me or victim mentality or just being a human and feeling it and having it affect you and then reframing it. It takes time, like slowly turning things around,

but it does come down to saying what is in my control that I can do to make me feel. like I have some control. There's that great quote. What is it? Like you don't drown from falling in the river or you drown from like staying submerged in it. And it's like, all right, something bad's going to happen to you.

And, you know, you're allowed to feel, you're allowed to feel like this is an awful situation. But if you just continue to fester and then thoughts and continue to just feel like that, you're not going to solve anything. Yeah. There's another quote that's trying to come in my head. And it's like you can't control what happens to you, but it's on you to kind of move through that after it. How do you help your clients to do that then when they're kind of in that kind of bubble of feeling sorry for themselves,

feel them down to kind of ignite them into some sort of action? So I always say to feel it, but I always quote, fiancé. So I say, give yourself, she said give yourself three hours. I think that's a bit short of a window. Yeah. But give yourself. Depending on the context of doing. I know like three hours you don't.

Yeah, no matter what it is, that's happened to you. But I say to them, give yourself a few days. For some people, they might need a week. But I just say feel it and be a quote unquote mess. And just don't feel like you've got to have yourself together. Especially if, like, they've been told, you know, they've got a certain diagnosis to do with like a health issue. They've been trying years to get a diagnosis for, like Enameachos, for example.

or even being told you got a surgery here or they're just having a bad period and they've had a breakup or whatnot. I say feel it, but then the knees come a point where you almost have it in your peripheral. So we don't say, you know, feel it for three days and then move on.

It's like it can be there, but we also have things to do. So after a while, especially because you felt it, you almost get a bit sick and tired of being in that energy. And then a lot of it comes, with me just hyphen him up and being like, you've got this bitch, let's go. And then it's honestly

like a domino effect if you just say, right, can you control eating well today? You know, like deciding to have nutritious meals. Can you ring a friend? Can you get to the gym? Doesn't have to be a rigorous exercise, but can you maybe go and do some stretches? Or talk to someone at the gym, have a coffee with someone. And then they go, I've done that. That felt good. Let me do this. then all of a sudden You build momentum Yeah And you actually

Forget that's in your peripheral It's kind of just there I would imagine Because it has to be like that It has to start off Probably with small actionable things Because if

If you're coaching these people Who have gone through Difficult surgeries It's not going to be I'm going to make the biggest change possible It's going to be okay I'm going to build up small little wins

To build momentum So I can get myself out of this situation Yeah, because for my call them my warriors, like they have been dealt at times really shitty cards. Yeah. And when they tried to kind of get back on the horse and get back to being healthy or just feeling like they're being told their life. Yeah. Excuse me. Life has knocked them down again or their symptoms are not them down. So they get going and they get pulled back again. They get going to get pulled back again kind of thing. Yeah. So then their mentality is what's the point? You know, because they've almost...

Yeah, they've pointed the finger to its life, it's this external things that are against me. Whereas if you turn, you know, that finger of blame onto you and being like, okay, how are my thoughts helping me right now? That's what I'm going to blame is my mindset here. Whereas if I reframe this to, wow, what a boss move that every single time I've been knocked down. I've tried again.

That's insane. So let's actually learn from this. that is incredible to keep doing that. And with a lot of my warriors, we do things steadily. So even when, say, a flare-up happens or they have been knocked back again, we can revert back and go, but look at this stack of evidence

that we know what to do to get you going again. So, yeah. That probably makes it easier as well for them to get back on again because they have that stack of evidence that use of work together to create. Yeah. But I think as well,

having people in your circle Even it's not being coached by me. But if you can sit there and be like, I've survived all of the times that I really didn't think I could, let that ignite you again. But I think with a lot of my warriors, it's saying maybe did you push yourself to a point that you shouldn't have? Was alarm bells ringing that you were burning out and you carried on?

So it's almost like managing their expectations to be like, you need to stay here for a bit, let the body catch up. and then push again. So I find with them, we don't have that many flare-ups, really, you know, when we get into it because they learn how to really look after themselves because they're not taught.

You kind of just go, well, you're gaslit to start off with by doctors. It is what it is, and it's so upsetting. But if it's not that, it's then just being told you've got this, figure it out, or you're just kind of told there's nothing we can do. So of course they're going to be in this. like victim mentality or frustration. So I just love helping people, one reframe, but really just trying to figure out what can I do,

build up that confidence, and then just make it happen, whichever, however it looks like for them. Yeah. You have a client called Alexandra, is it? Yeah. I was looking at the journey that she had working with you. And obviously, still to this day in the fitness and the stream. I know a lot of coaches. I still don't know anyone else that does what you do in terms of

a surgery coach. So like I still haven't come across anyone else that does it. So I think it's fantastic. But you had a client and obviously she's had some really big wins of like so could you talk a little bit? Just so the listeners have an idea of kind of like what you do to help your clients and where they started to where they've actually got to. So can you tell me a little bit about her kind of client transformation? Oh, oh God. Yeah. So. Alexandra is actually miss Currisa runner up so she was doing beauty pageants

and she then after years of having to look a certain way and really her value in being in those pageants a lot of it came down to solely how you looked she then struggled massively with a female health

she had multiple fibroids and had to have an open myemectomy which is open surgery to remove the fibroids and she was so poorly. Now, after the surgery, like all of my warrior clients, they weren't told how to prepare for it. They weren't told, you know, what to expect. They weren't told what to do. They just, if you're lucky, you get a follow up in like two to six weeks. If not, it's just figure it out, be healthy, which isn't good enough because a lot of them have been doing that even years before

being diagnosed. So, thank God for social media. Like, she literally was on her phone a couple months after the surgery and was trying to find someone to relate to. Now, we both followed this Instagram profile called We Can Wear White, all about fibroids and they tried to raise awareness for it. And they had reshared one of my videos because I loved to, like, talk to them closely. And she reached out and I was like, let's get to work. And literally from what, she was like eight weeks-ish post-surgery, in those six months, we got her, because, through movement. She was in the Netherlands as well.

She actually decided to leave her job because she wasn't fulfilled. She was like, I want to start my own business. I was like, love that for you. And as much as she, because she still worked really heavily in like the Miss Universe pageants, she really started to see her value

outside of just how you look. Because she looks amazing. Yeah. And she could see that for her now and she never thought she would feel confident at the weight she is, you know? And she's still so healthy.

and she also really learnt how to love her scars because a lot of women, they go through this and it's quite common the surgeries we have, but a lot of us can still feel quite insecure in our bodies. And also, like I had this, when it comes to your scars, you're like, oh, wow, they're not going anywhere. That's part of me now. And that can really mess with your mind

because you don't recognise what you see in the mirror. So not only did I work closely with her doing that, but the girls did as well. so everyone in the group chat. So her having the one-to-one support with me, but also being seen and recognised, I called them the BBA tribe, helped massively.

And we got her down the aisle. She was the most beautiful bride. And the main thing for me was that she actually recognised what she saw in the mirror. She was messaging me heart before and I was like, are you happy though? She was like, I'm in love with what I'm seeing.

And I was like, yes, because it wasn't just a do I fit in the dress, it wasn't that, it was a, do I actually feel beautiful? Yeah. And she did. Yeah, like it sounds like a lot of your coaching is like, you know, obviously you're trying to get these people from post-surgery back to being physically strong and feeling healthy as well. But also, you know, things like improving their overall body image, how they feel, how they look, just their overall quality of life and how that ripples into other areas of their life, not just fitness. Yeah. it's so important because

it's funny you say that every time we jump on a call for them to see what I do and if it's a good fit for them I always make the point of you are not X like you are not fibroids you are not endometriosis

or you are not surgery you are Alexandra and you've had A you know and even though a lot of my coaching is to say let's get you fit let's recover from surgery let's make sure we're doing all we can

prevent, you know, fibroids coming back. I also want you to relearn who you are. So every month we'll do one-to-one calls where we do set goals, but we also try and strategise one how to do it, but why you want to do it. And what I love is in like the first four weeks, everyone can be quite nervous. And like we said there, can be a bit skeptical, like, yeah, I'm excited to do this, but I'm just waiting to like life to knock me off track. When they see that's not happening, they then just keep up in the ante and that's why we get to a point like serena's coming in my head so she's had um an excision surgery for endometeosis we're preparing for a second surgery now but she's been working with me like seven months but she's already said in month 10 like she wants to be doing a marathon

but in month one she was like what's endometeotosis because she was so overwhelmed by it she'd just been diagnosed so yeah i love i love doing that i just want people to through the reframing, redefine themselves. So you've been coaching for the last six years now, is not correct? Yeah, six, seven now. Seven years. What do you think you've learned about people in that time? Oh, I think, I don't know how to word this.

I've never been asked that, but I don't want to say we can be our worst enemies, but we can. But I think people almost hold themselves back or define themselves based off of what they think others think of them. That makes sense. Does that make sense? It's like, I'll say... Did you ever struggle with that?

Yeah. How did you do that? How did you do that? I did really badly. I wasn't really living. This is quite deep. I think I truly started living after my surgery. Because I was like,

you've wasted so much of your... life in the sense of you used to care so much what people thought of you yeah overthought everything and i'd try and fake my confidence but i would know that i was quite insecure because i didn't see my value and i didn't have the confidence to even show up as who i wanted to and then after that i was like life is so short so like with people and people i coach you know when you say to them what do you want to achieve? And you can help them kind of find their way. Like, what would your ideal self?

What would you want to do? And they go, I'd love to do that, but I can't do that. And I'm like, why though? And they're like, oh, well, I'm scared what so-and-so will think of me. Like, even as simple as, like, posting a video on social media. Like, oh, but what will they say? I'm like, who are they? Like, who are they?

And I think we're terrified to be judged. Yeah. I think a lot of it is people are terrified to be themselves. Like truly sit with themselves and be like, what do I want to do in this one life? Who do I want to be?

And I think it's a fear of not being accepted as well. What do you think it was, what do you think it was about your surgery that helped you to embrace that? Helped you to embrace just being yourself

and not worrying about what other people think about you? Life can change on a dime. That's what it was. I was just like, dude, life can change like that. And it was scary to me because I was fine one day, and the next day I was in hospital

and I couldn't even wipe my own backside. Like, I was like, just do something. You know, like, we're all going to die anyway. And I saw that because I was like, it can happen. So I just wanted to be me. And I felt when I was my most vulnerable in sharing that experience with others, it helped them come out of their shell,

like all of us in the hospital together. And I was like, well, if I can help others by being open and honest, and it's also helping me because I just feel I'm being authentic, it's nice. Isn't it a funny how something that you probably deemed at the time to be like the worst thing that could happen to you ends up being one of the best things that happened to you in a way because in hindsight you helped you step forward to be more of yourself

and not worry about other people? Yeah, it gets me emotional because it wasn't until, honestly I'd say recently that I actually saw that. Because for a lot of it I was like, this is wild. Like, this has happened. And it took a really long time to process it. And now I'm like, my God, I wouldn't be sat here talking to you if it didn't happen. I wouldn't feel like I'm making a real difference, you know?

and I think the fact that I feel so aligned with a purpose is such a blessing so I'm just grateful for sure that I didn't allow my mind to kind of not think right what is a lesson here what can I do here so yeah I'm really grateful for that two more questions I have for you off the back of that which would make sense so So right now then, what do you define as success, both personally and both professionally? I love this question, right? Because before all of this, I would define success as wealth, as in money. Now I don't. Personally, it's being happy. And I mean being happy where I can just be by myself and not have my brain work against me. be happy in my own company

almost a peace with yourself yeah yeah to even like today not today yesterday I did that in the apartment and I could ring my anti-max like I'm so close to her and I was like the fact that I am at peace I'm good and my family are healthy

that's success and also knowing they're good and they're there and professionally honestly I I feel it comes down to the fact that I'm making a difference. And it's not just to the amazing warrior women I'm working with. It also trickles into their family and their friends

because they feel they've either got their daughter back or they've got their wife back or they've got a new version who is even better because they like themselves more. I just want to make a difference. Like, I just, because I know what that feels like after you've had your surgery or you're just in despair

because you've not got a diagnosis for your health issues or you do and you just don't be like you're in your body I just want people to know there is a solution especially if you've not got a mindset that is more inclined to solution based I just want them to know that's a really good term as well to you solution based

what's like you're in this situation okay instead of looking at the problems when we know the problems what are some solutions that we can look at. Yeah. So like we said at the start of this, it's like you need to be a hot mess

and you need to be sad, well with me, whatever, but then you need to be like, okay, dude, like let's be solution based. Because you can't stay there forever, especially when life is fleeting.

Okay, last question, then I'll ask one one more on top of that. So then, what do you think then makes a great coach? Oh. As someone who's been in the industry coaching now for seven years, basically. Of what you see probably around you as well, things that you don't like, values that you don't like in certain coaches versus how you want to kind of show up on coach.

What do you think makes a successful coach in regards to how you look at making a difference professionally? I think what makes a good coach is leaving your ego at the door. And what I mean by that is stop trying to coach people the same way. in the sense of no, this is my methods I know it works because I've got 200,000 transformations

if it doesn't work you're the issue. Fit into this box. Yeah, no I think a great coach is where it's like, okay, this is the starting line that's your destination. Everyone in my team

has that destination but it's different for everyone but you want to get from A to B different routes for each person to get there. And that is absolutely fine. It's what works for them because with not of my girls do I want them to do however many months or years I want to stay with me.

And then they leave and they're like, oh, what do I do? It needs to be something that fits in with them as well. So I think what makes a great coach is not being so rigid and anal in your methods. Obviously, you have your coaching style and you do have your way of working, but don't just be like it's black and white, you know? And do you think that, yeah, I think that's a really important thing. It's like, and I think that also comes down to not. knowing each one of your clients.

Obviously, you can get a thousand people and put them on an app, but that's not really coaching, is it? Like, the fact that you know each one of your clients and you know the struggles that they're going through, you know, the type of surgeries that they've had. Yeah. And you're able to kind of identify that,

like, what works for this girl? Is it going to work for this person? Yeah. In a way, like solution based and problem solving comes into it. Yeah. Because I find with me anyway, sometimes it does come down to problem solving. Like, okay, this isn't working how we're doing this now.

How can I figure out a way to almost move these pieces or change the way in which we get to the destination that makes you happy? You also get the experience of everything that I want you to have and you actually grows a person, you know? So I think it is definitely understanding your clients, caring, and actually... wanting to figure stuff out.

Because I found with some of my girls where they've had their health issues and they've worked with coaches who say they understand but they don't understand. Said coaches would then just be like, oh, well, you don't want it, you know, bad enough. Her's a calorie deficit. Yeah, or the worst one is.

Well, you're obviously not sticking to your calorie deficit than if you haven't lost weight. I'm like, she has an issue literally with her hormones and a health issue, are you joking? Gets really annoyed. But even that, it's like if those coaches even educated themselves didn't stop learning and we're actually

open with their clients and we're like okay from what I know this should work but let's figure this out as a team and get through it and I still do it now because I'm never going to say I know everything. No. So even when I'm like this should work and that's that and that's that and we've had the chat of you know have you been adhering or do we need extra support there and it's like right let's go get your blood's done, you know. I don't, I hate to even... Don't assume kind of what the issue is going to be or how to solve it.

Yeah, because I love to get my girl's bloods done, you know, pretty much at the start and all the time and throughout as well because I do that too. But I could not ever say to someone like, you're unhelpable. Yeah. You know?

Like, of course some things are out of my scope. Yeah. But when it's a case of, my God, you're trying hard. Yes, no one's perfect. do I expect you to stick to your diet plan or whatever, every single, like, no, like we're human. But when there's something that's not adding up with all the work you're putting in, like, let's figure it out. Yeah, yeah, makes sense.

I'd love to have this conversation for two hours, but obviously we have an event to run tomorrow, which you're going to be my special guest speaking to our members. If people wanted to follow up on the work that you do, maybe there's someone listening who does have health issues at the moment, might be, you know, just post-surgery and they haven't, you know, heard of someone who actually does the type of work that you do, where can they reach out to find you, to follow up with your work,

to even ask you a question if they need to. So on Instagram, it's Alicia underscore BBA, so A-L-C-I-C-I-A-U-B-A and it's the same on TikTok. Thanks for watching. If you like that episode and you want to see more content like this, make sure you're subscribed,

and I'll see you on the next one.